While it's under construction, this image is my placeholder on that page:

The picture was taken at the 2011 N.E. Geek Expo, which was a cozy affair that went down in early November in northeastern Ohio.

From left to right, you can see a ton of my self-published comics -- Time Log, Super Haters, Zombie Palin, Stick Cats (with the theme song!), as well as some other minicomics in the top left.

And that's a wrap!!! I hope you've enjoyed Stick Cats Act III. I know I had an awesome time drawing it.

Act II will be happening at some point in the future. You'll get to learn about all the crazy events that transpired between Stick Cats #20 and Stick Cats #22 (hint: Stick Cats #21 is a teaser of their journey). However, I don't think I'm going to post it one page at a time. Expect to read Act II in chapters instead.

In the meantime, start following Stick Cats on Facebook to stay up-to-date on the progress of Act II.

WAIT... this isn't the absolute end! There's still one more page due on Wednesday -- it's the epilogue, where we find out the fate of Marmalade and Alternate Steve. See you then.

Marmalade makes her decision! Friendship beats out revenge, as she leaves with Alternate Steve to go find her Steve and bring him home. So what's next for Amazonia and the Deco-Kitty? Find out on Monday!!

Will Marmalade kill Amazonia? Or will she dimension jump with Alternate Steve??? Find out on Friday!!!

Marmalade vs. Amazonia!!! This fight was so much fun to draw. I love it when the claws come out.

The confrontation begins! Finally, some action in Act III. Marmalade vs. Amazonia... the fight that's been brewing for ever since Stick Cats #5!!

This is one of my favorite pages from Act III because I tried a few different things here that were a lot of fun to draw. I hope you dig it, too!

The horizontal splash page! I miss these. In the late 80s and 90s, these used to be a staple of the hottest superhero comics. AND I'M BRINGING 'EM BACK! Granted, my comics are very different from Juggernaut vs. X-Force or the Bloodties crossover... but I'm forging foreward nonetheless. I previously used the horizontal splash in Stick Cats Act I and my Passage minicomic. And, yes, when you read the printed version of this, you have to turn the book. That's what makes it so fun!

Welcome to Steve's lab!

Teleportation!!! Next: ZOOF!

Check out my other comic from today: Super Haters #304

The plot thickens!!! I drew Stick Cats Act III as my 24 Hour Comic, and by the time I hit this page, I was getting tired of all the talking! I wanted to advance the plot in an expedient fashion, so I introduced the notion in panel 2.

Other comics from today: Super Haters #303

I've been eagerly waiting to post this page since the beginning of Stick Cats Act III!!! Why? Because it's the reveal of the Octo-Kitty's new name -- QUINTO-KITTY! Which, BTW, is completely mathematically incorrect.

Jack Kirby, Mike Royer, and Irene Vartanoff:

Rich Buckler, Klaus Janson, Glynis Wein, and Tom Orzechowski:

Jerry Bingham and Dan Green:

Jack Kirby and Frank Giacoia:

Jack Kirby and Mike Royer [next 4 images]:

Billy Graham, Craig Russell, Tom Palmer, and Joe Rosen:

Jack Kirby and Mike Royer:

Make sure you click on the images -- most of them have bigger versions!

That's right... it's alternate reality Steve. And he said Time-Nado.

Other media from today: Super Haters #297 and Sequential Underground #29

Wait... is that Steve???

Special thx to Justique for helping me out with this comic! This is the only page that went through a significant change on 24 Hour Comics Day. I originally finished the comic within 12 hours, went to sleep, and looked it over in the morning. The middle panel was totally different on this page -- it was sloppy and unattractive. Justique suggested that I have each head say a different word and I thought the idea was brilliant! I went back to the Toonseum to say hi to the folks who were still grinding away, and I decided to draw the correction panel while I was there.

Other media from today: Super Haters #294

Other media from today: Super Haters #292 & A Podcast with Ross and Nick #115

It was great to meet so many new comics fans at the N.E. Geek Expo this past Saturday! Thx to all of you who purchased Stick Cats. I hope you enjoy the ride!!!

Speaking of which, have you read Stick Cats: Act I yet? If not, lemme make it easy for you -- now you can read the entirety of Act I on the Stick Cats Facebook fan page. And while you're there, also make sure to hit the like button and become a fan!

Whoooooops! I forgot all about Stick Cats today. I'M SORRY! I know that's kind of silly considering that I just started this new schedule, but I've got a good reason -- I'm getting ready for a convention that's happening tomorrow!

It's called the N.E. Geek Expo and it's at the Ashtabula County Fairgrounds in Jefferson, Ohio on from 12-7. There'll be comics, cosplay, gaming, and all other manner of nerdy stuff. I'll have fresh copies of my Stick Cats comics for sale, plus lots more. SEE YOU THERE!

Also, don't miss today's Super Haters #287 and Sequential Underground #28 (webcomic and podcast, respectively).

...and I'm one of them!

I answered Wayne's questions about my comics background, process, influences, and tons more. Check it out: Small Press Interview - Nick Marino

Also make sure to check out Wayne's three (count 'em... three!) new digital novels -- Scratch, Bedivere Book One: The King's Right Hand, and This Creature Fair.

Welcome to the beginning of the new Stick Cats Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule! Hope you enjoy the ride...

In honor of All-Hallows-Eve, I've posted my Zombie Palin webcomic on Tumblr, Google+, Facebook, and deviantART. It's only 11 strips long (10 on Tumblr!) and very NSFW. So pick your favorite social network and enjoy!

**SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT**

Stick Cats is going thrice weekly! Starting with next Monday -- Halloween a.k.a. Oct 31st -- you can read new Stick Cats pages on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. And it'll be like that for the next month and a half, until I reach the end of Act III with #45. After that? WHO KNOWS! If it seems like peeps are really digging more Stick Cats, then you can be sure that I'll keep putting them out on a more frequent basis.

ALSO:
- Stick Cats #25 on Tumblr
- Stick Cats #25 on deviantART
- Stick Cats #25 on Flickr

The Octo-Kitty speaks! Well, actually, it's not the Octo-Kitty anymore... but that's a reveal best saved for a different Stick Cats page.

ALSO:
- Stick Cats #24 on Tumblr
- Stick Cats #24 on deviantART
- Stick Cats #24 on Flickr

Considering my sales are typically very modest, I had a great showing. I sold out of Zombie Palin, as well as Stick Cats Act I and Act III. Also, thx to the AudioShocker Trivia Challenge, I got rid of a ton of other comics.

I had the chance to talk to lots of other indie creators, podcasters, and media producers. I learned a lot from these talks -- not just from the words exchanged, but from tracking trends in the topics we covered.

But my favorite part was experiencing the vest enthusiasm that fans had at the show. I caught some of this in the process of the Trivia Challenge, and that was great. I caught even more in the process of casual conversation.

For example, on Saturday I met a guy who recounted some of his favorite Wonder Woman moments. His passion for the topic and the way he described the comics kept me captivated for what felt like hours. I could have listened to him for the entire day.

Being a passionate person myself, I appreciate similar passion in others. Whether it's passion for comics knowledge, characters, stories, or the medium, I find it all very gratifying. That made NYCC a great way to spend a long weekend, if you ask me.

Would I table at NYCC again? HELL YES with one condition -- a reasonable table price. None of that $400 stuff. That's too much. And I'd also make sure to print up 300 or so free minicomics to give away to attendees (maybe even more).

I'll be doing podcast recaps of NYCC on the AudioShocker over the next couple of weeks, so keep a watch on that site for more about my NYCC 2011 experience.

EDIT: Here's my first podcast recap of NYCC.

I'm repping the AudioShocker in the Podcast Arena. I'm selling curated collections of our best podcasts, along with a lot of the comics I had at PIX last weekend.

I'm also running an AudioShocker Trivia Challenge, quizzing people on their comic book and superhero knowledge both new and old. The challenge was a hit yesterday, and I'm almost out of my first batch of prizes. When I officially run out of mainstream comic book sets to give away, don't worry -- you can still play for copies of my self-published comics! (Even better prizes, if you ask me.)

Anyway, if you're at NYCC, stop by and say hi. My table is in the waaaaay back of Artist Alley (right underneath the Podcast Arena sign hanging from the ceiling). See you there!!!

Hi to my new visitors from The Belfry WebComics Index. I hope you dig Stick Cats.

ALSO:
- Stick Cats #23 on Tumblr
- Stick Cats #23 on deviantART
- Stick Cats #23 on Flickr

But I digress. Let's talk about the Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo itself. It was a solid day. I'd say my sales were probably about the same as they were yesterday. Honestly, I don't keep super close track of my sales anymore. I don't sell enough to warrant thinking about it very much. I'm sure I made back my table, and probably a few bucks on top of that.

(Photo by Seth Fronzoli)

This was a small show, and that meant there were fantastic opportunities to make new friends and learn from professionals. For example, the one panel of the day was a great discussion about networking, building comics communities, reaching out to other creators, and finding a publisher.

The panelists were Bill Boichel, Jason Little, Tom Scioli, John Porcellino, Jim Rugg, and Ed Piskor. Even though I see most of them on a regular basis and we sometimes talk about this type of stuff, it was great to hear them address the topics head on.

Like yesterday, I gave away a ton of books. Friends, acquaintances, other creators... I'm sure I gave away more books than I ever have before at a show.

I couldn't even tell you what my top seller was today. It's a blur. However, I do remember selling two of my AudioShocker Comics Archives v1 digital comic cards, which warms my heart because that product is a true labor of love for me. I see a future in selling downloads and digital content, and this is my effort to push forward that vision.

I enjoyed this year's show more than 2010, and I'll definitely be back in 2012 (health and my location permitting, of course). You can check out more of my thoughts about PIX 2011 on Tuesday's AudioShocker Podcast and on the next episode of Sequential Underground (sometime on or after the 19th).

I enjoyed the crowd (for example, those two people above... who I don't even know them!). In particular, I talked to a lot of really interesting Carnegie Mellon students.

Also, I gave away a ton of books. I couldn't help myself! I've got all these new ones and I'm excited to get them out there. The top seller was Justique's Tales for a New Gen zine, and my top giveaway was Two Twisted Tales.

EDIT: Day 2 recap.

Here's the mighty list of comics I'll have with me (new items in bold):

TIME LOG
- Time Log one-shot
- The New Time Log (1 of 3)
- The New Time Log (2 of 3)

SUPER HATERS
- Super Haters v1
- Super Haters v2
- 6 Super Haters minicomics:
-- Kids (#58-72)
-- Guess Who's Cumming To Dinner? (#82-96)
-- Eye to Eye (#110-124)
-- Vacation (most of #167-187)
-- Is It Lust Or Is It Love? (#195-209)
-- Alternate Surreality (#215-229)

STICK CATS
- Stick Cats #1: Act I
- Stick Cats #3: Act III

OTHER COMICS
- AudioShocker Comics Archives v1 digital comic card
- Zombie Palin (third edition)
- Passage
- XLK: Extreme Lost Kisses #1
- Bushido Revolver
- Two Twisted Tales

ZINES
- Poetree
- NoPants Zine Anthology
- Tales for a New Gen

I'm sure there's something I left off the list. Anyway, point is, I'm gonna have a ton of new material with me this year, not to mention that nearly everything listed above is new since last year's PIX.

AND... if you stop by my table this weekend and mention the special phrase, you'll get a $2 discount off of your purchase (or, if the item you're buying is $2 or less, you'll get a free minicomic). The special phrase is: BALLS DEEP (and don't forget to mention this blog post to jog my memory).

So, yeah, as you can see, I've skipped Stick Cats Act II. Why? Because I think it's fun to introduce the setup and then fast-forward to the end!

I drew all of Stick Cats Act III for 24-Hour Comics Day last weekend (read more about my experience here). And I'm currently in the process of formatting it for PIX: Pittsburgh Indy Comics Expo, which is happening this weekend! You'll be able to buy both Stick Cats Act I and Act III from me at the show. See you there!

ALSO:
- Stick Cats #22 on Tumblr
- Stick Cats #22 on deviantART
- Stick Cats #22 on Flickr

How awesome??? So awesome that I finished my 24-page story in less than 12 hours! Granted, I drew Stick Cats Act III in a loose line with minimal detail, so it's not like I pulled a Jack Kirby routine. But I'm extremely pleased with the way things turned out. (Check back this Wednesday to read page 1!)

What did I do differently from 2010? I learned from my mistakes by setting different goals, sticking to stuff that I enjoy drawing, and focusing on speed. My goal for this year was to finish in a half-day, and I'm glad that I accomplished that mission (I went to sleep at a normal time in my own bed! SWEET!).

It was a great environment at this year's 24HCD, with lots of space and a good vibe. People were there to work, and their passion for drawing comics was apparent. A few of my close friends were there, as well as a few peeps I haven't met before.

Everybody had a different way of working and it was a lot fun to see the different styles in motion. For example, Chris Maverick was wired up real nice with his laptop and tricked-out tablet. He demonstrated Manga Studio a bit, and I was totally floored by some of the program's features.

On the flip, Juan Jose Fernandez was working on special yellow paper stock in a much more old school method. His traditional style involved pencils and India ink, and he kept his pages in a stack on the top left of his table.

Now imagine if you will Chris and Juan standing on opposite sides of a room, with a full spectrum of working methods filling in the gap between them. That's how it was at 24HCD. A few of us had laptops to use for finding reference or keeping tabs on social media while we worked. Others kicked it straight analog -- it was just them, a pencil, a pen, and the paper.

I worked in my sketchbook. That's the method I've used for Stick Cats thus far and I've come to enjoy the feel of drawing the comic page-by-page in a coil-bound tome. The only drawback to working in my sketchbook was that it was hard for other artists to come around and peak at my progress.

I skipped pencils (as usual) and worked in black ink, using my beloved Paper Mate Flair pens to get the job done (with a little Sharpie here and there). As I've been working like this for going on 20 years now, it was easy and comfortable -- a technique I was able to leverage for speed.

So what did I learn this year that I can apply in 2012?

1. Focusing on speed is a great way to work, but I'd like to slow down a bit and do a more detailed story next year.

2. Working in my sketchbook greatly decreased my ability to share, so I'll definitely make sure to use loose sheets next time.

3. And, finally, I'm gonna focus on big action and minimal dialogue in 2012. My characters talked too much this year, and I got tired of drawing the same settings over and over.

BUT WAIT! There's more! I referenced 24HCD in today's Super Haters webcomic. Based on Grant Morrison's philosophy of transference from the comics page to the creator's real life, I figured that if Destruct-O-Tron could complete a brilliant complete 24-hour comic in the Super Haters reality, then maybe it'd transfer over to me. Though I'd be hard pressed to call Stick Cats Act III brilliant, the other part of the transference worked!

But seriously, if you're in Pittsburgh and you're curious about 24HCD, stop by the Toonseum anytime after 12 PM tomorrow and say hi.

Officially, it runs from 12 PM on Sat Oct 1st until 12 PM Sun Oct 2nd. Frankly, I intended to draw a 12 hour comic. I'd much rather spend the night in my own bed, so my goal is to catch one of the late buses home around midnight.

But, as things tend to go with 24-Hour Comics Day, there's a very good chance I'll be there all night, cranking out pages and having a great time.

The above graphic was created by the prolific Barry Linck, writer/artist of Phineus (and much, much more). Along with Barry, I'll be kicking it with friends of mine like Scott Hedlund, Chris Maverick, Loran Skinkis, Kristoffer Smith, Lizzee Solomon, Byron Winton, Mikey Wood, and maybe -- just maybe -- Shawn Atkins (if he's back from his honeymoon). Of course, I'm not sure if all of these peeps will show up. But hopefully most of them will!!!

Check back here next week because I'll be posting a 24HCD recap, as well as the fruits of my labor.

This year -- just like last year -- Pittsburgh's 24HCD will be held at the Toonseum. Joe Wos is kind enough to open his doors to the PGH comics community again and house this marathon event.

I'm not bringing up the location just so you can stop down and say hi. The "where" is integral to the first lesson I learned last year: 1. Your location sets the tone. In 2010, there was a parade on Liberty Ave right outside the Toonseum's front door. Massive distraction! And not only that, but it also complicated the buses, making it hard for Justique to visit me.

And Justique's visit brings up the second lesson I learned: 2. If you want to end up with a finished book, then remember that 24HCD is about making comics and not hanging out. I'm not going to encourage Justique to visit me this year. She can if she wants, and of course I'd love to see her. But I'm doing this to test my limits and make a comic in one day, not be social.

Now there's one (count it -- one!) thing I did right last year -- I made it the entire 24 hours without sleeping. Myself and Chris Maverick were the only ones to do so. How'd I do it? A combination of proper rest, focus, and food. So: 3. Get a good night's sleep the night before and eat good stuff throughout the day. Ya know, low-carb grub that won't make you slip into a food coma.

But I didn't make the most of my 24 hours. Even though I stayed awake, I wasted them. I was too social, I was too distracted, and I was too indecisive. Which leads me my next lesson: 4. Avoid breaks, avoid trips that take you away from your work, and avoid thinking too much. Granted, that's kind of like two lessons in one right there, what with the thinking stuff. But the reason I group it together is because too much research or too much obsessive flip-flopping about your story is a form of procrastination.

I approached the day with a tight schedule that laid out what I'd be doing every half-hour. Ahahahahahaha! What a fucking joke!!! That schedule was blown out of the water in two hours. Thus: 5. Don't waste your time trying to work on a set schedule -- just work as fast as you can.

So what did I do for the first two hours? I wrote a script. Which leads me to my next lesson learned: 6. Don't write a script. A nice idea, but very impractical.

Here's the script I wrote for my comic, Maximum Cactus #1:

It's a fine script and all. But totally pointless. Why? Because I only got done nine pages!!! See, I thought I'd be able to breeze through the process by working digitally. WRONG! Again, a nice idea... if I'd been comfortable working digitally. But I'm not. I like to draw on paper and then scan stuff in.

And that leads me to my next lesson: 7. Draw in the most comfortable way possible. I don't mean comfortable like sweat pants. I mean comfortable as in the way that feels most natural to you. I shoulda drawn on paper with Paper Mate Flair pens. That's the easiest way for me to work.

Another mistake I made was trying to tell a story with a lot of dialogue and boring imagery. I was too reliant on exposition and not reliant enough on stuff that's fun to draw. So, as you'll soon see, I ended up with a lot of talking heads. Which flows into my next lesson: 8. Draw stuff that you like to draw. That's where my script messed me up -- I wrote a story that I loved but not one that I wanted to draw.

As for the actual drawing process, it was fun but slow. I planned too much and didn't let myself feel the moment. Thus I learned another lesson: 9. Be improvisational. When the clock strikes 2 AM and you suddenly realize you don't give a shit about what you need to draw for page 14, you're screwed if you have a strict script that's binding you to a set story. However, working improvisationally will allow you the necessary wiggle room to change things on the fly.

So how much did I finish last year? Nine unlettered pages. [cue sad trombone]

I didn't start to enjoy my art until the second half of page eight. And even then, I still had a lot of misgivings about it. But it was a great learning experience and a fun journey, even if I left the Toonseum the next day feeling defeated by 24HCD.

In summation, I have only one more lesson to impart: 10. Plan to make a comic that you can complete in 12 hours, not 24. Then maybe -- just maybe -- you'll be able to finish a 24 page story in one day.

I dunno how I want to kick off Stick Cats Act II, so I made this map instead.

ALSO:
Stick Cats #21 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #21 on deviantART

My friend Dan mentioned that he hasn't seen any reports from the 2011 Pittsburgh Zine Fair yet, so I figure I'll post an impromptu one from the perspective of an organizer and exhibitor at the show.

This debut PGH Zine Fair was the baby of Erin Oh, who started working on it back in June (I think). I joined the organizing crew in early July, and attended meetings every Monday night at Pittsburgh Filmmakers in North Oakland.

While Pittsburgh's had other recent small press events in the past few years (SPF and PIX come to mind), this Zine Fair was dedicated to zines above all else, making it a bit different than its predecessors. Also, it stands out from the pack by being a wholly volunteer and organization-free project. There was no backing company -- profit or non-profit -- involved.

Anyway, we all worked hard to design the best show possible with limited resources, and I think Erin did a fantastic job leading the show to definitive success. I was really impressed with the attendance. I would say it was a good-to-great turnout for a random late summer Thursday evening. Also, because the main vendor space was tightly packed, it felt really well attended.

The crowd was more bohemian than I expected. I'd consider myself one of the less traditional people that I can think of in the Pittsburgh comics scene... but the Zine Fair crowd made me feel like I was one step away from wearing a suit and tie to the event.

I'd be lying to you if I said I got a good feel for the material that was there. Honestly, I didn't walk around that much. But I did see a pretty wide range of stuff, from minicomics to photocopied prose to art books to perfect-bound novels.

Personally, I did a very modest business. But I always do a very modest business. And the Zine Fair was on par with how I normally perform. One friend of mine did what I consider to be very strong business (and it was her first show), while another did very weak business (and this was his umpteenth show). I fell somewhere in between.

And there were more than zines! We had DJs (I was one of them). The first DJ to go on was AWESOME! She should have played the whole show. The next DJ didn't show up, so a show organizer went on next. I was last.

We used a PA system, which was great for microphones... but not so great for music. The speakers couldn't handle low or high sounds (it's just not in their dynamic range), so half of my tunes sounded great and the other half sounded empty. But it was awesome that we even had a PA at the show in the first place, so kudos for that.

We also had free food (not my style of grub but it was kickass that we had some), water (I love water), and workshops. I was too busy manning my space to go to any of the programming, but I assume it all went well. I didn't hear any complaints!

Also, there was a raffle, and what I found notable about the raffle was how PACKED the room was when we announced the winners. It was a healthy mix of vendors and attendees, and that was really nice to see.

Here are a few more pics from the Zine Fair on the main site. And here are the same pics plus more on Andy Scott's blog. And here's some personal reflection on the show from Wayne Wise, putting the event in a historical context.

All in all, I had a good time and I felt like the show did terrific for its first year. I really hope we can bring it back again next year and make it an even greater success!

Here are my new releases created especially for this year's debut show:

Tales for a New Gen

I'm thrilled to present this zine of three short sci-fi tales by Justique Woolridge. I did a few illustrations and the book design for TFANG, but make no mistake -- Justique is the star here, writing the kickass tales and designing the gorgeous cover.

NoPants Zine Anthology

NoPants was my early 00s satire of corporate magazine culture, full of nonsense and cheeky ignorance. I've decided to collect the three original NoPants issues and create a new one just for the Pittsburgh Zine Fair. But instead of printing them individually, I'm collected them into a 48-page anthology of insanity.

Along with these two new releases, I'll also have issues of Time Log, some Super Haters ashcans, my sci-fi minicomic Passage, the super-mini XLK #1, Poetree (which was randomly featured on the front page of Pop City today (see below for a screen cap), and more.

Still not convinced? Check out this video ad for the Zine Fair:

You might recognize the music -- it's my song Essential from Brilliant Shower. I'll be playing my Nik Furious music at the Fair from 8-9:30 PM, tearing it up with some of my mixtape mixes, original instrumentals, and favorites from other musicians.

So that's it. That's all I've got. That's my best sales pitch. Hope to see you there!!!

This is the end of Stick Cats Act I!!! What does that mean for you as a reader? I don't know. But for me as the creator, it means that this is the first mega-climax of my write-it-as-I-go Stick Cats epic.

Anyway, unrelated, come check me out at the Pittsburgh Zine Fair on Thurs Sept 1st (tomorrow) from 5-10 PM on the city's Northside at AIR. I'll have a couple of new offerings, as well as a bunch of my print comics (no Stick Cats collections yet, sorry... but I'll have those ready in a month for PIX).

ALSO:
Stick Cats #20 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #20 on deviantART
Stick Cats #20 on Flickr

Sorry I skipped last week! But I think 18 straight pages without a missed week is a pretty impressive for something that I started on a lark. Anyway, I'll definitely be posting next week because #20 is already completed... and it happens to be the end of the first act of Stick Cats!

ALSO:
Stick Cats #19 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #19 on deviantART
Stick Cats #19 on Flickr

ALSO:
Stick Cats #18 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #18 on deviantART
Stick Cats #18 on Flickr

ALSO:
Stick Cats #17 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #17 on deviantART
Stick Cats #17 on Flickr

ALSO:
Stick Cats #16 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #16 on deviantART
Stick Cats #16 on Flickr

ALSO:
Stick Cats #15 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #15 on deviantART
Stick Cats #15 on Flickr

ALSO:
Stick Cats #14 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #14 on deviantART
Stick Cats #14 on Flickr

ALSO:
Stick Cats #13 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #13 on deviantART
Stick Cats #13 on Flickr

NEXT: Mourning the loss of a friend.

ALSO:
Stick Cats #12 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #12 on deviantART
Stick Cats #12 on Flickr
Stick Cats #12 on Facebook

NEXT: Sifting through the remains!

Stick Cats #11 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #11 on deviantART
Stick Cats #11 on Flickr
Stick Cats #11 on Facebook

Special thx to Katie Henderson for drawing the first panel of this comic, helping me successfully transition the Stick Cats back to their normal forms.

If you've been following Stick Cats, then you may have noticed that it keeps slipping later and later into the week (from Monday to Wednesday to Thursday to Thursday night). THAT STOPS HERE! In fact, I'll have a Stick Cats pinup posted in a couple of days, and then #11 will be posted early next week. I haven't decided it yet... but I'm even thinking about doing more than one Stick Cats a week (not like anyone really cares, but I might do it anyway).

Stick Cats #10 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #10 on deviantART
Stick Cats #10 on Flickr

I can't say "THANK YOU" enough to the stupendous Katie Henderson, who came back to deliver this conclusion to the bizarre Catnip Rose vision quest. Just like last week, make sure to check out the large version of the comic to see all of Katie's incredible detail (especially the Manx Militia!).

Next time, sadly, the Stick Cats will return to being sticks. While I can't promise you any breathtaking artwork, what I can do is guarantee a kickass adventure!

Stick Cats #9 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #9 on deviantART
Stick Cats #9 on Owl Feathers Inc
Stick Cats #9 on Flickr

This video is my thank you to Richard from TWC, and it's also a chance for me to show off Super Haters on the iPad, not to mention Time Log on the Kindle app (which I obviously don't know how to use very well). Plus, there's a little peak at the AudioShocker Comics Archives v1 digital comic card.

Oh, hey, while you're at it, you should go vote for Super Haters on TWC!

Surprised? I hope you are!!! The fantabulous Katie Henderson was kind enough to draw today's comic, and I think it looks gorgeous! You've gotta make sure to check out the larger version because there's so much incredible detail in there. In fact, there's so much detail that I think I messed this comic up with the letters!

And make sure to get yer butts back here next week when Katie does another guest week of monumental Octo-Kitty sized proportions!!!

Stick Cats #8 on Flickr
Stick Cats #8 on deviantART
Stick Cats #8 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #8 on Owl Feathers Inc

Next Stick Cats, I'm excited to welcome aboard guest artist Katie Henderson, who's sure to deliver a very... hi-fi experience for all of you Stick Cats readers out there!!!

Stick Cats #7 on deviantART
Stick Cats #7 on Flickr
Stick Cats #7 on Tumblr

Delightfully silly in both story and illustration, Extreme Lost Kisses #1 is the classic story of the professional day-saver, saving the day. Every page / panel evokes another cliche from the vast library of cliches attached to action films. About the time a reader begins to wonder what the payoff is going to be, or if there will even be a payoff, there it is.

Extreme Lost Kisses is a good example of how XKCD has not yet cornered the market on stick figure comics. Although the deadpan narration carries much of the weight of the story, the illustrations deftly bring the story real expressiveness. It is a good reminder that not all stick figures are created equal.

Thx, Holly!!!

Remember, XLK #1 is available digitally as a free PDF, so go read Extreme Lost Kisses #1 right now if you haven't already checked it out!

I feel like I should have something awesome to say, but I don't. I'm posting the comic really early this time around (Saturday) and the only thing new in my life right now is that Netflix is streaming Eerie, Indiana.

Stick Cats #6 on deviantART
Stick Cats #6 on Flickr
Stick Cats #6 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #6 on Facebook

Here's what he had to say:

I love how entertaining these mini-comics are. My favorite was Extreme Lost Kisses #1. ... The story is about one single soldier who possesses skills that even Rambo hasn't even dreamed about. Hilarious. Again this is no Marvel or DC Comic. These are comics created by guys who like to tell stories and do it for fun. It doesn't mean that they are not passionate about it, as a matter of fact, they are probably more passionate than some of the "mainstream" writers/artists out there. No joke.

Brian John Mitchell has some great ideas and his writing is something we can all relate to. He wants to tell you a story and he does, it's almost like you are either listening to him or you are so submerged in the comics, it's crazy. That's what I liked. Now Nick Marino's art, simple, funny and cool. Yes, the mini-comics are black and white, yes they are stick figures, but you have to look beyond that. Again you do not need a complicated landscape of inks and colors to tell a story.

Like one wise man once said: "Haters gonna hate". I don't. I liked it, and I am sure you will too. Obviously some people wont and that is totally OK. Listen I didn't used to like carrots, but one day my mom served them with lemon and salt, and now I cant stop eating them every day. I have super sight, yeah they are good for your sight, but that's beside the point, I am getting sidetracked here...

Granted, I didn't really need to include that last paragraph here in my recap, but I get a kick out of his carrot analogy.

Anyway, if you haven't already read XLK #1... WHY NOT? It's available digitally for free as a PDF. Read Extreme Lost Kisses #1 right now!

And Agent Burgos -- thx for the review!

On a side note, the Stick Cats FCBD 2011 maxi-comic was a success! I gave out a butt ton of them, along with a bunch of copies of the Stick Cats theme song.

Stick Cats #5 on deviantART
Stick Cats #5 on Flickr
Stick Cats #5 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #5 on Facebook

One especially unlucky comic book fan won a raffle of my work, including prints from A Deadpool A Day and Green Thursdays... as well as an IOU for a free superhero stick figure sketch.

My apologies to the unsuspecting guy who took home this sketch. Hope you don't hate it! And thx to Seth Fronzoli for the photos.

- Tomorrow, I'll be at Phantom of the Attic Comics in Oakland (in Pittsburgh!) for Free Comic Book Day 2011. I'l be giving out FREE Stick Cats maxi-comics and the first lucky 45 peeps will also take home a copy of the brand new Stick Cats theme song by Nik Furious!!! And, of course, you can buy my comics from me as well.

- This weekend is also the opening of Fleeting Pages, a Pittsburgh indie book store experiment that's only minutes away from my front door. They'll be selling almost all of my self-published comics as well as my digital comic cards. Swing by to check out all the awesome small press and self-published works they have... and buy my books!

- Speaking of indie books, you may remember a video I posted a few weeks ago that I made to win a free table at this summer's Indie Book Event in NYC. Well voting is now open and I NEED YOUR VOTES! There's only two of us in running, so pls help snag the table -- VOTE NOW!

- Unrelated from all of this, my version of the cover to Aquaman #2 was recently featured on the Rejected by Covered blog. It's a pretty ugly drawing, so click through at your own risk.

- And, finally, Super Haters has received a couple of awesome reviews lately. If you're interested, you can read them here.

Check out the Stick Cats #4 teaser... there're a few differences between the strip as it was drawn and the one you see posted here.

Also I'll be giving out FREE Stick Cats maxi-comics this Saturday, May 7th at Phantom of the Attic Comics in Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood (for Free Comic Book Day 2011). So swing by the store in the afternoon hours to say hi and snag your copy!

BTW, you can now "LIKE" Stick Cats on Facebook. Why you would, I have no idea. But at least you have the option.

Stick Cats #4 on deviantART
Stick Cats #4 on Flickr
Stick Cats #4 on Tumblr

Like last week, there'll be some differences between the this teaser version of the strip and the final version. So keep your eyes peeled for the differences when I post the finished Stick Cats #4 soon!

Astute Stick Cats sleuths may notice a few differences between the finished version of Stick Cats #3 seen here and the Stick Cats #3 teaser I posted on Monday. The reason I made those changes? Just to @#$% with you.

Stick Cats #3 on deviantART
Stick Cats #3 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #3 on Flickr

I'll post the finished (and potentially altered version) of Stick Cats #3 this Wednesday, April 27th. And in case you were wondering... YES, those are He-Man bed sheets in the background.

It's the comic no one demanded! Stick Cats is back for a second dose of, uhhh... WEBCOMIC STICK FIGURE FELINE GOODNESS!!! Be back next Monday to catch your first peep at the mega metropolis that is Kittyopolis.

Stick Cats #2 on deviantART
Stick Cats #2 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #2 on Flickr

This is the debut installment of Stick Cats. I don't have a big plan for it. Nor do I have anything extra special to share with you. I'm just gonna keep posting a new page of Stick Cats every Monday Wednesday until I get bored with it.

Stick Cats #1 on deviantART
Stick Cats #1 on Tumblr
Stick Cats #1 on Flickr

This was made to showcase my range of self-published titles for the Indie Book Event's contest... cause I wanna win a free table at their 2011 show in NYC!

I took an hour out of my day today to whip up a special Out of the Gutter EXCLUSIVE two-page comic called "I Hate Comics Forever." I'm going to raffle off the one-of-a-kind only-one-on-paper original art of the comic tonight at the talk. So get yer butts out to library if you wanna take this sucker home!!!

Time-traveling fake-eye-patch-wearing Nick stops present Nick from giving up on comics? CLASSIC!

- This weekend I'll be at SPACE in Columbus selling my self-published comics (and comic cards!). One such comic is a brand new offering from me, a mini-comic called Passage. I'm not gonna say anything else about it right now except that it's a raw sci-fi tale with a twist.

- The day after SPACE (Monday, March 21st), I'll be back in Pittsburgh but still promoting my comics when I give a talk in the teen/comics section of the Carnegie Library in Oakland at 6:30 PM. The graphic novel discussion group is called Out of the Gutter, and my talk (with Shawn Atkins) is called Using Every Piece of the Cow (DISCLAIMER: no cows were harmed in the making of this lecture). We'll be sharing our work, discussing our process, and tap dancing to Steal Away by Robbie Dupree (DISCLAIMER: I'm lying about the tap dancing).

Okay, yeah, I skipped Green Thursdays yesterday. Sorry!!! I'm in a bit of a time crunch as next weekend's SPACE nears (among many MANY other things...), and stick figure Green Lantern seemed like the least of my concerns.

But I would like to take a moment share something with you -- what you're looking at up there is a bundle of 100 Dropcards that I ordered for this upcoming convention season. (Not familiar with Dropcards? You can learn more here.)

Look, printing is difficult. There are a lot of options and a lot of complications. And, frankly, it's not economical.

I love comic books and I always will, but I'm looking towards the future... specifically, I'm banking on what you see above. I'm calling them comic cards.

The concept is simple -- you buy the comic card and gain access to up to 500 MB of original comics and extras. To download the material to your computer or mobile device, all you need to do is go to my personalized URL (in this case, I chose dropcards.com/comics) and enter in the code on the back of your card.

It's that easy. High quality digital comics and behind-the-scenes material for a price lower than two printed comic books. I think that sounds pretty damn good.

EDIT (5/2/11): I've posted a description of the AudioShocker Comics Archives v1 digital comic card, including a more detailed description of the content as well as how the card works. Check it out!

My friend and comics collaborator, Brian John Mitchell, runs an online zine called QRD. It features monthly interviews with musicians.

But the most recent issue -- QRD #48 -- is a showcase of interviews with indie comics creators. Check out my interview, where I answer some questions creating, promoting, distributing, and reading comics.

Also check out #48's interviews with awesome friends of mine such as Ross Campbell, Marcel Walker, and Brian himself

It's been a while since I've done an update like this and there's a lot to cover, so let's get to it!

- The image you see up top is the art for the very first AudioShocker Comics Dropcard. Confused? Dropcards are essentially little gift card looking things that give you a unique code to access downloadable content. They're pretty common nowadays for musicians, but as far as I know, I'm the first person using them for comics. The Dropcard pictured above will make its debut at this year's SPACE.

- That's right, I'll be at SPACE (Small Press Alternative Comics Expo) in Columbus on March 19th and 20th. I'm rolling into town with a ton of great Pittsburgh comic creators including Shawn Atkins, Dan Greenwald, Scott Hedlund, Marcel Walker, and Seth Fronzoli (plus some other great PGH comics cats'll be there too, like Tom Scioli, Nate McDonough, Andy Scott, and more). AND I'll be catching up with some friends like Brian John Mitchell and Josh Blair (AAHHH NO MORE NAME DROPPING!). I'll have a bunch of comics with me, both old and new, including...

- The New Time Log (1 of 3), which is currently at the printers! It's my first foray into full color printing and it's a bit ironic considering I'm pretty against expensive, over-printed comics... But this bad boy is one high-quality sucker! Smooth paper, lush tones, and-- oh look at me, I'm gushing. Anyway, I'll be posting more about this book in the next few weeks.

- Speaking of new comics, I'm a contributor to Andy Scott's comix anthology, specifically Andromeda #7. I have a two-pager in there called "Adventure 101." Click the linked issue title to check it out on Etsy.

- And continuing the theme of collaboration, over on my daily webcomic, Super Haters, I'm gearing up for a new feature -- Super Haters Guest Weeks!!! Each month, beginning on the second Monday, I'll be featuring seven days of strips by a guest writer. First up in March is Ross Campbell, who's got some pretty nuts stuff planned for Destruct-O-Tron and Mind's Eye.

- I also have a ton of other stuff going on, like an upcoming talk at the Out of Gutter comics discussion group at Pittsburgh's Carnegie Library in Oakland, the bi-monthly Sequential Underground podcasts, Time Log nearing the end of ACT II, Project Basement (v3 starts later today (Powers and Costumes this time around)), an impending Deadpool comic with Brian John Mitchell, and... this brief 24 Hour Comics Day 2010 interview that I did with the TGT Webcomics Podcast (my section of the interview starts at 28:20).

Check it out!!!
- SPACE Anthology 2011 PDF (75 MB)

That's right. I rejected my own sketch.

See, I wouldn't normally do that... but the one you see above just didn't feel right. I mean, it's a fine cartoon and all. But to me, it doesn't embody what Project Basement is all about -- the raw energy of a sketch, no matter the quality.

There's not much energy to it. And to take that a step further, I didn't have much energy in me by the time I was drawing it. In fact, it was maybe my sixth or seventh stab at the concept and I was pretty drained.

Then I sucked even more life out of it with the colors. Even now, I'm not that happy with them. The halftone pattern looks to heavy to me, and all the colors are muted in a really ugly way.

That's why I ended up going with this sketch of Christian Bale movie Batman. So click that link and pop over to the AudioShocker to check the sketch and see what I have to say about the character!

I've posted my new 5-page collaboration with the mega-talented Eduardo Savid over on the Millarworld message boards -- read A Taste of the Sea now. The story is a submission to Mark's Space Oddities feature for his new magazine, CLiNT.

This is actually my second submission to the magazine -- here's my first, Captive Audience. Captive Audience didn't make the cut in the first round, so now it's looking for a good home in an anthology or a like-minded publication.

At some point soon, I'll do a full behind-the-scenes post for my new mini comic... but in the meantime, go ahead and read XLK: Extreme Lost Kisses #1 as a PDF and check out Brian John Mitchell's blog post about it.

Big congrats to my friends and acquaintances who are also nominated -- Brian John Mitchell, Josh Blair, and Pat Lewis. I'm glad they're not in my category cause they all have a great shot at winning their own respective SPACE Prizes!

If you were a SPACE 2010 exhibitor and you're interested in finding out more about my entry before you vote, here are the ways you can check out my eligible Super Haters comic strips:

- Start with Super Haters #1 on the AudioShocker (read up to #41)
- Read Super Haters #1-41 as a photo album on Facebook
- Read Super Haters #1-41 as a set on Flickr
- Download Super Haters #1-41 as a single PDF (about 6.75 MB)
- See the Super Haters Master List to pick and choose individual strips

Also make sure to check out SuperHaters.com. It's featuring slightly remixed versions of my original Super Haters strips that ran on the AudioShocker, as well as collected story arcs and some other goodies. New material starts on Groundhog's Day 2011. AND make sure to hit up the Super Haters on Facebook and become a fan!

Thx to Bob Corby for allowing Super Haters into the running and thx to any 2010 SPACE exhibitors who vote for the Haters (deadline is Jan 31st, 2011)!!!

Buy your own from Amazon or DriveThruComics!!!

In fact, before there was Evil Dick, there was Evil Andy. But, see, I went to Carnegie Mellon University -- and while I did manage to publish some heinous and offensive comic strips in the school newspaper -- I just couldn't get The Tartan to approve a comic strip starring a bigoted and misogynistic zombie Andrew Carnegie (same goes for another satire strip I came up with about CMU's Dean, Jared Cohon).

But after my graduation, the idea for Evil Andy came back to me. I decided to switch out Carnegie for Richard Nixon and voila! Evil Dick was born!!!

The plot followed Dick Cheney as he resurrected Nixon to be his undead mastermind, leading readers to believe Cheney was "Evil Dick." But then BLAM! I'd hit 'em with the ol' switcharoo in #4 as Nixon kills Cheney AND Bush, and takes over as the President of the United States!

But alas, after two installments, I abandoned the strip. I wanted to run it on SquareMag.com, a site for which I'd written a couple of prose pieces. But there was no interest from them, and in turn, I began to lose interest myself.

Years later, I adapted the core concept of Evil Andy/Evil Dick into the idea for Zombie Palin, a comic strip by myself and my co-writer, Pete. It follows a similar premise, only Palin isn't resurrected -- she's bitten by zombies and becomes the first undead President.

The only remnants of Evil Dick are these two photo collage comic strips and my massive set of 30+ scripts, making Evil Dick another of my secret past projects... FROM THE VAULTS!!!

EDIT: It looks like Kundo took the blog post down... but never fear!!! I've got a Captive Audience PDF right here!

What originally started as my pitch for 2000 AD's Future Shocks feature ended up becoming this awesome collaboration with artist Kundo Krunch! We worked this comic up as a submission to Mark Millar's new CLiNT magazine, but -- sadly -- Mark didn't pick us. "HE CHOSE... POORLY."

However, that means this story still needs a home! Kundo and I are looking for an anthology that would be a good fit for this twisted five-pager. Anyone interested should email me at nickmarino @ gmail dot com. Thx ahead of time for your interest!

In then meantime, Kundo's posted the five pages over on his blog, so go check it out and lemme know what you think!

This is the final Max Cac page I finished on 24 Hour Comics Day this year. And it's my favorite. The journey begins!!!

MID-POINT! Well, mid-point of the pages I finished on 24 Hour Comics Day, that is. As for the full story I've scripted for Maximum Cactus #1 (or Max Cac, as I like to call it in my head), it's only a fifth of the way through.

We tried a blog, but it didn't stick. And the Strip Club project was tons of fun, but the biggest fans ended up being the few cartoonists who were already working on it.

But now we're trying a different format: podcasting. And Sequential Underground #1 is up today! So go give it a listen and leave some feedback in the comments.

This year was my first year. I worked on a mini-comic called Maximum Cactus #1. I finished nine pages. (Eep!!! Better luck next time, I guess!)

BUT... at 2 PM on Sunday, September 26th, there's something extra special going on: the Self-Publishing Comics 101 panel!!!

Along with myself, expect to see Shawn Atkins, Chris Maverick, and Nate McDonough, along with the possibility of some Ed Piskor and Copacetic Comics showing up too.

Expect to hear us talk about the creative process and how we get our stuff printed. If you're interested in making comics and self-publishing them, then make sure to show up and ask us lots of questions!!!

extreme.

- What you heard about VIP PodCamp Sponsor??? Hmmm... this is Podcamp PodCamp 5, yet the URL says 4. Oh well, whateves. All that VIP means is that I paid $25 bucks to get some schwag and get my name on the site. OH YEAH. Point is, I'll be at PodCamp this weekend sharing about the AudioShocker podcasts, learning some tricks, and networking.

- Annnndddd next weekend is Pittsburgh's Small Press Fest. I'll have awesome AudioShocker Comics like:
- - Time Log one-shot
- - Super Haters v1
- - Super Haters v2
- - Super Haters Special Edition (relatively NEW!)
- - Zombie Palin 3rd Edition (NEW!)
- - CONFIDENTIAL SPF SPECIAL RELEASE (duh, NEW!)

SPF is free to attend, so come stop by and check out all the awesome stuff that Pittsburgh indie comics and lit scene has to offer.

The pinup process completes!

Last time, the basic colors and letters brought the piece together. And I could've stopped there. But I thought I'd try some color holds/knockouts on this piece.

And that's all folks! Now go give a gander to the Explorers of the Unknown comic that inspired it.

The pinup process continues!

Last time, the finished black and white art appeared. Up here is the pinup with basic colors, as well as letters. This is where I think the piece really starts to come together.

But get ready for next time, when I'll have the finished product! In the meantime, go read the Explorers of the Unknown comic.

More in the pinup process!

Last time, you saw the rugged sketch for this piece. This time, I'm proud to show off the more polished finished black and white art. Next time, I'll have the basic colors (but not the finished product).

Now go check out the Explorers of the Unknown comic!

I did a pinup of Shawn Atkins and Seth Fronzoli's Explorers of the Unknown over the weekend, and I thought I'd share the step-by-step changes in the art.

What you see here is the line art exactly as it was drawn. It's sloppy and rough, for sure. But never fear! It makes for great black and white art, which you'll see next time.

I'll be at:

- FanExpo Canada in Toronto, this weekend, August 27-29 at Artists Alley table A80 (CORNER TABLE!). I'll have the brand spanking new Project Basement ashcans, as well as copies of the first ever digital Super Haters Special Edition (which should be a pretty cool little package for only $3!), as well as copies of the Time Log one-shot, Zombie Palin ashcans, and ashcans of the first two Super Haters collections. And Justique will be there too!

- Pittsburgh's Small Press Festival on the city's North Side at AIR on September 25-26. I helped organize the comics end of this show, so I'm proud to set up and sell my stuff surrounded by comics friends and (hopefully soon-to-be-made) zine and small press lit friends.

- PIX: The Pittsburgh Indie Comics Expo in the Strip on October 16-17, a show that's a joint effort between the awesome Copacetic Comics Company and the Toonseum.

- I will soon lock down my plans for Mid-Ohio-Con in early November. While my attendance could change, chances are I'll be at the show.

- Not comics (but still an event), I'll be at Pittsburgh Podcamp on September 18-19, sharing about social media and hopefully learning a few new tricks for the AudioShocker.

- In the far-flung future, I'll be at SPACE in 2011. Don't let weddings, funerals, births, or serious accidents stop you from being there -- MARK YOUR MUTHER!@#$ING CALENDARS RIGHT NOW.

So go buy a copy already!!!

I think that I maybe posted about this before, but you can also buy Time Log digitally as a PDF from DriveThruComics, where it retails for $1.99.

As for future digital platforms, I'm still holding out hope that ComiXology or iVerse will get back to me (well, it's been a while, so I'm not holding out too much hope...) and I'm looking into some other non-conventional comics avenues. I think that the Barnes & Noble Nook and Sony Reader might also be in the cards for Time Log, as well as some other eReader devices.

If anyone knows about a good site or eBook device I should hook up with to sell Time Log, gimme a shout!

- I finished scripting the second act of Pepper Jones, Adventure Scientist (remember the sample I posted from the first act?). The third act was practically written as a script, so all I need to do is break it into panels. This project is, for those who don't know, a digest-sized full-length graphic novel I'm co-writing with Shawn Atkins, who's also the artist:

- I've had a few story conferences with Pete Borrebach regarding the direction of our upcoming Time Log webcomic (launching in August!). Again drawn by Shawn, Pete and I thought that this story was locked down... until we went back and looked at the scripts we wrote three years ago and realized they needed to be completely overhauled. So overhauled we have! We should have the first few strips written by the start of June.

- Yeah, I shifted myself from one apartment to another over the weekend, but the real shifting is going on over in Super Haters. I bet everyone thought last week's ending was just a mindless joke, right? Well it may have been mindless but it wasn't a joke! Expect some... changes this week. (Here's last week's ending:)

- I've crossed the 15,000 word mark on my super-secret project (which is technically no longer a secret... you just need to know where to find it).

- And finally, I started stripping. Yep, over at Sequential Underground's Facebook page, the Strip Club is underway. It's a rotating cast of cartoonists telling one big semi-coherent story through a series of comic strips. Here's the first panel of my first contribution to Strip Club, Vol 1:

- You can download Time Log at DriveThruComics for $1.99

OR

- You can buy a print copy of Time Log over at the AudioShocker Store for $4.00 (we take PayPal)

Reviewers, if you're interested in getting a review copy, email me at nickmarino @ gmail.com.

And for those of you who hate paying for things and/or love the copy of Time Log you purchased and want more, a Time Log webcomic will be launching on the AudioShocker in August. Keep a watch for more.

- My new comics project - Pepper Jones, Adventure Scientist
- A new comics creator collective I'm building - Sequential Underground

Over on the new Sequential Underground blog, I've put up the first page from Act I of my new Pepper Jones script. It's an interesting project, so pop over to the script sample post and find out more about this excellent project.

As for Sequential Underground, it's a new initiative formed by some local Pittsburgh comics creators to help cross-promote our different works and, in turn, create a more interactive comics community.

I'm sure I'll be sharing more about both of these projects in the upcoming months, so keep an eye peeled for Pepper and SU updates on the regular.

That's right. I'm gonna be at both the Pittsburgh Comicon and SPACE this upcoming weekend!

Friday, Justique and I will be holding down the AudioShocker table at the Monroeville Convention Center from 1-7 PM. Then we'll be at the Ramada Plaza Hotel and Conference Center in Columbus, OH on Saturday from 10-6 and Sunday from 11-5.

What can you buy from me at the show? Check out the new lineup of AudioShocker Comics at the new Store tab on the AudioShocker! Seriously, please check it out because it took me friggin all day Sunday to make that damn page.

What can you get from me for free at the show? The new lineup of AudioShocker Comics, of course! How? By taking the AudioShocker Superhero Comic Book Trivia Challenge, of course! Questions abound when you engage in this high-stakes competition. You know you wanna!!!

Check out some of my friends and colleagues who're gonna be at these shows:

• Shawn Atkins
• Josh Blair
• Seth Fronzoli
• Dan Greenwald
• Scott Hedlund
• Brian John Mitchell

For those of you unacquainted with SPACE, it stands for Small Press & Alternative Comics Expo, and it's held in Columbus, OH. I'll be at table 19 or space 19 or slot 19 or whatever. I'll be at 19!!!!

Anyway, to promote the show and the artists involved, my friend Brian John Mitchell has organized a FREE online comics anthology. Download the SPACE 2010 Anthology over on ComicsXP (you can download it as a PDF, CBR, or CBZ file).

My contribution is a collaboration with my table-mate, Josh Blair. It's a gag strip called Fart Tennis. Enjoy!!!

So close to finishing this damn comic!!! I'm almost there. I've got less than four pages of gray tones to go and I CAN'T WAIT TO BE DONE!!!!!! This is fun but also torture.

Anyway, I think this will be my last post of process art. Maybe I'll take a photo of the page when it's printed... I guess that'll be my epilogue. In the meantime, check out this 2001 Time Log video Pete and I made. The TL story has, uhhh, come a long way to say the least.

I'm lettering Time Log similar to my Super Haters webcomic in that I'm using square word balloons. I dunno how well this is gonna go over... but I like it!!!

I may be the first person ever who suffered a lettering-related injury the other day when I pulled my back something fierce from lettering without proper chair support. It was nightmarish for all of last Saturday, but I pulled through and continued to forge ahead on the Time Log one-shot.

Yeah, I decided to try something different with this book and add all the panels during the production phase. Here's how they look:

Was it worth it? You be the judge. Me personally, I think it looks pretty damn good!

Anyway, I wanted to have this post up two days ago, but beautiful art takes time. Thusly, be back in two days soon to see a lettered version of this page!!!

To ink Shawn's pencils, I decided to play it safe and work on a blueline copy of his original art. Then I scanned it in on the "lineart" setting using a large Mustek A3 scanner and... VOILA! INKY!!!

Obviously, something looks a bit messy here, and that's because I decided not to ink Shawn's panel lines when I was doing this book. He's got a very fluid, animated look to his work and I thought that would contrast well with super-straight panel lines laid out in Photoshop.

Thusly, be back in two days to check out this page with its panels!!!

First up, we've got the pencils. Now I can't claim ownership to these beauties -- they were done by my friend and spectacular comics creator Shawn Atkins.

Here's a peak at one of my favorites from the book:

Sexy, right? Be back in two days to check out my inks!!!