I went on the Social Discasting podcast to talk about life during quarantine, trying to figure out what my Wikipedia page means by “Internet Writing,” and playing Dr. Robotnik’s Mean Bean Machine almost every day. Listen and subscribe here.
'Good Job' Everyone Who Didn't Do A Terrible Job.
Hi, all. The previous administration is over.
Not pictured: Jennifer’s Rainbow Bagel on account of it being disgusting.
Whatever happens next, whatever fractious nightmare, whatever entrenched evil, whatever global catastrophe defines the next era, it will not be this exact flavor of cruelty and stupidity and for that alone I am grateful.
This entry is a bit of an experiment — I’ve moved the newsletter over to my website’s blog section so that I only have to update one website and it still (fingers x’d) reaches your inbox. You have a lovely inbox, by the way. I saw a spider on my way in, but I didn’t kill it because guess what I DIDN’T see? That’s right — other bugs.
My plan for this blog / newsletter going forward:
Shorter.
More frequent.
More interesting, honestly.
Entirely free.
But thank you to everyone who had a paid subscription, now more than ever because—
First official Dad Joke.
We’re having a girl and Jennifer is due in July. If you’re able and feeling generous, our baby registry is here: http://babylist.com/kibblewright
— because, oh god, they need so many little chairs WHY DO THEY NEED SO MANY LITTLE CHAIRS?
Okay, good luck everyone. Let me know if you want me to take the spider outside on my way out and deposit it in the grass, I’ll need an index card and a Dixie cup.
On Sale Now: Princess Dinosaur
Cover by Ashley Quach
Written by Daniel Kibblesmith & Illustrated By Ashley Quach (Santa’s Husband)
Via Little Brown Young Readers:
Perfect for fans of Princesses Wear Pants, this spirited and expectation-defying story introduces a spunky heroine who knows she can be anything she wants.
Princess Dinosaur loves wearing pink dresses and hosting fancy tea parties. But she also loves roaring and making messes. Embodying both parts of her personality to the fullest, Princess Dinosaur isn’t just one thing, she’s a princess and a dinosaur (and some other things, too)!
Hardcover : 40 pages
ISBN-13 : 9780316457606
Reading age : 4 - 8 years
Grade level : Preschool - 3
Pick it up here (along with printable .pdf coloring sheets) or from a beloved local bookstore near you — and join us via Crowdcast on Sat. 1/9/21 at 1pm EST for our virtual release and reading with Books of Wonder.
Also: It’s a rhyming book. Okay, I think that’s everything.
Thanks and Happy New Year,
Daniel Kibblesmith
Illustration by Ashley Quach.
P.S. As long as I’m announcing things, my wife, Jennifer Wright, and I are having a baby. It’s a girl and, probably, a dinosaur.
Podcast: Here's Where It Went Wrong: Vampire History and Blade With Daniel Kibblesmith
Here's Where It Went Wrong: Vampire History and Blade: When They Made Dracula an Australian Guitar Teacher
I went on Here’s Where It Went Wrong to talk about my favorite film franchise and it’s baffling, fascinating third installment. Listen and subscribe here.
On Sale Now: 'DC Christmas Carols: We Wish You A Harley Christmas
Cover by Ro Stein & Ted Brandt
It’s 30+ actually singable D.C. comics-themed rewritten Christmas carols, and I know, because I sung all of them, a lot. So like, instead of “White Christmas” it’s “Fright Christmas” and it’s about Scarecrow — you get the idea. Each one is accompanied by a new or vintage piece of D.C. Comics artwork by some of my favorite artists now or ever, like Alex Ross, Dustin Nguyen, Sergio Aragonés, Elsa Charretier, a lot of new illustrations by J. Bone and a cover and some brand new pin-ups by Ro Stein & Ted Brandt (like Swamp Thing decorated with ornaments).
It’s a project I think I was uniquely suited to write because #1. I obsessively Hum/Whistle/Sing Christmas songs as the resting undercurrent of my brain, #2. Know and love the characters and #3. Probably have something undiagnosed. I guess that’s just #1 again.
There is one about Darkseid that is my favorite thing that I have ever written.
Here is me holding the cover in Barnes & Noble:
That is me, I promise.
Here is the blurb we got from Harley Quinn co-creator PAUL DINI, which was a huge deal to me:
"Everyone's favorite holiday fruitcake Harley Quinn and her song-slaying elf Daniel Kibblesmith have put together a merry mash-up of yuletide tunes destined to become beloved classics—at the Arkham Asylum caroling party, at least."
—Paul Dini, Writer and producer for BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, SUPERMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, and co-creator of Harley Quinn
And here’s all the crucial info from the publisher:
Deck the halls with Batman™, Wonder Woman™, Superman™, The Joker™, Harley Quinn™, and other favorite Super Heroes and villains!
We Wish You a Harley Christmas is a sensational seasonal collection of classic Christmas carols with a DC twist.
Filled with dozens of transformed carols, this rollicking book will become a new holiday favorite.
Features vintage and contemporary artwork of fan favorite DC characters by popular artists from DC's past and present (including Alex Ross, George Perez, Elsa Charretier, Tim Sale, John Byrne, Dustin Nguyen, Sean Galloway, Dave Johnson, Sergio Aragonés, J.Bone, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt)
Characters are seen decorating Christmas trees, making snowmen, hanging out with Santa, and exchanging presents. (Daniel here, again, interrupting the publisher to say this is a very weird but funny and accurate part of the description).
Let these hilarious songs of the season ring through the Batcave and at family gatherings across Metropolis.
We Wish You a Harley Christmas is a stocking stuffer sure to bring laughs and holiday cheer to any DC fan.
Enough! Enough! I’m sold! How do I buy multiple copies as X-Mas and Hanukkah presents for all of my friends and family?!
It’s everywhere, by which I mean Amazon — but the absolute best way to purchase it is by supporting a local bookstore near you, which you can find via IndieBound.
Or by mail ordering it from an independent store that does nationwide business like Powell’s or (one of my local favorites) Books Are Magic.
However, if you do buy it from Amazon, as part of a larger holiday shopping splurge, apparently “Customers who viewed this item also viewed” this:
Look, man, I don’t know either, but kids seem to like them.
Okay, that’s it for now. Merry Christmas. I’m not joking, I have no idea what month it is.
God Rest Ye Merry Metal Men,
Daniel
On Sale Today: Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red #8
Cover by Marguerite Sauvage
Harley Quinn Black + White + Red (2020-) #8
“End Of The Line”
When Harley dozes off on a Coney Island-bound subway, she finds herself in a corner of the city she never imagined… the X Train, a pirate-filled locomotive sailing the troubled waters of New York’s underground!
Pick it up digitally here: Harley Quinn Black + White + Red (2020-)
Paperback release February 2020. Pick it up from a local comic shop near you, via mail order, or digitally here.
Credits
Written by
Pencils