"So what's up with Titanium Rain?"

Over the last eight months hardly a week goes by that I don't receive at least ONE email asking something along those lines. As much as I'd like to reply to every individual email, doing so would require I set aside a spare week or two, consume enough coffee to kill a small elephant, and type until carpel-tunnel syndrome set in. So to everyone who wrote me, I appreciate you sticking with us, and I hope this answers your questions.

So, what exactly did happen to Titanium Rain? The book had a strong debut, a ton of critical acclaim, and judging by the volume of emails I get, a loyal fan base. Not bad for only one issue, eh?

Well, unfortunately, our book got caught in a mess far beyond our control. Our publisher, Archaia Studio Press, was growing too fast. They'd struck gold with Mouse Guard and needed to shift away from being strictly a bedroom operation, or risk collapsing under the weight of their own success. Then in late 2008 (right after Titanium Rain's debut)  Archaia was purchased by a third-party and placed under new management.

As much as everyone wanted a smooth transition, the entire company needed to be restructured. Deals had to be renegotiated. Despite much of the series being good to go, it became painfully clear to everyone that Titanium Rain #2 was not going to ship any time soon. And since Kat and I were knee-deep in renegotiating our own contract, it was best to keep quiet until the ink was dry.

Well, now the ink is dry, the dust has settled, and I can officially share the news:

Titanium Rain is back!

The series will return to store shelves come August with a complete re-launch. With this re-launch the book will move to a monthly schedule and will be released in an expanded "prestige" format. This means you'll be getting 54 pages of Titanium Rain on a monthly basis. Like I said, much of the series is already good to go and, well...let's just say we've had a lot of time to get ahead.

With Archaia Studio Press (now simply called, Archaia) shifting to a more streamlined and networked operation, expect to see Titanium Rain and other titles receive better support, industry representation, and most importantly, better availability in stores.

So yeah, it's been a long winter, but the winter has passed.

Kat and I both thank everyone for sticking by us as Archaia needed the time to get its house in order. Believe me when I say, the wait was worth it.

-Josh Finney, April 2009