Sadly, due to a massive miscommunication I will NOT be attending Megacon 2023. Organizers have assured me I’ll be on the list for 2024. Of course, that’s what they said a year ago when I got Covid and had to cancel at the last minute. I started to get worried when they hadn’t been in contact to arrange flights. Now it seems they’ve spent their entire guest budget for this year, so I’ll have to wait. I hate to disappoint fans, but I’m no less disappointed for myself. Megacon has been my “white whale” for 30 years and I thought I was finally going to land it. Oh, well, 2024 will be the 50^th Anniversary of The Warlord, so that’s something to look forward to.

Mike

Hi, Guys-

Like many of you, I’m a huge fan of YELLOWSTONE and its spinoffs 1883 and 1923. Having just begun to watch 1923, I’ve come to the conclusion that creator/writer Taylor Sheridan just might be a fan of JON SABLE, FREELANCE. Episode 1 of 1923 begins with a scene in Africa where Spencer Dutton faces a charging lion in a scene straight out of JSF issue 3. Right down to the broken tooth on the lion.

I’m not saying it was stolen but–given that Sheridan was born in 1969–it’s entirely possible he read SABLE as a kid and was inspired by the scene to the extent that it found its way through his subconscious to the script of what just may be my all-time favorite TV series.

At least that’s the way I’m telling it.

Mike

Hi, guys –

The first crowdfunding campaign for the Shaman’s Tears Audio Movie Podcast begins Monday at 5pm PST, in time to make it into Native American Heritage Month! The prelaunch URL is below.  Please feel free to spread this far and wide.

Thanks so much everyone!

Mike

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pocketplot/mike-grells-shamans-tears-digital-omnibus

Hi, guys- 

I’m happy to announce that the first volume of the JON SABLE, FREELANCE REMASTERED OMNIBUS is at the printers! 

It’s been a long haul complicated by Covid, supply chain problems, production delays, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the Ten Plagues of Egypt (seems like it, anyway), but we finally made it to the finish line. 

I want to thank everyone for your patience and support.  

On to the next volume… as soon as I sweep up these damned frogs… 

Mike

Due to a family medical crisis, I am forced to cancel my appearance at Comic Con Portugal for a second year in a row. Mary and I were looking forward to our trip and hoped to take extra time to explore that beautiful country. I once had a brief 24-hour stopover in Lisbon and have always wanted to return. 

My sincere apologies to the organizers and fans I have disappointed, but I hope you will understand that family must come first. 

I look forward to attending at a later date.

Mike

Due to the US State Department’s travel advisory, we are unfortunately forced to cancel my appearance at Middle East Film & Comic Con in Dubai. My sincere apologies to the organizers and fans. I hope we will be able to visit in the future when the world is at peace.

Best regards,
Mike

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/united-arab-emirates-travel-advisory.html

“This episode we bring you another WFTB Creator Spotlight. Chris is pleased to welcome legendary writer and artist Mike Grell to the show. In a career that has spanned 49 years, he has written for DC, Marvel, Image, First Comics, and Pacific Comics … “

Link to Podcast episode here

Congratulations to my pals Casper Van Dien (STARSHP TROOPERS; TARZAN AND THE LOST CITY) and Peter Shinkoda (FALLING SKIES; DAREDEVIL;) on their new series SALVAGE MARINES. The trailer and teasers for the series–which will be available on Popcornflix and Crackle–will be aired at SDCC in August. 

I had the pleasure of working with Casper (the only Tarzan star to actually ride a real African elephant) in a small budget film, STAR RAIDERS: THE ADVENTURES OF SABER RAINE. His sense of humor and dedicated professionalism made the hectic shoot a most enjoyable experience. Peter Shinkoda has been a “convention buddy” for years and I’m so glad to see him in a role that will give him a chance to show his talent to the max. 

I can’t wait to see what they will bring to the screen. 

Mike

It’s my great pleasure to announce that Shaman’s Tears will become an audio movie podcast with production starting next summer and broadcasts expected to begin in winter, 2023.

Shaman’s Tears will be produced by Jack Bowman of AudioMarvels and Lance Roger Axt of Pocket Universe Productions, whose other projects include The X-Files, EC Comics Presents and Starstruck, in conjunction with Native Voices at the Autry Museum of the American West under the Artistic Direction of DeLanna Studi. Native Voices is devoted to developing and producing new works for the stage by Native American, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and First Nations playwrights. The company has been hailed by critics as “a virtual Who’s Who of American Indian theatre artists” and “a powerful and eloquent voice.”

I will be working with Choctaw writer Desmond Hassing to adapt Shaman’s Tears into an audio-rich fully immersive setting, complete with a full cast, epic scoring and cinematic soundscapes.

Joining Jack on directing duties will be Roshan Singh, a Webby-nominated screenwriter, composer and creator of the audio drama Temujin.

Handling crowdfunding and outreach is The Fantasy Network, which has a stellar reputation for bringing fans and creators together, empowering both to produce amazing film, video-on-demand, and now, audio fiction including the first season of Elfquest. 

Jack Bowman had this to say: “Mike is nothing short of a legend in the comic industry, so to say it’s been daunting… to not only be asked to help bring Joshua to life outside of these iconic comics for the very first time, but to also then make a good first impression when meeting Mike so he’d let us! It shows you how seriously we’ll be taking Shaman’s Tears in 2023, and Mike has been nothing but incredibly gracious and supportive. When Lance first gave me a copy of Shaman’s Tears to read back in 2021 and asked what I thought about making it a podcast series, I was blown away. It’s clever, brilliant, thrilling, timely, timeless and a story that needs to be told again. And where better to be brought to life than audio? “

Lance Roger Axt said: “I have been a fan of Mike’s work for years; moreover working with the actors, writers, and musicians associated with Native Voices at the Autry at an audio conference in 2006 was one of the most fun experiences I’ve had as a voice artist and audio dramatist. So for the opportunity to bring everyone together in telling the stories of Joshua Brand and the Bar Sinister is truly the best of all possible worlds.”

I can’t tell you how excited I am. We didn’t have TV when I was a kid, I never saw one until I was 8 years old and we didn’t get one until I was 11, but we had radio. Listening to those great old shows, I never dreamed the day would come when I could tune in and hear my own stories brought to life. This is gonna be GREAT!

Stay tuned for regular updates – bookmark shamanstearsaudio.com. 

Mike