Scott McCloud to join First Second

It’s not often that we here at Doomkopf get let in on breaking news, as we tend to fall more in the gripe / moan / insult category, but the good people at First Second Books just sent over a note that Scott McCloud (of Zot! and Understanding Comics fame) is joining the indie publisher for the release of two upcoming books.

A new work of graphic fiction, tentatively titled “The Sculptor,” is slated for publication in Spring 2013 and will be followed by a non-fiction book.

First Second’s Editorial Director Mark Siegel says, “Scott McCloud’s accomplishments are considerable: as spokesman and champion of the medium of comics, as its great explainer and theorist, as its dedicated practitioner. Scott has now tasked himself with an ambitious pole-vault into adult fiction—a great American graphic novel.”
[…]
Of this new editorial partnership, McCloud commented: “I’m thrilled to be working with First Second. I’ve been in contact with Mark Siegel since the line launched and have watched with admiration as their catalog has grown in depth, breadth and quality, including some of my favorite new artists working on upcoming projects. This is a forward-looking team that understands comics, and can match my enthusiasm for its endless possibilities.”

I’ve very much enjoyed the only two books I’ve read from First Second — Prince of Persia and Slow Storm, the first of which we reviewed and the second of which will hopefully soon be reviewed here alongside an interview with creator Danica Novgorodoff.