My Site and Drunk Duck

For those of your who voted for @$$hole! in the 2009 Drunk Duck Awards, I thank you. It was a pleasant surprise to be nominated last year, so here's hoping that the 2009 nominations are announced soon. And once that happens, the dreadful waiting period to find out if you've won anything. Oh, the anticipation gets me every time!




Wizard World Chicago is this weekend, and I've been busting ass to get content finished up in time. Get that ol' buffer back. Thankfully, this story has just been flowing out of me, and there will be a lot of fun coming up in future pages.

It's also running a bit longer than I originally anticipated, and I have a fear whenever that happens that people will burn out on reading it. "Get in, say it, and get out," tends to be my storytelling method, but with a comic like this I tend to like to linger a bit. It's fun.

Friday is the waiter's appearance.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, be sure to check out Erica Hampton's website, as she's the awesome person both taking the pictures and playing the Crazy Cat Loving Lady (who will have a name soon).

Labels: blind date, blind dating, comics, drunk duck, drunk duck awards, online dating, photography, web comics, writing

My Site and Drunk Duck

In case it wasn't obvious enough in the previous page, Selphi has passed on from her wound. Here we see Xen ("That's not my name"), the arm's dealer from earlier in the story. Looks like he somehow escaped Malukai's attack, but it doesn't sound like his business fared as well.

I think it's funny that he always "knows a guy." Who are these "guys" that he keeps referring to? Well, perhaps some day we'll find out. No matter what, he's a fun character to write.

Sophia sounds like she has a plan forming. I wonder what I could be....?

This week I'll be attending Wizard World Chicago. I don't have a booth this year, but I'll be wondering around and shaking hands. And no doubt will be in the Hyatt bar at night, so if you stop by for a drink look for a tall bald guy with poor posture who's laughing his ass off...or lecturing on some such nonsense. ;)

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The voting for the 2009 Drunk Duck Awards ended on July 31, so thank you to everyone who voted for Temple. Nominations should be announced soon, and then comes the stressful part...waiting to find out if Temple won anything. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Labels: comics, drunk duck, drunk duck awards, temple, the temple of a thousand tears, web comics, writing

My Site and Drunk Duck

Wasn't able to post last week Friday (when the comic went live) because I was sick with food poisoning. It was not fun. I couldn't even stand up at noon. Didn't go into work. Didn't do much of anything. Unfortunately, that was also the last day to vote for nominations in the 2009 Drunk Duck Awards, so here's hoping you voted for your favorites!

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Teased you with that little bit of back story there. Obviously, her kitty is no longer with her (since she misses him), but we'll get into that later.

For a story that I didn't plot or script out in advance, I'm having a lot of fun with this story. Which is important, I think, to break from tradition sometimes. It's good for preventing burnout, I think.

Plus, I have SO MANY PICTURES to go through for this story, the possibilities are endless. I hope you're enjoying it so far, and there're even more fun surprises down the road.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, be sure to check out Erica Hampton's website, as she's the awesome person both taking the pictures and playing the Crazy Cat Loving Lady (who will have a name soon).

Labels: blind date, comics, dating, drunk duck, drunk duck awards, online dating, web comics, writing

My Site and Drunk Duck

"The Cat's Corn Hole" just sounded like such a fun name for a place. On the one hand, it sounds like a dive place, like a hole in the wall. On the other hand, it sounds like a kitty's bum....

I'm starting to gear up for Wizard World Chicago next week. Been working on some special things, and also making sure that I have enough content to post while I'm away (and not make myself rush at the last minute to get it done either before or after the con). My plan is also to get the book off to the printer's this weekend. While it won't be available at Wizard World Chicago (which wasn't a goal anyway, since I'm not exhibiting), it'll be a good feeling to have it done and out.

Then when I get the proofs, I get to figure out how it'll look. It'll be a great test for future collections, to make sure that they are absolutely perfect.

The book will be available at Reactor in September, where I'll probably be speaking about comics in some panels. Programming hasn't been announced just yet for that con, but I've been talking to some people and it's rather promising.

Also, if you haven't done so yet, be sure to check out Erica Hampton's website, as she's the awesome person both taking the pictures and playing the Crazy Cat Loving Lady (who will have a name soon).

Now go vote for @$$hole!, if you haven't already! :P

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The 2009 Drunk Duck Awards
The DD Awards are upon us once again, and the categories are up. Last year, without trying, you the reader graciously nominated @$$hole! for "Best Photo Comic" and "Best Experimental Comic" - an honor which I'm told that if popular demand had determined the winner, @$$hole! would hold both titles.

This year, I'm asking for some nominations - so please be sure to vote for @$$hole!:

Best Antagonist: Susie
Best Dialogue
Best Humor Comic
Most Deliciously Offensive
Best Overall Strip Comic
Best Photo Comic
Best Slice of Life/Autobiographical Comic

If you think that @$$hole! deserves any of these awards, then I implore you to vote for @$$hole! in the 2009 Drunk Duck Awards. Voting goes until July 31 (Friday)!

Labels: comics, drunk duck, drunk duck awards, web comics, writing

My Site and Drunk Duck

The very emotional final scene in this sequence, and even when I was doing touch-ups on Olivia's artwork and lettering it I was crying.

Do yourself a favor, go back and re-read the sequence from the moment that Selphi gets stabbed and tell me if it flows well. Again, this is where I thought the series really found its voice.

And it's certainly when the story changed.

And Selphi's last words, "Why do they hate us?" is the question that I constantly ask whenever I hear about religious wars or tribal conflicts going on in the world. Sure, we all have different ideas and beliefs, but why do we have to kill for them? Why do we have to make it personal? Why do we have to hate each other?

I'm sure it's asking a lot to say, "Can't we all just get along?" but is it too much to ask, "Can't there be another way other than killing?" Forgiveness has to start somewhere.

But I digress. This story is hardly ever going to turn any heads or open any eyes to the error or futility of old ways and bad blood. But if it could generate a little tolerance in the world - if even one person read this and decided to use their words instead of their fists - then it would have exceeded my wildest expectations.

We can only hope.

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The 2009 Drunk Duck Awards
The DD Awards are upon us once again, and the categories are up. Last year, without trying, you the reader graciously nominated The Temple of a Thousand Tears as the Most Profound Comic - an honor which I'm told that if popular demand had determined the winner, Temple would hold that title.

This year, I'm asking for some nominations - so please be sure to vote for Temple:

Best Action Scenes
Best Adventure Comic
Best Dialogue
Best Fantasy Comic
Best Overall Story Comic
Best Philosophical / Spiritual Comic
Best Protagonist: Sophia
Best Sci-Fi Comic
Best Dramatic Comic
Best Overall Writing

If you think that Temple deserves any of these awards, then I implore you to vote for The Temple of a Thousand Tears in the 2009 Drunk Duck Awards. Voting goes until July 31.

Labels: comics, drunk duck, drunk duck awards, samurai, temple, the temple of a thousand tears, web comics, writing

My Site and Drunk Duck

The 2009 Drunk Duck Awards
The DD Awards are upon us once again, and the categories are up. Last year, without trying, you the reader graciously nominated @$$hole! for "Best Photo Comic" and "Best Experimental Comic" - an honor which I'm told that if popular demand had determined the winner, @$$hole! would hold both titles.

This year, I'm asking for some nominations - so please be sure to vote for @$$hole!:

Best Antagonist: Susie
Best Dialogue
Best Humor Comic
Most Deliciously Offensive
Best Overall Strip Comic
Best Photo Comic
Best Slice of Life/Autobiographical Comic

If you think that @$$hole! deserves any of these awards, then I implore you to vote for @$$hole! in the 2009 Drunk Duck Awards. Voting starts today (July 24)!

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Not only was the photo session a blast to do, but this comic is turning into a lot of fun to assemble. Part of the fun is trying to choose pictures that I think fit the scene or situation the best - and then adding dialogue to it. But when I said that I had a lot of pictures to go through, I wasn't even kidding. Do you know how large 800+ hi-res photos are? Or how long it takes to even preview them in your viewer? Let me give you a hint: they have to load! :P

Once again, the very talented Erica Hampton reprises her role as the Crazy Cat Loving Lady and this promises to be the worst blind date ever (but hopefully the most entertaining). And we haven't even made it to the place yet. That will be next week.

As for how the book's coming along, pre-pressing is all done and I've been making the final adjustments to the supplemental material. Sketches and some scripts, mostly, but also an afterword by myself and a forward by...someone more famous than me! Should be a fun book, but more about that as it gets shipped off to the printer within the next week or so.

Other than that, my announcements are about conventions. San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) is going on right now, and unfortunately I was not able to attend this year. Perhaps next year. However, I will be attending Wizard World Chicago in August (how is still up for debate, but I'm working on a few angles for a hopeful surprise - wish me luck), and will be a guest at Reactor in September. I submitted a few panel ideas, and they're finalizing the programming guide as we speak.

Well, enough out of me - go vote for nominees in the 2009 Drunk Duck Awards (and don't forget my other comic, The Temple of a Thousand Tears, is also eligible for nominations). Other than that, have a great weekend!

Labels: blind date, comics, dating, online dating, web comics, writing

My Site and Drunk Duck

The 2009 Drunk Duck Awards
The DD Awards are upon us once again, and the categories are up. Last year, without trying, you the reader graciously nominated @$$hole! for "Best Photo Comic" and "Best Experimental Comic" - an honor which I'm told that if popular demand had determined the winner, @$$hole! would hold both titles.

This year, I'm asking for some nominations - so please be sure to vote for @$$hole!:

Best Antagonist: Susie
Best Dialogue
Best Humor Comic
Most Deliciously Offensive
Best Overall Strip Comic
Best Photo Comic
Best Slice of Life/Autobiographical Comic

If you think that @$$hole! deserves any of these awards, then I implore you to vote for @$$hole! in the 2009 Drunk Duck Awards (when voting starts, that is).

###

Here's the first of the Blind Date story arc, and who's this: it's the Crazy Cat Loving Lady from the Vet Visit story arc! Played by none other than the lovely and talented Erica Hampton.

If you recall from the Vet Visit blogs, Erica is a professional photographer (recently specializing in weddings) who is incredibly talented and easy to work with, and gracious enough to allow me to borrow her time and equipment to make another crazy story involving her bizarre character. Unlike the Vet Visit story, however, this story isn't entirely scripted. Sure, there were some beats that I knew we had to hit, but I only really had a general idea of what would happen while we were shooting this. The benefit is that the photoshoot only took 3-4 hours this time (as opposed to the Vet Visit, which took over 6 hours). Also unfortunately (more so for me than you), is that I have over 800+ photos to shift through and organize to direct this piece. And I'm not entirely sure yet just how long it's going to be - but I have a goal in mind.

Suffice it to say, what you're about to read is going to be a fun train wreck - a roller coaster of gags and goofy stuff, and maybe even a little back story. I'm going to work for those nominations, let me tell you!

So enjoy, and I'll see you Friday with the next update!

Labels: blind dating, comics, dating, drunk duck, drunk duck awards, online dating, photography, web comics, writing

My Site and Drunk Duck

Perhaps this is the changing point for Sophia that turns her from the badass that we've seen in this story into the sweet wife and mother that we saw in flashbacks in the original story? Perhaps not. There's another Sophia story that I want to tell sometime after this about her meeting with the swordsman.

I'll be honest, I was crying when I wrote this sequence. It was a very emotional thing to write. Sophia is so helpless right now, doing the most that she can - but the car can only move so fast, and her sister is clearly coughing up blood. A lot of blood.

In the script I envisioned Sophia with her eyes closed and her mouth open wide screaming the last line, but unfortunately we weren't able to make those changes in time. Perhaps in a collected edition?

I'm in pre-production right now for the first two @$$hole! collections, which should be available later this year. My goal is to have them done before my speaking engagements in the late summer at a few conventions, and then get more of them printed next year for con season. However, let's take a poll: anyone here who might be interested in a Temple collected edition?

Labels: comics, samurai, sci-fi, temple, the temple of a thousand tears, web comics