Dave's Jan '24 newsletter: Pump up the Jam!
The first Killtopia: Nano Jams art is here! Run 'n' Gun book updates + something new!
Hello and happy new year everyone! I hope you’ve all had a fantastic time over the holidays and that 2024 has been kind to you so far.
I worked a lot over the holidays on a few awesome projects - some of which I can’t discuss just yet - while somehow finding time to play a lot of video games (more on those at the end of this newsletter!)
In this newsletter we’ll be looking at:
The first look at the stories and art inside our Killtopia anthology, Nano Jams
A progress report on my run ‘n’ gun history book for Bitmap Books
Updates on some new stuff in the Killtopia store
A very early look at something new in the Killtopia universe
Bonus bits - including details of a huge video game interview feature I’ve got coming out later this year!
Want more updates?
Before we dive into the good stuff, you can also follow me on the ol’ social medias for regular updates, behind the scenes looks and retro gaming nonsense at:
Twitter: @davescook
BlueSky: @davecook.bsky.social
Instagram: @davecookcomics
1. The first Killtopia: Nano Jams art and stories revealed!
If you missed this announcement last year, I’m currently curating the first short story anthology set in the world of my award-winning cyberpunk comic series, Killtopia.
Killtopia: Nano Jams is a 70+ page collection of short stories based around the theme of ‘media.’ It’ll feature over 20 tales crafted by over 40 talented contributors from the worlds of comics and video games.
They include: Gustaffo Vargas, Scott Bryan Wilson, Clark Bint, Skylar Patridge, Alex Moore, Kim Hu, Jason Loo, Liana Kangas, Sebastian Piriz, Lucy James, Craig Paton, Amy Chase and many more. You can see the full roster (so far) here.
Basically, Nano Jams is Black Mirror meets Akira, with all the stories exploring themes around media technology - how media entertains us, shapes our personality, influences us, addicts us, brings us together, pushes us apart and more - all wrapped up in Killtopia’s twisted and satirical cyberpunk vibe.
We just dropped art and story teasers of the first batch of stories over on the official Killtopia site, so here’s your first look:
Story 1: ‘Frontline’
Words: me! / Art: Kim Hu
Synopsis: Neo Osaka is under attack by rampaging mecha and Japan's army is losing the war big-time! Meanwhile, a new craze of mind-controlled video games is sweeping the nation.
Story 2: ‘Virtual Duality’
Words: Chris Mole / Art: Mau Mora
Synopsis: All's fair in love and gaming, but after a session of owning n00bs in an online multiplayer death match, how can you be sure you'll never run into those you killed in real life?
Story 3: ‘High Seize’
Words: Ashley Cooper / Art: Jason Loo
Synopsis: When all of the world's media is digitised or locked behind streaming paywalls, a band of thieves hatches a plan to liberate a stash of physical retro media from the clutches of digital obscurity.
Story 4: ‘Shop ‘til you drop’
Words and art: Chris Simmonds
Synopsis: Amazon Alexa made it easy to order things you don't need without lifting a finger, but in this dystopian cyberpunk future who's really in charge of your spending habits - you or the machines?
Story 5: ‘Unvarnished Truths’
Words: Joe Glass / Art: Yishan Li
Synopsis: Social media filters are awesome aren't they? You can use them to make yourself look cuter, turn yourself into a puppy and so much more. But what happens when someone else controls how the whole world sees you?
Stay tuned for more + our Kickstarter!
This is just a taste of the 20+ stories that are being whipped up right now for Killtopia: Nano Jams. We’ll be running a Kickstarter in the summer (maybe sooner!) so stay tuned for launch details in due time!
2. Run ‘n’ Gun history book progress update!
For a year and a half now I’ve been working on my second video game history book for publisher Bitmap Books. My first release with them was Go Straight: The Ultimate History of Side-Scrolling Beat ‘em Ups (which is available now on their store!)
My second book explores the entire run ‘n’ gun shooter genre (both the side-on and top-down varieties!) It kicks off at the genre’s origin in the 1970s with Taito’s Gun Fight and Nintendo’s Sheriff, all the way through such ’80s and ‘90s classics as Contra, Ikari Warriors, Sunset Riders, Metal Slug, Gunstar Heroes and more.
The book then moves into the modern era all the way up to the end of 2023, with such hits as Cuphead, Blazing Chrome, The Binding of Isaac and Deathwish Enforcers. I’ve played over 290 games for the book, with the rest being covered by a crew of awesome guest writers.
The write-ups are full of making-of stories, gameplay tips, wild trivia and more, accompanied by lavish design work by the Bitmap Books crew, and of course, a lot of colourful screenshots and gorgeous pixel art to look at.
Stay tuned for more official announcements on the book’s reveal and launch details by giving Bitmap Books a follow on Twitter.
3. The Killtopia store is now open!
For the first time, I’ve been able to sell digital and print copies of Killtopia on my own store.
Killtopia #1-5 are available now here, along with copies of me and Steve Gregson’s beat ‘em up tribute comic, BPM: Beatdowns per Minute - which takes place in the Killtopia universe in 1993!
AND! I just added some UK-exclusive Killtopia tees to the store, which have FREE SHIPPING throughout all of January. I’m working on selling them internationally, so keep your eyes open for an announcement about this later in the year!
4. A New Killtopia Tale
I can’t say too much about this one yet, but I’m slowly working with an artist on a whole new entry in the Killtopia universe.
First, a little disclaimer: This will be a slow, slow, slow, slow burn project for me, as I’m taking a lot of time out to refresh/recover in 2024, but as always you’ll be the first to know when we have more to share!
All I can say for now is that it’s set in 1609 during the Japanese invasion of Okinawa. You might be thinking, ‘but wait, Killtopia is cyberpunk, how can a story set in 1609 be cyberpunk?’
That’s a very good question, but all I can say right now is, ‘you’ll see’ :D
The base premise is set around witch trials that took place in Okinawa during 1609, when Japanese forces invaded the island and forcibly made it part of Japan. Before then, Okinawa and its surrounding islands were actually an independent state called Ryukyu.
Our protagonist is Mei. She’s a ‘Yuta’ - a faith healer / spirit medium who has the ability to see and speak with the dead. In an almost Pokemon-style twist, she also has the power to exorcise Yokai spirits and absorb them into her father’s katana.
Mei can then summon the Yokai at will to help her out in battle or tricky situations, or even use their powers as her own. So I guess our Pokemon-esque slogan might be, ‘Gotta exorcize them all?’ (That might need some further thought…)
After she’s wrongly accused of being a witch, Mei takes her father’s katana and flees across Okinawa to find and slay the real culprit that has sullied her good name - a fearsome demon who lurks in the island’s rainforest.
With a posse of samurai witch-hunters hot on her trail, Mei races to find and duel the demon - but once she gets face to face with the creature, her perception of reality and human nature is shattered forever…
5. Video game corner!
I’ve got a new video game feature out soon!
Following my big Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles feature in gaming journal Lock.On last year, my second feature for them will drop in Lock.On Volume 6, which is available to pre-order now.
For this volume, I tracked down and interviewed the core team behind the first two Tenchu: Stealth Assassins games for a huge making-of / history feature. We discussed the game’s origins as a Judge Dredd-inspired cyberpunk game, how the game was developed and much more.
What i’ve been playing / game recommendations
Since the last newsletter, I managed to play and complete Disco Elysium, which was absolutely fantastic and I’d recommend it to anyone.
I also did a full revisit of Half-Life on PS2 (the port is awesome!) and I’m dividing my gaming time between the incredible Super Mario RPG remake on Switch, and Spider-Man 2 on PS5. Both are excellent!
I’m also playing Final Fight: Streetwise on PS2, which is very janky and objectively crap, but I love low-tier / mid-budget games in an unironic way - I genuinely find them charming. It’s honestly not as bad as its reputation suggests!
6. Lastly: Bonus Bits!
I’m not doing many cons in 2024, but I couldn’t turn down doing CoCo Comics Con in Lancaster again. I’ll be there on April 6th along with my good pal Steve Gregson (who made BPM and Ninja Baseball Spirits with me!) - check it out here!
It looks like you've got a lot of great things coming out! Looking forward to them!
Great post, Dave. Those Nano Jams stories sound very cool! Can’t wait for the tees to be available internationally! ⚔️