Creating Vivid Spaces

Recently finished pages from my next graphic novel for kids.

The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James

The bulk of my time at the moment is being spent writing and drawing my new middle-grade graphic novel, The Hidden Dominion of Geordie James, coming in May 2026, from Union Square Kids. I wrote about this project a few times in my most recent updates, and you can probably tell from the infrequency of said updates, that the project is fairly labor intensive. That’s fine, I am proud of the work I’m doing, and feel like I’m successfully managing to push myself as a visual artist.

It’s important to me that I manage to create vivid spaces for my protagonist to inhabit. While I’m still learning how to talk about the story (I’ve definitely got work to do on my elevator pitch!), I do know that it' has a lot to do with my main character, Geordie, and the way different spaces make him feel. School is an environment that cause him anxiety, other spaces allow him to feel more comfortable with himself. One of those is a secret fort that he discovers far from everyone else, out in nature.

I haven’t yet shared any images from the other environment that Geordie inhabits to feel more himself, which is an online virtual gaming space. I should have some example images of that whole world to share next time.

Out and About

Back at the end of September I moderated a panel discussion at The Brooklyn Book Fest entitled Sports, Body, and Power. It featured three fantastic cartoonists creating work for Young Adult audiences that are ostensibly sports-narratives, but alongside all the game action, also deal with issues of queer romance, financial aid, and body positivity. It was a great chat, and I was thankful to the festival for bringing me in. I apologize to the panelists for being maybe too focused on the Young Adult issue of obtaining and paying for a Higher Education, but as the parent of a High School Junior, it’s been something quite top of mind for me lately.

I have also been visiting schools and conducting cartoon workshops. A recent visit, to Whiting Elementary School got a nice little write-up in the district newsletter.

If you are a librarian, media specialist, or PTA chair who might be interested in booking an event with me, check out my “Cartooning Lessons” website for information on what I can offer. My assemblies are suitable for an extremely wide age-range, from Kindergarten on up, and my workshops are fantastic for students in Grades 3-8.

The Monthly ‘Zine Club

I’ve been running a ‘Zine Club for a few years now, and just recently I officially committed to a monthly schedule. If you’d like to receive a brand-new self-published ‘zine or mini-comic in your mailbox every month, check out my Monthly ‘Zine Club Patreon page. You can get a digital subscription or a print one, and if you sign up at the annual rate you’ll get a 10% discount, as well as five publications from my every growing backlist (while supplies last). Here’s the (not final) cover to my December issue, which you can learn more about here.

Thanks as always for reading along!

Mike