facets of Honor

Hi Comics Fans!

My latest comic, a digital mini comic called “Mended” written for the Honor Harrington anthology “Facets of Honor” just went live.

Normally I’d just give you the link, but I felt this particular book deserved a bit more. “Mended” is, hands down, the most difficult project I’ve ever written. It focuses on the assault Honor Harrington suffered early in her military career and how it affected her long after the actual incident took place. It’s always hard to shed new light on a pre-existing character, especially one with such a rich history already tackled in David Weber’s excellent books. It’s also always hard to write such a traumatic event in a character’s life. So put those hands together and you have one tough assignment.

I feared upsetting fans, upsetting actual assault survivors and upsetting readers new to Honor, but I also feared that ignoring this moment would be a disservice to the anthology. It happened. It shaped Honor afterward and I felt it deserved to be talked about. So I got some help.

Many thanks to my editor, Jackson Lansing and the good folks at Evergreen for allowing me to call in the one person I trusted to guide this project, the psychologist to the superheroes herself, Dr. Andrea Letamendi. Getting the help of an actual trained psychologist gave me insight into Honor that I would not have had on my own and, with Andrea’s help, I felt we were able to hit on a theme that not only resonated well with Honor, but would contribute to our community as a whole.

While I don’t want to spoil the issue, which I am so proud of, I thought it was important to say that this issue was not made to sexualize Honor or use her for shock value. Kate Brown did an amazing job of keeping Honor feeling like Honor and keeping us firmly in her shoes throughout the story. Thank you so much, Kate.

Not all of you will agree with our choices as storytellers, Honor’s choices as a character, or even the company’s choice to make this comic and I welcome your critiques, but I just wanted to assure that we tackled this difficult tale with all the respect and resources we could muster. I also wanted to thank everyone on this team for taking this leap with me.

With that in mind, here’s the comic.

Be Well,
Mairghread

SoS-Chaos-Cov-A-Chin-60ce5Today Swords of Sorrow: Chaos and Swords of Sorrow #1 are available!

Swords of Sorrow: Chaos is a prequel one-shot written by me and drawn by Mirka Andolfo with letters by Erica Schultz and edited by Hannah Elder. This issue introduces you to the villains of Gail Simone’s Swords of Sorrow main series. It was some of the most fun I’ve ever had writing a comic. When writing villains you can just let loose.

Swords of Sorrow: Chaos can be found at your local comic shop, on Comixology, or Dynamite’s website.

You should also definitely pick up Gail Simone and Sergio Davila’s Swords of Sorrow main series. It can also be found at your local comic shop, on Comixology or Dynamite’s website.

I also just wanted to thank Gail for putting together this amazing team of women and inviting me to join it. Gail is a real force of good in our industry and she uses her role as a veteran creator to help build a better future for comics. Thank you Gail.

So go read the books. Tweet or tumble at me and let me know your favorite parts. I bet it’ll be the #Grapes scene!

Hi Everyone!

blastoffSo this Saturday, I’ll be signing at Blastoff Comics Fest at the Federal Bar & Grill in North Hollywood, California from 10am to 4pm. This is going to be a great event with tons of comics creators signing, food, music, a beer garden, and of course free comics!

Free Comic Book Day is my second favorite day of the year, which means it didn’t beat out Yule, but it’s still super awesome! And Blastoff Comics is making it even more awesome with this blowout event.

Even if you aren’t in the North Hollywood area, you should definitely look for a Free Comic Book Day event in your area.

On a more business-y note, I also have some new stuff coming out soon so keep an eye out for the following comics and TV episodes.

May 6th – Swords of Sorrow Chaos Special
Written By Mairghread Scott
Art by Mirka Andolfo

May 9th – Transformers: Robots in Disguise episode 8, “True Colors”
Written by Mairghread Scott
Directed by Todd Waterman

Pretty neat, right?

Anyway, Happy Going To See Avengers Day today. Happy Anniversary to my husband, Jason, tomorrow and Happy Free Comic Boom Day on Saturday. I assume on Sunday I will just be given free candy and money if this awesomeness trend continues.

Hope your awesomeness forecast is looking up too!

Mairghread

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to drop a few updates on some of my upcoming projects/events. Hopefully you can check them out:windblade cw 2

April 22nd – Transformers Windblade #2 Combiner Wars part 3
Written by Mairghread Scott, Art by Livio Ramondelli
PROWL makes his move… and the galaxy will never be the same. Can WINDBLADE stand against the threat of the COMBINERS?

April 25th – Rescue Bots season 3 episode 18 “The New Recruits”
Written by Mairghread Scott
The Rescue Bots find they have new recruits to train, but these newbies are hiding a dark secret.
Watch it on Discovery Family Channel.

May 2nd – Blastoff Comics Fest Free Comic Book Day
I’ll be signing books at Blastoff Comics’ free comic book day event. Details here.

SoS-Chaos-Cov-A-Chin-60ce5May 6th – Swords of Sorrow: Chaos Special
Written by Mairghread Scott, Art by Mirka Andolfo
A team-up set up by SWORDS OF SORROW’s Gail Simone, featuring the writer that she hand-picked: Mairghread Scott! Who are the villains behind the epic SWORDS OF SORROW event? Discover the darkest minds in Dynamite’s roster, the kind of ladies who are fond of how bloodstains look on six-inch heels. To quote writer Mairghread Scott, “SWORDS OF SORROW is going to be a hell of a party, and CHAOS is your blood-soaked invitation. Take a ride with some of the deadliest women in the Dynamite universe as they prove the only thing you have to fear… is them!

Also Gail Simone’s Swords of Sorrow #1 will be released that same day. Don’t you feel lucky?

Anyway, I’ll be back soon to update you on next month’s events. Stay cool until then!

Mairghread

Hello Everyone!

windblade 1Transformers Windblade #1 – Combiner Wars Part 1 is out this Wednesday, March 25th! This is Part 1 of Combiner Wars and immediately follows last week’s Transformers #39 Combiner Wars: Opening Salvo! You will want to follow both series to get the whole story of this massive crossover event. To help with that, here’s the reading order:

Transformers #39 – Combiner Wars: Opening Salvo – Available Now
Transformers Windblade #1 – Combiner Wars Part 1 – Available Now
Transformers #40 – Combiner Wars Part 2 – Available in April
Transformers Windblade #2 – Combiner Wars Part 3 – Available in April
Transformers #41 – Combiner Wars Part 4 – Available in May
Transformers Windblade #3 – Combiner Wars Part 5 – Available in May

I am also doing a Windblade # 1 giveaway contest. To enter, tweet or tumble a picture of either you with your copy of Windblade #1 (physical or digital) or a picture of your Transformers toys reading Windblade #1, or both of you together (clearly the best option) and include the tag #WindbladeReturns. The deadline for submissions is April 8th. I’ll randomly pick three submissions and the winners will get a signed copy of Transformers Windblade #1 – Combiner Wars Part 1 in the mail.

In other news…

Emerald City Comic Con is this weekend and I’ll be there mostly to hang out and have fun but I am doing a few signings listed below. As always, if you see me at the show I’m happy to chat and sign some books. Here’s the info for my signings:

Friday March 27th:  3pm to 4pm at Livio Ramondelli’s table E-10.
Saturday March 28th: 6pm to 7pm at the IDW Booth #1802.
Sunday March 29th, 3pm to 4pm at Livio Ramondelli’s table E-10.

Also make sure to visit Transformers artist Andrew Griffith at HH-08. He is awesome.

TF Wb 4 cover PriscillaCheck out this cover by Priscilla Tramontano from Windblade #4. The solicitations for this just dropped, so make sure you pre-order:

Transformers: Windblade #4 – Order Code: APR150378

(W) Mairghread Scott (A) Corin Howell (CA) Priscilla Tramontano

More Worlds – More Problems! After the events of Combiner Wars, Windblade and Starscream race to recruit the lost Cybertronian colonies to the Council of Worlds – but which of them will control the fate of Cybertron?

 

This issue features the new Transformers artist Corin Howell to Team Windblade! You can see her amazing work here.  I can’t wait till you see her take on <redacted for spoilers>. It’s awesome!

Stay tuned in April for more comic news and perhaps some cool new cartoon news, too!

Be Well,
Mairghread

LBCE MScottHey everyone! CON SEASON BEGINS!

This weekend I’ll be attending Long Beach Comic Expo on Saturday and Sunday. Below is my schedule of signings and panels!

Saturday February 28th, 2pm – 3pm Signing at the IDW Booth #604

Sunday March 1st, 10:30 to 12pm, Room S5, #MakeComics: PREVIEWS & the Direct Market panel. I’ll be discussing the importance of pre-ordering comics and how it affects comics sales with the hosts of Fanboy Comics’ Previews Party Podcast.

Sunday March 1st, 1pm – 2pm Signing at Livio Ramondelli’s table #C6

Since I don’t have a table if you see me on the show floor and want to say hi or get a book signed, I’ll be happy to stop and talk. See ya there!

Hey Everyone!
I can finally say that I’ve written a Marvel Comic! Alright, so it is just the 10-page backup story, but hey at least I am finally writing for Marvel. Check out my original stories for Drax, Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and the Legendary Star-Lord, Peter Quill in…
 Marvel Guardians 1
Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy (#1 of 4)
2/18/2015
(W) Joe Caramagna, Mairghread Scott (A) Various (CA) Adam Archer
• Based on the highly anticipated new series coming to Disney XD in 2015, follow the further adventures of the Guardians of the Galaxy!
•  With a galaxy full of danger, only the Guardians stand between us and the destruction of everything!
•  Featuring adaptations of the upcoming animated series with a mix of screen grab and brand new stories for everyone to enjoy!
$2.99 – Order Code DEC140814
Marvel guardians 2

 

Marvel Universe Guardians of the Galaxy (#2 of 4)
3/18/2015
(W) Joe Caramagna, Mairghread Scott (A/CA) Various
•  Based on the hit new series, follow the further adventures of the Guardians of the Galaxy!
•  It’s a dangerous galaxy, be glad these guys are on our side!
•  Continuing the adaptation of the red-hot animated shorts!
$2.99 – Order Code JAN150795

So, it’s 2015, the time of resolutions, and I’ve been getting a lot of questions from pushy fans about being more inclusive in my work.

I like pushy fans. I LOVE pushy fans and I’ve been trying to think of a way to let you know that I hear you and also to push myself to be more diverse in what I do.

Not every brand can be every thing. It’s difficult to talk about race among robots. Historical novels should probably not make JFK a woman. A pre-school show might have trouble explaining class-based disparity in our society. We may also fall short or mess up for other reasons (technical, timing, lack of power ourselves, etc).

But the important thing is that in 2015 we as writers, artists and creators need to be challenging ourselves to do better. Inclusion needs to be at the forefront of our minds. We need to be looking at what we make and asking not “Should I be diverse?” but “Why would I not be diverse?” Because while you may need to keep the preexisting character white/male/whatever for your next liscenced story, does the beat cop he speaks to need to be white? Does every woman in the coffee shop need to be size 0? Do aliens on another world need to be heterosexual? Why?

I put up this sign in my office to remind myself that the answer is usually NO, they don’t. The world is a huge and complex place and my writing needs to do everything it can to express that.

I challenge any other creator who reads this to do something similar. Give yourself a daily reminder to do better, with every story, with every scene. Tell your fans and your friends about it. We may fall short; we likely will fall short, but if we’re going to make resolutions every year this seems a much better one than weight loss. Resolve to be diverse in your work, because the world is already diverse…we just aren’t good at writing it yet.

Be Well,
Mairghread Scott