Wednesday, December 26, 2012

The (Not-So) Dreaded Press Release


Or alternatively titled, “One Man’s Attempt to Get Someone… Anyone to Read His Bigfoot Comic Book.”  


Last year I attended a panel at Wondercon titled, “How to Get News Coverage” with panelists from a variety of comics news sites, including Comic Book Resources, First Comics News and The Beat, just to name a few.  And while the information they presented was absolutely golden, one thing stuck with me as I prepped the big release for Bigfoot – S.O.T.E. #1.

They see a lot of press releases… Every day. 

Whether it’s the latest game-changing crossover from the big two or the next Kickstarter phenomenon, not a day goes by that the news agencies are not bombarded with pitches and press releases.  Some releases you know have been finessed and massaged by a massive marketing machine and others not far removed from having just been scribbled down in a well-worn moleskine notebook.  If you’re just one small indie in a sea of mainstream and indie books, chances are you won’t see daylight.  So after I finished furiously jotting down notes and potential contact names, I left the panel with one driving goal when it came to perfecting a press release.  One golden rule that sat above all others. 

Don’t be boring. 

Okay, that seems like a cop-out.  That’s like saying, “Be good,” without really giving any thoughts or instructions on how to actually “be good.”  So I’ll talk about how I approached Bigfoot.    

First things first, I actually get a kick out of writing press releases and query letters.  For me, it is kind of fun to break something down into what is essentially a “trailer” for what you’ve written.  Don’t give ‘em too much and leave them wanting more. Think of whoever is reading your press release as your audience (and this includes news outlets and reviewers.)  You want to entertain them.  Sure, you want to give them all the necessary information they’ll need to either construct a blurb or post your exact words (aka the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How), but you have to keep in mind that your press release may just be another sheet on a stack of papers or another email in a long list of emails.  And if you do any research into writing press releases you’ll quickly find out that a lot of them look the same.  EXACTLY the same. 

So how do you stand out? 

For me, it was simple.  Draw them into the world and make them a part of the story.  Don’t just give them the facts.  I’m pretty sure nobody wants to read, “Josh Henaman’s latest book is a six-issue mini-series… “ (snooze.)

Take a look at my first press release (I actually created two.  The second one I briefly cover further down.)  

Bigfoot Sword of the Earthman press release comic book barbarian graphic novel marketing
  

The first line is obviously your title, not quite a sentence, but a quick snippet to grab their attention.  “Bigfoot… with a Broadsword.”  After reading that, you have a pretty good visual in mind. 

The second title is your one-sentence pitch.  “Mini-series takes Bigfoot on an epic sci-fi adventure to a distant planet of dinosaurs, barbarians and damsels in distress.” 

Once again, you have some cool visuals to go along with the initial “Bigfoot… with a Broadsword” title.  And while you have these awesome moments of Bigfoot fighting monsters and saving some ladies, you also have the first bit of relevant info to the book.  It’s a mini-series.  The reason I opted to mention it here is because I don’t bring it up again until the fourth paragraph.

And speaking of the fourth paragraph, if you’ve done the research on how to write a press release, you’ll see that this paragraph is the one more releases lead with.  The reason I didn’t is because “Brewhouse Comics” and “Josh S. Henaman” are about as far as you can get from a household name at the moment.  The last thing I wanted to invoke was a sense of “Who cares?”

Instead, I opened with an event.  

On October 20, 1967, a pair of hunters caught on film the image of a solitary creature in the wilds of Northern California.  After a media firestorm, no credible evidence could prove the existence of this “Bigfoot” and for the next 40 years the sighting was largely deemed a hoax.  On November 6th, 2007, the NASA rover, Spirit, photographed the same creature on a ridge just south of Grissom Hill.  The location?  Fourth planet from the sun: Mars.   On November 7, 2012… the world discovers how he got there. 

The dying planet needed a hero… what they got was a sasquatch.”

This entire sequence has the feel of a good horror movie trailer.  It kind of has that old school Texas Chainsaw or The Town that Dreaded Sundown faux-documentary vibe to it.  It sucks you in.  Makes you feel like you're a part of it.

After that, I finally get into the meat of the Who, What, When, Where and Why.

The second press release focused more on the "Brewhouse" name.  Once again, I kept the "Hi, my name is Josh S. Henaman" to a minimum and essentially started off with a question.  "What do the craft beer industry and comic books have in common?"  


Bigfoot Sword of the Earthman craft beer press release barbarian comic book comic book marketing
My reasoning for this approach?  I had to ask myself a few questions.  Who am I trying to reach?  What is my niche?  Comic Books, Bigfoot and Beer.  Pretty simple when you think about it and it gives it a unique spin that a lot of reviewers or news sites haven't seen before.  

So that's it.  Comic book marketing and writing a press release shouldn't be seen as a necessary evil.  Sure, you have the standard info you absolutely need to state, but there are no rules saying you can't change it up a little.  Have some fun with it and your audience (aka the reviewers) may get a kick out of it and decide to run with it.  It's an extension of your storytelling abilities.  

Next up... A preview of Issue #2!

Have a good one, 

Josh S. Henaman 

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Bigfoot... The Reviews!

UPDATED: We've added the great review from CBR's blog, "Comics Should Be Good" and Josh's guest reviews in Robot 6's column, "What Are You Reading?"

------

It's December and what better way to kick off the new month than to post some links of the happenings in November!

Critically, we're off to a fantastic start!  It was always a big question mark as to whether or not people would respond to a sword, sorcery and sasquatch comic book, but as the say in the film world... the reviews are in!

"Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman is kind of like mainlining the Planet Hulk series while mashing your face into some classic issue of Hellboy... it's full of bad craziness, giant aliens and awesomely pulpy art!"


---------------

"Bigfoot is one of those comics where it sounds like the creators were sitting around drinking and thinking of goofy ideas, and decided to run with one... Keep it up!"  

Greg Burgas - Comics Should Be Good/Comic Book Resources

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"This is a smart, wild fusion mash-up of several genres/stories that has the legs (or feet) to go the distance!"


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"Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman is one of those rare titles that make me remember how much fun comics can be."  


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"It feels like Jack Kirby and Edgar Rice Burroughs had a love child, and that love child was awesome."


-------------------

"A sword-slingin' Sasquatch fighting monsters and aliens on Mars?!  Sign me up!"


---------------

So there you have it.  We'll have many more reviews to come, but this Bigfoot comic book is off to a great start.

Finally, Josh was also a guest reviewer for Robot 6's "What Are You Reading?"  Check it out:

"What Are You Reading?"

Thanks for all the support!  And don't forget you can pick up Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman at any of the awesome stores listed above or you can order it directly from this site in our Bigfoot Store!


Have a good one!

Josh S. Henaman

Friday, November 23, 2012

Buy - Monitor - Follow

Hope everyone is having a great Thanksgiving (and maybe a good (stuffed) four-day weekend as a result!)

I just wanted to give everyone a couple of quick links.

Josh is now on Twitter!  Yes, he's a good few years behind the rest of the world, but he finally took the plunge.  Now you can follow his exploits as he brings you everything Bigfoot related (and maybe a few odds and ends regarding writing and creativity.)  And what the hey, he's also on Instagram, but that's more beer-related than anything (with a name like "Brewhouse Comics" it had to come from somewhere.*)

Twitter:  JoshSHenaman

Instagram:  joshua_henaman

Remember the Bigfoot Store is open!  For all your B:SOTE needs!

Or you can find us at these excellent Brick and Mortars!

Finally, keep tabs, like us and tell us how we're doing on the ol'Facebook Page!

Coming soon... updates!

Have a good one,

Josh S. Henaman

*And purely by coincidence, the acronym for Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman is B:SOTE... which is similar to besot.  To be "besotted" is to be stupefied with drink, intoxicated... Brewhouse Comics, indeed.  

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Buy. It. Now!


It's been a long time coming... but the store is OPEN!

BIGFOOT STORE!

Item #1 is the comic.  Priced at $3.99, you get a whopping 32 pages of Andy Taylor awesomeness.

Item #2 is what we're calling the "Brewhouse 352."  Still priced at $3.99, it's the same book as Bigfoot #1, however, 352 copies of Bigfoot have been hand-stamped and numbered as being part of the "Brewhouse 352."  What's the significance of the number 352?  In the Patterson-Gimlin film, Frame 352 is responsible for the famous "Bigfoot pose" we're all familiar with.  The "Brewhouse 352" is a tribute to the image that inspired the legend.  Obviously, these are limited to 352 copies.

Bigfoot Sword of the Earthman Frame 352 comic book barbarian graphic novel
Frame 352
And there you have it!  Issue #1 is Available NOW!

------------

If you're in the area, you can also pick it up at these incredible stores!

Olympic Cards and Comics ... Lacey, WA

Blastoff ... North Hollywood, CA

Meltdown Comics ... Los Angeles, CA

Brave New World Comics ... Newhall, CA

Hypno Comics ... Ventura, CA

Jetpack Comics ... "Where all the Cool Kids Wish They Could Hang out!"  -- Rochester, New Hampshire

Friendly Neighborhood Comics ... Bellingham, MA

Strange Adventures ... Halifax, Nova Scotia

Happy Harbor Comics ... Edmonton, Alberta

Vault of Midnight ... Ann Arbor, MI

Third Eye Comics ... Annapolis and Prince Frederick, MD

B&D Comic Shop ... Roanoke, VA

Thanks again for all of the Bigfoot support!

Tell us what you think!

Have a good one,

Josh S. Henaman

Monday, October 29, 2012

Long Beach Horror & Comic Con


Stop by, say hello, get your hands on one beautifully kickass comic book starring Bigfoot.

And then get your picture taken with a giant 7' tall Bigfoot standee!

See you there!

Josh S. Henaman

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Confirmed Bigfoot Sightings


Bigfoot Sword of the Earthman comic book stores sightings map barbarian graphic novel



Jetpack Comics ... "Where all the Cool Kids Wish They Could Hang out!"  -- Rochester, New Hampshire

Hypno Comics ... Site of the first official Bigfoot Sighting AND Signing! -- Ventura, CA

Strange Adventures ... Halifax, Nova Scotia

Happy Harbor Comics ... Edmonton, Alberta

Vault of Midnight ... Ann Arbor, MI

Third Eye Comics ... Annapolis and Prince Frederick, MD

B&D Comic Shop ... Roanoke, VA

Brave New World Comics ... Newhall, CA

Friendly Neighborhood Comics ... Bellingham, MA

Meltdown Comics ... Los Angeles, CA

Daydreams Comics ... Iowa City, IA

Blastoff ... North Hollywood, CA

Olympic Cards and Comics ... Lacey, WA



...MORE TO COME!!

Contact these stores and reserve your copies now!

Or buy it straight from the online store!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

In one week...


The place:  Hypno Comics in Ventura, CA

The time:  6 - 8 pm.

The who?  These two yahoos will be making an appearance...

Bigfoot sword earthman comic book josh henaman graphic novel
I'm 6'1"... that's a 7' Bigfoot!
See you there!

Josh S. Henaman

Monday, October 22, 2012

Bigfoot sightings!

In no particular order, here are the stores where you can reserve your copy of Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman now!  Give 'em some love and tell them Bigfoot sent you!  We'll be adding more as they hop onboard!


Jetpack Comics ... "Where all the Cool Kids Wish They Could Hang out!"  -- Rochester, New Hampshire

Hypno Comics ... Site of the first official Bigfoot Sighting AND Signing! -- Ventura, CA

Strange Adventures ... Halifax, Nova Scotia

Happy Harbor Comics ... Edmonton, Alberta

Vault of Midnight ... Ann Arbor, MI

Third Eye Comics ... Annapolis and Prince Frederick, MD

B&D Comic Shop ... Roanoke, VA

Brave New World Comics ... Newhall, CA

Friendly Neighborhood Comics ... Bellingham, MA

Daydreams Comics ... Iowa City, IA

Blastoff ... North Hollywood, CA

Olympic Cards and Comics ... Lacey, WA


Bigfoot Sword of the Earthman comic book stores sightings map barbarian graphic novel

...MORE TO COME!!

Also, you say you don't live near a comic book store?  Fear not, we've got you covered!  Stay tuned... the Bigfoot store is right around the corner.

Have a good one,

Josh S. Henaman

Monday, October 8, 2012

Who Wants a Bigfoot Sighting?

November 7th is right around the corner.

There will be a few ways to get your hands on the first issue of Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman.

Here is one:

bigfoot sword earthman first issue comic book barbarian graphic novel
Available November 7th!!

Sounds pretty straightforward, right?  Email us at brewhousecomics@gmail.com, tell us the name of your local comic book shop (and their info if you have it, but if not no worries, just point us in the right direction) and we'll contact them to see if they'll carry Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman.  We'll also keep you updated on our success.

Since we're going the micro-distribution route (the "non-Diamond" route of distribution,) this means we'll have to personally contact each and every store and give them the info on who we are, what we're doing and why the very existence of the universe depends on their ordering Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman.  

So this is where you, the Bigfoot fans, come in.  Rather than blindly selecting stores, cold calling and hoping for the best, we're going in with swords at the ready.  We want to say, "There IS a demand.  And this is your chance to be first in line!"

As the list of stores carrying Bigfoot - S.O.T.E. grows, we'll maintain a list onsite as well.  If you don't see your store, let us know!  The more demands we get, the greater the chance of seeing the elusive man-ape.  

As October rolls along, we'll also reveal a couple of other opportunities to get your hands on our comic, so stay tuned!

Have a good one, 

Josh S. Henaman 

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Soldiering on...

Odd man out... a weekend post.

As our little Bigfoot comic moves towards its official release on 11/7/12, I thought I'd take a moment before the last big marketing push (press releases, retail store pitches, etc.) and reveal the Brewhouse Comics "unofficial" theme song.

As you can guess by the "Brewhouse" name, we're all about good times and good stories.  Whether you're alone or with a gaggle of friends tipping back a few and reflecting on life, you're probably surrounded by your own choice music.  Your own theme song.  

This would be ours...


The Tempest by The Real McKenzies.

If you've ever fought to move forward or patiently waited for your moment to seize an opportunity, then you know why I chose this song.

October is here.  Not long now.

Have a good one,

Josh S. Henaman

p.s. We're really not associated with The Real McKenzies, but you should check out their stuff anyway.   Damn good tunes.  http://www.realmckenzies.com/

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

More news around the corner!

Bear with us everybody, as we move towards the 11/7/12 release date, it's getting more difficult to find the time to keep the updates coming.

But fear not...

10/1/12 is going to be a big news day!

Until then...

Have a good one,

Josh S. Henaman


Monday, September 10, 2012

Good drink, good company and great stories...

Sometimes you just want to kick back.

No pressure.

No stress.

No worries.

And sometimes you want an escape.

Heroes.

Horrid danger.

And the latest adventure of your favorite character.

And sometimes ...

... sometimes you need a name to bring it all together.



From the press release:

"Brewhouse Comics is the ultimate DIY publishing house.  Founded in 2012 by Josh S. Henaman, Brewhouse takes its name from the public houses of old, where the emphasis was on good drink, good company and great stories.  Focusing on craft, Brewhouse aims to take that philosophy into the comic world one story at a time."

Wave upon wave of thanks goes out to Tim Daniel who took the "Brewhouse" name and turned it into something beyond cool!  Now go read "Enormous" and be on the lookout for "Throwback" Tim's new book coming out in 2013!

Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman... brought to you by Brewhouse Comics.

I like the sound of that.

Your Brewmaster General...

Josh S. Henaman


Monday, September 3, 2012

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Why Bigfoot?

That's a good question.

I suppose I should have answered it a few months back, but instead focused the blog more on the production process.  I thought people would enjoy the Point A to Point Z development of the comic book and didn't really give much time to the emotional side of it.  I focused on the physical.  The book in hand.  In fact, I never really committed the emotional thoughts of "Why Bigfoot" to paper before.

So bear with me.

Why Bigfoot?

Well, if you're just starting out, they always say, "Don't write a superhero comic."  DC and Marvel OWN that genre.  If you're going to play in their backyard you have to know that they already have the best toys.  They've had 'em for 50+ years and they'll have 'em long after you're gone.  Trying your hand at a superhero story would be like Mark Wahlberg's character at the end of THE PERFECT STORM praying for someone to find him as he bobbed alone in the ocean.  No beacon, no lifejacket, no way of letting anybody know he was there.

Okay, so that tells you why I didn't write a superhero story, but it doesn't really say... why Bigfoot?

By now you've all seen the "Bigfoot on Mars" photo that I first saw on the Cryptomundo site way back in 2009.  Hopefully, you've all read the initial posts on the origin of the story, so I don't need to go into the (in my opinion) kickass idea of Bigfoot on Mars.  Come on, Bigfoot... with a broadsword... fighting super-science, magic and a few barbarians while we're at it?  Who wouldn't think that was cool?

But "because it is cool" really doesn't get to the heart of it.  I mean, it's no secret that it feels like Bigfoot's been a part of my entire life.  I've had three different personal business cards and all three have had some iteration of Bigfoot on them.  While I've been to a Bigfoot conference, outside of Rene Dahinden, I couldn't really name any of the great Bigfoot hunters and I've never actually seen a full episode of FINDING BIGFOOT.

So really then... WHY?

Because to me, Bigfoot is the ultimate loner in an alien world.  Even before I put him on another planet, he was always seen as hunted, lost and alone.  Growing up, I never read any stories about a pack of Bigfoot sightings.  It was always the big guy by himself.

"No one knew where he came from... no one knew how he got here..."

And a story like that really plays on an impressionable mind.  It sticks with you.  You sympathize...  You empathize.

"No one knew his name."

And besides, it's Bigfoot... with a broadsword.

I couldn't pass it up.

Josh S. Henaman

Be sure to return in ONE WEEK!  We finally have an update to beat all updates.

Monday, August 20, 2012

The Price of Being Vague

Hey everybody,

It's been a little quiet around here lately.  When your entire blog revolves around the production of a Bigfoot comic book, it gets harder and harder to keep the updates coming when you don't want to jump the gun and announce anything too soon.

In our case, that's where we're at right now.  As you already know, the first issue is in the can.  Andy and Tom are finishing up on the second issue and I just passed off the third issue script to Andy for designs.  Production-wise, we couldn't be looking better.


bigfoot sword earthman comic book barbarian graphic novel vendor
Yeah, yeah, yeah, so what are you getting at?
But what about the business side of things?  What exactly is going on?  

Well, we've got some major... MAJOR announcements starting in a few weeks, but we can't spill the beans just yet.  We want to make sure everything's lined up and ready to go before we drop the green flag.

With that said, here are some things we've heard recently...

"So what exactly do you need with a 7 ft tall Bigfoot standee?"

"Why, it'll go great with our California Seller's Permit."

This will make more sense... in two weeks.  

Stay tuned... 

Josh "In for the Long Haul" Henaman

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

As if there was anything else to talk about...

bigfoot sword earthman comic book graphic novel barbarian mars image

Congratulations to the gang at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Your dreams and actions inspire us all!

http://www.nasa.gov/

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/index.html


Sincerely,

Josh S. Henaman

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

July recap... updates

Well, July is gone and we're heading full bore into August.

We had hoped to have a few more updates, but it's taking a little longer than expected (Ah!  The wait!  The wait is killing me! -- Josh H.)  Needless to say, August is shaping up to be a busy month for us.

bigfoot sword earthman comic book graphic novel barbarian tale
You know, we've been going this way for awhile... when's something going to happen?  

Update #1... Just passed the script for Issue #3 off to Andy.

Stay tuned... There's plenty more to come!

Josh "Mr. Impatient" Henaman

Monday, July 23, 2012

Hmmm... curious? Or just a play on words?

What's up, Bigfoot crew?  Bigfootians?  Sasquacha... ah, forget it.

For those in the know (or for those who have been around since we launched this little production blog back in January,) the genesis of our little comic book, Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman, had it's beginnings when I stumbled upon a photo of a tiny Bigfoot sitting on a rock.  The location?  Mars.

bigfoot sword earthman comic book barbarian graphic novel
Enough dilly-dallying!  Give me some updates!

The reason I'm blogging about this (again) is to remind everyone that this image was an actual NASA photograph taken by the Spirit rover.  Now, it's up for debate on whether or not it really is a tiny Bigfoot captured on film (come on, it's REAL... isn't it?) but you have to give credit where credit is due.  Thanks to the entire ground crew, engineers, smarty pants people who put it all together, our little book wouldn't be happening if they hadn't gotten there first.  

And now they're doing it again!



Bigfoot Sword Earthman comic book barbarian graphic novel NASA curiosity rover
Say hello... to Curiosity


Needless to say, we're a little stoked.

They're expecting touchdown on August 4th or 5th, so stay tuned!  If you're in the Pasadena, CA area you can even attend "Planetfest - 2012!"


As large as a car!  Or an old 18th century buggy.
So why exactly am I excited about this?  Because three years ago I had an idea for a comic book.  That comic was inspired by an image captured by a robotic rover over 54 million kilometers away.  The rover, dubbed Spirit Mer-A (Mars Exploration Rover - A,) was designed by a group of men and women with varying backgrounds, yet all with the sole desire to reach beyond what anyone thought was possible.      

Whatever your dream is... dream big.  




We're almost there.  

Josh S. Henaman

Monday, July 16, 2012

The Anatomy... of a Bagworm

It's that time again, everybody!  Comicon is over and hopefully everyone is safely coming down off the high that is all things geek and pop culture related.

As we're waiting for some updates on our little Bigfoot comic book, I thought it would be fun to post a quick evolution on our favorite storyteller... Well, actually, our only storyteller.  Castor Bagworm.

When I first approached Andy about the character of Bagworm, I had a hard time describing what the alien life would look like.  The only thing I could think to say was, "He should look like John Cazale."

Wait, the guy from the Godfather?  And Dog Day Afternoon?

John Cazale Bigfoot Sword of the Earthman inspiration comic book barbarian graphic novel
Who is this... Bagworm?
Yep.  There was something about the slick, conman way that Cazale held himself that seemed perfect for Bagworm.  Someone who exuded a kind of misplaced confidence that could only get him into trouble.

John Cazale Bigfoot Sword of the Earthman inspiration comic book barbarian graphic novel

Now that we had our "body template," Andy set about giving us the face.


Working in reverse, you'll see the influence of Cazale in the initial designs.  Ultimately, we went with the first image, but it's weird to think that Bagworm at one point might have looked like some kind of surly pirate.  

Castor Bagworm heads Bigfoot Sword of the Earthman inspiration comic book barbarian graphic novel

In this batch, we run the gamut from lizard-like to an almost cat-like mouse creature.  While we ultimately went with the design up top, we may revisit a few of these guys in the future (every planet needs a race of cat-like mousemen!) 

We had our Bagworm.

Our poet-weasel.  

And we owe it to John Cazale.


Bigfoot sword of the earthman bagworm comic book inspiration graphic novel
Hmmm... Poet-weasel, eh? 

Until next time!

Josh S. Henaman 

Monday, July 9, 2012

An "Enormous" Comicon!


Hey everybody!  It's Comicon time again and while Bigfoot won't have a presence there (cross your fingers for next year!) there will be another "sighting" to keep an eye out for...

bigfoot sword of the earthman logo designer tim daniel enormous comic san diego comicon


Tim Daniel will be on hand for the release of his and Mehdi Cheggour's "Enormous!"

As you know, Tim is responsible for the logo design of Bigfoot and has also worked with Brian Michael Bendis, Robert Kirkman and it seems like almost everyone under the Image banner.

Here are the details of his SDCC appearance:

"San Diego Comic Con is going to be Enormous! Visit Thurs-Sun at #2729 and get a copy of the book, t-shirts, bookmarks, prints before they are all gone!"

Also, be sure to check out the Image panel on Thursday for more Enormous shenanigans.  Tim will be on hand with a slew of additional creators to talk about their various Image releases.

If you're attending Comicon, swing by and support Tim & crew!  He's been a big part of the Bigfoot family for sometime now and we couldn't be more excited to see the debut of his book.  All that aside, Enormous looks pretty kickass, as well!

And down the road... we've got another announcement involving Mr. Daniel.

Have a good one!

Enormous is available this week!

Josh "Has a copy of Enormous waiting at his LCBS" Henaman