9
Jul
2010
ZUDA No More
I’m sad to announce that ZudaComics.com, DC Comics’ web comic imprint, is no more. The publisher has folded Zuda into its digital publishing plans with Comixology, and, due to a number of reasons, none of the most recent series (any from the last year or so) are making the transition. This unfortunately means that IN MAPS & LEGENDS and a number of other great comics have ceased serializing.
A lot of Zuda fans saw this coming when the site shut down the monthly competitions earlier this year and it was clear changes were coming. That in itself was a big loss; every month readers had been presented with a ten new comics to vote on in a huge variety of styles– stories written in haiku, drawn with crayon, drawing manga or superheroes or cartoons, all by the most international group of creators around. But the change bodes well for the future of the surviving Zuda comics, I think; the pages are practically made to fit the screens of iPads and tablets, and the new App-driven releases are great for hooking readers.
Here are a few interviews with Ron Perazza, VP of Creative Services at DC Comics (and as such, head of Zuda), about the site’s transition:
Newsarama
Robot 6
Multiversity
We were only able to be serialized for a few short months, but the experience was great and our readers were amazing. We’ll miss having an open forum for your comments, but hopefully Michael Jasper and I will be able to find IN MAPS & LEGENDS a new home soon, so check back for more! You can also join our Facebook group for updates.
30
May
2010
IN MAPS AND LEGENDS Launch
Last November, readers at DC Comics’ web imprint Zuda.com rallied and voted for IN MAPS & LEGENDS, written by Michael Jasper and drawn by myself. Now, I’m very happy to say that our winning webcomic has officially launched “season one”! Screen 9 is now up on the website– be sure to try “full view” for the complete, immersive effect.
In the six months between competition and launch, we’ve recieved 15,000 more views and 100 more favorites, and we’re hoping for those numbers to grow much faster now that we’ll be updating every Thursday for the next year! For weekly reminders of the new pages, be sure to subscribe to the IN MAPS & LEGENDS RSS feed. We also keep our Facebook page updated with behind the scenes art and more.
We’ve got magic, mystery, some airships and more coming up in the next few weeks. Spread the word and step into the world(s) of maps & legends…
1
Mar
2010
Art of Comics
March already?
Still no sequential art I can show, but I’ve been doing a few covers for small presses as freelance.
I’m deep into the first bit of SOME DID REST at the moment, inking the second half of the chapter and prepping files. It seems like script revisions never end, and I’m just lucky that the ones I’m thinking about right now won’t result in what I’ve drawn so far going into the trash. My days are spent hunched over my lightbox, drawing rubble…
Things are coming together for IN MAPS & LEGENDS, though I still don’t have anything I’m allowed to share. Soon, though! I’ve even tricked collaborator Mike Jasper into doing a few pages of thumbnails. Poor guy doesn’t realize he’s been swindled into doing the least enjoyable part of comics for me~ ;) We’re both eager to move forward with the story.
Fellow Cleveland Institute of Art grad and comics guy Kevin Czapiewski is teaching a continuing education class called The Art of Comics right now at CIA, and he recently asked me if I was interested in stopping by and getting involved. He’s got a great curriculum planned, and those who sign up go through the process of building a comic from a script and series of thumbnails all the way to a finished story.
I’m hoping to help out with next week’s session, where Kevin’s talking about how time can be portrayed in sequential art. He plans on teaching the class again during the summer, so I’ll be sure to post more info when I have it so anyone local can take a look. Who says Cleveland doesn’t have a comics scene?
And while you’re at it, take a look at Kevin’s long-scrolling webcomic, SPOILERS! We’re both what you get when you combine fine arts majors with a love of comics.
I also recently did an extensive update to the list of literary agents who represent graphic novels, going through it to fix links and remove names of those who are no longer in the business– as well as adding a few agents. So take a look if you’ve got a graphic novel ready to query. (But please– I’m not an agent! Queries that come to me don’t get you anywhere!)
14
Jan
2010
Splitting My Focus
It’s been a crazy winter. I spent a wonderful three weeks in Germany, visiting friends and family, and, most importantly, getting married. :) It was the perfect way to cool down from the crazy ride that was the Zuda competition.
Speaking of which, things have started moving with IN MAPS & LEGENDS! Writer Michael Jasper is hard at work on the script for season 1, and we’re waiting to hear back from our editor about the path we want to take MAPS down. I’ve started doing sketches of the new characters that will be introduced in the upcoming pages, one of whom you can see to the right. He may be old and crotchety, but he’s good at what he does… We hope to launch the first season within a few months.
I’ve also been hard at work on SOME DID REST. I just finished some major script revisions, and I hope to start on the sample chapter’s art for the pitch soon. I really want this book to go places. For now, I’m keeping it tightly under wraps.
30
Nov
2009
Zuda Winners!
IN MAPS & LEGENDS is the November 2009 Zuda.com Winner!
Thank you to everyone for your support– for signing up and voting, faving, rating and spreading the word! And most of all for reading it and enjoying it. We couldn’t have done it without you. :)
So what does this mean? Well, writer Michael Jasper and I have won a contract to start serializing MAPS on the Zuda website! We’ll probably spend a bit of time telling the editors where we plan on taking it, and in a few months new pages should start rolling out. IN MAPS & LEGENDS will still be free to read and enjoy online (and if it’s successful enough with Zuda readers, maybe someday we’ll have a print copy available for you too. ;))
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