It’s the month of September, and August was an amazing time to be both a SOLRAD reader and a part of Fieldmouse Press as we launched and funded our first Kickstarter campaign for Ariel Bordeaux’s Clutter: A Scatterbrained Sexual Assault Memoir. This is the first of what we hope will be many projects and books published by Fieldmouse Press. Thank you to all 234 backers who made this a reality, and thank you to all the folks that have been working on this project in the background for months to make it a success.

We’re well in the thick of things with book design, blurbs, and final edits, and our goal is to have everything squared away well before our February 2022 delivery date. We also have a few new projects that are starting to get into the planning stages, so keep your eyes peeled here and everywhere.

While the world of August was about Kickstarter and new directions, September is about seeing old friends and looking back at the work from the previous year, which usually culminates in an in-person Small Press Expo in lovely Bethesda, Maryland. Of course, COVID-19 delta variant infection rates are soaring, and any in-person convention is likely to be a superspreader since people seemingly can’t:

1. Get vaccinated;
   1. If you haven’t gotten vaccinated yet but have decided to – thank you. Here’s a link to help you find a shot in your area.
   2. For those of you who have gotten a vaccine but are hearing news about boosters – here’s a link to get you some more information.
2. Wear masks;
3. Wash hands;
4. Maintain social distancing.

If I had to guess, I would say that I think the indie and alt-comix crowd that visits SPX is more likely to do those things, but I doubt that the SPX-faring community is >75% vaccinated. So we’re doing online SPX this year, again. My hope is that this is the last SPX where I can’t spend a drink ticket.

Speaking of SPX, the 2021 Ignatz nominations were announced yesterday evening, and the usual hubbub of joy, congratulations, and grumbling about nominees ensued on social media. I’m biased when I say that it’s an actual crime that Kricket the Cat isn’t on the Best Online Comic slate, but hey, there’s always 2022.

This month at SOLRAD, you can expect:

• New contributors! We put out a call for new pitches and have a lot of new faces you’ll be seeing this month
• Regular work from our crew of SOLRAD stalwarts, like Ryan Carey and Ed Haynes (and maybe some writing by me, we’ll see)
• A new episode of ENEMIES OF THE STATE – featuring Let’s Not Talk Anymore by Weng Pixin, published this year by Drawn & Quarterly
• New SOLRAD Presents comics every week from favorites like Reilly Hadden, Jef Harmatz, Matt MacFarland, Ellen O’Grady, Andrew Neal, and Karl C. Krumpholz

If you are a cartoonist or publisher who wants to get their work reviewed on SOLRAD, please shoot me an email at reviews@solrad.co.

If you have any comments, questions, or concerns about the site, I am also available @sequentialstate on Twitter and Instagram, and at hoffman@fieldmouse.press via email.

Wherever you are in the world, I hope you are safe and well.