Throwback Thursday!

Happy Thursday! It's been a few, so I thought it would be awesome to revisit an oldie but a goodie. Due to the nature of traditional publishing (22 pages max!) vs. self-publishing (pages unlimited!), the release of issue #1 through Action Lab saw a few cuts from the original Brewhouse Comics version. Unfortunately, one of the greatest back-matter sequences had to be cut ... the origin of Korovan Muspin.

And just because I'm a sucker for "in-process" shots, here are the b&ws of two of them! 

Art by the always incredible Andy Taylor and Tamra Bonvillain.

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

2017: The (Not-So) Dreaded Press Release revisited!

Hey gang,

This past weekend, I attended Wondercon 2017 as a panelist for "How to Get News Coverage" moderated by Rik Offenberger of First Comics News. Way back in 2011, I attended the same panel and to this day, it was one of the best things I could have done with regard to preparation for the leap into the indie comics world. The information I received was invaluable.

With that said, as a panelist at this year's Wondercon, I was able to give some insight on my experiences and process. One of the most popular posts on this blog was my original "The (Not-so) Dreaded Press Release." After speaking to a few attendees about this very subject, I thought it would be beneficial to post it again (the original was soooo 2012.)

If you're a new creator, I hope this helps!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman


Here's the original post:

###

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.)  

  

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 6^th, 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?"  

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.  

Have a good one, 

Josh S. Henaman 

Happy Holidays!

It's that time of year again! Happy Holidays from Team Bigfoot!

Last minute stocking stuffer? Gift for yourself? Sure! Why not?!

Bigfoot on Amazon!

Now go out, make merry and fight the good fight! 

Cheers!

The Bigfoot trade is here! Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.!

The trade wait is over! 

Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman, the collected edition, is available now via Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.!

Collecting issues 1 - 6 of the foot-stomping epic, the Bigfoot - SotE trade paperback clocks in at a whopping 160+ pages!

For all your Bigfoot comic needs, buy it HERE on Amazon! Or snag it at Barnes and Noble HERE!

If you do pick it up, please leave a review and help spread the word! Every bit helps! And remember, this is not the story of how Bigfoot became a myth on Earth... this is the saga of how he became a legend of the stars!

It's been a long journey and we couldn't have gotten this far without you!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman 

Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman: The Collected Edition!

The wait is over! The Bigfoot comic of the year has arrived!

Premiering at this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman... The complete series!

Josh is bona fide!

Special thanks go out to Andy Taylor, Tamra Bonvillain, Adam Wollet, Tim Daniel, Jody Rice, James Wright, Nunzio Defilippis, Clint Trucks, DigitalWebbing, Bruno Oliveira, Dave Hamann, Jules Rivera, Axur Eneas, Luke Parker, the fans, the fanatics, Jason Martin, Dave Dwonch and the entire Action Lab crew!

Cheers to everyone who stuck with us! This round is on me!

Until next time,

Josh S. Henaman

The Bigfoot Trade Ad is Here!

Okay, that headline isn't the most glamorous, but man, we're less than a month away until the trade is here!!!!!! Woohoo!

I've said it before and I'll say it again. After 4+ years, 17 covers and a ton of great memories, this little Bigfoot comic is finally being collected!

This is going to be awesome!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

The Bigfoot Trade is Here!!!

After four years...

146 pages...

Seventeen covers... SEVENTEEN COVERS!!!

Volume 1 of Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman is now available for preorder!

Woohoo!

PreOrder Item Code: MAY160985

PREORDER IT NOW! Demand the ULTIMATE Bigfoot Sighting from your local comic shop!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

The Action Lab Cover Gallery!

And the variants!

Bigfoot - The FINAL issue!

It's that time again!

Time to Preorder issue 6 of Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman! 32 pages of world-shattering awesomeness!

And by all that's holy, Andy Taylor and Tamra Bonvillain knocked this cover out of the universe!!!

Preorder MAR160992

And this issue's variant is from the supremely talented Luke Parker! We may have to get posters of this made up!

Preorder MAR160993

Preorder them both now! Tell your friends! Tell your loved ones! Tell a stranger that Bigfoot is HERE!

AND COMING SOON... Bigfoot... the Trade!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

PhatCon & Bigfoot!

This Saturday, if you're in Orange County, CA, there will be a Bigfoot Sighting at Phat Con!

Check out their Facebook page and marvel at the list of awesome SoCal Creators!!! Holy crap is it going to be awesome!

PhatCon! PhatCon! PhatCon!

And you just know I'll have plenty of Bigfoot comics on hand!

See you there!

Josh S. Henaman

Happy EPIC New Year!

Happy New Year, everybody!

We have big things planned for our little Bigfoot comic in 2016, so keep watching the skies!

In the meantime...

It's the issue four PREORDER!!!

Diamond Order Code: JAN160992

Joining us for the variant on this issue is Liam Francis Walsh!!!

Diamond Order Code: JAN160993

You can preorder this issue from your local comic shop today!

Here's to a great 2016!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

Bigfoot news, updates and podcasts!

Action Lab's Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman #1 arrives this Wednesday!!! December 2nd!

Give the gift of a Bigfoot comic this Christmas! You (and your loved ones!) won't be disappointed! 

Also, Josh was a recent guest on the Atomic Moocast! It's always a blast talking with the gang over at Atomic Moo! Click and listen!

Finally, you can PREORDER issue 3! 

Along with the standard cover by Andy and Tamra, we're proud to announce the variant cover by Dave Hamann and Jules Rivera! Check 'em all out!

It's shaping up to be an awesome December!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

The Bigfoot Geekadores Interview!

The title says it all!

Josh sat down with the crew over at Geekadores to talk Bigfoot comics, craft beer and about a little flick called Star Wars!



And be sure and follow the Geekadores Facebook Page for even more awesome geek news!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

Action Lab Presents! Bigfoot! Variants!

The Bigfoot Comic train keeps rolling on!

It's the Action Lab cover for issue two! And what's even more exciting is now we have a variant (limited to 1500 copies!!!)

You can preorder the books through your local comic shop using the Diamond Item Codes here:  MAIN COVER and the VARIANT COVER

Item Code: NOV150980

Item Code: NOV150981

I have to admit, I'm beyond excited to see the different takes on Bigfoot as we start rolling out more variants for each issue! Bruno really delivered one badass cover!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

DEMAND a Bigfoot Sighting (Pre-Order now!)

And so it begins...

It's the great Action Lab Bigfoot comic pre-order event to end all events!

Take the above order form to your local comic shop and DEMAND A SIGHTING! Truthfully, you really don't even need this image, just tell them "Code: OCT151012".  The deadline for the Pre-Order is October 18th, so let's have a Bigfoot Sighting!

And then drop us a line telling us which store you pre-ordered it from and we'll add it to the "Bigfoot Sightings" list!

If you can't find a comic book store near you, email Josh at the "brewhousecomics" email in the profile here and he'll personally tell you who to contact to get the book into your hands!

And here it is in the Diamond Previews Catalog! Page 238!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman 

Action Lab's Bigfoot Preview!

It's time to Pre-Order Bigfoot - Sword of the Earthman!

Diamond Preview Code: OCT151012 

Guess Who's Coming to Action Lab?

In case you missed the updates coming out of this year's San Diego Comic-Con...

Action Lab Entertainment

Bigfoot's joining the Action Lab family of awesomeness!

ALE panel w/Bigfoot on the Big Screen!

The updates will be coming fast and furious, but I wanted to get this out there as soon as possible! SDCC was a wild ride this year and I'm proud to see our little Bigfoot comic take that next step. 

Cheers to all on this one! We couldn't have done it without you!

Sincerely, 

Josh S. Henaman 

Bigfoot in Vegas!

Hey everybody,

A few weeks ago, Josh was in Las Vegas slinging bigfoot comics left and right.

And he has the evidence to prove it!

Video courtesy of the excellent Geekadores!

You can see more of their stuff here:

Geekadores YouTube Channel

And their website HERE!

Special thanks go out to Rick Mendoza for setting this up! I had a blast talking about a certain Bigfoot comic, indie creator tips and what makes me geek out!

Cheers!

Josh S. Henaman

Random Bigfoot Goodness!

Hey everybody,

It's been awhile but there's big, BIG news on the horizon. In the meantime, here's a previously unseen kickass Bigfoot shot Andy and Tamra worked up!

It kind of has a Bigfoot vs. Lovecraftian Horror kind of vibe to it.

Hmm... that gives me an idea for another Bigfoot comic...

Thanks for sticking with us!

More Bigfoot news is coming!

Cheers,

Josh

Bigfoot... the cover gallery!

Some days, you just need a reminder of how awesome a Bigfoot comic truly is.