tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52513190081302969232024-03-13T03:27:42.974-04:00Monsters & Nekkid LadiesAdam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-5423788549044501312023-12-09T09:17:00.003-05:002023-12-09T09:19:56.195-05:00An Opinion on AI Art<p> Of course I have an opinion on this. And, of course, it's just an opinion. If you're interested:<br /><br />For better or worse, this is the world we live in now: <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianRoemmele/status/1732619309334311171">100 images generated per second by AI</a>. And you can bet that's going to double or quadruple in the next year or two. That's how computers work, after all.<br /><br />As I've said numerous times over the last couple years: there has never been a better time in history to NOT be an artist. That is: to make a living as an artist.<br /><br />I know you're talented. I know you're passionate. I know you've got drive and a burning desire to create. But Right Now is not the time, unfortunately.<br /><br />That's not to say you should stop. I know you can't. Keep making art that you're inspired to make, just consider a different profession for awhile. I'd suggest a trade. The cost of entry is low (and often subsidized) and the starting salary is generous. The world will never not need electricians and plumbers. Give it a try! At least for now.<br /><br />Because this AI trend isn't going to last forever. People are going to get tired of looking at it. In time, there will be those who find the old, human-made art and say, "why aren't we doing this anymore?" and BAM! You're suddenly an <b><i>Artisan</i></b>, not just an artist. You're a fashionable alternative to what will eventually become so over-saturated that it will be free to produce (most of it is already) and utterly valueless.<br /><br />This happened to me a couple years ago, when the "art" made by tracing over photos in Photoshop or InDesign was all the rage. There was no line weight or soul to that stuff, and I was making good money and repeat business simply because I can ink with a brush. It was a nice to feel appreciated...as you will see at some point down the road when AI over-saturates everything.<b> </b></p><p><b> Familiarity Breeds Contempt</b>, as the old saying goes. That time is coming for AI art, I promise.<br /><br />Between now and That Moment In Time, do something else. Let the fields lie fallow for a couple seasons. Leave your art online, but <a href="https://www.techopedia.com/nightshade-data-poisoning-ai">poison it for the AI crawlers</a>. Keep it for human eyes only.<br /><br />Between now and That Moment In Time: Endure. Survive. If you're a professional artist, I know you know how to do that.<br /><br />This won't last forever. It never does.<br /></p>Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-13537586275650368502023-01-01T09:42:00.001-05:002023-01-01T09:47:56.113-05:00The Two-Dice Dice Bag<div><p> It's human nature to believe that More Is Better, but as you get older you realize that's rarely the case. There's always a Sweet Spot; even Goldilocks knew that.<br /> </p><p>I know dice-hoarding has become a popular meme on the internet, but there may come a day when you wanna game and don't have the means to take a Crown Royal bag filled to bursting with polyhedrals. Maybe you don't have room in your luggage or something. No worries! You can roll anything and everything in D&D with only two dice: a d20 and a d6. Just like ol' Gary here!<br /><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXr5uB2yskcAylCDKjlpk6B3b74EF-qhdD0YIfrqaF-9FbPu8M9_rMILOEJYzazl3Qi7T2_I2QlOzlbXizs2Ld4lCT3qWxQU6_wThQzS3PgTZYw7_kxXDBaBpb8AlV0PEWNF4ydthB-nbWQRCGYWaaznsnzSZIZ_CY3X4ZXfU-UjH9ZKOl6tbVF9te/s700/gary.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="700" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXr5uB2yskcAylCDKjlpk6B3b74EF-qhdD0YIfrqaF-9FbPu8M9_rMILOEJYzazl3Qi7T2_I2QlOzlbXizs2Ld4lCT3qWxQU6_wThQzS3PgTZYw7_kxXDBaBpb8AlV0PEWNF4ydthB-nbWQRCGYWaaznsnzSZIZ_CY3X4ZXfU-UjH9ZKOl6tbVF9te/s320/gary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />Not just any d20, though; get yourself a <b>0-9 twice d20</b> and color-code it: make half the numbers one color and the other half another color.<br /><br />Pictured below is my 0-9 twice d20 from 1979, color-coded black and red. Next to it is my trusty d6 from the early 80s. These are all I need to play D&D! I call it the <b>Two-Dice Dice Bag</b>. It's very simple, although simulating a d8 and d12 might seem a little odd at first if you're not used to it.<br /><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhIeZCd372yrhT0flMXPdslZ4WMzlkEnGwI-eD285q_am1qV7Odpz3C1wD35viGcdQxF-u4lfBHzSfBMvwtdfrPIVg-QCitntdgxmbbZDqZzZfiggpR-TmC2wzpctAOMKmfUKRp0bEDLXgvg2a4LOh_W1PtVUNJrSwOn0TrufBjpm3yKiXJxV0ev2/s700/dice.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="483" data-original-width="700" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhIeZCd372yrhT0flMXPdslZ4WMzlkEnGwI-eD285q_am1qV7Odpz3C1wD35viGcdQxF-u4lfBHzSfBMvwtdfrPIVg-QCitntdgxmbbZDqZzZfiggpR-TmC2wzpctAOMKmfUKRp0bEDLXgvg2a4LOh_W1PtVUNJrSwOn0TrufBjpm3yKiXJxV0ev2/s320/dice.jpg" width="320" /> </a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Here's how it works:<br /><br /><u><b>D4</b></u>: Roll the d20 and divide by four:<br /><br />1-5 = 1<br />6-10 = 2<br />11-15 = 3<br />16-20 = 4</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Note that this is very easy to read on a color-coded d20: black 1-5 is 1, black 6-10 is 2, red 1-5 is 3 and red 6-10 is 4. With a little practice you can read these off very quickly.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><u><b>D6</b></u>: Roll as normal, obviously.<br /><br /><u><b>D8</b></u>: Roll as for a d4, above. Also roll the d6: if an even number comes up, add 4 to the result.<br /><br /><u><b>D10</b></u>: Roll the d20, ignoring the color-coding.<br /><br /><u><b>D12</b></u>: Roll both dice, read the d6. If the d20 comes up even, add 6. If your d20 is color-coded, pick one color as the "Add 6" color to make reading the result even quicker.<br /><br /><u><b>D20</b></u>: Roll the d20. If the number is black, read as-is. If it's red, add 10. Or whatever you've color-coded your d20 as, obviously.<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><p>There you go! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy.<br /></p> </div>Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-47506320310491364632022-09-01T18:59:00.001-04:002022-09-01T18:59:17.674-04:00The Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg review<p>Since I got divorced and life changed and kept changing, I've gotten back into RPGs again. That started out with 5e D&D, but running that for close to a year pushed me back to 1e and B/X. If you're familiar with those 3 different versions of the same game, I'm sure you'll understand. </p><p>Well, going back to B/X and then 1e pushed me further back in Gaming History. Eventually I ended up falling down an internet rabbit hole and bought a copy of the <a href="https://www.secretsofblackmoor.com/" target="_blank">Secrets of Blackmoor</a> documentary. It's a great movie that I've watched twice already. So when Griffith Morgan advertised that he was reprinting the Lost Dungeons of Tonisborg, I jumped on it, even though it was $100 for the book. That was back in January of this year. </p><p> Despite the worldwide paper shortage and overall nonsense leftover from The Covid Year of 2020, ol'Griff managed to get a second printing done and shipped out. And not just a hardcover, a US-printed hardcover! With 80# paper! And a nifty ribbon bookmark! Oh man, this thing is positively glorious. </p><p>So! Now that I've had a week or so to devour this book, let's get into it. It's gonna be a brief review. I'm gonna gloss over a lot of it, because I don't wanna give too much away. But I do want you to know what's in this book and what's it about. Let's begin! </p><p> <b>PART 1: WELCOME TO HISTORY</b> </p><p>The first chapter is 15 pages long and is an introduction to the history behind the Tonisborg maps. It includes hi-res scans of the original surviving maps and their descriptive notes, as well as intro text by Greg Svenson, the creator of the dungeon. It's a nice bit of history, especially considering how long ago all of this started. Greg started gaming with Dave Arneson the year I was born, and I'm not a young man anymore. </p><p>These maps (and this dungeon) are unlike anything published by TSR or WotC or Judges Guild or pretty much anyone. There's a way that Arneson and his players put maps together that are pretty unique, and the Tonisborg maps show that. It's a lot of fun to look at and learn about. </p><p> <b>PART 2: BREATHING LIFE INTO AN OLD DUNGEON</b> </p><p>This chapter is 35 pages long, and is absolutely chock-full of great tips for playing and running a game the way they did 50 years ago. It's a deep dive into a mindset that has been (unfortunately) washed over by at least 7 different editions of D&D (not to mention the periodic non-fantasy RPG explosions that have happened during that stretch of time). Rob Kuntz' method of refereeing that he refers to simply as "The Quiet Game" is alone worth the price of the book, as far as I'm concerned. It's fantastic and I love it. </p><p> <b>PART 3: THE DUNGEONS OF TONISBORG</b> </p><p>This chapter is 31 pages long and consists of all 10 levels, redrawn and (mildly) fleshed out. It's pretty much a self-contained module if you choose to run the Tonisborg dungeon for your group. It's very well done: the maps are clear, the descriptions concise, and being able to flip back and forth between the newly-drawn maps and the originals is also very helpful. </p><p>It's an old-school megadungeon. The second ever megadungeon, in fact. Very lethal, but looks like it would be a lot of fun. Haven't run it yet, but when I do, I'll letcha know if it's as fun as it looks.
<b> </b></p><p><b>PART 4: RULES TO PLAY WITH</b> </p><p>As if a whole module isn't enough, here we get a whole ruleset! Well, not a <i>whole</i> ruleset in that it's a stripped-down version of Champions of ZED, but it's more than enough to run a game with. If you don't know, CoZ is a "what-if" set of rules that takes the original D&D rules and imagines what would've happened if Arneson & Gygax would've worked a little closer together and gotten some extra editing and playtesting done before publishing the original D&D rules from 1974. It's a very neat set of rules. Personally, I like them a lot, and the Tonisborg version is also very interesting. If you're a fan of TSR-era D&D, you would like them. Lots of those TSR-era concepts in these rules, but lots of interesting variations, too. The to hit rolls are especially elegant. </p><p>And, as this hearkens back to 1974, there are only 4 races (halfling, dwarf, elf, human) and 3 classes (fighter, cleric, magic-user). The lack of a thief class is addressed in Part 2, and while it seems weird to those of us who are used to the thief being one of the base classes, this omission takes care of all those "why can't I climb or hide in shadows or (insert thief skill here)?" questions that players have been asking since at least the 80s.
<b> </b></p><p><b>PART 5: TREASURE</b> </p><p>These 10 pages are still part of the rule system, and as with the previous chapter, some of it's very familiar while other parts are a nice surprise. I should note that there are fewer magic items and artifacts here than (say) the 1e DMG, but you can pull pretty much anything out of any D&D book and use it here, with little or no modifications. </p><p> The treasure types are reduced and simplified, based partly off of Dave Arneson's original treatment, and they're very well-done in my opinion.
<b> </b></p><p><b>PART 6: CREATURES FANTASTIC AND MUNDANE</b> </p><p>Another 10-page chapter that's a continuation of the rules. This is a stripped-down monster manual, and again: if you wanna use the 1e MM with these rules, they'll fit in pretty much with little to no modification. I, for one, will definitely be adding Monster Manual critters from the 1e book when I finally get this game started up, because there aren't a lot of monsters in this section. There are, however, plenty of monster stats for what you need to run a group through the Tonisborg megadungeon. </p><p>A note: The dragons in this book are based upon the original types, and would be a fun variation if you and your group are used to the typical chromatic/metallic dragons from TSR or WotC editions of the game. </p><p> <b>PART 7: THE BOOK OF SPELLS</b> </p><p>As with the previous chapter, this is a continuation of the rules and a stripped down version of what you'd be used to if you were running any other edition of D&D previously. I like this chapter because it strips a lot of well-known spells down to their absolute essence, which not only makes them easier to understand, but easier for players to customize if they see fit. Six levels of Cleric and six levels of Magic-User spells listed alphabetically in only five pages! When I say "stripped down" I ain't kidding. </p><p>As with the previous chapter, if you wanna add spells from D&D, you can pretty much do that here with no problem. This gives a Referee a great opportunity to pick and choose which spells he wants in his game, and also gives him the opportunity to make those spells feel special again. It's been my experience that players leaf through the PHB like they're shopping in a spell catalogue and none of those spells really feel special as a result. This approach--a stripped down list of spells with the option to add more piecemeal, later--seems like it would fix that problem. Again: once I actually get a chance to run this ruleset, I'll let you know. </p><p> <b>PART 8: APPENDICES</b> </p><p> There are two appendices here, both of which almost take up a whole page. Appendix A is "Griff's Optional Creature Taxonomy Encounter System", which is a handy wandering monster/dungeon restocking method specifically for the Tonisborg dungeon. Of course, with a little modification, it can be used for anything. </p><p>Appendix B is "Highly Recommended Further Resources"--the Appendix N of the Tonisborg book. Five books are listed here, none of which I've read. However, the author list goes from Dave Arneson to Jennell Jacquays and looks like a good little list of stuff to check out. </p><p>That is an overview of the whole book. It's great! Two things that aren't great are: </p><p>1. There's a missing table in the ruleset! There's a reference to the cost of hirelings that says "the table below" lists the pertinent information, but that table didn't make it into the book. If you've got any edition of D&D, however, you can just use the corresponding table from that book, as the money system is the same as what you're used to. </p><p>2. The index isn't that great. It's good for looking up subject matter, but not much help at all for the rules chapters. You'll have to make your own index for that. I've done that; I might throw it up here at some point. </p><p>All in all, I love this book. Can't wait to run the megadungeon using the enclosed rules for a group at some point. Plus, it's a very neat little collection of pre-D&D history, which I love. This book nicely compliments my 1e and B/X collection, as well as my Secrets of Blackmoor DVDs. </p><p> I recommend it! If he ever does a third printing, jump on it.</p>Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-28029835646666325982022-01-22T20:25:00.001-05:002022-01-22T20:25:16.377-05:00Oh man...I forgot I had this blog site altogether. It's been a little over 9 years since I last posted, and about two lifetimes of stuff has happened since then.
I'll be back later on this year, and might even post some new artwork. We'll see.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-54274158694804205102013-01-20T17:38:00.000-05:002013-01-20T17:46:12.725-05:00Hello again! It's been over a year since my last post. 2012 was that kind of year for me, and from what I've heard, it was that kind of year for everyone.<br />
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Now it's 2013, and I've got a lot of comic stories to get out of my head. First, of course, is <a href="http://silknhoney.departure-productions.com/">Silk & Honey</a>, which is playing right now. Then there's Trinity, a three-way crossover with <a href="http://olddyingkitty.com/Phinmagic/">Barry Linck</a> and <a href="http://thepathcomic.olddyingkitty.com/">James Riot</a> that's been pushed to the back burner more than once. And, of course, Slip, which is the comic about <a href="http://locus.departure-productions.com/2012/03/28/03282012/">Spook's daughter</a>. First issue's written, but I'm still fiddling with issue 2.<br />
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Today's post is about math, or more specifically, numbers. Because numbers define the universe and everything in it. Everything has a numerical value, and most of us have quite a few. From mundane things like age, height and weight to the more fundamental values such as mass, volume and velocity, we are all defined by numbers.<br />
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Numbers in themselves are interesting things. Almost magical. Take repeating numbers, for instance.<br />
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We only have 10 because of the way we count: the digits 0 through 9. A finite number of digits means a finite number of sequences of these digits. Now, a very large number is just a string of digits, and an infinitely-large string of digits will have places where the numbers repeat.<br />
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I can't explain it as well as you can experience it, so let's experience one of the universe's coolest number, pi.<br />
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Pi is 3.14159blahblahblahforever. Seriously. The decimal portion of pi goes on into infinity. In this infinite string of numbers, there are digits that repeat themselves. One repeats itself almost right away, but you can find larger strings of numbers. <a href="http://www.angio.net/pi/digits.html">If you click here, you can search pi for a sequence of numbers.</a> Your birthday is in there, as a matter of fact! Seriously. Type it in. Doesn't even matter what format you use.<br />
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That site will only show you the first time the sequence appears, but if you <a href="http://zenwerx.com/pi.tar.gz">download a text document with the first four million digits</a>, you will find your birthday repeated over and over again. I found mine five times in that document.<br />
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What's the point of all this? First off, it's to have fun with numbers, but there's also a storytelling angle to this.<br />
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Imagine the universe is a wavelength. Imagine all the atoms and all the orbiting (and free) bodies form one big overall wavelength. This could be a wavelength of sound or energy or marshmallows...doesn't matter. It's a pattern of numbers, essentially.<br />
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That wavelength/pattern of numbers will inevitably have spots where it repeats itself. Earth and our solar system have their own wavelength (in this theoretical universal model), and somewhere OUT THERE IN SPACE, that wavelength repeats itself: another Earth is out there somewhere. And, seeing as how the universe is infinite, there are an infinite number of Earths out there.<br />
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This also applies to the Realms of the Dead in the Locus Universe. If you've seen the map, you will know that the Worlds of the Living and the Realms of the Dead are all joined together in a three-pronged fractal pattern. Each "world" is a dimension, and each of them is habitable to human life. Essentially, they're spots where the "humans can live here" pattern of the Universal Wavelength repeats itself.<br />
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Is any of this true? or real? or even provable? Yes and no. There are scientists who are pursuing similar ideas, and they're a lot better at this sort of thing than I am. I'm just taking a behavior which all numbers possess and applying that behavior to an imaginary unit of measure: The Universal Wavelength which exists in the Locus Universe.<br />
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In short: Math is fun. Get better at it! You'll be glad you did.<br />
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Thanks for reading! I may or may not do more math-related posts. It all depends on time this year. Also: check out the cover to the first issue of Slip!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT9Fvlf7YtdcHBFmwh9P9aXLvGogj4jM1q0KEOMm8e9KQVT0b71FJwSZ80A6mj6gsJA6Kzy5DhnQ0EypgDFNvTDiOSbV0pjto-SD8GeG4eZmSNgILsGsJJerfZB-GHgD2i6WzEJXuyac/s1600/slip_cover_01a_biggerlogo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbT9Fvlf7YtdcHBFmwh9P9aXLvGogj4jM1q0KEOMm8e9KQVT0b71FJwSZ80A6mj6gsJA6Kzy5DhnQ0EypgDFNvTDiOSbV0pjto-SD8GeG4eZmSNgILsGsJJerfZB-GHgD2i6WzEJXuyac/s400/slip_cover_01a_biggerlogo.png" /></a></div><br />
I should point out that this cover is based on one of my favorite covers to one of my favorite comics: Issue 30 of Whisper:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHxNAZ72skyHLRDf78PK79VjLAGDy5eyYZZBgGioXlRLGUzWL9mt-SvDESIT0wbYrzym42hauDmyXxCizmTpfIjIV4CZnAuBM8GRtJJ_s09zmkOABtCSlDkLi7BQwgzCVHRKU0rgVAVk/s1600/cover30_lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSHxNAZ72skyHLRDf78PK79VjLAGDy5eyYZZBgGioXlRLGUzWL9mt-SvDESIT0wbYrzym42hauDmyXxCizmTpfIjIV4CZnAuBM8GRtJJ_s09zmkOABtCSlDkLi7BQwgzCVHRKU0rgVAVk/s400/cover30_lores.jpg" /></a></div><br />
Whisper was written by Steven Grant, and this cover was done by Steve Epting. If you've never heard of Whisper, check it out! Whisper was a big inspiration for Locus.<br />
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Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-56935832409132098072011-11-03T23:27:00.000-04:002011-11-03T23:30:44.929-04:00Locus Issue 18, Page 12Dreamhost's SQL servers are down and/or the hackers have finally gotten in.<br /><br />Whatever the reason, here's the page that is scheduled to be published November 4, 2011:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgei-j-fsnRwgLMFpcikX06Gyx_kSED8iRaSnAcoHrMsPfm4U546JytFXxVW3W8ELA0KGN668P80nYeTZPrHkXh5lZY06_gWncn7Xq-xRFsC_0zmpKgQf6KkqN33OPvlvV4GXVQ_yVFyJk/s1600/2011-11-04.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgei-j-fsnRwgLMFpcikX06Gyx_kSED8iRaSnAcoHrMsPfm4U546JytFXxVW3W8ELA0KGN668P80nYeTZPrHkXh5lZY06_gWncn7Xq-xRFsC_0zmpKgQf6KkqN33OPvlvV4GXVQ_yVFyJk/s400/2011-11-04.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5670977687727146802" /></a>Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-40404501920928549952011-04-13T13:46:00.000-04:002011-04-13T14:02:37.509-04:00Close-up!If you've been following <a href="http://www.locuscomics.com">Locus</a> lately (and I'm sure you have), you know that each and every page is now available for sale. I decided to do this because I've had some private collectors approach me in the last couple of months, asking if they can buy original art from the comic. I'm working on a system where anyone can buy their favorite page or First Appearance and have artwork in their hands within a week or two. I'm not quite there yet, but I'm about a week or two away! Here's the deal:<br /><br />Every page of Locus is hand-drawn on acid-free 2-ply bristol board with a brand of permanent ink I'm buying from China that's blacker than shit. I love it. Sometimes I use 11"x14"; other times I use 11"x17". It all depends on page layout, subject matter, and time at hand. I then scan the art into Photoshop and color & letter it.<br /><br />Every collector who gets a page from me gets the following:<br /><br />1. The original black & white artwork,<br /><br />2. A full-color, full-bleed glossy 11"x17" print,<br /><br />3. And some other goodies. Sometimes I include pages from my sketchbook, if I sketched out thumbnails for the page in question. For the Kiss fans, I throw in some <a href="http://www.drunkduck.com/KISS_4K_the_webcomic/">Kiss 4K</a> Lithographs I still have in the studio. If I'm in a goofy mood, I'll throw in something weird.<br /><br />Total price: $150 plus shipping. I will be streamlining the shipping in the next month or two, too.<br /><br />If that's too expensive, you can buy a print of your favorite page. This is the print mentioned in point 2 above. That will be $25 plus shipping.<br /><br />I won't have this in place until next week or maybe even the week after. I will announce it here (and everywhere I can) once it's ready to go.<br /><br />Until then, keep in mind that the page you see on LocusComics.com is a very low-res JPG (or PNG) that doesn't show much detail at all. The original and full-size print are much better looking. For example:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.locuscomics.com/wordpress/?p=455">Today's Comic Page</a> lost some detail. I've zoomed in the first two panels here:<br /><br />Panel 1 in color:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYjm56vxtnUA4DyenGTYkaP77_wA58eIrrNgocQdE4VB89o1D899HqLmqn37IYG-xxas1spRlE2uOElg7zCEr_jEpPPzLlPSqtWs-nYXEdvIni7K_Kwq-noHzI6dwayrevOCKwHoO4dc/s1600/15.3.1.color.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXYjm56vxtnUA4DyenGTYkaP77_wA58eIrrNgocQdE4VB89o1D899HqLmqn37IYG-xxas1spRlE2uOElg7zCEr_jEpPPzLlPSqtWs-nYXEdvIni7K_Kwq-noHzI6dwayrevOCKwHoO4dc/s400/15.3.1.color.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595128726445701810" /></a><br /><br />and in black & white:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT9HcWOT-t3euiHTJuYDl0nasxVxoCpVFKYGwj0vJfgfXJF-VfFuqHyuWSBlgoCoipxw073A_RMjNSWiBxIxjcZQFkLpxOckGMg679ruZ9rvXIlyN0EIscKlIx4_s6Z5RaKyX9j3p0PE/s1600/15.3.1.bw.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 322px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaT9HcWOT-t3euiHTJuYDl0nasxVxoCpVFKYGwj0vJfgfXJF-VfFuqHyuWSBlgoCoipxw073A_RMjNSWiBxIxjcZQFkLpxOckGMg679ruZ9rvXIlyN0EIscKlIx4_s6Z5RaKyX9j3p0PE/s400/15.3.1.bw.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595128939496114290" /></a><br /><br />Panel 2 in color:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgN00lVClrTAiUEZF5zfeqojpVldp724BgexT7x85xHBV7pQO81ISE_4-niJTtIk8xcORGcKSuplpNCdr1jf6fWY6gWP_-9urX8X9SJpmeC7FLBGkgfNqviwIY9z6JWsl1cJsKCB9KTA/s1600/15.3.2.color.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 348px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipgN00lVClrTAiUEZF5zfeqojpVldp724BgexT7x85xHBV7pQO81ISE_4-niJTtIk8xcORGcKSuplpNCdr1jf6fWY6gWP_-9urX8X9SJpmeC7FLBGkgfNqviwIY9z6JWsl1cJsKCB9KTA/s400/15.3.2.color.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595129136040939266" /></a><br /><br />and in black & white:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96NJFtoC_F5BYcJNZdjEjoT0f2Xr6MnotQgY4x-2D_Ae90sc_VyQY58jm6K9TKnwNfb34niwiHf7bVIH6YZO1RVzVuLZ3nF1JGmUdGsn0XVTE2RzWhH0HvkW5O2Q3QvmB5GWBaC3uAQ0/s1600/15.3.2.bw.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 348px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj96NJFtoC_F5BYcJNZdjEjoT0f2Xr6MnotQgY4x-2D_Ae90sc_VyQY58jm6K9TKnwNfb34niwiHf7bVIH6YZO1RVzVuLZ3nF1JGmUdGsn0XVTE2RzWhH0HvkW5O2Q3QvmB5GWBaC3uAQ0/s400/15.3.2.bw.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5595129328258175938" /></a><br /><br />I hope that shows the brushwork and coloring a little better. Any questions, suggestions or comments, feel free to comment!Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-52271587545564661862011-01-25T04:03:00.000-05:002011-01-25T04:46:48.894-05:00Stryper!It's <a href="http://www.stryper.com/">Stryper's</a> fault. All these <a href="http://monstersandnekkidladies.com/">monsters and tits I draw</a>...they're because of Stryper.<br /><br />Look, it was the 80s. None of us in our teens had any real taste in music. You had to be there.<br /><br />And you had to be there in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PMRC">PMRC</a> days. The "<a href="http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/0046/0046_01.ASP">D&D will send you to hell</a>" days. Back when W.A.S.P. was singing about "Tie you down-down, I come steal your love...<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnBKNPELeLo">like an Animal</a>!" Between the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTcLPHUq-Vw">long-haired rockstars</a> and the <a href="http://thinkexist.com/quotes/mikhail_gorbachev/">Goddamned Communists</a>, if you were a parent in the 80s, you were scared. Because there was a lot of evil shit going around, and your teenaged kids were right in the middle of it!<br /><br />My parents were scared. I drove my Dad nuts. All I wanted to do was look at <a href="http://awizardindallas.blogspot.com/2010/03/let-freedom-wing.html">pictures in the Monster Manual</a> and listen to heavy metal. I got into D&D, but spent more time drawing the things in the game than actually playing the game. And in my version, there were lots of monsters and tits, because I was also sneaking peeks at neighbors' Heavy Metal magazines and my Dad's Playboy/Penthouse/Hustler collection. Those were the years of <a href="http://www.fanpix.net/picture-gallery/barbi-benton-picture-10129137.htm">Barbi Benton's return</a>, and they were good years. Barbi Benton was dreamy. That was also the magical time between 1979 and 1986-ish, when Heavy Metal magazine was <a href="http://beechtreeinn.co.uk/metaltv/mboard/read.php?1,14288">the most amazing comic book on the planet</a>. These were wonderful things to expose yourself to when you were between 14 and 16.<br /><br />(Pre-internet, kids. Pre-internet...in rural North Idaho. Imagine the 1950s...except someone in the neighborhood had HBO.)<br /><br />My Dad was all about John Wayne and the Beach Boys and Old Glory and things like that. And why not? Those are fine people and things to be a fan of. So (despite the fact that they were HIS titty magazines), I was taught to not let any filth in the house. The D&D was tolerated, but the heavy metal music was <span style="font-style:italic;">absolutely-no-way-over-my-dead-body-son</span>. And that really sucked. But my Mom talked him into allowing Stryper, because that was Christian metal.<br /><br />This was not the Christian metal you kids have nowadays. This was all <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyS7TFKwp3w">"Jesus is the way"</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_p5um3aOqg">"rockin' for The Rock"</a> shit. The kind of shit that got your ass kicked at school--or at least the schools I attended. And, because of that, I fucking hated it.<br /><br />I have nothing against the band or its members, or its fans. I have nothing against the message in the music. Oz Fox plays some <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaBkTQ4lEfU">ass-kickin' guitar solos</a>, and Michael Sweet hits some seriously high notes. But the fact remained: Stryper wasn't cool in my school, but that's all I was allowed to listen to at home. I'd go over to friends' houses and listen to the metal I wanted to hear (W.A.S.P. and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FBe9l_A3vo">Motorhead</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL3C_eAtlS0">Twisted Sister</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5PuYIsKbe0">Priest</a> and all that shit), but when I was alone in that magical attic I turned into my first studio, I listened only to Stryper.<br /><br />And I hated Stryper so badly that the things that came out of my pencil were terrible, horrible things. My Mom told me a couple years ago that she'd found all that artwork--all the gory battles and <a href="http://monstersandnekkidladies.com/images/scorp.jpg">naked women</a> and monsters and pretty much all the shit I draw nowadays--and made damn sure my Dad never set foot in the attic. Thanks, Mom!<br /><br />We're all older now, and I give my Dad hell because he listened to more drugged-out musicians than I did--Linda Ronstadt and Rick Nelson and the aforementioned Beach Boys did waaaaay more drugs than Kiss or most of the bands in my tape deck back then. We laugh about the whole experience, and Dad admits the real reason he didn't like the music was the way it sounded, and that's just fine. I can't stand some of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRSsxUjulLY">"Cookie Monster chases a drum kit down the stairs"</a> shit my kids call metal. But I let them listen to it anyway. It's just music.<br /><br />26 years later, and I have this weird love/hate relationship with Stryper. Because there are days when I get severe Artist's Block, and only Stryper kills it. Stryper and the old red light from that attic studio. I've put it in a dozen different lamps, and the bulb's still working. It's my Muse.<br /><br />The above was very, very rambling, and I hope it made sense. It's way too late at night to go up and edit, and I shouldn't be telling you these things anyway. But you had to understand where pages like <a href="http://www.locuscomics.com/wordpress/?p=321">this</a> came from. And <a href="http://www.locuscomics.com/wordpress/?p=86">this</a> and <a href="http://www.locuscomics.com/wordpress/?p=214">this</a> and <a href="http://www.locuscomics.com/wordpress/?p=151">this</a> and <a href="http://www.locuscomics.com/wordpress/?p=162">this</a>. And pretty much every single page of <a href="http://www.locuscomics.com">Locus</a>.<br /><br />Cool thing is: I've got an upstairs studio again. The red light bulb was the first thing I set up. Year Three of Locus should turn out very well.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-13866236435097320612010-11-16T23:29:00.000-05:002010-11-17T10:03:56.897-05:00Update, and some artwork!Locus Year Three is in full swing, and I've never been busier in my life. Not because of Locus Year Three, unfortunately, but because real-life things have all decided to come to a head in my life. Many things going on right now. Most of them good; all of them time-consuming. It barely leaves me time to get Locus pages done on time, let alone actually sit down and give all these commissions the attention they deserve.<br /><br />A couple days ago, I actually woke up and decided I'd take a day off. I'd just sit around and read comics all day or something. I like to research comics of the 50s, the Comics Code Authority, Seduction of the Innocent...all that crap. I came across the iconic Phantom Lady #17 cover:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7r9Gk3zazxhQvXrPcX_rEAB-nLVHX_8NqkiJDT0XG5_vrR4y5f6U7aviIvaJKuuSSfqs31VnE-plVwLboPf5xjgIm1MKxa8Yq8nVECc4xJqff9I7eOXYIDFnTEqm9S8rU9jT8PngZ0U/s1600/PL17.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 274px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj7r9Gk3zazxhQvXrPcX_rEAB-nLVHX_8NqkiJDT0XG5_vrR4y5f6U7aviIvaJKuuSSfqs31VnE-plVwLboPf5xjgIm1MKxa8Yq8nVECc4xJqff9I7eOXYIDFnTEqm9S8rU9jT8PngZ0U/s400/PL17.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540373479585607170" /></a><br /><br />And I decided to remake this cover with Silk in it instead:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh171DQIE7rSseRpSDwgdZMh4-7l3jKMSuiVgImMie9pC2ZRQtMBWaBFdB2jD15ApW2EeeFu3wfrpnMqYbK28z4K6f89qRdGXAbj89hL0zXMBrBOrJRbr9pLI6Jfs4iD1l2NYcomwEbEXE/s1600/phantom-succubus-flat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh171DQIE7rSseRpSDwgdZMh4-7l3jKMSuiVgImMie9pC2ZRQtMBWaBFdB2jD15ApW2EeeFu3wfrpnMqYbK28z4K6f89qRdGXAbj89hL0zXMBrBOrJRbr9pLI6Jfs4iD1l2NYcomwEbEXE/s400/phantom-succubus-flat.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540373771032269506" /></a><br /><br />I hope you like it!<br /><br />In fact, I hope you like it enough to buy it. For $150, I will give you the original artwork (brush and ink on 100 lb. vellum, 11"x17"), a nice glossy full-color 11"x17" print (like you see above), and a surprise. Or two or three.<br /><br />I will ship to anywhere on the North American continent for five bucks. For other continents, we'll have to talk, but it's mostly so I don't cause you any import troubles.<br /><br />Here is a scan of the inks:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YHdgdP46x5b8bzkpkMzL9_6_odrcJWmPx6yklLpEJdKb2DVp7EQK797HMudGJHAe_p5OTJFuXR-XpGoYLIO-N9xCWeSO2sGTn8_kgbdcTeHuMcHfdMrN43d2o512cqlOBCMUZWOsYrc/s1600/phantom-succubus-bw.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 229px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9YHdgdP46x5b8bzkpkMzL9_6_odrcJWmPx6yklLpEJdKb2DVp7EQK797HMudGJHAe_p5OTJFuXR-XpGoYLIO-N9xCWeSO2sGTn8_kgbdcTeHuMcHfdMrN43d2o512cqlOBCMUZWOsYrc/s400/phantom-succubus-bw.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540375332057763826" /></a><br /><br />Good for dorm rooms, bachelor pads, Man Caves, Basements With Bars and Pool Tables...whatever. Can be hung from ceiling over crib of baby boy to insure proper testosterone development.<br /><br />It really has a thousand and one uses. Get ahold of me!<br /><br />Send an email to <b>indigoshift at gmail dot com</b> if you love Silk and want her in your house forever.<br /><br />And you know you do.<br /><br />UPDATE: This image is sold! Thanks to everyone for checking it out.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-61382881752179891312010-10-20T16:48:00.000-04:002016-10-20T11:54:39.231-04:00Locus, Year ThreeAt the end of October, Locus Year Two will draw to a close. The end of Issue 12 is the end of a lot of things, and the beginning of a lot more. To understand this fully, you need to understand Locus from Day One. If you've been a fan since the beginning, this is all review to you--although I will be telling you behind-the-scenes stuff I've never told you before.<br />
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If you're a new fan, take a moment to look busy at your Day Job and give the following a read:<br />
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<span style="font-weight:bold;">LOCUS YEAR ONE</span><br />
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The mantra from the beginning of this project has been "Locus Is An Experiment". Any scientist will tell you that the early experiments always end in failure and/or disappointment. Experimentation is, essentially, the process of fucking up until you can't fuck up anymore. I know that everyone likes a success story, and I know that everyone loves an instant success story full of triumphs and devoid of failures.<br />
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But that's not the way the world works, and you know it.<br />
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Locus Year One began because I was the first person in history to write, draw, color and letter an official Kiss comic all by myself. I may hold that record for a long time, although I'm sure I won't hold it forever.<br />
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<a href="http://kiss4k.com">Kiss 4K</a> was a good gig. It was a fun gig. I didn't do as good a job on it as someone else would have, but I will always be grateful for the learning experience. K4K was an experiment, too. An experiment in reader interaction. And it was fun to work on a comic promoted by Gene Simmons. It was also fun to walk right up to Paul Stanley and shake his hand. That man is Living Cool. He is The Breeze.<br />
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When the Kiss gig dried up, I found myself with a hole in my life. A M/W/F schedule with nothing to update! So I relaunched an old title called "Locus". My friend <a href="http://www.djcoffman.com/">DJ Coffman</a> put in a good word with me over on Keenspot, and his friend Chris Crosby agreed to host Locus for her first year.<br />
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Locus Year One ended both in mild success and mild failure. That wasn't Chris Crosby's fault. Wasn't Keenspot's fault. Wasn't Locus' fault, either. It was the fault of the ad networks.<br />
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I live in a country run by loud, belligerent, lily-livered assclowns who think it's their right to tell everyone what is acceptable and what is not. Some of these assholes run ad networks, and they want nothing to do with <a href="http://locuscomics.com">Boobs, Blood and Bad Language (tm)</a>. There is a line you quite simply Do Not Cross, and that line is called "PG-13".<br />
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And if you're in agreement with that mindset, fuck you. You're wrong. Here's why:<br />
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These morons will tell you that nudity is evil. Breasts should be taboo and hidden. Ladies, what do you really think about someone you've never met insisting that a natural and life-giving part of your body is dirty and evil? Your breasts have been taboo-ed to the point where you are treated like sexual objects every single time your breasts are even slightly noticeable. I think it's fuckin' retarded.<br />
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These are the same idiots that tell you stoners are more dangerous than alcoholics. It's the same fear-mongering and the same flawed logic. For fuck's sake, people! One of the first things you ever saw in your life was a tit. And not just any tit...this was your momma's tit. And what did you do with this tit? You put your mouth over it and sucked for all you were worth.<br />
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Tits aren't evil. Humans are mammals and mammals are amazing because mammals give nutrients from their own bodies to feed their young. It's a miracle of life and a crown of evolutionary achievement.<br />
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And that (believe it or not) was Locus Year One: The Crusade for Understanding. The fans got it. The Crosbys got it, too. But the ad network ass-wipes were too afraid. Anything that robs those penny-pinching dickheads of even a dime scares the hell out of them.<br />
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They took it out on Keenspot, and Keenspot was forced to push Locus to the back of the room. I couldn't live back there, so I left.<br />
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<span style="font-weight:bold;">LOCUS YEAR TWO</span><br />
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Locus Year Two is when I moved over to my friend Matt Jacobs' comic site, Needcomics--which later became Wevolt.<br />
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Matt's a bright guy. He and I met in the Platinum/Kiss 4K days, and he's still a good friend. Matt said he wanted to make Locus a success, and he busted his ass night and day--every day--for a whole year.<br />
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I know a lot of you guys didn't like Wevolt, but Wevolt's problems were also Keenspot's problems. Namely: Locus vs the Ad Network Assholes. Believe it or not, everything unfortunate that happened at Wevolt was (directly or indirectly) the fallout from Ad Network Assholes balking at Locus.<br />
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I only found this out two days ago, otherwise I would've told you sooner!<br />
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Matt had a lot of sweet ad revenue lined up for Wevolt, but every time those ad dicks saw that Locus was the flagship title, they all got wide-eyed and scared and rubbing their hands together all sweaty and shit. They backed out, like the chickenshit idiots they are. I have no respect for people like that. Fuck them all.<br />
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I have nothing but love and respect for Matt. In fact, Matt wanted to redesign the whole Wevolt business model to accommodate Locus! Can you believe that? A hell of a guy, Matt Jacobs.<br />
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But that's not something I thought was a good idea for him or his project. There are plenty of great comics on Wevolt that would benefit from standard ad revenue options. Why piss in everyone's punch just to keep Locus around? That's no good.<br />
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So, as Locus Year Two draws to a close, I would like to announce that Locus will be moving again. And I don't wanna hear no griping this time! Here's why:<br />
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<span style="font-weight:bold;">LOCUS YEAR THREE</span><br />
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Starting November 1, 2010, Locus will be on her own site. I will have total and direct control over everything, and the things I have planned will be the things Locus fans have been asking for throughout Year Two.<br />
<br />
There will be pinups. There will be a fan club. There will be cool little extras and sneak-peeks into my studio, my working process, and my previous attempts at Locus--some of which date back to the mid-90s.<br />
<br />
Lots of this will be free. Some of it you will have to pay for. But every penny you spend will be worth it, because I'm not going to go with some generic Webcomic Fan Boy template. The only way for Locus to succeed is for me to pick and choose everything carefully. I will be building a custom experience here. You will get this treatment nowhere else. Your time spent on Locus will be unique.<br />
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Ads, for instance. There are people and businesses that would love to advertise on Locus. I know that's true. I've seen like-minded people and kindred spirits all over the internet! They're other artists, musicians, writers, tattoo artists...people like you and me are everywhere. We're all sitting around wishing that the world wasn't dominated by <a href="http://www.zpub.com/notes/FuckDisney.html">Disney</a> and <a href="http://www.mcsucks.com/">McDonald's</a> and family-friendly and all-ages and all that kiddie bullshit. We're fuckin' adults! We want monsters and tits and blood and suspense and violence and sex and action!<br />
<br />
I will be searching for these kindred souls as potential sponsors and/or supporters of Locus. So even the ads will be part of the Awesome.<br />
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You can help me, too...the way you've always helped. Bring more like-minded people to Locus. Spread the word! Not to everyone; just those who Get It.<br />
<br />
Speaking of like-minded kindred spirits...<br />
<br />
I won't be doing this alone. There are other webcomic-makin' people that I will be in cahoots with. Others who don't fit the standard "fat, bickering nerd" (FBN) stereotype of webcomic creator. Let's leave the Scott Kurtzes of the world to their own little corner of the intertron. That shit is working great for those guys, and more power to them. Good for you guys! You Made It.<br />
<br />
But fuck that scene. Locus is all about tits and blood and beer and flame jobs on hot rods and extra jalapenos on EVERYTHING. And I will be in cahoots with other webcomic artists who are also sick of that sad old FBN scene. That shit is ten years out of date, at the least. None of that old shit for Locus! I'll be working with DJ Coffman and <a href="http://ravensdojo.com/">Raven Perez</a> to make Locus Year Three the ass-kickinest year ever.<br />
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Now, I'm not going to be collaborating with them on shared projects here. When I say "working with", I'm not talking about what you think I'm talking about. This is all behind-the-scenes stuff that will make all our comics standalone successes. Raven has a great property in Raven's Dojo, which I feel is the sister comic to Locus. And DJ is launching something big very soon--as with everything related to DJ, it will be exciting. You will be hearing a lot from me about Raven's and DJ's projects, and they will be talking about Locus as well.<br />
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<span style="font-weight:bold;">IN CONCLUSION (FINALLY)</span><br />
<br />
Wow. That was a lot of talk. What does it all mean for you, the Locus Fan?<br />
<br />
It means that I'm at a point in my experimentation where the test tubes don't blow up the whole lab anymore. Those of you who have been around since the beginning will be happy, because this is the year all your waiting for me to get my shit together finally pays off. Haaa!<br />
<br />
I have big things planned for Year Three. I have a new and interesting way I'll be doing things, and much of it will be new to webcomics in general. I will be introducing these ideas slowly, and I will be giving credit where credit is due, because a lot of these ideas aren't mine. I didn't sit down and magically dream up the Be-All and End-All of Locus Success by myself. I've been fortunate enough to have friends in this field who are willing to share ideas behind the scenes with their friends, and I will be taking the ideas that are the best way to give you guys the Locus stuff you've been asking for all last year.<br />
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But I'm just <span style="font-style:italic;">telling</span> you this. Stick around and let me <span style="font-style:italic;">show</span> you. It'll be fun, I promise.<br />
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Whether or not you stick around is up to you. I'm glad you were here as long as you were. When I said my fans are my friends, I meant it. The Locusts, The Locultists, and the Howlin' Monkeys.<br />
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You are all my friends, and I love you all. Thanks for sticking around up till now, and I hope you dig Year Three.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-51079686604907486442010-10-18T00:03:00.001-04:002010-10-18T00:04:17.712-04:00Locus Issue 12, Page 19Wevolt's down again, so here's Page 19. Sorry, guys.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKiDj0jqwI1Zeqjo_LK9WVUXhLXV0CJkb0n2FnAYNbtCfA653kRcob4GPMrZ88ABNH2A-KQew6VOFiYcXEaHIlBKnPh7f_exraHobbWTcZn3Br6wEY7gE-cIyhlZxtGzpnIiuFXBqeX8/s1600/19.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKiDj0jqwI1Zeqjo_LK9WVUXhLXV0CJkb0n2FnAYNbtCfA653kRcob4GPMrZ88ABNH2A-KQew6VOFiYcXEaHIlBKnPh7f_exraHobbWTcZn3Br6wEY7gE-cIyhlZxtGzpnIiuFXBqeX8/s400/19.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529231908214172530" /></a>Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-58880538075336823452010-10-04T13:25:00.000-04:002010-10-04T13:29:59.631-04:00Locus: Issue 12, Page 13Wevolt.com is experiencing technical difficulties today, so here is today's page:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOMIv4sp6e6SW8mCLLcMx3ff62Z7WMbaYAcqYV7KIYu1S5Rn6DeN4BBWc0Q52ZUJ2Q47e5vUzbm2Af6V8iCXH9AYlTzzuhiCCjf3wZ4O6h-akfQuUA4J2tbEHc7OtGJRwdl-0FVpIyog/s1600/13.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOMIv4sp6e6SW8mCLLcMx3ff62Z7WMbaYAcqYV7KIYu1S5Rn6DeN4BBWc0Q52ZUJ2Q47e5vUzbm2Af6V8iCXH9AYlTzzuhiCCjf3wZ4O6h-akfQuUA4J2tbEHc7OtGJRwdl-0FVpIyog/s400/13.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5524243629117666770" /></a><br /><br /><br />And the accompanying Author's Notes--stripped of links, since they're all links that are on Wevolt as well:<br /><br />It's our friend, Dr Wells! This is the last we'll be seeing of the good doctor for awhile--his part of this story is nearly done for now.<br /><br />I hope that this dialogue helps out those of you who feel like you're missing some plot points. If you have questions, leave me a comment!<br /><br />I skimped a bit in that top panel, but I originally was going to color it a different way. That way turned out way too dark so I did a hasty and last-minute repaint up there, and it still isn't right.<br /><br />I'm busy right now. Soooo busy. I'm writing three comics for you guys at this point! And I realize this is the first you've heard of this, so let me explain:<br /><br />I'm working on a crossover with James Riot and Barry Linck, both of whom have awesome comics of their own. The Path and Phineus: Magician for Hire are both on Wevolt, and they're a lot of fun to read.<br /><br />This crossover is called Wevolt Trinity, or just "Trinity" to its friends. It will have Locus, Phineus Beam and Chance McGavin flying down to Antarctica to visit the Mountains of Madness. Now, I've already shown you the Mountains of Madness in Locus--that's where Isaac was just recently. So the Trinity comic is definitely a canonical Locus story. Trinity, in fact, takes place before Locus Issue 1. She will look a little different and act a little different. Oh, and Spook will be there.<br /><br />That's the second comic I'm doing. It will update daily for awhile. We're fiddling with a new format that makes it easier to update more often. If you guys like the look of Trinity, let me know and I'll do Locus the same way. I'll even update it 5 days a week--I can do it at that format.<br /><br />So go check out that comic and let me know what you think of it.<br /><br />The third comic I'm writing for you is something I've been kicking around forever. It's the story of how Spook and Silk first met in the Wild West. It's also the story of how Spook's gun came to be made.<br /><br />I grew up on spaghetti westerns and old issues of Jonah Hex, Weird War and EC reprints. This comic will have a little of all of those things in it.<br /><br />I'm making it as an incentive to join the fan club I haven't set up yet. So you might not see it for awhile, but I'm working on it.<br /><br />And finally, my friend Murch has decided to make his own Wevolt site, and will be publishing prose there. So you guys go give Murch Writes a look and keep your eye on him. He's writing a while novel over there!Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-63826624662369183262010-08-31T01:06:00.000-04:002010-08-31T01:09:07.407-04:00Jack Kirby was amazingRead this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPU5VSNbKjtFoUmegKQ3IajWinmCQGwTgz8kTriN7Twmm33scFyU-tNT3q31DIL4tUiSSebOtdDEGYkS5SFJg8Y8n1-kEisTiFkBVnTX2xVzfRIRKeZErDLl3zOwA9ngYUmP-Dsn6K9yc/s1600/Black+Panther+v1+04%2B05.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 290px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPU5VSNbKjtFoUmegKQ3IajWinmCQGwTgz8kTriN7Twmm33scFyU-tNT3q31DIL4tUiSSebOtdDEGYkS5SFJg8Y8n1-kEisTiFkBVnTX2xVzfRIRKeZErDLl3zOwA9ngYUmP-Dsn6K9yc/s400/Black+Panther+v1+04%2B05.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5511436291697469330" /></a><br /><br />If that's not the most epic thing you've read this year, you're lyin!Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-66456736853755969782010-05-25T16:07:00.000-04:002010-05-25T16:12:13.269-04:00I'm moving!For the few of you who follow this, I should tell you that I'm moving this week, and won't be online for at least the rest of this month. Today is, in fact, my last day of internet access for awhile.<br /><br />It's a long move and I'm an old man, so I really want to just get this move done with and then relax at Hambone's house for a couple of days. I will be taking a few days off to celebrate finally getting out of the goddamned desert. I've been wanting to move since I got here almost five years ago, so I will be doing a lot of celebrating. :)<br /><br />If you don't hear from me for awhile, that's why. See you on the other side!Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-83392201570941947322010-05-10T16:32:00.001-04:002010-08-31T01:09:47.440-04:00Frank Frazetta passed away today<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCl8EAVw_XhR-9_nTPqBeOf7FRvg4__gXLAlW5TgzBFmaoB0BvHvlw5fUaC1Bzg33zSW_UAATeLP2Khm7N1X1iZBSucoTu2ODHMAlMiyUuBTe5869qEATT4qAUH_6AG4Ofx-9Tqel8gw/s1600/frank-frazetta-egyptian_queen.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 273px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyCl8EAVw_XhR-9_nTPqBeOf7FRvg4__gXLAlW5TgzBFmaoB0BvHvlw5fUaC1Bzg33zSW_UAATeLP2Khm7N1X1iZBSucoTu2ODHMAlMiyUuBTe5869qEATT4qAUH_6AG4Ofx-9Tqel8gw/s400/frank-frazetta-egyptian_queen.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5469742106105806258" /></a><br /><br />Frazetta was easily one of the greatest artists of all time. Unlike other fantasy painters, he managed to capture a raw brutality and savage movement in everything he did.<br /><br />Unfortunately, <a href="http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/10/frank-frazetta-fantasy-illustrator-dies-at-82/">Mr Frazetta passed away today</a> after a stroke. He lived a long and full 82 years.<br /><br />I never met him, but I'm gonna miss the hell out of him.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-48932018382198048492010-04-04T17:41:00.000-04:002010-04-04T17:43:04.125-04:00Locus now a part of Outland Entertainment!Press release can be found <a href="http://outlandentertainment.com/index.php?a=content&p=18">here</a>.<br /><br />Nothing I can talk about in detail just yet, but it's all good news. I'm stoked!<br /><br />Stay tuned! Awesome stuff coming later this summer-ish.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-42599404119619629962010-03-23T03:50:00.000-04:002010-03-23T03:59:44.395-04:00Good News, Bad News, and Rock & Roll!I have good news and bad news. Everyone wants to hear bad news first, so here you go:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br />I'm not taking any more commissions until after June.</span> I'm embarrassingly behind on everyone's artwork as it is, and now I have a lot of Real-Life stuff to deal with as well. Namely, the Big Move. I'll be moving out of Arizona in a couple months, and the preparations have been murder. A 1300-mile move is difficult in the best of times, and in these Crappy Economy Times, it's even more hectic. Whee!<br /><br />For everyone who is currently waiting for artwork, thanks for your patience. I'm working on your art, I swear! It's just been slow going lately.<br /><br />Of course, Locus will still update M/W/F. Nothing short of my death or near-death will stop that.<br /><br />And now, the Good News:<br /><br />I will indeed be printing up 11"x17" posters of the <a href="http://www.needcomics.com/Locus/page/211/">cover to Locus, Issue Nine</a>. However, these will be <span style="font-weight:bold;">limited edition posters.</span> I'm only making <span style="font-weight:bold;">50</span> of them, and they will be signed and numbered. Cost will be $10 each, plus $2 for shipping (in North America) or $5 anywhere else. I haven't announced this formally until now, and there's already a list of people waiting for me to print these things up. So get on the list now! They're first-come, first-served.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Send me an email (indigoshift@gmail.com) with "Locus #9 Poster" in the subject line so I can add you to the list.<br /></span><br />I should have these printed up and ready to ship in the next couple of weeks.<br /><br />Finally:<br /><br />An old project that got shelved two years ago has been moved from the back burner. I met <a href="http://www.ilovecockpit.com">Cockpit</a> at Wizard World LA in 2008, and we decided to work together on something cool and fun which I can't talk about just yet. The project got shelved because we all got way too busy, but we're kicking it into gear again. So stay tuned! It's an exciting project.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-10414551114957958102010-02-27T19:51:00.001-05:002010-02-27T19:55:35.242-05:00Hampstead and Xel'DuumI really got into Crack the Skye by Mastodon after seeing them in concert back in November. One of my favorite parts about this album is that Rasputin is in it.<br /><br />Rasputin is also in my comic, <a href="http://www.needcomics.com/Locus/">Locus</a>, under the name of Wilfred Hampstead. So, of course, I got thinking about Hampstead while I was listening to the album, and came up with this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjh554YyllFyujZjFteIq6e255inak2dViz8-NQcXo6-HksfIhlzYLd14aaVWsypFHZlwMd0xVYWLb3c2_Qu41QRhMicXpkmk_ar2KPeLvGWx7qwlWRMZuPcA-327VzgGYrTDSgisk4F4/s1600-h/xelduum10.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjh554YyllFyujZjFteIq6e255inak2dViz8-NQcXo6-HksfIhlzYLd14aaVWsypFHZlwMd0xVYWLb3c2_Qu41QRhMicXpkmk_ar2KPeLvGWx7qwlWRMZuPcA-327VzgGYrTDSgisk4F4/s400/xelduum10.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443091094282225106" /></a><br /><br />Colored version looks like this:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3Ky2Hxr0ELyv_2tgBmLvMVbY_uF7U30elHZ2PC-OR6oE2cSY8eWvuZbc5HnK-X-9S0HbkmWNuDcayMSQWV_3ek59yA81Jkll0Lx6C_opkAOEPEZaW9hQumJMSQgSm0TUJ0lhEfPFNrU/s1600-h/xelduum10color.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3Ky2Hxr0ELyv_2tgBmLvMVbY_uF7U30elHZ2PC-OR6oE2cSY8eWvuZbc5HnK-X-9S0HbkmWNuDcayMSQWV_3ek59yA81Jkll0Lx6C_opkAOEPEZaW9hQumJMSQgSm0TUJ0lhEfPFNrU/s400/xelduum10color.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443091387822548706" /></a><br /><br />Such is the art that comes out of my hand when I'm listening to awesome southern rock/metal/whatever on endless repeat for a month or two.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-26236358546970979842010-02-24T10:22:00.000-05:002010-02-24T17:44:30.528-05:00Locus Issue 8, Page 22Woke up to an unpleasant surprise this morning: Needcomics.com--the domain that hosts Locus--is down. Argh!<br /><br />For the forseeable future (hopefully not too long) I'll be putting new Locus pages up here. So be sure to check back every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Here's today's page:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij2BHnDOr2wZpYOgecTcQlkyi0pkQpWR7HlsuDOPLOHl_WcgzHEwRaO-_oDoDshIldpcxSA65L81dZnqCV8SOuzSfCusQmxFP3CX0HUFyeE7fkYeJsQ7Gq4Cfynlv7_4FcZzddvwcqf8/s1600-h/22.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhij2BHnDOr2wZpYOgecTcQlkyi0pkQpWR7HlsuDOPLOHl_WcgzHEwRaO-_oDoDshIldpcxSA65L81dZnqCV8SOuzSfCusQmxFP3CX0HUFyeE7fkYeJsQ7Gq4Cfynlv7_4FcZzddvwcqf8/s400/22.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5441832085766835122" /></a><br /><br />You'll need an account at Blogger to post comments, unfortunately, but if you have said account, feel free to comment and talk my ear off!<br /><br />All this has me worried about Matt, who owns Needcomics and Panelflow. I haven't heard from him in a couple weeks, and I'm a little worried about him.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">EDIT:</span><br /><br />She's back online at her regular haunt. Total downtime was less than four hours or so, which doesn't bug me at all. And I'm glad Matt didn't die in a fiery car crash or something! :)Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-2296699446478454002010-01-26T10:41:00.001-05:002010-01-26T10:47:00.009-05:00Locus Trade Paperback #1!It took me a long time to get the first three issues of <a href="http://www.needcomics.com/Locus/">Locus</a> collected in one book--a lot longer than I'd planned. But it's finally done! And it's an impressive book, if I do say so myself.<br /><br />TPB01 collects the first three issues, all 12 pages of bonus artwork (which are available in the individual issues), 16 pages of the original Locus comic (which was online briefly in 2001), three all-new covers, and one future cover you've never seen before (because I needed something for the back cover). It's 104 pages and a quarter-inch thick!<br /><br />Even better: you can order it online yourself (by visiting <a href="http://www.indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3260">this site</a>) or you can get it from your friendly local comic shop (by giving <a href="http://www.comicsmonkey.com/versionone/product_info.php?products_id=3260">this link</a> to your comic shop owner). I make a little more on the "order it online yourself" version, but feel free to grab it any way you like!<br /><br />I'll have news on the second trade paperback in a month or two.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-27095087082897475952010-01-04T15:07:00.000-05:002010-01-04T15:14:47.885-05:00Issue Six of Locus now in print<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fPvpMmvyhqawEfg8L0EeMz9ZX00J9YkBzkx9styA8uDI-NDSNaWCT_5mfCy0QJ2ZS3Fde3iiD_54c3h7dAjpwl7DVMQbr063EQgTZ7O4ch6mocLFcWhpzMK3D0trCnrzx6JLv4r_ScQ/s1600-h/issuesix.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7fPvpMmvyhqawEfg8L0EeMz9ZX00J9YkBzkx9styA8uDI-NDSNaWCT_5mfCy0QJ2ZS3Fde3iiD_54c3h7dAjpwl7DVMQbr063EQgTZ7O4ch6mocLFcWhpzMK3D0trCnrzx6JLv4r_ScQ/s400/issuesix.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422979245960681618" /></a><br /><br />Finally! Issue Six is now available in print form. Grab your copy <a href="http://www.indyplanet.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=3177">here</a>.<br /><br />I'm also working furiously to get caught up on private commissions and free comics for those who are kind enough to donate. You can read about this free comic deal <a href="http://forum.panelflow.com/index.php?topic=41.0">here</a>.<br /><br />Finally, I created one of those movie-style trailers for Locus. It took me about a half hour, so it's nothing too special. Just me learning the ropes. I'll be making a better one as time permits. You can see my very first comic trailer on <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rByzNeD0vTk">YouTube</a>.<br /><br />My very special thanks to <a href="http://www.ilovecockpit.com">Cockpit</a> for the use of their song, "Shot in Hell". I'm told that the cowbell used in that song is the very same one used by Tommy Lee when Motley Crue recorded Shout At The Devil. I have no reason to disbelieve this, so click that YouTube link (and that Cockpit link) and bask in the rock & roll history!Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-33012405057360028042009-12-22T16:58:00.001-05:002009-12-22T16:58:35.451-05:00End of year updateThis year has been crazy. Locus has gotten away from me--it's like a bucking bronco and I'm hanging on for dear life, I swear. I'm still behind on a few commissions, and I still haven't sent off free copies of issues Four and Five to the people who won them through donating to the comic. Hell, I haven't even checked my Paypal account to see who's won a free copy of Issue Five yet!<br /><br /><br /><br />I'm sorry about that. Busy busy busy. Locus is more work than I've ever dealt with at once, and that includes the days when I was doing M/W/F updates for Kiss 4K while simultaneously holding down a 50-hour per week Day Job! I've turned down three other comic/graphic novel gigs this year, including one that I really was looking forward to. There just wasn't time! Locus is becoming my full-time job.<br /><br /><br /><br />Anyway, Issue Six has just been submitted to Ka-Blam, and should be available on Indyplanet.com soon. I'll be spending the week after Christmas getting my shit in one sock (as my father-in-law likes to say) so I can make 2010 a great year for Locus fans.<br /><br /><br /><br />One of the things I'm working on is cutting a whole issue out of the "Unveiled" storyline. It was originally going to run six issues, but it turns out I'm not the only one who has been missing Locus while this story's been running. So I'm considering rewriting the end so that issues Eight and Nine are compressed into one big finish. If I do it right, we'll get to see Locus two months earlier than previously planned, which is good. I've been sketching out new bad guys and new plot twists for months now, and it'll be good to get them out of my head and in front of your eyes sooner than expected.<br /><br />The new story (which starts with Issue Nine) will have much more action and ass-kicking than Unveiled had, and that's because I've laid down most of the groundwork with Unveiled, which leaves me more room to write some action and horror. It's gonna be a lot of fun. <br /><br />This is my last blog post before January (probably) so I wanna wish you guys a great holiday season. Whatever you're celebrating this time of year, I hope you have a great time.<br /><br />And thanks for making this year so fucking awesome. It's been a lot of fun, despite all the bucking and hanging-on. Let's meet up and do it again next year, okay?<br /><br />As Pinhead likes to say, "I have <span style="font-style:italic;">such sights</span> to show you," and it all starts in March of 2010, once Unveiled is finished.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-10268518425568115972009-12-09T22:57:00.000-05:002009-12-09T23:01:33.633-05:00Locus & Spook Private CommissionRalph V from Belgium (one of many Belgian Locus fans) asked for a private commission featuring Locus and Spook. This is what I came up with.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfT0r_IrqhclIeuA0UDIBi3P8nec6wjT1OOdt-Ey1auHPsHdpOBo-_vX_-7EhtXJI-fnICcxda7v-EbIoQP1H02fkNhGH0gyekQ1VRXrMTyFt2N9tOFhJBNDB4BkAwACVwIcFjDipaqMk/s1600-h/Locus_commission.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfT0r_IrqhclIeuA0UDIBi3P8nec6wjT1OOdt-Ey1auHPsHdpOBo-_vX_-7EhtXJI-fnICcxda7v-EbIoQP1H02fkNhGH0gyekQ1VRXrMTyFt2N9tOFhJBNDB4BkAwACVwIcFjDipaqMk/s400/Locus_commission.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413451989633193858" /></a><br /><br />Nothin' fancy. Just a little attitude from our girl and her crazy uncle.<br /><br />If you would like a private commission as well, drop me a line! My email is <span style="font-weight:bold;">indigoshift at gmail dot com</span>, and I've got some slots free this month.<br /><br />So treat yourself or someone you love to some original artwork! Doesn't have to be Locus-related, either. I'll draw just about anything. :)Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-62992141860258877442009-11-06T17:26:00.001-05:002009-11-06T17:30:06.495-05:00Bat Loaf!He's the Bard out of Hell. The only D&D character to own a Flying V lute and pray to Sammy Hagar.<br /><br />I didn't make him up, but I sure wish I did. No, Bat Loaf is a character I first read about over on <a href="http://www.stupidranger.com/">Stupid Ranger</a> almost a year ago, and asked Matt (who blogs there) if I could draw this awesome character.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCnd8lWBKtGDGzFbSCOVxkF74q7V_a6e5ZmOD1O1fHhyphenhyphenAXjfNCrDWGJDFsKCBTt5dUuWc006MiL2XyNpugukO_RTWL2YeA65ggwdIdfTQIv1sL7D4Tg-yOpjodnou1Pf3Hk5dF6fVexA/s1600-h/batloaf02.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 323px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNCnd8lWBKtGDGzFbSCOVxkF74q7V_a6e5ZmOD1O1fHhyphenhyphenAXjfNCrDWGJDFsKCBTt5dUuWc006MiL2XyNpugukO_RTWL2YeA65ggwdIdfTQIv1sL7D4Tg-yOpjodnou1Pf3Hk5dF6fVexA/s400/batloaf02.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5401120805933859554" /></a><br /><br />The lady with the Lita Ford chaps is his wife, Niann; the baby is their son, Tarrasque Loaf--so named because he was conceived on the back of the Tarrasque.<br /><br />Is that awesome or what? I'm going to try and find some time to do a few more Bat Loaf pieces, but I make no guarantees at present.<br /><br />In any case, throw up the Horns!Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5251319008130296923.post-56048199607729143222009-10-29T11:34:00.000-04:002009-10-29T11:37:38.265-04:00Locus is moving!My thanks to the Crosbys for hosting my Crazy Titty Comic on Keenspot for a whole year.<br /><br />However, I'm moving Locus over to my buddy Matt's comic hosting site. You can find Locus <a href="http://www.needcomics.com/Locus/">here.</a><br /><br />All pages are up, and there are character bios, forums, an RSS feed, and all that other stuff I couldn't get working right on Keenspot, because I'm an idiot. ;)<br /><br />So update your bookmarks! And tell all your friends.Adam Blackhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14305675610628621814noreply@blogger.com1