Anyway, other than that, we'll be adding some new stuff to the Online Store Monday evening, so that's cool.
Sunday, May 31, 2015
Time to Start Rocking!
Welp, we're getting rolling with our new stuff. First off, we're starting a new issue of The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club. If you donate a measly $1 on the Patreon, you can view the new issue in its entirety, as it unfolds. Am I describing this properly? Anyway, you can head over to www.patreon.com/torcpress to subscribe and check out all sorts of cool comics. Here's a preview of Page 2 of HFSAC v2 #2.
Anybody recognize the Random Color Pattern I put up on the Facebook last week? Anyway, we'll be putting up more pages as the week progresses. In the meantime, we also have an 8 Page Story that we're doing that's a part of the Patreon Packs as well. I've decided to call the 8 Pagers "Cosmic Pulp". I already posted the first page over here on the Blog, but I've also put the first page up in the Patreon as well. Here's a reminder:
Anyway, other than that, we'll be adding some new stuff to the Online Store Monday evening, so that's cool.
Anyway, other than that, we'll be adding some new stuff to the Online Store Monday evening, so that's cool.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Plugging Away
I'm a bit tired as I type this. It's a little weird being out of the loop of doing comics every day. Still, I'm working hard, trying to get different parts and pieces together. As I mentioned earlier, I've beefed up my Patreon Packs (which you can check out at https://www.patreon.com/torcpress?ty=h). One of the things that is going into both the $5 and $10 Patreon Packs is an Original Sticker. The Sticker for the June Patreon Pack features The Judge of Worlds himself, OMNICHRONUS. Here it is:
It's a neato piece of art that you can, y'know, put on your school locker or whatever. Anyway, if you Subscribe to TORC Press on Patreon for $5 or $10 you get one of these stickers with your Packet. It's neato.
Monday, May 25, 2015
Patreon Updates
Heyo. As I've mentioned before, I'm gonna start focusing heavily on the Patreon Site from here on. I have already added all of The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club (vol. 2) #0 and #1. You can read em for free on the Blog, but they are the last of the free ones. If you appreciate the work I've been doing, you can support TORC Press on Patreon. For a pledge of $1, you can read all of my webcomics, for $5 you get an 8 Page Comic and a Sticker every month, and for $10 you get everything else as well as a 24 Page Comic and a Mini-Poster every month.
Anyway, I've already started putting issue 2 online. Originally, Issue 2 was gonna be a different issue, but that got pushed back to Issue 3. Issue 2 is essentially a collection of short stories. The first story focuses on Cactus Joe the Clown, Tei Harlequin, and Pengy Penguin. It's a bit of an homage to one of my all time favorite comics "Mister Miracle". I've already posted the first page here on the blog, but here's an excerpt.
Anyway, you can support TORC Press at: https://www.patreon.com/torcpress?ty=h
Anyway, I've already started putting issue 2 online. Originally, Issue 2 was gonna be a different issue, but that got pushed back to Issue 3. Issue 2 is essentially a collection of short stories. The first story focuses on Cactus Joe the Clown, Tei Harlequin, and Pengy Penguin. It's a bit of an homage to one of my all time favorite comics "Mister Miracle". I've already posted the first page here on the blog, but here's an excerpt.
Monday, May 18, 2015
My Epiphany (The New Path)
If you're reading this Blog, you probably know that I work in a Sawmill for a Living, and I don't make a living off of TORC Press. The Sawmill Job has actually gotten harder over the last year. We had another brutal, soul-crushing winter, and that has been followed by us losing an important market for our Lumber, which has resulted in my job, which was already labor intensive and brutal, becoming even harder. Throw in the fact that I'm getting older, and it all adds up to the fact that my job is, quite simply, killing me.
At the beginning of this year, I made the statement that I was gonna try harder to make TORC Press "work". At the very least, I would like for TORC Press to pay for itself, but what I really want, what I truly desire, is to make a living off of TORC Press, creating Insane Comics and making a decent enough living doing it. I'm aware that this dream is virtually impossible. I don't have the talent, I don't have the readership, and I'm obsessed with creating Kirby-style Cosmic Comics, which were Unpopular back when Kirby was alive, and even more Unpopular Now. So I know this is gonna be a steep uphill battle, one that I probably won't win. But you know me, I'd rather try and fail than never try at all. Of course, Succeeding wouldn't hurt my feelings any either.
So, the other day, I was uploading one of my pages to Tumbler. For some reason, Tumbler acts twitchy on me, and sometimes the Pages won't Upload. Which is annoying to say the least. So, I'm trying to Upload a page, and it fails on me. I sigh, roll my eyes, and get ready to try to upload the page again. And then, I suddenly have a very clear, very simple thought:
Why am I even bothering?
My Tumbler has done nothing for me. Absolutely nothing. It has not increased my Readership. It has not increased my exposure. I have not made a single sale Online or at Conventions as a result of my Tumbler. So why do I waste valuable time every morning posting comics online on my Tumbler?
And suddenly, I saw everything. For the last 5 years, I've been putting at least one comic up online on either my Website or this Blog or Tumbler or Deviant Art or something. And it has got me nothing. No increased readership, no exposure, no Online Sales. Nuthin. It just doesn't work. I like this Blog, it's cool putting up my comics every day and doing the Commentary and all of that. But, according to the little Statistic thingie I get on my Blog, the Blog has an average Readership of about 15 People. That means there's Me (I have to access the Blog to Cut n' Paste the Web Address onto my Facebook and Twitter), my gal Mei (and she says she is on the blog a couple of times a day), my sister-in-law Mary, Josh from the CQCA, maybe Tim too (Tim, do you read the Blog?), Boolah, and maybe a couple other guys I know. That leaves about, maybe 6 people reading the Blog on a regular basis (and thanks for that folks, I do appreciate it). No one reading the Blog buys anything in the Online Store. Again, this isn't a big deal, it's just facts and business. And the fact is, the Blog, cool and fun as it is, does not work.
Here's the Real Kicker: I have about 6 Guys that buy my comics on my regular basis (1 buys in the Online Store, 2 are supporters on Patreon, and the remainder buy comics when they see me at Conventions), and although my Readership is small, these guys are all awesome and have been really good to me (Seriously, I have the Best Readership!). Ironically, to my knowledge, none of these guys read the Comics Free Online. The people who should be taking advantage of all the free comics I post, are the people who aren't. How weird is that?
Anyway, the moral of the story is this: Posting stuff for Free isn't working at all. Why? It's a lesson I've been forced to learn over and over and over again. Free doesn't work. I don't know why. I like Free. Free is cool. But if you are a Small Press Comic Publisher, Free breeds contempt in people. I have no idea why this happens, but Free never, ever works. Give away Free Comics? Nothing. Free Business Cards? Nothing. Free Flyers? Not only will you get nothing out of them, occasionally someone will actually give you the Stink Eye for trying to give them a harmless sheet of paper. The bizarre truth is that if people dig your work, they will actually want to spend money on it. The people who don't, won't. No amount of hype will change that.
So, if none of this is working, then why am I doing it? And more importantly, What Is Working?
Well, the Online Store is working, even if I only have one person using it (One is more than None, so there's that), so I need to keep that running, obviously. What's working best right now is the Patreon. I have three Patrons, and I get $21 a month out of it. It may not seem like a lot, but that is money I get every month, and it really helps me cover Art Supplies and Convention Table Fees. It's a start, y'know.
So, logically, I need to put the focus on the Patreon. So, that's what I'm gonna do. First off, I'm gonna be running the webcomics exclusively through the Patreon from now on, and they'll be available to people that donate a $1 or more to the Patreon. I know, it's lame, but like I've said, if people wanna support the work, they will. I've also Upgraded the Existing Patreon Packets. The $5 a month package has been upgraded. If you donate $5 a month, you get full access to the Patreon Site, an 8 page comic (now in Full Color), and a Sticker (you can put it on a locker or your notebook... presuming you're still in School or something). The $10 Patreon Packet not only contains all the same stuff that's in the $1 and $5 packets, it also has a full color 24 page comic and an 8 1/2" X 11" Art Print. So, y'know, you get cool stuff for supporting TORC Press. I should probably put up the link now: https://www.patreon.com/torcpress
Anyway, I'm not gonna be putting up new comics on the Blog and the Main Site or the Tumbler. The Tumbler is pretty much done. I'll be putting excerpts of stuff and hype and whatnot on the Main Site and this Blog. I'll update the Online Store when new stuff is available. I'm gonna keep trying new things, and I'm gonna keep trying to find those people out there that wanna read bizarre cosmic Kirby style comics.
Anyway, a big thanks to everyone that has supported the TORC Press cause! It's time to try a new path up the Mountain.
At the beginning of this year, I made the statement that I was gonna try harder to make TORC Press "work". At the very least, I would like for TORC Press to pay for itself, but what I really want, what I truly desire, is to make a living off of TORC Press, creating Insane Comics and making a decent enough living doing it. I'm aware that this dream is virtually impossible. I don't have the talent, I don't have the readership, and I'm obsessed with creating Kirby-style Cosmic Comics, which were Unpopular back when Kirby was alive, and even more Unpopular Now. So I know this is gonna be a steep uphill battle, one that I probably won't win. But you know me, I'd rather try and fail than never try at all. Of course, Succeeding wouldn't hurt my feelings any either.
So, the other day, I was uploading one of my pages to Tumbler. For some reason, Tumbler acts twitchy on me, and sometimes the Pages won't Upload. Which is annoying to say the least. So, I'm trying to Upload a page, and it fails on me. I sigh, roll my eyes, and get ready to try to upload the page again. And then, I suddenly have a very clear, very simple thought:
Why am I even bothering?
My Tumbler has done nothing for me. Absolutely nothing. It has not increased my Readership. It has not increased my exposure. I have not made a single sale Online or at Conventions as a result of my Tumbler. So why do I waste valuable time every morning posting comics online on my Tumbler?
And suddenly, I saw everything. For the last 5 years, I've been putting at least one comic up online on either my Website or this Blog or Tumbler or Deviant Art or something. And it has got me nothing. No increased readership, no exposure, no Online Sales. Nuthin. It just doesn't work. I like this Blog, it's cool putting up my comics every day and doing the Commentary and all of that. But, according to the little Statistic thingie I get on my Blog, the Blog has an average Readership of about 15 People. That means there's Me (I have to access the Blog to Cut n' Paste the Web Address onto my Facebook and Twitter), my gal Mei (and she says she is on the blog a couple of times a day), my sister-in-law Mary, Josh from the CQCA, maybe Tim too (Tim, do you read the Blog?), Boolah, and maybe a couple other guys I know. That leaves about, maybe 6 people reading the Blog on a regular basis (and thanks for that folks, I do appreciate it). No one reading the Blog buys anything in the Online Store. Again, this isn't a big deal, it's just facts and business. And the fact is, the Blog, cool and fun as it is, does not work.
Here's the Real Kicker: I have about 6 Guys that buy my comics on my regular basis (1 buys in the Online Store, 2 are supporters on Patreon, and the remainder buy comics when they see me at Conventions), and although my Readership is small, these guys are all awesome and have been really good to me (Seriously, I have the Best Readership!). Ironically, to my knowledge, none of these guys read the Comics Free Online. The people who should be taking advantage of all the free comics I post, are the people who aren't. How weird is that?
Anyway, the moral of the story is this: Posting stuff for Free isn't working at all. Why? It's a lesson I've been forced to learn over and over and over again. Free doesn't work. I don't know why. I like Free. Free is cool. But if you are a Small Press Comic Publisher, Free breeds contempt in people. I have no idea why this happens, but Free never, ever works. Give away Free Comics? Nothing. Free Business Cards? Nothing. Free Flyers? Not only will you get nothing out of them, occasionally someone will actually give you the Stink Eye for trying to give them a harmless sheet of paper. The bizarre truth is that if people dig your work, they will actually want to spend money on it. The people who don't, won't. No amount of hype will change that.
So, if none of this is working, then why am I doing it? And more importantly, What Is Working?
Well, the Online Store is working, even if I only have one person using it (One is more than None, so there's that), so I need to keep that running, obviously. What's working best right now is the Patreon. I have three Patrons, and I get $21 a month out of it. It may not seem like a lot, but that is money I get every month, and it really helps me cover Art Supplies and Convention Table Fees. It's a start, y'know.
So, logically, I need to put the focus on the Patreon. So, that's what I'm gonna do. First off, I'm gonna be running the webcomics exclusively through the Patreon from now on, and they'll be available to people that donate a $1 or more to the Patreon. I know, it's lame, but like I've said, if people wanna support the work, they will. I've also Upgraded the Existing Patreon Packets. The $5 a month package has been upgraded. If you donate $5 a month, you get full access to the Patreon Site, an 8 page comic (now in Full Color), and a Sticker (you can put it on a locker or your notebook... presuming you're still in School or something). The $10 Patreon Packet not only contains all the same stuff that's in the $1 and $5 packets, it also has a full color 24 page comic and an 8 1/2" X 11" Art Print. So, y'know, you get cool stuff for supporting TORC Press. I should probably put up the link now: https://www.patreon.com/torcpress
Anyway, I'm not gonna be putting up new comics on the Blog and the Main Site or the Tumbler. The Tumbler is pretty much done. I'll be putting excerpts of stuff and hype and whatnot on the Main Site and this Blog. I'll update the Online Store when new stuff is available. I'm gonna keep trying new things, and I'm gonna keep trying to find those people out there that wanna read bizarre cosmic Kirby style comics.
Anyway, a big thanks to everyone that has supported the TORC Press cause! It's time to try a new path up the Mountain.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Psyching Up, Psyching Out
It's been one of those hard weeks. The kind of week that gets a guy to thinking about stuff. We'll talk about that on Monday. In the meantime, let's see what Boolah has for us in SDF.
SDF (v2) #1 Page 8.
Here we see the uncertainty of the road ahead. These heroes know where they've been, but that was a world which seemed aeons ago and now is a former shell of itself. They are going on what seems to be a hunch and Death Moth knows it. Kind've seems he's trying to psyche himself up as well. Hey, you go toe-to-toe with a demigod like being and see how well you fare afterwords. I'd be in a home pooping myself.
Here we see the uncertainty of the road ahead. These heroes know where they've been, but that was a world which seemed aeons ago and now is a former shell of itself. They are going on what seems to be a hunch and Death Moth knows it. Kind've seems he's trying to psyche himself up as well. Hey, you go toe-to-toe with a demigod like being and see how well you fare afterwords. I'd be in a home pooping myself.
Burning Sword
So, I fell asleep at 7:30 last night. The sun was still out.
HFSAC Wildcard: Mars Page 4.
Since this story was originally written for an Anthology that was themed after the Saturday Morning Cartoons I grew up with, I didn't want to show too much violence. When I was a kid, people who had swords or claws could only ever use them to destroy other people's weapons. So that's what happens on this page, as Achile melts the Bad Guys Guns instead of their faces.
Since this story was originally written for an Anthology that was themed after the Saturday Morning Cartoons I grew up with, I didn't want to show too much violence. When I was a kid, people who had swords or claws could only ever use them to destroy other people's weapons. So that's what happens on this page, as Achile melts the Bad Guys Guns instead of their faces.
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
Taco Truck
It's been a cool issue. Let's wrap this bad boy up.
The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club (v.2) #1 Page 24.
Welp, that wraps up this issue. A good issue of HFSAC should end with a Taco Party, and that's how this one ends, so this is a good issue of HFSAC. That's logic at work.
Anyway, Issue 2 starts on Monday. I'm rolling fast, and I'm rolling hard.
Welp, that wraps up this issue. A good issue of HFSAC should end with a Taco Party, and that's how this one ends, so this is a good issue of HFSAC. That's logic at work.
Anyway, Issue 2 starts on Monday. I'm rolling fast, and I'm rolling hard.
Tuesday, May 12, 2015
The King of All Butterflies
Hey Ho, let's go.
The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club (v.2) #1 Page 23.
Let's break this one up into sections, shall we?
Top Panel: Although the Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club are sometimes referred to as the New Wave Space Gods, they're essentially Human, just Bigger. Much Bigger. In this way, they are much like the classic Gods of Mythology from the Greek, Egyptian, and Norse Pantheons. Unlike those Gods, HFSAC serve a larger God, and this God is OMNICHRONUS. Despite the fact that many of the members of HFSAC have served Big O for a few years now, very few of them have borne firsthand witness to the true power of the Judge of Worlds. So everyone is a bit taken aback, even though the HFSAC gang are aware of the power of OMNICHRONUS, to see it up close and personal is a bit much, even for them. Or, as the Clown puts it, "Holy Guacamole."
Left Side: Although OMNICHRONUS can be compared to Galactus (and there is an intentional homage there), Big O is quite a bit different from Galactus. Galactus is a cosmic being who feeds off the energy of entire worlds in order to survive, killing the world he "devours" in the process. OMNICHRONUS on the other hand, is a Cosmic Force of Nature that has the ability to pass Judgement on Entire Worlds. In some instances, the Verdict is "Death", in which case OMNICHRONUS can, in fact, destroy the world he has passed Judgement on. Although the destruction of a planet requires massive amounts of energy to facilitate, Big O can also draw a certain amount of energy back into himself, recharging his supply of Cosmic Energy, and helping to balance out the loss of energy from the planetary destruction. Which is why OMNICHRONUS is glowing in this panel. Also, I thought it looked cool.
Right Side: In a very fast paced, plot driven comic like this one, you take your characterization where you can get it. I wanted to throw some lines at some of the newer characters. So you get a few quick, yet revealing moments. Jester Kidd revealing that he serves OMNICHRONUS largely because he respects Big O's Power. Phantasmo Rex being comic relief. Shiv continuing to follow her Kharmic Balance theme. And the Cosmic Fool thinking tactically.
Other than that, that Truck in the last panel was not drawn well. Boo for me.
Let's break this one up into sections, shall we?
Top Panel: Although the Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club are sometimes referred to as the New Wave Space Gods, they're essentially Human, just Bigger. Much Bigger. In this way, they are much like the classic Gods of Mythology from the Greek, Egyptian, and Norse Pantheons. Unlike those Gods, HFSAC serve a larger God, and this God is OMNICHRONUS. Despite the fact that many of the members of HFSAC have served Big O for a few years now, very few of them have borne firsthand witness to the true power of the Judge of Worlds. So everyone is a bit taken aback, even though the HFSAC gang are aware of the power of OMNICHRONUS, to see it up close and personal is a bit much, even for them. Or, as the Clown puts it, "Holy Guacamole."
Left Side: Although OMNICHRONUS can be compared to Galactus (and there is an intentional homage there), Big O is quite a bit different from Galactus. Galactus is a cosmic being who feeds off the energy of entire worlds in order to survive, killing the world he "devours" in the process. OMNICHRONUS on the other hand, is a Cosmic Force of Nature that has the ability to pass Judgement on Entire Worlds. In some instances, the Verdict is "Death", in which case OMNICHRONUS can, in fact, destroy the world he has passed Judgement on. Although the destruction of a planet requires massive amounts of energy to facilitate, Big O can also draw a certain amount of energy back into himself, recharging his supply of Cosmic Energy, and helping to balance out the loss of energy from the planetary destruction. Which is why OMNICHRONUS is glowing in this panel. Also, I thought it looked cool.
Right Side: In a very fast paced, plot driven comic like this one, you take your characterization where you can get it. I wanted to throw some lines at some of the newer characters. So you get a few quick, yet revealing moments. Jester Kidd revealing that he serves OMNICHRONUS largely because he respects Big O's Power. Phantasmo Rex being comic relief. Shiv continuing to follow her Kharmic Balance theme. And the Cosmic Fool thinking tactically.
Other than that, that Truck in the last panel was not drawn well. Boo for me.
Monday, May 11, 2015
Doom for the Doom Beam
We're back to a normal schedule this week. And as an added bonus, we've got our final three pages of the new HFSAC this week. Here's the first.
The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club (v.2) #1 Page 22.
One of the things I wanted to accomplish with this issue was to demonstrate the raw power, not only of the new Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club, but also to demonstrate the raw power of Lord OMNICHRONUS himself. HFSAC can work miracles: raising the dead, manipulating evolution and reality, and laying waste to entire armies of enemies. But blowing up an entire planetoid? Well, that's a little beyond their capabilities. But not OMNICHRONUS. I mean, he's called the Judge of Worlds, after all. And when Big O passes Judgement, Cosmic Destruction follows in his wake.
Boom.
One of the things I wanted to accomplish with this issue was to demonstrate the raw power, not only of the new Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club, but also to demonstrate the raw power of Lord OMNICHRONUS himself. HFSAC can work miracles: raising the dead, manipulating evolution and reality, and laying waste to entire armies of enemies. But blowing up an entire planetoid? Well, that's a little beyond their capabilities. But not OMNICHRONUS. I mean, he's called the Judge of Worlds, after all. And when Big O passes Judgement, Cosmic Destruction follows in his wake.
Boom.
Friday, May 8, 2015
Joker's Wild!
We've done all of the Four Suits (Suites?), but Deuces aren't the only Wildcards in a Deck. That's right baby. JOKER'S WILD!
HFSAC: Joker's Wild Page 1.
Life is Hard. A lot of it sucks. You work a merciless, crappy job for lackluster pay. You watch or read the news and the whole world is going to hell in a handbag. People can be stupid and cruel and vicious and mean and ugly, and it just drives you nuts. But there's some times when it's all worthwhile. Meeting the woman of your dreams (hey Mei!). A nice drive on your favorite stretch of road. A song you really enjoy on the radio. Tacos. Crazy weird cartoons. A fast paced wrestling match where someone does a crazy out-of-the-ring dive. Truly bad movies.
And then there's these pages I've been doing lately. I love these crazy, weird, cosmic pages. I love drawing my characters floating weightlessly in space. I love those pulsating bands of cosmic energy. I love the interplay of the blacks with the bright colors. I know I'm not the best artist, and I know I'm aping Jack Kirby. But, man, I don't care. I'm a happy dude.
Other than that, I like the idea that the members of HFSAC kinda run around on their own between missions. As stated in the header, this story takes place after HFSAC v.2 #1. I know, in theory this defuses the situation a little, since we know that Cactus Joe, Pengy Penguin, and Tei Harlequin survive HFSAC #1. But come on, it's not like we didn't already know that was gonna happen.
In addition, I'd like to take a moment to point out that Our Heroes are investigating a destroyed Starship on this page, while over in HFSAC: Duece of Clubs, Tsao crashlands on Jupiter in an escape pod. Coincidence? Well, I probably wouldn't bother mentioning it if it was, now would I?
Life is Hard. A lot of it sucks. You work a merciless, crappy job for lackluster pay. You watch or read the news and the whole world is going to hell in a handbag. People can be stupid and cruel and vicious and mean and ugly, and it just drives you nuts. But there's some times when it's all worthwhile. Meeting the woman of your dreams (hey Mei!). A nice drive on your favorite stretch of road. A song you really enjoy on the radio. Tacos. Crazy weird cartoons. A fast paced wrestling match where someone does a crazy out-of-the-ring dive. Truly bad movies.
And then there's these pages I've been doing lately. I love these crazy, weird, cosmic pages. I love drawing my characters floating weightlessly in space. I love those pulsating bands of cosmic energy. I love the interplay of the blacks with the bright colors. I know I'm not the best artist, and I know I'm aping Jack Kirby. But, man, I don't care. I'm a happy dude.
Other than that, I like the idea that the members of HFSAC kinda run around on their own between missions. As stated in the header, this story takes place after HFSAC v.2 #1. I know, in theory this defuses the situation a little, since we know that Cactus Joe, Pengy Penguin, and Tei Harlequin survive HFSAC #1. But come on, it's not like we didn't already know that was gonna happen.
In addition, I'd like to take a moment to point out that Our Heroes are investigating a destroyed Starship on this page, while over in HFSAC: Duece of Clubs, Tsao crashlands on Jupiter in an escape pod. Coincidence? Well, I probably wouldn't bother mentioning it if it was, now would I?
Mission Preparations
It's Friday, so it's SDF time. Let's see what Boolah has for us today...
SDF (v2) #1 Page 7.
Plot!
Character development! A rift in the group? When the heroes were in the WHL together it was a more peaceful time. Now Two of the three have died and returned and the other one (SS) has been...augmented. How and why? Maybe we'll see.
Anyway, this is the calm before the storm as to leave readers exactly what the hell is in there. I've told the plot device to Joseph and he seems to approve of it. The one cool thing about this book is I get a ton of creative control on major TORC characters. It's not like I'm going to have OJ be a crackhead or
Aliceislost go crazy and lose control of her powers only to be a hero again five years later like the Scarlet Witch. (Bendis, that idea was dumb as hell, by the way.) But we will see changes in the characters.
Plot!
Character development! A rift in the group? When the heroes were in the WHL together it was a more peaceful time. Now Two of the three have died and returned and the other one (SS) has been...augmented. How and why? Maybe we'll see.
Anyway, this is the calm before the storm as to leave readers exactly what the hell is in there. I've told the plot device to Joseph and he seems to approve of it. The one cool thing about this book is I get a ton of creative control on major TORC characters. It's not like I'm going to have OJ be a crackhead or
Aliceislost go crazy and lose control of her powers only to be a hero again five years later like the Scarlet Witch. (Bendis, that idea was dumb as hell, by the way.) But we will see changes in the characters.
Thursday, May 7, 2015
Survival
It's time for the last Suite in our Wildcard deck:
HFSAC Wildcard: Deuce of Hearts (Jovio's Story) Page 2.
As I've mentioned before, one of the things I like about the Wildcard Pages, is that they allow me to branch out and do some cool stuff that I wouldn't be able to do with the regular HFSAC book. Which is why I like this page so much. Typically, in the TORCverse, my Heroes tend to outfight, outbrawl, and outlast their enemies. Jovio's just a blue-monkey-guy, so he's probably not gonna outfight anybody, let alone a Giant Bug Monster. So, if Jovio's gonna survive, he's gotta outsmart the Giant Bug Monster. Which he does. It's pretty rare for one of my characters to outsmart an opponent, so this is a pretty neat page in that respect. Having said that, it's worth mentioning that Jovio still has to work for his little victory. There's a lot of running and jumping and climbing involved, and one mistake will spell doom for our new hero.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this page.
As I've mentioned before, one of the things I like about the Wildcard Pages, is that they allow me to branch out and do some cool stuff that I wouldn't be able to do with the regular HFSAC book. Which is why I like this page so much. Typically, in the TORCverse, my Heroes tend to outfight, outbrawl, and outlast their enemies. Jovio's just a blue-monkey-guy, so he's probably not gonna outfight anybody, let alone a Giant Bug Monster. So, if Jovio's gonna survive, he's gotta outsmart the Giant Bug Monster. Which he does. It's pretty rare for one of my characters to outsmart an opponent, so this is a pretty neat page in that respect. Having said that, it's worth mentioning that Jovio still has to work for his little victory. There's a lot of running and jumping and climbing involved, and one mistake will spell doom for our new hero.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this page.
Death Rays on Mercury
It's Thursday, so we have our actual Wildcard Page on Wildcard Week. Crazy.
HFSAC Wildcard: Deuce of Diamonds (Z) Page 2.
Death Rays. My obsession with Death Rays started the same way most of my obsessions start: I was terrified of Death Rays as a child. Yeah, I know. Y'see, when you watch Star Wars, people get shot with Blasters, and it burns a little hole, and they drop dead. Simple. Easy. Logical. The Predator shoots some poor soldier with his shoulder cannon, and there's a bloody burning hole and he drops dead. Simple. Violent. Gross. Logical. But that cheezy War of the Worlds movie I watched where the UFOs shoot Death Rays, and then the poor soldiers glow red for a second and then Poof! they're just gone. Gone. Like they never existed. No body. No funeral. No nothing. Creepy, right? That kinda stuff freaked me out. From Star Trek's Phasers to Darkseid's Omega Effect, the idea of being Erased from Existence has always given me the willies.
So, of course, I freaking love Death Rays. I use em as often as I can nowadays. I do feel bad for that poor Mercurian in Panel 3/5. I hope he didn't have a family.
If you can't read the tiny text on the side of Panel 2, the guys flying the Squid-ships are from Uranus. They are Uranian. From Uranus. Heh.
If you've read HFSAC #0 or Clown & Penguin #1-2 or Cosmic Love #2, then you know who the Emperor of Mercury is. If you know who the Emperor is, then you should probably feel sorry for those three Uranians. Things are about to go really bad for them.
Death Rays. My obsession with Death Rays started the same way most of my obsessions start: I was terrified of Death Rays as a child. Yeah, I know. Y'see, when you watch Star Wars, people get shot with Blasters, and it burns a little hole, and they drop dead. Simple. Easy. Logical. The Predator shoots some poor soldier with his shoulder cannon, and there's a bloody burning hole and he drops dead. Simple. Violent. Gross. Logical. But that cheezy War of the Worlds movie I watched where the UFOs shoot Death Rays, and then the poor soldiers glow red for a second and then Poof! they're just gone. Gone. Like they never existed. No body. No funeral. No nothing. Creepy, right? That kinda stuff freaked me out. From Star Trek's Phasers to Darkseid's Omega Effect, the idea of being Erased from Existence has always given me the willies.
So, of course, I freaking love Death Rays. I use em as often as I can nowadays. I do feel bad for that poor Mercurian in Panel 3/5. I hope he didn't have a family.
If you can't read the tiny text on the side of Panel 2, the guys flying the Squid-ships are from Uranus. They are Uranian. From Uranus. Heh.
If you've read HFSAC #0 or Clown & Penguin #1-2 or Cosmic Love #2, then you know who the Emperor of Mercury is. If you know who the Emperor is, then you should probably feel sorry for those three Uranians. Things are about to go really bad for them.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
A Voice in the Desert
Wildcard Week Continues!
HFSAC Wildcard: Deuce of Clubs (Tsao) Page 2.
As I've stated before, HFSAC is a story about Mythology, Legends, and Gods. Mythologies throughout history have lots of stories involving deserts. People getting lost in deserts, people going on spiritual quests in deserts, people being tempted by Satan in deserts. In the desert, Moses had a conversation with a burning bush. So this story kind of draws on that inspiration, the idea of a spiritual journey and hearing voices in the desert. At the same time, it's a little bit of Genie in a bottle type of story, as Tsao has obviously encountered a strange object of unknown quality that is offering him great power in exchange for freedom.
Tsao was originally supposed to be a member of the massive 40 Member HFSAC Team that I scrapped about six months ago. He was going to be part of a mini-team within HFSAC that consisted of Mad Fox, Mello Dee, Wildboy, Kaimeero, and himself. These characters were all briefly introduced in the Pulp Horrorshow vol. 5 One Shot. When I scrapped the idea for the 40 Member HFSAC, I wasn't really sure what to do with that group. Then I got this idea for the Tsao solo story. In his original incarnation, Tsao was supposed to be a silent assassin/bodyguard. He was gonna be a "sword guy" originally. Tsao, @byss, and another character would have formed a three man Infiltration and Assassination Squad as well (Team Silent, if you will). Of course, none of this happened, and now we find Tsao on a completely different path. Where will it lead? Who knows? I sure don't.
As I've stated before, HFSAC is a story about Mythology, Legends, and Gods. Mythologies throughout history have lots of stories involving deserts. People getting lost in deserts, people going on spiritual quests in deserts, people being tempted by Satan in deserts. In the desert, Moses had a conversation with a burning bush. So this story kind of draws on that inspiration, the idea of a spiritual journey and hearing voices in the desert. At the same time, it's a little bit of Genie in a bottle type of story, as Tsao has obviously encountered a strange object of unknown quality that is offering him great power in exchange for freedom.
Tsao was originally supposed to be a member of the massive 40 Member HFSAC Team that I scrapped about six months ago. He was going to be part of a mini-team within HFSAC that consisted of Mad Fox, Mello Dee, Wildboy, Kaimeero, and himself. These characters were all briefly introduced in the Pulp Horrorshow vol. 5 One Shot. When I scrapped the idea for the 40 Member HFSAC, I wasn't really sure what to do with that group. Then I got this idea for the Tsao solo story. In his original incarnation, Tsao was supposed to be a silent assassin/bodyguard. He was gonna be a "sword guy" originally. Tsao, @byss, and another character would have formed a three man Infiltration and Assassination Squad as well (Team Silent, if you will). Of course, none of this happened, and now we find Tsao on a completely different path. Where will it lead? Who knows? I sure don't.
Prepare for Judgement
Well, for the record, even though I'm not really doing Hype Week anymore, I feel it bears mentioning that you can go to the Online Store at http://www.torcpress.com/store/ and purchase an 11X17 Poster of any Page from any TORC Press Comic. Why am I mentioning this? Welp, I'm really proud of today's page. I think it would make a neat-o poster. Just saying.
The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club (v.2) #1 Page 21.
One of the tricky parts with working with a truly God-like figure like OMNICHRONUS is that if you use him too much, then he loses all his mystery. If you use him too little, then he makes no real impression, and there's no point to the character in the first place. I feel like I've done pretty okay so far in my usage of OMNICHRONUS, but we've never really had that Gloriously Vulgar Display of Power yet. I mean, he's also known as the Judge of Worlds. Looks like it's time for Judgement.
One of the tricky parts with working with a truly God-like figure like OMNICHRONUS is that if you use him too much, then he loses all his mystery. If you use him too little, then he makes no real impression, and there's no point to the character in the first place. I feel like I've done pretty okay so far in my usage of OMNICHRONUS, but we've never really had that Gloriously Vulgar Display of Power yet. I mean, he's also known as the Judge of Worlds. Looks like it's time for Judgement.
Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Slimey Walls and Technomagic
Whoops! Dove into work and almost forgot to put up my Wildcard. It's strange, I almost forgot to put up one page working on another page. Weird.
HFSAC: Saturn (Prometheon/Spade) Page 2.
When I started the Wildcards, I was just kind of throwing ideas out willy-nilly. As with all things, eventually I started to organize my thoughts a bit, and I realized that since I was calling these "Wildcard" Pages, it made sense that I would group them according to Suit. Anyway, the Mars Story is a one-shot, so it's not got a suit, and the Ortex and "In the Beginning" Stories are somewhat connected to the main HFSAC story, so they don't get suits either. So, here's the groupings:
Spade- Saturn (Prometheon)
Club- Jupiter (Tsao)
Heart- Jupiter (Jovio)
Diamond- Mercury (Z)
Anyway, we're back on Saturn with its weird bug society and slimey walls and technomagic. Anyway, on today's page we...
Waitaminute...
What's King Smooth doing here? I didn't write that. Seriously, who put that there? Did someone sneak in and draw that in there? I didn't do that! I didn't put King Smooth on this page!!!!
Okay. Don't panic. Maybe I drew it in my sleep or something. Freaking weird.
When I started the Wildcards, I was just kind of throwing ideas out willy-nilly. As with all things, eventually I started to organize my thoughts a bit, and I realized that since I was calling these "Wildcard" Pages, it made sense that I would group them according to Suit. Anyway, the Mars Story is a one-shot, so it's not got a suit, and the Ortex and "In the Beginning" Stories are somewhat connected to the main HFSAC story, so they don't get suits either. So, here's the groupings:
Spade- Saturn (Prometheon)
Club- Jupiter (Tsao)
Heart- Jupiter (Jovio)
Diamond- Mercury (Z)
Anyway, we're back on Saturn with its weird bug society and slimey walls and technomagic. Anyway, on today's page we...
Waitaminute...
What's King Smooth doing here? I didn't write that. Seriously, who put that there? Did someone sneak in and draw that in there? I didn't do that! I didn't put King Smooth on this page!!!!
Okay. Don't panic. Maybe I drew it in my sleep or something. Freaking weird.
The Judge of Worlds
Oh, baby. Big O is here.
The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club (v2) #1 Page 20.
I love OMNICHRONUS pages. I really do. They do make me kinda nervous though, because OMNICHRONUS is hard to draw, and I worry about making him as big as I need to. Still, I really enjoy these pages.
I like how utterly cowardly Admiral Ahab is on this page. Some villains should be cowardly.
I love OMNICHRONUS pages. I really do. They do make me kinda nervous though, because OMNICHRONUS is hard to draw, and I worry about making him as big as I need to. Still, I really enjoy these pages.
I like how utterly cowardly Admiral Ahab is on this page. Some villains should be cowardly.
Monday, May 4, 2015
She's Got a Magma Sword
Me: So, I'm pretty excited, I'm coming up on Wildcard Week.
Bro: Sigh. Should I even ask what Wildcard Week is?
Me: Well, I've been doing these Wildcard Pages, which are kinda related to the main HFSAC Universe, but not related to the actual story going on in HFSAC. It's my way of expanding my little universe a little. Anyway, one Wildcard Page goes up every Thursday, but during Wildcard Week I put one up every day in addition to my usual pages.
Bro: Why would you do that to yourself?
Me: Ah, you know me. I'm crazy.
HFSAC: Mars Page 3.
The lady on this page is named Achile. You can pronounce it ah-kill-ee or ah-chill-ee. I like either. It's obviously a take on Achilles, the almost invincible warrior from the Iliad, because again, this is a comic about Gods and Legends. She is themed a little after Thundarr the Barbarian (this entire strip was something of a homage to Thundarr) and the Reject from Kirby's Eternals. Achile's weapon is called a Magma Sword, which was inspired by a comment by my friend Mark Griffin. I like the idea of a sword that somehow drips Magma. That's crazy.
What in the living heck is that Chicken/Lizard/Horse/Squid thing? Seriously, what the heck?
Bro: Sigh. Should I even ask what Wildcard Week is?
Me: Well, I've been doing these Wildcard Pages, which are kinda related to the main HFSAC Universe, but not related to the actual story going on in HFSAC. It's my way of expanding my little universe a little. Anyway, one Wildcard Page goes up every Thursday, but during Wildcard Week I put one up every day in addition to my usual pages.
Bro: Why would you do that to yourself?
Me: Ah, you know me. I'm crazy.
The lady on this page is named Achile. You can pronounce it ah-kill-ee or ah-chill-ee. I like either. It's obviously a take on Achilles, the almost invincible warrior from the Iliad, because again, this is a comic about Gods and Legends. She is themed a little after Thundarr the Barbarian (this entire strip was something of a homage to Thundarr) and the Reject from Kirby's Eternals. Achile's weapon is called a Magma Sword, which was inspired by a comment by my friend Mark Griffin. I like the idea of a sword that somehow drips Magma. That's crazy.
What in the living heck is that Chicken/Lizard/Horse/Squid thing? Seriously, what the heck?
Chicken Run
Alrighty, first off, a big old thank you to everyone that came out and supported TORC Press at Free Comic Book Day. We had a good time. Also, a big old thanks to the Best Darn Comic Shop on the Planet, Comic Quest for hosting such a great event.
Also, it's the first full week of the month, so that means it's Wildcard Week! Last month we called it Hype Week, but I suck at Hype, so we're gonna call it Wildcard Week. Anyway, here's the Rules: Every day, Monday through Friday, all week long, after I get off work, I'm a-gonna put up a Wildcard Page. That's Five Days and Six Wildcard Pages (cause we run a Wildcard Page on Thursday morning). Expand that Universe Baby! EXPAAAAAAAANDDDDDD!!!!!!
Of course, before that, we've got the HFSAC Flagship up first. Let's Rock!
The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club (v2) #1 Page 19.
I'm trying to get out of the habit of killing off my Villains. This is hard for me, because I like killing Villains. I'm like Axe Cop that way. Anyway, as I've mentioned before, Admiral Ahab was created by Boolah, so I definitely didn't wanna kill off Ahab before Boolah got a chance to use him in SDF. At the very least I should give him the option of killing the guy first. Plus, I like the idea of the Ortex Big Wigs using waves upon waves of Red Shirts to protect themselves. Of course, the Clown's been plowing through Red Shirts for 15 years now, so of course he's gonna break through the pack and make a run for the Big Wig. Of course, the Clown has always been terrible at dodging, which leads to the Clown getting Trident Blasted.
Other than that, I think it's weird that the Ortex Battleships have Teeth. What's up with that?
Also, it's the first full week of the month, so that means it's Wildcard Week! Last month we called it Hype Week, but I suck at Hype, so we're gonna call it Wildcard Week. Anyway, here's the Rules: Every day, Monday through Friday, all week long, after I get off work, I'm a-gonna put up a Wildcard Page. That's Five Days and Six Wildcard Pages (cause we run a Wildcard Page on Thursday morning). Expand that Universe Baby! EXPAAAAAAAANDDDDDD!!!!!!
Of course, before that, we've got the HFSAC Flagship up first. Let's Rock!
I'm trying to get out of the habit of killing off my Villains. This is hard for me, because I like killing Villains. I'm like Axe Cop that way. Anyway, as I've mentioned before, Admiral Ahab was created by Boolah, so I definitely didn't wanna kill off Ahab before Boolah got a chance to use him in SDF. At the very least I should give him the option of killing the guy first. Plus, I like the idea of the Ortex Big Wigs using waves upon waves of Red Shirts to protect themselves. Of course, the Clown's been plowing through Red Shirts for 15 years now, so of course he's gonna break through the pack and make a run for the Big Wig. Of course, the Clown has always been terrible at dodging, which leads to the Clown getting Trident Blasted.
Other than that, I think it's weird that the Ortex Battleships have Teeth. What's up with that?
Friday, May 1, 2015
The Mission Begins
It's SDF time! As usual, today's page is written by Scott "Boolah" Bayler, and we'll run his commentary track in a moment. But before that, let me just say a couple of quick notes. Say? Type? Eh, whatever. On with the show.
SDF v2 #1 Page 6.
Joseph Notes: Y'know, that's not the suckiest drawings of a Helicopter, a Tank, and a Jeep of all time. I mean, I know they're not great, but considering I suck at drawing vehicles, it's not bad. Also, you'll note that I actually drew a variety of Ortex Soldiers for a change. A few of those guys are wearing the outfits that Boolah designed in "SDF" #0. It's a pretty neat design. I like the Diamond Logo on top of the helmet.
Anyway, let's see what Boolah's got to say:
Damn, that stronghold looks tough to crack. That's commonplace on Ortex Earth though. When I wrote this page I wondered what the reaction would be when I scripted tanks and helicopters (JEM: I believe my reaction was, "Holy crap, how am I gonna draw tanks and helicopters?" Then I drew a Jeep just for the heck of it.). Like I said on previous pages, I'm not looking at the final art pages.
Mango Habenero better be awful sneaky breaking into there.
Joseph Notes: Y'know, that's not the suckiest drawings of a Helicopter, a Tank, and a Jeep of all time. I mean, I know they're not great, but considering I suck at drawing vehicles, it's not bad. Also, you'll note that I actually drew a variety of Ortex Soldiers for a change. A few of those guys are wearing the outfits that Boolah designed in "SDF" #0. It's a pretty neat design. I like the Diamond Logo on top of the helmet.
Anyway, let's see what Boolah's got to say:
Damn, that stronghold looks tough to crack. That's commonplace on Ortex Earth though. When I wrote this page I wondered what the reaction would be when I scripted tanks and helicopters (JEM: I believe my reaction was, "Holy crap, how am I gonna draw tanks and helicopters?" Then I drew a Jeep just for the heck of it.). Like I said on previous pages, I'm not looking at the final art pages.
Mango Habenero better be awful sneaky breaking into there.
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