Welcome to the new week!

Benita and I just appeared on TGT, aka “Two Guys Talking Webcomics” on Frumph’s Webcomic site, and we had a great time!  I haven’t had the opportunity to listen to the show yet, but I feel confident that it was a good episode.  We were entertained, at any rate.

This week heralds the return of Tech Thursday, which has been on a short hiatus, and I’ll pick up where I left off on Photoshop Lettering.  I was unsure about this columns fate, but readers have let me know that they want it back, so back it comes!

You’ve probably noticed that I’ve rearranged the site a bit over the weekend.  I haven’t quite gotten it the way I want it, but I’m an obsessive perfectionist, so that goal may just be out of reach.  Still, I get it a little closer to what I want all the time!  I just downloaded Firefox because I want to see how well the site performs on other platforms, and for the most part I’m pleased.

Speaking of platforms, why are new browsers not supporting Windows 2000?  Internet Explorer 7 and 8 both require Vista!  Chrome requires Vista!  My old internet computer seems quite happy chugging along with Windows 2000 … So, why discriminate against it?  I don’t particularly want to change internet computers!

Have a great day!  Scott

Today would typically be Super Tuesday around here, my weekly column on superheroes in other media. I’m doing that tomorrow this week, in part because I have other stuff I want to talk about today, and in part because running Super Tuesday on Wednesday seems a little ironic and post-modern. Maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t, but the idea amuses me.

So, check back tomorrow for Super Tuesday.

First up, here is the interview Benita and I did on TGT, aka Two Guys Talking Webcomics, found over at Frumph’s Webcomic List. We had such a good time, and I think of these guys as friends now. For best results, right click on the icon and choose “Save Target As,” letting you save this rather sizeable MP3 to your hard drive. The show went over an hour, so it’s pretty big.

[audio:TS-147537.mp3]

Next up, here is one of the covers I just finished for Mat Nastos, publisher of Nifty Comic’s “Cadre.” I just did the pencils and inks, and colors will be handled by someone else. I’m really happy with how this turned out, because the White Dwarf has such a distinctive look. Click on the picture for a full-sized look. 

Cover to Nifty Comic's "Cadre"

Finally, here’s a picture of me that local cartoonist and caricaturist Bob East. He did a great job, but I think he missed the imposing, authoritative aspect of my character—You know, sort of like Captain America with a paint brush?   Click on the image for a larger view.

Scott, drawn by Bob East

Today is Voting Day. I’m not going to give you a civics lesson on why you should vote. It’s simpler than that. It’s a question of being heard or not being heard. There is much that is rotten with the system, but don’t ever surrender your right to be heard.

Well, running without a buffer of comics, and getting new episodes ready on a week by week basis, has become my standard of late. Usually I keep a four or five week buffer of strips prepared in advance, but lately that’s just not been an option. Running this close to the wire has had one positive effect, though—I’ve come to respect the individual episodes more! I’ve always been about producing the best work I can, but now it really has become a quality over quantity issue. I plan to build a buffer of pre-prepared strips as soon as I may, but I hope to keep the focus on the individual episodes as well.

I’ve been pretty active on podcasts lately. Last night I joined in on the TGT Podcast that is associated with the Frumph Webcomic List, and that was a lot of fun. Today I called in on Art & Story Live, hosted by Mark Rudolph and Jerzy Drozd, and that was a real treat as well. I plan to keep doing this as often as I am able, because I’ve really come to believe in the comics and webcomics community to which I belong. The fans are great, the creators are great, and I’m proud to have found a group of people like this.

Scott.

Item: On the left sidebar, please note that there is now a Comic Archive list of links. Each link will take you to the beginning of one of the eight books/chapters in Johnny Saturn. Phil Hofer of Frumph dot net suggested this.

Item: I’m almost caught back up to the point the site was at before the server move. All MP3’s now have onboard players, all broken links and pictures are repaired (I think—crosses fingers), and the store is up and functional.

Item: I had a phone conversation with Bob Hickey of Blueline Pro today, and I’m pretty sure that Benita and I will be appearing at his store Comics2Games in Kentucky for Free Comic Book Day. In related news, I just sent off my fourth article to Blueline Pro’s Sketch Magazine, so I’m well on my way to becoming a regular contributor. I’ll be honest, I’m really proud to be associated with this fine publication, because it fills a valuable niche in guiding apprentice and journeyman cartoonists in developing their skills. In other words, Sketch Magazine is an excellent teaching tool. (I really am a fan–I have a complete run of this magazine, from issue 1 forward.)

Item: Today, I was distracted by outside issues, and I didn’t feel quite like myself. The result is that I had a false start on the next page. This rarely happens to me, but it did today. I couldn’t wrap my head around an effective storytelling approach, and the page suffered for it. I don’t do half measures, so I’ll begin the page again tomorrow. The reason I mention this is because off days aren’t just limited to beginners. I’m a journeyman, and I have off days. Even cartooning masters can suffer from this, so don’t put yourself down or give up if you have a tough day!

Item: As far as podcasts go, I interacted on TGT last Sunday by way of their chat room, and on Art & Story Live on Monday by Skype. In the latter case, I wasn’t on the whole show because my connection wasn’t that great.