Good Things Happening to Good People

Shortly after returning to comic books as an adult, I became friends with Dave Wachter. We struck up a friendship through the various forums we both frequented, and when I published Deus ex Comica: The Rebirth of a Comic Book Fan, Dave was my first and only choice for cover artist. I’m humbled by Dave’s talent and honored to have his artwork grace the cover of my book.

Beyond that original work, Tracy and I have commissioned various pieces from him over the years, including a gorgeous Etrigan the Demon and a Ghost Rider among others. His work is absolutely amazing and should be seen by the widest possible audience.

Dave’s been working on The Guns of Shadow Valley for a while now... there is a beautiful con preview book that teased the series before he and Jim Clark decided to do it their way and take the story to the web. It’s my favorite web comic, consistently entertaining and intriguing. And now, it’s been officially announced that The Guns of Shadow Valley has been nominated for an Eisner Award (the comics industry equivalent of the Oscars) in the "Best Digital Comic" category.

Look no further than Dave’s own words to understand why this is such a big deal...

These characters, this story, this experience, this is my career, this is my life. That’s why this nomination means so much. We poured our hearts out into this thing, and now the biggest awards in the land have chosen us to place on a platform with some of the best work currently found on this expansive and seemingly boundless thing called the world wide web.

As soon as it was officially announced, Tracy and I called Dave to wish him our best. This is a digital comic that truly deserves the widest possible exposure, and we’re thrilled for him. I hope Dave gets everything out of this experience he wants and certainly deserves.

To Dave: Congratulations, my friend!
To Everyone Else: Go read The Guns of Shadow Valley and spread the word!