Earlier this year, Small Press Idol 2010 began, drawing in record numbers of contestants and curious onlookers. Through Rounds 2 and 3, contestants made it through the gauntlet of votes and judges, trimming down the contestants each time until we were left with our Final Four. As you may know, there has been a bit of a delay in getting Round 4 started, which we are about to remedy. Ian Shires is currently ill, unable to complete the competition, so I'm stepping in to finish it up and try some things a little different... Won't ruin the surprise yet, but let me just say that the contestants... ALL of the contestants are pretty darned excited about what we're trying this year. Be patient with us the next couple of weeks as we line things up and then we'll let you know how you can pick up copies of the zero issues of your favorite books, which made it to round 4.

Congratulations to Clown Town, Curse of the Vessel, Monkey Quest, and People that Melt in the Rain for making it to Round 4 of Small Press Idol!
In other news, if you haven't already done so, please take a look around at some various things going on from members of the Small Press Community.

1. Dynagirl web comic ~ Cary Kelley, judge from 2010 and 2008, creator of Fallen Justice, and former contestant, has an ongoing web comic over at dynagirlonline.com that's worth checking out! It's updated twice weekly and is a fun read. Cary is also offering copies of the first compiled issue of Dynagirl in his store as well as a collected edition of the amazing Fallen Justice.
2. Rainbow in the Dark ~ Adam Withers and Comfort Love, judges from 2010 and creator of the Uniques have launched a new title, Rainbow in the Dark, which is a genre defying, reality hopping tale is available for purchase at their Uniques site ~ http://uniquescomic.com/store-comics.php . Be sure to check out their Uniques books in the store, too.
3. Faction and Citizens ~ Erik Hendrix, judge from 2010 and winner of SPI 2009 has two books available for purchase over at http://www.carpetbombcomics.com/store/ and in the distro, too (dimestoredistro.com). Faction Issue 1 is the follow up to the zero issue from 2009's SPI winning adventure. Citizens Issue 1 is a different kind of superhero tale.
4. Zedura Magazine ~ Well, the team behind SP! Nexus Magazine for about six issues is behind Zedura Magazine, a PRINT magazine in full color presenting the best from comics and pop culture. You can check that out at zedura.com and be sure to pick up the October Issue, which is horror themed and has interviews with Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard, Steve Niles, Tim Bradstreet, and tons more. Exclusive cover by Tim Bradstreet... Zombies, yum!

That's it for now and stay tuned for updates on SPI 2010's Round 4!

Thank you
Erik Hendrix
EIC Zedura Magazine
Co-Founder Carpet Bomb Comics
SPI 2010 - Judge and Fill in "MC"