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Upcoming Appearances
Stay tuned!
Now on Sale!
Copies Still Available of Limited-Edition Comic-Con Special!You Can Still Get The Gods Must Be Litigious While Supplies Last!
When the Medusa decides to write a book -- watch out! The Gorgon of Greek mythology, whose glance can turn
people to stone, has been creating controversy on Earth as a bestselling author. Her highly opinionated How to Talk to a
Mortal (If You Must) has brought her speaking engagements, TV talk show appearances -- and lots of enemies! One of her
most outspoken critics is editorial cartoonist Red Thrall, who is unrelenting in his cartoon attacks. Will the Medusa
reach her breaking point and turn him to stone? How long will Zeus tolerate all this nonsense on Earth? Looks like
Medusa's going to need some lawyers! And those lawyers are of course Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre.
The book sells for $8.95 and Batton Lash will sign copies on request. 
Tales from the Vault: An Anniversary SpecialThis is the 15th anniversary of Exhibit A Press and the 30th anniversary of Wolff & Byrd; this book has samples of material from all the series' incarnations: the original weekly newspaper strip that appeared in The National Law Journal, the one-page magazine stories, the comic book stories, and the webcomic -- including a previously unpublished five-page Mavis comic book story. The book is 64 pages for a mere $7.95. A limited number of copies are available after having been initially introduced at Comic-Con 2009, so order soon! 
The Soddyssey, And Other Tales of Supernatural LawIntroduction by F. Paul Wilson 192 pages, $17.95 ISBN: 978-0-9815519-0-6 At last, the "missing" volume from the Supernatural Law series of trade paperbacks. This book collects issues 9-16 of the original Wolff & Byrd comic book series. Chronologically, it falls after Tales of Supernatural Law and before Sonovawitch! As with Tales, the stories in this collection have been "remastered," including complete relettering and retoning. The stories include: "The * Files" (parodying, of course, The X Files), "I'm Carrying Satan's Baby," "Strange Bedfellows," "I Married a Sniveling Blob of Jelly," "The Man Who Had His Own Personal Laugh Track," "Personal Injuries and Guardian Angels" (with Jack Benny as the guardian angel), "Triskaidekaphobia" (in which perennial client Sodd finally goes on trial), "Bad Blood" (a takeoff on Anne Rice), "The Statue of Limitations," "The Returns of Roger Rizzolli," "The Littlest Loup Garou," and the whole conclusion to the Sodd story, "Sodd, We Hardly Knew Ye." To view a free pdf of one of the stories in the book ("Triskaidekaphobia"), use the control below and click to enlarge, or just click here. Here's what people have been saying... "A kind of novel-in-stories that Lash's broad and punny humor and Archie-meets-Tales from the Crypt art keeps consistently light and frothy, a little like whipped slime perhaps. Ludicrous fun in the key of the old Addams Family TV show."
--Ray Olson, Booklist
"This book is amusing and clever ... These level-headed and calm lawyers play straight men to a parade of hapless monsters and other supernatural types as they are guided through their often pathetic legal complaints. The collected stories reinforce each other and further flesh out this off-kilter world."
-- Publisher's Weekly
"In [the story] "Sodd, We Hardly Knew Ye," our lawyering twosome defend a Swamp Thing-like creature from both a band of self-proclaimed 'eco terra-ists' and a paramilitary survivalist group. Utterly convinced of their rightness, both groups think nothing of tromping on poor Sodd in the name of individual freedom. In both cases, it's the ideologues who turn out to be less humane than any of Supernatural Law's monsters." (read the full review)
-- Bill Sherman, Blogcritics
2009 Benjamin Franklin Award Winner!
The Soddyssey has been named the winner in the graphic novel category of the
2009 Benjamin Franklin Awards.
Named in honor of America's most cherished publisher/printer, the Benjamin Franklin Awards
recognize excellence in independent publishing. These awards are presented under the auspices
of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA; formerly known as PMA), now celebrating
its 25th year of supporting independent publishers.
Publications, grouped by genre, are judged on editorial and design merit by top practitioners in each field. The trophies were presented during a gala awards ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City on May 28 as part of Book Expo America.
Supernatural Law #45:
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NEW! ANNIVERSARY T-SHIRTS
Inspired by the Universal movie posters of the 1930s, Batton came up with this design to celebrate
15 years of Exhibit A Press and 30 years of Wolff & Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre.
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Recent Appearances
The Exhibit A booth was a hub for the comics world at Comic-Con 2010! We'll have a report and photos soon!
Stumptown Comics Fest, Portland, Oregon, April 24-25: Batton was a special guest at this indy-oriented comics show held at the Lloyd Center Doubletree Hotel. Other announced guests included Brooklyn-based artist Dean Haspiel and alt cartoonist Theo Ellsworth. Portland is home to such great publishers as Dark Horse, Oni Press, Top Shelf, all of whom were represented at the show. This was Batton's first time in the city (much less in Oregon!) and he was happy to see lots of old friends as well as the sights!
Free Comic Book Day, Metropolis Comics, Bellflower, CA, May 1:
Fans were able to get their free comics and meet Batton and Jackie along with owner Gail Burt, events guy John Berry, and the rest of the Metropolis gang at this great store!
» View our Comic-Con International 2009 Photo Galleries
Read Supernatural Law FREE Online!
The Supernatural Law webcomic has now been running for over three years. The online version is a mix of all-new stories (such as "My Husband Killed Me and Now He Must Pay...Damage!," "The Life-Partner of Frankenstein," "How to Speak to a Mortal (If You Must)," and "Weird Eye for the Normal Guy") and previously published stories that Batton has reworked for the web ("I'm Carrying Satan's Baby," "I Married a Quivering Blob of Jelly," "Statue of Limitations," "Bright Lights, Big Feet"). Every webcomic story, even if it was originally published in black and white, is in full color.
WHY ONLINE?
While the Supernatural Law comic book is still being published, SupernaturalLaw.com was created to reach a larger audience. The comic book (as well as its spinoff, Mavis) is sold primarily through comic book stores (known in the business as the "direct market"). I've been fortunate to have a solid core of comics retailers who have supported the Wolff & Byrd/Supernatural Law title and championed it over the past decade. I appreciate each and every one of those retailers. The main problem is that sales have hit a plateau in that marketplace, and each issue of Supernatural Law breaks even at best. A business has to grow, and the only way a comic book publisher's business grows is to have more people buying the books.
Putting Supernatural Law stories online is a swift way to reach a new, wider audience. And it's also a great place to display "ripped from the headlines" stories that tie into controversial issues in the news. This approach is the new frontier for the independent cartoonist and self-publisher. Whereas the direct market continues to marginalize titles from smaller and independent publishers, the Internet is limitless. The idea is to reach people who may have never seen Supernatural Law or comics fans who are interested in the series but whose local store doesn't carry it. The Internet is a marketing tool; if someone discovers Supernatural Law online and enjoys it, he or she is likely to want more and seek out the print version! And that means not only individual issues but trade paperbacks, which are available through bookstores, in better comics shops, and directly from us at Exhibit A Press.
SUMMING UP
So let's review: www.SupernaturalLaw.com is a mix of new and reworked Wolff & Byrd stories, all in full color, designed to reach a wider audience. And not to worry: the Supernatural Law comic book series continues as a 32-page "floppie," featuring new Wolff & Byrd stories, lively letter pages, and pinups by pros and fans. So you now have two ways to get your W&B (and Mavis!) fix for new material. Don't forget we love to hear from you, whether via e-mail, comments on our message board at our myspace site, or by good old land mail!
-- Batton Lash
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What Say You?
Now you can talk about Wolff & Byrd, Supernatural Law, the
online stories and more in the brand-new
Supernatural Law forum! Have a question for Batton? Ask away! Want to share
your insights? This is the place to do it! What say you?
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Other Batton and Jackie News
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More from Batton in
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Batton & Jackie Interview
Jackie and Batton were interviewed by Ned Cato for a special program on Will Eisner at GeekRoundtable.com. Listen to this podcast to learn about Will as Batton's teacher at the School of Visual Arts and how Jackie came to be the Eisner Awards administrator.
Still available from TwoMorrows:
I Have to Live with This Guy by Blake Bell.
Blake has interviewed the wives or significant others of 15 comics creators about what it's like to share a life with a creative person. The chapter on Jackie and Batton is one of the longest in the book and includes lots of photos and art. The original interview with Jackie, which had to be abridged quite a bit for the book, can be found here, along with some rare art pieces. Among the other couples featured are Will and Ann Eisner, Joe and Muriel Kubert, Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie, Dan and Josie DeCarlo, Stan and Joan Lee, and Dave Sim and Deni Loubert. Check it out!
Also on Sale!
32 pages, $3.50 Click here to Order! |
Mavis #5:"Weird Eye for the Normal Guy"It's about time! This is the first new Mavis issue in a while, and it's a goodun'! Mavis gets to leave work early for once and plans to spend the evening with her main squeeze, Taylor Christopher. But she has forgotten a prior promise to an old high school friend to attend a birthday party for the friend's "problem child" brother. Mavis and Taylor decide to drop in on the party just to put in an appearance -- but the evening takes a weird turn that nobody could have expected! Special appearance by regular Wolff & Byrd clients The Creeps.
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Supernatural Law:
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Supernatural Law issues
now available for download!
That's right, you can now download pdf files of select
issues of Supernatural Law at a mere 99 cents each!
The issues currently available from DriveThru Comics are Supernatural Law #1,
Supernatural Law First Amendment Issue (#41), #1 with a Silver Bullet (#42),
#1 at the Box Office ("A Vampire in Hollywood") (#43), Wolff & Byrd: The Movie (#44),
and Mavis #3 and Supernatural Law 101 (both of which are out of print from Exhibit A).
These issues are complete, with the letters pages and pinups. And you'll find lots of other great indy comics, as well as collections and graphic novels, at DriveThru, including Girl Genius, Action Philosophers, Brownsville, Valentine, and even Flash Gordon strip collections.
» Click here to go to DriveThru's site now
Are there other issues you would like to see available for download?
E-mail us:
STILL AVAILABLE!
E X C L U S I V E - -The Supernatural Law Companion!
This lavishly illustrated 6" x 9" handbook contains synopses of every issue of Wolff & Byrd, Supernatural Law, and Mavis, a history of the series, biographies of the cast of characters, and much, much more. The first edition of the Companion is now out of print, but the good news is that a revised edition is now available! This book is sold exclusively on the Exhibit A website and at Batton Lash appearances.
This 90-page book is yours for only $10!
Click here to Order!
192 pages, $16.95ISBN 0-9633954-9-1
Click here to Order!
Tales of Supernatural Law
Here it is–the long-awaited first volume in the Tales of Supernatural Law trade paperback series. This book collects issues 1 through 8 of the comic book series. All of the stories have been relettered and retoned, and Batton has redrawn a number of panels throughout. This book features the introduction of such regular characters as Toby Bascoe, Dawn DeVine, and Chase Hawkins, and Sodd, The Thing That's an It. Stories include "The Curse of the Werehouse," "The Zombies Strike at Midnight," "The Man Who Broke the Laws of Gravity," "A Host of Horrors," "The Model Client," "It Stalks the Public Domain," "I, Sodd," "I Turned a Dream Date into a Nightmare," and "BarCon."
"Supernatural Law serves as a refreshing respite from the pretentiousness that's found in mainstream comics these days. Like the best humor comics, Lash's collection proves to be more about fun - whether in the shape of a sultry supermodel or a ghoulish television host - than serious commentary. And that's far from criminal."
--Publisher's Weekly
"This is delicious stuff. ... Wordplay that just won't stop, Lash's Archie- meets-the-Addams-Family drawing style, and a continuing cast of recurrent clients, fellow lawyers, and others ensure a steady stream of groans, shrieks, moans, and roars –– of laughter."
--Ray Olson, Booklist
"This is substantial and entertaining book that's bound to entertain legal eagles and general readers alike."
--Tom McLean, Bags & Boards, Variety.com
"Cleverly written and with a cartoony, yet polished style of art, Tales of Supernatural is a blast to read, filled with monsters, innuendo and inside jokes. A true hit in the field of small press comics!"
--Tim Janson, Amazon.com
Other Batton Lash Projects
Bongo Comics Featuring Radioactive Man
The Great, Extreme, Ultimate and Totally Awesome Radioactive Man Event
Batton has been the writer of Radioactive Man stories for Bongo Comics
(publishers of The Simpsons) since 2000. Original a standalone title, "Radioactive Man"
has now been folded into Bongo's Simpsons Super Spectacular anthology. Now comes
the biggest Radioactive Man story yet,
spanning three titles published at the end of June and the beginning of July 2009.
With art by Tone Rodriguez, the story crosses over from Simpsons Comics #155
to Bart Simpson #48 to Simpsons Super Spectacular #9, with a triptych of Bill Morrison covers.
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Simpsons Super Spectacular #5 In this issue Batton collaborated with Silver Age Great Ramona Fradon for a parody of her classic series Metamorpho. Turn to page 17 for "Mufelatto: The Aliment Man"! 
Simpsons Super Spectacular #1 cover featuring Radioactive Man |
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