Category Archives: Announcement

Talented Creator To Help Brock Heasley and David Reddick ~CRAFT~ The Next SuperFogeys Origins Story (And It COULD Be YOU)

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It was late last year when I wrote to Brock Heasley, creator of The SuperFogeys, on Twitter that I loved what he was doing with the SuperFogeys: Origins stories, mixing new artists and creators with his already-established characters to delve into their origins, adding a very comic book-y vibe to a well-pedigreed webcomic. His response? How would you like to take a turn?

Now, a half a year later with my own arc in the can, Wes Molebash (Max vs. Max) is next on deck and it looks like David Reddick (The Legend of Bill) is queued up behind him. However, Reddick’s arc will be a bit more unique in how it all comes together. Due to time constraints on his part, Reddick will be providing the character designs for this Spy Gal-focused arc, which will then be utilized by the best man/woman for the job. This prime creative opportunity can be had by submitting work to the Heasley/Reddick tandem (heretofore referred to as RedRock) for a contest set to end in May. Full contest details can be found below/after the break, so get those knuckles cracked and show RedRock what you’ve got!

THE NEXT SUPERFOGEYS ORIGINS–A DAVID REDDICK/BROCK HEASLEY/YOU? JOINT!

Have I got some coolness to drop on you. I’ve been in deep talks with the Legend of Bill’s David Reddick for the past couple weeks about working together on a SuperFogeys Origin story. David is monster talent with a large following and, of course, one of my Tall Tale Features brothers. He is the man.

You’ll recall that last year David and I tried to do a story together –the one that Krishna Sadasivam eventually ended up drawing called “Spy Gal vs. Star Maiden”.  Love that story. Anyway, ever since then David and I have been trying to figure out another way that we can collaborate without putting too much of a time pressure on him and we think we’ve got a great idea.

And it involves you. Maybe. Potentially. Let me explain.

HERE’S HOW IT’S GOING TO WORK:

I have an outline for one of the most highly anticipated Origin stories ready to go. David is so excited by it that he’s dying to do to the character designs. So, he will. But, we need an artist.

We need you!

David and I are looking for someone to work closely with us on a 5-6 page origin story that will rock. David will be acting as an “art director” and “casting agent” of sorts, hand-picking the artist for the story, handing over the character designs he creates and giving some general, basic art direction. Nothing that would hamper anyone creatively, but if you’re familiar with David’s work then you know how valuable any input from him would be!

Sadly, you will also have to work with me and one of my scripts. But you can put up with that, right?

Oh, wait, what’s the Origin, you ask?

SPY GAL

Here’s the details of how you can throw your hat into the ring:

1. Draw a pinup of young Spy Gal–we wanna see your take!

2. Send it and a link to your comic to me at bwhheasley (at) gmail (dot) com.

3. Be willing to complete pencils, inks and colors on the 5-6 pages by August of this year.

I’ll be passing along the entries to David and he will carefully consider each entry and choose the best by the deadline.

WHAT’S THE DEADLINE? 3 WEEKS FROM TODAY–TUESDAY, MAY 3RD

A lot of great artists have drawn and are drawing some great SuperFogeys Origins stories. Artists like T.L. Collins, Eldon Cowgur, Krishna Sadasivam, Marc Lapierre, Rossana Bugini, Jason Sigler, and Wes Molebash. We’re looking for someone with the chops to join their ranks. Think you got ’em?

WHAT YOU WILL GET

If you are chosen as the artist of the Spy Gal origin…

1. You will get to work closely with both David and I.

2. You’ll also receive a free copy of the whichever printed volume of SuperFogeys Origins your art appears in.

3. You will get copious amounts of plugging and linkage back to your site or comic from both the SuperFogeys and Legend of Bill sites.

4. An original sketch by both David Reddick and Brock Heasley–a jam piece featuring two SuperFogeys of your choice! (However, please be advised that David will only agree to this so long as he gets to draw Spy Gal. Just FYI.)

So, what do you say? Do you want in on the SuperFogeys action? Do you wanna work with David Freakin’ Reddick (his actual middle name–truth!)!?

Get those entries in now! Remember, deadline is May 3rd! Spy Gal awaits… and here are some parting words from David himself:

“Brock and I have been itching to work together on some Superfogey’s goodness, and this will be a fun and unique way of doing just that. I can’t wait to look at some of the pin-ups and pick the artist for the next Superfogey’s Origin… Let’s have some fun with this, And FUN is SuperFUNFogeys middle name!”

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Spike’s Print Woes ~LEAD TO~ MoCCA No Show?

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One of my favorite aspects of the webcomics community is the collective sharing of knowledge. With Facebook, Twitter, IM, Skype, and countless other portals of communication, it’s merely a matter of seconds before lessons can be learned en masse, whether they be for gain or hindrance. Spike, the enigmatic creator behind Templar, A.Z., has just experienced such a learning experience and she hopes to pass on her pain and experience to you.

Last night, via Twitter, Spike mentioned that she wouldn’t have copies for her fourth collection of Templar, A.Z. available for purchase at  the MoCCA (Museum of Cartoon and Comic Art) Festival. Her tweet read:

Well, I guess I WON’T have book 4s for MoCCA. Fantastic.

Never one to tweet without explanation, Spike peppered the next few hours with follow-up tweets:

Guys, I’M my publisher. My PRINTER is the one shafting me.

My printer is Lebonfon. I wasn’t going to name them, but this is too f***ing ridiculous, so there you go. Never use them.

I have no idea what I’m going to do, now. MoCCA is this weekend, and I will have no new material. Thanks, Lebonfon.

The urge to not even go is overwhelming. I seriously have no desire to sit behind a table and disappoint people / explain myself for 2 days.

Okay, I’ll be bringing a pile of originals, which I NEVER usually sell, to MoCCA. ~$75.00 apiece. 9″x12″s from Chapter 1. I hate doing this.

I may jack up the price. I wanted to keep these forever.

Oh hey did I mention that Lebonfon tried to overcharge me by $1,300 too? They attempted to bill me for a figure much higher than the quotes.

Still edging towards ditching MoCCA. It’s 50/50.

Decided. No MoCCA. Books 1-3 will be there, but not me. Buy ’em off @reiley & @rymagnusson at table C7, I’ll be at home doing a bonus comic.

The bonus comic will be to zero me out on nonrefundable plane fare and my share of the table. Sorry, I can’t sell originals. Too crazy.

So due to the incompetence of one printer we go from having Spike at a show to no Spike and no original prints. Having never had a personal experience with Lebonfon, this post does not condemn the company itself. It does, however, serve as a great resource for those who may be considering the printer for their works. Buyer/user beware!

All tweets provided by Twitter

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Guest Review: Commander Kitty

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Writing up a good and fair review is always hard, considering how much time it takes to go through archives. Still yet we can’t always find ones that we feel compelled enough to sit down and study, giving the comic it’s fair review. So we’re introducing a new practice, and that’s the guest review. From now on we will be accepting reviews from you about your favorite webcomic, with the only stipulation being that you can’t be one of the artists behind it. Submit your comic to us and it will get reviewed for content and pleasantness and posted to the main site.

This is your chance! Now send those reviews in.

Back when I first discovered webcomics, one stood out as my favorite: A goofy, Saturday morning style adventure about a rag-tag team of animal spacers trying to be heroes. It combined good clean artwork with energetic scifi hilarity, and best of all didn’t try to be the next Spaceballs. Then one day the comic, website, and creator vanished from the face of the internet entirely. Until now.

Commander Kitty is back, and is off to a great start. Rather than continuing the old story, creator Scotty Arsenault decided to start fresh, and so far it’s been a great ride. Kitty is a slightly pathetic and overbearing spaz with delusions of grandeur. (Imagine the rich kid Hon Solo used to give wedgies in school) After somehow acquiring a spaceship, and hiring a crew of the only three creatures in the galaxy willing to work for him, he’s ready to make a name for himself as a great space captain, mostly without any success. First Officer Fluffy is an airbrained little pink kitten. Lieutenent Mittens is a paranoid and highly distractible grey tabby, and the usual brunt of Kitty’s wrath. Mr. Socks is a brilliant, yet inarticulate ferret. The ship is run by a swarm of misanthropic robots referred to collectively as MOUSE. They’ve just been joined by the shady Red Panda Nin Wah, who just might be their ticket out of numfdom.

You can really tell that Scotty’s done this before. The art is crisp and polished, drawn in smooth, expressive lines, with bright toylike colours. The characters are reminiscent of old Hannah Barberra cartoons, and all very distinct and consistent, in both appearance and personality. The comic is very action-based; the animals never stop moving, and the “punchline” is usually something funny that somebody did, rather than what they said. The whole page, however is filled with sight gags, one-liners, and pop-culture references; Rather than giving you just enough to keep you from starving, Scotty loads up your plate with enough humor to last you all week.

Commander Kitty is more than just a great webcomic, it’s also great comedic scifi. Rather than just annother Trek/Wars parody, Scotty has created a unique universe with its own social structures, that borrows from the tropes and technology of mainstream science fiction; Similar to “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”. The story started out a bit slow, (it began with a three-page dream sequence) but it’s still been fun to read, and things look like they will be moving faster now that Kitty has met Nin Wah.

The website is well designed and fits the comic perfectly. There is a flash window in one corner that shows mug shots of the different characters, a Jukebox that has some pretty sweet music to listen to, and a news box with Scotty’s Twitter feed. It all looks very clean, and futuristic, like a web page from outer space.

This review was courtesy of Robin Gibson.

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Ryan Estrada Needs ~YOUR~ Help To Make His Movie Project Happen

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I am privy to secret information. There is an awesome reason to donate what you can to Ryan Estrada’s movie project based on his Zuda entry, The Kind You Don’t Take Home To Mother. I can’t say what, and I can’t say who it involves, but it does involve getting a couple of awesome names to play characters in the film and it can only be done with your generous donations.

Go to the TKYDTHOM donation page, give what you can (Kickstarter-style, so you even get something for your contribution) and make this dream come true!

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The Webcomic Overlook Evaluates The Biz ~OF~ Reviewing Webcomics

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Via a tweet from The Superfogeys creator, Brock Heasley, I’ve stumbled across this introspective write-up from luchador blogger, El Santo, on the business of reviewing webcomics. The post is interesting in terms of what he will be writing about on his own blog in the future, but it’s the comments about giving time to new, unknown webcomics vs. covering the big guns that piqued my interest the most. On the goal of focusing on the unknowns, he writes:

This is actually a very noble aim. I mean, does the world need another person gushing about how much he loves Penny Arcade? Do we need yet another person saying why xkcd is the greatest webcomic of the century? Isn’t ragging on Ctrl+Alt+Delete just getting a wee bit tired? Wouldn’t you rather hear something new?

I applaud all bloggers who live by this code. I’ve encountered quite a few, in fact, have expressed the same sentiment […]

See? Someone applauds us. So we’re doing something right.

In terms of what we here at Digital Strips cover, the unknown approach seems to work the best for us. Sure, we can throw the success stories a bone here and there, but my personal goal for DS is to help those comics that are incredibly talented but not necessarily connected to the greater webcomic community find their way to that road that will lead to the community that eventually builds towards a greater following and thus, greater success.

While I can’t disagree with El Santo’s reasons for reviewing bigger, more recognized webcomics, we decided a while back to make this our mission statement and luckily, we’ve been able to keep the podcast alive, which is our best shot at connecting with readers/listeners about a new property they need to notice on their radar.

Thanks to El Santo for getting this discussion started, and please chime in with your thoughts on the topic.

The Webcomic Overlook: Why Captain Nihilist reviews the “big” webcomics (El Santo, 2009)

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Scott Kurtz To Team ~WITH~ Comics Legend, Neal Adams, For Christmas Storyline

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From our friends at Fleen (hey, this is the time of sharing and caring), who discovered the news from Bleeding Cool (see?), it seems that Scott Kurtz, who has been jazzing up PvP for months now with a more digital, comic book-y feel, will be pairing with comics legend Neal Adams.

I trust there is some crossover between our webcomics lovers and those of the print variety, so Adams’ name should be one that is instantly recognizable. Known for his grittier, more realistic takes on various heroes for both Marvel and DC Comics, Adams’ contribution to the PvP Xmas arc will likely be minimal, though more in terms of content than the impact he will make on both Kurtz and the comic loving fans that frequent the PvP site.

Next thing you know, Adams has connections with the Academy of Art and Sciences and BAM! Kurtz is hosting the Oscars come 2011. Mark my words, people…

Fleen: This No-Internet Thing Is Getting Old (Gary Tyrrell, 2009)
Bleeding Cool: Scott Kurtz and Neal Adams Team Up (Rich Johnston, 2009)

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Superfogeys Teased ~ABOUT~ 2010 Storylines

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Between having an entirely separate origins-based spin-off that is drawn by a different artist with each new arc and now having teasers about its upcoming storylines, The Superfogeys is doing everything it can to stand out amongst the webcomics pack, a tall order to be sure, given the immense breadth of content available in the Inter-Ether.

So when series creator Brock Heasley announced on the website that an image providing clues to the 2010 storyboard would go live last night, I was eager to click that link as soon as it was tweeted. When the post dropped, this intriguing poster was revealed:

superfogeys2010Teaser

What does it mean? Does the Harry Potter date font foretell of something… magical? Is that the mysterious, nefarious Dr. Klein we see, almost completely clad in shadow? Is The Superfogeys going all CGI in 2010? Brock has definitely proven to be a man of conviction and integrity, so whatever it is, I’m sure it’s hidden somewhere in that image. Spend the next month tearing it apart with me and, as Brock himself implores…

This is an image that is meant to be distributed. If you do a comic, run a blog, have a Facebook or MySpace page or whatever–PLEASE STEAL THE ABOVE IMAGE AND POST IT.

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Scott Kurtz Lets Us In ~ON~ The Secret Life of Cartoonists

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Sure, with webcomics we might all think we’re being cartoonists, but did you know there’s actually a secret world going on, behind-the-scenes, that most of us have never even heard of, let alone secretCartoonistsdreamed about? Now, Scott Kurtz is taking up a bar stool to tell us all about those hidden desires and guarded tales with his latest podcast endeavor, The Secret Life of Cartoonists.

Hear the intrigue! Experience the sordid stories! And listen in as we learn the mystery involved with becoming a successful cartoonist!

Seriously though, if Kurtz can keep rotating through his massive Rolodex of webcomic creators (Gun Show creator KC Green stops by for Episode 3) then this random collection of short stories (fictional or not is your call) could end up being quite the time capsule for the webcomic revolution. And here’s the official description from the PvP site:

It’s been getting more and more difficult for the four members of Halfpixel to align our schedules so that we can record episodes of Webcomics Weekly on a regular basis. While we have a couple episodes in the can (which will go up this week), we’re all blessed with enough work right now that I doubt the WEEKLY part of our title will apply again for a while.

Same goes for the podcast Brad and I were toying with.

But the thing is I really want to do a regular podcast, and I find myself with 15-20 minutes here and there where I could fit in a recording, the problem is that it’s just me. So I started to brainstorm about a podcast I could do solo. And that brainstorming lead to The Secret Life of Cartoonists.

Here’s the elevator pitch: You get a drink or two in me and I can’t stop talking. Not only that, but I got a lot of stories. The Secret Life of cartoonists is a candid conversation overheard at a bar and secretly recorded for your entertainment. It is a podcast for adults.

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Tom Dell’Aringa’s Marooned: Book 1 ~NOW~ Up For Pre-Order

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Marooned first appeared on my radar in the latest Webcomic Idol contest last year and instantly perked up my artistic sensibilities. The art harkened back to an era where detail was minimized and fun was the order of the day, and I was all for that. However, after reading only a few strips, Marooned departed my attention as quickly as it arrived and I’ve since lost touch with the strip.

maroonedBook1Header

But lo! What’s this? The first Marooned book is available for pre-order? I believe that would make it the perfect time to get reacquainted with this comic, then! The art has progressed from simplistic to being more deceptively so, offering just enough details and precision to offer an experience that contains more depth than the first strips did.

But what does this book contain? Why don’t I let Tom do the rest of the talkin:

After a year and a half of producing Marooned online, I’m proud to announce the release of my first book. Out of Orbit is suitable for all ages and is full of fun comics and spectacular artwork. It makes a great gift for anyone!

110 FULL COLOR 9” x 9” Pages, 100 Comics, 2 Short Stories, Artist Gallery and More!

Follow the exploits of Captain John and his not-so-faithful companion Asimov the robot as they discover the deep secrets of Mars! With Ugo the friendly alien, John and Asimov settle down to what appears to be a long stay on Mars. But before they can finish their first Martian nusnor, they are waylaid by Bob the crazy robot and his Time Cube!

(Find out all about the book right here, including a FREE 10-page downloadable sample!)

Laugh along while John meets Ril, the young female Martian orphan and bumbles his way through obstacles and adventures. Become strangely concerned as John gets sick and seeks treatment from the mysterious Dark Ones!

Don’t miss these exciting adventures! Preorder your book today! Quantities will be limited!

Limited quantities? Best get mine while I still can!

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Digital Strips Adventures

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This has been years in the planning but we have finally agreed upon a theme for a Digital Strips Comic. Don’t get me wrong, there have been some gems before now. We started off original story arc of Zampzon and myself producing the show in our homes that ended up with us moving into our studio. The new crew added their own touches always continuing the theme so close to PvP we found it hard not to keep it too ourselves.

Now we have something completely different. Going back to the hay day where Zampzon and I were debating jumping in and out of webcomics using a yellow submarine, we’ve created a whole new spin. This current 5 year mission is to bring the adventures of the DS staff through all the webcomics of the world using the magic of Science Fiction.

What does that mean for our fans? It means you get to see us produce a webcomic that incorporates every other one. When we enter a world we will write an arc that matches in both written and artistic merits. A gag strips gets a gag strip while single panel gets becomes a single panel.

So sit back and relax while we run through the wonderful world we so loving call webcomics!

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