Patch Zircher
@patrickzircher.bsky.social
Writer. Artist. Colorist. Making new Solomon Kane adventures and Savage Sword of Conan stories for Heroic Signature & Titan Comics!
Drawn hundreds of comics for 'the other guys'.
Drawn hundreds of comics for 'the other guys'.
Pinned
Patch Zircher
@patrickzircher.bsky.social
· Dec 17
Writing, drawing, and coloring the adventures of Solomon Kane -- living Sword of Vengeance who wanders a fantastical 16th century.
I am also writing stories for The Savage Sword of Conan magazine, published by Heroic and Titan comics.
I love making these stories.
Thank you for looking.
I am also writing stories for The Savage Sword of Conan magazine, published by Heroic and Titan comics.
I love making these stories.
Thank you for looking.
Rule of thumb: Any story in which someone can murder someone else is a story in which characters can fuck.
February 10, 2026 at 3:35 PM
Rule of thumb: Any story in which someone can murder someone else is a story in which characters can fuck.
It's a work-in-progress, and it's a tiny drawing (you can cover both figures with your thumb), and I'll have to shade it (definitely not straight-up flesh tones) but:
hubba hubba
hubba hubba
February 10, 2026 at 3:21 PM
It's a work-in-progress, and it's a tiny drawing (you can cover both figures with your thumb), and I'll have to shade it (definitely not straight-up flesh tones) but:
hubba hubba
hubba hubba
One of the United State's most famous librarians, Nancy Pearl (she's written several books about books) offered this suggestion:
Subtract your age from 100, that's how many pages you should give a novel to determine if you want to stick with it.
#BookSky
Subtract your age from 100, that's how many pages you should give a novel to determine if you want to stick with it.
#BookSky
February 10, 2026 at 3:03 PM
One of the United State's most famous librarians, Nancy Pearl (she's written several books about books) offered this suggestion:
Subtract your age from 100, that's how many pages you should give a novel to determine if you want to stick with it.
#BookSky
Subtract your age from 100, that's how many pages you should give a novel to determine if you want to stick with it.
#BookSky
Bad books aggravate me because they have temporarily gotten in the way of good books.
If I was 30 years younger I'd feel differently. Time to kill.
Now? I must be entertained or interested or I'm gonna get a little irritated.
If I was 30 years younger I'd feel differently. Time to kill.
Now? I must be entertained or interested or I'm gonna get a little irritated.
Huh, I'm never aggravated at bad writing. Occasionally I get a bit miffed when it's 'almost good' and I feel a few decisions really ruined it. Wasted potential.
February 10, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Bad books aggravate me because they have temporarily gotten in the way of good books.
If I was 30 years younger I'd feel differently. Time to kill.
Now? I must be entertained or interested or I'm gonna get a little irritated.
If I was 30 years younger I'd feel differently. Time to kill.
Now? I must be entertained or interested or I'm gonna get a little irritated.
I'm not aiming for lasting acclaim. There are so many factors, beyond any creator's control, that determine lasting acclaim that it's an unreasonable goal.
I am aiming for the best Solomon Kane comic I can make.
And if I were making a creator-owned comic it would still be a fantasy book.
I am aiming for the best Solomon Kane comic I can make.
And if I were making a creator-owned comic it would still be a fantasy book.
As a writer yourself, do you (CAN you) aim for lasting acclaim? Does that kind of ambition come off as the literary equivalent of Oscar bait? Or do you simply write from the heart and let posterity decide?
February 10, 2026 at 2:30 PM
I'm not aiming for lasting acclaim. There are so many factors, beyond any creator's control, that determine lasting acclaim that it's an unreasonable goal.
I am aiming for the best Solomon Kane comic I can make.
And if I were making a creator-owned comic it would still be a fantasy book.
I am aiming for the best Solomon Kane comic I can make.
And if I were making a creator-owned comic it would still be a fantasy book.
Reading a good book will have me reaching for another very soon after.
Reading something so bad I toss it (it's rare) throws me off my rhythm. I didn't pick up another book tonight. Just took a break.
Reading something so bad I toss it (it's rare) throws me off my rhythm. I didn't pick up another book tonight. Just took a break.
February 10, 2026 at 1:43 PM
Reading a good book will have me reaching for another very soon after.
Reading something so bad I toss it (it's rare) throws me off my rhythm. I didn't pick up another book tonight. Just took a break.
Reading something so bad I toss it (it's rare) throws me off my rhythm. I didn't pick up another book tonight. Just took a break.
Looked at a list of the 750 all-time best-sellers since 1950 and the 750 most acclaimed books since 1950.
The results are what I'd expect of myself & of how many bestsellers have lasting acclaim.
I've read:
7% of the 750 all-time bestsellers since 1950.
24% of the 750 most acclaimed since 1950.
The results are what I'd expect of myself & of how many bestsellers have lasting acclaim.
I've read:
7% of the 750 all-time bestsellers since 1950.
24% of the 750 most acclaimed since 1950.
February 10, 2026 at 1:15 PM
Looked at a list of the 750 all-time best-sellers since 1950 and the 750 most acclaimed books since 1950.
The results are what I'd expect of myself & of how many bestsellers have lasting acclaim.
I've read:
7% of the 750 all-time bestsellers since 1950.
24% of the 750 most acclaimed since 1950.
The results are what I'd expect of myself & of how many bestsellers have lasting acclaim.
I've read:
7% of the 750 all-time bestsellers since 1950.
24% of the 750 most acclaimed since 1950.
Yeah.
But I'm not talking about forsooth or alas or trow or dole or even ergo. An author can write convincing period fantasy in plain English without sounding like Sir Walter Scott.
And if they can't, "Beshrew the ronyons and woodcocks, I'll not blow my nails 'til they correct their charactery".
But I'm not talking about forsooth or alas or trow or dole or even ergo. An author can write convincing period fantasy in plain English without sounding like Sir Walter Scott.
And if they can't, "Beshrew the ronyons and woodcocks, I'll not blow my nails 'til they correct their charactery".
Though I try to avoid 'forsooth talk', when I'm writing sword & sorcery, I drop most contractions and give everyone more formalized speech patterns. Regency or Victorian England I can get mostly right just from years of reading the stuff. You want something that invokes 'the past'.
February 10, 2026 at 11:10 AM
Yeah.
But I'm not talking about forsooth or alas or trow or dole or even ergo. An author can write convincing period fantasy in plain English without sounding like Sir Walter Scott.
And if they can't, "Beshrew the ronyons and woodcocks, I'll not blow my nails 'til they correct their charactery".
But I'm not talking about forsooth or alas or trow or dole or even ergo. An author can write convincing period fantasy in plain English without sounding like Sir Walter Scott.
And if they can't, "Beshrew the ronyons and woodcocks, I'll not blow my nails 'til they correct their charactery".
I rarely give up on books but I'm out. This one also had a tired village policeman, filing reports and knocking back cups of coffee-- I had to keep checking if it was an actual fantasy setting but it is.
Just no effort to make it feel like it.
Just no effort to make it feel like it.
Reading a medieval fantasy, one character says to another, "Are you asking me on a date?"
Feels too contemporary-- because it is.
Much closer to the Victorian era than the medieval.
At the very least, say "Have you come courting? (or romancing)?"
Feels too contemporary-- because it is.
Much closer to the Victorian era than the medieval.
At the very least, say "Have you come courting? (or romancing)?"
February 10, 2026 at 10:49 AM
I rarely give up on books but I'm out. This one also had a tired village policeman, filing reports and knocking back cups of coffee-- I had to keep checking if it was an actual fantasy setting but it is.
Just no effort to make it feel like it.
Just no effort to make it feel like it.
Reading a medieval fantasy, one character says to another, "Are you asking me on a date?"
Feels too contemporary-- because it is.
Much closer to the Victorian era than the medieval.
At the very least, say "Have you come courting? (or romancing)?"
Feels too contemporary-- because it is.
Much closer to the Victorian era than the medieval.
At the very least, say "Have you come courting? (or romancing)?"
February 10, 2026 at 9:08 AM
Reading a medieval fantasy, one character says to another, "Are you asking me on a date?"
Feels too contemporary-- because it is.
Much closer to the Victorian era than the medieval.
At the very least, say "Have you come courting? (or romancing)?"
Feels too contemporary-- because it is.
Much closer to the Victorian era than the medieval.
At the very least, say "Have you come courting? (or romancing)?"
Reposted by Patch Zircher
Vermont US Representative Becca Balint being interviewed by Drop Site News shortly after reviewing more, unreleased Epstein files saying
"They're all a bunch of sick fucks"
"They're all a bunch of sick fucks"
February 10, 2026 at 3:02 AM
Vermont US Representative Becca Balint being interviewed by Drop Site News shortly after reviewing more, unreleased Epstein files saying
"They're all a bunch of sick fucks"
"They're all a bunch of sick fucks"
Ding Dong The Witch is Dead.
The son of a bitch always whined about witch hunts so......
The son of a bitch always whined about witch hunts so......
what's the first song you're gonna blast when It Happens
February 10, 2026 at 6:37 AM
Ding Dong The Witch is Dead.
The son of a bitch always whined about witch hunts so......
The son of a bitch always whined about witch hunts so......
Small example of why tech is irritating: many audiobook listeners would like to exclude Virtual Voice from search results. They want stories read by people. They appreciate what a real narrator brings to a story and want to support them.
Excluding Virtual Voice is something they will never give you.
Excluding Virtual Voice is something they will never give you.
February 10, 2026 at 5:53 AM
Small example of why tech is irritating: many audiobook listeners would like to exclude Virtual Voice from search results. They want stories read by people. They appreciate what a real narrator brings to a story and want to support them.
Excluding Virtual Voice is something they will never give you.
Excluding Virtual Voice is something they will never give you.
I love Sword & Sorcery.
Here are some of the audiobook narrators doing a terrific job of breathing life into the stories:
John Lee, Simon Vance, Samuel Roukin, Jonathan Davis, Peter Kenny, Derek Perkins, Colin Mace, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Jude Owusu, Alastair Duncan, Ralph Lister, James Clamp
#BookSky
Here are some of the audiobook narrators doing a terrific job of breathing life into the stories:
John Lee, Simon Vance, Samuel Roukin, Jonathan Davis, Peter Kenny, Derek Perkins, Colin Mace, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Jude Owusu, Alastair Duncan, Ralph Lister, James Clamp
#BookSky
February 10, 2026 at 5:12 AM
I love Sword & Sorcery.
Here are some of the audiobook narrators doing a terrific job of breathing life into the stories:
John Lee, Simon Vance, Samuel Roukin, Jonathan Davis, Peter Kenny, Derek Perkins, Colin Mace, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Jude Owusu, Alastair Duncan, Ralph Lister, James Clamp
#BookSky
Here are some of the audiobook narrators doing a terrific job of breathing life into the stories:
John Lee, Simon Vance, Samuel Roukin, Jonathan Davis, Peter Kenny, Derek Perkins, Colin Mace, Tim Gerard Reynolds, Jude Owusu, Alastair Duncan, Ralph Lister, James Clamp
#BookSky
Wildcats take their first loss of the season. 23-1 now.
It's almost like a monkey off their backs.
And they needed a hard fought game, too many blow outs won't ready a team for tougher games.
Like I know what I'm talking about, eyerolling myself.
It's almost like a monkey off their backs.
And they needed a hard fought game, too many blow outs won't ready a team for tougher games.
Like I know what I'm talking about, eyerolling myself.
February 10, 2026 at 4:31 AM
Wildcats take their first loss of the season. 23-1 now.
It's almost like a monkey off their backs.
And they needed a hard fought game, too many blow outs won't ready a team for tougher games.
Like I know what I'm talking about, eyerolling myself.
It's almost like a monkey off their backs.
And they needed a hard fought game, too many blow outs won't ready a team for tougher games.
Like I know what I'm talking about, eyerolling myself.
My daughter read Frankenstein and called me to discuss the book (yes, we do that with key books and movies-- it's one of the great pleasures of my life).
Shelley wrote it at age 21.
And it made me think, 1) She's a literary genius. And
Shelley wrote it at age 21.
And it made me think, 1) She's a literary genius. And
February 10, 2026 at 1:58 AM
My daughter read Frankenstein and called me to discuss the book (yes, we do that with key books and movies-- it's one of the great pleasures of my life).
Shelley wrote it at age 21.
And it made me think, 1) She's a literary genius. And
Shelley wrote it at age 21.
And it made me think, 1) She's a literary genius. And
"Comics aren't just for kids anymore."
PAGE 16
Panel 1
Night.
------’s private bed chamber. In silhouette, ------ and ------ make love. She is riding him.
PAGE 16
Panel 1
Night.
------’s private bed chamber. In silhouette, ------ and ------ make love. She is riding him.
February 10, 2026 at 12:49 AM
"Comics aren't just for kids anymore."
PAGE 16
Panel 1
Night.
------’s private bed chamber. In silhouette, ------ and ------ make love. She is riding him.
PAGE 16
Panel 1
Night.
------’s private bed chamber. In silhouette, ------ and ------ make love. She is riding him.
Reposted by Patch Zircher
Check out this kick-ass Phantom page from Romano Felmang (aka Roy Mann). Wow!
February 9, 2026 at 10:12 AM
Check out this kick-ass Phantom page from Romano Felmang (aka Roy Mann). Wow!
Latest read (audio), Of a Small Modest Malignancy, Wicked and Bristling with Dots.
Once upon a time Capote, Dorothy Parker, Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, & other writers argued on national tv about politics & social issues. Mailer entertainingly reflects on his many hostile guest appearances.
#BookSky
Once upon a time Capote, Dorothy Parker, Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, & other writers argued on national tv about politics & social issues. Mailer entertainingly reflects on his many hostile guest appearances.
#BookSky
February 9, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Latest read (audio), Of a Small Modest Malignancy, Wicked and Bristling with Dots.
Once upon a time Capote, Dorothy Parker, Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, & other writers argued on national tv about politics & social issues. Mailer entertainingly reflects on his many hostile guest appearances.
#BookSky
Once upon a time Capote, Dorothy Parker, Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, & other writers argued on national tv about politics & social issues. Mailer entertainingly reflects on his many hostile guest appearances.
#BookSky
Latest read (print & audio), A Good Man is Hard to Find (1955) by Flannery O'Connor; explores violence, prejudice, & desperation in the Southern bible belt and the disparity between them and Faith.
Half these stories were taught to me as exemplary examples of creative writing--and they are.
#BookSky
Half these stories were taught to me as exemplary examples of creative writing--and they are.
#BookSky
February 9, 2026 at 8:24 AM
Latest read (print & audio), A Good Man is Hard to Find (1955) by Flannery O'Connor; explores violence, prejudice, & desperation in the Southern bible belt and the disparity between them and Faith.
Half these stories were taught to me as exemplary examples of creative writing--and they are.
#BookSky
Half these stories were taught to me as exemplary examples of creative writing--and they are.
#BookSky
Our tax dollars going in his pocket.
It's a scumbag coalition.
Vote in the midterms.
It's a scumbag coalition.
Vote in the midterms.
That’s Brett Ratner there on the right.
February 9, 2026 at 6:32 AM
Our tax dollars going in his pocket.
It's a scumbag coalition.
Vote in the midterms.
It's a scumbag coalition.
Vote in the midterms.
How close I am in the BlueSky universe to a Taco Bell:
February 9, 2026 at 6:13 AM
How close I am in the BlueSky universe to a Taco Bell:
Found my account in the BlueSky cosmos.
February 9, 2026 at 5:34 AM
Found my account in the BlueSky cosmos.
Media, marketing, social media, political discourse, Everything today:
February 9, 2026 at 4:23 AM
Media, marketing, social media, political discourse, Everything today:
17.45%
:)
What I'm really saying is I have no idea. Just drawing a comic is a LOT of work.
Curiosity is one thing, the next step is big. Drawing AND writing at a respectable level is hard.
This will sound boastful but editors have told me what I'm doing is very rare.
:)
What I'm really saying is I have no idea. Just drawing a comic is a LOT of work.
Curiosity is one thing, the next step is big. Drawing AND writing at a respectable level is hard.
This will sound boastful but editors have told me what I'm doing is very rare.
@patrickzircher.bsky.social How many artists, expressed as a percentage, do you think want to write as well?
Bonus #Nova content today!
Artist Chris Marrinan (artist, and later writer, on the 1993 Nova series) shared this commission piece on Facebook earlier today.
Artist Chris Marrinan (artist, and later writer, on the 1993 Nova series) shared this commission piece on Facebook earlier today.
February 8, 2026 at 9:57 PM
17.45%
:)
What I'm really saying is I have no idea. Just drawing a comic is a LOT of work.
Curiosity is one thing, the next step is big. Drawing AND writing at a respectable level is hard.
This will sound boastful but editors have told me what I'm doing is very rare.
:)
What I'm really saying is I have no idea. Just drawing a comic is a LOT of work.
Curiosity is one thing, the next step is big. Drawing AND writing at a respectable level is hard.
This will sound boastful but editors have told me what I'm doing is very rare.