The Witching Hour by Tania del Rio

MoCCA Art Fest 2009!

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:08:38 GMT

I realize it's been a million years since I've posted on LJ, and I guess that means I'm resurrecting my blog from the dead in order to post this, but I wanted to announce that Will and I will have a table at the MoCCA Art Fest this weekend and we'll be selling our Victorian wares from our online shop The Bazaarium. We'll be at table 629!

I can't tell you how crazy and hectic things have been. The Bazaarium has been doing great and has been keeping us both very busy with orders. We're still figuring out how to best run a small business - it's definitely been a learning process, but I feel like we're getting the hang of it! We definitely want to grow the business even more in the future and are looking at ways in which we can do this. We'll also have a table at Comic-Con this year, which will be a first for us!

We also just moved into a new, bigger place with a garage that we plan to convert into a studio. I've moved a lot in my life but not so much locally. I thought a local move would be easier than a cross-country move... and in some ways it is, but you still have to pack everything up and then unpack everything. It's still a ton of work. And right now we don't yet have internet hooked up at the new house, and all our stuff is scattered around so it makes preparing for MoCCA really difficult. We'll make it work, though. We always do!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you all know I'm still around even if I haven't been posting much lately. Once things settle down I plan to update more often and let you all know what projects I'm working on!

See you in NY!

Farewell, Sabrina

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:07:37 GMT

Just a couple hours ago I finished my last page on Sabrina. I won't lie - I got a little misty-eyed. Not just because I was sad - but because I also felt really proud. I've been working on Sabrina for almost 5 years and have 42 issues under my belt. In comics these days, it's rare to have that much longevity - especially for a first-timer like myself. But the most satisfying thing was knowing that I was able to tell a complete story - the way I intended it to be, from start to finish. It wasn't like Archie told me in the middle of an arc that it was canceled and I had to rush to tie up loose ends. In some ways I always knew the final issue would be #100, and I wrote my stories so they would lead up to that climatic issue. Of course, had Sabrina continued beyond that, I had plenty of ideas of where I would go next, but my main, epic "Four Blades" storyline was always meant to be resolved by issue 100.

On another note, it's so weird to me to realize how much I've grown to love the characters. I know they're just lines on paper, but I've come to regard them as real people in some ways. I feel like a proud mom who's seen Sabrina grow up from a petulant teenager into a strong young woman, and I admit I've always had a bit of a crush on Shinji *^_^* I actually got a pang of sadness thinking about how I was now going to walk away from these characters and wonder what they would be doing next with their lives, in some place where I wouldn't be able to see them. Ok, so that probably sounds a little crazy, but I hope some of you writers and artists understand. ^_^;;

It's also amazing to see how much my art has changed and grown over the years. I look back on some of my first issues and I find them absolutely cringe-worthy! But doing comics has really helped me develop my skills and I feel like I finally have my own "style".

Anyway, I couldn't have done it all without the support of my awesome inker, Jim Amash, letterer Teresa Davidson, and colorist, Jason Jensen. And of course, my original editor Victor Gorelick who hired me originally. I used to be so intimidated by him only to realize he's the nicest guy. And my current awesome editor Mike Pellerito whom I also consider a friend. I'm going to continue doing some things for Archie, so this isn't "goodbye", but just a thanks for everything so far.

And thanks to all my loyal readers and fans. I hope you enjoy looking back into the earlier issues of my work and seeing some of the clues I left there! :D

I hope my fans will continue to support me and read whatever I come out with next!

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 03:55:22 GMT

Time for my yearly year-end review and meme!

I realize I haven't been blogging much of late.... to be honest it's partially because there's not much to blog about and I don't really like to blab about boring day-to-day stuff (that's what twitter and tumblr are for. But I don't really keep up with those, either). But partially because I feel like this year has been sort of a year for reflecting, keeping quiet, and observing. 2007 was really rough and while 2008 was an improvement, things are still settling down, like the ripple effect of a stone being thrown in the water. The economy has taken a toll on everyone, and it seems to be affecting everything from everyone's general mood and optimism, to physical assests like savings, to book sales, and getting freelance work. It's affected me a bit in all these ways, most notably that my run on Sabrina is coming to an end. It's sad because it's been my job for the past 5 years, and I've really grown to love the characters and world. But all good things must come to an end and I really feel fortunate that it will end with me having told a complete story, rather than it just trailing off and fading away. I'm looking it as an opportunity to focus on new projects, including my own personal projects which I haven't been giving as much attention to in recent years.

I am pleased that I kept up with most of my resolutions for 2008.

Last year I resolved to:

1. Write More. I want to possibly attempt a novel. I want to write way more Dollar Dreadfuls.

I wrote more Dollar Dreadfuls and started a novel. I wish I had done even more, but I feel pretty satisfied overall.

2. Get Dollar Dreadfuls off the ground, open our online store, and create more content.

Will and I finally launched our online shop, The Bazaarium and so far, it's been doing great! The next step will be to expand on our store and figure out how to streamline things, such as figuring out how to make prepping each individual order take less time.

3. I resolved to be more healthy. I'm going to take vitamins and exercise more. I think this will improve my mood and productivity. I think I also want to learn to cook so we don't eat so much fast food and tv dinners.

I've started taking vitamins everyday and taking better care of my teeth (still have yet to go to the dentist.... I'm scared!!!). I rode my bike a lot and got in good shape over the summer, but I haven't really kept up with that in the fall and winter... As for cooking... well, that's something I still need to work on!

4. Go on vacation with Will. Will and I haven't really gotten much of a break this year, and the last time we went on a trip together was over a year ago. I really want to go somewhere where we can just unwind and see something new.

This was the one thing that didn't really happen. Will was supposed to come with me to Japan, but that fell through because of work, so I ended up going by myself rather than lose my deposit. We were also supposed to go to Palm Springs for a weekend, but that also fell through. Will works so hard and I can't help but think of those Bahamavention commercials. I want to hijack him and force him on a relaxing vacation with no computer! This is my ultimate resolution for 2009, especially since it'll be our 10th anniversary of being together!

So basically, my resolutions are the same, just bigger and better. i have a good feeling about 2009. Nine is my lucky number and I feel hopeful about a future where Obama is president.

Now, without further ado, my yearly meme under the cut! Happy New Year, everyone!!

1) Was 2008 a good year for you?

Better than '07, but still not my best year...

2) What was your favorite moment of the year?

Hmm. My memory is foggy... it's hard to pick one favorite moment. But the things that stand out are : going snowboarding with friends for the first time, going back to Japan, having my brother and Mike and Raina visit, and going to NY with Will for the MoCCA art fest.

3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?

Hmm... nothing major comes to mind.... but finding out that Sabrina was coming to an end was a bummer... although I kind of expected it.

4) Where were you when 2007 began?

At home with Will and the pups - a quiet evening!

6) Where will you be when 2008 ends?

In Atlanta

7) Who will you be with when 2008 ends?

With my parents, brothers and dogs, but not Will :(

8) Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I kept most of my resolutions! I'll make more for next year - it's always good to have goals in mind.

9) Did you travel outside of the US in 2008?

Yes! I went back to Japan!

10) How many different states did you travel to in 2008?

Just 3 I think... NY, GA and CO

11) What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2008?

Mostly, I want a house of our own, but I don't think that's likely.

12) What date(s) from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

November 4th, when Obama was elected president!

13) What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Riding 34 miles on my fixed gear bike for diabetes, and finishing up my 42 issue run on Sabrina, and launching an online store with Will.

14) What was your biggest failure?

Not keeping up with My Poorly Drawn Life. I get grief about it from my friends every time I see them!

15) Where did most of your money go?

To our ridiculous rent. Also, we spent a lot on business supplies for our home business. And a vintage Blythe doll *cough*

16) What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Going back to Japan on a Pop Japan Travel tour. Also, I was really excited for the presidential election and voting. I was glued to CNN for weeks.

17) What song will always remind you of 2008?

Pretty much any song from the Foo Fighters' album Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, "Love Hurts" by Incubus, "Hanging on Too Long" and "Stepping Stone" by Duffy

18) What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before?

I went snowboarding for the first time, and I rode 34 miles on my bike for the Tour de Cure.

19) Did anyone close to you give birth?

One of my bestest friends, Lisa, gave birth to a baby boy named Noah!

20) Did anyone close to you die?

Fortunately, no.

21) Did you suffer illness or injury?

Luckily, nothing major, but in November I was sick almost the whole month, first with a cold, then with food poisoning! It sucked.

22) What was the best thing you bought?

A vintage Blythe doll. And my new macbook.

23) Whose behavior merited celebration?

Will-- he's really been great through all the ups and downs.

24) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

No one specifically...But I was appalled and depressed that Proposition 8 passed in California. I mean, come ON people!!

25) Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier/Sadder: Happier
Thinner/Fatter: I've gained some weight but not much
Richer/Poorer: Richer, but still working on building savings and reducing debts.

26) What do you wish you’d done more of?

I wish Will and I traveled more together. Even if just to small weekend places like Palm Springs or Las Vegas.... oh well.... there's always next year.

27) What do you wish you’d done less of?

Being reclusive.

28) Did you fall in love in 2008?

Not with anyone new!! But just Will as always :)

29) What was your favorite TV program?

Dexter and Gossip Girl!! Oh, and I discovered 30 Rock!

30) Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I don't hate anyone. But there are people I used to be friends with that I don't really talk to anymore.

31) What was the best book you read?

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, Atonement by Ian McEwan, and Garden Spells by Sarah Allen.

32) What was your greatest musical discovery?

I didn't really find an artist that blew me away... but I enjoyed hearing Duffy for the first time.

33) What did you want and get?

A vintage Blythe, a new computer.

34) What did you want and not get?

I didn't really want much, material-wise. (Besides an SLR digital camera). Mostly, I want a trip to Hawaii!

35) What was your favorite film of this year?

I really liked the Dark Knight and Iron Man.

36) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 29 and Will and I went to the Stinking Rose garlic restaurant. Mmm!

37) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If we didn't live in California. Ha, just kidding. I dunno... maybe if I got more writing done I'd feel more satisfied.

38) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?

Pretty much wearing all the same clothes I did last year. A mix of my 80's style colorful t-shirts, and skinny jeans. I don't think I'm dressing AS colorfully as last year though.

39) What kept you sane?

Having Will to vent to and to bounce ideas off of. And journaling, which always balances me. Riding my bike. But most of all, finding a nearby trail where I can walk the dogs regularly.

40) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Ed Westwick from Gossip girl! And my usual faves: Alan Rickman, Johnny Depp, Anderson Cooper.

41) What political issue stirred you the most?

The election! Everything about it! All the propositions and measures! I've never been so involved with politics as I was this year. Goooo Obama!

42) Who did you miss?

Raina and Mike in NY and Lisa and John in CO! And my family in Atlanta.

43) Who was the best new person you met?

I didn't really meet anyone new... but I've started going to the yarn store regularly and have been getting to know the ladies there.

44) What was your favorite month of 2008?

I have no idea... all had their hi's and low's.

45) How many concerts did you see in 2008?

Hmm... Nine Inch Nails (again!), Saul Williams, and the Veronicas. I might be missing somebody...

46) Did you have a favorite concert in 2008?

I always enjoy seeing Nince Inch Nails. They know how to put on a show.

47) did you do a lot of drugs in 2008?

None and I never will.

48) How much money did you spend in 2008?

I don't know.... but I've been more frugal than in the past, save for a few notable purchases.

49) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008

If you're stuck somewhere you don't really like, you may as well make the most of it, because otherwise you'll be miserable. Which is basically a long way of saying: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

50) What are your plans for 2009?

I want to finish a novel, keep working on new products for our online store, and I want to take a real vacation with Will!!! (No computers allowed!)

Felt Club!

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:40:12 GMT

This is where I'll be on my birthday! Will and I will be there selling our Silhouette Masterpiece Theatres and Dollar Dreadfuls. We're sharing a table with friends who will also have some cool things for sale! If you're in the area I hope you can stop by!

On Tuesday, Vote for the Magical Shoujobama!

Mon, 03 Nov 2008 04:08:46 GMT

My Thoughts on Minx

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 18:25:59 GMT

Last night, at about 4am I woke up and wasn't able to get back to sleep. And for some reason I kept thinking about DC's Minx line and why it's failed and how much I dread the assumptions that people will make that comics for girls are destined to fail or, worse yet, that girls don't read comics - which I know is untrue, and many other people know is untrue. But the failure of such a promising line does cast a shadow on those arguments.

When I first heard about Minx, I was really excited to read the books and see what would come of the line. I ended up reading quite a few of the books and I guess I can agree with what's been said all around: a couple were really good, but most of them were just "ok". A couple didn't grab me at all. In some cases, the art was fantastic, but the stories weren't as strong. Or the stories were entertaining, but the art looked a little rough. But overall, I'm saddened to see such a noble effort fizzle so quickly and my heart does go out to the writers and artists involved.

I could comment on the books' presentation and cover design and placement in book stores, but I don't claim to be knowledgeable enough about marketing to make any assumptions on how these might have contributed to the poor sales.

I know manga has also been in decline in recent months, but girls are still reading it, and I still see them crowding the aisles of my local Borders. And, as I lay in bed with insomnia, I began forming another theory about why American comics geared directly at girls typically do not do as well consistently as manga has.

I feel that a lot of American comics for girls feel a need to "teach a lesson", or inject some sort of important learning experience or nuggets of advice for the young, female reader. And this is all well and good in theory, but at the same time, and I can speak for myself when I say that girls don't like to be talked down to, or preached to. Sometimes one just wants to read a comic for pure enjoyment and nothing else. This is why I mostly read "boy" comics growing up, because all the "girl" comics seemed to assume that I was simple-minded and that I needed to know the difference between right and wrong. Now, obviously, comics for girls have come a long way since then and there are so many more titles that girls - and boys -can enjoy that aren't condescending. But I feel that, even though it's not as obvious nowadays, comics for girls still feel a need to impart a lesson or message.

This brings me to think about manga. Doesn't it teach lessons too? Well sure. You'll see the common themes of the importance of friendship and reaching goals etc. But I think that the manga format manages to dilute the message and make it more digestible. Over a series of several 100-page volumes, a girl can learn her lesson, but because it's so spread out it doesn't feel as preachy. By contrast, American comics typically are shorter in length - whether it's a self-contained graphic novel (as in the Minx line), or a 32 page comic which offers even less space to tell a story. But the result is that the writer feels the need to cram their message in before the end of those 32-100 pages, and it comes off a little stronger than it would in a longer, serialized work. I can freely admit that I do the same thing with Sabrina. I always feel a need to make some kind of point with each issue. Maybe it's just a cultural thing, and Americans are more prone to wanting to inject some morality or lesson into our work because of our country's Christian roots, or the backlash against "immoral" comics that followed the Seduction of the Innocent. That may be a stretch, but hey - it's something to ponder!

But I can say that reading titles like Nana or Hot Gimmick - the characters are not perfect. They often make mistakes. And I feel like the Japanese attitude is "You know what? That's ok?". Because the Japanese do not have the same "rules" that many Americans have about what is appropriate for girls, I feel that manga writers do not really "judge" their own characters. They simply allow them to experience things. Maybe they'll change because of it, maybe not. Either way, it's ok.

I remember when I first read Hot Gimmick, the lead character Hatsumi drove me nuts because she was such a pushover! I kept reading and reading, fully expecting that somewhere along the way she would learn to stand up for herself and grow into a better person, because this is what I would expect from an American comic. But by the last page of the last book I realized that Hatsumi hadn't really changed at all. And at first I was really disappointed. But then I realized "well, maybe that's ok." Some people don't change. Some people don't necessarily learn from their experiences. Some people are content to let other people take charge. And it may not be what I prefer, but who am I to judge?

It's the same thing with the super-popular Twilight series. I read the books and I'll be in the minority when I say that I did not care for them- particularly the main character, Bella. I kept waiting and waiting for her to grow a spine and to stop being so co-dependent, but it never happened. And for me, this lack of growth in her character was a bitter disappointment. But again, just like in Hot Gimmick, I was forced to realize that, despite making choices that I felt were "wrong", Bella made the choice of what she wanted in life. And maybe that choice was little more than a Vampire boyfriend and baby, but it was still her choice. Some girls want to become career women, some want to grow up to become mothers. But again, who am I to judge? At the end of the day, I feel that Twilight doesn't really try to teach anything. It's just an entertaining love story and maybe that's why girls like it so much.

Bella may be chaste and naive, but the characters of Gossip Girl are the exact opposite -- yet the series is equally appealing to girls. Why? Because the characters are flawed, they drink and sleep around and sabotage each other, and the show (and books) make no apologies for that. It may be "Every Parent's Worst Nightmare", but it's pretty damn entertaining! And as horrible as it does sound, if one actually reads or watches the series, they do learn that the characters, flawed though they may be, also have the capacity to change, they have the capacity to forgive and care for each other, and to learn from their experiences. But it's not preachy because that's not the point. It's entertainment, pure and simple.

And I feel that many popular manga series for girls, such as Nana, are similar. They feature characters that are both lovable and flawed, who make mistakes, who sometimes act needy or selfish, who sometimes do the right thing, but sometimes don't. And it's not trying to force a lesson down readers' throats, it's just telling a story about life and relationships.

As a last example which also contrasts sharply with the previous ones - take Archie comics in general. They have a huge female readership and yes, they are skewed a little younger than the girls who are watching Gossip Girl or reading Nana. Archie has always been known to be "wholesome" -- so doesn't that contradict my claim that girls don't want to be lectured in their comics? Well, not exactly. Archie, as a company, has established that their characters will never smoke or drink or do drugs or ride in a car without a seatbelt, etc etc. But the stories each month are not about those things. You won't find a story called "Betty Buckles her Seat Belt!". The "rules" exist in the background, but once they are established, it frees the writers to just focus on telling short, funny stories intended to entertain. The point of a typical Archie story is to tell a joke and they're not nearly as preachy as you might expect them to be. There are, admittedly, the occasional stories where a deliberate point is made but Veronica will always be a spoiled rich girl. She may have individual stories where she realizes that her attitude can gets her into trouble, but next issue she'll go right back to being the same, spoiled rich girl. The characters are constant... they don't change. And some may say the characters never "grow" or "learn", but that's not really the point. It's all about fun and that's why so many kids grow up reading Archie comics.

Anyway! Sorry for the rambling post (It was 4am when I was thinking all of this), but in summation I just think girls want to be entertained. Pure and simple. Because we'll get our life lessons by experiencing life. But comics, sometimes, just need to be comics.

Interviews!

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 20:55:31 GMT

I haven't posted much in a while because I've been pretty busy with work and such, but I wanted to let you all know that I have two interviews up! I basically talk about my plans for Sabrina as the story nears issue #100, and also a bit about my TOKYOPOP project!

The first is on the fabulous blog, Comics Worth Reading, by Johanna Draper Carlson and you can read it HERE.

The second is on Newsarama. Check it out HERE.

Many thanks to Johanna and Benjamin Ong Pang Kean for taking the time to interview me!

Your Debut Album Meme

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 19:04:10 GMT

I saw this on digital_eraser's LJ and thought it was hilarious, so I wanted to give it a try:

Your Debut Album

So you always wanted to be a rock star, huh?

1 - Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
The first random Wikipedia article you get is the name of your band.

2 - Go to Random quotations: http://www.quotationspage.com/random.php3
The last four words of the very last quote of the page is the title of your first album.

NOTE: Hit "refresh" to generate new random quotes, because clicking the quotes link above will just give you the same quotes over and over again.

3 - Go to flickr's "explore the last seven days" http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/
Third picture, no matter what it is, will be your album cover.

Put it all together, that's your debut album.

Presenting:

Harricourt
The Pain of Stupidity

I'm impressed with how well it worked out!

MoCCA recap

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:43:41 GMT

Will and I got back from New York last night. We had a great time at MoCCA. It was so nice to be back in NY and to hang out with old friends even though it was sort of a whirlwind trip and we didn't have as much free time as we would have liked to see everything (and everyone) we wanted to. But I think we've both realized that one year is just too long to be away from NY, so we're definitely going to try and go back more often for fun.

The show was a success for us, even with the sweltering heat outside that possibly deterred some people from going to the show. We sold tons of Dollar Dreadfuls - selling out of a couple of our titles, (as well as my Knit Wits ashcan which I didn't really expect!) I didn't get a chance to look around the show as much as I would have liked - the days literally flew by for me, but I did do a couple quick passes of the floor and bought a couple things which entertained me on the long plane ride home.

Overall, it was a wonderful show (as always) and we've already signed up to be back next year!

In other news, this weekend I'll be participating in the Tour de Cure, which is a 34 mile bike ride for the American Diabetes Association. I've never ridden that far before, (and I'll be riding a fixed gear bike!) so it will be a challenge. But I have been training very hard these past couple months, so I feel confident I can do it! I've already raised 700 dollars - and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has donated so far. Your support means so much to me.

A couple of my family members, including my brother, suffer from diabetes so it is a cause that is near and dear to me. I want to raise as much as I possibly can in the hopes of one day finding a cure for this disease!

So, please, if you can spare even just $5, I would truly appreciate it! You can sponsor me online at my PERSONAL SITE. Thank you!!

MoCCA Time!

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:10:48 GMT

It's that time again! Will and I will have a table at one of our favorite shows, the MoCCA Art Fest! We're excited to be selling some new products there in person before we unveil our new online store, The Bazaarium!

We'll be back with our Dollar Dreadfuls and we'll have 3 new stories for your reading enjoyment!:

Tales from the Dressmakers Detective Journal, Volume 2: Mystery of the Black Glove by R.Sabo
When a ghastly murder strikes close to home, the four Dressmaker Detectives take it upon themselves to put aside their needles and discover the identity of the killer known as the Black Glove.

The Tale of Inseparable Twins, or The Girl with Lively Eyes by T.D.Rio
The twins Alice and Rose are inseparable and share many secrets between them. However, when a horrible accident strikes, their sisterly bond will be put to the test!

And the Orphanage by Wilhelm Staehle
Gideon North is an Agent for the mysterious Orphanage. When he seeks to interrogate a fellow Agent who failed an important mission, Gideon uncovers a far more dastardly plot and finds himself in mortal danger!

We'll also be selling framed, signed prints from Wilhelm's Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre:

I'm also proud to be selling My Poorly Drawn Life, Volume 1! That's right, all your favorite MPDL stories have been bound into a hefty 450 page book with added commentary! Also, each cover is blank so I can do a custom sketch for you when you purchase one!

I'll also be selling my Knit-Wits ashcans!

And we'll also be featuring some of the t-shirts, comics and posters from Mike of The Good Product

We'll be at table C-2 so please stop by and check out our stuff!

And if you can't make it to MoCCA, you can visit the Bazaarium and order goods directly from there starting Saturday!

New Silhouette Masterpiece Theatres!

Wed, 14 May 2008 18:35:08 GMT

So my husband does not yet have a blog (depsite my urgings), so I am compelled to blog on his behalf and say that his newest batch of Silhouette Masterpiece Theatres are up! Check them out - I think they're hilarious.

Fun Meme and more

Sat, 03 May 2008 00:33:52 GMT

Hey everyone, I saw this cute meme that goraina took part in HERE and it looks like fun so I thought I'd give it a shot!

I fear I have turned into a hipster....

Anyway! In other news, I wanted to announce that my dad has published a book and it's actually quite good so I encourage you all to go BUY IT and read it! If you order it before June 1st, you can get 10% with coupon code: 7QUH2ZLE, fo shizzle!

This book has been 10 years in the making, so please support my dad's dream! I helped with the editing process and I can say it's come a long way and it would make a great gift for someone you care about (or for yourself!)

Anyway, I hope to be posting in the next few days to share some exciting news, so please check back! I know I haven't been posting much lately but that's because I've been working on stuff... you shall seeeee!!

Wrestling swipe!

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:07:52 GMT

It's been a while since I've posted. I'll promise I'll write another post soon about things that have been going on in my comicking life, but in the meantime...

I read about this on The Beat and thought it looked interesting...

So I sent the link to my husband and was like "Maybe we should go!" And he replied with, "Hey! They stole my cover design!"

And it's true!!

Guess we shouldn't support them now! 9_9

Checkin' in...

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:36:27 GMT

Not much to say...but it's been almost a month since my last post, so...

I'm feeling under the weather. I've prided myself on managing to dodge most of the illnesses that have afflicted Will these last 7 months. Poor Will works so hard and he doesn't get enough sleep that it seems like his immune system is paying the price. I've seen him suffer through at least 3-4 colds since we moved out here and so far I've managed to evade them all. But I think I've finally succumbed. Still, I'm confident I can fight it off... I'm much healthier now than I used to be... I exercise a lot more by riding my bike (I've ridden over 100 miles in the last 2 months!). Speaking of bikes, I've got yet another bike that I've been riding - a fixed gear Motobecane Messenger. It's light as a feather and so fun to ride. Here I am with "Björnge" on a recent ride:

Anyway, back to my cold -- I have a lot of faith in my "Triple Punch Power" which I take whenever I feel sick.
This consists of a combination of:

Airborne, NAC (N-Acetyl-L Cysteine), and Umcka Cold Care Remedy

It works every time... I take these at the first sign of a cold and 9 times out of 10, the cold goes away. Or, in the event I get the cold anyway, taking these definitely shortens it, or makes it less severe.

Meanwhile, I've just been trying to get some work done and I'm hoping I'll have time to take part in Hourly Comic Day which is February 1st. As some of you may know, I first took part two years ago and that's what spawned My Poorly Drawn Life.. I was too swamped to do it last year, but I really want to do it again this year. So we'll see. It may just be a comic about me laying around sick all day!

Oh, and unrelated, but I wanted to let you guys know Will updated his Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre.
This is my favorite piece from the new batch:

Hmm... what else? Oh yeah, I have something to look forward to in April! I'm going to Japan again! I'll be going as part of Pop Japan Travel's Fujoshi Paradise Yaoi Tour!.

</div>

I'll be honest... I like yaoi (especially the more character driven stories like Antique Bakery)... but I've never considered myself such a fan of yaoi that I would join a tour based on it. However, I couldn't resist the chance to go back to Japan again and meet a manga artist (Makoto Tateno, artist of Yellow) and all for such a good price. They also have a Gothic Lolita tour going on at the same time, but I think I'm even less into Goth Loli than I am into yaoi. Anyway, I'm dying to go back to Japan... ever since going there for the 1st time over a year ago, I've been longing to return. I've never been part of a tour group before so I'm not sure how that will be, but I'm sure it will be a fun experience, nonetheless! Anyway, there's only about 5 spots left so if anyone is interested, sign up soon!

Well, I guess that's it for now! One of these days I'll post about some of the things I'm actually working on, complete with art samples!

2007 is almost at an end....siigggh

Tue, 01 Jan 2008 01:17:12 GMT

Well, time for my obligatory end of the year post.

What can I say? 2007 has been a crappy year overall. I honestly can't wait for it to be over and get a mental fresh start in '08.

It really feels like this year has been one of my most disjointed, most stressful years yet. As someone who's moved every 3 years or so growing up, and who's used to adjusting to new places, I never thought moving to California would be such a life-changing event. I'm enjoying life in California, for sure, but it kind of feels like the move was akin to a large rock dropping into the still pond that was my life, and the ripples still haven't subsided.

Looking back on my resolutions for 2007 I'm bummed to see that I didn't meet most of them:

I resolved to complete Mangaka 2 and 3... which... obviously didn't happen. Will and I did everything we could do to make it so but the publisher just sat on it and never signed the necessary papers, despite telling us that they really wanted to do more volumes. After a few initial pushes to get it going, Will and I sort of gave up as life got in the way. I think it's something we'd like to do in the future, but now we're both too busy with other projects.

I also resolved to keep My Poorly Drawn Life updated weekly which, obviously, also hasn't happened. I haven't updated in ages. I want to start again in the New Year, but it does take a lot of time to do (despite its rough appearance) and I've already got more work than I know what to do with. Another disappointment...

I resolved to finish Knit-Wits which was, in fact, one partial success. I didn't get the whole thing done but I managed to get a 16 page ashcan done which I sold at Felt Club this year. It felt good to get a small project done that was *mine* alone, and not something I was hired to do. It's been a long time since I've done something for myself that way. I'm pleased with how it turned out and I hope to expand on it next year.

I resolved to get a table at San Diego Comic Con... I tried, but was denied. Oh, well. I still went and had a good time.

I resolved to travel somewhere new and I did! I went to Toronto for a convention and met and hung out with a bunch of Canadian artists such as Eric Kim and Rosemary Mosco, and Svetlana Chmakova! That was fun.

I resolved to help Will finish some of his own comic projects but because of everything that happened this year, his side projects were unfortunately put on the back-burner. He does have a promising project that I can't reveal just yet... we're anxiously awaiting a resolution to the writers' strike so that it can get rolling again. We'll see!

Lastly, I resolved to read more books. Which I did! Still not as many as I would have liked but much more than last year.

Anyway, I feel a little disappointed in my resolutions from last year but things were just so crazy this year, life-wise, family-wise, work-wise. I've also been taking a hard look at myself and my accomplishments and trying to figure out how I might feel more fulfilled in my future work. One thing I'm realizing is that I enjoy writing more than drawing. I see other artists on my friends list and I see them constantly posting amazing art that they make just for fun! It's almost like they can't NOT draw. But me? The only time I pick up a pencil these days is if I HAVE to. I only draw for my paid jobs and that's it. I don't even keep a sketchbook anymore... it's kind of sad in a way but I realized that I write the way that others draw. I write all the time. When I'm not working, I'm writing. And I do it for fun. So that sort of leads into my resolutions for next year:

1. Write More. I want to possibly attempt a novel. I want to write way more Dollar Dreadfuls.

Speaking of Dollar Dreadfuls, I resolve to:

2. Get Dollar Dreadfuls off the ground, open our online store, and create more content. Every place we've sold them, they've done amazingly well, so Will and I really want to focus on these for next year!

3. I resolve to be more healthy. I'm going to take vitamins and exercise more. I think this will improve my mood and productivity. I think I also want to learn to cook so we don't eat so much fast food and tv dinners.

4. Go on vacation with Will. Will and I haven't really gotten much of a break this year, and the last time we went on a trip together was over a year ago. I really want to go somewhere where we can just unwind and see something new.

I guess that's it for next year. I don't want to set the bar too high, I just want to get through next year with minimum drama.

Hope you all have a fun New Year's Eve and a happy, healthy 2008!

1) Was 2007 a good year for you?

Not really. See above.

2) What was your favorite moment of the year?

Nothing too specific comes to mind...

3) What was your least favorite moment of the year?

Realizing we had to leave New York and move to California...

4) Where were you when 2007 began?

At a crowded party in a tiny apartment filled with smoke and people we didn't know.

6) Where will you be when 2007 ends?

Hanging out at home for a low-key evening!

7) Who will you be with when 2007 ends?

Will and my doggies

8) Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Not really. Again, see above.

9) Did you travel outside of the US in 2007?

Yes! Toronoto, Canada!

10) How many different states did you travel to in 2007?

Quite a few! 17, in fact!: NJ, MA, CT, PA, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, IA, NE, CO, NM, AZ, CA, GA, and FL!

11) What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

More savings

12) What date(s) from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

June 30th, when Will and I began our cross-country trip to Cali.

13) What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Finishing my 30th issue of Sabrina, launching the Dollar Dreadful Family Library, knitting a sweater

14) What was your biggest failure?

Taking on more projects than I can handle

15) Where did most of your money go?

Moving expenses, higher rent, expensive vet bills

16) What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Getting a new bike and learning to ride it!

17) What song will always remind you of 2006?

Nothing Really by Stefy, Young Folks by Peter Bjorn and John, Horse and I by Bat for Lashes, and Postcards from Italy by Beirut

18) What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?

I learned to drive, I knit a sweater and learned to ride a fixed-gear bike!

19) Did anyone close to you give birth?

Nope!

20) Did anyone close to you die?

Fortunately, no.

21) Did you suffer illness or injury?

No! In fact I hardly got sick at all!

22) What was the best thing you bought?

My fixie! And more Blythes, of course!

23) Whose behavior merited celebration?

Will has always been a great support system when times are rough

24) Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

George W. Bush (as usual)

25) Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier/Sadder: Sadder
Thinner/Fatter: I've gained some weight but not much
Richer/Poorer: Richer overall, but still spend too much and save not enough

26) What do you wish you’d done more of?

Played more videogames

27) What do you wish you’d done less of?

Feeling mopey

28) Did you fall in love in 2007?

Yes!

29) What was your favorite TV program?

I haven't watched much TV of late... still enjoy Project Runway and American Idol!

30) Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?

I don't hate anyone, but there are people I feel disappointed in

31) What was the best book you read?

Atonement, Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter 7!

32) What was your greatest musical discovery?

Bat for Lashes!!

33) What did you want and get?

A new bike(s)! More Blythes!

34) What did you want and not get?

My wants were few this year, so I was fulfilled!

35) What was your favorite film of this year?

Hmm... didn't see many movies this year. Juno was really good. Atonement and Harry Potter were ok too. I thought Golden Compass was disappointing.

36) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 28 and hung out with Will, Feaver and Cathy!

37) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If I had worked on more personal projects, as always.

38) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

Much more colorful this year. I'm digging the 80's comeback fashions and rainbows. I like wearing what I like even though people have told me my sense of fashion is "interesting" which means "weird" I guess.

39) What kept you sane?

Same answer as last year: Writing and journaling. It’s the only thing that keeps me grounded when everything else is crazy.

40) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Johnny Depp, Cillian Murphy, Alan Rickman

41) What political issue stirred you the most?

Nothing specific... just getting reaaaaally excited for next year's election.

42) Who did you miss?

Raina and Mike in NY and Lisa and John in CO! And my family in Atlanta.

43) Who was the best new person you met?

My new friends in Cali are pretty cool!

44) What was your favorite month of 2007?

Ugh. They all blend together.

45) How many concerts did you see in 2007?

A few! The Go! Team, Bat for Lashes, Damien Rice... I think I may be missing one or two...

46) Did you have a favorite concert in 2007?

I fell in love with Bat for Lashes. But The Go! Team was an awesome show!

47) did you do a lot of drugs in 2006?

None and I never will.

48) How much money did you spend in 2007?

I was actually more frugal this year than most because of all our moving expenses and vet bills. Still spent a lot of money on my bike(s).

49) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007

Don't accept cursed objects from negative people, and Los Angeles isn't as horrible as I feared.

50) What are your plans for 2007?

I want to keep working on Sabrina, I want to complete my project for TOKYOPOP, I want to make Dollar Dreadfuls a success and take a vacation!!

A Long Awaited Update!

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:05:45 GMT

I just realized how long it's been since I updated my lj. It must seem like I've fallen off the face of the earth -- sometimes it sure feels like it! The reason is because I've been very, very busy. Almost overwhelmed. The whole move to California really threw off my work schedule especially since it took forever to get the place unpacked and my studio in order (I've been here about 3 months now, and we just unpacked the last box a week ago! o_O). I wasn't able to be as productive as usual during the whole transition and now I find myself scrambling to make up for lost time. Combine that with the fact that I've taken on a couple extra freelance jobs (some of my illustrations will appear in the January issue of Shojo Beat!), and the result is I've been swamped with work. Even my poor webcombic is collecting dust at the moment.

My main focus right now is just to get caught up (and hopefully ahead) of all the various work-related projects I have so I can have some breathing room once again and spend more time on fun things like my webcomic and personal projects like Will's and my Dollar Dreadful Family Library. Speaking of, we're currently updating that site and it will soon have an online shop where you can order our booklets directly instead of waiting to see us at shows!

Will's also been busy and productive as usual and has also started a new website which he'll be updating called Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre. It's good stuff!

My birthday is coming up- I'll be 28 on Friday. Yikes. It feels like I just turned 27 yesterday! Time really seems to be flying. I feel good about everything I've accomplished so far. I can't believe I've been working on Sabrina for 4 years now! I'm so fortunate to have a steady gig like that! But the older I get the more easily I feel burnt out. I can't pull all nighters as well as I used to. It sounds silly because it's not like I'm old... but I definitely feel a difference in my energy level. I just hope I can keep up my momentum!

Anyway, I'm not sure how I'll celebrate my birthday, if at all. I'll be busy preparing for Felt Club this weekend! Each week, Will and I meet with some friends to make crafts. We call our little gathering "Craftonite" and we decided to take the plunge and get a booth at Felt Club! We'll have an assortment of goodies for sale including our Dollar Dreadfuls, my Budgie Buddies, as well as screen prints, postcards, buttons, crochet patterns, holiday ornaments and more! If you're in the LA area, stop by! It should be fun!

As far as life in California, I'm feeling more adjusted every day. I hadn't driven in like 10 years, and I hardly ever drove in NY (partly because I never had to) so when we first moved to Cali I was really nervous and hesitant about getting behind the wheel again. But I now feel much more comfortable and I drive almost every day. I still haven't tackled the freeways yet... but that's next! I've also discovered the joys of riding a bicycle. I'm still a newbie on a bike and am getting used to riding amongst traffic, but it's so satisfying! I've been trying to take part in events like Critical Mass and other bike gatherings which occur monthly, and those have been fun. Especially since traffic is so terrible here, I want to be able to build up strength and get enough stamina to ride my bike anywhere in LA! When I first moved here I had just a $100 beach cruiser bike with no gears or hand brakes. I had received it for my last birthday from Will in NY (I picked it out), but I never had the opportunity to ride it because of all the snow. Once in Cali I realized it was a really clunky bike to ride and I had a hard time with it. I guess that's why it's good to actually try a bike out before buying! -_-;; Anyway, recently I upgraded to this bike:

I love it! It's SO much more comfortable and easy to ride. And it has 21 gears and hand brakes to make my life easier! Of course, now that I've been in Cali I see that everyone and their mother has a fixie and I'm beginning to feel left out. Well... maybe in a year or two once I have more bike experience I'll try riding a fixie. We'll see!

Well, I guess that's all the news I have to share for now. Next time, I'll post some sneak peeks at some of the art I've been working on! Ok, it's back to work for me!

San Diego Comicon 2007

Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:53:17 GMT

I had a fun time at this year's Comicon. Once again, Will and I went just to look around and spend too much money, and this time we were joined by two friends, Rich and Aaron, which added to the fun. Over the weekend I ran into a bunch of people I know, and met some new ones . And I even managed to run into Jason Jensen, my colorist for Sabrina, who was walking around and recognized me! I bought a ton of manga, including Me2 by Sho Murase, which looks amazing. Now, here, in order of awesomeness are my three highlights of the trip....

Getting a photo with a Captain Jack Sparrow look-alike. There were several walking around, but this guy was the best.

Meeting Masi Oka of Heroes at the Disney party Will and I attended. He was so nice!

And #1: Meeting Stan Lee at that same Disney Party. He's just an amazing guy - and incredibly charming!

Now the fun has ended and I have a TON of work to catch up on! By the way, I started a twitter account, if anyone is interested. I'm just trying it out to see if I like it for now. So far it seems like a good alternative to lengthy blogging. Well, that's it for now... and for those of you eagerly waiting for an update to My Poorly Drawn Life, I promise it's coming soon! I finally found my scanner which was lost amongst the many boxes...

Harry Potter!

Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:33:07 GMT

So I got the final Harry Potter book at a grocery store at the stroke of midnight. (I had been planning on going to a Borders release party, but the grocery store turned out to be so much better. There was only like 10 people in line, and there was no drama!) I usually like to take my time to read books, and savor them. But I confess, I devoured The Deathly Hallows in one weekend, mostly because I was desperate to finish it before having someone or something spoil it for me. I had been literally avoiding the internet the last couple weeks out of fear that I would read a spoiler!

I have to say, overall, I was satisfied by the book and how it closed the series. I still feel a little sad upon its completion... I wonder if anything else will ever get people so excited about reading the way this did? It's so amazing to see that, in this day and age, people will line up at midnight to buy a book. And that adults and children alike will read this book and discuss it, and share it. It's not a movie, not a videogame, not a new gadget... it's just a book. I love that.

Will thinks it's like the Star Wars of this generation, and in many ways I agree. It's a sort of an archetypal epic that really speaks to a massive amount of people on a deeper level. And seeing the battle between Dumbledore and Voldemort on-screen, I could only think of the lightsaber duel between Obi-Wan and Darth Vader.

Anyway, click below the cut to hear my reactions on the book.

In many ways, I predicted the outcome of several key points in this book (as did many fans), but it was no less thrilling to see them proven. This book gripped me like none of the others. It made me tense, it literally had me fearing for each character, many times, because I didn't know who would live and who would die. The book wasted no time getting into the hair-raising action, and reading about Hedwig's death early on was so upsetting that I literally dreaded what that portended for the other characters and their fates.

The whole sequence of Harry, Hermione and Ron camping in the woods did slow things down, but it wasn't necessarily a bad lull. In fact, it reminded me a lot of the Lord of the Rings, which would also have stretches of time in which the characters would do nothing except camp and travel, and wonder about their objectives. I was surprised by Ron's "betrayal", but I also respected his character more for it. I liked to see this purely human side of him, one that was overcome by fear and weakness. Because, let's face it, most of us in Harry's situation would probably buckle under the pressure at some point. And while Ron was gone, I loved reading about Harry and Hermione as they grew even closer as friends.

I enjoyed learning more about Dumbledore's past. He was, until now, a sort of pleasant, all-knowing mentor, and I can see how Harry would only want to see pure good in him (especially as a child and lacking a father figure). I liked knowing that Dumbledore had a selfish, power-hungry side to him, althought though it made me squirm to realize that he sort of used and manipulated Harry. I'm glad Harry had a chance to talk with him in the Afterlife, because otherwise, I would have left the book feeling sour about Dumbledore and his role and I would have wondered if he ever really cared about Harry at all.

Just like in the last book, Ginny still irritates me. I couldn't see why Harry fell for her in the first place, and I still don't see it now. It was almost too convenient - as though he couldn't end up with Hermione because she was taken, so he needed someone else to pair off with in the end (although I would have preferred Luna, personally. Even though she's weird, she seems to have more things in common with Harry). It always seemed like all the other Weasleys were so much more developed than Ginny- even Percy and Bill. But, oh well.

Lupin used to be one of my favorite characters, but I was a little disappointed in him in this book. The way he tried to escape Tonks and his baby seemed so cowardly and despicable, I was glad Harry put him in his place. His and Tonks' deaths were also a letdown. They seemed almost like an afterthought, while I really felt sad for Fred's death. I also didn't like how Tonks' role was reduced. She pops out a kid and then spends the rest of the book looking for Lupin and then dies. Great.

But onto Snape, my favorite character of all. I know everyone expected him to be redeemed. After all, so much of the book is about redemption. But, call me gullible, I honestly did fear that Snape would turn out to be an evil, flawed character after all, if anything, just to screw with the fans. I left the last book feeling optimistic that he was still on Dumbledore's side, and that everything was planned. But from the first chapters of this book, when he told Voldemort the true date of Harry's departure, and cut off George's ear, I really feared there was no hope for him. And when he took over as headmaster and the school seemed to turn into some sort of concentration camp, I was even further convinced that he was, indeed, on the Dark Side. Furthermore, seeing that Dumbledore wasn't as perfect as he seemed, I also found it easier to believe that he might have been wrong about Snape all along.

I did have a sense that Snape might, at the end, show a flicker of doubt or regret, or that he'd be unable to pull the final trigger on Harry, so to speak. But I honestly did think he was overtaken by evil. This thought depressed me so much that I was convinced that I would hate the book - and even the series if he was not redeemed. To me, that was more important than anything else, even Harry's fate. I needed Snape to be redeemed in order to appreciate any of the books. A little extreme? Perhaps.

I was sad when Snape died and bummed that he didn't exactly die fighting, or die in a blaze of noble glory. But I was so, so relieved to hear the truth behind his actions. I was so glad to realize that all along, he was, indeed, faithful to Dumbledore. His love for Lily kept him true all along. Instead of resenting her and hating her for spurning his affections, his love for her was his anchor. I was so moved to realize his patronis was a doe, and that despite disliking the James in Harry, he also loved the Lily in Harry. For me, this was the most tragic part of the story and I was more affected by this than anything else in the book. But then, like I said, I'm a complete Snape-fanatic. ^_^;;

As for the ending, it was epic and exciting. I liked the coming-of-age moment when Harry realized he had to die in order to kill Voldemort. I liked his stoic acceptance, but also appreciated his fear, and that he was suddenly conscious of what it meant to be alive, and how he had only so many heart-beats left, so many breaths... It made him that much more real.

I sometimes thought that I would be fine with an ending where Harry died, sacrificing himself for the greater good. But I realize now that that would have gone against the whole premise of the series, of redemption, of second chances. And that he is the Boy Who Lived. It was more important that he made the choice to die, than actually dying itself - in the same way that it was more important that he made the choice of Horcruxes over Hallows. The whole Jesus-undertones didn't go unnoticed by me, but even though I usually dislike overt Christian themes in literature (one reason I could never fully enjoy the Chronicles of Narnia), this didn't bother me. Perhaps because it's not so much a Christian theme as it is an archetypal theme. In the way that Osiris rose from the dead, or the way that Persephone and Inanna willingly entered the world of the dead only to return again. The Phoenix which has played so much of a role in Harry Potter, is also symbolic of this same concept. Even the presence of ghosts and talking/moving portraits in Harry Potter indicates a belief that death is never truly final.

I was really satisfied with the book overall, and the way it really tied in all the loose threads and further explained events that took place in earlier volumes. I was disappointed with the epilogue. It seemed too cutesy, so much like a neat little package tied up with a bow. Look, everyone's happy! Everyone's been neatly paired off and has little mini Harry Potters and Hermiones and Rons that are off to Hogwarts too! I mean, we could all have easily assumed that Ron and Hermione were going to get married and have kids someday, the same with Harry and Ginny (though I still don't see why, hehe). Although maybe this was J.K Rowling's point. That life (and death) are cyclical and that it's time for these new children to start their lives at Hogwarts and have their own adventures. (Which, I assume, the publisher is praying for!)

So, I guess it isn't so much this ending that bothers me. It's more the tone of it, which is cutesy, compared to the serious, dark mood of the rest of the book. I mean, just 19 years prior, the magic world had its own sort of Holocaust against Muggle-borns. Wouldn't this still affect the present climate? Did Hermione ever become an Auror? What about some of the other important, supporting characters like Luna and Professor McGonagall? I know there are too many characters to cover, but a little more information besides who-married-who, and who's-kids were named after who so-and-so would have been nice.

Anyway, years ago, I remember resisting the urge to get into Harry Potter when the hype first began, because that's all I thought it was - hype. But now I see it really is a complex, epic, touching story and I'm happy to say I was wrong about the series and that you really shouldn't judge a book by its cover!

Settling in...

Tue, 17 Jul 2007 01:04:15 GMT

So Will and I have been in California for a week now, and are trying our best to settle in. Well, I am, anyway. Will's already been here for months, so he's at ease. There are still a mountain of boxes to unpack and so much work to catch up on, so things have been a little crazy.

Our dog Bailey got really ill right before we left for CA, so that put a dent in our move. She's doing better, but I have to find a new vet for her soon. In the meantime I am going crazy trying to figure out how to give her her antibiotics every day. She's like a cat - she smells the pills and picks them out of whatever we try to hide them in. We've tried crushing them and mixing them in her food, we've tried hiding them in hot dogs, chicken, cheddar cheese, peanut butter, Velveeta (which worked great for about a week until she figured it out), chicken broth, you name it. She is too smart for her own good and nearly impossible to fool. -_-;

Meanwhile, I'm still searching for my scanner which I'll need to show my editor Sabrina pages and to update My Poorly Drawn Life and I can not find it for the life of me! I'm worried we might be missing some stuff because we accidentally ended up with someone else's mirrors and wine glasses and tea-cups. We're also having trouble finding a number of vital kitchen appliances. (Coffee maker where are yoooou?!!) Ahh, the fun of moving. The only good thing is that Will and I spent most of Saturday getting our new studio in order, hooking up computers and building bookshelves. I still need to figure out a slanted place to draw, because there's no room for my old drawing table, but I can work on the flat desks until then. And I'm excited about my new "crafty corner", which is really a little closet, which we've converted into a space for my sewing machine and buckets of yarn!

In other news, I'll be going to San Diego Comic Con to geek out, but it turns out I'll also be on an Archie panel on Sunday, June 29, 10:30-11:30 in Room 4.

Also, Sabrina just got a good review over at SBC which made my day. I always appreciate it when people take time to review my comic. ^_^

The other big news is that I've officially signed up to do a 1-volume book with TOKYOPOP. It's currently untitled, but it's a story about two best friends and their 15th birthday parties. I won't say any more at the moment, but I'm looking forward to working on it!

I'm also looking forward to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! I'm currently plowing through the first 6 books (again), to refresh my memory before Book 7 hits. On the 20th, I'm planning to go to a midnight party at a Borders nearby and geek out! I haven't had a chance to see the latest movie, but I hope to soon. There's just too much to do!

Well, that's it for now. I better get back to unpacking all these boxes...

Dollar Dreadful Family Library: Sold out!

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 15:18:30 GMT

Wow, MoCCA was a great time! We went in with literally no expectations and came away amazed with how well everything went. We had a number of items that we were selling: our Dollar Dreadfuls, Budgie Buddies, and our friend's T-Shirt/CD/Poster sets and we sold out of everything by the end of Sunday. We came to the show armed with two boxes full of Dollar Dreadfuls and even though we were worried that some people would be turned off by the fact that they aren't strictly "comic books", lots of people seemed really intrigued by them and picked them up.

Business on both Saturday and Sunday was brisk, and even though we were in room "C" we got quite a bit of traffic coming through. The only downside was that we didn't realize that half-tables were so small and that we paid so much for such a small space. Fortunately for us, the people sharing our table were hardly there all weekend and they said we could use their half when they weren't around. So we really got to spread out our things, which helped. (And we signed up for a full-sized table for next year so we don't make the same mistake again.)

Our neighbor was Rosemary Mosco, who I met at the Toronto Comic-con and she was also selling prints and mini-comics like crazy and sold out of practically everything by the end of the show! And other people must have been doing well, too. Ryan North mentioned that he had sold out of some of his books as well, to the disappointment of his fans. (As a side note, his mini storybook/comic: Happy Dog the Happy Dog was one of the funniest things I've read in a while). Alas, I was not able to get a copy of Life Meter 2 before they sold out - that seemed to be quite a hot item at the show!

Overall, I didn't have much time to walk around but, as always, there was so much cool stuff to be found. Fellow MCAD alumni were representing at MoCCA- we ran into Will Dinski who had some amazing screen-printed comics in really creative formats. We also saw Tyler Page who also used to attend MCAD, and I picked up his new Nothing Better trade. Ryan Kelly was also there, and let us know how life is going with his new twins!

Will had fun exploring the show and picking up lots of swag. He was quite impressed with Petteri Tikkanen, who was at the Finnish table, and who chased Will down 15 minutes after he purchased a book, in order to give him the translation guide!

Even though we were happy about leaving the show with less stuff to carry, it didn't quite work out that way because we bought so much stuff! But if there's one show that I like spending money on, it's MoCCA, because oftentimes that's the only place where you can pick up all these cool and unique comics and works of art in one place.

I brought my camera but for some reason I hardly took any pictures... but here's a couple of our table. Forgive the blurriness.

</a>

</a>

Anyway, it was a great weekend, and we're definitely going to miss New York. We leave for Cali on Wednesday, or at least that's the plan. Our dog fell unexpectedly ill a couple days ago and she's been in the animal hospital all weekend. :( So we're really hoping she'll recover quickly and that it doesn't turn out to be something too serious...

Well, thanks to everyone who stopped by our table to chat or to buy our Dollar Dreadfuls! We'll see you next year at MoCCA!

MoCCA Debut of The Dollar Dreadful Family Library!

Wed, 20 Jun 2007 19:54:43 GMT

I'm really looking forward to this weekend. After being away for 3 months, Will is coming back to NY from LA and we'll have a table at the MoCCA Art Fest!!

There we'll be selling a bunch of cool stuff like Will's amazing posters from his design site lonewolfblacksheep:

I'll also be selling some amigurumi from my own crafty label Say Llama Friends! Meet the Budgie Buddies! I'll be selling assorted colors!

Our good friend Mike Turzanski of The Good Product will be at our table selling some of his incredible t-shirts and posters

Last but not least, Will and I will be debuting our new pet project: The Dollar Dreadful Family Library!

*****************************************************
T.D.R and Wilhelm Staehle of SteelRiver Studio are proud to present the Dollar Dreadful Family Library which debuts at the jolly old MoCCA Art Fest, June 23 & 24!
DDFL is a collection of exciting, thrilling, and ghastly short stories with exquisite vintage illustrations that hearken back to the Penny Dreadfuls or Dime novels of the early 1900s.
Indeed, there is something here for everyone – and at an affordable price which the whole family can agree upon!

Why not try Archibald Grey: Investigator of the Macabre and Possessor of the Skeleton Key? Read his adventures in The Golem’s Labyrinth and gasp at the supernatural terrors he encounters!
For those of a more sensitive nature, try The Domestic Adventures of Octavious Watt and his Pneumatic Bride as they attend the grand Worlds Fair and gain the interest of a strange duo who just may be up to no good!
If mysteries are more your speed, you might enjoy The Dressmakers Detective Journal as four plucky women gather each week to solve shocking puzzles!

Collect all three and share them with your friends or display them proudly in your washroom where visitors can enjoy a quick read as they attend to their business! You won’t be disappointed – for where else can you discover enormous family fun for such a small price?
****************************************************

And, of course, we'll also have copies of Mangaka America Available!

So please come visit our table, C-2, this Saturday and Sunday!

It's going to be our LAST weekend in NY before we make the cross-country trek to LA, so we hope to make it memorable!!

Heroes Con Report!

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 14:56:56 GMT

Well, I just got back from my first time at the Heroes Con in Charlotte, NC. I've actually wanted to attend this con for a couple years now because I've heard so many good things about it, but various circumstances never allowed me to go (for example, last year it was on the same weekend as my wedding!). Well this year I was determined not to miss it! I'm so glad I went, because it really was a good show - a decent size; not too big, not too small, tons of creators and interesting guests, and lots of families came by with their kids which was so great to see. At most cons I go to, I'm lucky if I see 3 or 4 little girls tagging along with their dads. But at Heroes, I saw many more, and not only that - but entire families: moms, dads, sons, daughters, babies in strollers, and even some grandparents.

And even better, I was seated right next to Jim Amash, inker on Sabrina and Sonic, Teresa Davidson, my letter, and Ian Flynn and Tracey Yardley, writer and penciler of Sonic the Hedgehog, respectively. So with this sort of "Archie corner" we got quite a lot of traffic which was nice!

Since I arrived just before the show started, and left almost as soon as it ended, I didn't have much time to explore the city of Charlotte, but it seemed like a nice place and the weather was mild. Instead, I got up a few times to explore the inside of the convention and ran into a lot of old acquaintances such as Brian Defferding and Patric Lewandowski, (We all shared some comic classes back at MCAD), and Chris Moreno who, incidentally, is also moving to LA at the end of the month with his significant other. I also got to catch up with Tim Seeley, who was one of the first guys to give me a shot at comics when he put one of my short stories in his anthology, "From Heaven to Hell", back when I was still in college. I also chatted with Louis Small Jr. (He's funny - and trouble! ^_~ ) and Jonboy Meyers, who penciled the Spider-Man/Arana story I wrote. He's a great guy.

I also got to meet a few new people such as Todd Dezago, writer on Perhapanauts. He's so friendly and funny - I had a good time chatting with him. And of course, I got to meet my inker and letterer Jim and Teresa for the first time. Jim has been working on the Sabrina book with me ever since I started back in 2004, so it was nice to finally put a face to the name (and voice).

I didn't have as many sketch commissions as usual at this con, but I think that's because it was more of a family show and less of a place where tons of hardcore fanboys go around filling their sketchbooks. Or maybe people didn't realize that I can draw more than just Sabrina. Or maybe it's because Jim convinced me to raise my commission price. (Hmm...) In any case, I did hand out a ton of comp Sabrinas and got a few people interested in the series, so that definitely made up for it. A lot of people still assume that it's directly related to the TV show, and they'll tell me "Oh, I never watched/liked that show" and therefore aren't interested in my comic. So I'm always trying to show people that's it's not related to any of the past Sabrina incarnations - it's has a new look, plot, characters - everything is different.

On Friday night I had dinner at Jolina, a nearby Mexican/BBQ place which was pretty decent, and I went to an after-party at the hotel afterward where a couple bands were playing before a screening of Rosario Dawson's new film, Descent. I skipped the screening though, and went to bed early since I just wasn't in the mood for an intense NC-17 movie that night. ^_^

On Saturday night I went to watch the auction with a friend, Erick, who I first met at a Boston convention years ago, and who was now at Heroes helping out some of his buddies at the show. I had donated a Sabrina page to the auction and was beginning to regret it as soon as I had a look at all the other pieces of art that were available. I could just imagine them announcing my piece and then hearing crickets in the room. Luckily, it wasn't that bad at all. My page had a couple bids and ended up going for 50 dollars. (phew!). There were so many amazing pieces in the auction I wished I had enough money to bid on them. But no one could beat the bid on Adam Hughes' Star Wars piece which ended at $5000!

I had one panel about kids' comics on Sunday with Ian and Teresa and we had a good crowd who asked some smart questions. I actually really enjoy doing panels now. I used to be so terribly nervous and I dreaded doing them. But somewhere along the line I started feeling comfortable and now I like doing them quite a bit!

Before I knew it, the weekend was over. It really flew by! I had a great time at the show and I hope I'll be able to go back again in the future, even if I will be further away now. I'd like to thank Shelton and all the people who put it together, and who so kindly invited me to participate, and who put me up in a great room at the Westin. I really appreciate it!

Toronto Comicon Recap!

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 01:59:50 GMT

I just got back from my first trip to Canada, where I was a guest at the Toronto Comicon! I had a great time and met lots of people and made new friends!

I have to say that the Toronto Comicon is really one of the most pleasant, well-organized cons I've been to. The people there really made sure that everything was taken care of - they provided transportation to and from the convention center, they came around often to see if we wanted water or soda, they escorted us to panels and signings, and watched our tables for us while we were absent. Each guest had ample room to display their work, and the Women of Comics were given tote bags filled with little goodies like lotion, a note pad, lip balm, and Godiva chocolates!!. It was a really nice gesture and made the experience that much more memorable!

Initially I was a little bummed that I wouldn't have Will along - I'm so used to him going to cons with me and being my right-hand man/personal gofer! (Just kidding!) Seriously though, he's always wanted to go to Toronto but because of all the craziness with his new job and such, he just couldn't come along. I'm not sure why we never went to Toronto during the 5 years we've lived in NY, since it's so friggin close.... but go figure. Now that we're moving across the country it won't be as easy...

Anyway, I digress...

(I was going to put a cut here, but for some reason it doesn't show up... so sorry!)

THURSDAY

I got to the airport early and was confused because my itinerary said I was on a United Flight, but they couldn't find my name. Luckily, Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier spotted me and told me they had the same problem. It turns out we were in the wrong area - we had to go to Canada Air! So we walked to the right place where we met up with Christine Norrie, whom I've never met before. I'm a huge fan of her work so I had to resist going into fangirl mode at first! ^_^

The flight to Toronto was almost effortless - even for me and I HATE flying! I had downloaded the season finale of House (which I missed the first time around) to watch on my ipod and I didn't even get to finish it before we landed! Talk about a short flight!

We then were picked up by Peter Fisico of All New Comics. He's the one who put together the Women of Comics event - and he's a super nice guy who happens to be a fan of Sabrina, which made me happy! ^_^

He dropped us off at the Holiday Inn on King which is right in the entertainment district. It was only about 2:00pm at that point so I had the rest of the day to do whatever. So I decided to wander around and explore Toronto a bit. I decided to go to Magic Pony which is an art gallery/designer toy store. It was only about a mile away from the hotel so I walked. On the way I found an awesome yarn store that had so much yarn I wanted to fill my arms with bushel-loads. But I restrained myself and only bought one single ball of yarn!

Then I found Magic Pony and took a look at their Team Macho show which was fairly amusing and bizarre. They had so much cool stuff to buy there... again, I wanted everything in there! But I was actually on a mission to buy Will some birthday gifts (His 27th birthday is on the 19th!). I think I picked out some cool things for him. I went back to the hotel to drop off my stuff and then decided to go be a true tourist and go up the CN tower, which I did not know (but do now) is the tallest building in the world, and which has the highest observation deck! I spent a few hours there and had a great time - it was really neat. Especially the glass floor. It was so thrilling to stand on it and look down, 1100 feet below!

After that I was hungry so I went back to the hotel and ate at their restaurant which, in retrospect, was not the best choice. It was overpriced and I was in an area with a ton of places to eat! Plus eating alone in the hotel restaurant felt awkward for some reason. Oh well.

I was exhausted so I went to bed early to prepare for the con the next day!

FRIDAY

I got up early and met up with Raina, Dave and Christine in the lobby where some con volunteers shuttled us to the convention center. Inside, we were escorted by Peter to our tables. It was kind of neat to see a whole wall of tables all reserved for female creators! I was sitting between Christine and Nicola Scott, who is an amazing artist.

Christine Norrie

My table

Nicola Scott

I had a productive day, and had a lot of sketch commissions which was nice. I was surprised at how laid back the con was, overall. It didn't have that uncomfortably hot, desperate buzz and shuffling and bustling that most conventions do. There was ample room for everyone to walk around and even the most popular guests didn't have too much chaos, which was great for the fans. However, Nicola undercharged for her lovely inked, copic-shaded sketches and her list was 5 pages long before the end of Friday and she had to cut it off! I felt kind of guilty charging more for my pencil sketches, because she's so much more talented, but I still did ok. ^_~

After the con, I went with Dave, Raina, Christine and Tara McPherson to Club Lucky where there was a Women of Comics party going on.

We were originally planning to sneak out to go eat somewhere but we ended up socializing and snacking on the appetizers there, and the time just flew by! I ran into Svetlana - and it was nice seeing her again. I also met Eric Kim and Christopher Butcher - both really nice guys. Before I knew it, it was midnight. There was another party going on somewhere, but I decided not to go, so I walked back to the hotel with Dave and Raina.

SATURDAY

I had breakfast with Dave and Raina and had a good time chatting with them and learning more about them. The "shuttle" to the con was pretty packed with other guests, so we ended up taking a cab to the convention center, which is actually not that far. I had a good day doing more sketches and I even got a chance to get up and walk around to see what else was on the floor. I like how this convention truly has a focus on comics. There were a couple media related booths, and one or two anime booths, but that was it. It was all about comics and the Artists Alley was just about as big as the Dealer area which was nice change from other cons where the artists are literally shunted into a corner. I also met Danielle Corsetto and Cecil Castellucci which was neat! Apparently there was a huge thunderstorm going on during the con, but inside we didn't hear anything other than an occasional distant rumble. By the time the show ended, it was sunny outside again! I took the rest of the night pretty easy. I got a smoothie from a great Canadian coffee chain called Second Cup (better than Starbucks!) and sushi take-out from a little place down the street (omg it was sooo good), and I hung out in my hotel and read some new graphic novels I had acquired, the P.L.A.I.N Janes and Love as a Foreign Language!

SUNDAY

I had a rough start to my day. I knew that the "shuttles" to the convention center tended to fill up quickly because there were so many guests staying at the hotel, so I decided to get down to the lobby extra early to wait. When I first got down there, there was only 2 other guys there. But within 20 minutes, several more had come down. They all knew each other and had sort of formed a group, so when the first shuttle arrived, they all jumped up and filled it up quickly. Well, fine. It was still early and I figured I'd just take the next one. At this point, it was only me and 2 other guys again. So, when the next shuttle arrived about 20 minutes later, I jumped up right away because I didn't want to miss it. The 2 other guys (who shall remain nameless) had since been joined by two more of their posse. So we all walk out to the vehicle, and start loading our bags in the trunk. At which point, one of these guys - who wasn't even there until about 10 minutes prior tells me "Looks like there's only room for 4 in this one." And, including the driver, there were 5 of us. And I was just so stunned at his arrogance - because I had been waiting since 8:45 for the shuttle and it was now almost 9:30. And I said "I've been waiting since 9." And he just said "Sorry. There'll be another one." (Note, this was not the guy driving the shuttle, but the creator who had just shown up about 10 minutes ago.) I was so furious. The way they basically kicked me out even though I had been waiting there longer than them! I wish I was as good at standing up to people in real life as I am in my head. I just grabbed my bag and stormed off saying "Fine! I'll just take a cab!" barely realizing that I passed Terry Moore and his wife who, being respectable people, were waiting for the next shuttle as they had just arrived moments before. If I wasn't so mad I would have used this as an opportunity to say hi to them, but I was really upset. I mean, it's not so much the fact that I missed the shuttle again. It's not like I was in a huge rush or anything. It was the way I was just brushed aside like that. I know I'm not a big-shot artist and I'm fairly new to the game, but they looked at me like I had no business being there. I know they were all buddy-buddy, but whatever happened to just good old fashioned respect? You wouldn't think one of them would say "No, she was waiting here first. You guys go ahead, I'll take the next one." Of course not. These men just fuel the stereotype that "comic book guys" have a severe lack of social grace. 9_9

So I took a cab to the convention and cheered up a bit after I got set up and started taking commissions again. And my day was especially brightened by meeting a couple young girls who were fans of my work. Nothing makes me happier than when I see girls come to conventions with their dads, and of course, it especially makes me happy when they're fans of Sabrina and I can tell them a couple "secrets" about upcoming issues. ^_^

Overall, it was a bit of a slow day, but Sundays usually are. I think it's a shame that more people from the States don't cross the border to attend this con. It really is a great little show and it's not that far from New York and it's surroundings. I know I've been guilty of not thinking outside the border. I usually just assume in the back of my mind that Canada is sort of "far away" because it's another country. But Toronto is much closer than some of the other cons I've attended! Anyway, the day went by quickly, and I had a nice panel about kids' comics with a great group of people: Mike Cho, J. Torres, Joan Hilty, Michèle Laframboise, Dan Davis, and Brian McLachlan, and moderated by Janet Hetherington. Later, I walked around some more and got to meet Faith Erin Hicks, who seems really cool.

Overall, my day was good and I had a successful time with my commissions which is always a nice feeling! I love it when people ask me to draw different characters - it gives me a new challenge. Two guys even asked me to draw them in a manga-style face off! That was a first for me! I always get really nervous when I draw real people, but I think they were happy with the end result...

And so the con came to an end and I got a couple photos with my fellow Women in Comics:

Svetlana, Christine, and me!

Tara and me (she's so nice!)

After the con I went to a place called Victory with Eric Kim and Rosemary Mosco who, like every other Canadian I've met is really sweet. There we met up with Nadine Lessio, Ryan North, and Chris Hastings, some of the cool guys who work at the Beguiling and Mike Drake who works at a store in Halifax called Strange Adventures.. Phew!

We had a good time sharing crazy comic stories, talking about stalkers, the glue guy, and offensive webcomic topics!

Eric outside of Honest Eds!

Afterward, we met up at Second City for its 24 hours of improv benefit. It was pretty cool. Colin Mochrie was there and we watched him improvise in some good skits.

Later I had a good time hanging out and chatting with Eric, Nadine and Mike until late. At one point they pointed out a Canadian TV personality named George Stroumboulopoulos who came into the room and whom, admittedly, I've never heard of. But they convinced me to go and ask him for a photo and tell him I was a big fan from NY! ^_^

I wish I could have stayed out later, but alas it was time to return to my hotel because I had an early flight the next morning which turned out to be just as pleasant and short as the one going... but I LOST MY IPOD ON THE PLANE!!! ARRRRGGGGH. I'm sooooo bummed! It was brand new! How could I be so careless?? ?I carefully guarded it all weekend, because it's new and it was my baby. I even got a lovely protective sticker for it at Magic Pony. I just don't know how I managed to leave it on the plane... Well, I called the airline lost and found and filed a report. All I can do now is hope that whoever finds it is a nice person who turns it in instead of pocketing it. T_T Will's gonna be so mad at me. He gave it to me as a gift. *headdesk*.

Well even that wasn't enough to wreck what was such a great weekend and I would love to thank everyone who showed me a good time - from the convention organizers, to the people I hung out with! I think Canada rocks!

The insanity...

Thu, 17 May 2007 02:03:04 GMT

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!!!!

The future of comics and graphic novels... and my utopian hopes.

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 19:29:35 GMT

I was checking one of my favorite sites, Mangablog, and from there I was led to a link of a recent blog post by Becky Cloonan about floppies vs. graphic novels and how the whole Original Graphic Novel thing can't keep on the way it is. Too demanding, not enough pay, and individual volumes tend to disapear on the shelves with the rest of the masses unless they are lucky enough to receive a hefty amount of promotion. A lot of people have been discussing this on the web and many good points have been brought up.

As for my own perspective, I'm in a situation where I am not a graphic novelist- I work on a monthly book for Archie comics. When I first got the job 3 years ago, it was just the beginning of the "OEL" boom. Lindsay Cibos and Jared Hodges, the grand prize winners of the same RSOM I was in, were signed on by TOKYOPOP to create Peach Fuzz as a series, and many more artists soon followed in their footsteps and were being recruited by TPOP to create original graphic novels.

I admit at first, part of me was a little sad that I wouldn't get to jump into graphic novels right away - especially since floppies seemed to be a dying breed. Back then, it sometimes felt like TOKYOPOP was an awesome party that I wasn't invited to (although we often flirted!).

But now that I've been working on Sabrina for 3 years I can definitely see the advantages of this format. Not only do I get the gratification of seeing my work on newsstands consistently, I have a steady paycheck. Every week I turn in pages, and every 2 weeks I get a paycheck. It's nice! As long as I keep doing my work, I don't have to worry about when my payment will arrive (a rarity in the world of freelance!).

I've also been lucky in regards to getting fans and loyal readers. Rather than putting out one graphic novel, and trying to maintain my audience's attention for the next year until the next one comes out, I'm fortunate that new issues of my work are available at any given time, and that each month, I gain new readers. For every issue I get feedback - I can tweak a future storyline if I realize my fans aren't digging the direction I'm going in, or sometimes I'll deliberately do the opposite just to stir the fans up! (Hehehe) For example, if most of my readers claim that they want to see more of a certain character, I can arrange that. Or it the majority say they want to see Sabrina and Shinji get back together, I can bring in a third love interest just to make things interesting! It's this kind of interaction with my readers that I value. It's the ability to change my storyline and direction month by month. Of course, I have a "master plan" of major plot points, but it's nice to have some breathing room and the chance to be spontaneous with my stories. And now that I've already worked on close to 30 issues, there is more than enough material to make into graphic novels. (Archie already released my issues 1-4 in a mini trade).

I'm not trying to sound like a braggart, it's just that floppies really have been getting a bit of a bad rap lately. There have been times that I've felt that I don't get as much respect as a monthly comic artist as opposed to a graphic novelist, because floppies are "disposable" and temporary, while graphic novels have a more lasting appeal and are the "in" thing right now. Even I am to blame. I have failed at times to realize that graphic novels are not the only or even the best comic format. Are there problems with the monthly format? Yes. There's a reason that sales are dwindling and that more and more people are saying "I'll wait for the trade". It's a problem that floppies just can't be found as easily anymore. One pretty much has to go into a comic store to get comics, (and comic stores are also dwindling), whereas graphic novels can be easily found in the comfort of your local Borders or Barnes & Noble. Then there's all the annoying ads that you have deal with in a floppy. There's nothing like reading a story only to turn the page and find an 8-page comic insert advertising goldfish crackers. And now with Diamond having so much say over what makes it onto comic store shelves, a lot of aspiring creators can't break into the business of producing their own floppies. The good thing is that TOKYOPOP has given a lot of talented people jobs who may have been ignored in the regular comics world.

And you know, it's always been one of my personal dreams to look on a shelf and see it filled with graphic novels that I've created or worked on. To have a hefty product - with a spine! Something that gets to hang out with books on the bookshelf and not over there, wilting on the comic rack. I envy these Japanese creators who have 10+ volumes and multiple series on the shelves, and I marvel at how much work it must be to get to that point. I love reading manga because I get a satisfying chunk of story at once. Because I can sit down and spend a good hour reading a volume, as opposed to a floppy which I can breeze through in 15 minutes. There was a time when I would have given an arm and a leg to sign on with TOKYOPOP. Over the years I tried often to get something going with them. And, ironically, now that I've sort of stopped pursuing that, they've approached me about doing a one volume graphic novel. (Paperwork has not yet been signed, so I won't go into detail).

But I'm sort of glad that the last three years of my life have not been tied up creating graphic novels. I have several friends in the business, and I see how they struggle at times, how the workload and the payoff sometimes appear to be incongruous. I'm glad that I have had the chance to pursue my own side projects in addition to Sabrina - I've been able to put together Mangaka America, and maintain a webcomic as well as work on some other projects that have yet to be seen by the public. And hobbies! Yes, I even have some time for hobbies. Because I've always felt that it's really important for people to balance work with leisure. Too much of either is a bad thing, but if you can balance both, you'll be happier and less stressed.

But I digress. Now that it's possible that I'll be doing a graphic novel for TOKYOPOP, I am realizing how challenging it's going to be. To dedicate a year of my life - in advance - to this project, and then trying to balance that with Sabrina - and future volumes of Mangaka America - is a tough pill to swallow. Sabrina was my first gig and it's a good gig. Because of that I still consider it my #1 priority. I'm not willing to let my work on Sabrina suffer because of other projects that may come along. But other projects are necessary because, let's face it, Sabrina isn't going to pay all the bills. As a result, I have let TOKYOPOP know that I'm going to need to find an inker and a toner for my book because there's just no way I can do the whole thing myself in the time frame they want. I know some artists may find it hard to let go of having that full creative control, but I actually feel very comfortable with it if I'm working with a team I feel good to be a part of . I guess that's another reason I'm lucky to have Sabrina. I get to work with inker Jim Amash, and colorist Jason Jensen, and a variety of letterers to put an issue together and, corny as it sounds, I've learned the benefits of working with a team. And this is the sort of thing I feel really needs to happen more with graphic novels. Like Becky pointed out, in Japan, graphic novels are rarely done by one single person. These artists have assistants - sometimes as many as 10! Contrast that with the young American artist - often just starting out, creating a 160 page graphic novel for a market that, while growing, is still nowhere near the Japanese level of comic-consumption, and then to expect that same artist to do everything from the script, the thumbnails, the pencils, characters, backgrounds, inks, and tones, and sometimes even the lettering- does sound kind of crazy! Add that to the fact that they have to pretty much self-promote the hell out of their books, it's really amazing that any of them have managed to do it at all! Well, I'm sure they've learned a lot from the process, at least!

I hope with my own graphic novel I'll be able to enjoy the support of a small team, but the biggest hurdle will be finding one. The budgets for these projects are already so low, that there is hardly anything I could offer an inker, money-wise. And, unfortunately, part of having a happy team is making sure that everyone feels like they're being paid fairly for their efforts. It's just such a difficult thing to balance.

I find it so frustrating that this industry, one that provides good entertainment, that encourages kids to read, that inspires and gets imaginations flowing, that leads to blockbuster movies and merchandising, would have so little money to spend on the hardworking artists that are a part of it. I just did a 3-panel comic strip for a soft drink company and I got paid more for that one strip than I do for a whole issue of writing and drawing Sabrina! They're not even going to end up using it and I still got paid for it. Why is it that advertising has so much money to burn? That's a rhetorical question, of course.One just has to open up any floppy to see that advertising is probably the one thing keeping this industry afloat. (And it makes me wonder how much the people drawing those Goldfish cracker comics actually get paid...) That aside, I sometimes feel that a big comics union would be a good thing for artists... but that would probably be pointless anyway, since most of us are freelancers. It's not like we can start demanding higher "salaries" or "benefits".

Anyway, I'm not sure what I'm trying to say other than that I share Becky's frustration with the way things are going. I don't want to see this industry die, but I don't especially like where it's going, either...

Will this industry eventually drown under it's own weight? I think it's possible. I agree that there definitely needs to be changes made because it really can't continue like this for the next 5, 10 years. Something has to give, or it will collapse. Now, I'm no expert on business. I'm definitely too right brained for that. But these are my sort of suggestions, or rather, "wish list", of what I'd like to see more of in the comics world. These are things I feel could potentially strengthen or even save comics (and the creators!) although I know people will probably come back and say that my ideas are un-realistic or there's too many potential problems, etc etc. I understand that nothing is ever as easy in execution as it is on paper, but nonetheless, this is what I'd like to see in a happier, healthier comic book industry:

1. Anthologies

I'm going to agree with Becky wholeheartedly on the concept of anthologies, or collaborative works where artists can showcase their work in a monthly format, which can later enjoy being collected into a graphic novel format. I actually wrote a column about this a while back, as it's something I'd really like to see more of.
I always hear people say "but it's too expensive" or "it's too risky" or "it's not cost effective". But I guess I fail to see how this would differ from what TOKYOPOP has already been doing. It's just another way of presenting the material - one that I feel could be more successful. Let's say, for the sake of this example, TPOP decides to "take a risk" on 8 artists. Each artist signs a contract with TOKYOPOP to do at least one 160 page graphic novel, with the possibility of 2 more. TPOP isn't sure whether or not these books will pay off until they are completed and in stores, so it's a risk and an investment on their part. But lets say these same artists sign a contract to do 160 pages, but in 20 page installments. Every two months TPOP releases a graphic novel sized book with 160 pages, but with 20 pages from each artist. And two months later, the next one, and so on, until the 8th volume is complete. The stories which have received the best reaction could then possibly graduate to their own title, and new artists could be phased in from time to time to keep things fresh. Of course, this is a very simplistic view of the matter. I know printing costs and distribution are things that would make it difficult to release something like this every two months. But what if they lowered the "quality" of the graphic novel format and made it more like a magazine? TPOP was printing and mailing out free copies of their Takuhai magazine every couple months for a while there (I'm not sure if they're still doing this...). But that was a full-color magazine with new articles, activities, and comic previews, and printed on nice paper. If they could afford to do this and mail it out for free, why not make a b/w version, on cheaper paper with a few stories by OEL artists and charge a small subscription fee? Well, maybe there's something I'm missing, but I'm surprised it hasn't really been done yet. (Except for Drama Queen's yaoi Rush anthology - which has proved to be high quality at a reasonable price.)

2. Pay what it's worth.

Graphic novels have been often touted as the "savior" of the comic format. Many have seen them as a way to preserve what is perceived as a dying format, and it seems to be working so far. However, I strongly feel that if graphic novels are expected to take on this lofty task of saving comics, then publishers should put more money into making them. Especially with so many publishers jumping on this trendy graphic novel bandwagon, they clearly expect to gain something from it. If they're so confident about diving into the graphic novel arena as a way to tap into a hot trend, then they should show their enthusiasm with dollar signs and put more faith in their artists to put together a good product. If this means they have to be more picky about what they choose to print, so be it. At least quality standards will be higher, and readers appreciate a high-quality product - not something that appears rushed. And if artists get paid what they deserve to make a graphic novel, they won't have to go fishing for as many freelance jobs on the side to pay bills, so all their time, energy, and focus can go into making a great graphic novel. A graphic novel in itself is a huge chunk of work - it's a year of someone's life. And with more and more graphic novels gaining recognition and acclaim, their worth as a medium is growing, but the paychecks aren't. Bigger budgets would also be able to allow for more...

3. Team work

Graphic novels don't have to take a year to complete. Not if the lead artist has a team of assistants to help get the job done! I would love to see more teamwork and collaboration in graphic novels. Not only does this give more people the chance to break into the business, but it also provides a neat sort of mentorship, where the assistants learn the trade by doing, and by following the examples set by the lead artist. But this is tied in to my previous suggestion, which is for publishers to invest more money into their graphic novels. If the assistants can get paid what they're worth, they're more likely to really do a good job, and this creates a better product overall. Also, publishers gain by having their product finished in less time so it can start making money sooner. And with volumes coming out more frequently, it is easier to maintain the interest of the readers and attract new fans. And when fans get to read their favorite titles with less downtime in-between, even better!

4. TOKYOPOP is not the only publisher

Are they the one's who sort of started all this? Yes. Are they the leading publisher of Global Manga? Yes. But they aren't the only ones doing it. Del Rey is starting to experiment with Global Manga, and so is DramaQueen and a number of other smaller publishers. And then there's all the major book publishers. Graphic novels are "in" right now, and many book publishers are starting to get into publishing graphic novels, or are at least interested in getting into it. Some may not know the best way to approach it, but the interest is definitely there. Even my own webcomic, My Poorly Drawn Life, has received interest to be printed as a graphic novel by a major publisher, and that was the last thing I would have expected! Memoirs like Fun Home and American Born Chinese have shown what is possible for this format. And the nice thing about big book publishers is that they often have larger budgets and distribution. You don't have to deal with Diamond when you work for a book publisher. Your book can be special-ordered by comic shops but are sold primarily in bookstores, not the other way around. They also have a close relationship with the major book chains and have strong marketing departments. Unfortunately, it is harder to get your work seen by a book publisher, since many don't accept unsolicited material. It usually requires some word of mouth or other creative device to get noticed by these big publishers. Which brings me to...

5. Self Publishing

Everyone knows that self-publishing is hard. And few can expect to make a profit off it. But those who are persistent - really persistent, do get noticed after a while, especially if they have a strong web presence. Right now, comics pays so poorly that it's almost worth it to try self-publishing. You can expect to pay out of pocket for all of the expenses, but at least your material is your own. And once you have a finished product, it is that much easier to get picked up by a publisher, because by having made your own comic you have proved that you can handle all aspects of the process and follow through with creating a complete package - story, pencils, inks, letters, etc. Unfortunately, getting your comic distributed is a whole other story, especially since Diamond has made it so hard to even get into their catalog. So I say forget Diamond and forget about self-publishing floppies because it's going to be too tough to get through those doors. Instead of floppies, self-publish graphic novels. Is this more work? Yes. Is it more expensive to print? Yes. But! If it has a spine, and if you buy it a barcode you can at least sell it on Amazon, and you have a better chance of getting it onto bookshelves overall. But how does one afford to do all this? This is where teamwork comes in again. What if 10 people got together to self-publish an anthology? These ten people could split the costs and if you still wanted to go the Diamond route, they might be more willing to take a product that has multiple artists involved. They can easily turn down a single comic by an artist they don't like, but if there's a graphic novel with a variety of art styles and content, they may feel it to has more potential to sell. And what about taking the teamwork even further and teaming up not just with your friends, but with other small self-publishers? Each company can arrange to have one portion of the book, and all the expenses and profits could be shared. Of course, this can also be tricky to orchestrate, and contracts would have be exchanged and all that. But again, once you have a solid, professional product, it's that much easier to show it to book publishers and try to get them to buy your idea and take over the printing and distribution costs.

6. Subscriptions

It used to be that you could subscribe to almost any comic book and have it delivered to your door each month. You see how well magazines handle subscriptions - they can offer them at a fraction of the cover price, simply because they can avoid distribution fees that way. And not only is it harder to find comic stores these days, but I've gone into a shop looking for something only to realize it's not there. Then the shop owner will tell me "I can re-order it from Diamond" or he'll tell me to give him a list ahead of time of what to order, but that's really not something I want to do! When I physically go into a store to buy something, I want it to be there. I don't want to have tell the store to order X and Y months in advance. I don't want to order it after I find out it's not there. I'd rather save myself the trip and just subscribe to the things I want, and have them delivered directly to me. I know if subscriptions were more common then comic stores would suffer even more. But what it comic stores took the initiative to offer mailed subscriptions? I know Midtown Comics here in NY does that. That way they could still sell comics, but perhaps to an even wider audience. Anyway, on a self-publishing side, subscriptions is another way to get your book directly into the hands of readers, and bypass Diamond altogether. I think this could also work with magazine-style anthologies, sort of like Shonen Jump, but with original content, and released bi-monthly or even quarterly.

Phew! So anyway, those are my thoughts on the issue. This has been my longest post in some time. But I guess I had a lot to say! ^_^ What do you guys think? Am I living in a fantasy land or being overly pessimistic? Or do you also believe in change?