Paul Cornell's Friday Newsletter

Saucer Country: The Finale WIll Be in Comic Stores (with preview pages!)

Those of you who didn’t back our incredibly successful Zoop crowdfunding campaign will be relieved to hear there’s going to be a comic store version of the conclusion to Saucer Country, the UFO mythology comic by myself and artist Ryan Kelly that survived two cancellations. This concluding issue wraps up the whole story and answers all the mysteries. Courtesy of Chris Ryall’s Syzygy company, it’s being published by Image and will be in comic stores on February 7th. But you can bet that almost the only way it’s going to appear in your local store is if you pre-order a copy with that store right now!

Zoop backers should rest assured that the version they’re getting (if they ordered the separate Finale comic rather than the Complete(d) graphic novel) is very different in design, a very limited edition item that will be easily distinguishable from the store version.

You can see the Previews entry for the issue, and see the first four complete pages, here. 

“First there was Saucer Country, a dark thriller that blended UFO lore and alien abduction with political intrigue, all set in the hauntingly beautiful Southwest. The story continued in Saucer State... and now, the series reaches its long-awaited conclusion in this special one-shot, as co-creators Cornell and Kelly present the final story of alien abductee Arcadia Alvarado's campaign to be US President... and her search for the truth of what happened to her!”

The Zoop comic and graphic novel are currently at the printers, and we’re pretty sure they should be in the hands of our backers before the end of the year! Thanks again to everyone who supported us. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

My Uncanny Essay

I have an essay in the new issue of Uncanny Magazine (#55) about the annual TV anthology series A Ghost Story for Christmas, and now you can read that article (and a feast of the best current SFF) online for free!

My Contribution to Happy Times and Places

You can hear me talking about my five favourite things about the first Doctor Who story, ‘An Unearthly Child’ on the latest Happy Times and Places episode of the Toby Hadoke’s Time Travels podcast, available where all good podcasts are or online here.

I’m Doing a Games Event in January

On January 18th, I’m going to be on a panel at Narrative Design and Trends Forecast for 2024, a Game Republic event in Leeds. If you’re a member of Game Republic you can get in free, and if you’re not, tickets are on sale at that first link. The other panelists are bigtime games creatives, and I gather there are still some more to be added. If you’re in the industry and seek to mingle, check it out!

Con and On Collected Edition

The collected edition of Con and On, with all five issues plus some lovely extras, will be out from Ahoy on 26th March, and is now available to pre-order from these links at Amazon UK and Amazon US. (And, thanks to reader Bruce Arthurs, here it is at B&N.)

My Ko-fi Store has Re-opened!

Just in time for the festive season, (and after Thought Bubble) I’ve re-stocked my Ko-fi store, where you can buy my books and comics, signed and personalised. I’m only quoting UK postage at the moment, but if you’re elsewhere in the world message me in the store and I’ll quote you a postage price.

My eBay Store is now Fully Stocked!

Similarly, I’ve now re-stocked my ebay store, full of Bronze Age Marvel comics at bargain prices, a Doctor Who item or two and, err, a guide to learning Japanese!

Witches of Lychford: Don’t Forget to Catch Me

That’s the title of the four-part Lychford Christmas Special serial which will be available to paying subscribers to this Newsletter on the four Thursdays of December. (Then a new Lychford novella will start on the first Thursday in January.)

If you subscribe now, you get to read all of the previous episodes, that is the whole last novella, Night of the Gnomes, as well as getting the new episodes going forward. It’s $8 (or the equivalent in your currency) per month, or $80 per year.

Hammer House of Podcast (with December episode news)

Hammer House of Podcast, in which myself and Lizbeth Myles watch the Hammer horror movies in UK release order, is out on the 13th of every month, with our November episode being about The Satanic Rites of Dracula. You can get these episodes free wherever you normally get your podcasts, as well as on our site, but if you sign up to our Patreon, for any sum of money from £1/$1, you get an extra episode every month too, on the 27th, in which we watch Patron requested movies and films from other horror studios of the same era.

In December, our main episode (with guest Melissa F. Olson) about Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter is going to come out a couple of days later than usual, probably on the 16th, then on the 20th we’ll release our Christmas Commentary Track, this one about Barbara Shelley’s Blake’s 7 and Avengers episodes, then on the 27th as always we’ll release the first of our episodes about contemporaneous movies from smaller studios, in this case Cat Girl.

I mean, that is actually what happens, but it’s… just okay.

Find my Books at Bookshop.Org and Help Out Indie Booksellers!

Bookshop.org is a collective selling tool that sets up a marketplace for all indie bookstores in the UK, functioning exactly like Amazon, except you’re supporting your local bookshop. You can find a selection of my books here, and I get a little cut of the proceeds too if you order from here!

My Linktree

You can now find all my social media links, my website/blog and links to where you can buy my books, in one place here, thanks to Linktree!

My Week

First off, the health situation. I was told my blood tests revealed a low level of vitamin B-12, but that was a report, not a diagnosis. I’ve got an appointment to see a specialist clinic to do further tests… next October! So I’m hoping the doctor I’ve got a phone appointment with next week will offer a ‘go without symptoms for this long while taking your supplements and then you can drive again’ option. Thomas has adjusted to Sunday mornings with me spent at home (we’re decorating the tree this weekend) but I miss taking him to the Arboretum. I think the supplements are making me feel considerably better, but then I’m motivated to look for positive effects.

Onward and upward. My team won the Cricket Club quiz last Friday, and I got home feeling very joyful and rather the worse for wear. Liz is down this week and we’re all having a lot of fun together. Wednesday was Kim Newman’s festive lunch, a gathering of creative folk with a secret santa (I got a small bottle of prosecco and some chocs, Liz got a Chitty Chitty Bang Bang model). We toasted the much missed Chris Fowler, a regular at these events. Much merriment was had, new friends were encountered and the wine lasted until late, leading us to miss our coach and finally drag ourselves in after 2am.

Tonight is the town’s Festive Market, for which Liz and I are helping to set up the Festival’s soft toy stall, a raffle format where every child wins a soft toy. We typically make about £300 for Festival funds within an hour or so, and empty the table early. Then on Saturday night the three of us are hosting a party, with festive nibbles, mulled wine and Christmas music. I shall be in my element, introducing people from all the worlds of this little town. I’m very much looking forward to it.

To Be Continued

Next week I hope to hear news of The Complete(d) Saucer Country from the printer, and everything will start to feel even more festive!