My name is José Cardenas and 2024 was my first year as a professional prose and comics writer as I started self-publishing my own books and attended various conventions and publishing events across Arizona and California.
As of this writing, I have made the following accomplishments:
- I self-published three issues of BLACK FURY MAGAZINE, a gothic noir comics and prose anthology. The series is about the anti-social socialite Marla Drake, who dresses in darkness to protect her adopted son. It is perfect for lovers of pulp magazines from the 1930s and classic Hollywood noir.
- I launched my first ever Kickstarter campaign with PULP TRAPS! Artist Frederik Hornung (Portfolio Here) and I co-created this pulp horror comics collection. More than 50 backers fully funded it, so it will be delivered to all backers in January 2025.
- I collected all the comics I created at the start of my year into a package called EKLEKTIX, which is on sale now.
- I created my own Gumroad website where you can buy all of these wonderful books! CLICK HERE
I want (or rather need) to do better next year in 2025, so I am writing this post to hold myself accountable. Hopefully, this will also encourage future readers to reflect on my progress when they end up finding this post.
Resolutions for 2025
- Start production on an ongoing webcomic project in 2025. This is the resolution I am most excited for. It will be a project that embodies everything I love about comics and pulp fiction. It will also serve as a standard-bearer of my work, where anybody can access it and see what I can do. I have already created a proposal for it and sent it to a fantastic artist, who I’ve worked with before!
- (I recommend purchasing BLACK FURY MAGAZINE #2 for a sneak peek at what our webcomic will be.)
- Create more blogposts on this website! After the launch of my first magazine issue, I have unfortunately let this platform fall to the wayside. So, every week, I will post a new page of the webcomic project. I will also be writing regular weekly posts about my work, my thoughts, what I am reading, and what I want to share with you.
- Self-publish three more issues of BLACK FURY MAGAZINE. The fourth issue of the anthology magazine is already in production. I plan to create two more full-length issues, filled with short stories and comics, before transitioning into newer characters.
- Craft pitches for one-shots and miniseries for professional indie publishers. The art of the pitch is the most important skill a creator can have, so I want to develop it more. I will write pitches for one-shots and miniseries from various genres and send it to editors and publishers in 2025. Each pitch will include an 8 or 10-page comic that serves as a showcase of the creative team’s skills as well as a standalone genre story.
Here’s to 2025! Here’s to my second year as a professional writer!
