Saturday, April 11, 2015

V4 Sneak Peek #12: Winchester Manor Mania


LACKADAISY

Time for another update- and we're kicking this one off with exciting news.

Tray Butler of the Lackadaisy comic series has started a Patreon!
( https://www.patreon.com/lackadaisy )

If you know Lackadaisy, you're probably pausing this video right now and checking it out.  And if you don't know what Lackadaisy is-  pause this video right now, click the link in the lowbar, and check it out!

It's one of my favorite comics of all time, Tracy's art and wit has been a colossal personal inspiration.  Crowdfunding is the new face of comics- readers like you are finally in the drivers seat.  No more distribution monopolies, no more middlemen- just us.  Creators and readers.  So if there's work out there you love, a unique comic that merits success- it's up to you to make it succeed.

I'm planning to launch a Thunderclap for the new Lackadaisy Patreon soon- stay tuned to our social media for updates if you'd like to be a part of it.


READER SPOTLIGHT

Time for the Reader Spotlight- you guys have been doing some awesome stuff, and I wanted to show off at least a little sampling here.  Links to everything in the lowbar.

STJ has a great illustration of her character duking it out with Nabonidus.

http://superflatpsychosis.deviantart.com/art/Your-Worst-Nightmare-502297878

Solo-ion has a sample of what looks to be a Dreamkeepers game in the works- I can hardly wait to see where this is going, looks awesome!

http://solo-ion.deviantart.com/art/Terrarian-Dreamkeepers-First-Trailer-Short-524733376

This fanart of Vi came out freaking gorgeous- it's in Deviantart as well.
http://s-t-r-i-k-e-r.deviantart.com/art/Serenity-524707445

That and more Dreamkeepers art on display in the Fan group there.

http://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantart.com/

I'd never heard of what 'Loop' fanfiction was, but WiseOwl has written some- so if you're interested in a multiverse's worth of fun, and seeing Mace meet Harry Potter, hop over to the forum and check it out.

http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/forum/?t=511

And last but not least- one kind-hearted reader sent Chico some sunflower seeds.
(video)

Another quick bit of news- there's a brand new review of Dreamkeepers up on Sequential Tart!  Link in the lowbar- thank you to Sequential Tart for giving us a review, that's absolutely awesome.

http://www.sequentialtart.com/reports.php?ID=8840

Alright- you've come this far... Now it's time to delve a little deeper into Volume 4.



I'm creating this update because Chapter 12- the final Chapter- is half done.  From the moment I post this video, I'll be working to shade the last half, and then- probably in May- it'll be Kickstarter Time.

I'll leave you with a little glimpse into this panel from Chapter 12.

You may notice some things are a bit- off with this room.  The table with no top, the skewed doorways, the stairway to nowhere...

This setting was partially inspired by the real-life Winchester mansion.  When William Winchester died, his widow Sarah became convinced that ghosts from beyond the grave were coming to get her- the avenging spirits of those killed by the famous Winchester repeating rifle.
To escape them, she turned the family mansion into a labyrinth, a bizarre architectural maze that would confuse any ghosts trying to reach her.  She never stopped adding onto the monstrosity of a building until the day she herself became a spirit.

Of course, this setting isn't the Winchester Mansion-

This is something else.

Well, that's it for now!  The next video update will likely be a pre-Kickstarter video, running stretch goal ideas past you and asking for feedback.

Speaking of feedback, someone mentioned it might be nice for me to post audio versions of some of my story and writing blogs- so, why not?   I won't have time to animate it or anything, but I can at least make a quick audio recording if it would come in handy for some people.  

Thank you everyone for listening- subscribe and stuff- 'till next time!




Friday, April 10, 2015

Lackadaisy Thunderclap

Thunderclap here:  https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/24841-lackadaisy-unleashed?locale=en

Tracy Butler of Lackadaisy has started a Patreon!

( https://www.patreon.com/lackadaisy )

If you're unfamiliar with the Eisner-nominated Lackadaisy, click this and enjoy one of the finest comics ever committed to paper:

( http://www.lackadaisycats.com/index.php )

This is a momentous occasion to me for a couple reasons.

First, of course, Lackadaisy is among my favorite comics of all time. Tracy's art and wit has been a colossal inspiration, a monument to what a spark and a pencil can bring to the world.

And secondly, I see this as a milestone on the way towards a better future for all of comics.

The past few decades mainstream comics have been, by and large, more of the same.  More capes, more spandex, more reboots.

Now I like Professor X as much as anyone.  It's not bad that this stuff continues- what IS bad is that it has continued to the deliberate exclusion of originality in the marketplace.

Diamond's zero-sum monopoly has a chokehold on distribution, with exclusive back-room hookups for Marvel and DC.  They've done a crackerjack job of intentionally snuffing out independent upstarts- for way too much info, see my old articles: ( http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2008_12_01_archive.html )

The short version is that middle-men got in the way and stayed there- carving out more room for themselves by pushing out readers and creators alike.

But then internet.

The answer to industry stagnation has been the explosion of glimmering gems that is webcomics.  No middlemen or gatekeepers here- anyone can create, and everyone can read.  Heretofore unimagined stories, unthinkable concepts, are coming to life.


But the big missing link for this new market has always been funding.  Creators can create- but only if they can eat.  The best work requires huge commitments of time, and if our finest talents have to spend their time at a Joe Job, then that work doesn't happen.  But how can an artist make a living in a market flooded with free content?

Recent years have revealed an answer.

Crowdfunding.  Kickstarter, Patreon- these sites are permanent game-changers.

They are the comic shops of tomorrow- offering opportunity to every creator, and producing exactly what readers value, with near total freedom.

But that's the thing about freedom, isn't it?  It carries that rider, responsibility.

Now it's on us.

Storytellers galore will be presenting their best- but it's up to you, the reader, to choose the gems that must endure.  If they do- if the finest work rises to the top- it will be a beacon of inspiration for generations of creators to come.

So if there's work out there you love, a unique comic that merits success- the creator can only make the work.  It's up to you to make it succeed.

For me, Lackadaisy is one of those comics.  Tracy has made a bold move, walking away from a gaming industry job to pour her heart into her work.  And I want to live in the kind of world where a creator of her caliber is rewarded for that kind of risk.

So as a reader, I'm pulling out all the stops, and trying out this thing called a 'Thunderclap.'  

Basically it's like tweeting on steroids- people can sign up to participate, and then the message goes out amplified by hundreds of voices.

So if you feel the same way about Lackadaisy that I do, please help out with this Thunderclap- and let's move forward to a future of unfettered creation!

https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/24841-lackadaisy-unleashed?locale=en