With the release of Troublemaker, the first original graphic novel by best selling author Janet Evanovich just a few short weeks away, we thought that Dark Horse Comics Editor Sierra Hahn might have a few words on the matter to share with you all. As it turns out she had more than just a few. Here's Sierra now with more on one of the most anticipated titles of the year:
Last week I received an advanced copy of Troublemaker Book One by New York Times best-selling author Janet Evanovich, co-written with her daughter Alex, and with art by Joëlle Jones. It's always a wonderfully bizarre sensation when you've been working on a book for months, and then suddenly—magically—the object of your obsession appears on your desk. There's the initial "Oh my god it's so beautiful! It's real! We did it!" that very quickly dissolves into "Did I miss anything? Does everything look right? Will readers like it?" Enthusiasm. Relief. Panic. A flurry of emotion overwhelms me every time a book I've edited lands on my desk prior to hitting shelves. I want it to be perfect in it's storytelling—the narrative, the visuals, the design, the size, and paper—so that it's leaps off the shelves into the unsuspecting reader's hands. In this manner Troublemaker is no different than any other book I edit, except that the public expectations are so much higher. Did I fail to mention New York Times best-selling author Janet Evanovich with her ever increasing fan base?! Or the print run of 100,000 copies? Or the wild ride that follows characters—Nascar spotter Alex Barnaby, race-car driver Sam Hooker, and his St. Bernard Beans, from Evanovich's hugely successful novels Motor Mouth and Metro Girl?
Very quickly I must return to reality and get back to work. The second installment of Troublemaker is hot on the heels of the first (it's due out in November). There is still a lot to be done to make sure the second adventure in the lives of Barnaby, Hooker, and Beans is just as lovely as the first, as well as the fun-filled romp that anyone who knows anything about Janet would expect.
In the meantime, Troublemaker Book One hits shelves in a couple weeks (my heart just did that fluttery thing…!), and as readers get their first glimpse of this new adventure comic, I'll be getting ready for San Diego Comic Con where I'll meet up with Janet and Alex for their very first Comic Con extravaganza. There will be costumes, comics, and signings—both at the convention and at Barnes and Noble. It'll be my first opportunity to talk with readers personally about this thrilling new title from Dark Horse, and now that I've had a moment to digest all of those aforementioned emotions—I couldn't be more excited!
-Sierra Hahn
Sierra Hahn has been an editor at Dark Horse Comics for three years. She has worked on such titles as The Goon, Umbrella Academy, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Legend says that she was raised by a pack of very well-read wolves.