Joseph Keatinge

COMICS! THE MAGAZINE #1 ARRIVES MARCH 2026 AND WE’RE BRINGING ABSOLUTE BATMAN! Details on our first issue are out, and man, I am excited. Our mission is to bring genuine enthusiasm for comic books in print, each and every month, and we have a killer team working overtime to make sure it happens. It will be available early at ComicsPro 2026 and in stores March 2026, distributed by Lunar and Universal. Our first issue has a killer cover feature on Absolute Batman with a cover art collab by series artist @dragottaart and C!TM Art Director @whoisrico . The Pullbox Power Rankings are back, once against fueled by actual sales data. We have creator profiles, reviews of indie books you need to know about, and much more. A big special thanks goes to @dccomics who are above and beyond great to work with.

The danger in comics isn’t change. It’s the myths we cling to. At Baltimore Comic Con, we sat down with COMICS! The Magazine Editor-in-Chief @joekeatinge in our first COMICS! The Lounge short. He breaks down why genuine excitement might be the key to saving the industry. #comics #comicbooks #comiccreators #indiecomics #comicinterview #baltimorecomiccon #comicsthemagazine #comicindustry

NEWS! I’m editing a new comics magazine, @comicsthemagazine , with Publisher @atombangfreeman , Art Designer @whoisrico , Director of Sales Gabe Yocum, Director of Operations @comicscozmo , and Director of Digital @briangee . Issue Zero will be available at the NYCC Retailer Day and from the @pranadms booth at @baltimorecomiccon . Issue One hits comic book shops everywhere in 2026. My personal mission is for C!TM to become a central hub for discussing great comics work and inspiring people to make more. We’re looking for art and writing celebrating all aspects of the art form and industry. Whether you’re a creator, journalist, retailer, publisher, or anything in between please reach out via the C!TM website.

COMICS! THE MAGAZINE #2 IS IN STORES NOW!!! Do you love comic books? Do you want to read about them? Your time has come as the most genuinely enthusiastic comic book magazine of the 21st century continues! THIS MONTH: - Battle Beast with Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Annalisa Leoni, Rus Wooten, & Sean Mackiewicz! - Terminal with Robert Kirkman, Joe Casey, and Andy Kubert! - Lands Unknown with Ben Stenbeck! - Night Eaters with Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda! - Head Lopper with Andrew MacLean! - NEW COLUMN: Dollar Bin Kings with Tony Fleecs & Tim Seeley - New Chew Comics with John Layman and Rob Guillory! - Art’s Cool with Kevin Mellon! - Picks! Power Rankings! Letters Column! Classifieds! Much More!

NEW INTERVIEW! We're talking to @atombangfreeman @comicsmonger and @joekeatinge the awesome crew behind @comicsthemagazine about this week's launch of the new print publication, that will fill the void left by Wizard magazine and deliver an all-new celebration of modern comic books! Watch it now https://youtu.be/B7gEcg71zzw?si=OOerHCNeH8lW9uzb

Want COMICS! The Magazine #1 weeks before the world? If you’re attending @wearecomicspro , we’re giving away early copies for you. Attend our meet up or find me. I’m carrying around copies like I’m comic book magazine Johnny Appleseed. Everybody else, it’s in comic shops across the world the first weekend of March! At some point I’ll do a full debrief, but this has been a wild ride to get here, going all the way back to 2018 in some ways, arguably before. We wanted a comics magazine that enthusiastically shared the love of comics and there was a lot of talk about, “someone should really do that.” I’m grateful Publisher @atombangfreeman finally said, “we should make that magazine.” It doesn’t look this cool without Art Director @whoisrico , and it doesn’t sell 100,000 without Director of Sales @comicsmonger . We don’t make it happen without our team, including Director of Operations @comicscozmo , Director of Digital @briangee with help on socials from @blakesbuzz . When it hits stores, the price for admission on this is $2.99, but the only qualifier we ask is that you either love comics or are interested in learning more. Wherever you’re from, whatever your belief, whoever you are, if you’re into comic books, we have a magazine made for you.

COMICS! The Magazine is at Final Order Cutoff, and today is the final day to order. What are you ordering? Inside this issue: Absolute Batman - the whole creative and editorial team! 48 pages of pure enthusiasm for great comics! Picks of your new favorite comics! The return of John Layman and Rob Guillory’s CHEW! A price guide! An order form to keep track of everything! Retailer friends: don’t forget the 25-copy bundles are just 50 cents an issue, your cost. Last call. Don’t sleep on it. #comics #indiecomics #makingcomics

CHEW’S BACK - IN THE PAGES OF @comicsthemagazine ! CHEW by @themightyjlayman and @rob_guillory is one of the monster creator owned hits of the 21st century and we’re grateful to announce they’re joining us for all-new one-page stories in the magazine. Huge thanks to Rob and John for joining C!TM on our mission to get people stoked to read great comics. More to come.

Good news day.

Good mail day. One comic I wrote a while ago. One I’m editing for the foreseeable future. Writing TECH JACKET was a riot in the best way from beginning to end, namely because of collaborating with artistic geniuses like @kharyrandolph & @emannland . Editing THE FUTURE IS ****** is some of the most fun I’ve had working in comics, period, in big part because of the team @rekcahcomics and @pranadms built. I love writing, I always will, but helping a team execute on their creative vision is something I feel called to do more of. This is the first volume, and it’s $9.99 for 288 pages collecting #1-7, out on 12/17 (same day as #8). Editing is coaching in someone’s corner vs. writing in the ring; I love both sides of the fight to make good work.

The Happiest Place on Earth

Highway in the Desert