2016... A Day In Advance

In the Inside Back Cover of my last couple of books I wrote the words "2016 The Year Everything Changes".  That's pretty much the story for next year.

First off, the biggest thing that's gonna happen in 2016 is that I'll be marrying my Darling Mei.  So, that's pretty big.  I'm very excited about this coming change in my life. 

Going hand in hand with that, at some point (if I can ever sell my house... grumble-gripe), I'll be leaving my lifelong home in Clay City, and I'll either end up in Mattoon, IL (which to me, is a really big town) or in my Darlin's hometown of Champaign, IL (which to me is a freaking HUGE city).  Either way, I'm gonna end up somewhere completely new.  So, that's a thing.  I'm excited about that too.  And yeah, a little scared too.  Too.

And then there's the Sawmill.  Where the money comes from, but also where most of the pain and suffering comes from as well.  My job for 26 continuous years of my life.  A daily, soul-crushing beat-down in the fiercest pits of Hell.  But, it pays the bills, and it's kept TORC Press alive, so it's worth it.  Except that... well... I'm getting older.  I'm not getting stronger or more resilient.  I'm getting weaker, slower, tireder.  The Good Old Days of putting in my 9 Hours at the Mill and then going home and putting in my 7 hours at the Drawing Board... well, those days are pretty much done.  I can't maintain that pace anymore.

Which means two things:

First off, for several months I have been running a Patreon Page.  The goal of this page was for me to find New Readers who would pay me small amounts of money to make comics.  That goal didn't happen at all.  Instead, the Patreon became a Subscription Service where two of my most loyal readers and a good friend from the Good Ole Days paid me a tidy sum to deliver actual comics every month.  As I mentioned in the previous paragraph though... I can't keep up that pace anymore.  As a result, I have (hopefully as of today) shut down my Patreon site, thus ending my Monthly Comics Production Requirement.  When I sent out the last set of Patreon Packs (Super Late.  Again, I can't maintain that pace anymore), I included a handwritten letter explaining the situation and profusely apologizing for the situation.  Just in case one of my three Patrons is reading this right now, allow me to reiterate how sorry I am, and how much I appreciated their support. 

Second off, between the move and how badly the job has been beating me up lately, the writing is on the wall... I need a new job.  Considering how the Sawmill is the only real job I've ever had, and considering my lack of real world skills or higher edjumacation, this puts me in a bit of a difficult spot.  Mei and I have agreed that in my initial search for a new job, while I'm still gainfully employed as a Sawmiller and still have the vacation time we will need for a Wedding/Honeymoon, that I am to look for a job I would actually enjoy.  Which means, no matter how much it terrifies me, I will be spending the next few months looking for an actual job in comics (please stop laughing) or art or something along those lines.  I'm aware that the odds of my success in this endeavor or staggeringly against me, but now is the time to try.  Soon life will get in the way, and when that happens... welp, let's just hope Janitors get paid pretty well.

So... is the whole point of this Rant that this is the End of TORC Press?

Oh come now.  You know me better than that.

Just because I shut down a site and have stopped trying to blast through Monthly Comics doesn't mean I've thrown in the towel.  Part of the plan is to continue to see if I can find a way to Make TORC Press Work.  And, yeah, shutting down the one thing that provided regular revenue is a step back.  But sometimes you've gotta take a step back.

I'm gonna try some new stuff.  Remember that Poll from awhile back where I was trying to decide what Comics Genres to tackle next?  Welp, I'll be working on those comics next year, trying to branch out a little, explore new things.  See if I can catch people's attention with something new.

I'm also gonna start something I've threatened to do for years, and that's collect some of my Older Comics in Trade Paperback form.  I plan on collecting the original 6 Issues of Pulp Horrorshow first, and at some point I need to collect Bad Rapture in TPB form as well.  And we'll see how that goes at first.

In the meantime, check back here on Monday, because not only will Quixote Coyote be back in action, but I'm trying something wild and new, and we'll see how that goes.

2016... The Year that Everything Changes.

Holiday Break

After much internal debate, I've decided to take the Holidays off.  So this is the last Quixote Coyote Strip until January 4, 2016.  Enjoy!

One of the things I've been toying with on this strip is the "Static Camera" approach.  On a lot of my comics, the "Camera" (or POV or Panel SetUp or whatever you wanna call it) tends to zoom around a lot, like it's been attached to a remote controlled helicopter pumped full of Sugar.  Although I sometimes switch camera angles on this strip, a lot of the times I just like to leave the camera stationary, because I think it aids the storytelling and it facilitates the jokes a little.  I dunno, it's just something I've been trying.

Also, I always like it when one of the characters in my comics isn't "Into it".  I mean, seriously Zombie Ghost, show some enthusiasm!

Happy Everything, Everybody!  Later!
Joseph Morris

The Baseball Is Not Real

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

I honestly can't remember how or why I came up with the whole "Fake Autographed Baseball" story arc.  I just know that I wanted Panda Jackrabbit to come off like a naive rube, and that was how I ended up showing.  Since then, Panda's dogged pursuit of showing everyone his prize baseball not only his firmly established the good natured pig-headishness of the character, it has also proven to be a fairly deep well of comic possibility.  Still, eventually, I needed to wrap this bit up, and at some point in the progression of the story I came up with this gag.  I think it's a pretty good gag, even if there's no actual Logic to it.  I mean, why is there the Ghost of a Famous Baseball Player hanging out in some random Haunted Mansion?  It makes no sense, but it doesn't have to because this is a silly Cartoon Strip.

Speaking of Silly Cartoon Strips, what I like about working on one is that you can have a lot of fun with Facial Expressions and Body Language.  Everyone on this page has some good moments, just in terms of their expressions or the positions their bodies assume, and that's really fun for me to draw.  I also am growing to love Panda's ears, as they seem to be able to move completely independently of the rest of his body.

Physics Schmysics

Today's Quixote Coyote:

When I figured out that Sancho was a RoadRunner, one of the first ideas I had for his character (besides his negative disposition) was that there would be a running gag in the strips where he would have the ability to run really fast, but not have the ability to... steer well.  You saw this in action when Sancho first appears in the Haunted House and goes barreling into both the ghost on this page and (within the same strip) Quixote as well.  On this page, he tries to kick in the afterburners (or the NOZ for you Fast and Furious fans) and slams into a small table less than a foot in front of him.

(Interestingly enough, this would happen to me on a regular basis when playing Mario Cart.  I would hit one of those accelerators and just go flying right off the track.  Speed kills)

Not really sure about the physics on this page.  The way things are moving is a little suspect (especially that candle).  On the bright side, this is a Comic Strip, so Physics are kinda pointless anyway.

Lack of Focus

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

What I like about today's strip is that even in Panel 4, Panda fails to grasp the level of danger he's in.  And you could argue he is, in fact, in no danger at all, since this is a silly strip and obviously I'm not going to kill anyone off just to demonstrate that the Ghosts are capable of killing anyone (which, traditionally, is how you show that the Threat is Real).  I feel like the old Mickey Mouse and Popeye strips could create a sense of tension without having to execute anyone, so that's what I'm trying to do here myself.

To the Rescue! (Kinda)

It's Monday.  Time for work.  On the bright side, new Quixote Coyote:

When I got ready to put this one in the Scanner on my Printer, I almost got confused because Panda is upside down in the first two panels.  I also think it's funny that even with his life in peril, Panda is still excited about his (obviously fake) Autographed Baseball.  I think we all do that from time to time.  Reminds of that movie "Nebraska" where the old guy travels cross country to win a prize that everyone knows doesn't exist.  Which I suppose is a continuation of the theme of this comic in a way, considering "Quixote" is in the title.

Huh.  Didn't really think about it like that.  Weird.

The Gang's All Here

Ha-ha!  It's Friday!  I don't know why, but I have been largely useless this week.  Just tired and shot all week.  The only thing I've had the guts for has been these Quixote Coyote strips (well, and dragging my butt to the Sawmill for my typical 9 hour beat-down), so I'm hoping I can recharge the batteries a little this weekend.  Anyway, new Quixote Coyote:

What I like about this strip is how Panda can go from being legitimately terrified (perfectly reasonable given the legitimate peril he is in), to being incredibly happy to see is Pal Quixote Coyote.  And he's still obsessed with that (obviously fake) autographed baseball.  Oh Panda.

Patience Is Not My Strong Suit

Today's Quixote Coyote:

When I first created Sancho, the original plan was for him to debut much, much later than he did.  In the beginning, there was just supposed to be Three Nights in a Haunted House, then a couple of simple strips to introduce Wanda Wolf, then a story arc featuring Panda, and then, finally, Sancho was supposed to debut.  Obviously, I wasn't interested in waiting until Spring for this guy to show up.  Also, in the original Psychic Draft, Sancho and Quixote didn't know each other.  In this version, it's obvious that they've known each other for awhile.  Ideas are swell, but you never know what's gonna happen once the Pencil hits the Page.

A Difference of Opinion

Today's Quixote Coyote Strip:

One of the reasons I'm really enjoying this strip, is that it's fairly easy to write Quixote and Sancho (and Panda for that matter) for me, since both of them feel like natural extensions of aspects of my own personality.  Having said that, Panel 4 definitely echoes some moments between me and Mei.  We've definitely had some times where I've said something utterly ridiculous, and Mei's just been like, "I don't get you at all."  Heh.

Booga-Booga

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

I came up with today's strip while waiting on pizza with my Mei on Sunday.  The idea for the strip just popped (almost fully formed) into my head.  I liked it, and now, two days later, it's online.  That's what I like about comics:  They're right here, right now.

Night Two Begins

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

And so, Night Two in the Haunted Mansion begins in earnest.  I haven't reread the Fairy Tale that this arc is vaguely based on, so I'm not sure what's in the cards for Quixote Coyote tonight.  Instead, I thought I would start off with a good old fashioned ghost.  Except that this ghost is obviously inspired by the ghost from that one episode of Adventure Time.  You know the one.

The biggest problem I've found with this strip is that there's only 16 strips in a package of Bristol.  That's a little over three weeks worth of strips.  Whaaaa?  I need like a bulk strip package.  And yes, I know, I could just be buying large sheets of regular bristol and chopping them up, but 1) I'm lazy, and 2) I kinda like the blue line ruler marks that let me create relatively even panel borders (because anyone who knows anything about me knows that otherwise I'm just gonna freehand it).

You know why they invented the term "Starving Artist", by the by?  Because Art Supplies are expensive. 

End of the Week Wake Up Call

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

What I like about Comic Strips are their Free Form nature.  You can kind of just improv and riff, and just throw stuff out at random whenever you want to.  Case in point, at no point in any of the previous Quixote Coyote strips have I established that the Haunted House is, itself, Sentient or can talk.  But in today's strip, it is and does.  Why?  Comics, that's why.

Thpbbpt.

Today's Quixote Coyote Strip:

I'm feeling very Sancho today, so I'm just gonna walk away with my tongue out.  Thpbbpt.

Gag Strip

Today's Episode of Quixote Coyote (where Quixote neither appears nor is mentioned):

When I decided to do a daily comic strip, the first thing I decided was that I wasn't going to waste my time trying to do a Gag Strip.  Now, there's nothing wrong with the Traditional Newspaper Gag Strip.  I love Peanuts and Pearls Before Swine and all that stuff.  But for me, the idea of being trapped into trying to come up with a Joke Every Single Day...  well, that just wasn't gonna happen.  I'm not built for that.  So, instead, I came up with this rambling, adventure strip-style format, which (once again) bears homage to Floyd Gottfredson's Mickey Mouse and (Southern Illinois Native) E. C. Segar's Popeye.

Having said that, I also wasn't gonna shy away from a good Gag if I stumbled into one.  Which is where we ended up with today's strip.  The whole idea of the Bogus Autographed Baseball just kind of popped into my head as a way to demonstrate Panda's... we'll be nice and call it Naive nature.  That the Baseball could then come back around later and be used to also demonstrate Sancho's more Skeptical nature, and lead to a decent joke?  Not planned, I assure you.

Kismet is weird.

Again, I'm still learning how to draw Panda, but, man, I get a kick out of drawing Sancho.  His facial expressions in Panels 3 & 4 are priceless.

Sancho & Panda

Today's Strip:

And so we formally introduce two of our Supporting Characters.  Obviously, I wanted a Donald Duck and a Goofy for this strip, but I couldn't actually have, y'know, Donald Duck and Goofy.  So, thematically, I thought about the whole idea of Quixote Coyote.  With the Quixote part, I had a name for these two characters.  Don Quixote had a sidekick named Sancho Panza, so all I had to do was split the name in half, and I had two names, Sancho and Panza.  I remembered there was a Hannah-Barbera Cartoon from the late 80s/early 90s called Don Coyote (possibly a minor influence on this strip as well), and the character Don Coyote had a sidekick called Sancho Panda.  I always liked that play on the name, so Panza becomes Panda.  When coming up with the species of these two, I went with the Coyote part of Quixote Coyote.  I thought about Wile E. Coyote, whose primary target/enemy, of course, was the Road Runner, while his secondary was Bugs Bunny (there were several cartoons where an uncharacteristically talking Wile E. attempts to outwit and devour Bugs, claims to be a Super Genius, and repeatedly fails in said endeavor.  Strangely enough, in another cartoon, Bugs simply plays the role of the Roadrunner, and as such Wile E. remains Mute throughout.  Bugs meanwhile gets to be his traditional wiseacre self, while scarfing down pills to give him superspeed... which, in retrospect, probably sends the wrong message).  So, Sancho is a Roadrunner, and Panda is a Bunny, who, strangely enough, has a Panda-esque Color Scheme.  Sancho is pretty easy and fun for me to draw.  He kinda reminds me of the Dodo from the old Porky Pig short, as well as a little of the Angry Crow I used to draw back in the original SDF days.  I'm still working on Panda.  The face and the black area around the eyes haven't quite clicked for me that.  I'll figure it out.  Anyway, the character template for these two obviously goes back to Goofy and Donald, in that you've got a tall, gangly, happy-go-lucky fool in Panda, and a short, unlucky, angry at the world fool in Sancho.  I'm looking forward to working with these guys.

Cyber-Monday Special!

Today's the last day for our Weekend Special Russian Roulette Grab Bag in the Online Store at http://www.torcpress.com/store/.  That's 5 Random Comics from TORC Press History, a Print of a Quixote Coyote Strip, and an original drawing for $15 (shipping included).  It's a Super Deal for a Super Price, and it goes away at the end of the day today.

What doesn't go away, is a new Quixote Coyote strip:

First off, I love the shot of Quixote Coyote in Panel Two.  Love it.  That's how I imagine I snore.  Secondly, I didn't originally plan on introducing the two (currently unnamed) characters in Panels 3 and 4 until later on in the strip.  The character in Panel 3 wasn't supposed to debut until after the "Three Nights" story arc was over, and the character in Panel 4 wasn't going to show up until even later than that.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the patience to wait for them to debut, so, much like Wanda Wolf, their first appearance got accelerated a little bit.  By doing so, I have completely changed the rhythm of the "Three Nights" arc, which means that I don't even really know where this story is going anymore.  My brand is chaos.  (...waitaminute, wasn't that the name of a comic company from the 90s where all the women had gigantic...)

Black Friday Special!

I keep thinking I need to get better at the business aspect of this business, so with all of the Black Friday/Small Business Saturday/Cyber Monday stuff going on, I thought I would try an experiment of my own.  So over in the Online Store at http://www.torcpress.com/store/ I have a special going on from Black Friday through to Cyber Monday.  I call it the TORC Press Russian Roulette Special.  For $15 (shipping and handling included in price), you get:  5 Random Comics from throughout TORC Press History (this might include some of the really old Xerox comics, as well as some of the early Black & White stuff), a Print of a Quixote Coyote strip (not an original, but still pretty cool, and you can request which one you want), and an original Pen & Ink Drawing on a half sheet of Bristol.  Plus, me being me, I'll probably throw some other stuff in as well, just for the fun of it.  It's a cool little deal, especially if you're new to TORC Press, or if you've always wanted to give us a try, or if you just want to take a little time to support a Small Press Comics Publisher.  Again, you can find it in the Online Store, and it's right up near the Top.

Oh, new Quixote Coyote:

Today's strip continues to explore the relationship between the Wolf Siblings, Wanda and Waldo.  Obviously, they don't get along so good.

Turkey Day with the Wolves

Happy Turkey Day!  Here's a new Quixote Coyote strip that doesn't actually feature Quixote Coyote:

Again, the biggest inspiration on this strip was the Floyd Gottfredson Mickey Mouse strips as well as the original Ub Iwerks Mickey Mouse cartoons.  One of the key characters in both of those, was the recurring villain, Pegleg Pete (later on just referred to simply as Pete, who nowadays is rarely portrayed as a villain).  Pete was always the opposite of Mickey, in that he was a big strong bully who liked to push people around, but always folded when courage was called for.  In the very first Quixote Coyote strip, I introduced a big Wolf guy who was bullying a little pig.  I originally didn't have any actual intentions for the character, but after thinking about it a little bit, I decided to make this wolf guy into a recurring antagonist.  I named him Waldo because I'm stuck in that whole alliteration sensibility.  I know.

I also thought it would be a neat idea to have Quixote's potential Love Interest also be the little sister of Quixote's Rival.  So, Wanda and Waldo are sister and brother.  They're both adults, but haven't moved out of their parents house yet.  They don't get along very well, considering that Wanda is a loving, caring individual, and Waldo is a jerk who likes to beat people up.

Oh, there was also a lengthy internal debate as to what Waldo would be talking on in the strip.  Should he have an old style, two-piece phone to further heighten the homage to classic comics?  Or should he have a land line?  Or an 80s Cinderblock Cellphone?  In the end, I settled on a modern cellphone, both as a way to show that the strip is set in an equivalent to our modern era, and also because it's easy to draw.  Really easy.

Anyway, happy Turkey Day!  Eat up!

Wish I Could Sleep In

Today's Quixote Coyote:

Like I said, the next few strips are transitional, so I decided to use them to introduce a new character or two to the strip.  Today's strip introduces Wanda Wolf.  Obviously, she's supposed to be Minnie Mouse to Quixote Coyote's Mickey, but unlike those two, she isn't from the same species, and doesn't have the same (confusing) last name.  There was a Robot Chicken Skit that lampooned the whole Mickey/Minnie Relationship that always stuck with me.  I rarely do that many preliminary sketches of a character, and in the case of Wanda, I did no preliminary sketches leading up to her introduction.  The first time I drew her on this page, her head was round and smooth.  Unfortunately, that made her look like, well, a Mouse, or like one of the Weasel Brothers.  So I added the little ridges around the sides of her head to give her a little more of a Wolf-like look, and she also has a wolf nose.  All of which helps to further physically differentiate her from Quixote.

Oh!  On the Good News (?) Front, I've got the other two Quixote Coyote strips for the week ready, so the strip will continue through the week.  Huzzah!

OH!  Also, I'll have something on Black Friday.  It's gonna be something new I'm trying.

A Few Hours Rest

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

With the First Night in the Haunted House finally over, I know I want to do a few transitional strips before starting the second night.  Not really sure how many yet, though.  Also, I'm not sure if this is the last we've seen of Mr. Skullface Man or not.

Seriously, I'm just making this up as I go along.

Doggone

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

And so, the Ghost Dog Arc finally comes to a conclusion.  I figured that water would be the way to get rid of a Fire Doggy.  Seemed to work okay.

I'm trying to decide whether to run the strip through the week, or whether to take Thanksgiving off.  If I run it the full week I'll need to work up the full week worth of strips tonight.  Decisions, decisions.

Cool New Things Available in the Online Store

I haven't been able to update the website in awhile for some reason (stupid technology), so when I finally got a chance, I ran with it.  Besides adding all of the current Quixote Coyote strips to the Main Site, I also added two new items to the Online Store.

This colorful little piece is a Colorized Version of the Double Page Spread from Lost Alice #1.  I made it into a Poster.  It's 11X17, and $5.00 plus $1.50 S&H.  I'm gonna give one to my Ma for her Birthday.  This won't ruin the surprise because she isn't online that much.  Anyway, it's a cool piece.

Secondly, also available in the Online Store (yeah, I put the Link Up twice.  Sue me):

This is the Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club (v.2) #5.  It was my 24 Hour Comic for this Year, and it turned out really good (except for three pages.  Those three pages Suuuuuuck).  The plot of the book is fairly simple, Mad Fox (who was introduced back in "Pulp Horrorshow" v.4 Special), begins gathering up the other Two Fates to make up the Three Fates.  Butterfly returns.  Big Wolf returns.  And there's a remote controlled Armageddon Titan.  Also, strange alien planets, trips through Higher Dimensions, and we get to see other-dimensional versions of OMNICHRONUS.  It's way cool (except for those three pages).  It's $4.00 plus $1.50 S&H.

Staring at a Computer Screen too Tired to Come Up with a Decent Title

Last Quixote Coyote strip of the week:

I had a little bit of an internal debate about today's strip.  After a string of what I thought were really strong strips, I felt like today's strip was just kinda "meh".  A transitory strip at best, not something to end the week on.  But then I thought, maybe I'm being too hard on myself, and began seeing today's strip as a cliffhanger to cap off the week.  So, now I feel better about today's strip.  What will happen?  Tune in Monday to fight out!  Bum-bum-bummmm!

Also, I lucked out, and my order of Comic Strip Boards came in early, so I didn't have to chop up a larger sheet of bristol to make today's strip.  Huzzah!

PLONK!

Today's Quixote Coyote Strip:

I'm kinda violating some basic rules of Storytelling with this page.  Typically, you're supposed to draw the audience's eyes from Left to Right across the page.  But throughout this sequence, the two characters are facing each other, and in Panel Three, Quixote Coyote throws the Skull from Right to Left.  So, a bit of a No-No, Storytelling-wise.  I think I can get away with it in a Comic Strip though, since the audience should be moving Left to Right automatically as a result of the format.

Fetch!

Today's Quixote Coyote strip:

The downside to today's strip is that I got lazy and didn't do the crosshatching or heavy blacks I've done on previous pages.  So, shame on me there.  The upside to today's strip is that I think the facial expressions are really good.  Also, decent gag.

Just Keep Running

Today's Quixote Coyote Strip:

I like the movement in today's strip.  The motions of the characters, and the way they interact with the environment.  I feel like I really made everything click today.  Also, today's Gag is better than yesterday's, so that's nice too.  All in all, my only real criticism of today's strip is that technically nothing really happens, and that the whole thing is an obvious set-up for tomorrow.  Which, I think you can get away with in Comic Strips.  I think.  I dunno.

RunRunRun

Today's Quixote Coyote Strip:

I was trying to figure out what the punchline for this strip would be.  At first, I thought about just ignoring a punchline entirely.  Just have Quixote running for his life in the last panel.  Then, I thought about having an "Editor's Note" on the last panel, where I blatantly stated that I couldn't come up with a good joke.  In the end, I just went with Quixote's little quip at the end.  I dunno if it works or not.  Also, I have no idea why Quixote is kinda floating in that last panel.  Maybe he's just coming to a landing from his jump.

Hot Dog!

Today's Quixote Coyote Strip:

Again, this particular story arc was inspired by a Fairy Tale, but, again, I've taken some fairly serious liberties with it.  For example, in the Fairy Tale, after the protagonist has dealt with the Ghost Cats (by, again, chopping their freaking heads off), then suddenly ghostly cats and dogs just appear from out of everywhere and just start running amok.  I didn't wanna draw a ton of cats and dogs running around all over the place, because I am lazy and there's not enough space on these panels to do that.  So, instead, I decided to draw one big scary dog made out of fire, which made sense to me.  It's like a video game.  Level One was the Shadowcats, who were destroyed by fire.  So, logically, Level Two would feature a monster Made of Fire, right?

Feel the Burn (Heh)

Right.  Today's Quixote Coyote Strip.  Hopefully the storytelling is sort of clear.  Today's strip is a little bizarre, so who knows?

In the Fairy Tale that inspired this story arc, the protagonist grabs the two Big Creepy Talking Cats, slaps them on a lathe (what the heck is a lathe?), screws down their paws (ouch), and then chops their heads off with a knife.  I decided that was going Waaaaaaay too far for the tone I was trying to create.  I wanted this strip to be creepy, not emotionally scarring and gruesome.  So, I came up with the idea of accidentally knocking the Shadow Cats into a Fireplace where they magically catch fire and turn to smoke.  It's kind of a cop-out, but it's also kind of creepy, so, uh, Mission Accomplished, I guess?

Slide

Today's Quixote Coyote Strip:

I'm sure I'd normally have something clever to say about today's strip, but this morning I'm too fried to bother.  Stupid Wednesdays.

Let's Just Order a Pizza

Today's Quixote Coyote Strip:

One of the things I've noticed while reading old Floyd Gottfredson "Mickey Mouse" comic strips and watching old "Mickey Mouse" and "Betty Boop" animated shorts, is that old stuff wasn't what we would consider "safe".  When we think about that generation, we think of our old Grandparents and their tame tastes in Music and TeeVee (Dear Lord, every day my Grandpa sits on his front porch and listens to the same old Country songs).  To my Grandpa, the Beatles were DANGEROUS.  But, conversely, those old cartoons were super dangerous.  Besides all of the inherent violence of all the old Warner Bros. cartoons, old Disney cartoons could be scary.  Really scary.  The old Mickey Mouse strips were full of action, danger, and could be kinda creepy from time to time.

And I think kids need that kind of stuff.  This isn't a safe world, and trying to shield children from it by creating safe stories for them is, to me anyway, stupid.  Plus, kids like creepy and scary stuff.  Just look at how popular that "Monster High" crap is, or how well "Goosebumps" did at the Box Office.

Like just about everyone my age, there was at least one Disney movie that traumatized me ("Pinocchio" may easily be the scariest movie of all time), but those old films stick with me too, as so much else fades away.

All of which is a long-winded lead up to me going, Man, those Shadowcats really creep me out.

Shadowcats

Meow Indeed.

As I've mentioned before, part of the inspiration for this strip came from an old Grimm Fairy Tale I had never heard of before called "Oh If Only I Could Shiver".  This section, rather definitively, is taken from that Fairy Tale.  In the Fairy Tale, the Handsome but None-too-Bright Protagonist is completely unfazed by whatever craziness is thrown his way.  Conversely, for all of his courage, Quixote is at least taken aback from time to time when presented with some crazy new horror.

November Patreon Packs ship out today.

Advice from a Skull

New Quixote Coyote.  On time this time.

I used a different type of Bristol for this strip, because it was a little cheaper than the stuff I started with.  It's not bad.  Much slicker.  Not sure if there's much of a difference in the end product.

Cross-hatching is the worst.

Just gotta survive today with my left shoulder intact.

A Little Late

Technically, here's today's Quixote Coyote Strip.  It's much later than usual, because working in a Sawmill will occasionally beat you to a pulp.  Interestingly enough, Friday's strip will probably go up in an hour or two.  Anyway:

I mostly hope the storytelling on this one is clear enough.  When I drew the Shyster Brothers in their Ghost Outfits I didn't give them ears, so that might be a little confusing.  Then on the 4th Panel, the Shyster Brothers are running back to the Left, which may be a mistake.  I dunno.  I break rules a lot anyway because I never really bothered to learn the rules in the first place.

Mr. Skullface Guy

Today's Strip:

Uh, I got nothin'.

Stupid Daylight Savings Time.

Return of the Shyster Brothers

Weezly and Cheezly Shyster return.  Does anybody actually like Lawyers?

This is such a gleefully dumb page. 

I can't remember if I had plans of bringing the Shyster Bros back after their original appearance.  I just thought it would funny to watch these guys launch a hairbrained scheme in a cheap attempt to make a little extra cash.

One of the things about making comics is that there's never enough time or space to express everything.  One of the lines I cut from this for space (and I kinda forgot) was a whole bit about the Shyster Brothers wanting to use their Legaleze to gain possession of the house, and then "Flip It" for a hefty profit. 

Current Points in the Game:  9

New Month, New Game, New Coyote

Which Shakespeare Play was the one where the guy sat around talking to a skull?  It was Julius Caesar, right? 

Anyway, it's a new month.  The Patreon Packs are just about ready.  I need to finish the sticker and the mini-poster, and I'm all ready.  HFSAC 5 is done, and I'll probably post it in the Online Store before the end of the week.  I've already hyped "Lost Alice", my 8 Pager, which is available in the Online Store.  Along those lines, I've talked about how "Lost Alice" will only continue if I sell 10 copies.  After the Author Signing last Friday, and Halloweenfest last Saturday, I have sold 6 copies of "Lost Alice".  So, we're doing pretty good so far.  HFSAC 5 features the debut of some new characters and was also my 24 Hour Comic for 2015.

Pencils are done on HFSAC 6.  It's got three different stories in it, one featuring HFSAC, one focusing on Ortex, and a third story featuring the Origin of the Universe itself.  So, should be a fun issue.

Next month's 8 Page Story will be the last issue of "Cosmic Pulp" for awhile and will feature the debut of the Third Version of the Skull Mob.  It's Penciled and almost Inked.  I'll be starting colors soon.

I'd like to start work on "White & Red", my Fairy Tale Adaptation, soon.  I might need to do a little Sketch Work ahead of time to get into character, but knowing me the way I know me, I'll probably just dive in head first and wing it.

HFSAC 7 will feature a story I originally intended to use as a stand-alone a long time ago, but never got around to it.  There will also be a story about Zarathon.  There will be a little extra space in the issue.  Trying to decide what to do with it.

In GAME News, last week's Game was a Wash, sadly, as I spent my time getting ready for my two appearances.  Digital Work slows me down a lot, and is my least favorite part of the process, but it is a necessary evil.  Without the Digital, there is no comic, just a bunch of boards sitting around in my studio collecting dust.  Screw that.  But this week is a new week, so let's get the Game Rolling.  I currently stand at 3 Points.  31 Points to go.

Wrapping Up TORCTOBER

Last Quixote Coyote for the week.  This one's a good one.

Welp, that brings an end to another TORCTOBER.  16 Years.  Jeez.

I love making comics.  I have made so many comics, man.  I should hit 150 Comics in... (ugh.  Math) somewhere around 6 months.  So many, weird, bizarre, funny, violent, cosmic, stupid, brilliant, ridiculous, amazing comics.  And I've had so much fun making them.  Sure, it can be a bit of a slog sometimes, and there's been plenty of bad times and bad Cons.  But overall, the cool outweighs the suck. 

This year in TORC Press, I'm gonna continue to chronicle the Adventures of the Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club.  I'm gonna introduce a few more Space Gods, because I'm insane and can't stop myself.  The War with Ortex is gonna escalate into its next phase around Issue 10 (presuming I can stick to my plan... good luck with that one).  In the meantime, we're gonna occasionally check in with Prometheon and the War for the Soul of Saturn.  The Quixote Coyote Strips will continue, as Quixote has to survive Three Nights in a Haunted House.  I'm gonna try to adapt a Fairy Tale, tell a Horror story, get Weird (Super Weird), explore the concept of living without a body in space, do a Dungeon Crawl, and hit the seas with some Pirates.  And no matter what I think I'm gonna do, I'll probably end up coming up with some completely different idea and go off in some direction I never saw coming.  Because that's the TORC Press Way.

I'd like to thank everybody that's ever supported TORC Press in any way.  I really, truly appreciate it.  Although I resolved early to produce comics no matter if people read them or not, it's still pretty cool that people have read and enjoyed my comics.  Again, thanks everybody!  Here's to another 16 Years or longer or something.

Viva la TORC Press!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TORCTOBER: Haunted Mansions and SPACE and Alice

New Quixote Coyote.  Oh!  I have a story about this one!  Click on Image to Blahblah.

So, this strip is actually the Genesis of the whole Quixote Coyote thing.  A few years back, Conventions were starting to get more and more expensive.  Table prices were going up, and I was trying to come up with some ways to make my money back on the overbearing table prices.  One of the ideas I came up with was to create a series of Fancy Drawings and Paintings, which I then framed in very nice frames, and set a price tag of around $75 a piece.  The idea was that I would sell maybe one very nice piece per show, and that would cover a significant chunk of the Table Price, which meant that I wouldn't be in a blind panic trying to sell comics for $1 to $5 a pop.  Needless to say, this plan did not work at all.  The Paintings were too big, they took up too much space in my vehicle and my table, they were cumbersome to lug around, and it took close to two years to sell the bulk of them (a lot of my plans turn out this way).

Aaaaaaanyway, one of the Cool Pieces I did during this period was designed to look like an animation cell from an old cartoon that never existed.  I took watercolor paper and did a grey inkwash of the background, which was designed to look like a Haunted Mansion.  Then I painted the characters of the piece onto a transparent overlay with Acrylic Paint.  The characters on the piece were a little Mickey Mouse type character and a Skeleton with an Axe lurking behind the corner (it was virtually identical to the last panel of today's page, except the character wasn't Quixote Coyote yet).  When it was done, it really did look like an old animation cell.  People would point at and go "That's so cool!" and then not buy it.  Raven, the Pro Wrestler, actually saw it and liked it.  He didn't buy it though.  Didn't hit me with the Evenflo either.  I know it took over a year to sell that piece, which sucked because a lot of people thought it was cool.  If I had sold it earlier I might have considered making more pieces along that vein.

Anyway anyway, when I was piecing together the ideas for Quixote Coyote, I thought it would be neat to do a shout out to my old Animation Cell from a Cartoon that Never Existed.  So I did.

In other news, and speaking of Cons, I'm not working very many Cons next year, because I am getting married to my lovely Darlin my Darlin Mei.  The only show I'm definitely working next year (because I just got signed up for it) is SPACE in Columbus, OH.  Ironically, the show is exactly one week before my wedding.  Odd.  Anyway anyway anyway, as I have raved before, SPACE is my most favorite show of the year, it is awesome and fun, I always have good sales, I meet lots of cool people, I get to hang with people I only get to see once a year and talk comics, and I do excessive run on sentences.  So, I'm excited for that.

Speaking of appearances, I'm gonna be at a Local Authors Signing at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, IL on Friday from Noon to 5.  Should be fun.  I'll also be at Halloweenfest at Comic Quest in Evansville, IN on Saturday from 10 until whenever I get bored.

Last up today, we've got another sneak peak of "Lost Alice" which is available in the Online Store at http://www.torcpress.com/store/.  We're slapping up another page today. 

TORCTOBER: Ghosts Smosts

Quixote Coyote Strip #8.  Cleek on Eemage to make beeger.

Now we're starting to roll with the strip.  This is pretty much where I've been heading from the beginning.  The idea for this first arc actually came to me after reading an obscure Grim Fairy Tale called "If Only I Could Shiver", although the germ of the idea has been percolating in my head for years.  There's bits and pieces of old Mickey Mouse and Betty Boop cartoons floating around in here as well.  I think it's gonna be fun. 

Anyway, as I've said before, I've got a new book called "Lost Alice" available for Sale in the Online Store.  Since I'm using Sales to decide whether there will be future "Lost Alice" books, I should probably do some Hype.

As a reminder, here's the Cover, which I think looks nice.

It's only $2.50 (which includes shipping), so it's pretty cheap.  Here's Page One:

Anyway, if it looks neat, buy a copy.  It'll help in the creation of future issues. 

TORCTOBER: Lost Alice Now Available

First off, new Quixote Coyote.  Tap on the Image to make it bigger.

Thanks to some of the time off I've had this month, combined with my New Game, I'm a little ahead of the Game.  As such, I've got a new book available.  Here's the Cover:

The Book is called "Lost Alice", and it's a new take on my continued obsession with Lewis Carroll's "Alice in Wonderland".  It's 8 Pages in Black & White, and it's only a measly $1 with a $1.50 S&H.  Seriously, you can't buy nuttin for Two Fifty. 

I'm always trying new stuff, trying to find things that work or catch people's interest.  I'm not a business man by nature, so I tend to fumble about in the pursuit of making TORC Press a legitimate... thing that makes money.  Anyway, this new thing I'm trying is a series of Try Out Books, where I will be releasing an 8 Page B&W Comic.  These comics won't be set in the TORCverse and will be designed as stand alone projects.  Whether or not I continue to follow "Lost Alice" and expand her book to a full length book will depend on Sales.  Normally I just follow my Muse and produce the Comics that interest me, but with this new round of Try Out Books, I won't be doing that.

So, it works like this.  Think of it a little like a Slow Kickstarter.  If I Sell 10 Books either Online or at Public Appearances/Cons, then I will expand this initial story into a full length 24 Page Comic.  If I Sell 20, then the book will be in Color.  There's not a Hard Line Deadline for this little Experiment since I don't have a lot of Conventions or Appearances over the next year.  I'll just keep track for awhile and see what happens.

The point is, if Lost Alice intrigues you, and you want to see more of it, Buy the Comic.  If not, don't.  Easy.  Grass Roots.

Speaking of which, here's the Link to the Online Store:  http://www.torcpress.com/store/

OH!  If you're a $5 or $10 Patron on PATREON, you get this in your November Comix Pack!

TORCTOBER: One Moment

Say what you will about me, I don't Cut n' Paste.  Anyway, Click on the Image Below to make it Bigger.

Welp, this is the last week of TORCTOBER Sweet 16.  16 Years.  Jeez. 

Mei asked me if I was doing anything special this week.  Like everything I do, I don't know how special this is, but today I will tell a tale I've told before, but haven't in awhile.

I am a Believer.  This is my Nature.  I've believed in God all my life, and even now, when I feel the Bible I was raised on was largely false, I still believe in some form of the Almighty.  I believe in Psychic Powers.  Not the fancy kind you see on the TeeVee or in Sci-Fi.  I don't mean fancy voodoo hoodoo or telemarketing nonsense, or any of that.  I believe that there are things going on in our brain, or maybe our souls that we don't understand.  I get De Ja Vu from time to time.  A serious understanding that I have experienced a situation before, a literal moment in time I have already lived.  I don't know what this is.  Do I have prophetic dreams that I can only remember when I have arrived at that moment?  Or am I already dead, and this life is just the memories of the life I lived, and occasionally I awaken to that?  Or are we all just moving through time in ways we all just don't fully understand.  I dunno.  Why do I sometimes have a song stuck in my head, a song I almost never normally have stuck in my head, and then when I hop in the car and turn it on, the exact song is playing on the radio, at the exact spot I left off in my head?  How do you explain that?

Empathy I understand.  That's just imagination.  But there's more to it than that, isn't there?  Have you ever been watching a movie, and you see a person get their ankle broken, and you FEEL the break in your own ankle?  Just for a moment you can feel your own bones snap, your own tendons rip.  It's not real, and what's on screen isn't real, but you can feel it anyway, just for a moment.  And you wince and grind your teeth.  Now, how is that just imagination?

I sometimes think we're all connected on a psychic level.  Just a little bit, some of us more than others.  I think some of us aren't connected at all, and I think those are the people you've gotta watch out for.  The people that don't feel the terror at being held against their will.  The people that don't feel the bullet rip into their flesh and their heartbeat stop and the cold blackness descend.  You have to watch out for those people, because they don't feel what the rest of us do.  They don't understand what's it's like to be cold and broke on the street, and so they've got no sympathy for those that do.  They don't hesitate to pull the trigger, because they don't feel the bullet they fire penetrating their own body.

I believe in Free Will, but I also feel like the Universe or God or the Gods or Whatever gives us moments.  Moments where everything stacks up just right, where all the puzzle pieces are in place, and all you have to do is snap that last piece into place and voila.  Puzzle solved.  Stealing blatantly from Eastern Philosophy, I call these Zen Moments.  Those little moments of absolute perfection.

For example, I am a terrible bowler.  Seriously, I may be the worst bowler who ever lived.  I have a very bizarre underhanded bowling style.  There is no rhythm, rhyme, method, or accuracy to the way I bowl.  And yet sometimes, I know from the very second my fingers slip loose of the ball that I have bowled a strike, and 9 times out of 10 I am right.  BOOM!  10 Pins.  Zen.

Me and Mei shouldn't be together.  There are literally a string of reasons that occurred that prevented her from saying "No Thanks" before we even met.  She didn't read my profile close enough, and didn't notice I lived 2 hours away.  I showed up for dinner early.  She liked my voice.  Little puzzle pieces that all came together just right to make us who we are.  Zen.

Whew.  That was a really long, really bizarre intro.

Anyway, it was October of 1999, and I was a loser.  I had an Associates in General Studies, I was working at the Mill, and living with my parents.  No girlfriend and no prospect thereof.  All I wanted to do was make comics, but I had no idea how.  Internet access was hard to get back then, and I didn't know much about Art Supplies stores.  All I had was want and desire, with no idea how to pursue my dream.  I had read as many books as I could find, but still had no idea where to start.  I was young, dumb, listless, and horribly depressed. 

At this time in October 1999, there was a Comic Book Shop in Effingham, IL, about an hour from me.  It's not there now, and, in fact, it would be out of business a few months later.  Anyway, one day, when I went into the shop in early October, they just happened to have a Create-Your-Own-Comics Kit for sale. 

What's weird is, I hesitated.  I actually stared at the Box for a little bit.  There it was, my Destiny, and I almost turned my back on it.  But I didn't.  I bought the Kit, and I made Pulp Horrorshow #1, and I printed it up, and TORC Press was born.  Any number of things would have prevented this.  If I didn't know about the store.  If the store had went out of business earlier.  If someone had bought the Kit before I found it.  If I hadn't decided to go all the way to Effingham to get comics.  The Universe put the Kit in front of me, all I had to do was seize it.  So, yeah, Zen.

(That was a really long lead up to a really short story.  Sorry folks.)

TORCTOBER: Poll Results & Taking a Knee on the Game

Alrighty, the Polls have closed on the Next Project Poll.  I got a pretty good response, and I'd like to thank everyone that contributed.  I appreciate the Feedback.  As a result, I've decided to suspend "Cosmic Pulp" after the next Issue, and instead use my 8 Page Comic to pursue these ideas.  So, from January until June 2016 the monthly 8 Page Comic will be a Black & White comic where I will be introducing some of these new ideas and stories on a Tryout basis.  If you're a $5 or $10 Subscriber on PATREON, you'll be getting these comics Monthly next year.  I'll also be using these books as possible Submission Material for other Publishers.  Anyway, here's the Poll Results and the Order I'll be Publishing them:

January- FAIRY TALE.  Fairy Tale was tied for the most votes, and also got the most votes earliest, so it will come out first.  I'm currently planning on doing an adaptation of one Grimm's Fairy Tales (preferably one that hasn't been used a lot by other groups).  I'm leaning towards "Snow White & Rose Red", but there's a couple of others I might use instead. 

February- HORROR.  Horror got the same amount of votes as Fairy Tale, but the votes came in later, so it goes second.  Originally I was going to do a story that was a mash-up of an 80s Slasher Movie with H.P. Lovecraft, but I've been watching "Hannibal" lately, so I may try to shoehorn something along that vein into the story as well.  Of course, I have to remember I only have 8 Pages to work with.  Can't get too ambitious.

March-  BIZARRE.  Ah, my Wheelhouse.  "Fear and Loathing" meets "Naked Lunch".

April- SCI-FI.  Thanks to Mei's Double Vote, Sci-fi got bumped up to fourth place.  The idea I'm toying with is the concept of a Space based Society where the Physical Body is no longer necessary and only serves as a Fashion Accessory.

May-  FANTASY.  A fun homage to Dungeons & Dragons style Dungeon Crawls, starring a character I found in an obscure Grimm's Fairy Tale called "Bearskin".  I'm looking forward to this one, presuming I can remember all of this that far away.

June-  PIRATE.  Sadly, Pirate brings up the rear (sorry Steven).  I'm thinking about creating a story themed around the life and times of real life pirate Captain William Kidd.  Except with Giant Sea Serpents and Mystic Powers and absolutely no actual knowledge of sea stuff.  Or how to draw Pirate Ships.

Other than that, the second week into the Game, and I'm already running behind.  That's what I get for being too ambitious with my scoring.  Anyway, I'm down 5 Points, and I'm gonna be pretty busy today, so I'm not liking my odds.  Ce la vie.  Can't win em all.

Oh!  The story that I started in "Cosmic Pulp" will be continued in a full length series that I will use to give me an occasional breather from HFSAC.  I'm very excited about the Alternate Pantheon I've introduced, and I'm curious to see how the War for Saturn will turn out.

Right.  Links:

http://www.torcpress.com/
http://www.torcpress.com/store/
https://www.patreon.com/torcpress?ty=h

TORCTOBER: Last Day of the Polls

It's Friday, so this is our last Quixote Coyote strip for the week.  As usual, Click on the Image to enhance.

I always like drawing pairs of characters, and I always like it when one of the characters speaks in a single word or phrase.  Not sure why.  Also, I have no idea how to draw a weasel, so I just kinda faked it.

Other than that, the TORC Press Next Project Poll Closes today.  Current standings:

Tied for First Place with 3 Votes:  FAIRY TALE & HORROR
Tied for Second Place with 2 Votes:  BIZARRE & SCI-FI
Tied for Third Place with 1 Vote:  FANTASY & PIRATE

Thanks for all of the Votes!  The Poll doesn't close until the end of the day today, so if anyone hasn't voted yet, there's still time.  We've currently got ties across the board, so any votes will completely shake up the polls.

TORCTOBER: I've Run Out of Clever Titles

New Quixote Coyote.  Click on the Image to see it all bigger-like.

The problem I had with this page was that given the rather, somber, nature of this page, was that I couldn't come up with an actual punchline for this page.  Eventually I just gave up and decided to punctuate the strip with Quixote's Facial Expression.  I don't know if it works or not.  Sometimes old Peanuts strips would end this way, less with a gag and more with a melancholy moment.  I'm still experimenting and learning.  Comic Strips are a different animal than Comic Books.  It's like swimming with Whales for years, then trying to swim with Dolphins.  Same family, different rhythm. 

Regardless, that's a really well drawn Mailbox.  Seriously.  I drew the heck outa that Mailbox.

The January Try-Out Comics Poll is still going until Friday.  Current Standings:

3 Points: FAIRY TALE
1 Point: BIZARRE
1 Point: SCI-FI
1 Point: HORROR
1 Point: FANTASY/DUNGEON CRAWL
0 Point: PIRATE

The Good News is it looks like I don't need to learn how to draw Pirate Ships.  Anyway, if you haven't voted yet, drop me a line here on the Blog or on either Facebook or the Twitter.

Oh yeah, Links:

http://www.torcpress.com/
 http://www.torcpress.com/store/
https://www.patreon.com/torcpress?ty=h

TORCTOBER: New Concepts and Fun with Polls

Quixote Coyote, Third Strip.  Click on the Image to Enlarge:

This is the last of my "Warm Up" Strips before I move into the first "Quixote Coyote" story arc.

With the new TORC Press Year, I've decided to mix things up a bit.  I'm trying new things, branching out a little.  Besides Quixote Coyote, I'm gonna be a running a string of 8 Page B&W Comics that won't be set in the TORCverse.  The first of these is "Lost Alice", which is me warming up by returning to familiar ground by exploring Alice In Wonderland.  I figure I'm gonna bounce back and forth between 8 Page Issues of "Cosmic Pulp" and this new stuff. 

Anyway, I'm trying to decide what to do for the January Issue.  I've got the ideas, but I haven't settled on which specific one to run with.  So, POLL TIME!  If anyone out there's got their ears (eyes?) on, below I'll be listing my ideas for stuff.  If you see a Genre you want me to explore below, drop me a line either in the Comments section, on Facebook, or Twitter.  Whatever gets the most votes will be the comic I'll move on in January.  If there's a Tie, the winner will go to whoever got their response in earliest.  So, Vote early.  Anyway, here's the Candidates:

1) Once Again, Returning to my Roots, I've got the basic skeleton of a pretty neat HORROR story.

2) I know HFSAC is already a bit Sci-Fi, but I've got a crazy idea for a SCI-FI comic.

3) A Dungeons and Dragons style FANTASY/DUNGEON CRAWL.

4) Something Utterly BIZARRE.

5) I know they're out of date, but I've got a cool idea for a PIRATE story.

6) Lastly, I've got a FAIRY TALE I could adapt.

So, there's that.

TORCTOBER: The Running of the Wolves

I'm two strips in on Quixote Coyote.  At least on my computer you can Click on the Image to make it bigger.  Here we go:

I got some nice feedback on the Strip yesterday, so I suppose I should probably order some more of the Cartoon Strip Bristol so I can do more strips.

Right now I'm just trying to find my footing with the strip, so I'm sticking to my wheelhouse and doing a little action to start.

Other than that, current Points in the Game stand at 11.

Also, Links:

http://www.torcpress.com/
http://www.torcpress.com/store/
https://www.patreon.com/torcpress?ty=h