2011 Year in Review

This was one of the worst years of my life. Hands down. Just a non-stop stream of crap that never relented. Boo to this year. Let's get this one over with and move on to the next one.

The only things that got me through this year were my Brother and the 24 Comix in a Single Year Challenge. The scene in Monster King #6 where Broken Tea Cup pulls the Clown out of his bottomless depression is loosely based on how Bro pulled me out of similar abysses this year.

So, yeah, not the happiest year this year. But I've got to learn to start focusing a little more on the positive, and since the most positive part of this year was the 24 Comix I produced, let's just round em all up and do a run-down on that stuff, shall we? Oh, and if you think any of these books sound cool at all, head over to www.torcpress.com and buy one or two. Couldn't hurt, right?

1. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #10- The 2nd Part of the "Pyramid" story arc was probably the best part of the whole arc. There's Ner0, my attempt to mishmash Dr.Doom with Iron Man with Caligula. There's the Giant Snakegodmonster. There's a Cosmic Vision that's a part of the whole "Quest for Omnichronus", which is great. There's the return and sudden transformation of Broken Tea Cup, which would prove to be key to the whole year. And there's Cactus Joe with THREE HEADS. Yeah. One of my best.

2. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #11- The Conclusion to the "Pyramid" story arc had some really great stuff in it. There's an excellent fight with a Giant Snakemonstergod. Cactus Joe finds internal harmony amidst his own warring soul (oh, that I could find the same). But the best moment was the reunion of Brothers, a moment I feel encapsulates why I'm more than just some guy doing weird stuff and violence. There's a heart to these comix, amidst all the insanity. The last part of the book is admittedly a little awkward, and is mostly just set up for the future as well as "The Clown & Tea Cup Show" and "Cosmic Love". But ultimately, this issue is really strong and a great wrap up to one of my best story arcs.

3. Monster King #1- Oh, MK1. It's awkward and odd and clumsy and the art is iffy and the colors are iffy and the cover's terrible and there are days where I wish I hadn't bothered to even publish it. BUT, there's some neat stuff here. I like the Crying Tree and the Giant Spider quite a bit. Also, chronologically, this marks the beginning of "The Quest for Omnichronus", which was my story-within-my-stories for the Year. So there's that.

4. Cosmic Love #1- Ah, my Kirby homage. Kinda. This wasn't my strongest issue. I felt like the plot was lacking, and there wasn't enough action. BUT, there's some really cool stuff in here (a running theme). I really feel like, even with the art being my awkward attempt at mimicking Kirby, that the Art in this issue is some of the best art in a TORC Press comic all year. There's some just beautiful stuff in this comic. Also, the "Trip Out" Sequence was one of my favorite moments of the year. This entire series was Painfully Underrated on the Con Circuit.

5. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #12- When I started HFSAC, I Knew I Had to do an "ICE" issue. So that's what this issue was. The Fudgeheads have gotta climb a snow covered mountain in order to prevent Ner0 from getting his hands on another Aetherial Parasite. There's an appearance by El Gorio and Lab Bunny. The art is quite nice. I'm very proud of the art on this issue. It's a good, solid issue. Also, the cover is exactly what I wanted it to be. I wish it had sold a little better on the Con Circuit.

6. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #1- I had a number of "cheats" this year to give me an advantage. Several of the books on this list so far were Produced last year, but were PUBLISHED this year. I know it's a semantics argument, but believe me, when you're trying to do 24 books in a year, BY YOURSELF, you'll take any cheat you can get. Anyway, the point is, TCTC 1 was created mid-way through 2010, but wasn't published until early 2011. This book, quite simply, is what I like to call Pure TORC Press. What I mean by that is that, Only Joseph Morris could have made this book. No one else anywhere else would have (0r could have) made this comic. Besides being Pure TORC Press, the book is also really, really good. Arguably, the third best book I've produced this year. I love everything about this book. And as an added bonus, it was one of the Best Selling Books I had on the Convention Circuit this Year. I don't know why, but people gravitated to this book.

7. Cosmic Love #2- Believe or not, I consider this to be the BEST Book I Produced this Year. I'm the only person that thinks that, but I stand by it. The Cover is Beautiful. The Art is Beautiful. There's the entire history of Kikki Fortune. There's a funny Ping-Pong Match. There's Ultradolphins. There's a Fight with a Giant Space Worm. There's Space Sex. There's more pieces of the Omnichronus Puzzle. There's an Excellent "Trip Out" Sequence. And that's all Crammed into one 24 Page Issue that Somehow Doesn't Feel Cramped. That's how you do Comix Right. The only bad thing about this comic? It didn't sell for Crap on the Convention Circuit. Groan.

8. Monster King #2- Just like MK1, there's so much wrong with this comic that I don't feel like wasting any more time talking about everything that's wrong about it. Here's what's right about it. Mike the Butcher. The Undead Samurai is officially introduced here, and he was one of the best new characters to come out of the TORCverse this year. Also, there's some good fight scenes.

9. Sideshow- Another cheat, this time because the book was only 8 Pages long. I know, I know. Anyway, this comic was a failure. It's not a bad comic, in fact, I like it alot. It's just a failure because I wanted this comic to draw people into the TORCverse. I thought between the short, introductory story and the Coupon on the back, people might want to enter this strange little Universe I've created and...Stay awhile. That didn't happen. Needless to say, it was kind of a bummer.

10. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club Lucky #13- Everyone stumbles occasionally (actually, I stumble all the time), but when it's come to HFSAC, I have generally been swinging for the fences with every issue, and most of the time I've hit Home Runs. Not this issue. This issue is a clumsy mess. It's a filler issue (and I HATE Filler Issues). It's all set up with no pay day. AND the Cover SUCKS. This is the only time all year where my Muse led me completely astray. Only recommended for TORC Press or HFSAC Completists.

11. Monster King #3- On the other hand, MK 3 is Pure TORC Press at its BEST. I still personally prefer CL2, but MK3 gave the book a run for its money as my best book of the Year. First off, the Art is great. The Cover is great. The Colors are ultra-hi-fi psychedelic pretty. There's four new characters who are introduced in rapid fire succession. There's a guy with a TV for a head and a psychedelic monster and a talking frog and a Thing with No Flesh. As an added bonus, unlike CL2, MK3 Sold Really, Really Well on the Convention Circuit. If you want to try out TORC Press, this is probably the best issue to introduce you to my Personal Aesthetic.

12. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #2- Another Cheat, this was my 24 Hour Comic Book from Last Year. This is a surprisingly good book, especially when you consider the time frame in which it was assembled. After all of my homages to Kirby, this was my homage to Ditko, with our heroes getting lost in a Dr. Strange-esque Dimension full of Bizarre Monsters and what not. Also, inexplicably, this one sold really well at conventions. For some reason, the whole 24 Hour Thing was Selling Point. Don't ask me how that works.

13. Cosmic Love #3- Not my strongest issue. When I started this issue, I had hopes that it would be a strong follow up to CL2. It wasn't. It was bumbly and fumbly and awkward and the cover didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. BUT, there's some nice stuff here, floating around amidst the awkward. There's an Aztec Psychic Dolphin. There's some hints about CL4. There's Octopo-Man (more on him in CL5 next year). Um, that's about it. Like I said, not my strongest issue.

14. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #14- Ahhh. The return of aliceislost. I mean, okay, she popped up in TCTC1, but this is her first real appearance in quite some time. That alone makes this book quite good, but then there's lots of other great stuff in here too, like the Lost Lands (always fun to draw) and a giant diseased dragon. Good issue, good cover, and a great set up for the stellar Issue 15. Also, the Clown experiences some good old fashioned heartache.

15. SDF: Pulp 2011 Special- Uh. I sometimes wonder if I should have published this issue. It's kind of unnecessary, really. And the art is rushed (intentionally, but still). But, there's still some cool stuff in here. I love the drawing of the Clown and Penguin riding around on a Goofy-looking Cartoon Horse. That almost makes the book worthwhile alone. Plus, there's Dr. Dendull. And a Giant Tree Civilization. Not my best, but not bad.

16. Monster King #4- There's a lot of good things about this issue, but I'll admit, right off the bat, that I should have spread this issue out over two comics. Too much happens too fast, and it sort of sinks the drama of the story. Having said that, I LOVE the first part of the book. "Why are we riding Pigs?" "Why aren't you wearing Pants?" Hahahahaha! I sometimes wonder what my Muse is smoking when she makes me write this crap.

17. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #15- The excellent conclusion to the "alice's Apple" story arc, and, by and large, one of my best from this year. Great cover, great art, great story. There's a Giant Dragon, killer fight scenes, and more Dr. Dendull. The only awkward part is the epilogue at the end, which goes a little longer than it needs to. Other than that, one of my strongest this year.

18. Super Duper Fun Comic 2011 Special- A fun little All Ages Comic I wrote while being stuck in an airport for 8 hours. It's not very deep, but it's cute and silly, and sometimes that's all you need from a book.

19. Cosmic Love #4- Probably the most Important Comic I've Produced this Year, Narrative-wise. I've been waiting to tell this story from the very beginning. And I think I did a pretty good job of it. The last piece of the Clown's origin falls into place.

20. Monster King #5- This issue...there's nothing wrong with this issue. It's an important issue. It's a Key Issue in the overarching Narrative. But it's also a very sad issue, and one that I did not enjoy creating at all. That is all.

21. Super Duper Fun Comix Bowling Special- Conversely, this dumb little comic was a hell of a lot of fun to create. Unapologetically silly and ridiculous, this fun little comic had me dinking around with a different art style, as well. Not Essential, but still a lot of Fun, if you're in to fun.

22. Monster King #6- Things go from Abyssal Darkness and creep back towards the light. The final issue of Monster King left us with one, simple message: Your friends are the people who've got your back when everything else has fallen away. Other than that, solid issue, and a fair enough send off to an uneven series.

23. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #3- My mad last dash for the finish line. And, oh, what a beautiful mad dash it was. This issue is just odd. There's no explanation for anything that happens. There's Strippers turning into Dinosaurs. Why? I don't know. There's another Cosmic Vision, and we get a vague glimpse at Omnichronus. Kinda. There's this whole thing at a Factory, and then the Factory comes Alive. And then there's that quiet little walk through the desert. A really great comixwork. Even if it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and the artwork looks like I was on crack. I was not on crack. Now, whether or not my Muse was on crack at the time, that's her business, not mine. Also, I managed to seed in some glimpses of the Future that I may never actually come back to. To me, every issue of TCTC is what COMIX SHOULD BE. (Not Comics or Comic Books or Webcomics. Comix are an entirely different animal, and they are MINE.)

24. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #4- The last Ace up my sleeve. My last Cheat. My 24 Hour Comic Book for 2011 was the Last Comic of my 24 Comics in a Single Year Challenge. Poetic, right? TCTC 4, as stated before, is COMIX in All Caps. As good as TCTC2 was, I think I like 4 better. It's just so crazy and odd and fun. There's Music (there's so much Music in my Comix, which is weird, 'cause you can't hear anything in comic books). There's fighting. There's more Ditko-esque Dimensional Nonsense. There is my single favorite Page I Drew All Year, and I Drew it at 11:54 at night! Think about it, I Drew the 15th Consecutive Page of a Twenty Four Hour Comic shortly before Midnight, and it was a wonderful piece of ComixArt. In fact, if you want to humor me, head over to http://www.torcpress.com/tctc4prev.html and check out the Second of the Two Pages that Pop Up. "After I Smash Your Face in, I'm gonna Grab Me a TACO!" Ha. Oh, there's also, "We Gladly Go to Hell to Suffer for the Crime of Making Pussy Music." Maybe not the purtiest comic ever, but great Comix nonetheless.

So, let's see. Here's the Head Count:

New High Water Mark for Me as a Creator: 3
Excellent Comix Work: 7
Good, Solid, Enjoyable Comix Work: 9
Um, Not Bad, but not my Best: 4
Crap: 1

All in all, not bad. I mean, Marvel and DC would Kill for those kind of numbers, right? It was probably a bad idea to try to create that many books in a year, but at the same time, some of my all time favorite comix came out this year. I did some really strong work, and really grew and developed creatively, and I managed to cover a lot of ground in terms of my Narrative this year. I didn't finish the Quest for Omnichronus this year, but I did Seed the Narrative throughout a lot of the Comix I produced this year. And I set myself up to wrap up the Quest early (hopefully very early, if I get off my Dead Ass) next year.

So, yeah, good year. If you ignore everything else that happened in my life.