Thank you for asking! When COVID-19 began sweeping through North America, our contributors found themselves in a state of upheaval of which we’re now all too familiar. A full third of the confirmed list privately messaged the mods to take a leave and prioritize their own welfare. Our printers also were forced to shutter up to protect their workforce. We briefly considered having a shorter, digital-only volume without their work to come out in April, but the moderators ultimately decided that would be unfair to the work the absent members had already put in. April 23, we made the decision to temporarily suspend work on the zine until life found some form of stability. Below, I’ve screencapped from our announcements to our members. (More contributions reached our inbox through April; the “five” is a bit of an exaggeration.)
Although the pandemic has not abated, society is re-learning tools to navigate a world with plague at the forefront of thought. We have received assurances that our printers have refitted their production line to protect their workers, and we’ve developed a tentative new timeline for PDFs and prints to make their way to you! We expect to receive the last of the contributions at or before August 15 at the latest, and are aiming for the PDF availability starting August 22, with contributor promotions beginning this evening.
However, should the second wave present itself, our timeline bows to the demands of Real Life. These deadlines are tentatively thrust out in the face of an uncaring virus, and if the winds turn unkind again, we’re not going to contribute to the detriment of mental health or make impositions on the safety of our printers and mail carriers. If we need to make any further adjustments, we’ll keep everyone updated paralleling local news.
Thank you, once again, for your interest in the zine, and we hope that the podcast and fan-enthusiasm can provide some comfort in these bleak times.
[Image credits: Mysterious Ways magazine Dec/Jan 2017, via Magzter,
Our first Magnus Collection contributor promo comes from @everchased: a freelance and hobbyist artist who spends their days working with animals and their nights listening to podcasts of the horror variety. Easily spooked but enjoying the ride anyway. You can find them on twitter at bunbrain.
Our first Magnus Collection contributor promo comes from @everchased: a freelance and hobbyist artist who spends their days working with animals and their nights listening to podcasts of the horror variety. Easily spooked but enjoying the ride anyway. You can find them on twitter at bunbrain.
Another The Magnus Collection zine promo comes courtesy of @ghostbri. Bri writes: “Hello! My name is Bri and I work as a painter and visual development artist in animation and video games. I love theater, drinking tea, and plants. Loyal to the Spiral.” You can find her at spookybri on twitter, and ghostbri on Instagram.
Another The Magnus Collection zine promo comes courtesy of @ghostbri. Bri writes: “Hello! My name is Bri and I work as a painter and visual development artist in animation and video games. I love theater, drinking tea, and plants. Loyal to the Spiral.” You can find her at spookybri on twitter, and ghostbri on Instagram.
[“You see Jon, that has been an ongoing problem the last month. Now–” He held up his hand before Jon could retort. “I know you haven’t been here–”
“I was kidnapped. By mannequins.”
“–But during your absence your staff have gotten into a bad habit of hoarding office supplies.”]
This Sunday’s fiction promo arrives from the desk of @statementends. A robust writer with forty-three ‘The Magnus Archive’-related works on AO3, StatementEnds/Blueberryshortcake is a welcome complement to our cast. Look forward to their new fic “Supply and Demand” in The Magnus Collection zine!
[“You see Jon, that has been an ongoing problem the last month. Now–” He held up his hand before Jon could retort. “I know you haven’t been here–”
“I was kidnapped. By mannequins.”
“–But during your absence your staff have gotten into a bad habit of hoarding office supplies.”]
This Sunday’s fiction promo arrives from the desk of @statementends. A robust writer with forty-three ‘The Magnus Archive’-related works on AO3, StatementEnds/Blueberryshortcake is a welcome complement to our cast. Look forward to their new fic “Supply and Demand” in The Magnus Collection zine!
Our Monday preview is a snip from an incredible two-page spread by @cocoabats. Cocoabats is an artist and graphic designer from Poland. She is a GM and member of the “Jon Did Nothing Wrong” Committee in her free time. Find her on twitter and Instagram as Cocoabats, and look out for the preorders for The Magnus Collection charity zine in August!
Our Monday preview is a snip from an incredible two-page spread by @cocoabats. Cocoabats is an artist and graphic designer from Poland. She is a GM and member of the “Jon Did Nothing Wrong” Committee in her free time. Find her on twitter and Instagram as Cocoabats, and look out for the preorders for The Magnus Collection charity zine in August!
We have an enigmatic entry coming straight from the desk of @jonnysims. No, that’s not the Real Jonny Sims – Contrary to popular belief, Tumblr user jonnysims is not actually the writer and actor Jonny Sims, but rather a 19 year old American fool who likes mysteries, podcasts, and sinister happenings. They love to draw, and are currently in the process of becoming an animator for real. The piece in full is something incredible, so check back in if you’d like to catch a copy of it!
We have an enigmatic entry coming straight from the desk of @jonnysims. No, that’s not the Real Jonny Sims – Contrary to popular belief, Tumblr user jonnysims is not actually the writer and actor Jonny Sims, but rather a 19 year old American fool who likes mysteries, podcasts, and sinister happenings. They love to draw, and are currently in the process of becoming an animator for real. The piece in full is something incredible, so check back in if you’d like to catch a copy of it!
Friday’s promo drips off the digital pen of Jay. Jay is an artist who likes Chuck E Cheese, long walks on the beach, and the constant unending surveillance of the eyes in the sky. You can find him at gummybyrd on twitter.
Friday’s promo drips off the digital pen of Jay. Jay is an artist who likes Chuck E Cheese, long walks on the beach, and the constant unending surveillance of the eyes in the sky. You can find him at gummybyrd on twitter.
Our Saturday Morning Promo is the work of @skylux-art, a talented young artist who takes their inspiration from Avatar the Last Airbender, Final Fantasy, Wuxia/Xiaxia, and presumably Simon Fairchild. Sky is presently in quarantine while their family deals with COVID-19 diagnoses, and has opened commissions up for interested parties. You can give a peek here: https://skylux-art.tumblr.com/post/614234007978295296
@lunagalemaster gives us a tantalizing peek into her upcoming wingfic with our Sunday Fiction Promo. Of herself, she writes: “Luna is a writer who thoroughly enjoys spooks and monster pursuits, especially of the cosmic horror variety. She has been writing fanfiction for half a decade and hopes to one day write fully original works. After finally finishing university. Hopefully.” Find her on AO3 and twitter with the same username, and give her work a click and a comment!
We’ve got a really lovely piece today from Cat Ivalee. Cat is a student artist studying animation. They spend all their free time drawing fictional characters, playing video games, and fantasizing about all their stories they should probably be committing to paper. This was their first zine experience, and they are very happy to have participated with so many amazing creators and in such a loving fandom. Social: tumblr @ival-eon, instagram @ivaleon_
The amount of detail in today’s promo by @rogue-kind leaves me breathless.
Roguekind is an amateur artist, collector of medical books and an overall “feral little man”. Lover of horror and the occult, and always ready to make religious symbolism more gay. Please find more of their work at roguekind on twitter!
Madeline C.B. is already known in our community for her incredible comics and compositions, and we’re delighted to get a new one for the Magnus Collection zine!
Currently a college student pursuing a degree in illustration, who loves doing comics on the side! Loves ominous lighting, glowing eyes, and cats.Social media: @chickpeamcb on twitter and instagram, and here!
We’re aiming to have preorders available for physical copies August 22-23, and digital orders available on the same day. Pricing is going to depend on how stable the print and shipping industries hold up over the next month, so our moderators are looking at five different options, one of which being a print-on-demand. The other four options would be a bulk order shipped by Moderator Jack, and would allow us to include a smaller goodie pack for a ‘deluxe edition’. Regardless of pandemic, we are working very hard to ensure that we can ship product out to all the wonderful fans out there!
@planetsandmagic sends in this incredible traditional art-inspired piece, which we can only show a fraction of at this time. Thematically following other pieces within their oeuvre, this is an important addition to the collection, and we’re delighted to be able to present it to you first in the Magnus Collection zine. Please follow them on twitter and instagram under the same username, and spread the word for the coming days: the Collection will soon be available for public viewing!
@klmmcqueen has a one-page comic that’s sure to delight for any fans of the Boneturner. Kait McQueen is a visual artist currently living in New Brunswick, Canada. Despite being educated in both English Literature and Graphic Design, she finds herself most at home drawing or painting. She relishes the challenge of creating art in response to non-visual works (music, podcasts, etc). In her spare time she enjoys reading, bugging her cats, and cycling. Find her on Instagram and twitter @klmmcqueen, and prepare yourselves: preorders for the Magnus Collection zine should go live August 22-23!
The full image from today’s preview by @fini-mun is too terrifying to display for public viewing, and I shudder at what they have unleashed into the world. From our fellow horror mod, the following description: “DEEBS IS A PERSON WHO EXISTS. DEEBS MANIFESTS ART FROM TIME TO TIME. DEEBS CAN BE FOUND AT fini-mun.tumblr.com, Catbeecache at DeviantArt, and @Deebsio on twitter. DEEBS WROTE THIS THEMSELF.”
“Cool guys don’t look at explosions,” they say, and there’s hardly anyone as stone cold as Gertrude Robinson. @slowopoke delivers up a cinematic-quality scene in today’s preview. Of herself, “I’m a 20 years old digital artist based in Italy. I focus on character design and comics. I attended art school for five years and I am currently majoring in oriental languages and civilizations, my aim is to become a tattoo artist or a translator.” Cheer her on with us as we make our way to our publishing date!
