Prose Work
Before I built this site all my writing lived on my Archive of our Own page, which I still post to and which you can still find here! I’ve always used that space as a way to blow off steam, long before I considered writing any serious novels, so similarly to the comic work some of the writing there is quite old now. Some of it is also not safe for work; I’ve been very careful to separate the different writing there into clearly marked categories you should be able to navigate even if you’re unfamiliar with the website! Please take care as you go.
Here on my own site I’ll probably be sticking to hosting the more polished stuff. For now,
that means excerpts from the novels!
The Kidd Commander Novels
The novels are a relatively new addition to the KC project! I’ve been a writer much longer than I’ve been an artist, and while I adore comics and still feel it’s the most natural medium for Kidd Commander’s story to be told, as I’ve gotten older my body has made it quite clear it has no intention of finishing out the comic without help. At first I had intended for the novels to be companion pieces I did for fun, but if I’m unable to afford to hire assistance for comic production the novels will likely be how KC exists after a certain point (I’m thinking after arc 5).
While it’s true this wasn’t my original plan for Kidd Commander, now that I’m developing the novels at the same level of polish as the mainline comic canon I think they’re every bit as good, and in the case of the early stuff occasionally an improvement. I am very excited about the work I’m doing with these, and although I do consider them adaptations of the original comic story with some inevitable variation, I’m doing everything I can to stay true to the original philosophies, characters, and world I’d planned. We’re still a ways out from the novels veering into territory the comic hasn’t already explored, so while I’m still producing both alongside each other I hope you’ll enjoy both versions of the canon.
Grist to the Cannon
The adaptation for the very first Kidd Commander arc; Mile High Engage in comic form, Grist to the Cannon in prose! The original arc was written over ten years ago now, and while I’m still very proud of what I was able to accomplish with the comic arc I think I’ve tightened up the screws a bit for this version. Functionally this is Book One of the series so it’s a great place for new readers to start with KC even without any comic experience. There are also lots of new details and scenes I cut for time from the original story, so veteran readers looking for The Mile High Engage Director’s Cut will find plenty to sink their teeth into as well.
This novel is still being written, so most of its promotional material isn’t finalized yet! This section will be updated periodically with new information as I have it for you. It won’t be identical, but for now you can check out the entire original comic arc on the main KC website and find the synopses I used for Volumes 1 and 2 over on my bibliography page if you wanna get an idea of what to expect.
Here are some samples from the draft!
The first chapter,
a good place to start!
Part of a scene featuring both main characters.
(By the way, both of these samples can still be found on that Ao3 page here and here, if you’d like to leave a comment or otherwise interact with them.)
Kidd Commander: Detour
Detours are what I’m calling prose projects that are analogous to the Special! comics. Most of these are planned to be canon compliant novellas that I feel work better as prose; they’re on the backburner for now but I have several of them planned and hope to get around to them once the first novel is finished.
Additionally…
I have also been chipping away at a piece called Honest Work, a side project that has spun entirely out of control. It’s a parody of bad romantic comedy tropes focused on two of KC’s main characters, Toulouse and Ulrich, and a completely different take on the KC characters in a modern setting. It gets a lot more in the weeds with religious trauma in a realistic way! It will almost certainly veer into smut at some point! It’s certainly not everyone’s thing! But I intend to print it once it’s finished and I’m pleased with what it’s turned into; if you like, you can find it on Ao3 and read the chapters as they sporadically come out.