coldironbadge.com » Stephen

Cold Iron Badge: Book 1

Stephen — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 13:42:55 +0000

Fresh from its debut at Word on the Street, Toronto’s annual outdoor literary fair, Cold Iron Badge: Book 1 will be available for order online via this site very soon!

And the credits roll!

Stephen — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:40:21 +0000

Well, not really. They’re there, in the bottom right corner — see? — but they aren’t exactly rolling, I guess.

This is the last installment of Book One of Cold Iron Badge! Patrick and I want to thank you for joining us on Christine’s — and our — journey. We’ve enjoyed bringing you installments of our story every week, and we look forward to continuing to do so in Cold Iron Badge: Book 2…

But not just yet.

We’re going to take the opportunity provided by the break between chapters for a hiatus. We need to take a little time to recharge our batteries before we return with the further adventures of Christine, her new partner and the rest of their team.

We don’t have an ETA yet for the launch of Book 2, but we’ll be posting it here as soon as there’s news. And in the interim, I’ll be doing some blogging here, so just add us to your RSS feed to make sure you get updated.

Once again, thanks to you, our readers — we love our story and our characters and it means a lot to us that you care about them too!

Our thanks also to our illustrious editor at Modern Tales, Shaenon Garrity, whose Skin Horse you should all be reading.

To our supportive friends and colleagues like Greg Beettam and Tara Tallan (whose comics you should also all be reading!)

And to the generous sponsors whose support help us keep the pixels running.

We appreciate you all so very much, and we look forward to seeing you again soon.

Stephen

Stephen’s TCAF Report

Stephen — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:40:23 +0000

Pending a print collection of Cold Iron Badge (we’re planning one, but it’s going to contain the entire first storyline — the one you’ve been reading, which isn’t quite finished yet) and with Greg Beettam and I having deliberately kept Xeno’s Arrow on the back-burner, I haven’t been attending many comics events as an exhibitor. So I didn’t have a table at this year’s Toronto Comics Arts Festival (TCAF).

The advantage of that, is that instead of sitting at a table and selling, I get to attend as a member of the great comics-reading public, and really wander the aisles — look around and see what there is to see.

And man, was there ever a lot to see.

Due to family obligations, I was only at the show for a couple of hours on Saturday; from about 2:30 until it closed at 5:00. But I can’t imagine having the stamina to stay for longer. It was a madhouse. The crowd on the first floor of the Toronto Referece Library was so heavy that I could barely walk through the aisles.

Happily, my friend Jim Ottaviani‘s table was in a quieter corner, and I was able to stop by and say hello. He had copies of his upcoming new book, Feynmann — but only for display, since at the request of his publisher, First Second, he wasn’t selling them (the book officially debuts in August). However, I was happy to be able to fill the other gap in my Jim Ottaviani collection, and picked up a copy of Bone Sharps, Cowboys and Thunder Lizards, his wonderful history of duelling paleontologists in the 19th Century, when fossil-hunting was both literally and figuratively the Wild West. I read it with delight, and recommend it to anyone with an interest in science or things that are awesome. And my FSM, the Feynmann book, with art by Leland Myrick, is gorgeous. I look forward to reading it when it debuts.

Upstairs, the crowd was a bit lighter, at least in the sense that people wearing backpacks weren’t a hazard to life and limb.

My first stop was at my friend Tory Woollcott‘s table. I picked up a copy of her new minicomic, Toronto to Tuscany, a collaboration with Kean Soo about their recent trip to Italy. Like all Tory’s work, it’s funny and honest. The contrast between Tory and Kean’s art styles was interesting and fun; it’s particularly cool to see how they illustrate themselves and one another.

Next it was over to the adjacent tables of Tara Tallan and Mike White.

Our readers will know that we here at Cold Iron Badge are great fans of Galaxion, and I was delighted to pick up Tara’s brand new Galaxion Book 2: First Contact, the second volume collecting the webcomic. This one’s also full of fun extras, like her Christmas strips and a detailed script-to-page appendix detailing her process.

And Mike White. I’ve known Mike for longer than either of us would probably care to admit. He first met me (and the rest of our Toronto comics crowd) in his teens — back when Xeno’s Arrow and Galaxion were still mini-comics! — and started creating his own comics almost immediately. When, at TCAF he introduced us to people, he very generously described Greg Beettam and me as some of his inspirations; to the extent that’s true (Mike is also, you know, phenomenally talented and hard-working) we did a heck of a job. His new book, Amity Blamity Book 1 (published by Slave Labor Graphics) is the story of a little girl who lives on a farm with her dotty grandmother, her lazy, drunken uncle and her best friend, a talking pig named Chester. And then things get really strange. It’s… it’s as though Berke Breathed and Jeff Smith teamed up to create U.S. Acres. It’s adorable and funny, with great cartooning. Just as an example, here’s a sketch Mike drew in my copy of his book:

Stephen and Chester exchanging a high five: AWESOME!

Nearby was Jim Zubkavich; I picked up issue #6 of his swords-and-sorcery buddy comedy Skullkickers. Very violent, very funny, and… come on, a genre-bending fantasy comedy about a dwarf with an axe and a barbarian with a six-shooter wreaking havoc? How hard was it to sell me on that?

Then I wandered the aisles a bit (on the second floor; the first was still packed and I get testy in crowds), and made my one genuine impulse buy of the con (from someone I haven’t known for years) when I stopped by Spike‘s table and picked up Templar, Arizona – Book 1: The Great Outdoors, the first volume collecting her webcomic.

OMFSM. Why have I not been reading Templar, AZ ’til now? As far as I can tell from the first volume, Templar is a slice of alternate-history-life in the titular town in an alternate Arizona. And it’s awesome. It reminds me a lot of Finder, and that’s exceptionally high praise from me, because I consider Finder to be one of the best things being done in the medium. And yes, Templar, AZ has similar qualities: A richly detailed world that we get in tantalizing hints instead of having it shoved down our throats. Engaging characters who are believable people who just happen to live in an a world with a different history than our own. Freaking gorgeous art. I’m hooked; it’s archive binge time. You’ll probably want to go do the same, because wow.

That — I’ve subtracted a lot of needless detail about even more navigating my way through the throng — was enough to take me to the end of the day. When the show closed, I met up with some of my comics friends and went to our now-traditional post-TCAF Vietnamese restaurant for dinner.

I love TCAF. It’s the reason, really, that there’s a Cold Iron Badge; it’s the show that made me want to do comics again. The show was fantastic, as it always is — so thanks and congratulations to the hard-working TCAF organizers and volunteers! Maybe next year, I’ll have a table. I’d love that. But even if I don’t, TCAF will still be one of the high points on the calendar.

New Items in the Cold Iron Store!

Stephen — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:35:04 +0000

In slightly belated honour of our second anniversary, we’ve got new items available in the Store. To ensure that you have as many possible items and styles to choose from, we’re introducing new designs one at a time.

First up, a fun new design from Patrick. Now you can show your Cold Iron Pride and warn your friends of the dangers of gingerbread abuse. At the same time, even!

You can check out the new design on lots of cool items in the store!

Sponsorship Drive

Stephen — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 04:28:29 +0000

We figure that if you’re following Cold Iron Badge that you’re all smart people*. So you understand the economics: We provide Cold Iron Badge to you for free, but our costs aren’t zero.

Now, we do have merchandise available – via the Store tab above – although we recognize that not everyone wants to wear a Bunny Mayhem t-shirt.

So this month, we’re trying something a little bit different, and offering you a new way to get something cool, and help us at the same time: The Cold Iron Badge Sponsorship program.

We have three levels of sponsorship: The House of Straw level, the House of Sticks level and the House of Bricks level. All of them come with some awesome stuff.

We’re launching our sponsorship drive, and doing a big push this month, but the option will remain open in the future, and we’ll keep the names of our generous sponsors listed on the site.

To become a sponsor, just click on the ‘Become a Sponsor’ tab above; it leads to a page with a Paypal tool you can use to become a sponsor at whatever level works best for you.

Of course, if you’d rather buy merchandise, or would like to donate a smaller amount, we still welcome your filthy lucre and you have our deepest thanks.

House of Straw Sponsor ($10 – $19.99)

Members of the illustrious House of Straw will receive…

Cold Iron Badge Wallpaper Option 1 - The Cast

House of Sticks Sponsor ($20 – $49.99)

Members of the slightly-more-prestigious House of Sticks

Both

Cold Iron Badge Wallpaper Option 2 - Christine in Action

House of Bricks Sponsor (from $50 to “Happily Ever After”)

The members of the illustrious House of Bricks get some heavy-duty perks to make up for all those bricks they had to carry. You know, metaphorically speaking.

–

The Fine Print
* Also, and this should go without saying, attractive, talented and with impeccable taste. Obviously.

** What do we mean by a “paragraph”? Exactly that. Stephen will write a brief piece of original prose on a subject of your choice, usually no more than 100 words in standard paragraph format, unless he really warms to the subject. This will be sent electronically.

*** A “sketch” in this case is a black-and-white image of a single character from Cold Iron Badge, on 8 1/2 by 11 paper. This will be sent electronically and, if you forward us your information, in hard copy as well, at no extra charge.

**** You can have a character named after yourself, or make up a name, but we reserve the right to refuse names that are offensive or otherwise inappropriate and ask you for another option. You can specify generally what sort of character you want (e.g. good guy, bad guy, victim) but we’ll decide how to fit them in to the story. We retain all rights to the character.

BORDERLAND GUARD MOST WANTED: ALIAS NOBODY

Stephen — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 03:32:36 +0000

BORDERLAND GUARD MOST WANTED FUGITIVE

MURDER (34 COUNTS), CONSPIRACY TO COMMIT MURDER, NARCOTICS DISTRIBUTION, ILLEGAL SORCERY, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, FAE TRAFFICKING, POSSESSION OF ILLEGAL MAGICAL ARTIFACTS

Alias NOBODY

Image of Alias Nobody from security camera footage of the Puck Massacre

DESCRIPTION:

Date of Birth: N/A
Place of Birth: Fairyland
Height: c. 6′ 5′
Weight: c. 250 pounds
Build: Muscular
Occupation: Unknown
Scars and Marks: N/A
Hair: None
Eyes: Unknown
Complexion: Grey
Sex: Male
Species: Fae/Sidhe
Nationality: Fae

Remarks: Alias Nobody is most often sighted in connection with sale or trade in Pixie Dust. His Earthly activities are primarily connected with the Greater Vancouver area.

CAUTION:

Alias Nobody is sought for numerous murders in connection with his leadership of a group actively attempting to control the Fairyland-Vancouver trade in Pixie Dust and unregistered magical artifacts and smuggling of nonhumans across the Border. Eyewitness accounts confirm his presence at and alleged leadership of the Puck Massacre that killed three Borderland Guard officers and fourteen innocent bystanders. He is reputed to be an expert sorceror and skilled swordsman and is usually armed with a sword.

CONSIDERED ARMED AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. DO NOT APPROACH.

If you have any information concerning this being, please contact your local Borderland Guard Detachment or any local law enforcement branch.

Borderland Guard Personnel Files: David Redman

Stephen — Sat, 29 May 2010 04:02:10 +0000

REDMAN, DAVID
Rank: Captain and Deputy Commissioner (British Columbia)
Badge #: 5

Portrait of Captain David Redman by Borderland Guard sketch artist P. Heinicke, presented to him on the occasion of his promotion to Deputy Commissioner (British Columbia)

… born in Newfoundland… eldest child and only son of British immigrants… immersed in the folklore of his family and his community…

…Unremarkable childhood… at age sixteen… disappeared while hiking… search revealed no traces… arrived at front door of his parent’s home, very hungry, suffering from exposure and with no memory of his experiences or how he had found his way home…

… noticeable changes in behaviour and demeanour… driven… academic excellence… athletic achievements…

… Attended University of Toronto… full scholarship… major in Psychology… spent his first month of classes and in residence, apparently including all leisure time, completely silent. When he began speaking he no longer showed any sign of his childhood accent…

… Graduated with honours… confounded expectations that he would go on to Graduate-level studies and a distinguished career when he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police…

… rapid promotion… joined SERT (Special Emergency Response Team, the RCMP counter-terrorism unit); when SERT was disbanded and its functions transferred to Joint Task Force Two, he is alleged to have continued to work with JTF-2 in an advisory, training or liaison capacity. This can not be confirmed since, in accordance with policy, the Department of National Defence will not comment on the membership of JTF-2…

… Transferred to British Columbia… Beltane Event… one of the highest-ranking officer in any organization to assume direct command of personnel on-site at the Border… The sector under his command was the only one in North America to have no violent incidents by human beings or Fae…

…pivotal role in the formation of the Borderland Guard… offered position of Commissioner but declined, citing his preference to remain involved in day-to-day police work… has lead the Vancouver detachment since the formal inception of the Guard… pioneered the employment of officers with backgrounds outside traditional policing or the military… citing his own experiences as an example, he says that the best Borderland Guard officers have been “touched by the strange”…

… rank belies his influence behind the scenes… said to have lobbied hard with both Canadian and Fae authorities to establish the position of Liaison… hosting pilot project…

… highest-rated performance evaluations of any officer commanding a detachment in the Guard… Vancouver personnel have a profound degree of personal loyalty to him… one officer said, “Yeah, if you screw up out there, Redman will kick your ass… after he busts his ass getting you back home safe and sound.”

SKILLS: Ranked highly in hand-to-hand armed and unarmed combat… interrogation… counter-terrorism… small-unit tactics… motivational speaking… card tricks…

Borderland Guard Personnel Files: Mysti Vale

Stephen — Fri, 21 May 2010 03:08:19 +0000

VALE, MYSTI
Rank: Private citizen; consultant
Badge #: N/A

Mysti Vale

Mysti Vale is a private citizen who consults with the Borderland Guard on issues relating to magic and to people, places and events in both Near and Deeper Fairyland…

… has been suggested that “Mysti Vale” is a use-name, however a person of that name and matching the Subject’s description appears in some public records predating the Beltane Event… her true name is unknown…

… refers to herself as a sorceress, and is one of a very small number of humans to openly practice magic that goes beyond the level of simple folk wards, charms and fortune-telling…

… important to remember that magic practiced by humans occupies an unforeseen grey area in law and is technically not illegal at the present time, although the current government…

… first volunteered her services to the Guard in a changeling/kidnapping case three years ago…

… Two years ago… intervened to rescue a goblin who had crossed the Border illegally from lynching at the hands of human vigilantes…

… Numerous arrrests for unauthorized Border crossings. In each instance, subject was actively involved in an ongoing investigation and no charges were laid…

…Arrrested and charged with magical assault on a peace officer… Crown Attorney was forced to drop all charges after key witnesses recanted their testimony. And forgot their names. Magical influence is suspected but could not be proven…

… shows a keen interest in a wide range of Fae beings, but is consistently verbally abusive to Sidhe…

Little more is known with certainty regarding the Subject, but rumour runs wild, both within the Guard and from Fae informants… One source insists that “Mysti Vale” is more than one person…

… reported to have learned sorcery from Oberon himself… or to be “faking it” and not know any magic at…

… said to know many secret ways in and out of Fairyland… incited a slave revolt in a small Sidhe kingdom… lives entirely on tea, green M&Ms and watercress sandwiches…

Mysti lives in Vancouver with her cat Mousetrap.

PSYCH EVALUATION: As per Borderland Guard policy, a psychological evaluation was required before the subject could be approved as a consultant… four attempted evaluations by four different departmental psychologists… first evaluator spent the majority of the session talking about his mother. The second succeeded in quitting smoking following a brief discussion with the subject. The third started smoking. The fourth psychologist managed to conduct a full interview but the report in its entirety stated: “Please don’t make me talk to her again.”

SKILLS: … Speaks many languages, both Earthly and Fae… Licensed private investigator, immigration consultant and hairdresser…

Borderland Guard Personnel Files: Sir Delric Sunnydale

Stephen — Fri, 14 May 2010 03:20:03 +0000

SUNNYDALE, SIR DELRIC
Rank: Knight of the Seelie Court (Fairyland); Detective-Lieutenant (Honourary); Civilian Member (rank equivalent for security clearance)
Badge #: N/A

Sir Delric is the first official liaision between the Seelie Court and the Borderland Guard…

The role of liaision… better integrate the Seelie Court with the Borderland Guard… encourage cooperation in securing the Border and preventing cross-Border incursions from either side… increase goodwill and understanding…

… Role was initially proposed by Captain David Redman… discussions within the Guard… moved forward despite objections from… consultations with the provincial government… the federal government… Department of National Defence… CSIS… agreement among stakeholders… opened negotiations with the Fae…

… Lengthy process, complicated by the fact that the Seelie Court insisted that discussions take place exclusively by messenger bird and in iambic pentameter…

… rank of Detective-Lieutenant in the Borderland Guard is honourary and he should not be considered to be in the chain of command…

… He has no authority to arrest on the Canadian side of the Border… the full scope of his authority over Fae as a Knight of the Seelie Court is not fully understood, but should be understood to be limited to Fairyland…

… important to remember that we are still not clear on what his role and status actually mean to the Fae, either as liaison or as a knight… still unknown whether the Fae mirror human concepts and institutions, or mimic them…

… His proofs, which appear legitimate, describe him as a representative of King Oberon… not considered to have diplomatic credentials…

… a conventional medical examination was not consented to by the subject, and might not have provided useful information regardless… one arm appears to be weak, attenuated and highly restricted in mobility… when questioned, the subject described this as the result of a curse bestowed on him during his youth, and noted that it’s always wise to be courteous to strangers met on a journey, “Because you never know.”

PSYCH EVALUATION: … subject stated that his “dour and serious nature” made him the ideal candidate for his mission… jumped on top of my desk while re-enacting his recent battle with “a three-headed ogre”, then tried to teach me to dance the gavotte… also, if “fishmonger” means what I think it does, he was hitting on me…

SKILLS: Hand-to-hand combat/swordsmanship… dancing…

Borderland Guard Personnel Files: “Bunny Mayhem”

Stephen — Sat, 08 May 2010 03:42:45 +0000

“MAYHEM, BUNNY”
Rank: Detective-Constable
Badge Number: 00024438

Detective-Constable Bunny Mayhem

“Bunny Mayhem” is the pseudonym (most members of the Borderland Guard prefer the term “use-name”) of [REDACTED]. Her enlistment under a nom de guerre was approved by [REDACTED].

Born in [REDACTED], the youngest child of [REDACTED], to a family with a long tradition of [REDACTED]… in high school she met [REDACTED] … typical adolescent rebellion was exacerbated by [REDACTED]… joined him in [REDACTED]…

Had a profound change of heart regarding her family heritage when [REDACTED] was [REDACTED] following [REDACTED]… this event also appears to have activated her latent [REDACTED], although she was unaware of this at the time.

Following this re-evaluation of her life and goals she abandoned [REDACTED] which appears to have caused a painful rift with [REDACTED]…

Attended [REDACTED]… graduated in the top ten percent of her class and followed through on her long-stated plan to join [REDACTED]…

On her first day of [REDACTED] she attempted to single-handledly [REDACTED] while her [REDACTED] was buying lunch… The conflict triggered a more severe incident of her [REDACTED] which lead to [REDACTED]; Bunny was unharmed but the [REDACTED] suffered serious injuries and the [REDACTED] escaped.

Faced with the prospect of her career ending before it ever really began, Bunny requested a transfer to the Borderland Guard… initially declined due to [REDACTED], she appealed and her transfer was approved by Captain David Redman…

Assigned to Detective-Lieutenant Christine McCall’s team tasked with the apprehension of Alias Nobody. Current partner is Detective-Sergeant Ray Donovan…

PSYCH EVALUATION: An interesting case. This officer’s demeanour belies her intelligence, capabilities, and perhaps most importantly, her drive. It will be key for her superiors to keep in mind that her experiences, particularly [REDACTED], have left her with an almost desperate desire to prove herself. This could lead to rash actions in the field in the heat of the moment. She is superficially very open, and so friendly that it was some time before I realized that she was deflecting any questions relating to [REDACTED]. With these elements in mind, caution is recommended in using this officer in situations involving [REDACTED].

SKILLS: Ranks highly in evidence handling techniques… marksmanship… acoustic and electric guitar…

This document has been redacted for reasons of [REDACTED] on the authority of [REDACTED].