I wish I could have gotten this up earlier, but I’m still on the road, and writing to you from Our Nation’s Capital. So, you might have heard: First Second Books has picked up Margo for publication! The official announcement was here, with a little interview and everything!
Hey y’all! If you’re in the DC area, Eleanor and I will be at the Small Press Expo this weekend (September 19-20).
Come by table M12! We’ll have copies of our new kids book Flop to the Top, my previous book Set to Sea, original art, and more. (Still no Margo merch, tho! Eventually, eventually.)
Back in the cold winter months, shortly after I finished chapter 2 of Margo, Eleanor and I were sitting at our local donut shop. I’d drunk a lot of coffee, and somehow we came up with this really silly idea for a story about a dog that got famous on the internet, and his less-than-pleased owner. What the heck, let’s pitch this to Toon Books, we thought. They’re never going to go for it.
Well, this September, it’s actually coming out! I’m super-proud to announce our book Flop to the Top!
We wrote the story together, designed the characters together, and drew it together – half of the pages were drawn by me, and half are by Eleanor. Hopefully, you won’t even be able to tell which. I don’t know, maybe you can? Here’s a couple of sample pages:
And there’s more preview art and info at the Toon Books site. It’s gotten some good reviews, if you trust the New York Times or Booklists’ opinions on such things:
“The book is so much fun that both lessons—in reading and in life—go down easy.”
–Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW“There is a lot going on here, including an underlying commentary about social media use, celebrity obsession and struggles with emotional expression.”
–The New York Times“A chuckle-worthy tale for young comics fans.”
–School Library Journal“Davis and husband Weing have likely set a record for the number of selfies taken in a children’s book…Chunky digital illustrations playfully spoof the lifestyles of the rich and famous…but Davis and Weing never lose sight of the story’s emotional underpinnings.”
–Publishers Weekly“Though centered on difficult emotions that will feel familiar to kids, the story is leavened with comedy, allowing readers to navigate comfortably even as the robust sentences and repetition massage new reading skills.”
–Booklist
I really recommend you decide for yourself, though. And maybe buy copies for ALL the kids you know, and ask them what they think! Maybe for all the fun-loving adults in your life, as well, what could it hurt?
This is the last page of Chapter 3! And thus ends the first major arc of Margo Maloo. Get ready, cause in the next chapter we’re getting even deeper.
If you have a friend who might enjoy the story so far, please feel free to point them to the first page and get them onboard! In the between-chapter pause, I’ll still be posting on Twitter and Tumblr, so check those out. And of course, Patreon backers will be getting all sorts of good stuff regularly.
Chapter 4 starts in a few weeks!
I’ve still got that promised wallpaper coming for Patreon subscribers! It’s big and complicated, gives you a peek at the next chapter and expands a little on the Margo-verse, so it’s taking a minute! There’ll be desktop and smartphone versions, and however else you guys want it delivered (smartwatch? Mayyybe not). It should be dropping in a week or two – shortly after the chapter ends and I get a moment to catch my breath.
When I was looking back over the story so far, I realized I didn’t do a chapter illustration (like these) for the very first chapter, so I’m going to add that as the next big goal for the campaign! Help me hit $300 and give me a reason to go back and make a nice Chapter 1 titlecard (featuring Marcus the troll, of course.) So, if you needed any reason to spread the word about Margo, here’s your excuse!
And I’m adding a new perk for $5+ subscribers! Back in the early 2000s, I did a journal comic for the better part of a year, which I then collected into a long-out-of-print book. I’ve had some queries about it recently, so I thought I’d make it available as an e-book! I’ll be trying to find other little perks like this to add, because I feel really indebted to all of you guys for supporting this comic.
