My pal, Kim "Howard" Johnson, wrote for Starlog and Comics Scene back in the day, and turned that into a successful career as the guy who got to follow Monty Python around the world and observe them in the wild.

He's written tons of books about the Pythons and appears in Life Of Brian, and once worked as John Cleese's assistant. His wife, Laurie Bradach, was an editor at Joe Quesada's and Jimmy Palmiotti's Event Comics where she oversaw books like Ash and Painkiller Jane. Together the two of them have just announced their own publishing company, DoubleDare Books, based in Illinois.

Their first launch is The Dare Club, the start of a mystery series that sounds very appealing. Here are the details:

"Book One of The Dare Club follows the adventures of Nita Conroy, a new girl at the most boring school on the planet, who doesn't seem to fit in. That is, until she joins a secret group of girls known as The Dare Club. During a subterranean adventure below the high school, Nita overhears a plan to embezzle millions of dollars in grant money. With the clock ticking, Nita will need the help of her new friends to expose the chilling plot — and hopefully survive long enough to snag a date to the homecoming dance. This book is recommended for all ages, for anyone who enjoys Nancy Drew-style mysteries."

Here's a link to the first book.

I look forward to more releases and wish DoubleDare Books, Howard and Laurie all the best in 2013 and beyond!

[Artwork: The Dare Club]