"THERE WILL BE BLOOD, OH YESSS..."

In the summer of 2007, history was made.

Well, history for me, anyway.

Gary Reed (the former publisher of the late, lamented Caliber Press) and I made the decision to partner up, and we created Transfuzion Publishing.

Actually, that's not entirely accurate, but close enough, I think.

And what is Transfuzion, you ask? Good question.

Transfuzion is a new/old publishing concern, of which Gary and I are the heads, that is dedicated to bringing out-of-print and rare comics as well as new projects to the masses by way of Print On Demand technology. By doing so, we can bring our books to the consumers directly, and bypass all the hoops that traditional comics companies seem to be jumping through.

What all this means, of course, is that you, the reader, will be able to enjoy our products more readily, without having to rely on retailers and distributors that might not deem our books 'saleable' enough to stock or carry.

Our first books are already available for purchase: OF SCENES AND STORIES, a compendium of short stories and snippets of other books, all written by Gary and culled from his long illustrious career as a writer, is out now, as is GHOST SONATA, JACK THE RIPPER, SAINT GERMAINE, and DEADWORLD, BITS AND PIECES. Visit our website, www.transfuzion.biz, for info on how to order any or all of these fine books.

"But, Raf, whither yer books?" you ask. Mine are coming kiddies, I promise. The first of mine to see the light of day will be a reissue of my well-received EDGAR ALLAN POE'S THE BELLS, in a handsome new package that reprints Juan Gomez's and my adaptation of this most excellent and haunting poem, first published by Caliber's Tome Press many moons ago, and excerpted in Tom Pomplun's exceptional Graphic Classics series. This new edition features pinups by talented (and generous) friends like Doug Klauba, Andrew Kudelka, Bill Halliar, Antonio Maldonado, and more, and will also include a couple of brand-new adaptations of rarely seen (in comic-form, anyway) POEms. Be on the lookout for that.

Shortly after, my own collection of past works, ODD BITS OF ILLUSTRATED FICTION, will see the light of day, and features short stories I've written over the last 20 years.

New stuff, Raf! We need new stuff, too!

Fear not, my many fans (all five of you)! 2008 will see a brand-new anthology series of stories from some of the most talented and illustrious personages working in the indy field today (and some from cats who may work for the majors, but are independents at heart!). More on this and some brand new graphic novels soon!

To say that I'm excited at this new chapter in my career is a major understatement; I've long admired Gary's skills as both a writer and a publisher, and I think that, together, we will achieve some combined life-long goals.

Of course, like any good creatores, Gary and I still have commitments to other companies, primarily Desperado (for Gary) and Moonstone (for myself). Both these companies are putting out incredible books, and Gary and I are proud to be a part of 'em. For us, Transfuzion is a way of releasing products that are just a bit more experimental, a bit more outside-the-norm, a bit more... personal.

It's going to be a wild ride, and we hope you'll come along for the ride!