Update from Tom and I

on what Year 2 will entail.

Hi all, Elsa here (Tom’s is at the end of this post)

In January 2022, Tom and I launched Everlasting Productions with the exciting idea of giving free access to Joan’s adventures to as many readers as possible (something obviously as old as the internet, but definitely new to us). It was also a chance for me to open the doors to my process working on Love Everlasting and for you all to get great behind-the-scenes from Tom!

So after a year, where are we and where are we going? 

Let me first start by saying that the outpour of support and interest we got from Day 1 has been mindblowing. I did expect that partnering up with Tom would get us a lot of eyes but seeing you all jump into this with us has been wonderful. Over the course of the year, we’ve put out 7 issues of Love Everlasting (with issue 8 out tomorrow!), a whole lot of brilliant scripts and anecdotes from Tom, cover series, process pieces, podcasts, interviews, and packaged and shipped exclusive physical editions to our founding members.  

You’ve all been so kind and supportive. We can never thank you enough for sticking around for a whole year. A year that has been for me very rewarding in a lot of respects (your comments always make my day) and a little challenging in others. 

I think this Substack adventure has really helped me figure out where I'm most comfortable: in art, nothing new there, but also in short-form writing (scripts) and physical products. That last one may seem weird, but I do express myself through the prints, books and everything else I’ve ever put out. Given my propensity to turn to Kickstarter every year on the dot and the success of my Mini-Print Club, I guess it’s no surprise.

Longform writing, on the other hand, is a lot harder for me. And Substack, well, was built for just that-an ideal home for independent writers and journalists. I know a lot of comics creators have been able to use it to their advantage–I’m in awe of the creativity everyone has shown. Personally, however, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not the platform that best suits me. 

So starting January 31st, Tom and I will cover Everlasting productions into a free newsletter where we will, occasionally, inform you of Love Everlasting releases and send fun art posts. Nothing to do on your end, billing will simply be paused 🙂 

This is not the end of Joan and her beaus! In fact, vol.1 comes out in shops on Feb 8 and the series will be returning for in stores our second arc in April. 

It has been one of the greatest pleasures of my career to see you all rally behind Tom, Clayton, Matt, Marla and I in this experiment. I can never thank you enough. 

Much love to you all,

Elsa

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I want to quickly echo what Elsa just said and add a few thank yous. 

This has been a tremendous journey; I couldn’t be more proud of what we’ve done with Love Everlasting and where the series is going. There are big things coming for Joan, and you all were not just there at the ground floor, you built that damn floor! We could not have made this comic without you. I am eternally grateful.  

Unfortunately, literally because of that success, I don’t have enough time to contribute enough to this newsletter to earn your hard-earned money. I really love posting scripts and updates and podcasts, and I will still do that when I can, but it’ll all be put up without a pay wall. I hope you come back and visit and post and say hi. It means the world to me.  

Finally, let me, as ever, thank Elsa who has been the engine that kept this machine running. Without her endless effort and incredible brilliance, none of this would have worked. She is the best of nerds, and I’m so lucky to have her as a partner in all of this. 

Tom