I’ve been holding off on doing this because I knew it would be a long one. Buckle in people and make it as far as you can! For those who make it to the end, you may find a special treat. Or I mean you could just scroll the the bottom…
Let’s start with all of my releases for the year:
This was maybe on of the coolest things that happened this year. I have had comics distributed through Diamond and in comic shops before, but this was my first single issue. Everything else was me as a part of an anthology. This was all written by me! It was well received by professionals, reviewers, and fans. I was very proud of this.
Though it does read like a single issue story it is the first of three! I need to shout out my amazing creative team for this one art/colors by Mariana Meira, and letters by John Ira Thomas. I dressed up like a redneck to promote this and made funny videos with guns and it attracted a lot of attention and got me many new followers!
Here’s the premise: After a string of unexplained disappearances in the southern parts of the United States retired detective Clint searches for his white trash brother. While searching for him he ends up being abducted… by aliens! He is now in the arena for Big Gunes Stupid Rednecks. Intergalactic cable’s newest hit show which puts humans in laser gun gladiatorial combat and his brother is the reigning champion with 27 kills!
The second issue has one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever written. Which just so happens to be about sex with an alien! Very on brand for me.
I don’t know if I stuck the landing with this one, but a lot of be reassured me it was good. It was amazing to be able to do a full mini-series and get it out into the world. In a few months I will have news on the trade collection and it will be full of bonus material. I can’t wait for you to all see what we have cooking!
I had a two page story in a horror Christmas anthology! The print job in this was amazing! The colors for my story with art/letters by Scott Twells really popped! This anthology was full of beautiful and fantastic stories. I can’t wait to do more with Travis Gibb and Orange Cones Productions. He was someone I was always aware of, but became friends with this year!
This is my one non comics writing for the year. I wrote a memoir. Now you might ask why would a 30 year old write a memoir? Well that is a good question. Basically this year was my “comeback year” which will get get into later. I was finally writing again and I didn’t know where to start. I thought to myself a memoir would be perfect. It was creative writing, but I didn’t have to make anything new up. It was more storytelling than it was writing. So this was how I got back into writing. Not many people read it, but I’m ok with that. I wrote this one for me and I wrote about some traumatic events that had happened and this helped me became at peace with them. I will be posting a story from this every month!
I was so proud of this comic and hardly anyone read it! I have done hundreds of pages with friend and artist Scott Twells and this one might be my favorite. Lettered by another friend John Ira Thomas this story is bonkers. We follow a serial killer who has never killed. Through medication and therapy our main character has been able to suppress her urges. Then suddenly the world is overrun by giant bugs!🐛 Her therapist uses her patient to help her get to her daughter across the country encouraging her to finally indulge in her lust for killing accept only on the bugs!
I guess I lied earlier. I had one more non comics writing published. My first ever poem! It was about professional wrestling! It went in a pro wrestling coloring book and poetry collection! If that isn’t odd enough for you it features an introduction and poem from deceased professional wrestler and real life brother of Macho Man Randy Savage Lanny Poffo. This was a really cool thing to be a part of.
Let’s get into the cool promo stuff I got to do! I was on two panels this year! I love being on panels at comic conventions!
At O-Con in Omaha I moderated the “Pester Hester panel and got to answer a few different questions myself.
At the Des Monies comic con I was in the Cornfed Comics panel. It was a bunch of Iowa comic creators answering questions about comics. I brought a unique perspective being much younger than my other panelists. I was very happy to be able to help out people who want to create!
I got invited to speak to the Cedar Rapids comic book club about making comics. This was a fun experience for me. I am hoping to start making it down to the monthly meetings because I just love talking comics!
Some people say “print is dead”, but I was on the front page of my local newspaper. This was a big deal to a lot of people in my community. The interviewer didn’t get anything wrong about me or comics and I read very well!
I was interviewed for the Rock 108 morning show! This was so full circle for me because I’ve grown up listening to this radio station. I still listen to this radio station! My first concerts were promoted by Rock 108! Then here I was talking about my comics on air! Thanks again to Brian, Ned, and Russ!
I got to talk to a school about making comics for the first time ever in 2024. It was a buck list thing for me. It was for a small high school in Iowa pretty much the same size as I went to. Mr.Guise is the art teacher and puts on a class about making comics. He is a such a good person and teacher. You can tell he truly cares about his students outside of school. I talked to the kids about making comics and gave some old man life advice!
I got to do my first ever comic book store signing with letters John Ira Thomas for Big Guns Stupid Rednecks at Daydreams Comics and Collectables for the Iowa City Book festival. What a mouthful! Old friends came; new friends, kids who wanted to make comics, and I had the best time. Nate the owner is such a great guy and has a fantastic selection of comics. He really knows his stuff and was nice enough to host myself and John. We had a really good turn out!
After the signing I got to do the most full circle thing ever. 15 years ago when I first step foot into Daydreams I saw “the door”. It was covered in signatures and sketches from all the comic creators who had done signings over the years. From Phil Hester to Jaime Hernandez this door fucking ruled! I got to draw on the door. Something I never dreamed I would be able to do. As I write this I get chills. It was very emotional for me to get to draw on the door. Man what a cool moment.
Pots and Panels also happened on 2024! It was a good inspired comic book anthology which also featured recipes from the creators. Not only did I write two stories for and contribute two recipes, but I was also on the planning committee and in charge of marketing for the kickstarter. We managed to raise over $29,000. I’m very proud we were about to raise that much. I put a lot of work into the marketing and into my stories. It’s such a cool project.
Now let’s talk about my personal life. In 2023 I made no money. I didn’t work and was severely depressed coming off my divorce. I was trying to get better and just couldn’t. One year ago in January 2024 I was still unemployed, single, and suicidal. I was very close to killing myself in January 2024. Then things started to get better..
Thanks to my manager Abby and Assistant Manager JJ I was able to get my old job back. I did not leave on the best terms. I was unhappy with some work related things, but really I was miserable all around and didn’t know how to process my wife leaving me so I quit. When I started to get better I apologized to them. Then I got hired back part time just doing dishes. I still wasn’t 100%, but getting back to work helped me get better. Then I started working more hours and feeling better. Getting out of the house and contributing to society really helps make you feel good about yourself. Then I got hired back full time. I was like Austin 2.0 a better work all around and then I got to do this corporate internship which I wrap up next week. Not to toot my own horn, but I killed it with the internship and learned so much. I even ended up at the corporate office shaking hands with the top dogs at the company. Far cry from not having a job at the beginning of the year. Thanks again to Abby and JJ without you this wouldn’t have been possible.
The last big thing was Hailey and I got back together. We broke up at the end of 2023, but honestly we really didn’t. We never stopped talking to each other, seeing each other, or loving each other. It was just a tough spot. She didn’t know how to deal with me being in the state I was. She felt bead because she couldn’t help me, but she was helping. Just by being there for me it helped more than she will ever know. When we were broken up she was coming over and helping me clean, and making me get out of the house. She’s such a fantastic person. So when I started to get back to work and was finally me again naturally we ended up back together. Now it’s me, her, and our 4 cats in one house together 🥹.
2024 was such a great year. I accomplished so much image what I will do in 2025. Bad times don’t last. Weather the storm. The world is better off with you in it.
Now if you made it this far here is your reward:
It is a free digital copy of Bugged Out!
Please comment and like this post on Substack it really helps more people see it. Until next time be excellent everyone!
You are such a busy guy!
Do you have any plans for publishing comics in 2025? What was your favorite comic book or graphic novel that you read in 2024?