Pickle 11: The Lost Issue

Hi, I'm Michel Vrana, book designer and reformed comics publisher.

Under the banner of Black Eye Productions, I had the honour and pleasure of publishing such notable cartoonists as Nick Craine (Dance Me Outside), Jay Stephens (The Land of Nod, Atomic City Tales), Jason Lutes (Jar of Fools, Berlin), Tom Hart (The Sands), Jeremy Eaton (World of Trouble), Matt Madden (Black Candy), James Kochalka (Quit Your Job), Ed Brubaker (Lowlife), Brian Biggs (Dear Julia) and of course New Zealand's Dylan Horrocks (Pickle, Hicksville).

From 1992–1997 I published issues 1–10 of Dylan Horrocks’ comic Pickle. In 1998 the graphic novel Hicksville collected the main storyline from Pickle Issues 1–10, as well as the unpublished issue 11.

Lost and found

In November of 2018, Dylan posted on his Facebook page a photo of the cover proof to the unpublished Pickle 11. Around that time, I was also going through  my Black Eye archives and future proofing files for posterity. But sadly, the unpublished issue #11 hadn't been saved.

(The colour proof to the front and back covers of Pickle 11, from 1997)

Thankfully, Dylan had digital scans of all the original artwork! And between that, the proof, and my archives of previous covers, we had all the material to rebuild that lost issue. Dylan and I agreed that it would be a fun project to restore and publish Pickle 11 for fans of the original series.

Fire up the press!

Coming in May, 2019, Pickle 11 will retain the unpublished original final page of the ‘Hicksville’ story! 'The Lost Issue' will sit perfectly alongside your collection of Pickle issues 1–10.

And the best news... We’re ready to go. Printer chosen, files ready, logistics solved.

Preorder your copy of Pickle #11 now!

(the reconstructed Pickle 11 front and back covers)