Wow! San Diego Comic Con is only 10 days away! This year is going to be a big one for me, as I have several projects out with IDW and Boom! Studios and we’ve just announced my first creator-owned book The Third Witch. Between now and the show, I’m sure I’ll be making a number of announcements and a few days before I’ll list my whole schedule including signings, but for now check out these cool panels I’ll be on throughout the show weekend.

Thursday July 9th

Editing Comics: The Boom! Studios Way
1pm in Room 28DE

BOOM! Studios creators James Tynion IV (The Woods,Memetic), Frank J. Barbiere(Broken World, Black Market), Mairghread Scott (The Third Witch, Lantern City), and Curt Pires (The Fiction), along with BOOM! Studios editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon and editor Eric Harburn, as they share some of the editing secrets of one of the comic book industry’s leading independent publishers and discuss editing do’s and don’ts.

Nerdstrong: Getting Fit for Cosplay, Geekdom, and Life
4pm in Room14A

Andrew Deutsch (Nerdstrong partner, head coach), Marla Hudnall (Nerdstrong partner, coach), Christy Black (Nerdstrong coach, Healthy Is the New Skinny), Kimi Balcomb (Nerdstrong coach, Golden Lasso Cosplay), Andrew Seely (Nerdstrong coach, gaming director), Mairghread Scott (Nerdstrong member, writer Transformers: Robots in Disguise, Swords of Sorrow), and Mel Caylo (Nerdstrong member, marketing manager at BOOM! Studios) discuss fitness, body image, and confidence in a geek world. Moderated by Blair Herter (Nerdstrong Partner, TV host).

Friday July 10th

Push Boundaries Forward: Gender, Diversity, and Representation in Comic Books
10am in Room 4

The face of comics is changing. A diverse panel examine what indie/web publishing has been doing right, how mainstream comics can catch up, and what creators and fans can do to be heard. Moderator Amy Chu (Girl’s Night Out) leads panelists Mairghread Scott(The Third Witch, Lantern City), IDW Publishing editor Sarah Gaydos, Derek Charm (The Powerpuff Girls: Super Smash-Up!), Dr. Andrea Letamendi (The Arkham Sessions podcast), Christian Beranek (Validation), and BOOM! Studios brand communications manager Christine Dinh in a sincere, thoughtful discussion on the topic of gender, diversity, and representation in mainstream comics.

Women of Transformers
1:30pm in Room 8

From Windblade and Arcee to Strongarm and the brand-new Combiner making her debut at SDCC, female Transformers characters have finally gotten their due; but behind the page and in fandom, even bigger changes have been happening. Panelists include Transformers comics writers Mairghread Scott and Georgia Ball, artists Corin Howell and Sara Pitre-Durocher, Hasbro’s Sarah Carroll, and special guests.

Saturday July 11th

Boom! Studios celebrates 10 Years and Pushes Comics Forward
12:30 in Room 24ABC

2015 marks the 10th year of publishing for BOOM! Studios, a multiple Eisner Award-winning top 10 comic publisher. BOOM! is looking ahead to the next 10 years and how everyone can push comics forward. Moderated by BOOM! president of publishing and marketing Filip Sablik and featuring editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon, Mark Waid (Strange Fruit, Irredeemable), Asaf Hanuka (The Realist), Mairghread Scott (The Third Witch, Lantern City), and James Tynion IV (The Woods, Memetic, UFOlogy), panelists highlight the changes in the industry and what they want to see in comics.

IDW and Hasbro: Transformers, Jem, Ponies, and More
2:30pm in Room 24ABC

IDW editors John Barber and Bobby Curnow, along with Michael Kelly (Hasbro’s senior director, global publishing), present a comprehensive overview of all things IDW and Hasbro; Transformers, My Little Pony, Jem, G.I. JOE, Dungeons & Dragons. Get the inside scoop on the latest news and announcements. Featuring writer Mairghread Scott, artist Agnes Garbowska, and more special guests.

Sunday July 12th

Push Fun Forward: All Ages Comics Have Arrived
1pm in Room 24ABC

All-ages comics are important now more than ever in helping to bring in new and lapsed readers, from practically every demographic. BOOM! Studios associate editor Whitney Leopard leads a discussion on the significance of all-ages comics, from what they have achieved thus far to what lies ahead, with creators Mairghread Scott(Transformers: Windblade), Thom Zahler (My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic), Aron Steinke (The Zoo Box), Ian McGinty(Munchkin), and Dave Roman (Astronaut Academy).

Hope to see you there!

In stores this week:

Transformers Windblade #3: Combiner Wars Part 5

(W) Mairghread Scott (A) Marcelo Ferreira, Corin Howell (CA) Casey W. Coller

FINAL BATTLE! The last of the Combiners face off… but who is in control of the ultimate combiner? And who will emerge with the key to dominating the galaxy?

The final issue of Combiner Wars is huge. I’m joined by awesome artists Marcelo Ferreira and Corin Howell for the finale.

The last two pages are going to blow your mind, so one small request: please if you are discussing this issue this week, use spoiler warnings, so that everyone can be surprised at the big reveals.

Also Hasbro just announced that at San Diego Comic Con there will be an exclusive Combiner Hunters toy set featuring Arcee, Chromia, and Windblade. In addition there will be SDCC exclusive covers for Combiner Hunters #1, Windblade #4, Transformers #42, and More than Meets the Eye #42 all by Combiner Hunters artist Sara Pitre-Durocher. Sara’s art with Yamaishi’s colors on this book are absolutely beautiful and this book introduces Victorion, so don’t miss this issue!

This special one-shot comic will also be available in comic shops later in July:

Transformers Combiner Hunters One-Shot

(W) Mairghread Scott (A) Sara Pitre-Durocher (CA) Casey W. Coller

COMBINER WARS FALLOUT! Because you demanded it-WINDBLADE and CHROMIA team up with ARCEE to put an end to the menace of the COMBINER WARS-but will they end each other first?! Featuring the first appearance of fan-created combiner Victorion!

Even more big news coming later this week so stay tuned!

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

Today 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!

So 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:

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.

May 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

This weekend I’ll be attending Wondercon in Anaheim, California. If you want to say hi or get some books signed, here is my schedule:

Friday April 3rd, 1PM to 2PM, Signing at the IDW Booth

Saturday April 4th, 6:30PM, A Mad World: Exploring Insanity in Fiction, Room 208

Sunday April 5th, 11:30AM, Push Fun Forward: The Importance of All-Ages Comics, Room 213

Sunday April 5th, 1PM to 2PM, Signing at the IDW Booth

See ya at the show!

Hello Everyone!

Transformers 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.

Check 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

Hey 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!