Posts

Posted on

Six: An Anthology of Comics…Review

There’s a new addition to my comic collection thanks to the power of KickStarter…

six comic book anthology from kickstarter

I completely forgot I backed this project until it arrived in the mail, along with a really fun “Believe in Comics” sticker (which I already put on my sketchbook).

To be honest, this was the first horror comic I have ever purchased or read. I’m not usually a fan of horror. I don’t read horror comics and even horror movies are ones I watch sporadically. I’ve never seen many of the things this author draws inspiration from, like Tales from the Crypt.

The only horror films I have seen thus far are Psycho, The Birds, Orphan (which I would say is more a thriller than a horror film), and Shawn of the Dead.

Wait, zombie movies count. Then I’ve seen more horror than that.

But it wasn’t until I read this comic anthology, Six, that I was introduced to the idea that the horror genre had its own niches like atmospheric horror and supernatural horror.

So my mind was pretty much a blank slate in terms of expectations for this book.

And it’s actually good.

This anthology features stories written by one author, Fabian Rangel Jr, with different artists for each story.

The first short story, “The Blood and the Snow,” features a Conan the Barbarian-esque woman warrior fighting her way towards her arch nemesis. This one is still my favorite, but mostly because I have a soft spot for badass ladies (or else I wouldn’t have started the Women Warriors Project). The artist, Jonathan Brandon Sawyer, does a great job.

six comics anthology woman warrior
Look at this artwork! It’s gorgeous!

The second story, “The Souls of Wicked Men,” follows two train robbers who fail in their heist, and retreat into the woods for shelter. I’m not going to spoil the ending, but it made me gasp out loud. I haven’t read a comic that made me do that in a long time.

The third story, “No Stranger to Death,” is probably the weakest story of the bunch. It follows an old man as he travels to a stranger’s house, only to reveal himself as a vampire hunter. And then, after he kills the vampire, out of nowhere, a ghost of a little girl appears and asks him to give her a proper burial.

The mood the author is trying to set in this story is commendable, but the artist, though good with facial expressions, is not a great communicator. The volume I got from backing the KickStarter included scripts of this story in the back, and it’s not entirely the fault of the artist that the story falls flat. The story is just littered with shotgun ideas that don’t connect very well.

The fourth story, “Stinky,” however, brings back the good stuff. It’s about a boy who is teased relentlessly by his classmates because he smells like rotten meat. One day, two of his classmates come over to his house to harass him, but soon discover the secret in the house, and why Stinky is…well, stinky. THIS story creeped me out the most, but in a good way.

The fifth story, “When the Evil Came,” is pure gross/psychological horror. Just…don’t read it if you don’t like bugs.

The sixth story, “Our Own Wars,” is about a soldier in a war against zombies. This was actually featured in another anthology, FUBAR (published by Alterna comics). It’s a good closing story, but not the best one (then again, it’s hard for me to get emotionally invested in a zombie story), since it relies on sentiment. But its circularity in its plot makes me happy.

I would say go and buy a copy, but I had a hard time finding it online outside of its KickStarter (which is over). However, if you find it, leave a link in the comments below!

Overall, I say this anthology is a must-read, even if you don’t read horror comics. This anthology definitely got me interested in horror comics, and if you’re on the fence about getting into the genre, this anthology is a good place to start.

Have any other suggestions for horror comics? Leave those in comments, too. :D

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you on Monday.

Posted on

Big News for Johnson & Sir

johnson and sir header image

Strap into your seats, because there’s all kinds of awesome things on the horizon for Johnson & Sir.

First, there’s a new print coming! Here’s a look at what to expect…

t-rex versus shark print johnson and sir
IT’S T-REX VS. SHARK!!

I know I want THAT on my wall!

Second, I’m closer to getting an awesome T-shirt ready. Can you guess what design will be on it?

Oh, I’ll spoil it for you:

T-Rex Sissy Fight
It’s the T-Rex Sissy Fight!

I’m shopping around for T-shirt printers at the moment. Until then, I’ll be getting prints ready soon. Keep an eye on Storenvy.

Third, and this is the most exciting thing for me. I have been working on this goal for over six months now.

Johnson & Sir‘s first book will be going to print!

johnson and sir book cover
Here’s what the book cover will look like.

Pre-orders are going right now for $10.

If you’re interested in pre-ordering a copy, just click the PayPal button below. The price covers the book plus shipping. Be sure to give your shipping address, too!


Books will be available by January 31st, 2015.

Thank you to everybody who reads Johnson & Sir every Tuesday!

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you tomorrow with a new post.

Posted on

Goals for 2015

It’s not yet New Years, but I wanted to talk about this early. That way I’m not too lost in the flood of New Years’ Goals posts that are sure to flood across the internet.

Sure, I have goals for 2015. There are personal ones like walk everyday, send more cards, that kind of thing.

But this blog post is being made to share the goals for my comics in 2015.

Why am I sharing them?

Because I want you to hold me accountable.

In sharing my goals with you, I hope that you can keep me on the right track, so I don’t lose my way, so I can succeed, and not back out of promises I made to you.

In return, I hope to hear about your New Years resolutions in the comments. So that way, I can help you do the same!

So, for 2015, I have a list. A list of things I wanted to accomplish. These things are…

Of course, a lot of those goals are not specific. So I broke them down into do-able chunks and came up with…

  • Write every day,
  • Publish 1 new eBook a month,
  • Finish 1 new painting a month,
  • Post 4 items on Storenvy every month,

Breaking it down even further, I have goals for every week and even every day! They are…

  • Write 1000 words a day,
  • Draw 2 Sketchbook pages a day,
  • Finish 1 new mini-comic a week,
  • Post 1 new item on Storenvy a week,
  • Update this blog Monday through Friday

To help me keep track of my daily goals, I borrowed from Karen Kavett and Charlie McDonnell (and Jerry Seinfeld) by printing up copies of the Don’t Break the Chain calendar.

The idea of this calendar is that you have a goal to accomplish everyday. Every day you do the thing, you check off the day on the calendar. Do it everyday and you start a chain of check marks, so don’t break the chain!

One of my big goals is to update this blog Monday through Friday. That will start January 1, 2015, this Thursday.

I actually tied a few goals together for 2015: I intend on reviving the Women Warriors Project by making one new painting every month for it. By finishing 1 new mini-comic every week, I’m making one new item to sell on Storenvy every week. By sketching 2 pages everyday, I’m making content for eBooks I’m publishing every month. When I finish a sketchbook, I’ll make a video and upload it to YouTube.

I like combining goals. It makes accomplishing them more fulfilling.

What are your goals for 2015? Let me know in the comments!

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you on Thursday.

Posted on

Merry Christmas Eve!

johnson and sir frozen elsa dress comedic print
Johnson’s getting into the holiday spirit!

The previous blog post was a bit of an angst-fest, and I thought to myself, “That’s no way to leave off a blog before Christmas!”

So I want to talk about some things I’m grateful for this past year, and mention some plans I have for next year.

Let’s start with gratitude. I am grateful for…

Seriously, you, dear reader, are awesome. Thanks. :D

I have a lot of plans in store for next year, including more comics, more art, and more blog posts. Expect more mini-comics! Expect the return of Seeing Him!

And sometime, at some point, one of my comics will come to a close. I don’t want to say which one yet, because it’s a surprise.

I’ll talk more about my goals for next year soon.

Until then, have a Merry Christmas!

Also Happy Hannukah, Kickin’ Kwanzaa, Merry Winter Solstice, and have a Festivus for the rest of us.

So what are you grateful for? What did you get for Christmas? Let me know in comments!

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you on Friday.

Posted on

Christmas is Coming…

commission work in progress
A peek at a commission-in-progress.

I have been working my butt off the last two weeks, and it’s not on comics.

While I’ve been taking this month off making comics, I’ve been working two part time jobs and making commissions for folks. And while it’s good to keep busy, it’s starting to take a toll.

All of this extra work is making me wonder,

“What can I do next year to go a little easier on myself?”

I admit, many of my goals for next year are work-related, and deal with making more comics, more books, more blog posts, more, more, more.

Part of that is my brain rationalizing that making more, better work will improve my art, thereby giving me more pieces for my portfolios, therefore more pieces to show off to people to say, “Look what I can do now give me work please!”

But where do you put the cap?

I’m hesitant to leave the day job I have currently because the alternative – freelancing full-time – is something I tried last year when I lived in Arizona. It didn’t really work. It’s one of the big reasons that I moved back to Ohio.

While freelancing seems to make more sense in the Midwest, where the cost of living is easier to manage, I’m still hesitant to switch to full-time freelancing because it’s a LOT of work.

The nice thing about my day job is it gets me out of the house; plus, a steady income stream is not a bad thing, either. It’s draining sometimes, yes – especially now that it’s the few days before Christmas –

Completely tangential paragraph: everyone says Black Friday is the day people shop the most but that is FALSE. This is a nation of procrastinators. The biggest shopping days of the year are the weekend before Christmas, and Christmas Eve. Bunch of Liar McCheaterTrousers.

Anyway, day jobs are nice and all, but it would be nice to make a living full-time on my art. My goal next year is to be able to leave my day job and just make art. But that implies freelancing full-time. I don’t know if I’m ready for that again.

The thing that weighs heavy on my head right now is the answer to the question, “How do I decide what’s worth pursuing for making a living on my art?”

Most art blogs I’ve come across don’t talk about how to tackle that question. All they do is talk about inspiration and works-in-progress and other artists.

They don’t talk numbers. They don’t talk business.

I took business classes in college. My parents owned a small business. I think about working independently and earning financial success A LOT.

So how do I decide what to pursue to grow my business – of making art?

I don’t know how to answer that question. At least not yet.

I have a few ideas.

And a beautifully hilarious notepad from Knock Knock I got when I stopped for a day trip in Ann Arbor with a college buddy. It’s called “Make a Decision.”

make a decision notepad
I’ve been consulting this thing constantly lately.

I get the feeling I’ll be using this little device an awful lot in the coming weeks.

If you have any ideas or advice for me, I would love to read them in the comments below. At this point I would love to hear outside opinions and experiences.

Thank you for reading, and I’ll see you again on Friday, the day after Christmas.

P.S. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!