A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM RYAN!

That's right, I am writing a post myself! I am capable!

Hey guys,

I wanted to actually write this post myself (something I should do more often) because, well, I’m feeling sentimental.

As of now, you are able to order my I HATE FAIRYLAND cover exclusively from the STEGWORLD shop. Why does this matter? Well, let me take you on a journey down memory lane.

A long time ago, when I was but a fresh-faced 20-something, I was a big fan of this comic book artist named SKOTTIE YOUNG. Maybe you’ve heard of him? I was working for Marvel at the time on a book called Magician: Apprentice. You don’t need to look it up. I tried my best, but I was learning.

Anyway, I can’t quite remember how but, I started chatting with Skottie on Twitter, trying to act cool and not fanboy out. He must have found me amusing because he let me send him some of my art. He replied with, “How about I give you a call on Skype?” I crapped my pants and said “Okay.”

I told my wife that she had to leave the room, I was too nervous to have her in there when I talked to him. He called and— lo and behold— we hit it off. This became a regular thing, us talking daily while drawing comic books. We’d talk about the art we loved and how to get better and we would daydream about doing creator-owned comics. For YEARS we discussed it. But it’s one of those things where you just have to wait til the right time.

For Skottie, the right time came after he wrote and drew the blockbuster Rocket Raccoon series for Marvel. He started getting serious about this “Fairyland'“ idea he had and we spent hours and hours talking about it. He would send designs and tell me things that were going to happen in it and it was so exciting. I still remember laughing at one of the opening gags where Gert had to pee so bad that her eyeballs became yellow. (I didn’t say these were highbrow discussions. 😆 )

Throughout all of this, Skottie and I went from being 20-somethings to having kids and being grown ass men (relatively speaking). My oldest son is Skottie’s biggest fan now. He’s obsessed with I Hate Fairyland and Middlewest. He doesn’t like my work at all, as far as I can tell. I’m not bitter about it. I swear. BUT I DIGRESS.

When Donny and I started working on VANISH, the first person I asked to do a cover was Skottie. It was a full-circle moment. These dreams we had of doing creator-owned comics had come to fruition. Skottie had been killing it for years at Image Comics and I had finally taken the plunge. We stated our goals early on and achieved them. Life is crazy like that.

To say I’ve followed Skottie’s blueprint is understating that I have basically COPIED his blueprint, right down to my own online store. The STEGWORLD shop wouldn’t exist without skottieyoung.com. So it was only fitting that when we did our first non-Vanish exclusive cover, it would be for Skottie’s book I Hate Fairyland.

You can purchase the cover now by clicking on any of the red STEGWORLD links in the post or by clicking the image below. The cover is limited to 500 copies and is available both signed and unsigned by me, Ryan Stegman, aka The Stegmeister, aka Stegmaniac, aka Ryanimal Stegman.

Thank you Skottie, for all the good times and sharing your life and wisdom with me. My life is better for it. I no longer crap my pants every time we talk, but that doesn’t mean I’m any less in awe of all that you’ve achieved.

-Ryan

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Kids Love Chains. And we love you.