Monster King Pages 5-6

"Dude. Am I freaking out, or is that tree crying?"

Pages 5 & 6 of my online comic MONSTER KING are now online. In previous issues, we've had blood and fighting and whatnot. This issue we've got a new Ortex Captain and a talking tree. Yes. A talking tree. Just goes to show you never know what's going to happen in the Torcverse.

Anyway, you can jump straight to Page 5 by going to www.torcpress.com/mk5.html. If you're new to Monster King, then you can start from the beginning by bopping over to www.torcpress.com/mk1.html.

And, since I'm trying to get into the habit of mercilessly hyping stuff, don't forget we've got a new book, "The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club" #8, which is a really cool issue that focuses on Agent '?', and her story. You can pick that up in the online store over on the main site. And also don't forget to don't forget that it's the 11 year anniversary of TORC Press, so anything you order you get free art with your order. Crazy dance party! Hup! Hup!

El Exclamation Point! Bio and More

Blew off a little steam this weekend. Drove around. Listened to some CDs. Got a little lonely. I gotta say, that's the killer right there, the loneliness. You get trapped inside your own head, and there's no one there to pull you out. Oh well, what the hell. I was born a voice crying in the wilderness and it looks like I'm a gonna die that way.

On the bright side, I was reenergized to work on TORC Press stuff when I got home. The only visible product of my work from the weekend is that El Exclamation Point! has now got his own Bio entry over on the main site. Head over to www.torcpress.com/eep.html to learn more about the mysterious, masked, metaphysical detective (alliteration!).

While you're at the main site, www.torcpress.com, Pages 1-4 of my online comic MONSTER KING are also available for viewing (for Free) as well. Aaaaand, while I'm hyping stuff, Issue 8 of "The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club" is now available. There's a free one page preview of that issue up on the main site as well, which features giant alien plant monster things. Aaaaaaaaaand, don't forget, it's our 11 Year Anniversary, so any online (or snail mail) purchase scores you a free Sketch. New online content, new comic, free stuff. Woo!

Things are going good, production wise. Half the inks are done on HFSAC 9, and issue 10 is scripted. SDF: Pulp 5 and 6 are done in the sun on a bun (issue 5 will hopefully be available in November), and I scripted issue 7 last night. I've got at least 12 pages of Monster King ready to go. Feeling good. I've got an ambitious plan of attack that I want to implement next year, but I'm putting things in motion this year. Dig it?

Monster King Pages 3-4

"Spread the word. You can't kill the Clown."

New pages of my online comic MONSTER KING(!) are now available on the main site. You can start with the new pages by going to www.torcpress.com/mk3.html, or if you need to start from the beginning, head over to www.torcpress.com/mk1.html.

In this week's edition, Cactus Joe wraps up his rumble with the Ortex Attack Squad. Uh, that's pretty much it. It's not exactly Shakespeare.

And while we're hyping stuff, don't forget, we've got a new book available. The 8th issue of the Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club is now available. It's a cool issue that focuses on the life and times of Agent '?'. There's a free one page preview at www.torcpress.com/previewpage1.html or you can buy it directly at www.torcpress.com/store.html.

And, once again, it's our Eleven Year Anniversary, so anything you buy in the online store gets you free artwork. So there's that.

Anyway, I'm going on Walkabout today. See ya.

A Wee Bit o' HFSAC 8 Hype

Right-o. If you weren't aware, the 8th issue of the Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club is now available from TORC Press. It's an issue that I'm quite happy with, since it finally gets around to giving the full back story on Agent '?'. It really fleshes her out and gives you an idea of who she is and why she does the things she does. Also, there are two Easter Eggs hidden in this issue. One of them I won't hint at, because any hint would probably give it away. The second Easter Egg, though, involves the fact that Agent '?' actually existed BEFORE HFSAC 1. If you've got some of my earlier comics, you might be able to find her if you look hard enough. When it comes to writing this stuff, I don't have a concrete, inflexible plan, but I do make plans that do occasionally come to fruition.

Anyway, if you wanna check out a preview page from the new issue, go to http://www.torcpress.com/previewpage1.html. Or if you wanna just score a copy then head over to www.torcpress.com/store.html. Simple as that.

The Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club Issue 8 Now Available

As promised, it's October 4th, and we've got a new book available. It's the 8th issue of the "Hot Fudge Sundae Adventure Club" which recently made its debut at the Nashville Comicon. It's 24 Pages in BWG for $2.50 plus $1.50 S&H. It's available through our online store at www.torcpress.com/store.html or through Snail Mail by sending check or money order to: TORC Press, c/o Joseph Morris, 330 S 5th St SW, Clay City, IL 62824.

So, what's this issue about? Well, to put it quite simply, this issue is about Agent "?". Unlike a lot of our "Mystery" characters (such as her comrade-in-arms, El Exclamation Point!), there's always been a person underneath Agent "?"'s Metal Mask. In HFSAC 7 we finally saw her face (and everything else for that matter, va-va-voom!), but in HFSAC 8 we really dig into her past. What's her name? Where did she get her armor? Why did she join up with the Fudgeheads? All of these questions and more will be answered in this issue. As an added bonus, long time TORC Press readers (all three or four of you) might be able to catch a little bitty secret I've hidden in this book. Bro couldn't figure it out. Can you?

And, because I couldn't bring myself to do a pure flashback episode, there's also giant alien tentacle monsters, mysterious secret agents, and a new member of the Platypus family pops up. It's a character heavy issue with some extra spice. Like a good burger with some jalepenos on it.

If you need some further incentive to pick up this issue, once again, it's the 11 Year Anniversary of TORC Press, and we're celebrating by giving away free sketches with every purchase. That's right, you buy a copy of HFSAC 8 (or any issue for that matter), and you get a free pen and ink drawing by moi. If you want a specific character, please state who in your order.

Also, also while you're at the main site at www.torcpress.com, make sure to check out the first two pages of my online comic MONSTER KING! All Caps! Exclamation Point! It's two pages of bashing and crashing in full color for free. What's not to love?

We'll have a one page preview of HFSAC 8 loaded onto the main site on either Tuesday or Wednesday.

MONSTER KING!

"And Look at that! The Action's Already Started!"

The wild, reckless TORC Press October attack begins with the release of our new webcomic. It's called Monster King, it's Free, it's in wild, bright, psychedelic Dr. Suessian color, and it can be viewed over at http://www.torcpress.com/mk1.html. There's two pages for this week that can be viewed, and we'll put two new pages up every week from now till whenever.

So, what is Monster King? It's the continuing adventures of Cactus Joe the Clown and Pengy Penguin. Like any Clown and Penguin story, it's Violent and Strange and Occasionally Goofy. It starts as a brawl and will turn into something... different. It's TORC Press bumbling recklessly through webcomics.

Anyway, we'll archive 12 pages on the site at a time. Also, the webcomic will eventually be collected into regular comics format, so if you dig it, and you want a permanent copy, just hang tight.

Oh, I'm not a professional colorist or web guru or any of that junk, so if anyone sees anything glaringly bad about the webcomic, please e-mail me or drop a comment or something.

Aaaand, once again, it's the 11 Year Anniversary of TORC Press. If you order anything through www.torcpress.com from now till the end of the month, you'll get a free sketch with your order. MONSTER KING!

Eleven Years, Baby!

It is October 1st, and you know what that means: It's the ELEVEN Year Anniversary of TORC PRESS! Woo! Party! Streamers! Cake! Balloons! Whee!

It seems like a lifetime ago (I was gonna say just yesterday, but who am I kidding...), that I was standing in that comic shop in Effingham (which closed years ago) staring at that Blue Line Pro "Create Your Own Comic Book" pack, feeling the wheels of my Destiny turn (and I'm seriously not kidding, I felt the pull of Destiny at that moment, like a voice in my head saying, "Buy that pack and start making comics RIGHT NOW or SHUT UP and get a Real Life."). So I bought the Kit, and around 30 days or so later, Pulp Horrorshow volume 1 number 1 was being printed on a copy machine in a Kinko's in Carbondale, IL (which, incidentally, is a 2 hour drive from my house. Even from the beginning I was inefficient).

A lot has changed since then. The first comics were made in my parents' basement, before I owned a home. I think I've gone through all three of my cars during the last eleven years. The original comics were made on a series of Xerox Machines (which is why I called em Xerox Comics), first in Carbondale, then later in Mount Vernon, then later in Evansville, IN. I originally had no idea how to ink, so the inking on the original books was Horrible. The stories were also pretty rotten. I didn't do much with the original comics. I gave copies to my friends and family, who were nice enough to lie to me and say they were "good". I took a few to Sinking Ship Comics in Olney (closed now as well...sigh...) and tried to sell them through the store, but no one bought any. For two years in a row I made "Promo Comics" and took them to Wizard World Chicago, and me and my friends handed them out for free to anyone that would take a copy (you'd be surprised how many people will turn their nose up at a free comic). Oh, and for the first couple of years, the "company" went by its original, long form name "Truth or Consequences Press".

Now? I'm a pretty good writer. I'm a decent artist. I'm a so-so inker. I've found my own creative voice. I've got my own house, my own studio, and I'm on my fourth car. I still work in the Sawmill (some things never change). TORC Press comics are now professionally printed by an online print-on-demand printer. They feature color covers that I make using Photoshop, a program I had not heard of eleven years ago. I have worked Comic Conventions in Chicago, other parts of Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, Austin, TX, and Columbus, OH. I'm not sure what my actual comic count total is right now, but it's well over 50. I've got a website, www.torcpress.com, which I kinda sorta know how to operate myself (with help by Bro, obviously). I've always got new ideas, new approaches, new, new, new. I don't do stagnation. And I get better all the time.

Anyway, let's get around to the point of this nonsense, shall we? For the entire month of October, to celebrate our 11 year anniversary, when you order anything from TORC Press, either through snail mail or through our online store at www.torcpress.com/store.html, then you get a free sketch with your order. Simple as that. Please make sure to specify which TORC Press character(s) you want on your sketch with your order. Oh, and when I say sketch, I actually mean a meticulously hand drawn pen and ink drawing on high quality bristol board.

So, yeah, order some stuff, get some free art, and make me work when I should be partying with women with loose morals (yeah, right). Woo!

And, in case you're wondering, there'll be a new book available on Monday, so there's something to pick up.