Dear Author: Romance Novel Reviews, Industry News, and Commentary

Romance writers (Marjorie Liu), mainstream fiction authors (Jodi Picoult) and now rock band bassist for My Chemical Romance, Mikey Way, has “penned an eight-page story that will appear in DC Comics’ special “Halloween ‘08″ book, which hits stores Wednesday.”

Via MTV News.

From the press release:

“Mercy Thompson: Homecoming” is a four-issue mini-series with issue #1 hitting comic book shelves in November 2008. The series will be collected in hardcover and distributed by Del Rey in 2009.

Dabel Brothers Publishing is excited to premiere the first eleven pages (DOWNLOAD HERE) of the much-anticipated Dabel Brothers project, “Mercy Thompson: Homecoming”. Artist Francis Tsai beautifully illustrates all the covers and interior pages to this series, with author Patricia Briggs herself penning the original story. Place your orders today before the first issue ships this November.

From me: looks beautiful and I can’t wait to see the full version.

Via Fantasy Book Critic.

According to an interview at The Comics Reporter, Charles Brownstein, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund Executive Director, the Fund appears to be poised to challenge the new Indiana law requiring any retailer, new or existing, that would sell sexually explicit materials to register with the Secretary of State:

And we have urged the Media Coalition to support a challenge to Indiana’s new harmful to minors store registration law. The law, H.B. 1042 would require any new retailer or any existing retailer that relocates after June 30 which sells or intends to sell even one item which is harmful to minors to register with the Secretary of State. Notification would include a list detailing the types of material sold or intended to be sold. The Secretary of State would then notify local governing bodies and any appropriate zoning authority of the retailer’s registration. There is a $250 fee to register and noncompliance is a class B misdemeanor. The law goes into effect July 1. This law is a clear and present danger to comics retailers throughout the state, and one we intend to fight. We will have news about our involvement in a challenge soon.

Via …