SHE'S ALWAYS IN MY HAIR

The cover to It Girl and the Atomics #12, by Michael and Laura Allred. A great way to close the series. Look for it in July!

Diamond ID: MAY130558
On Sale: July 17, 2013

More info here.

Current Soundtrack: Daft Punk, Random Access Memory

COSMIC DANCERS: IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #6 on sale now!

I am excited to finally have It Girl and the Atomics #6 go on sale. It's been a great pleasure working with Chynna Clugston Flores again. I can't wait for everyone to see her latest work.

Plus, it's a stand-alone story. Even if you've never read any Madman or Atomics issues before, you can totally go along for the ride.

CBR has a six-page preview, of which this one. Read the rest here.

It Girl and the Atomics #6 is on sale today at all fine comic book shops. Comic Bastards gave us really high marks in their early review.

For you digital types, expect it on Comixology, as well. They have a handy Jamie S. Rich authors page that you can check for updates.

Oh, and remember how I teased that mystery artist for #10? Here's another cropped image, this time in color. Figured it out yet?

Current Soundtrack: Esben and the Witch, Watch the Sins Not Only the Face

RUBBER-BAND GIRL

It Girl and the Atomics #4 is on sale today, giving you plenty of reason to be thankful!

READ A FOUR-PAGE PREVIEW HERE.

I approved #5 for printing today, so you only have a couple of weeks to wait for the conclusion!

Current Soundtrack: Nicki Minaj, Roman Reloaded: The Re-Up

READER MEET AUTHOR: Signing at Heroes in Fresno, December 12!

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS WRITER JAMIE S. RICH CELEBRATES THE FIRST STORY ARC AT AN EXCLUSIVE CALIFORNIA SIGNING

Image Comics launched the poppy superhero comic book series It Girl and the Atomics back in August to much acclaim and strong sales. The first printing of the debut issue sold out from the distributor almost immediately upon release. On December 12, Image will be release the fifth issue, ending the first story arc, “Dark Streets, Snap City.” To mark the event, the comic’s writer, Jamie S. Rich, will be signing at Heroes Comics in Fresno, CA.

“I have family in the area,” Rich said, “and I was a customer at Heroes back when they were a new store, almost 20 years ago, just before I left California to move to Oregon and work for Dark Horse Comics as an editor. It’s fitting that I would come back to commemorate this milestone in one of my favorite projects.”

It Girl and the Atomics is a spin-off from the popular indie comics series Madman, the brainchild of Michael Allred, the artist on Marvel Comics’ new FF! title. It Girl marks the first long-form extension of his world by other creators. Rich has been the editor of Madman since 1997 and has previously written short stories for the title. Joining him for It Girl and the Atomics are artist Mike Norton, colorist Allen Passalaqua, and letter Crank!, the Eisner-winning team behind Battlepug.

“The Atomics are a team of superheroes who got their powers from an alien goo that caused them to mutate,” Rich explained. “They all have weird abilities, and we’ve set out to make kooky comics to match. It Girl was always my favorite character. She has the ability to take on the physical properties of anything she touches. This presents a fun creative challenge. Just what are the limits of her abilities? What new function could she adopt today?”

Prior to It Girl and the Atomics, Rich had written a variety of comics and prose novels, including the quirky romance 12 Reasons Why I Love Her and the hardboiled detective story You Have Killed Me. In January, his futuristic adventure serial A Boy and a Girl, drawn by Natalie Nourigat (Between Gears), will premier on onipress.com.

Heroes Comics will have all four previous issues of It Girl and the Atomics on hand for the signing, as well as the fifth issue, set to go on sale that day. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12. Heroes is located at 110 East Shaw Ave. in Fresno, CA. Phone Number: 559-229-4376.

For interviews or review material, contact Jamie S. Rich at golightly[a]gmail[.]com. His website is http://www.confessions123.com.

You can also join the event's Facebook page here.

Current Soundtrack: The Wknd, Trilogy 

THERE SHE GOES AGAIN

It's a big week. Both the second print of It Girl and the Atomics #1 and the very first printing of It Girl and the Atomics #2, complete with two covers, will be hitting the stands on Wednesday.

We got a pretty great review from the Onion's AV Club last week that got me pumped up all over again. Check it out.

It Girl is bored. Gifted with the ability to take on the essence of whatever she touches, she just stays inside and plays videogames, occasionally gracing her hand along a plastic bag so she can sail along the waves of ennui. It’s no surprise that a superhero created by Michael Allred would headline a vibrant, charming ongoing series, but It Girl And The Atomics #1 (Image) is a bit more impressive considering Allred’s only involvement is in providing covers. Writer Jamie S. Rich and artist Mike Norton do great work capturing the imagination and irreverent humor of Allred’s Madman comics, and they create an easy entry point for new readers into It Girl’s wacky world. Fans of Bryan Q. Miller’sBatgirl series will appreciate Rich’s interpretation of a superheroine who doesn’t take her job too seriously, and It Girl is the type of joyful superhero title of which there are few at DC or Marvel. Mike Norton is becoming one of the busiest pencillers in comics between Revival, It Girl, and his Eisner Award-winning webcomic Battlepug, but his heavy workload hasn’t had a negative impact on his artwork yet. With an animated style reminiscent of The Venture Bros., Norton’s pencils are light and expressive, keeping consistent with the look Michael Allred has established for these characters.

We also got a nice review for #1 from International House of Geek: "It’s a cute start and I’m intrigued to see where the story goes from here."

And Paul Mirek has similar things to say. An excerpt "This first issue serves to introduce the unfamiliar (like me) to It Girl, a seemingly air-headed bombshell with the power to take on the properties of anything she touches. We’re also given brief intros to some of It Girl’s colleagues, including the unstable Dr. Gillespie Flem, who provides the hook for the series when he encourages It Girl to break out of her current ennui by letting him test his sci-fi inventions on her. With a hilarious premise and a team of dedicated and idiosyncratic creators, this series seems to be off to a great start."

Current Soundtrack: The Velvet Underground, Chronicles

I BELIEVE I CAN FLY, or EVERY PICTURE TELLS A STORY

Both covers for It Girl and the Atomics #2. I don't think it was intentional, but I like how, side by side, they actually tell a mini story. It only occurred to me the other day when I got the advance copies in the mail and put them together for a photo.

Image A is by Michael and Laura Allred, Image B by Darwyn Cooke.

It also pleasantly reminds me of this:



It Girl and the Atomics #2 is published by Image Comics, and it goes on sale September 12. Details here.

Current Soundtrack: Little Brother, The Minstrel Show

HOW ABOUT YOU?

Some reviews of It Girl and the Atomics #1 have hit the web.

* Comic Bastards

* Comic Book Resources

* Comic Vine

* Geek Smash <---- this guy hates it!

* Newsarama

* Read About Comics

* Stumptown Trade Review

Though, forget It Girl and the Atomics, here is the best review of my work to hit the internet this week, someone commenting on my Total Recall review:

This movie SUCKS and is uneeded, thank you Jamie S. Rich for sticking up for a lame PG-13 remake to one of the action classics of the 90s, that takes real guts. And it also earns my disgust.

I'm a real hero. Like the dude in Drive. Except I don't have a car.

Current Soundtrack: both McAlmont & Butler albums on shuffle

LOOK INSIDE AMERICA

Wow, cool! USA Today has posted an It Girl and the Atomics preview, alongside a joint interview with myself and the two Mikes, both Norton and Allred.

Read the whole thing in the link.

I've been really excited by the press we've been getting. The reaction is great so far. We also are one of the chosen items in Robot 6's "Food or Comics?" column today. Just one more day to go and you can see what everyone is talking about!

Current Soundtrack: The Nova Saints, Newfoundland

YOU'RE SO GREAT, AND I LOVE YOU

Spend some time over at Comic Book Resources, because not only can you see their exclusive preview of Wednesday's It Girl and the Atomics #1, but the Robot 6 blog has a new interview with me, featured by in the column by that fine journalist Tim O'Shea, Talking with Tim.

What appeals to you more in writing in the Madman universe, the characters or the situations they find themselves in [or that find them]?
I’m always drawn to characters more than plot. I think good characters suggest good stories. You have to do things for things to happen, and what you do depends on who you are. The thing I’ve seized on the most is the idea of self-actualization. Throughout all of the Madman series, the search for self is always up front. That’s always been important to me in my own work. So, to have a group of characters who are all trying to make themselves and the world they live in better, that to me is the perfect scenario. 

It Girl is also just a really pleasant person to be around. She’s a sweetheart with an optimistic outlook and a willingness to experiment and explore. I’d like to be her friend in real life, and writing about her, it’s like I am. I get to pal around with a superheroine!

Read the whole article here.

Current Soundtrack: Blur, Blur Special Edition Disc 2

GREAT GOOGA MOOGA

Comic Book Resources is running a six-page preview of It Girl and the Atomics #1 in advance of the Wednesday release. Check it out.

Also, Rico at the legendary comic book store Heroes Aren't Hard to Find has made the issue his staff pick for the week over at their blog.

RICO’S PICK :: MICHAEL ALLRED’S IT GIRL AND THE ATOMICS #1 : Jaime S. Rich andMike Norton take the reigns on a few of Mike Allred’s creations in this new ongoing title from Image. Rich has a track record of working on quality projects with quality people dating back to his days as Editor-In-Chief at Oni Press and he has been editing Allred’s Madman family of comics for years now. If you’re looking for fun superheroes who ponder things like the silliness inherent in their own genre while fighting crime, beautifully drawn by Mike Norton, check this book out!

Current Soundtrack: Lee Dorsey, Soul Mine - The Greatest Hits and More, 1960-1978

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - AUGUST 3, 2012

WRITER JAMIE S. RICH TOURS PORTLAND COMICS SHOP CELEBRATING IT GIRL #1

On Wednesday, August 8, Image Comics will be releasing the premiere issue of It Girl and the Atomics, a new comic book series starring characters from Michael Allred’s long-running Madman. To commemorate the new #1, Portland-based author Jamie S. Rich will be visiting three different hometown comic book stores to sign comics and chat with customers.

“I wanted to do something different,” Rich said. “I could have picked one store and had a standard release party, but instead I decided to go more guerilla. I chose three shops in different parts of town and mapped out a way to hit them all before closing time.”

The three shops on the schedule are Floating World Comics at 400 NW Couch, Bridge City Comics at 3725 N. Mississippi, and Cosmic Monkey Comics at 5335 NE Sandy. Each store will have ample copies of It Girl and the Atomics #1 on hand. The issue retails for $2.99.

Rich will be at Floating World from approximately 2 pm to 3:30 pm, Bridge City from 4 pm to 5 pm, and Cosmic Monkey will close it out, 6 pm to 7 pm.

“Portland is blessed with so many great comic book shops,” Rich said. “Why settle for one when you can have a good time at three?”

It Girl and the Atomics is drawn by Mike Norton, with lettering by Crank! and colors by Allen Passalaqua, the Eisner Award-winning team from Battlepug. Covers are by series creators Michael and Laura Allred. Each issue features 24 pages of story and art, and they will be released monthly. It Girl and the Atomics is suitable for superhero and comics fans of all ages.

For more info on the participating stores:

* Floating World Comics: http://www.floatingworldcomics.com/

* Bridge City Comics: http://www.bridgecitycomics.com/

* Cosmic Monkey Comics: http://www.cosmicmonkeycomics.com/

Jamie S. Rich can be contacted via golightly[a]gmail.com, or visit him at http://www.confessions123.com. 

HERE SHE COMES

My comps of It Girl and the Atomics #1 showed up today!

Get yours at comic book stores and on Comixology, next week, August 8th!

Details here.

Current Soundtrack: Paul Weller, "Whirlpool's End (Weller at the BBC Version)"

OCTOBER SOLICITATION: IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #3

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #3
story JAMIE S. RICH
art MIKE NORTON
cover MICHAEL & LAURA ALLRED

OCTOBER 17
32 PAGES / FC / E
$2.99

“DARK STREETS, SNAP CITY,” Part Three The Skunk’s old gang is up to trouble, and It Girl has a few choice words for the man who killed her sister. But who’s the shadowy presence that follows her wherever she goes, and can she and the rest of the Atomics stop a crime spree before it starts?

Current Soundtrack: Kylie Minogue - remixes of "Timebomb/Better Than Today/Put Your Hands Up"

RIDE THE WILD SURF UNTIL THE DAWN IS USHERED IN AT YOUR WORD

Since Allred leaked this on his blog, what the hell.

Here's the It Girl and the Atomics #3 cover. Coming in October!

This should be a poster in dorm rooms all over the country.

Current Soundtrack: The House of Love, The German Album

LET'S MAKE LOVE COME TRUE

As all have probably guessed, I am not doing Comic Con International in San Diego this year. It just didn't seem prudent at the time I had to make my plans. There will, however, be a big announcement happening regarding my collaboration with Natalie Nourigat, so keep an eye out for Oni Press' news. (And, of course, watch this space.)

I'll also be participating (fingers crossed) in a Tr!ckster challenge put down by Scott Morse to write a daily "noir"-type story, starting on Thursday. Wish me luck!

If you are at the show and want to meet Mike Norton and the Allreds and get an It Girl and the Atomics poster, the guys will be at the Image Comics booth from 1 to 2 pm on Saturday. This is a ticketed event, limited to 50 people, so stop by Image early to find out how to get in on it. Their full schedule is here.

In the meantime, read the latest It Girl and the Atomics-related interview with yours truly, this time over at CBR.

The relationship between The Skunk and It Girl is an interesting one -- he accidentally killed her sister, but she's back from the dead and he's out of prison now. How does that dynamic play into the story?

Having never really written superheroes before, lots of interesting questions have come up for me. Just dealing with the basic comic book tropes, I keep finding spots where I'm like, "How does this work?" In the first issue, I have It Girl wonder why any petty thief would stay in a city that has a superhero, where you can't get away with anything. I laughed when I recently saw that Mark Millar had a book that started off with that very premise. 

So, when I was reading over the original "Atomics" comics in preparation for the series, I realized Skunk is sent to jail and then forgotten, and I started to wonder what that means when, essentially, the person he is convicted of killing is no longer dead. Does he still serve the time? That event will prove to have deeper consequences throughout this arc for both the Skunk and It Girl and her family, it's not easily dismissed. I also liked how It Girl and Lava Lass were so different and that there was a little sibling rivalry there, so here the little sister might be able to do something for the big sister, maintain a sense of balance or justice on her behalf.

Current Soundtrack: Monarques, Let's Make Love Come True

A WOLF IN GEEK'S CLOTHING

MTV Geek is the latest site to cover It Girl and the Atomics. Another joint interview with myself and Mike Norton.

Geek: A lot of the Madman work, and other titles almost seem like anti-superhero comics. Here, I do think you veer slightly more into superhero world; so why is that necessary for It Girl, and (I’m guessing) how will you continue to subvert those expectations? 

JSR: Hmmmm, I don't know about anti-superhero. To me Mike Allred's work has always touched on the fundamental spark of how the genre began. That's what I'm actually enjoying about working on the book, that we're very much wearing our superhero influences on our sleeves. Mike Norton and I have a similar background in terms of what we cut our teeth on as young readers, and I'm having a blast dreaming up new villains. Like, we plucked the Skunk out of an older Atomics comic, but we're giving him new pals: the Hedgehog, the Otter, and the Ferrett. When Norton sent me the character designs, it cracked me up. It was so cool to see some old school whackjob bad guys.  

More than anything, we're embracing the escapist element of this kind of entertainment. Superhero comics should be fun and colorful and starring characters you generally like. It Girl is someone you'd actually want to take out for coffee after she saves you from muggers. She's just a good egg. 

MN: Yeah, I've always seen the Madmanverse as a love letter to superhero comics through a fringe sort of lens. Not necessarily a deconstruction.

Read it!

The first issue goes to press this week. Don't forget, if you're in San Diego and going to Comic Con, Mike Norton and the Allreds will be signing It Girl posters at the Image Comics book on Saturday!

Current Soundtrack: The Bird and the Bee, "F-cking Boyfriend (Peaches Remix)"

DIAMOND IS AN IT GIRL'S BEST FRIEND

Spotted on the Diamond Comics page this morning...

Current Soundtrack: Joey Ramone, "...ya know?"

TALKSPLODE WITH MIKE NORTON & JAMIE S. RICH

Mike Norton and I were on iFaboy's Talksplode podcast to discss the August release of It Girl and the Atomics #1.

Listen to it/download the file here.

I think I put my foot in my mouth at least once. Which isn't that bad for me.

So excited for this book to come out. Only a few weeks left!

Current Soundtrack: Saint Etienne, "Tonight" EP

ABOUT A GIRL

The press blitz continues!

Mike Norton and I discuss It Girl and the Atomics with Chris Arrant over at Newsarama.

Read the interview in full right here.

And don't forget to order the comic from your local comic book store. It's coming August 8! Diamond order code JUN120428.

Rich: It Girl is Luna Romy, the youngest member of the Atomics, who used to be street beatniks but then were mutated by some alien goo and once upon a time had an adversarial relationship with Madman. The goo had deformed them originally, but they learned to harness the mutation and discovered they had super powers. For Luna, it's the ability to adopt the properties of anything she touches. If she touches metal, she can turn to metal; if she touches a bird, she can grow feathers and fly. This is a very handy power, and I am having fun coming up with new things for her to turn into for specific scenarios. "What can get her out of this situation?" 

In terms of where she's at in the new series, It Girl and the Atomics, Madman and Luna's boyfriend, Metal Man, are touring the galaxy performing with their band. It Girl is stuck back home, and she's bored, so she takes over Madman's role in that she becomes both the leading crimefighter in Snap City, but also the guinea pig for the experiments run by her benefactor, Dr. Flem. In the first issue, he has a new machine that is supposed to turn a person into an electronic signal and beam them through the air to faraway locations. This, of course, will end up having terrible results.

Current Soundtrack: Paul Weller, "When Your Garden's Overgrown/Lay Down Your Weary Burden"

LITTLE ATOMS

September solicitations are out for Image comics, and so I can finally show off both sweet covers for It Girl and the Atomics #2! A main cover by Michael and Laura Allred, and a second super cute cover by Darwyn Cooke. Mike didn't warn us that Darwyn was doing it, it just showed up in our inbox one day. Imagine how me and Mike Norton lost our minds!

IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #2
story JAMIE S. RICH
art MIKE NORTON
cover MICHAEL & LAURA ALLRED
variant cover DARWYN COOKE
SEPTEMBER 12
32 PAGES / FC / E
$2.99
"DARK STREETS, SNAP CITY," Part Two
It Girl comes crashing down to Earth. Can she figure out where she's landed before the shadowy figure following behind catches up with her? Also, see what the Skunk's old gang gets up to when left to their own devices! Joins us for world-bending new adventures starring Michael Allred's Atomics!

Current Soundtrack: running through my friends' picks on This is My Jam, including tracks by Jupiter and Thomas Dolby