It’s a thing of beauty, isn’t it?

That’s not the final cover — we want to integrate the logo colors some more, and the Ardden Logo will sit in the top left corner, and there’ll be the usual credits at the bottom, but come October 2012 you’ll see it on the shelves of your local comic store.

We had a couple delays obviously. Mixtape #1 sold out, but the solicits weren’t terribly high to begin with. Stores did re-order though, which was a good sign that people were discovering the book.  That said through additional orders, Mixtape is finding its audience.  Good luck scoring a copy on eBay — they go up and are gone almost immediately.  Supply and demand.  You can however still get copies from various stores, Midtown Comics, Forbidden Planet, and through our publisher Ardden.

[If you have an iPad, iPod Touch or Android Phone, you can download Mixtape #1 through the Comics Plus App available through iTunes.]

With that out of the way, we’re motoring ahead with MIXTAPE #2 and #3, with the former streeting October 2012, with Diamond code AUG120816.  The Mixtape #3 code will be forthcoming once I have it, probably sometime in August.

Ironically, the release-to-story timeline is exactly 22 years apart, with Mixtape #2 unspooling in October 1990 and #3 set in November 1990.  Also ironically #3 has ended up being a tribute to  the late great Adam “MCA” Yauch of the Beastie Boys, given that story partially centers around the landmark Paul’s Boutique album.

Mixtape #4, #5 and #6 will drop sometime in 2013.  I don’t have any firm details yet, but we are going to be launching a crowdfunding campaign for it.  It’s the way things seem to be going with indie comics, but in typical Mixtape style we plan on doing some cool stuff with it, and will be offering some incentives that, to my knowledge, have never been done before.  Sometime after that we’ll be collecting the first arc, “Left of the Dial” in a trade edition, and looking forward to the next arc, “Daydream Nation”.

At least that’s the plan.  We really need to get the word out to people about the book.  As I mentioned, sales were strong, solicits were not.  That’s where you come in.

Are you a fan of Mixtape?  Do you run a website?  A blog?  Do you have a Twitter account, or Facebook profile?    If so, I’d like to ask a favor of you.  Help us get the word out.  Let people know about the book and why they should be checking it out.  You can simply copy and paste this post, or pen your own on why you’re a fan of the book.  Let me know through here or Mixtape‘s FB page and I’ll link to your post and help spread the word.  It doesn’t have to be much — even a mention in a FB post or a Tweet.  Indie books like this live and die by word of mouth and we want to spread that word as much and as quick as we can.

We sold out our initial run largely because of fan efforts and positive response to Mixtape.  We’re not a big book, we’re not a big selling book, but we want people who’ve fallen in love with Mixtape to get books.  Too many heard about Mixtape too late to score copies of it — we want to make sure they do, and that their local stores know to order copies of the book.

There’ll be more updates to this blog and the Mixtape FB page in the coming weeks.  I’ve bene sending out review copies and doing press about the book, the latest of which can be found at ComicList, who incidentally gave Mixtape #1 a 5 out of 5.

Someone recently asked me what it was like having a comic book of my very own.  In the case of Mixtape, I remarked it feels like what it must be for an indie band at the start of their career, playing to small clubs, and sparsely packed ones at that.  But I do believe we have something different with Mixtape, and one of the joys of working on  this book is to see just how much the stories and characters resonate with so many people.  Mixtape #1 was a lot of fun, but the story only deepens from there.  I’m thankful for everyone who’s joined us on this wild ride.