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.