First, the big news! FREE HANDS is back!

I know it’s been a long time, but after a long delay, FREE HANDS #3 is finally coming to Kickstarter this February! Join the crew of maritime marauders aboard the pirate ship Free-Hand as they take they take on their first major sea battle, with the British Navy hot on their trail.

Sign up for the prelaunch now!

This is a really exciting issue, and marks the halfway point in the story. Artist Matt Rowe has already been cranking away on pages, and we’ll be revealing art in coming months. We’ve also got a SUPER EXCITING guest artist for our first ever variant cover, which we’ll be announcing in early 2026.

In the meantime, if you’re a fan of FREE HANDS, or want to support our work generally, we’d appreciate it if you went to the prelaunch page and hit the “Notify Me at Launch” button. Higher prelaunch registration is incredibly helpful with promoting projects through Kickstarter. It’s also a great way to get sneak peeks into the process.

We expect the campaign to launch formally in late February (after Old Devils #2 orders ship), with books shipping in July.

I have one more holiday market appearance this year!

CASTLE ISLAND HOLIDAY MARKETPLACE: NORWOOD
Presented by Inebri-art
31 Astor Avenue
Norwood, MA 02062
Noon-5pm

After doing their market at Barrel Z in Weymouth last month and having an absolutely fantastic time, I’m doing Inebri-art’s newest market location at Castle Island Norwood (not the South Boston location!) this Sunday from noon to 5.

These are really great local shows. Come hang out, have some food and drink, and chat it up with local creators. Way better than buying garbage from Amazon or giving out gift certificates.

Incidentally, for all my fellow comics creators (and makers of anything, really), I can’t stress enough how cool the Inebri-art guys are. You should check them out if you’re in the New England area and consider doing one of their shows in the future. They offer cheap space and really successful shows.

Other stuff I’m working on…

As I wrap up 2025, I’ve got a lot of exciting coming around the bend. In addition to Free Hands #3, almost all of the art is in for Small Bites #2, and as soon as Old Devils #2 ships, we’ll be getting ready for an Old Devils #3 launch as well.

I intend to continue doing more cons and market appearances through 2026, as I’ve found it a lot more rewarding than the social media grind. That said, I’ll still be on the online hellspaces for the time being.

In 2026, I’ll also have some news I can make public about a military museum-attached comic project that I’m very excited about.

In history news…

While many of my comic projects have history themes, many of you know that I also work in historical interpretation and with history museums. I wanted to mention a small thing I worked on this year which will be happening on Christmas Eve of this year that marks a significant return of a Boston Christmas tradition that I spearheaded.

On December 24, 1913, just a year after the first public Christmas tree was lit on Boston Common, the Old State House, then run by the Bostonian Society, placed four trumpeters on the building’s balcony to play patriotic songs and Christmas tunes from noon to 12:30pm, signaling to the city’s financial district and downtown that the holiday had begun and business was to come to a close.

This began a tradition that spread throughout the city, wherein private businesses and non-profits began actively augmenting holiday celebrations run by the city. The tradition continued until 1942. The 1st Corps of Cadets had no horn players to offer, due to the war, and the event went dormant.

This year, through my employer, Revolutionary Spaces, and our partners at the Downtown Boston Alliance, I’ve arranged for the return of the trumpeters for the first time in 83 years. In keeping with the original traditions, they will be playing both patriotic and holiday songs from noon to 12:30pm, which I hope will be a pleasant setting for last-minute shoppers and holiday visitors.

I’ve always loved the city around the holidays, and am a sucker for old-timey parades and events, so I’m particularly proud of reviving this tradition. If you’re in town and are walking by, we’ll be handing out hot chocolate, too.

That’s all for now!

You can also, as always, buy my comics at my webstore.

Happy holidays! See you next year.

Matthew Wilding