A Nice Start to 2025!

Announcing many projects for the year.

Feb 11, 2025

Hello!

January is over, and 99% of New Year resolutions are broken. It’s summer in Peru, so the days are bright, my body is tan, and I’ve gotten out almost daily. There was no Blue Monday here. Of course, there has been lots of writing from me, as there were no conventions or Kickstarters—or so I thought!

Not Everything Is As It Seems

Someone once told me that the Kickstarter season was from March to November and that campaigns released in December, January, or February would probably fail. They considered December because everyone is focused on the holidays, and no one has time to listen to you ramble about your comic book project. And January and February are winter in the US (where the most significant part of KS backers live), everyone has spent their money during the holidays, and people are too busy planning their year to hear about your comic book project. Even if you consider the convention season, it usually starts in March.

However, this year’s first big convention, MegaCon Orlando, was last weekend in February, and I’ve seen many projects debut on Kickstarter in the first weeks of January. Perhaps others had heard the same as I and wanted a competitive edge. Perhaps it was Kickstarter’s January event “Make 100”, where you offer a reward with only 100 units, and they promote your project. Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.

What’s true is that bold creators demonstrate that, even in the winter, with low money and many things in people’s heads, there’s a demand for indie comic book projects.

What About Me?

Even if I would’ve enjoyed another campaign starting the year, I was still recovering from the one in late November, and I’m using these months to plan and write! For the first time in my career, I’m working with a schedule, writing scripts that already have a co-creator attached and a print date for the project. I’m also planning for further projects, already considering late 2025 and 2026. Unlike last year, and coming from experience, I’m using my “free” time to plant so I can harvest in the future.

In comics, there’s a lot of time between writing and seeing the final product, so writers may lose sight of how urgent something is. For example, if I write a 24-page script now and hand it to the artist, the art will be ready in two or three months, not considering colors, letters, or editing. So, if I wanted to print something in April, I would already be too late. Not only that, but finding an artist that can follow that deadline is challenging.

Therefore, I’m preparing for what I’m calling the Summer of Oscar!

The Summer of Oscar

I won’t announce any of this officially yet. Still, since you are my close friends and readers, you will get the “teaser trailer” written version for four projects I’m working on, and I’m looking forward to the first half of the year, given that July has two significant events: the international book fair in Lima, Peru, the most important book (and comics) selling event, and San Diego Comic-Con, which I’m going as a pro this year! As I discussed before, if people don’t want to buy stuff in winter, summer in the US puts everyone in a good mood to listen to your crazy ideas and pitches and why they should buy your stickers.

So, without further ado, here they are!

Face Their Fears (Volume 1 of 3, 96 Pages): In a world where the rich have discovered a way to literally kill their fears, the best-paying job for the rest of society is fighting the physical manifestations of those fears in a deadly realm.

Co-created with David Escobar, this YA horror action series soft-launched at last year’s ThoughtBubble, and we are looking to have a Kickstarter campaign to get more eyes on it somewhere in the year. We are also pitching it to publishers and are super proud of the reception. I’m excited for everyone to see more of it!!

The Misadventures of Fabulous Francisca (Issue 1 of 4, 24 Pages): A millennial cancer survivor living on autopilot is haunted by an identity whose mission is to ruin her life without killing her. Her newfound tragic immortality will force her to start living her life.

This is the first time I’m talking about this project, which I co-created with Francis Francia. It’s very personal and very close to us, and we are experimenting a lot with themes and craft. This one includes mature content and touches upon deep subjects, which I’m very excited to explore in comic form.

Charla Reaper and the Soul Collectors (One-Shot, 32 Pages): When Reapers from alternate dimensions start disrupting his father’s soul-collecting company, Charla wonders if there’s more to her life than carrying on her family’s business.

Co-created with Daniela Hung (Isolde), this super fun adventure will open a world of fantastical possibilities. It’s the most creative story I’ve worked on. Everything can happen, and the characters are unlike any you’ve seen. I’m having a blast working on this!

I’ve co-created and worked on writing these three stories that touch upon subjects I enjoy, which have been present in my previous work, and which I consider very important to discuss today. However, contrary to my earlier work, I’m trying to focus on characters and longer-form series. Even the one-shot will continue in another story that’s already outlined. Having the possibility to explore a specific character for many pages and issues is so interesting, and developing a world in a longer form has tested my skills and taught me so much in a short time. My goal is to broaden my portfolio of works to get the long-awaited publication in the US and hopefully work on an existing IP.

On the other hand, I’m returning to organizing an anthology!

The Childless: an upcoming comics anthology that explores a dystopian world in which a law has declared that when parents end their relationships, their children will be sacrificed.

This one is super-dark and was inspired by recent world events. I want to explore this dystopian world alongside other creators, so I’ll have open submissions for it in March! I miss working with many people and getting to know creators from all over the comic industry. Last time, with Don’t Push the Red Button, I met people I now call friends and collaborators, so I want another go at it! If you are a creator interested in exploring this world with me, subscribe and also share with other creators who may also be interested.

Because I don’t want you to only have words, here’s an exclusive look at one of the covers from The Childless!