Did you know that August 18 was the birthday of Percy Jackson, hero of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & The Olympians series?  Hyperion did, and to celebrate the event, they released the cover for the graphic novel adaptation written by me and with art by Attila Futaki:

They’ve also released a 6-page deleted scene that appears in the original novel, but won’t be in the adaptation.  It’ll only be online for a limited time, so read it while you can.  Just head over to the Percy Jackson website, and click on the birthday surprise.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lighting Thief is available on DVD and Blu-Ray this week.  I had nothing to do with the movie or the novel it’s based on, of course, but one of the bonuses that comes with purchase of the DVD is a code to access an online preview of the graphic novel adaptation written by yours truly.  It shows the cover image, plus a six-page scene where Percy battles the Minotaur, though the pages are separated into panels and animated motion-comics style. 

Also, for anyone who’ll be attending Comic-Con International in San Diego later this month, the Hyperion booth will be handing out a limited-edition poster showing more interior art from the graphic novel.

I’ve been under strict secrecy until now, but one of the projects I’ve been working on is a graphic novel adaptation of the bestselling book The Lightning Thief, the first installment in the 5-part Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan (the feature film adaptation of the same book is in theatres now).  I’ve already turned in the completed script, and Hungarian artist Attila Futaki is about a third of the way through the art.  The adaptation will also feature colors by José Villarrubia, so this one will be very easy on the eyes.

Attila posted the above page from Percy’s battle with the Minotaur on his website, along with a recent interview he did with a Hungarian outlet.  These are the first concrete images and details to be made public about the project, and more will be forthcoming as they are permitted.

Thanks are owed to Top Shelf who, had they not footed the bill for me to make a last-minute appearance at last year’s New York Comic Con, I would never have been in the room to meet Christian Trimmer, the editor at Hyperion who is shepherding the adaptation.  So much of my career has come down to being in the right place at the right time.  Many thanks to Christian as well for bringing me aboard, and especially to Rick for entrusting me with his baby.