Coming to Webcomics Nation!
Coming to Webcomics Nation!
2.20.2008 @ 12:49 am - The End of an Era…
As some of you may know, my wife Emily has been on a job hunt since last fall. Well, as of last Friday, that search is over, and she has accepted a wonderful opportunity. In Boston.
So, we’re moving east. And while this means that I’m going to have to leave my beloved Chicago, I’m genuinely excited about this. I’ve known for months now that the chances that we could stay here were pretty slim, and I’ve had plenty of time to think about what it means. There have been job prospects from Long Island to the Bay Area, but not any here at home. It had me in a funk for awhile, but since this Boston gig has materialized, I’ve been in an increasingly better mood.
I’m torn about the idea of leaving Chicago, since I’ve invested so much here, especially in my artwork. But, I’ve lived here over ten years — all of my adult life, and I’ve lived in the Midwest for twenty years. If I have to leave, this isn’t a bad time. Obviously, it’s going to mean some major changes, but I think they’ll ultimately be for the better. Moving to the East Coast gives me an opportunity to expand more solidly into a new market, and puts me closer to more publishing houses. The first six months might be a little bumpy, but I’m confident I can make it work. In the end, Chicago will always be my adopted hometown, and my love for it will never go away.
In the short term it will mean I’ll have to put the comic on hold while we take care of moving, but in the long run, it’s going to mean I’ll be able to focus on long term planning for my artwork. I also plan on getting some scripting and planning done before I start drawing again, so I’ll be able to produce the comic much more quickly once I’m back.
We’ll be moving at the end of March, and I will continue to update the comic over the next few weeks to finish out the current scene. After that I’ll need to go on hiatus for a month or two in order to get our new house in order (quite literally) before returning. I’ll keep you posted once I have that final plan together.
Thanks for all your support and patience. I promise you this will be a good thing. Just don’t expect Kate & Mike to move to Boston, okay? 
2.5.2008 @ 12:15 pm - I voted, did you?
I’m proud to say that I marched down to my polling place and cast my vote for Obama. I really hope he wins the nomination. I’d like to have a little hope again.
12.19.2007 @ 11:43 am - Holy crap, they’re going to kill Fermilab.
From my friend Bill:
The budget that’s just passed the Senate is basically going to kill Fermilab:
Lab fiscal ‘disaster’ feared - U.S. cuts would hit Fermilab’s research
Federal budget so far not good for Fermilab
US Budget Spells New Troubles For Next-Gen Particle Accelerator
They’re facing closing the lab for at least two months in the new year (sending everyone home with no pay), and killing off the two project proposals that might keep the lab alive after the Tevatron shuts down in 2010.
This is a terrible day for science in this country.
12.13.2007 @ 3:46 pm - New York, New York!
Wow, we got back from our whirlwind trip to New York Anime Fest on Monday, and only now am I recovering. It was a weekend of incredible highs and frustrating lows, but overall I’m very glad I went.
First of all, traveling with Spike & Matt is always a real joy. There’s always this great mix of shop talk and geekery that does my heart good. Matt and I especially enjoy talking about tabletop gaming. It’s inspiring. We scheduled the extra day of travel so we could stop off there and take in the Mutter Museum at The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, a truly wondrous place full of mutants, wax representations of diseases, specimens, and general medical horrors. It was awesome.
However, it wasn’t without its problems.
The weekend got off to a slow start. Once at the convention center we discovered that Spike wasn’t on the list for a table. After some squabbling with the organizers, we ended up both at my table, which ended up being a blessing in the end — Friday ended up being incredibly slow. I was thankful to the folks who did stop by and pick up books (thank you, kind souls!), but overall the experience was humbling. After doing so many conventions this year, this was the first time I didn’t make 3 figures on the first day. Yikes! Saturday was better, but wasn’t enough to make up for the shortfall. Sunday was no better. I had expected such a big show in the largest city in the country to be a little busier. I was wrong.
Thankfully, there were plenty of friendly faces to commiserate with. Right off the bat, we ran into Dave and Raina along with John and Marion at The Comics Bakery and Zack and Steph of LifeMeter. We also bumped into Jaime of In His Likeness , Jim Z, Josh Elder, Jon Lung, Morgan, Hightower, and new friends Juno, and Mookie. Good meals were eaten, gossip shared, industry talk had, and general hangouts enjoyed. I had a blast catching up with everyone and learned a tremendous amount, too.
On the last day we were planning to do a 12+ hour marathon back home only to discover that an ICE STORM was barreling in on us between Chicago and New York. Thankfully, some friends in Pittsburgh were able to let us stay over, so all five us caravanned back to the ‘Burgh that night, and we were able arrive home safely on Monday afternoon.
All in all, I’m very glad I went. And although the travel frustrations were exacerbated by the slow sales, the time spent with friends and colleagues more than made up for it in the end.
12.5.2007 @ 11:24 am - Off to New York!
In just a couple of hours I’ll be off on a journey east to the New York Anime Festival with my good buddies, Spike and Matt of Templar, Arizona. We’ll be meeting up with our friends Brion Foulke of Flipside and Jen Brazas of Mystic Revolution for the weekend.
I’ve been looking forward to this trip for awhile. If you’re going to NYAF, swing by Artist Alley and say ‘hi!’.
11.28.2007 @ 6:03 pm - December PREVIEWS is out!
Okay, everybody, you can now officially order PS from from your local comic shop!
Here’s the ordering information:
DEC07 3615 PARADIGM SHIFT GN VOL 01 EQUILIBRIUM SRP: $9.95
Go get it! Let’s kick the doors off this thing!
11.19.2007 @ 11:31 pm - SugoiCon!
Had a fantastic time at SugoiCon this past weekend. Trekked out with Spike & Matt, and spent the weekend in Artist’s Alley. We also had a blast hanging out with James Hatton of In His Likeness, The Devil’s Panties’ Jennie Breeden, and Dan Hess of Realms of Ishikaze and eating MIDNIGHT PIE! Awesome times. You guys are awesome. Can’t wait to catch up with you again at NY Anime Fest and Ohayocon!
Also, do my buddy Spike a big favor and vote for Templar, AZ on Webcomics Idol. It would make her year.
Oh, and if you dig the skyline, you can get a closer look at it here.
10.22.2007 @ 11:10 pm - Diamond! And the PS Street Map lives!
I have good news! PS has been accepted into Diamond’s December PREVIEWS Catalog! I’ll get you more details on that when I have them. Suffice to say, I’m very excited!
I also ran into a little extra time over the weekend and whipped up an initial version of the PS Chicago Street Map. I may add more to it at a later date, but for now it works pretty well. Take a look and please tell me what you think.
