I finished writing JUAREZ last night.

I had part 8 in my head before I had parts 2-7 and yet it took me longer to get it down than any of the other chapters. It took forever to execute it like it felt in my brain. It was writing by attrition: write three panels, delete two, write three panels, delete two, all the way through, until there was simply nothing left to write. The blood was on the floor, all the rooms were empty, everything I was going to tie up was tied.

Well, now there’s nothing left to write. The script is 174 pages long, for what’ll end up being 96 pages of comics. Jesus.

Ben Templesmith is doing amazing work on the book. I’ve had the luxury of seeing up through part six and... yeah, I’m the luckiest bastard at the shithead academy. He’s, like, finding and owning that thing, that Ben Templesmith thing that’s his and only his, and he gets better and better every page. From the broadly physical cartooning that feels like Kyle Baker and Harvey Kurtzman smashed together with psychoheavy atmospherics of the Sienkiewicz/McKean school, this book is, I think, Ben better than he’s ever been before. I’m sorry for the grids, Ben. Never again, I promise. I wanted to write something funny and creepy for you. Thanks for kicking ass.

I felt like I should write something about finishing, but I guess I don’t have all that much to say.

My head feels hot and empty.

JUAREZ runs through BLOODSUCKER TALES #8, which will be solicited, I think, in next month’s PREVIEWS.

And MK12 bought a building today.