Issue #9 (of 9) of IN MAPS & LEGENDS is out now!

We’ve reached the end. Two years ago, writer Michael Jasper and I teamed up and won DC Comics’ Zuda competition. 6 months later, the imprint closed, only a dozen pages into our story– and we decided to go for it on our own. 9 issues and 190 pages later, IN MAPS & LEGENDS is complete! So grab the latest issue from your favorite digital comics distributor! Let us know what you think of the grand finale of Kait’s adventures. Each issue is 22 full color pages for only $.99.

In this issue, Kait faces down the trio of impossible creatures who have world domination on their agenda, taking her and her friends to the brink of death and back again, and the mystery of the maps are explained, in his own enigmatic way, by the haggard stranger known only as Bartamus.

We’re on both Kindle and Nook (in both English and German!), or you can read it on the web or download a PDF. And, of course, we’re still on Comixology and other iOS (or Android!) apps. Buy it once, read it anywhere.

And with the series wrapped up, we felt like the next obvious step was to make getting our complete comic easier for any new readers interested in checking out the world of IN MAPS & LEGENDS. So we’ve put together a digital Collected Edition, compiling all 9 issues (190 pages!) for only $5.99– much cheaper than buying them all individually!
You can get the Collected Edition on the web or download a PDF. Or grab it through Comixology and other iOS (or Android!) apps. Buy it once, read it anywhere.

In connection the collected edition release, earlier this year we released an ebook combo of issues 1-4, exclusive for Kindle and Nook. We’ve now followed that up with the new IN MAPS & LEGENDS 5-9 eBook Combo, so you can complete the story without hunting down those individual issues you’ve missed!

It’s been a long journey to get to this point, and I’ve learned more about the different digital comics formatting than I ever imagined. I hope you take a look, try it out, and get inspired to read more comics along the way. Thanks to everyone who voted in the original competition and has followed our issue releases. We wouldn’t have made it this far without your support and encouragement.

Issue #8 (of 9) of IN MAPS & LEGENDS is out now!

The penultimate issue! We’re reaching the climax of the series, and things are heating up. There may even be a few casualties… So grab the latest issue from your favorite digital comics distributor! Let us know what you think. Each issue is 22 full color pages for only $.99.

The past and present come crashing together in this issue, as mysteries from years ago get resolved, and the final days of Bartamus’ world unfold with a tragic turn of events for Kait and her companions.

We’re on both Kindle and Nook (in both English and German!), or you can read it on the web or download a PDF. And, of course, we’re still on Comixology and other iOS (or Android!) apps. Buy it once, read it anywhere.

We also discovered a few new tricks about ebooks, so if you’ve bought issues 1-7 through your Nook or Nook app, you can now delete and redownload an updated version! The new editions automatically resize to fit your device’s screen- no more cut off edges or squinting to read when reading your comic on the Nook tablet apps. And no need to pay again to get the updated version!

As a result, we’ve updated our how-to guide, Formatting Comics for Kindle and Nook, with new information for anyone looking to create ebook comics themselves. Again, on Nook, or if you’ve purchased the guide in PDF form through Illustrated Section or DriveThruComics, simply redownload your purchase to get the updated book. (If you bought it through the Kindle store, just drop me an email and I’ll send you the new edition!)

That’s all for this month! Let me know what you think of the latest issue…

Issue #6 (of 9) of IN MAPS & LEGENDS and Issue #7 (of 9) of IN MAPS & LEGENDS are out now!

The last few months have been a bit hectic, so apologies for missing an update! In May I shared a table at TCAF, and it was great to meet everyone. A few people who stopped by remembered IN MAPS & LEGENDS from our Zuda run, which was great! Thanks to all who stopped by.

For the rest of May, I spent almost three weeks traveling through China and doing research for a graphic novel I’m hoping to get published. It was a beautiful, but very sobering trip.

And while I was gone, issue 6 of IN MAPS & LEGENDS was released! I came back and immediately set to work on meeting our deadline for issue 7, which came out at the beginning of July. So now you can catch up and grab the two issues from your favorite digital comics distributor! Let us know what you think. Each issue is 22 full color pages for only $.99.

In issue 6, Kait gets lost on a world she can’t map — with a man she can’t comprehend and a boy she can’t protect — while her old friends and new allies scatter across the ravaged world of Stryla.

Issue 7: All maps lead to one place on the dying world of Stryla: Balasander’s Crest, an active volcano at the top of the world. And that’s where Kait and her friends, old and new, must travel, though the price they must pay at the Crest may be too high for any of them to bear.

We’re on both Kindle and Nook (in both English and German!), or you can read it on the web or download a PDF. And, of course, we’re still on Comixology and other iOS (or Android!) apps. Buy it once, read it anywhere.

One of our distributors, Graphicly, has a new site, and on it you can sign up to read IN MAPS & LEGENDS and other comics using only your Facebook account! One step easier. The site also comes with embedding capabilities, like you can see below:

Now you can share comics anywhere you can embed a youtube video!

I also started a new monthly spotlight on IM&L’s site blog. You can see this month’s entry here: Recommended Digital Comics – July 2011. Since the beginning, I’ve highlighted a few digital comics each month, but I decided to expand that into full blog posts to provide more info to visitors looking for information on what’s out there and what formats are available. Let me know if there are any digital comics you think deserve a spotlight!

Good news! I’ll be an exhibitor at this year’s Toronto Comic Arts Festival on May 7 and 8, 2011. TCAF is an annual event focused on the incredible diversity in comics, and most importantly, admission is free! Come stop by if you’re in the area or are looking for an excuse to make a trip to Canada.

Our table is on the second floor, #209. The map will be printed in the festival guide in full color, but in case you want to figure out your plan of attack in advance, here’s where we’ll be!

The full floor maps are on the TCAF website, so you can check out the locations of all 300+ cartoonists in attendance.

Toronto’s National Post newspaper has been running a series of interviews with all the exhibitors new to TCAF. Click to read my answers to their questionnaire, and check out everyone else’s while you’re at it! It looks like a great group this year.

My tablemate at TCAF will be the one and only Kevin Czap, creator of the infinite scroll webcomic SPOILERS, and who blogs about all things comics as a part of Comix Cube. Be sure to read ‘em both.

Kevin is also the guy behind PUPPY TEETH, a minicomic anthology he started last year. Collection #1 came out last fall, but we’re back with a new volume just in time for TCAF– and this time, it’s full color!

PUPPY TEETH 2 is a mighty 52 pages, with comics from over a dozen artists. It’s debuting at TCAF, where you can get it for a nice $10. You can also order it from the site; all you need is a Paypal account.

My story is a three page little thing, simply titled In Which a Young Caribou Grows No Antlers, Is Exiled from Her Herd, and Journeys to Find Answers. It’s my excuse to play with a fable-esque comic I’ve been thinking of writing, but haven’t had the time to really focus on.

Along with the PUPPY TEETH anthology, I’ll have a few additional minicomics to sell!

I’ve put together a minicomic issue of issue 1 of IN MAPS & LEGENDS. It’s 22 pages, and in black and white– but with every purchase of the minicomic, I’ll also provide a high quality, full-color PDF! The minicomic will be available for $2.50. TCAF visitors can buy digital versions of issues 2-6 while they’re at it for just $1 per issue.

Also available will be a zine version of Mike’s and my recent how-to ebook, FORMATTING COMICS FOR KINDLE & NOOK. This is a 30 page guide, and it’ll cost $4 at TCAF (though you can always grab a PDF if you can’t make it to the con!).

Writer Michael Jasper and I have been releasing the digital comic version of IN MAPS & LEGENDS for a little more than half a year now. We’ve learned a lot, and are constantly getting questions from other creators wanting to make ebook version of their own comics. So we made a guide! Formatting Comics for the Kindle and Nook.

This how-to guide covers assembling image-based ebooks for the two biggest e-readers on the market: Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes & Noble’s Nook. This ebook covers how to convert the images for your comic into the Kindle and Nook formats, and how to package those images in the most effective manner. We also share what we have learned about digital comic distribution for sites other than Amazon.com and BN.com. The ebook is $2.99, and has step-by-step tutorials with plenty of screenshots to make sure you don’t run into any problems formatting your own comics. It’s available for Kindle and Nook, and as a PDF and ePub.

I hope to see you there!

Issue #5 (of 9) of IN MAPS & LEGENDS is out now!

Issue 5 of IN MAPS & LEGENDS is out and available!

With this issue, we’ve crossed the halfway point. Only four more issues to go! I hope you guys are enjoying the comic and all its twists and turns. We’re hoping to have the final issue, #9, out by October.

If you haven’t yet, go ahead and grab IN MAPS & LEGENDS issue 5 from your favorite digital comics distributor! Let us know what you think. You get 22 full color pages for only $.99.

Stranded on her strange new world, Kait questions a man who seems to hold all the answers. Meanwhile, her friends face inhuman assassins, violent hurricanes, and sudden tidal waves. And a frail old man makes one last, desperate stand against his enemies.

We’re on both Kindle and Nook (in both English and German!), or you can read it on the web or download a PDF. And, of course, we’re still on Comixology and other iOS (or Android! or Windows phone!) apps. Buy it once, read it anywhere.

We’ve been keeping busy in between issues, too.

We wanted to offer new readers a chance to get caught up with our special “combo pack” — a digital bundle of issues 1 through 4 of IN MAPS & LEGENDS.

So instead of downloading issues 1-4 individually and paying $.99 for each, you can buy the collected edition– and save some money!

Right now the special is for just the Kindle (click to buy) and the Nook (click to buy). So if you’re interested in giving comics a try on your ereader, this bundle is a great way to get caught up and save at the same time. And remember, if you’ve got the Kindle or Nook apps on your phone or tablet, you can take advantage of this offer too!

Issue #4 (of 9) of IN MAPS & LEGENDS is out now!

It’s been a crazy five months, but with every day that passes IM&L finds more and more readers, for whom we’re incredibly grateful. We took a look at our rough sales at the end of January, and with only three issues out, we had sold over 1000 copies. Thank you! Issue 4 is out now, and I hope our readers enjoy it just as much.

What have we been up to in the last few months?

Well, a number of our distributors have expanded to more and more platforms! Comixology started out iPhone-only, then added iPad, a browser reader, and is now also available as an Android app. Graphic.ly used to be only an iPhone app or installed program on your desktop, but now they have a browser reader, a Windows Phone app, and one for Android in beta. We’ve also put together some *extras*– If you read IN MAPS & LEGENDS on the Graphic.ly desktop app, you can “wipe away” the colors to see the inked version of the page.
The great thing about Comixology and Graphic.ly is that wherever you make your purchase– your phone, laptop, or tablet– all your comics will automatically sync. Read IN MAPS & LEGENDS on your phone on the train, and finish the issue on your computer at home.

While it’s great to be a part of these slick, mainstream-focused apps, we’re proud that we’re doing this on our own, just an artist and a writer making comics because they want to. And Illustrated Section opened up a week or two ago, with just that mindset. IS is a creator-operated digital store collecting PDFs of indie comics and picture books. It’s nice to be a part of something focused entirely on promoting creator-owned work.

We’ve also gotten IM&L into the Apple iBooks app and Google’s eBookstore, and are working to get on in the Kobo ereader store.

Mike Jasper (IM&L’s writer) and I also did a podcast with Webcomic Beacon last month all about digital comics and formatting, and CBR’s Robot 6 named us Digital Creators of the Year with VALENTINE‘s Alex de Campi, which was quite the honor!

Getting IN MAPS & LEGENDS out can involve a bit of juggling, but we’re not slowing anytime soon. So if you’re interested, please take the time to snag IN MAPS & LEGENDS issue 4! Let me know what you think. Remember, each issue is 22 pages for only $.99.

With Bartamus’ world falling apart around them, LaVonne, Jeremy, and Antawn venture deeper into unknown territory, while Kait travels into the darkness between worlds — and she’s no longer alone.

We’re on both Kindle and Nook (in both English and German!), or you can read it on the web or download a PDF. And, of course, we’re still on Comixology and other iPhone (or Android phone! or Windows phone!) apps. Digital comics are portable, and I love that.

Thanks for everyone who’s helped us get this far!

Issue #3 (of 9) of IN MAPS & LEGENDS was released just last week!

This issue is somewhat special.
A year ago to the day of this release, writer Mike Jasper and I found out IN MAPS & LEGENDS had won– with all of YOUR votes and support!– the November DC Comics Zuda competition. Just this spring, we launched on the Zuda site, updating a page a week, standard webcomic style… but the imprint was closed only a month or two later, and the majority of the Zuda titles were canceled. Thankfully, all rights were returned to the creators, so we could make the decision to continue our stories as we wished. Only a few of those ex-Zuda comics have made a comeback; IM&L was the first, and in October, War of the Woods released its first issues on Comixology as well. Hopefully there are still more to come!

The Zuda schedule operated in “seasons” of 60 pages. With the 8 competition pages, that left just 52: one page a week for a year.

Well, IN MAPS & LEGENDS issue 3 brings us to the end of that symbolic first season, with the same firey cliffhanger. And we’re half a year ahead of schedule! And unlike the uncertainty of Zuda renewal, you can be sure that you’ll get all 9 issues out of us… hopefully even by this time next year. ;) What a perfect second anniversary that would be.

So! Please take the time to pick up a copy of IN MAPS & LEGENDS issue 3– or even issue 1, if you haven’t had a chance yet! And let me know what you think. Each issue is 22 pages for less than a dollar. Comics is good.

While her friends — along with an unexpected ally — face attackers from the sky, Kait devises a harsh solution to constantly being torn between worlds. But will this new and dying world hold together long enough for Kait to return?

We’re on both Kindle and Nook (in both English and German!), or you can read it on the web or download a PDF. And, of course, we’re still on Comixology and other iPhone (or Android phone! or Windows phone!) apps. Wherever you’re happy, we’re happy.

And thanks again for your support. We wouldn’t have even gotten off the ground a year ago if it weren’t for your votes.

IN MAPS & LEGENDS Issue #2 (of 9) is out now! 22 new pages every 6 weeks, with eight more issues still to come. :)

Writer Michael Jasper and I have teamed up with a few more distributors– if you have an eBook reader, we’re now on both Kindle and Nook, and there are more PDF and web-browser options. And, of course, we’re still on Comixology and other iPhone (or Android phone!) apps, though their release of issue 2 has been delayed due to Apple’s app approval process.

For those who prefer reading on their desktops, we’ve also joined forces with the Longbox client, and Issue 2 is out now on the Graphic.ly app as well.

Each issue is $.99 for 22 pages.
IN MAPS & LEGENDS: A digital comic about a woman caught between two worlds, and her attempt to save them both. Find out more at InMapsAndLegendsComic.com

I also put together a promotional wallpaper! Issue 2 takes us to this “other” world, full of airships, some steampunk, and magic…

All the wallpaper sizes are available at the site here.

I hope you enjoy reading issue 2!

It’s been a hectic few months! But I have news: after DC Comics canceled much of its Zuda imprint, rights were returned and we creators were free to continue our stories as we chose… and writer Michael Jasper and I are going for it. :)

I’m happy to announce that Issue 1 of IN MAPS & LEGENDS is now available for a huge variety of digital devices and formats!

iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad? We’re on your favorite comic apps, worldwide.
Android phone? We’re there!
Have a Kindle? We’re on Amazon.

And if you’d rather read it right here on your computer, you can do that too! We’re working with various PDF comic distributors, as well as distributors with web and desktop readers.

And best of all, you’re getting 22 pages of comics every six weeks— for only $.99 an issue!

If you missed your chance to read IN MAPS & LEGENDS when it ran on Zuda, don’t worry. We’ve got a FREE 8-PAGE PREVIEW up and waiting to be read.

So click over to InMapsAndLegendsComic.com for 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.