I want you to read comics.

This Sunday is my birthday. As such I am asking you all for something. I’m asking early, because Sunday is a sucky day to ask for things. But I am asking each and every one of you to help me out.

Amelia Cole and the Unknown World is dear to my heart. Issue Two just came out ( buy it here), if you didn’t know, and Issue One is still for sale (buy it here).

Amelia needs your help. Small independent books rely on word of mouth and ground support more than anything else. We have to build a base and spread the word.

Each issue is only $1.99 – so yes I am asking you to spend four dollars on me. $3.98 if you want to be picky. But if everyone reading this spent that four bucks Amelia would be in a really strong place. Also, for your money you get FIFTY pages of comic in return. So that doesn’t suck. You can buy both issues right here.

However, because I’m mean, or something, that’s not all I’m asking. Look, a lot of you have bought at least issue one, and we deeply appreciate that! But I need to ask you to tell people. Post about it on twitter, mention the book on Facebook, review it somewhere, make a set of images from preview pages on Tumblr – if you like the book spread the word and help other people find it as well. That’s how the book remains healthy and keeps coming out.

Amelia Cole is one of the books I’m working on to put my money where my mouth is. I wanted to read comics that had strong, realistic female leads, were fun, could be read by anyone and that were full of action and hope and adventure. Stories built around characters that would grow and change. D.J. Kirkbride and Nick Brokenshire felt the same way. So here we are. We keep hearing people want this sort of book and we’ve put it out in the world. Now we need your help to prove that it can thrive.

So yeah. for my birthday – spend 4 bucks and get 50 pages of comic book, and then spread the word. That’s all I’m asking.

What is Amelia Cole and the Unknown World? It’s the story of Amelia Cole, a woman who used magic to help people, even when the police were against it. Because it was the right thing to do. Often headstrong and impetuous, Amelia makes choices on the fly and pays the price. Frequently that price is steep. It’s a book good for folks who like Harry Potter or Buffy. Amelia Cole and the Unknown World is a comic good to hand to kids (12+ technically but we think more like 10+) and adults. Magic, urban fantasy, light-hearted fun with a darker streak of consequence and growth. That’s what I’m asking you to support.

The book is out from Monkeybrain Comics and available via Comixology. Amelia Cole is written by me and D.J Kirkbride, has art by Nick Brokenshire and islettered by Rachel Deering.

PLEASE NOTE: You can read Comixology books in your browser, on any iOS or Android smartphone or tablet or the Amazon Kindle Fire. But, most importantly, in your browser. you don’t need a smartphone or tablet to enjoy the books. You just need a web browser. You have one – you’re reading this in it. When you buy a book from them you can access it through any device that is logged in with your account, too. So you can take it with you.

So there you go. That’s what I want for my birthday. I want you to buy and enjoy some fine comics, and spread the word as much as possible. You can buy both issues right here. Thanks, guys.

(Please note, preview pages from issue 1 were sprinkled throughout this post. Below are preview pages from issue 2 – they may spoil some stuff from issue 1, so read at your own risk!)