Well, this is like a Roger Rabbit moment….

The lake. We have arrived. And someone in the lake is in need of help. The plot thickens.

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Next week I’ll be attending my first convention of the year, Anime Milwaukee. It’s always an honor to be asked to be a guest at a show, and I’ve had a lot of fun attending Anime Milwaukee the past several years. Not only is it a chance to hang out with my good friend Alan Evans, but it’s a fun weekend filled with anime voice actors, educational (and hilarious) panels, and of course, amazing comics to purchase. And I will be giving some panels at the show, as well as premiering my first book of the year at the show!

It’s going to be a fun time, so I hope to see you there!

So the angel and devil really aren’t taking their day seriously. I guess they don’t really have to worry about dying since, you know…they’re already dead?

Things are about to get real once Trevor arrives at the lake. This is something we’ve been referencing since the first page – that the lake is an important part of

1) directions to the cabin
2) getting your bearings to get back to the cabin
3) keeps directing things back to the cabin…which is haunted

Plot twists and intrigue abound in the coming pages. Stay tuned!

Happy February! February marks the start of my convention season (but more on that below), and also the release of my first book of the year: @$$hole! volume 1: No Pants Tuesday. The book should be in my hands right before my first show (but more on that below), so there will be plenty of news and fun times surrounding it. Maybe we’ll do a book release party?

So this page here…yeah. It was shot on different paths in the woods. In fact, that downed tree – we saw it earlier, when Trevor was “looking through brush”.

In the park where we shot this story, this tree had fallen in the middle of the path and it was kind of shocking – but also a very beautiful sight. It was a fresh break, possibly from a lightning strike or a major wind storm. The leaves were still green, the inside of the tree still bright and alive. It was tragic and awesome at the same time.

So I used it as much as I could in the story. And behold – hopefully you didn’t notice.

So, conventions. Anime Milwaukee will be my first show of the year. I’ll be a guest of honor again, so there will be fun panels and goofy stories to be told for sure. Also, I’ll be hanging out with the very awesome Alan Evans who will also be a guest at the show!

I’ve been to this show for the past 3+ years, and I’ve had a ton of fun every time I’ve gone. Met great people, told funny stories…and even had a few funny stories happen. So be sure to come by the show, say hi, check out the panels, and buy a copy of the new book! I’ll be posting pictures when it comes in (should be the week of the show – fingers crossed there are no delays).

Before we start, yes…I am aware that the angel / devil pair are pointing in opposite directions from where Trevor is looking in the next panel. This was partly done on purpose for a joke…but also partly used because I was a little rushed on this page.

And yes, panel 4 has a girl wearing body paint. I finally included a naked lady in the comic. Be happy.

So the forest we were taking these shots in had a lot of desaturated color to it. Not sure if the green of the leaves was offsetting everything, but it was a lot of fun to play in. Until you start trying to include other images into the shots. Suddenly you find out that it’s so bright and vibrant that it doesn’t mesh well with other outside images. Even the devil / angel photos have to be desaturated to look like they fit into the shots. It’s a lot of work.

However, the good news is this – I’ve been playing with later pages and there’s even more techniques that are totally new to the mix. This story is a ways off from ending, but the ending will be fun and hopefully a shock to most readers – in a good way. Like most horror stories, I try to include a twist.

But maybe I’ve given away too much already….

Anyway, I’m off to a wedding this weekend. Stay warm out there!

Playing multiple characters in the same scene is not easy. Especially when you’re not actually interacting. Maybe that’s why I’m not an actor….

But in any case, the dialogue between the characters is extremely fun. They have some great chemistry, playing off each other’s personalities.

But writing is a great fun process when you have characters with strong motivation. Alan Moore (Swamp Thing, Watchmen, V for Vendetta) says there are 4 elements to writing a story:

1) Character – the subject of your tale
2) Environment – where your subject is currently located
3) Situation – what’s going on where your subject is located
4) Time – hitting the play button on all of the above

If you swap any one of these elements, you can radically change your story. For example:

1) Character – Batman
2) Environment – a bank
3) Situation – Bank Robbery
4) Time – How does Batman react to a bank being robbed?

Now, let’s swap out any of those elements, and our story can radically change. I like to swap out the character, for the sake of argument. Instead of Batman, let’s use Spider-Man. Or Punisher. Or Wolverine.

Pretty different outcomes and stories you see in your head, right? Because these characters have very unique motivations that drive them to deal with the same situation in the same environment in very different ways. No difference here with this story. Except, you know…I’m not wearing tights.

Bruce Campbell gives an incredible DVD commentary on the 38 editions of Evil Dead. In one particular version, he talks about how the movie never stuck with female viewers. How they start to wander off and interest wanes. Right around the scene where a woman is attacked by a tree – in a rather provocative manner!

While those movies are campy and silly (and excuses to soak Bruce Campbell in fake blood of all colors), that scene is pretty disturbing. It’s a little out of context for the feel of the film, and it sticks with people.

That said, since I’m paying homage to that movie here a bit, I wanted to call out that there will be no attacks by trees in this comic. Technically. Certainly not in the same way. You’ll have to wait a few pages to find out what I’m talking about.

First off, I’m loving how these pages are coming out. Seriously, I think the color, composition, the pacing…all of it is coming out amazing well.

Now, enough patting myself on the back. Let’s talk shop.

The choice to represent the angel and devil from a distance as glowing orbs was really one of time. Because I’m doing more manipulation than normal to these pages, they’re taking a lot more time to produce. With the added pressure of trying to get the book off to the printer, plus coordinating two other big projects (which will get announced soon), I needed a quick way to get them into shots that were further away. I think it turned out great, but let me know your thoughts.

Speaking of the book, it’s proofed and off to the printer! In theory, I should have this in time for my first show of the year: Anime Milwaukee!

I started 2011 being a guest at this show, and it was a great way to start what would be an amazing convention season. It’s a fun show that’s grown by leaps and bounds since I started attending it. I highly recommend going, and I hope to see you there.

So now 2012 is in full swing and the book is off to the printer, I can start focusing on my other two projects…and starting to promote them. I’m told from an artist I’ll have some pages next week, so I’m hoping to get some sketches and stuff up to tell you about it soon. Patience, my friends.

…alright, I’ll give you a little hint. It’s a character I’ve written before, and he’s getting another short adventure. Any guesses?

Ha ha, I haven’t done a running gag since Laura’s 21st Birthday. But never before on a photo comic. It was fun to shoot.

The exterior shots of this story arc are in a very pretty state park in Indiana, and the lushness of the green is one I haven’t seen since visiting Ireland. It was just….green. Vibrant and everywhere. So finding an open area to do a running gag like this was difficult to say the least. Difficult, but not impossible.

So the new book is finished, two drafts, and currently in the process of selecting a printer so I can have this thing in hand for my first convention of the year.

Speaking of conventions, the 2012 schedule posted earlier this month. Currently doing 8 shows this year, my first will be a great local anime show called Anime Milwaukee. I always have a lot of fun at this show, and I get to hang out with some great guests. Alan Evans will be joining me again this year, and we put on a pretty awesome Making Webcomics panel. In fact, you can see the panel we did last year on youtube (or below).

Anyway, I’m going to get back to work on the book – specifically, getting it off to the printers so it can be completed on time. Have a great weekend!

These two characters will play a significant role in the remainder of this story arc, and they’re a lot of fun to write. They were a lot of fun to play as, too. The truth of the matter is, I figured out while making this particular comic that @$$Hole! has a strength and a weakness: it’s a one man show.

This is a difficult thing to do from a writing perspective, but also a fun challenge. Especially when you present the opportunity to play multiple characters. Especially such different characters.

So enjoy the ride, as there’s plenty more to come!