Podcast shoutout, detoxing nicely and new followers

Just a few notes on page 83 for Tomb of the Undead, and then I'll get into some webcomics news!

Some neat reveals in this page - that Mugabe has the letters S.A.L.V.A.T.I.O. tattooed on his fingers, which is of course Latin for "salvation." Might be an interesting note to make while reading and understanding his motivations.

I liked how the team is crammed into the back of a pickup truck, too. I recall riding home from a concert in Barrie, Ontario in the back of a pickup late one evening, just like this, for about a 45 min. ride. Pretty exhilarating, but also COLD. I rode home from high school after an exam like this one time, too, which was like in January, ALSO COLD.

So often when you're writing, cell phones are making connectivity and information sharing easier, so it's more of a challenge, as a writer, to create barriers in communication. I'm hoping cell reception is plausible enough - in this instance, as the reception returns, so do warning messages, but perhaps too late?

Taking the story to the mid-way mark, Ian Escutcheon leads our team into the unknown in pursuit of his theories, but they haven't shaken their dangerous enemy yet in No Signal.

See more by following the links:

• King Street Capers (updated Jan. 28)
• General comics (updated Jan. 29)
• Tomb of the Undead (updated Jan. 30) 
• Dinosuars (updated Jan. 31)
• Sketch Gallery (updated Jan. 17), or the
• Fundraising Faux-Pas,
• Mugabe comic strip (Pinocchio parody)

Webcomic news
My first mention in a podcast in a long time last week, which is really cool. Back in like 2006/07 when I was working in news I was in a couple podcasts for some of the stories I'd written. So it's been quite a while since this was something I've been a part of.

In other news, I've got another group of comics to put on my reading list as soon as I can get to a "save point" in HomeStuck from MS Paint Adventures. That comic is LONG. Gary Tyrrell from Fleen has a recent update on the sale of another MS Paint Adventure from Andrew Hussie.

Check it out!

Work is Hell - the Destruct-o-cast
Nick Marino, E.D.
SuperHaters.com 

I'm kinda thrilled to have been able to contribute a bit of my own life experiences to the Destruct-o-cast from last week. It was neat, and I liked how the mock-superhero strip's podcast was able to spin my tale into a new superpower, albeit an awful, to be used for evil. That made me chuckle.

Tune into the whole thing, and look for my mention around the 45-minute mark. It's a behind-the-scenes review of the latest installment of the Super Haters strip.

Click to read more.

Fleen Book Corner: Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff
Gary Tyrell
Fleen.com

Publisher’s note: Sweet Bro and Hella Jeff is available from TopatoCo, while supplies last. Doctors indicate that Gary is detoxing nicely, and should be back to blogging with only mild perceptual impairments shortly. Rumors that the DEA is investigating SBaHJ for making readers “high as balls” could not be confirmed at press time.

Click to read more.

Twitter Followers and new webcomics to catch
Dieter McBoom, Jared Catherine, Riverbend Kings

New Twitter followers I'm planning to get a chance to review as soon as I'm caught up with HomeStuck from MS Paint Adventure. Including Dieter McBoom (@sftcz) from Slow for the Comic Zone as well as Riverbend Kings (@RiverbendKings) from, of course, Riverbend Kings and Jared Catherine (@JareBearStare) of Incrediman.

Super-Hating Silent Pirates with Cyanide and Happiness, Turbo Sloths and a Broctopus

Texty is not equal to sexy, but I try and get the exposition done and over with quickly, not to make it seemed rushed, but I can only imagine readers don't want too many long pages of just people standing around chatting, esp. without any menacing gestures or swinging emotions.

Therein lies a good note for when I write a script again, I'll make a point to infuse a lot more action into what's going on - too often I've found people are just standing around. Television often makes a good example of not having people just standing and talking, often they're on their way to do something. If you watch CSI, those guys are always pacing the hallways giving the exposition, rarely standing still unless evidence is in their hands.

In any case, that's my reflections on page 81. How long do you suppose Escutcheon remains in that bloody shirt? Or Bolam for that matter!

Dr. Miller, Dr. Bolam and Evelyn return to Escutcheon's office in search of a new direction in Call the office.

See more by following the links:

• King Street Capers (updated Jan. 10)
• General comics (updated Dec. 10)
• Tomb of the Undead (updated Jan. 14) 
• Dinosuars (updated Jan. 17)
• Sketch Gallery (updated Jan. 17), or the
• Fundraising Faux-Pas,
• Mugabe comic strip (Pinocchio parody)

Super-Hating Silent Pirates with Cyanide and Happiness, Turbo Sloths and a Broctopus - webcomic / graphic novel news
Some really interesting news coming from some of the webcomic sites I've been following lately. Firstly, very exciting is a new message from Nick Marino (creator of Super Haters), the first since Nov. 30, when his characters left the comic when a subspace distortion or temporal displacement and "POP" were gone.

It was a finale to Super Haters as a daily webcomic and the birth of Nilufa and Destruct-o-tron's new journeys in different media. Which is beginning very soon, thanks to this update!

Check it out!

Coming January 21, 2013!! A new Super Haters short story featuring art by the incredible E.D. and written by yours truly. E.D. also made this trailer (which fucking rocks, if ya ask me!).
Read "When Ya Comin' Back, Kid Raptor?" at http://comics.superhaters.com/

- Nick Marino.

The Cyanide & Happiness Show

No networks, no regional restrictions. We’ll be using Kickstarter to raise money for production. We firmly believe the entertainment industry is changing, and the Internet will eventually become the only way people watch shows. Especially the people that make up our awesome fanbase. The Internet is already the largest network, available when you think about it. Why go anywhere else?

Click to read more.

Silent Pirate Fan Art

A little shameless plug, but I was happy to share some fan art with the creator of Silent Pirate the other day and he featured the work in his gallery, which you can find here. Also, check the comic out!

Other stuff I've been following up with lately include PyramidCar.net, featuring the art of Scott Campbell, which has been fun. Check it out here.

Also, a fun webcomic to follow along with is Turbo Sloth  by Ben Pernick- it's funny.

The Walking Dead Vol. 15: We Find Ourselves Graphic Novel Review 
Chris Beveridge
www.fandompost.com

The Walking Dead continues to hit some strong notes here as it moves this community storyline forward, dealing with ways to shore up what’s protecting all of them, expanding their overall knowledge of the area outside and working to really make it a community. The open nature of discussing what needs to be done is well handled and it has some interesting ideas, whether they bear fruit or not, it’s good to see the slow but steady focus from survival in the present to thinking long term.

Click to read more.


Fairest Vol. #1 – Wide Awake Graphic Novel Review  
Chris Beveridge
The Fandom Post

Fairest had me intrigued with the first issue, but in reading the first story arc in full here it becomes apparent just how engaging and fascinating the storyline is. Rose may be the weaker of characters here overall in terms of story, but there’s a lot of exploration of her whole True Love’s angle that’s well done. Everyone has a storyline of importance here and they all blend together well into a narrative that compels you to move to the next page quickly, but with artwork that makes you linger over it as long as you can.

Click to read more.

A Truly Humbling Moment | Broctopus
Broctopus Team member Ryan
www.thebroctopus.com

Welcome to The Broctopus Webcomic. We had a dream to create webcomics and we have made that dream a reality. Please enjoy our take on games, movies and whatever else!

Click to read more.

Increasingly impassioned with webcomic community

Well, here's the update for Page 80 of the Tomb of the Undead. I really liked the opening scene, and felt it really said a lot while they were entering the scene. I think this might be the turning point in the comic where I started to get the hang of drawing these characters - but then again, the artwork continues to be an evolving animal, changing in complexity (both up and down) and reflective of my attitude when I'm creating it, which is that special something about creating art.

I hope you like it.

Dr. Miller, Dr. Bolam and Evelyn return to Escutcheon's office in search of a new direction in Call the office.

See more by following the links:

• King Street Capers (updated Jan. 10)
• General comics (updated Dec. 10)
• Tomb of the Undead (updated Jan. 10), or the 
• Fundraising Faux-Pas,
• Mugabe comic strip (Pinocchio parody)

Webcomic news
I've recently become much more impassioned with webcomics than graphic novels, and think that the work I'm doing falls more in line with that species of art. But, who am I to classify it - in any case, the online community seems much more vibrant around webcomics than graphic novels anyhow. I think I'll be happier there.

Webcomics I've been following up with:
Buttersafe  from Alex Culang and Raynato Castro @buttersafe
Silent Pirate from Ahmed Fahim
Curvy from Sylvan Migdal @SylvanMigdal
Zombie Ranch from Dawn and Clint Wolf @zombieranch
Tripp from "Spinester" @kingsburymanx
Katamari from Alex Culang and Raynato Castro (the folks at Buttersafe) @buttersafe
Garfield minus Garfield from  Dan Walsh  @GMinusG
Super Haters from  Nick Marino @Super_haters
Goblins from  Thunt @Thunt_Goblins
Cyanide and Happiness from Kris Wilson, Dave McElfatrick and Rob DenBleyker @Explosm
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal from Zach Weiner @smbctheater

There are a whole cast of other webcomics out there I'm interested in following up with, but haven't yet jumped at like El Goonish Shive, Accursed Dragon, Tales of a Checkered Man, which are next on my schedule. 

If you've got any recommendations for me leave a comment and I'll look into it, for sure!