Tucci Trooper!

Deb and I are excited to give an exclusive sneak-peak preview to our backers for our new Shi 6″ Action figure through Executive Replicas. We’ve been working with Winston and his crew for almost two years now trying to get the figure just right. It’s gone through many, many, many incarnations, but we’ve finally approved of the final design set for production. 

You can see the creative evolution and design process for the heads alone. Once it is officially announced, I will post the total (and long) development of the figure to get it just right. That said, we could not be happier (and appreciative) of Executive Replicas for their patience and fortitude. The action figure boasts over a dozen points of articulation and Ana Ishikawa will be equipped with multiple heads and many accessories. Again, once we have an order date (which I believe will be through Diamond Comics Distributors among other avenues), I wil send out links and a press release.

SHI: SENRYAKU 2022 SDCC EXCLUSIVE’S KEEP SHIPPING!

Limited Edition Shi: Senryaku 25th Anniversary Edition Offered Through www.billytucci.com

San Diego Comic-Con was our best show in over twenty years with its first live in-person convention since July 2019.

We’ve been shipping our Shi: Senryaku #1 25^th Anniversary Special Editions and the accompanying 11” X 17” prints daily, so if you’ve placed an order and haven’t recieved your yet, keep on the on the lookout as we’ve just gotten another order of shipping supplies from Uline.

Senryaku is Crusade Comics’ groundbreaking, Eisner Award-nominated series written by comics’ legend and creator of DC Comics’ Amethyst and Blue Devil, Gary Cohn. The book uniquely details Shi’s upbringing and training through thirty-six self-contained Art of War“stratagems”. Stratagems lushly showcased and illustrated by many of the industry’s greatest talents, including Jim Lee, Frank Frazetta, Adam Hughes, George Perez, Jeff Smith, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Joe Quesada and Billy Tucci.

For those who were unable to attend Comic-Con, we have a limited number of these Special Editions now through https://billytucci.com/store-3/.

Thank you again for your amazing support. We’ve got some amazing news coming up and I look forward to sharing it with you in the coming weeks.

SHI: SAKURA IS ON THE WAY!

Shi: Sakura is at the printer. All proofs have been approved and we will be receiving all books and will begin fulfillment in September!

#ShiStrong,

Billy Tucci

Four Fantastic Conventions In Five Weeks!

AMAZING ACHIEVEMENTS FROM SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON!

Happy Friday Tucci Trooper!

Whew! It’s been a crazy month-plus of travel and the excitement of being back at comic cons. I’m so glad to have seen so many of you at the shows. The response to Shi’s return is truly heartwarming and your encouragement and enthusiasm has meant the world to Deb and I.

This year’s San Diego Comic Con was our most successful in over twenty-five years! We sold out of the limited edition exclusives we brought with to the show (we still have some set aside for our website customers here: https://billytucci.com/store-3/.  Again, it seemed like a giant reunion as everyone was there. Film/TV producers, stars, comic creators, press and of course, FANS! As usual, the weather was great as was the conversation.

Shi: Senryaku 25th Anniversary SDCC Exclusive!

We also had some fantastic panels starting off with our Happy Hour with the Comic Book Couples. It was initially to be an educational panel about self-publishing and working in the mainstream, but it “devolved” into a laugh-fest of living with a spouse who loves and creates comics and the wives who run their very successful publishing companies.  I’d like to revisit the concept at a future con, but direct it more towards the business end of self-publishing… of course still with the laughs. Deb and I would like to thank our dear friends, Amanda Conner, Brian Pulido, Jeff Smith, Jimmy Palmiotti, Terry Moore, Robyn Moore,  Vijaya Iyer, Francisca Pulido and moderator Michael Solof for an amazing experience. Great questions fielded by the PopXP’s Nile Scala!

The Comics For Ukraine panels was truly inspiring. To see so many in the comics industry volunteer their creativity to benefit Ukrainian refugees really showcases just how art and creativity can do good in a world plagued by war. I promise you that me, Brian Miller and Mindy Lopkin will not let you down with our Rocketeer: Pavlichenko story. Thanks again, IDW’s Scott Dunbier for the chance to write and draw my favorite comics character for a good cause.

Who will rescue the Rocketeer?

Deborah, Steven Peros, J.C. Vaughn and I also had grand time with our first Shi SDCC panel in over twenty years. Fans were  really excited about The Return of Shi. I have to be honest, I was a little nervous if people would come to see a panel dedicated to just Shi, but they did come by the dozens and it was they who made the whole experience just wonderful. We filmed the panel and will load it up onto the PopXP’s youtube channel next week.

Lil’ Billy Tucci enjoyed SDCC!

We’ve also got some wonderful news involving Diamond Comic Distributors, Dark Horse Comics, The Overstreet Price Guide and my (2023) and Shi’s (2024) 30th Comics’ Anniversaries.

The con also brought us some great meetings and inroads involving NFTs, (something we’ve been looking into for over two years now and still do not quite understand, lol) which sound fascinating.

Crusade Comics has laid out our 2022, 2023 and 2024 Kickstarter publishing schedule. I am so excited about all the wonderful books and product we have coming to you that will continue the Shi Renaissance.

Thank you for an amazing con season. Right now Deb and I have three more conventions in 2022. October’s New York Comic Con and Baltimore Comic Con and the NYC Big Apple Con in December.

That’s all folks!

Again, Deborah and I are so appreciative all who came out to the cons this summer and truly thankful to everyone who purchased our Limited Edition Exclusives online. We are so looking  forward to releasing a lot big news announcements in the next few weeks.

Have a great weekend!

#ShiStrong

Billy Tucci

BILLY TUCCI AND THE ROCKETEER TO THE RESCUE!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 2, 2022

Bayport, NY

Multi-Eisner Award Nominee Contribute Original Rocketeer Story To IDW’s “Comics For Ukraine: An Anthology Book Against War

Comics For Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds is a benefit anthology featuring an All-Star Lineup of comic book creators, with all proceeds being donated to Ukrainian refugees.

In times of terrible need, comic creators have assembled for a greater good, be it for famine in Africa with Marvel’s 1980s Heroes for Hope comic or the graphic novels made after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. More recently, Love Is Love sought to help the victims of the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting. Now, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than three dozen creators, among them numerous Eisner winners and veteran comic icons, have come together for a charity book to raise money to aid Ukrainian refugees displaced by the war.

https://zoop.gg/c/comicsforukraine

Alex Ross, Bill Sienkiewicz, Walter Simonson, Stan Sakai and Billy Tucci among the writers and artists involved in the fundraising effort created by IDW Publishing’s Senior Editor and Director, Special Projects, Scott Dunbier.

The 128-page full-color graphic novel is available in numerous editions through Zoop, which is accepting new orders for the next 40 hours (ending August 3, 2022). The campaign has so far raised over $160,000.00 with Dunbier presenting a check for $100,000.00 to Operation USA’s (www.opusa.org) Richard Walden at this year’s Comic-Con International.

“I had contacted Scott to contribute anything to the project.” Stated Tucci. “I was left speechless when he and Jenny Stevens Bawcum (sister of Rocketeer-creator Dave Stevens) offered the chance of a lifetime and write and draw my favorite character for a cause that will help save lives.”

Tucci’s six-page story, The Rocketeer: Pavlichenko features Cliff Secord encountering legendary Ukrainian sniper, Lyudmila Pavlichenko in the Crimean Mountains. “Lyudmila is not just the most recognized female sniper of World War II but perhaps the greatest sniper in history.” Tucci stated. “It is an honor to remind today’s readers of this true-life Wonder Woman and her gallant heroism in the face of invasion.”

Joining Tucci on The Rocketeer: Pavlichenko is colorist Brian Miller and designer/letterer Mindy Lopkin.

Astro City’s Kurt Busiek suggested a title based on the viral video of an elderly Ukrainian woman offering an invading Russian soldier sunflower seeds to put in his pocket so they grow when they bury him (watch here).

Comics For Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds is available for the next 40 hours at Zoop.gg/c/comicsforukraine. Operation USA has been providing humanitarian relief all over the world since 1979. Donations to Operation USA can be made here.

About Billy Tucci

Inkpot Award recipient Billy Tucci is a cartoonist best known for his modern-day samurai saga Shi. Through his company, Crusade Fine Arts, Shi has been printed in five languages and sold more than 3 million comic books. The graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology has earned the prestigious Diamond Comics Gem Award and has been nominated for four Eisner Awards. In addition to his own creations, Billy’s DC Comics’ graphic novel, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion, was awarded the Military Writers Society of America Gold Medal for its depiction of the real-life 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was comprised of Japanese American soldiers. His earnest retelling of the Christmas story in A Child Is Born has quietly turned into an international blockbuster, winning the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award.  Billy’s critically acclaimed Miss Fury: Joy Division saw the return of the Golden Age Iconfor Dynamite Comics. Billy has recently released Shi: Return of the Warrior, Shi: Haikyo, Shi: Omnibus Edition and Zombie-Sama via Kickstarter and Indiegogo uniting backers from over fifty countries and bringing Crusade Comics’ crowdfunding campaign totals to over $1,000,000.00. 

For Additional Information:

Deborah Tucci

Crusade Fine Arts, Ltd.

support@billytucci.com

You can find Billy Tucci on Twitter, Facebook @billytucci and Instagram @billy_tucci

Visit https://www.billytucci.com.

CRUSADE COMICS’ SHI: SAKURA PROOFS APPROVED FOR PRINTING

August 1, 2022

Bayport, NY

#ShiStrong!

CRUSADE COMICS’ SHI: SAKURA PROOFS APPROVED FOR PRINTING

Indiegogo Campaign Approaches $150,000.00!

All cover/interior proofs of Shi: Sakura have been approved for printing and the book is now schedule for press. “This is such an important process to producing a comic book that sadly is all too often overlooked.” Stated Shi-creator Billy Tucci. “Any typos are fixed as are missed color-continuity inconsistencies previously missed. Allowing us to tie up any loose ends and deliver the very best Shi comic ever!”

An example that went undetected how dark artist Jeff Chapman’s amazing Shi: Sakura cover was set to print. Once seen in the book’s physical proof showed a miscue in the brightness, contrasting levels that was immediately corrected to showcase just how dynamic the original artwork is.

Jeff Chapman’s amazing Shi: Sakura Cover Final!

INDIEGOGO CLOSE TO UNLOCKING THE KENNETH ROCAFORT $150K STRETCH GOAL

Sakura’s Indiegogo campaign is now less that $1,500.00 away from unlocking Crusade Comics’ FINAL STRETCH GOAL: The Kenneth Rocafort Cover Trading Card! The card showcases the comics’ superstar striking cover artwork and is FREE to all Kickstarter and Indiegogo backerswho chose a physical perk during Sakura’s #NoFanLeftBehind campaigns. To date, Sakura’s #NoFanLeftBehind totals have broken the $230,000.00 mark.

Thus far Eight Stretch Goals have been unlocked and are FREE to all backers who have pledged for a physical-tier perk. They include:

• Shi: Sakura Graphic Novel being expanded from 56-pages to 64-pages.
• Shi: Sakura Graphic Novel being expanded from 64-pages to 72-pages.
• Shi: Kuroi Hana 5” Vinyl Sticker.
• Shi: Sakura Hardcover Edition Trading Card.
• Ana Ishikawa Kick-To-The-Face Bookmark.
• Asha Kishna Trading Card.
• Gardenio Lima Trading Card.
• Shi: Fire Blossom Mini-Print.

Shi: Sakura Indiegogo Exclusive Campaign Can Be Found Here:

https://igg.me/at/Shi-Sakura/x#/

SHI: SAKURA!

From New York to Nagasaki, this action-packed, 72-page, full-color, psychological samurai thriller reunites Shi-creator Billy Tucci and writer Steven Peros with artist Gardenio Lima, and colorist Brian Miller.

Upon learning that she is full-blooded Japanese, Ana Ishikawa has unlocked a danger that she’s not prepared for… her birth mother’s wrath that comes in the form of an automaton-like killer, bent on destroying all that she loves.

At the same time, her teenage daughter, Hotaru, having survived the trauma in Shi: Haikyo, is empowered by the experience and succumbs to an inner violent streak with savage repercussions. 

The final chapter to the Return of the Warrior trilogy sets the final fiery stage for a samurai showdown of epic proportions at New York’s Brooklyn Botanic Garden that will change Crusade Comics canon forever!

Crusade Comics will also be offering other Shi-related items including original art, prints, shirts, commissions, and special editions, including the ashcan to Crusade’s next great adventure, John Broglia and Billy Tucci’s long-awaited sequel to Zombie-Sama. Zombie-Sama 2: Dorm of the Dead

About Billy Tucci

Inkpot Award recipient Billy Tucci is a cartoonist best known for his modern-day samurai saga Shi. Through his company, Crusade Fine Arts, Shi has been printed in five languages and sold more than 3 million comic books. The graduate of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology has earned the prestigious Diamond Comics Gem Award and has been nominated for four Eisner Awards. In addition to his own creations, Billy’s DC Comics’ graphic novel, Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion, was awarded the Military Writers Society of America Gold Medal for its depiction of the real-life 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which was comprised of Japanese American soldiers. His earnest retelling of the Christmas story in A Child Is Born has quietly turned into an international blockbuster, winning the Christian Small Publisher Book of the Year Award.  Billy’s critically acclaimed Miss Fury: Joy Division saw the return of the Golden Age Iconfor Dynamite Comics. Billy has recently released Shi: Return of the Warrior, Shi: Haikyo, Shi: Omnibus Edition and Zombie-Sama via Kickstarter and Indiegogo uniting backers from over fifty countries and bringing Crusade Comics’ crowdfunding campaign totals to over $1,000,000.00. 

For Additional Information:

Deborah Tucci

Crusade Fine Arts, Ltd.

support@billytucci.com

You can find Billy Tucci on Twitter, Facebook @billytucci and Instagram @billy_tucci

Visit https://www.billytucci.com.