From The Heart, My First Newsletter

A celebration of everything and nothing at all.

Author

Stephanie Williams
February 17, 2025

Hey y’all! I finally did the thing! You are reading my very first newsletter. I’m just as surprised as you are because I’ve been putting this off for a couple of years now, but thanks to a little marketing angel who came into my life at the end of 2024, here we are!

Not to bring the mood down immediately, but as you know, the start of 2025 has been trash, for lack of a more elegant word. I wish I could say it’s all due to the current administration. However, you know how life goes: there are big world problems and then problems in your own world or bubble, as though you don’t have enough to endure.

On January 3rd, I received one of the worst phone calls of my life. My bestie, Aaron Reese, tragically passed away unexpectedly due to complications caused by his sickle cell. I had literally just spoken to him the day before. We talked every damn day, multiple times a day. So much so that his partner, my husband, and my son were used to hearing each other’s voices on the phone. Well, things have been unbearably quiet these last few weeks. Aaron came into my life about four years ago. You would never know it, though, because of how close we were. We met on an episode of Slayer’s Fest 98 about one of the X-Men movies. We hit off immediately. As we got to know each other, we soon discovered that we were in similar orbits for years and had no idea.

He grew up in Chicago and the South Suburbs same as me. In fact, at one, we found out that he and his grandmother lived a couple blocks away from some of my relatives. His grandmother even lived in the same senior living apartments as my grandmother at one point. Talk about a small world. It was clear we were always destined to be besties at some point, and thankfully, we found each other when we did. Aaron was someone I could be, my whole authentic self, mess and all. He was a safe for me as I was for him. He helped reaffirm my queerness, something I often downplay because I’m in a hetero-facing marriage. Aaron helped me to embrace that regardless of how others perceive my sexuality, it doesn’t at all have an impact on how I see myself. He was one of my biggest cheerleaders. He made me a better creator. A better friend. A better wife. A better mom. To put it simply, he made me a better person. That’s the type of impact my friend had on me and others he met. 

My friend often thought of himself as someone who was opulent, and those who loved him wholeheartedly would agree. But his opulence was not of wealth and luxury, although my friend did love him a high-fashion moment. My friend’s opulence made him a garden full of everlasting radiance. He shifted the atmosphere wherever he went. He carried inspiration and encouragement just by being him. And to have known Aaron was to know opulence in its most human form.

I’m going to miss my friend dearly. I already do. Every damn day. It’s been hard working with the grief. I can’t even say through it because it feels so heavy. I’m strong, but I’m still human. Writing has brought some comfort because when my friend and I weren’t talking about something ridiculous, like a church run by the X-Men but functioning like a Southern Baptist church, we created stories of our own and bounced ideas off one another. Troubleshooting. Whatever it was required for the day.

Aaron finished his debut creator-owned comic, Bytchcraft, with MadCave Studios. He was so excited. We talked about how dope it was that both of our creator-owned series had found a home at the same publisher. We had such big plans for convention season. I knew how vital Bytchcraft was to Aaron. He toiled away at it, even on the days when his body was in pain. He was THAT dedicated to getting his story out into the world. Now that he is no longer here, I’m making sure that still happens. MadCave has been phenomenal during such a horrific time, and I can’t thank them enough. It’s bittersweet to be involved with getting his book out into the world.

You really don’t know how strong you are until you have to face the things you thought would break you, but I’m still standing here. 

I can’t promise that this is the last sad opening for the newsletter, but I do promise to make this newsletter something you’ll want to read, even if it is a little sad sometimes. So, with that said, let me get into the good stuff. Well, it's mostly good. Some of it is questionable, but you knew that already.

THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A MEME

I’m keeping busy (and resting when I need to, so don’t fuss). I’m very proud to share that most of the projects I’m working on are ones I had to will into existence, which is no easy feat. They’re projects that are only happening because I got out of my way and pitched stories that were swarming around in my head instead of downplaying them or myself. The other projects I’m working on are ones I wouldn’t have ever expected to be something I would be tapped for, but that’s on me entertaining thoughts it couldn’t be me. Because why not, right? I know this is telling you everything and nothing, but when the time comes, I promise to share what I can.

Now, there are a few things I can talk about because the news is officially out. I returned to My Little Pony's world and brought a friend with me. My Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur: Wreck and Roll partner, Ms. Asia Simone. When asked if I had any ideas that could work for a one-shot story, I had this wild inspiration after recently rewatching the movie Vantage Point. I don’t know why it was in my spirit to watch it then, but it was a rainy Saturday, and I had nothing else to do. Anyway, I thought about how fun writing a Vantage Point-style story in My Little Pony could be. And now you’ll have the opportunity to read my madness on April 30th when My Little Pony: Tournament of Mysteries hits digital and physical shelves.

Related, my very first My Little Pony miniseries, Maretime Mysteries (I love a mystery, apparently), will have a TPB that releases on March 4th!

Next is the graphic novel adaption of Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Boys, which I worked on with the very talented Sas Milledge. I’m happy to announce that it will be out this summer on August 5th! I received the cutest ARC pr box, which contained an advanced black and white copy of the book, a notepad with Sas’s art, and a post on the cover. It looks so good. Holding a copy of the book was surreal because it was such a long time coming. It was my first big project, right after working on Nubia and the Amazons. I learned so much. Writing a graphic novel adaption of a book is very different from writing a 22-page comic. I mean, duh, but you really don’t understand how much so until you’re doing the thing.

Also! In case you didn’t know. Invincible is back with Season 3. It’s their best season yet in my opinion and that’s not even me being biased because I’ve been working on editorial video content for the show. If you’re at all interested in some supplemental viewing, please check out the Prime Video YouTube channel where you can find some of my latest for them:

BURNOUT PREVENTION CENTRAL

I don’t have to remind you that burnout is real. I hope you’ve been doing what you can when you can to rest and recharge, which I know is a huge ask these days, but it doesn’t make it any less critical. And yes, I’ve been doing a much better job of ensuring I’m doing that for myself, too, especially after learning my lesson in 2023. As much as I love writing, thinking about writing, dreaming about writing, etc., I must do other things to stay sane. This month, it’s been watching random movies I’ve never seen before but probably should have seen by now. One of those movies was Julia Roberts’ masterpiece known as Eat, Pray, Love.

You’re probably wondering what made me decide to watch this for the first time, and really, it was a mixture of grief and an edible hitting at the perfect time. I opened Netflix, and there, Ms. Roberts stood curiously, looking off to the side while enjoying her gelato, which was eaten with a cerulean blue plastic spoon. At that moment, I wanted to feel just as carefree as the character she was playing. The spirit of HomeGoods Aesthetic took over (it was the THC), and I hit play so that I, too, could eat, pray, and love myself through the grief I was experiencing. What a movie. You know what, an exploration into disposable income and a career that allows you to write your travels off on your taxes. Elizabeth Gilbert hopped on a first-class seat to Italy with nothing but a little bit of pre-Duolingo learned Italian, an Amex card, and the audacity to seek happiness outside of the United States during the Bush presidency. Not only did she go on this adventure, eating and praying her way through a midlife crisis, but she also managed to do a “white savior” side quest. I don’t bring that up as a bad thing. It’s the least she could do to match the karma she expected in return. And then, to top off all the good eating and praying, she also got some good loving. And I said ma’am, gon head. Love that for you. All of this was made unreasonably enjoyable because of Julia Roberts. I had a great watch experience. The movie did what it was supposed to, to entertain me enough that I was committed to giving my undivided attention to a fictional story instead of my own reality for 133 minutes. 

I surrendered to the escapism of it all, and I’m glad I did. That slight reprieve was way more needed than I could have imagined. The next day, I felt a little lighter than I did the day before, and I would like to believe that seeing Viola Davis play Juliet, Robert’s agent/best friend, one year before she starred in The Help had much to do with that feeling. The sentence was insane wasn’t it? Exactly!

MOM MODE ACTIVATED 

My son and I have been playing a lot of Smash Bros lately, and I’m happy to report I’ve been showing him why I used to make his uncle rage quit when he played against me when we were younger. I found a new main, Ken from Street Fighter, and I’ve shown no mercy sense. Now, I gloat about this because I’ve been getting my behind handed to me in Mario Kart for the last few months. 

All’s fair in parenting and video games. 

SO, AN EDITOR ONCE SAID…

Paraphrasing here “Legal needs you to remove [redacted] calling [redacted] “Gumbo” because evidently “Gumbo” is Gumby's trademarked father.”

I love comics.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

I have to take a moment to highlight a friend and coworker, Cheyenne Ewulu. She and her team recently launched a successful Kickstarter for her show, The Comic Shop. It was a tremendous undertaking, and no small ask. After funding an 11-minute proof of concept that gained over a million views and caught the eye of several film festivals, Cheyenne decided to make a way instead of waiting on a yes from a studio. The Kickstarter campaign crushed its goal of $160,000 and is still taking pledges from anyone who wants to support it. I couldn’t be prouder of Cheyenne. The Comic Shop is such a brilliant concept for a mockumentary-style series, and it’s one that I believe could help the comics industry, especially comic stores and creators.

Don’t take my word for it, though. You can watch the trailer for The Comic Shop here:

That’s all for now. Thank you for taking the time to hang with me for a moment. I appreciate you. I’m rooting for you!