Aaaaahhhhhh....
I'm starting to feel it again, baby. After I wrapped up the 24 Challenge, it was like all the air went right out of me. The Convention Season was over, the Challenge was over, and all I had left was my misery from the last year, welling up from inside and choking me out like a jobber in a UFC match. I limped through December, and with the first month of the New (and possibly Last...bumbubum...)Year already half empty, I have been in a funk of a funk. But getting out on the road and hitting Murfreesboro and talking to people and selling some books has started to get the gears a turnin'. The blood a pumpin'. To steal a line from Duran Duran, I'm Hungry Like the Wolf.
Right now I am slowly regaining momentum on "The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club" #16. I am also working on a brand new video for The Dr. Orphyus Project for the song "Zach" off of the killer album "Death Jazz" (http://www.thedrorphyusproject.com/). In the meantime, I've got some irons in the fire on some other stuff I can't talk about yet, and I'm trying to get my taxes done as early as possible. One of the other things I'm a doin' is trying to shore up my 2012 Convention Schedule. So, here we go:
March 10-11: Metropolis Comicon- Metropolis, IL-- I'm finally gonna get to work a show in the Home of Superman! Nice! After taking a break for my Birthday Month, it will nice to work a show that's only a three hour drive away in my home state.
April 21-22: SPACE- Columbus, OH-- My favorite show of the year. I love SPACE, and always feel it is a criminally underrated show.
May 5: Free Comic Book Day- Comic Quest in Evansville, IN-- I always enjoy this mini-convention hosted by the excellent Comic Quest over in E-ville. The group I'm in, the Comic Quest Creator's Alliance, is making plans to go all out this year. Should be fun.
May 19-20: MCBA SpringCon- St. Paul, MN-- It's a long drive (my longest of the year), but a nice show nonetheless. Also, free steak!
June 30: Derby City Comicon- Louisville, KY-- A quick three hour drive and a one day show means that I don't gotta pay for a hotel room. Snazzy!
I already figure July is dead for me. Moving on...
August 9-12: Wizard World Chicago- Rosemont, IL-- I haven't paid for this show yet, but I probably will before the end of February. Technically, this is my biggest show of the year.
Nothing in September so far.
October 6-7: Nashville Comic and Horrorfest- Nashville, TN-- I haven't paid for this one either, but it's pretty much a no brainer. I've been going to this show for years, and I always do nicely at it. Plus, I get to hang out with my cousins.
Unless I find something for November, that's probably where my Calender year will end. That puts me at 8 shows this year (counting Murfreesboro). I might add a couple more to the mix later (I'm still waiting to hear back from one show...). If anyone out there is reading this blog and would like TORC Press to appear at a Convention or Event, please feel free to contact me about it.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Murfreesboro this Weekend
The Convention Season starts early for me this year, as I will be at the Murfreesboro Anime and Comicon this Saturday and Sunday, January 21-22, 2012, in Murfreesboro, TN at the Clarion Inn. Details can be found at http://www.comiccitytn.com/Nashville_Comic_Con.html. Since a lot of the books in the 24 Comix Challenge didn't even come out until After Con Season Wrapped Up last year, this will be my first opportunity to hype a bunch of my killer diller new books, like the two issues of "Super Duper Fun Comix" or the latest issues of "The Clown & Tea Cup Show". So there's that. Anyway, if you're a fan, and you're in the area, stop by and say hi.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
NOMAC
It was pretty much a given that DC would be canceling titles eventually with their whole "New 52" campaign. It was also pretty much a given that "OMAC" would be one of the titles to get the axe. The skuttlebutt was that despite the fact that everyone that read OMAC loved OMAC, there was only, like, six or seven of us reading the book. It was apparently the worst selling of the new books. The other books are a bit of a mixed bag. "Men of War", "Blackhawks", and "Hawk & Dove" were all fairly obvious. Men of War lacked any real background, at least in title anyway, and War comics haven't sold effectively since...the 50s. Blackhawks had the disadvantage of being too obscure for its own good, coupled with being a book about (yawn) planes. As for Hawk & Dove, well, they were never that popular to begin with, and Rob Liefeld's just not the draw he used to be (despite a sudden, almost inexplicable resurgence of presumably nostalgia fueled popularity). On the other hand, I'm a little shocked about the cancellation of "Mister Terrific" and "Static Shock". Both books featured minority characters (which, I think was part of the whole New 52 initiative), both of which were fairly visible (Static Shock had his own cartoon for awhile, as well as being the most noteworthy of the Milestone characters, while Mister Terrific has something of a cult popularity, plus he was prominently featured in a handful of episodes of "Justice League Unlimited). I heard mixed reviews about both books, but there seemed to be a number of people that were fans of both comics. Guess there weren't enough of them.
As for OMAC's cancellation, there were several factors that probably contributed to it:
1) OMAC was probably Kirby's most obscure creation. The character doesn't have a lot of name brand value. I think there were 9 issues of the original series, a one shot in the 80s, that terrible post-Infinite Crisis series (which didn't last long either), some brief appearances in "52" and "Final Crisis" and this new series. So, yeah, not very visible.
2) OMAC was always too wild for the general populace. Even this new series, which was only about 25% as crazy as the original, was still too crazy for public consumption.
3) OMAC was totally different than the comics that are popular today. Namely, there was action and stuff happened and it was all exciting. Which is nothing like everything else being published today where everyone stands around and talks and stuff.
4) Lastly, I loved the comic, which is a guaranteed way to kill a book.
What annoys me about OMAC getting the ax is that there are so many other DC books that are just so bland and horrible and boring, like "Nightwing", that it's almost a crime to kill off OMAC.
Oh well. On the bright side, "Frankenstien", "Animal Man", and "Swamp Thing" are still around, so there's no reason to abandon DC in a fit of juvenile rage just yet.
Still, not happy about this.
As for OMAC's cancellation, there were several factors that probably contributed to it:
1) OMAC was probably Kirby's most obscure creation. The character doesn't have a lot of name brand value. I think there were 9 issues of the original series, a one shot in the 80s, that terrible post-Infinite Crisis series (which didn't last long either), some brief appearances in "52" and "Final Crisis" and this new series. So, yeah, not very visible.
2) OMAC was always too wild for the general populace. Even this new series, which was only about 25% as crazy as the original, was still too crazy for public consumption.
3) OMAC was totally different than the comics that are popular today. Namely, there was action and stuff happened and it was all exciting. Which is nothing like everything else being published today where everyone stands around and talks and stuff.
4) Lastly, I loved the comic, which is a guaranteed way to kill a book.
What annoys me about OMAC getting the ax is that there are so many other DC books that are just so bland and horrible and boring, like "Nightwing", that it's almost a crime to kill off OMAC.
Oh well. On the bright side, "Frankenstien", "Animal Man", and "Swamp Thing" are still around, so there's no reason to abandon DC in a fit of juvenile rage just yet.
Still, not happy about this.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Production Updates Because I've Got Nothing Better to Yammer About
Welp, right now I am trying to slog through the remaining books of Era 3. I'm currently focusing on "The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club" #17, and I'm about halfway through that one. I've got a start on "Cosmic Love" #5, but I'm suspending work on that until HFSAC 17 is done. After I get HFSAC 17 done, I'm gonna start the script for HFSAC 18.
In the meantime, I've got to rig up a new video for the Dr. Orphyus Project. I've got the basics figured out, just a matter of getting my ideas in gear and doing the heavy lifting.
Huh. Not much of a blog entry here.
In the meantime, I've got to rig up a new video for the Dr. Orphyus Project. I've got the basics figured out, just a matter of getting my ideas in gear and doing the heavy lifting.
Huh. Not much of a blog entry here.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
A Frickin' Ton of Comic Book Reviews
Bought a ton of comics. Let's do a bunch of really vague reviews. Here we go:
Kirby Genesis: Captain Victory #1- Dynamite Comics- Sterling Gates, Wagner Reis- So, this was a mistake. This comic is a frickin' low water mark for comics. Just bad. The artwork is so bad. So bad. I can't even really critically appraise this comic because the art is so dull and poor and boring and bad that I can't even... and the story tries to flesh out the Good Captain's backstory, but it's all kinda stupid and lame and oh man this comic sucks. Dynamite should be ashamed of themselves.
Defenders #2-Marvel- Matt Fraction, Terry Dodson- Why? Why do I keep wasting my time on Matt Fraction? Just because everyone else thinks he's the Second Coming doesn't actually mean he is. Anyway, the Defenders go up against a Z-Grade group of villains, look like chumps, the Surfer stills has ears and looks like a useless wussy, and everyone blathers incessantly. I'm done. For real this time. Done with Fraction. Done with this comic. Done. I'm not buying Issue 3, damnit. Really, I mean it this time. Sigh.
Vengeance #1-2- Marvel- Joe Casey, Nick Dragotta- Y'know. I have no idea what to make of this comic, and I kinda like it. There's, like, a billion things going on in this book, and I have no idea what any of it means or where any of it's going. And I kinda wanna read the rest of the series just to see if it actually comes together or not. The art is serviceable. Oh, and it's got the Inbetweener, who was in one of my all-time favorite Silver Surfer stories. Back when the Surfer didn't have ears and actually did cool stuff. Ah, the good old days. Which has nothing to do with "Vengeance", just thought I'd mention it.
The Cape #3- IDW- Jason Ciaramella, Zach Howard- Soooo, I picked this one up because some folks online recommended it up pretty good in some year end lists. .... It's not a bad comic. The art is great. Very nice. But, I mean, it's kinda slight. There's some flashbacks and one thing happens. Now, don't get me wrong, that One Thing that happens was Super Crazy Cool. But, I mean, there were a Ton of Super Crazy Cool stuff in most of the books I dug this month. This is comics, baby. The game is to stuff these babies. That sentence probably won't sound good out of context.
Haunt #19-20- Image- Joe Casey, Nathan Fox- Huh. More Joe Casey. When did I become a fan? Anyway, let us begin. WOWZERS!!!!! I've never read any of the previous issues of this series, I know very little about. And I don't care. These two issues were killer. Nathan Fox is another artist to come out of what I'm calling the "Paul Pope School", which is a big old thumbs up in my book. The art is wild and kinetic and beautiful. The only downside is that you occasionally gotta squint to follow the art, but it's a small price to pay. Anyway, um, this is great crazy wonderful comics wonderfullness. I am really surprised by this.
iZombie #21- DC/Vertigo- Chris Roberson, J. Bone- We've got a guest artist this issue, and there's some neat little revelations. I'm still trying to decide how much longer I wanna stick with this comic. It's nice. Really nice. But I'm starting to get a rather ridiculous stack of comics going on. I need to make some cuts, and I'm trying to decide whether this comic is kicking it enough to stay with. Another issue or two, at least.
BPRD: Hell on Earth: Russia #4- Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Tyler Crook- Wow. I love this series. There is just some bad ass stuff in this issue. Fitchie, if you happen to be reading this blog, you are gonna love this story arc when it gets collected. Trust me.
Red Lanterns #5-DC- Peter Milligan, Ed Benes- Sigh. Speaking of possible cuts. This one has been on the fence for awhile, and I think I'm gonna have to drop it. The story just isn't really moving quick enough. It's not a bad series, but it's never really risen to match the promise of that first issue. I feel kinda bad about dropping it.
Stormwatch #5- DC- Paul Cornell, Miguel Sepulveda- This comic just never seems to stop getting better. There's just a ton of wild and crazy in every issue, and you never really know what's gonna happen next or where any of it is going. I like that. Unfortunately, Paul Cornell's leaving the book after Issue 6, and I can't imagine anyone following his run.
Batman #4- DC- Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo- Speaking of nice comics that are nice, but I'm a little on the fence on because I'm buying too many comics and even I can only keep track of/afford so much, Batman is nice. The writing's quite good and Greg Capullo's art is excellent. But the next issue is going to have to be full tilt, or I may be out.
Justice League Dark #4- DC- Peter Milligan, Mikel Janin- One of the reasons I don't mind dropping "Red Lanterns" quite so much is because I can read JLD and get my dose of Peter Milligan madness. I really dig the sheer insanity and chaos of this comic. Also, the art is really pretty.
Batwoman #4- DC- J.H. Williams III- Best looking comic out there. Always worth reading for that alone. Story's not bad, either.
Action Comics #5- DC- Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert- A new version of Superman's origin and some full on craziness at the end. Intriguing.
Swamp Thing #5- DC- Scott Snyder, Yanick Paquette- I really dig this comic. Beautiful horror monster stuff. Also, I like the parallels with "Animal Man". Speaking of which...
Animal Man #5- DC- Jeff Lemire, Travel Foreman- Things just keep getting worse for the Baker family, but on the bright side, no one's dead yet. The Rot has proven to be one of the most exciting and brilliant concepts to emerge in Comics in awhile. I am perpetually floored by how unexpectedly good this comic is.
Wonder Woman #4- Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang- Speaking of being floored by an unexpectedly good book, Wonder Woman never ceases to amaze me. Great art, great story, Wonder Woman is exciting as a solo character, which I've never seen before. I love the mythology stuff. Great comic.
Batman Inc.: Leviathan Strikes #1- Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham, Cameron Stewart- The puzzle pieces start to fall into place, and we get some trademark Morrison craziness. It's nice to have this comic back.
Frankenstien: Agent of SHADE #4- Jeff Lemire, Alberto Ponticelli- Holy Crap! This is just non-stop comics goodness. This and OMAC make comics worth reading. Speaking of which...
OMAC #5- DC- Kieth Giffen, Jeff Lemire (that guy again? He's everywhere!), Dan (Does he actually contribute?) Didio- Ladies and Gentlemen, my favorite regular comic being published monthly right now. This month, OMAC fights Frankenstien. This makes me happy. Very, insanely, hideously happy. Stuff blows up. Buildings are torn apart. They throw cars and trucks at each other. AND we get a little plot advancement and some hints at the bigger picture (New Gods! They're totally hinting at the New Gods! I'm freaking out! Aaaaahhh!). Fun, dumb, crazy, bizarre, and awesome. And the art is killer. Best comic out there. Period. Which may explain why it's the worst selling comic at DC right now. Sigh.
Kirby Genesis: Captain Victory #1- Dynamite Comics- Sterling Gates, Wagner Reis- So, this was a mistake. This comic is a frickin' low water mark for comics. Just bad. The artwork is so bad. So bad. I can't even really critically appraise this comic because the art is so dull and poor and boring and bad that I can't even... and the story tries to flesh out the Good Captain's backstory, but it's all kinda stupid and lame and oh man this comic sucks. Dynamite should be ashamed of themselves.
Defenders #2-Marvel- Matt Fraction, Terry Dodson- Why? Why do I keep wasting my time on Matt Fraction? Just because everyone else thinks he's the Second Coming doesn't actually mean he is. Anyway, the Defenders go up against a Z-Grade group of villains, look like chumps, the Surfer stills has ears and looks like a useless wussy, and everyone blathers incessantly. I'm done. For real this time. Done with Fraction. Done with this comic. Done. I'm not buying Issue 3, damnit. Really, I mean it this time. Sigh.
Vengeance #1-2- Marvel- Joe Casey, Nick Dragotta- Y'know. I have no idea what to make of this comic, and I kinda like it. There's, like, a billion things going on in this book, and I have no idea what any of it means or where any of it's going. And I kinda wanna read the rest of the series just to see if it actually comes together or not. The art is serviceable. Oh, and it's got the Inbetweener, who was in one of my all-time favorite Silver Surfer stories. Back when the Surfer didn't have ears and actually did cool stuff. Ah, the good old days. Which has nothing to do with "Vengeance", just thought I'd mention it.
The Cape #3- IDW- Jason Ciaramella, Zach Howard- Soooo, I picked this one up because some folks online recommended it up pretty good in some year end lists. .... It's not a bad comic. The art is great. Very nice. But, I mean, it's kinda slight. There's some flashbacks and one thing happens. Now, don't get me wrong, that One Thing that happens was Super Crazy Cool. But, I mean, there were a Ton of Super Crazy Cool stuff in most of the books I dug this month. This is comics, baby. The game is to stuff these babies. That sentence probably won't sound good out of context.
Haunt #19-20- Image- Joe Casey, Nathan Fox- Huh. More Joe Casey. When did I become a fan? Anyway, let us begin. WOWZERS!!!!! I've never read any of the previous issues of this series, I know very little about. And I don't care. These two issues were killer. Nathan Fox is another artist to come out of what I'm calling the "Paul Pope School", which is a big old thumbs up in my book. The art is wild and kinetic and beautiful. The only downside is that you occasionally gotta squint to follow the art, but it's a small price to pay. Anyway, um, this is great crazy wonderful comics wonderfullness. I am really surprised by this.
iZombie #21- DC/Vertigo- Chris Roberson, J. Bone- We've got a guest artist this issue, and there's some neat little revelations. I'm still trying to decide how much longer I wanna stick with this comic. It's nice. Really nice. But I'm starting to get a rather ridiculous stack of comics going on. I need to make some cuts, and I'm trying to decide whether this comic is kicking it enough to stay with. Another issue or two, at least.
BPRD: Hell on Earth: Russia #4- Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, Tyler Crook- Wow. I love this series. There is just some bad ass stuff in this issue. Fitchie, if you happen to be reading this blog, you are gonna love this story arc when it gets collected. Trust me.
Red Lanterns #5-DC- Peter Milligan, Ed Benes- Sigh. Speaking of possible cuts. This one has been on the fence for awhile, and I think I'm gonna have to drop it. The story just isn't really moving quick enough. It's not a bad series, but it's never really risen to match the promise of that first issue. I feel kinda bad about dropping it.
Stormwatch #5- DC- Paul Cornell, Miguel Sepulveda- This comic just never seems to stop getting better. There's just a ton of wild and crazy in every issue, and you never really know what's gonna happen next or where any of it is going. I like that. Unfortunately, Paul Cornell's leaving the book after Issue 6, and I can't imagine anyone following his run.
Batman #4- DC- Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo- Speaking of nice comics that are nice, but I'm a little on the fence on because I'm buying too many comics and even I can only keep track of/afford so much, Batman is nice. The writing's quite good and Greg Capullo's art is excellent. But the next issue is going to have to be full tilt, or I may be out.
Justice League Dark #4- DC- Peter Milligan, Mikel Janin- One of the reasons I don't mind dropping "Red Lanterns" quite so much is because I can read JLD and get my dose of Peter Milligan madness. I really dig the sheer insanity and chaos of this comic. Also, the art is really pretty.
Batwoman #4- DC- J.H. Williams III- Best looking comic out there. Always worth reading for that alone. Story's not bad, either.
Action Comics #5- DC- Grant Morrison, Andy Kubert- A new version of Superman's origin and some full on craziness at the end. Intriguing.
Swamp Thing #5- DC- Scott Snyder, Yanick Paquette- I really dig this comic. Beautiful horror monster stuff. Also, I like the parallels with "Animal Man". Speaking of which...
Animal Man #5- DC- Jeff Lemire, Travel Foreman- Things just keep getting worse for the Baker family, but on the bright side, no one's dead yet. The Rot has proven to be one of the most exciting and brilliant concepts to emerge in Comics in awhile. I am perpetually floored by how unexpectedly good this comic is.
Wonder Woman #4- Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang- Speaking of being floored by an unexpectedly good book, Wonder Woman never ceases to amaze me. Great art, great story, Wonder Woman is exciting as a solo character, which I've never seen before. I love the mythology stuff. Great comic.
Batman Inc.: Leviathan Strikes #1- Grant Morrison, Chris Burnham, Cameron Stewart- The puzzle pieces start to fall into place, and we get some trademark Morrison craziness. It's nice to have this comic back.
Frankenstien: Agent of SHADE #4- Jeff Lemire, Alberto Ponticelli- Holy Crap! This is just non-stop comics goodness. This and OMAC make comics worth reading. Speaking of which...
OMAC #5- DC- Kieth Giffen, Jeff Lemire (that guy again? He's everywhere!), Dan (Does he actually contribute?) Didio- Ladies and Gentlemen, my favorite regular comic being published monthly right now. This month, OMAC fights Frankenstien. This makes me happy. Very, insanely, hideously happy. Stuff blows up. Buildings are torn apart. They throw cars and trucks at each other. AND we get a little plot advancement and some hints at the bigger picture (New Gods! They're totally hinting at the New Gods! I'm freaking out! Aaaaahhh!). Fun, dumb, crazy, bizarre, and awesome. And the art is killer. Best comic out there. Period. Which may explain why it's the worst selling comic at DC right now. Sigh.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
TORC Press Plans for 2012
Welp, it's a New Year (thank God), so it's time to start concocting a plan of attack for the newly born year. Here's a quick look at what I'll be doing, without giving away too much or announcing anything before I'm 100% sure that's what I'm gonna do.
1) Wrap Up TORC Press Era 3: Era 3 has been the shortest but most prolific era in TORC Press History. It's also been fairly chaotic and full of false starts. Sales have been all over the board, and despite my best efforts, my flagship book, "The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club", has failed to gain or sustain a visible or vocal readership (although I would like to say that those of you that have supported HFSAC since it began back in 2009, Thank You Very Much. I sincerely appreciate the support you've shown the book. Now if only there were more of you). Sales aside, I feel like I've said what I need to say with this Era. So I'm wrapping things up and moving on to Era 4. In order to finish Era 3, I need to complete Issues 16-17 of "The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club" and Issues 5-7 of "Cosmic Love". Issue 7 of "Cosmic Love" will serve as the "Bridge" between Eras 3 and 4.
2) Lock Things Down to Two Semi-Regular Books and a Webcomic: Okay, this one may be a bit premature, considering I have thought and rethought this over and over and over again. Basically, as of right now, I want to do two, Print, Adults Only Comic Books on a Semi-to Bi-Monthly basis. One will be in Super Psychedelic Hi-Fi Mind Blowing Color, and the Other will be in Brutal, Ugly, Dark as Dark, Black & White. To complement the two books, I'll be doing a new General Audiences/More or Less All Ages Webcomic that will HOPEFULLY serve as a catch all for all of my other ideas and PREVENT me from trying to start up a new book every month. The Plan will be to eventually do a Print version of the webcomic that will contain strips that were Online as well as Completely Original Material that wasn't on the webcomic. Sort of a best of both worlds type of thing. I won't be talking about any of the aforementioned books until they are ready to launch, although I will say that I intend to try to launch the New Webcomic on my Birthday, which is February 9th.
3) No Holds Barred: You might have noticed that I mentioned that the two above books are gonna be Adults Only. Not "Mature Readers" or whatever. Basically, I just want the freedom to do whatever I want, Audience be Damned (no offense to my audience, of course). If I wanna get freaky deaky then I can get as freaky as I wanna get. I'm tired of reigning myself in. This is Underground Comix, damnit! R. Crumb never worried about content restrictions. Why should I?
4) Era 4 is Gonna Be Weeee-iiiirrddd: Um. I do odd well. I do odd better than I do normal. "The Clown and Tea Cup Show" was one of my best sellers this year, and that series is super weird. So, I'm just gonna rip the knob off the dial and see how far down the old Rabbit Hole I can go this year. Let's get just super bizarre.
5) Having said that, I'm gonna wear my Old Fashioned Comix Love on my Sleeve: So, now that I've got you thinking that I'm gonna create a bunch of William S. Burroughs inspired Porn, let me take a moment to say that this year will still be about Superheroes. Or at least my variety of oddball superheroes anyway. My comix are about the Battle Between Good and Evil, and I stand on the side of the Angels, even in the darkest of times. I love Hero Costumes and Superpowers and Punching and Explosions and Crossovers (although I'm tired of the Big Epic variety we get all the time nowadays...) and all that crazy stuff. Just because I'm gonna get odd this year doesn't mean I'm abandoning my Kirby roots. Oh no.
Other than that, I've got some interesting strategies this year that I'm not prepared to talk about quite yet.
Also, I'm already shoring up my Convention Schedule for 2012. I'm currently confirmed for Three Shows, and I plan on adding at least Three to Five Shows before the Year is up. I'm excited, I am.
1) Wrap Up TORC Press Era 3: Era 3 has been the shortest but most prolific era in TORC Press History. It's also been fairly chaotic and full of false starts. Sales have been all over the board, and despite my best efforts, my flagship book, "The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club", has failed to gain or sustain a visible or vocal readership (although I would like to say that those of you that have supported HFSAC since it began back in 2009, Thank You Very Much. I sincerely appreciate the support you've shown the book. Now if only there were more of you). Sales aside, I feel like I've said what I need to say with this Era. So I'm wrapping things up and moving on to Era 4. In order to finish Era 3, I need to complete Issues 16-17 of "The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club" and Issues 5-7 of "Cosmic Love". Issue 7 of "Cosmic Love" will serve as the "Bridge" between Eras 3 and 4.
2) Lock Things Down to Two Semi-Regular Books and a Webcomic: Okay, this one may be a bit premature, considering I have thought and rethought this over and over and over again. Basically, as of right now, I want to do two, Print, Adults Only Comic Books on a Semi-to Bi-Monthly basis. One will be in Super Psychedelic Hi-Fi Mind Blowing Color, and the Other will be in Brutal, Ugly, Dark as Dark, Black & White. To complement the two books, I'll be doing a new General Audiences/More or Less All Ages Webcomic that will HOPEFULLY serve as a catch all for all of my other ideas and PREVENT me from trying to start up a new book every month. The Plan will be to eventually do a Print version of the webcomic that will contain strips that were Online as well as Completely Original Material that wasn't on the webcomic. Sort of a best of both worlds type of thing. I won't be talking about any of the aforementioned books until they are ready to launch, although I will say that I intend to try to launch the New Webcomic on my Birthday, which is February 9th.
3) No Holds Barred: You might have noticed that I mentioned that the two above books are gonna be Adults Only. Not "Mature Readers" or whatever. Basically, I just want the freedom to do whatever I want, Audience be Damned (no offense to my audience, of course). If I wanna get freaky deaky then I can get as freaky as I wanna get. I'm tired of reigning myself in. This is Underground Comix, damnit! R. Crumb never worried about content restrictions. Why should I?
4) Era 4 is Gonna Be Weeee-iiiirrddd: Um. I do odd well. I do odd better than I do normal. "The Clown and Tea Cup Show" was one of my best sellers this year, and that series is super weird. So, I'm just gonna rip the knob off the dial and see how far down the old Rabbit Hole I can go this year. Let's get just super bizarre.
5) Having said that, I'm gonna wear my Old Fashioned Comix Love on my Sleeve: So, now that I've got you thinking that I'm gonna create a bunch of William S. Burroughs inspired Porn, let me take a moment to say that this year will still be about Superheroes. Or at least my variety of oddball superheroes anyway. My comix are about the Battle Between Good and Evil, and I stand on the side of the Angels, even in the darkest of times. I love Hero Costumes and Superpowers and Punching and Explosions and Crossovers (although I'm tired of the Big Epic variety we get all the time nowadays...) and all that crazy stuff. Just because I'm gonna get odd this year doesn't mean I'm abandoning my Kirby roots. Oh no.
Other than that, I've got some interesting strategies this year that I'm not prepared to talk about quite yet.
Also, I'm already shoring up my Convention Schedule for 2012. I'm currently confirmed for Three Shows, and I plan on adding at least Three to Five Shows before the Year is up. I'm excited, I am.
Saturday, December 31, 2011
2011 Year in Review
This was one of the worst years of my life. Hands down. Just a non-stop stream of crap that never relented. Boo to this year. Let's get this one over with and move on to the next one.
The only things that got me through this year were my Brother and the 24 Comix in a Single Year Challenge. The scene in Monster King #6 where Broken Tea Cup pulls the Clown out of his bottomless depression is loosely based on how Bro pulled me out of similar abysses this year.
So, yeah, not the happiest year this year. But I've got to learn to start focusing a little more on the positive, and since the most positive part of this year was the 24 Comix I produced, let's just round em all up and do a run-down on that stuff, shall we? Oh, and if you think any of these books sound cool at all, head over to www.torcpress.com and buy one or two. Couldn't hurt, right?
1. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #10- The 2nd Part of the "Pyramid" story arc was probably the best part of the whole arc. There's Ner0, my attempt to mishmash Dr.Doom with Iron Man with Caligula. There's the Giant Snakegodmonster. There's a Cosmic Vision that's a part of the whole "Quest for Omnichronus", which is great. There's the return and sudden transformation of Broken Tea Cup, which would prove to be key to the whole year. And there's Cactus Joe with THREE HEADS. Yeah. One of my best.
2. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #11- The Conclusion to the "Pyramid" story arc had some really great stuff in it. There's an excellent fight with a Giant Snakemonstergod. Cactus Joe finds internal harmony amidst his own warring soul (oh, that I could find the same). But the best moment was the reunion of Brothers, a moment I feel encapsulates why I'm more than just some guy doing weird stuff and violence. There's a heart to these comix, amidst all the insanity. The last part of the book is admittedly a little awkward, and is mostly just set up for the future as well as "The Clown & Tea Cup Show" and "Cosmic Love". But ultimately, this issue is really strong and a great wrap up to one of my best story arcs.
3. Monster King #1- Oh, MK1. It's awkward and odd and clumsy and the art is iffy and the colors are iffy and the cover's terrible and there are days where I wish I hadn't bothered to even publish it. BUT, there's some neat stuff here. I like the Crying Tree and the Giant Spider quite a bit. Also, chronologically, this marks the beginning of "The Quest for Omnichronus", which was my story-within-my-stories for the Year. So there's that.
4. Cosmic Love #1- Ah, my Kirby homage. Kinda. This wasn't my strongest issue. I felt like the plot was lacking, and there wasn't enough action. BUT, there's some really cool stuff in here (a running theme). I really feel like, even with the art being my awkward attempt at mimicking Kirby, that the Art in this issue is some of the best art in a TORC Press comic all year. There's some just beautiful stuff in this comic. Also, the "Trip Out" Sequence was one of my favorite moments of the year. This entire series was Painfully Underrated on the Con Circuit.
5. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #12- When I started HFSAC, I Knew I Had to do an "ICE" issue. So that's what this issue was. The Fudgeheads have gotta climb a snow covered mountain in order to prevent Ner0 from getting his hands on another Aetherial Parasite. There's an appearance by El Gorio and Lab Bunny. The art is quite nice. I'm very proud of the art on this issue. It's a good, solid issue. Also, the cover is exactly what I wanted it to be. I wish it had sold a little better on the Con Circuit.
6. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #1- I had a number of "cheats" this year to give me an advantage. Several of the books on this list so far were Produced last year, but were PUBLISHED this year. I know it's a semantics argument, but believe me, when you're trying to do 24 books in a year, BY YOURSELF, you'll take any cheat you can get. Anyway, the point is, TCTC 1 was created mid-way through 2010, but wasn't published until early 2011. This book, quite simply, is what I like to call Pure TORC Press. What I mean by that is that, Only Joseph Morris could have made this book. No one else anywhere else would have (0r could have) made this comic. Besides being Pure TORC Press, the book is also really, really good. Arguably, the third best book I've produced this year. I love everything about this book. And as an added bonus, it was one of the Best Selling Books I had on the Convention Circuit this Year. I don't know why, but people gravitated to this book.
7. Cosmic Love #2- Believe or not, I consider this to be the BEST Book I Produced this Year. I'm the only person that thinks that, but I stand by it. The Cover is Beautiful. The Art is Beautiful. There's the entire history of Kikki Fortune. There's a funny Ping-Pong Match. There's Ultradolphins. There's a Fight with a Giant Space Worm. There's Space Sex. There's more pieces of the Omnichronus Puzzle. There's an Excellent "Trip Out" Sequence. And that's all Crammed into one 24 Page Issue that Somehow Doesn't Feel Cramped. That's how you do Comix Right. The only bad thing about this comic? It didn't sell for Crap on the Convention Circuit. Groan.
8. Monster King #2- Just like MK1, there's so much wrong with this comic that I don't feel like wasting any more time talking about everything that's wrong about it. Here's what's right about it. Mike the Butcher. The Undead Samurai is officially introduced here, and he was one of the best new characters to come out of the TORCverse this year. Also, there's some good fight scenes.
9. Sideshow- Another cheat, this time because the book was only 8 Pages long. I know, I know. Anyway, this comic was a failure. It's not a bad comic, in fact, I like it alot. It's just a failure because I wanted this comic to draw people into the TORCverse. I thought between the short, introductory story and the Coupon on the back, people might want to enter this strange little Universe I've created and...Stay awhile. That didn't happen. Needless to say, it was kind of a bummer.
10. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club Lucky #13- Everyone stumbles occasionally (actually, I stumble all the time), but when it's come to HFSAC, I have generally been swinging for the fences with every issue, and most of the time I've hit Home Runs. Not this issue. This issue is a clumsy mess. It's a filler issue (and I HATE Filler Issues). It's all set up with no pay day. AND the Cover SUCKS. This is the only time all year where my Muse led me completely astray. Only recommended for TORC Press or HFSAC Completists.
11. Monster King #3- On the other hand, MK 3 is Pure TORC Press at its BEST. I still personally prefer CL2, but MK3 gave the book a run for its money as my best book of the Year. First off, the Art is great. The Cover is great. The Colors are ultra-hi-fi psychedelic pretty. There's four new characters who are introduced in rapid fire succession. There's a guy with a TV for a head and a psychedelic monster and a talking frog and a Thing with No Flesh. As an added bonus, unlike CL2, MK3 Sold Really, Really Well on the Convention Circuit. If you want to try out TORC Press, this is probably the best issue to introduce you to my Personal Aesthetic.
12. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #2- Another Cheat, this was my 24 Hour Comic Book from Last Year. This is a surprisingly good book, especially when you consider the time frame in which it was assembled. After all of my homages to Kirby, this was my homage to Ditko, with our heroes getting lost in a Dr. Strange-esque Dimension full of Bizarre Monsters and what not. Also, inexplicably, this one sold really well at conventions. For some reason, the whole 24 Hour Thing was Selling Point. Don't ask me how that works.
13. Cosmic Love #3- Not my strongest issue. When I started this issue, I had hopes that it would be a strong follow up to CL2. It wasn't. It was bumbly and fumbly and awkward and the cover didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. BUT, there's some nice stuff here, floating around amidst the awkward. There's an Aztec Psychic Dolphin. There's some hints about CL4. There's Octopo-Man (more on him in CL5 next year). Um, that's about it. Like I said, not my strongest issue.
14. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #14- Ahhh. The return of aliceislost. I mean, okay, she popped up in TCTC1, but this is her first real appearance in quite some time. That alone makes this book quite good, but then there's lots of other great stuff in here too, like the Lost Lands (always fun to draw) and a giant diseased dragon. Good issue, good cover, and a great set up for the stellar Issue 15. Also, the Clown experiences some good old fashioned heartache.
15. SDF: Pulp 2011 Special- Uh. I sometimes wonder if I should have published this issue. It's kind of unnecessary, really. And the art is rushed (intentionally, but still). But, there's still some cool stuff in here. I love the drawing of the Clown and Penguin riding around on a Goofy-looking Cartoon Horse. That almost makes the book worthwhile alone. Plus, there's Dr. Dendull. And a Giant Tree Civilization. Not my best, but not bad.
16. Monster King #4- There's a lot of good things about this issue, but I'll admit, right off the bat, that I should have spread this issue out over two comics. Too much happens too fast, and it sort of sinks the drama of the story. Having said that, I LOVE the first part of the book. "Why are we riding Pigs?" "Why aren't you wearing Pants?" Hahahahaha! I sometimes wonder what my Muse is smoking when she makes me write this crap.
17. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #15- The excellent conclusion to the "alice's Apple" story arc, and, by and large, one of my best from this year. Great cover, great art, great story. There's a Giant Dragon, killer fight scenes, and more Dr. Dendull. The only awkward part is the epilogue at the end, which goes a little longer than it needs to. Other than that, one of my strongest this year.
18. Super Duper Fun Comic 2011 Special- A fun little All Ages Comic I wrote while being stuck in an airport for 8 hours. It's not very deep, but it's cute and silly, and sometimes that's all you need from a book.
19. Cosmic Love #4- Probably the most Important Comic I've Produced this Year, Narrative-wise. I've been waiting to tell this story from the very beginning. And I think I did a pretty good job of it. The last piece of the Clown's origin falls into place.
20. Monster King #5- This issue...there's nothing wrong with this issue. It's an important issue. It's a Key Issue in the overarching Narrative. But it's also a very sad issue, and one that I did not enjoy creating at all. That is all.
21. Super Duper Fun Comix Bowling Special- Conversely, this dumb little comic was a hell of a lot of fun to create. Unapologetically silly and ridiculous, this fun little comic had me dinking around with a different art style, as well. Not Essential, but still a lot of Fun, if you're in to fun.
22. Monster King #6- Things go from Abyssal Darkness and creep back towards the light. The final issue of Monster King left us with one, simple message: Your friends are the people who've got your back when everything else has fallen away. Other than that, solid issue, and a fair enough send off to an uneven series.
23. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #3- My mad last dash for the finish line. And, oh, what a beautiful mad dash it was. This issue is just odd. There's no explanation for anything that happens. There's Strippers turning into Dinosaurs. Why? I don't know. There's another Cosmic Vision, and we get a vague glimpse at Omnichronus. Kinda. There's this whole thing at a Factory, and then the Factory comes Alive. And then there's that quiet little walk through the desert. A really great comixwork. Even if it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and the artwork looks like I was on crack. I was not on crack. Now, whether or not my Muse was on crack at the time, that's her business, not mine. Also, I managed to seed in some glimpses of the Future that I may never actually come back to. To me, every issue of TCTC is what COMIX SHOULD BE. (Not Comics or Comic Books or Webcomics. Comix are an entirely different animal, and they are MINE.)
24. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #4- The last Ace up my sleeve. My last Cheat. My 24 Hour Comic Book for 2011 was the Last Comic of my 24 Comics in a Single Year Challenge. Poetic, right? TCTC 4, as stated before, is COMIX in All Caps. As good as TCTC2 was, I think I like 4 better. It's just so crazy and odd and fun. There's Music (there's so much Music in my Comix, which is weird, 'cause you can't hear anything in comic books). There's fighting. There's more Ditko-esque Dimensional Nonsense. There is my single favorite Page I Drew All Year, and I Drew it at 11:54 at night! Think about it, I Drew the 15th Consecutive Page of a Twenty Four Hour Comic shortly before Midnight, and it was a wonderful piece of ComixArt. In fact, if you want to humor me, head over to http://www.torcpress.com/tctc4prev.html and check out the Second of the Two Pages that Pop Up. "After I Smash Your Face in, I'm gonna Grab Me a TACO!" Ha. Oh, there's also, "We Gladly Go to Hell to Suffer for the Crime of Making Pussy Music." Maybe not the purtiest comic ever, but great Comix nonetheless.
So, let's see. Here's the Head Count:
New High Water Mark for Me as a Creator: 3
Excellent Comix Work: 7
Good, Solid, Enjoyable Comix Work: 9
Um, Not Bad, but not my Best: 4
Crap: 1
All in all, not bad. I mean, Marvel and DC would Kill for those kind of numbers, right? It was probably a bad idea to try to create that many books in a year, but at the same time, some of my all time favorite comix came out this year. I did some really strong work, and really grew and developed creatively, and I managed to cover a lot of ground in terms of my Narrative this year. I didn't finish the Quest for Omnichronus this year, but I did Seed the Narrative throughout a lot of the Comix I produced this year. And I set myself up to wrap up the Quest early (hopefully very early, if I get off my Dead Ass) next year.
So, yeah, good year. If you ignore everything else that happened in my life.
The only things that got me through this year were my Brother and the 24 Comix in a Single Year Challenge. The scene in Monster King #6 where Broken Tea Cup pulls the Clown out of his bottomless depression is loosely based on how Bro pulled me out of similar abysses this year.
So, yeah, not the happiest year this year. But I've got to learn to start focusing a little more on the positive, and since the most positive part of this year was the 24 Comix I produced, let's just round em all up and do a run-down on that stuff, shall we? Oh, and if you think any of these books sound cool at all, head over to www.torcpress.com and buy one or two. Couldn't hurt, right?
1. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #10- The 2nd Part of the "Pyramid" story arc was probably the best part of the whole arc. There's Ner0, my attempt to mishmash Dr.Doom with Iron Man with Caligula. There's the Giant Snakegodmonster. There's a Cosmic Vision that's a part of the whole "Quest for Omnichronus", which is great. There's the return and sudden transformation of Broken Tea Cup, which would prove to be key to the whole year. And there's Cactus Joe with THREE HEADS. Yeah. One of my best.
2. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #11- The Conclusion to the "Pyramid" story arc had some really great stuff in it. There's an excellent fight with a Giant Snakemonstergod. Cactus Joe finds internal harmony amidst his own warring soul (oh, that I could find the same). But the best moment was the reunion of Brothers, a moment I feel encapsulates why I'm more than just some guy doing weird stuff and violence. There's a heart to these comix, amidst all the insanity. The last part of the book is admittedly a little awkward, and is mostly just set up for the future as well as "The Clown & Tea Cup Show" and "Cosmic Love". But ultimately, this issue is really strong and a great wrap up to one of my best story arcs.
3. Monster King #1- Oh, MK1. It's awkward and odd and clumsy and the art is iffy and the colors are iffy and the cover's terrible and there are days where I wish I hadn't bothered to even publish it. BUT, there's some neat stuff here. I like the Crying Tree and the Giant Spider quite a bit. Also, chronologically, this marks the beginning of "The Quest for Omnichronus", which was my story-within-my-stories for the Year. So there's that.
4. Cosmic Love #1- Ah, my Kirby homage. Kinda. This wasn't my strongest issue. I felt like the plot was lacking, and there wasn't enough action. BUT, there's some really cool stuff in here (a running theme). I really feel like, even with the art being my awkward attempt at mimicking Kirby, that the Art in this issue is some of the best art in a TORC Press comic all year. There's some just beautiful stuff in this comic. Also, the "Trip Out" Sequence was one of my favorite moments of the year. This entire series was Painfully Underrated on the Con Circuit.
5. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #12- When I started HFSAC, I Knew I Had to do an "ICE" issue. So that's what this issue was. The Fudgeheads have gotta climb a snow covered mountain in order to prevent Ner0 from getting his hands on another Aetherial Parasite. There's an appearance by El Gorio and Lab Bunny. The art is quite nice. I'm very proud of the art on this issue. It's a good, solid issue. Also, the cover is exactly what I wanted it to be. I wish it had sold a little better on the Con Circuit.
6. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #1- I had a number of "cheats" this year to give me an advantage. Several of the books on this list so far were Produced last year, but were PUBLISHED this year. I know it's a semantics argument, but believe me, when you're trying to do 24 books in a year, BY YOURSELF, you'll take any cheat you can get. Anyway, the point is, TCTC 1 was created mid-way through 2010, but wasn't published until early 2011. This book, quite simply, is what I like to call Pure TORC Press. What I mean by that is that, Only Joseph Morris could have made this book. No one else anywhere else would have (0r could have) made this comic. Besides being Pure TORC Press, the book is also really, really good. Arguably, the third best book I've produced this year. I love everything about this book. And as an added bonus, it was one of the Best Selling Books I had on the Convention Circuit this Year. I don't know why, but people gravitated to this book.
7. Cosmic Love #2- Believe or not, I consider this to be the BEST Book I Produced this Year. I'm the only person that thinks that, but I stand by it. The Cover is Beautiful. The Art is Beautiful. There's the entire history of Kikki Fortune. There's a funny Ping-Pong Match. There's Ultradolphins. There's a Fight with a Giant Space Worm. There's Space Sex. There's more pieces of the Omnichronus Puzzle. There's an Excellent "Trip Out" Sequence. And that's all Crammed into one 24 Page Issue that Somehow Doesn't Feel Cramped. That's how you do Comix Right. The only bad thing about this comic? It didn't sell for Crap on the Convention Circuit. Groan.
8. Monster King #2- Just like MK1, there's so much wrong with this comic that I don't feel like wasting any more time talking about everything that's wrong about it. Here's what's right about it. Mike the Butcher. The Undead Samurai is officially introduced here, and he was one of the best new characters to come out of the TORCverse this year. Also, there's some good fight scenes.
9. Sideshow- Another cheat, this time because the book was only 8 Pages long. I know, I know. Anyway, this comic was a failure. It's not a bad comic, in fact, I like it alot. It's just a failure because I wanted this comic to draw people into the TORCverse. I thought between the short, introductory story and the Coupon on the back, people might want to enter this strange little Universe I've created and...Stay awhile. That didn't happen. Needless to say, it was kind of a bummer.
10. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club Lucky #13- Everyone stumbles occasionally (actually, I stumble all the time), but when it's come to HFSAC, I have generally been swinging for the fences with every issue, and most of the time I've hit Home Runs. Not this issue. This issue is a clumsy mess. It's a filler issue (and I HATE Filler Issues). It's all set up with no pay day. AND the Cover SUCKS. This is the only time all year where my Muse led me completely astray. Only recommended for TORC Press or HFSAC Completists.
11. Monster King #3- On the other hand, MK 3 is Pure TORC Press at its BEST. I still personally prefer CL2, but MK3 gave the book a run for its money as my best book of the Year. First off, the Art is great. The Cover is great. The Colors are ultra-hi-fi psychedelic pretty. There's four new characters who are introduced in rapid fire succession. There's a guy with a TV for a head and a psychedelic monster and a talking frog and a Thing with No Flesh. As an added bonus, unlike CL2, MK3 Sold Really, Really Well on the Convention Circuit. If you want to try out TORC Press, this is probably the best issue to introduce you to my Personal Aesthetic.
12. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #2- Another Cheat, this was my 24 Hour Comic Book from Last Year. This is a surprisingly good book, especially when you consider the time frame in which it was assembled. After all of my homages to Kirby, this was my homage to Ditko, with our heroes getting lost in a Dr. Strange-esque Dimension full of Bizarre Monsters and what not. Also, inexplicably, this one sold really well at conventions. For some reason, the whole 24 Hour Thing was Selling Point. Don't ask me how that works.
13. Cosmic Love #3- Not my strongest issue. When I started this issue, I had hopes that it would be a strong follow up to CL2. It wasn't. It was bumbly and fumbly and awkward and the cover didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. BUT, there's some nice stuff here, floating around amidst the awkward. There's an Aztec Psychic Dolphin. There's some hints about CL4. There's Octopo-Man (more on him in CL5 next year). Um, that's about it. Like I said, not my strongest issue.
14. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #14- Ahhh. The return of aliceislost. I mean, okay, she popped up in TCTC1, but this is her first real appearance in quite some time. That alone makes this book quite good, but then there's lots of other great stuff in here too, like the Lost Lands (always fun to draw) and a giant diseased dragon. Good issue, good cover, and a great set up for the stellar Issue 15. Also, the Clown experiences some good old fashioned heartache.
15. SDF: Pulp 2011 Special- Uh. I sometimes wonder if I should have published this issue. It's kind of unnecessary, really. And the art is rushed (intentionally, but still). But, there's still some cool stuff in here. I love the drawing of the Clown and Penguin riding around on a Goofy-looking Cartoon Horse. That almost makes the book worthwhile alone. Plus, there's Dr. Dendull. And a Giant Tree Civilization. Not my best, but not bad.
16. Monster King #4- There's a lot of good things about this issue, but I'll admit, right off the bat, that I should have spread this issue out over two comics. Too much happens too fast, and it sort of sinks the drama of the story. Having said that, I LOVE the first part of the book. "Why are we riding Pigs?" "Why aren't you wearing Pants?" Hahahahaha! I sometimes wonder what my Muse is smoking when she makes me write this crap.
17. The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club #15- The excellent conclusion to the "alice's Apple" story arc, and, by and large, one of my best from this year. Great cover, great art, great story. There's a Giant Dragon, killer fight scenes, and more Dr. Dendull. The only awkward part is the epilogue at the end, which goes a little longer than it needs to. Other than that, one of my strongest this year.
18. Super Duper Fun Comic 2011 Special- A fun little All Ages Comic I wrote while being stuck in an airport for 8 hours. It's not very deep, but it's cute and silly, and sometimes that's all you need from a book.
19. Cosmic Love #4- Probably the most Important Comic I've Produced this Year, Narrative-wise. I've been waiting to tell this story from the very beginning. And I think I did a pretty good job of it. The last piece of the Clown's origin falls into place.
20. Monster King #5- This issue...there's nothing wrong with this issue. It's an important issue. It's a Key Issue in the overarching Narrative. But it's also a very sad issue, and one that I did not enjoy creating at all. That is all.
21. Super Duper Fun Comix Bowling Special- Conversely, this dumb little comic was a hell of a lot of fun to create. Unapologetically silly and ridiculous, this fun little comic had me dinking around with a different art style, as well. Not Essential, but still a lot of Fun, if you're in to fun.
22. Monster King #6- Things go from Abyssal Darkness and creep back towards the light. The final issue of Monster King left us with one, simple message: Your friends are the people who've got your back when everything else has fallen away. Other than that, solid issue, and a fair enough send off to an uneven series.
23. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #3- My mad last dash for the finish line. And, oh, what a beautiful mad dash it was. This issue is just odd. There's no explanation for anything that happens. There's Strippers turning into Dinosaurs. Why? I don't know. There's another Cosmic Vision, and we get a vague glimpse at Omnichronus. Kinda. There's this whole thing at a Factory, and then the Factory comes Alive. And then there's that quiet little walk through the desert. A really great comixwork. Even if it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever and the artwork looks like I was on crack. I was not on crack. Now, whether or not my Muse was on crack at the time, that's her business, not mine. Also, I managed to seed in some glimpses of the Future that I may never actually come back to. To me, every issue of TCTC is what COMIX SHOULD BE. (Not Comics or Comic Books or Webcomics. Comix are an entirely different animal, and they are MINE.)
24. The Clown & Tea Cup Show #4- The last Ace up my sleeve. My last Cheat. My 24 Hour Comic Book for 2011 was the Last Comic of my 24 Comics in a Single Year Challenge. Poetic, right? TCTC 4, as stated before, is COMIX in All Caps. As good as TCTC2 was, I think I like 4 better. It's just so crazy and odd and fun. There's Music (there's so much Music in my Comix, which is weird, 'cause you can't hear anything in comic books). There's fighting. There's more Ditko-esque Dimensional Nonsense. There is my single favorite Page I Drew All Year, and I Drew it at 11:54 at night! Think about it, I Drew the 15th Consecutive Page of a Twenty Four Hour Comic shortly before Midnight, and it was a wonderful piece of ComixArt. In fact, if you want to humor me, head over to http://www.torcpress.com/tctc4prev.html and check out the Second of the Two Pages that Pop Up. "After I Smash Your Face in, I'm gonna Grab Me a TACO!" Ha. Oh, there's also, "We Gladly Go to Hell to Suffer for the Crime of Making Pussy Music." Maybe not the purtiest comic ever, but great Comix nonetheless.
So, let's see. Here's the Head Count:
New High Water Mark for Me as a Creator: 3
Excellent Comix Work: 7
Good, Solid, Enjoyable Comix Work: 9
Um, Not Bad, but not my Best: 4
Crap: 1
All in all, not bad. I mean, Marvel and DC would Kill for those kind of numbers, right? It was probably a bad idea to try to create that many books in a year, but at the same time, some of my all time favorite comix came out this year. I did some really strong work, and really grew and developed creatively, and I managed to cover a lot of ground in terms of my Narrative this year. I didn't finish the Quest for Omnichronus this year, but I did Seed the Narrative throughout a lot of the Comix I produced this year. And I set myself up to wrap up the Quest early (hopefully very early, if I get off my Dead Ass) next year.
So, yeah, good year. If you ignore everything else that happened in my life.
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