Blind Alley Comics

Blind Alley Comics Original stories. Unparalleled art. Independent comics. Blind Alley Comics is an independent comic book production partnership with all-original stories.

Joe Haines (The Strange Adventures of Bone Boy) and Rick Schlaack (The Human Cannonball) want to push the boundaries of comic book storytelling.

07/09/2025

I'll be at the Capital City Comic Con this Friday through Sunday! Come see me at Booth 2208...times are:
Friday 7/11: 3-8pm
Saturday 7/12: 10am-6pm
Sunday 7/13: 10am-5pm

Hello friends and fans, this is Rick with some very important news about Blind Alley Comics operations going forward.It ...
06/21/2025

Hello friends and fans, this is Rick with some very important news about Blind Alley Comics operations going forward.

It is with a heavy heart that I announce that Joe Haines won't be associating with Blind Alley Comics any longer; he has decided to step down as President and focus on his own projects. I wish him all the best in his endeavors.

The departure was sudden, but not completely unexpected; we'd been experiencing personality clashes behind the scenes, and differing opinions about the direction our company was headed. All artistic partnerships are subject to this kind of tension, and a calculation must be made as to whether the partnership will continue or not. After 15 years, I think we were just tired of each other. It was time for a change.

I didn't intend to be the sole proprietor of BAC, but now find myself thrust into the position of President/Owner/What have you. Going solo is a bit daunting, and I'm still grieving the end of the partnership; at the same time, there's a lot of freedom in having no one to answer to. I get to set my own agenda; decide what projects I'm going to focus on; and run the business as I see fit.

Going forward, I'm going to trim down BAC's inventory to my solo projects, as I find it uncomfortable to profit off of collaborative publications when my collaborator is no longer involved. My first priority is to move my back issues of The Human Cannonball and others, so expect some great deals on "starter packs" of issues 1-5, and amazing deals on the entire back catalogue (issues 1-11). I'm also going to start collecting THC into trade paperbacks, which are a lot easier to move.

Secondly, I'm going to be moving BAC in some new directions: I have a huge stack of short-form comics that I'd like to collect into anthologies. Many of these stories are much stranger and darker than BAC's usual fare up to this point, and if possible I want to reach out to other creators and see if they're up for contributing. I also have a lot of zine work and political cartoons I'd like to collect, which have an Anarchist bent. While I don't want BAC to be completely taken over by political content, I do feel the need to "plant my flag", so to speak, on the side of social justice and antifascism, so I will be making more posts to reflect this.

I will be appearing at the Capital City Comic Con in Lansing this year, and Grand Rapids Con in November. As far as conventions going forward, I'll be reducing my involvement in an attempt to streamline my finances (I'm not in dire straits, just trying to pay off the mortgage!) I will be shutting down the Mustard Brothers website - it's simply an extra expense at this point, and it's not generating interest or revenue.

I want to thank you all for the love and interest you've had in Blind Alley Comics, and I hope I can continue to provide cool, interesting, and thought-provoking content for years to come. Stay tuned for great deals on my Storenvy page in the coming month!

Not sure when Rick Schlaack whipped out this lil gem but I came across it last night & I love it!!
05/01/2025

Not sure when Rick Schlaack whipped out this lil gem but I came across it last night & I love it!!

Just sharing some photos from eons...I mean, 6 years ago!
04/28/2025

Just sharing some photos from eons...I mean, 6 years ago!

Views from the Con...the joint is jumpin'...all the cool-freaky art folx are here...
04/26/2025

Views from the Con...the joint is jumpin'...all the cool-freaky art folx are here...

Just got set up at SPACE 2025! After a harrowing journey down the untamed freeways of Ohio, battling hunger, fatigue, an...
04/26/2025

Just got set up at SPACE 2025! After a harrowing journey down the untamed freeways of Ohio, battling hunger, fatigue, and an endless barrage of Buckeyes propaganda, I finally made it into SPACE. Still about an hour till we open to the public, so if you are within a sixty mile radius, be sure to mosey on down to the Ohio Expo Center and check it out - it's shaping up to be a good one!

Saturday: 10-6
Sunday: 10-5

Much needed and whole hearted shoutout to Reedis Thomas, founder & driving force of Michigan Cos-abilities! What these f...
04/16/2025

Much needed and whole hearted shoutout to Reedis Thomas, founder & driving force of Michigan Cos-abilities! What these folks do is provide a safe place for differently abled individuals to hang out & have fun at comic conventions! Some of these cons can be pretty over-whelming, even traumatizing to some of us! (ie Joe/Rick) Now these kids can be whatever superhero (or villain) or whatever! And role play & have Magic tournaments and so on.
He did this all himself! It's gaining traction, celebrity endorsements, and popularity!

I've known him a few years & it's so great to see this thing taking off! Almost as notably, he also made 2nd Lt of Starfleet!

I don't care how many fake Batmans were at the Expo Center, Reedis is our hero! Direct quote: "Some people want it for JUST this group or JUST that group, I say NO! I'm doin it for everybody!" At which point my heart burst.

It's my core belief that everyone has a right to have fun (or indeed, PARRRRTYYY) and Reedis Thomas is making it so. I'm so proud of you man and so excited for what you're doing & what you'll be doing hopefully for a very long time.
Godspeed from Blind Alley Comics!!

We're awake at Grand Rapids Comic Con !! Aaand loving it
04/12/2025

We're awake at Grand Rapids Comic Con !! Aaand loving it

Blind Alley Comics is here at the Kalamazoo Comic Con! We're here today from 12-7, tomorrow from 10am-7pm, and Sunday fr...
04/11/2025

Blind Alley Comics is here at the Kalamazoo Comic Con!

We're here today from 12-7, tomorrow from 10am-7pm, and Sunday from 10am-5pm - three whole days in which to bask in our mind-melting glory! We're at table d-9 in the main hall. See you soon!

On SALE FRIDAY
04/10/2025

On SALE FRIDAY

03/04/2025

More TBA but we have 3 whole events next month!!

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Leslie, MI

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The Birth of Blind Alley

Blind Alley Comics started just after the breakup of the Comics Obscura anthology collective in 2009; contributors Rick Schlaack and Joe Haines decided to team up and throw their ambition, talent, and relentless energy behind a new comics cooperative. The new co-conspirators organized their partnership on an independent, co-editive basis: each artist would write and illustrate their own stories, and then edit each others’ work. Initially they were known as Dark Corner Productions, owing to their extreme obscurity, but due to a clerical foul-up were forced to change their moniker. We went for a brief stint as Dead City Productions, then finally settled on Blind Alley Comics. Now coming up on its tenth year, with five series comprising 20 titles, BAC is due to take the comics world by a storm.