The Worst Books I Read in 2022

Today, I talk about the worst books I read in 2022. There are novels, comics, and nonfiction books, but they all have one thing in common – I REALLY did not like them. Watch to find out why. All while I draw a page for my webcomic, The Legend of Jamie Roberts.

On a lighter note, check out my chat with Columbus Cartoon Coalition, talking about my favorite comics in 2022.

To karmically balance everything, I’ll do a follow-up video talking about my favorite books from 2022. Soon…

CREDITS

Sound Effect from Pixabay. Thanks, Pixabay!

This video was edited with Olive, an open-source video editor. I recorded the timelapse with OBS Studio, which is also an open-source program. Plus I recorded the audio with Audacity, which is (you guessed it) open-source. Check out my “Resources” page for more info.

Don’t forget that my Pin Club is now open for new members to join! You have until Feb 6 to sign up and get the February Club Pin.

And since it got mentioned in the video – Be Not Apurred is available in my shop. Get them before they’re gone forever.

That’s all for now. Thanks for watching and reading!

You. Are. Awesome.

February Pin Club Is Open for New Members

My Pin Club is open for new members once again!

Each month, members of the Pin Club get a new acrylic pin in the mail, plus a new zine, sneak peeks at comic scripts, and early webcomic updates.

This month, we’re celebrating Fantasyville Productions, LLC being around for 5 years! I filed the paperwork for starting this company in 2018. I can’t believe it’s been that long! Most indie businesses don’t last 5 years…and yet, Fantasyville Productions beat the odds.

To celebrate, we’re unveiling this design. It’s Fantasyville Productions’ new official logo – and it’s this month’s Pin!

If you would like to get this, sign up for the Club by Feb 6! Any new sign-ups after that date will be rolled over into March.

Keep in mind – Pin Club memberships are for folks in the USA only. Sorry, my international peeps. I’m working on an option for you.

So if you have the means, join the Pin Club today, yo.

If you’re broke, or unable to join right now, share this post and celebrate Fantasyville Productions’ 5-year anniversary with me!

That’s all for now. I appreciate your support!

You. Are. Awesome.

LIVE STREAM – Let’s Draw Comics!

Today at 2 pm EST, join me on YouTube, Twitch, or Twitter! Feel free to lurk while I work on some pages for my webcomics!

In today’s live stream, I’m drawing pages for The Legend of Jamie Roberts, my genderqueer pirate webcomic. PLUS, I’m drawing some material for my new webcomic, Vanita and the Demon King! It’s about a demon king who crashes on the couch of a trans girl.

Vanita and the Demon King is still on Crowdfundr, by the way. Back it BEFORE JAN 31 at 11:59 pm EST to get some behind-the-scenes rewards, yo!

Thanks for tuning in.

You. Are. Awesome.

New Print Available – Be Not Apurred

be not apurred biblically accurate cat angel

And lo, the two-tailed cat gazed down upon the children of Creation, and proclaimed from its three mouths,

“BE NOT APURRED.”

I had a LOT of fun drawing this Biblically accurate cat angel, and now it’s available for you.

Now, technically this is available on RedBubble, as well, on things like T-shirts and phone cases.

That said, I wanted to make a limited run of prints for a few reasons:

  1. I just…love this design. I’m so proud of it and how it came out.
  2. I’m trying new outlets outside of RedBubble.
  3. I want to take designs like this one and make them available on things that RedBubble does not do, like keychains and pins.

So, I made a limited run of 8.5 by 11-inch prints of this design!

There are 15 of these available. Once they’re sold, they’re gone forever – I’m not doing another run of prints! The sales of these will help fund making this design into a double-sided keychain.

So if you or a buddy need a little more art in your life – or if you want to help make new keychain designs a reality – buy the print now on Ko-Fi!

That’s all for now. Thank you for your support!

You. Are. Awesome.

Coming Soon: Vanita and the Demon King

A thousand years ago, the Demon King and his armies marched across the lands, terrorizing the people who crossed their paths. Only one man stood up to the Demon King, and his name…was Richard.

vanita chuckles at richard's name

At least, this is the history Vanita grew up with her whole life.

Her story takes place in the present day. But one morning, on her usual jog in the park, she comes across the legendary Demon King himself – heavily beaten and close to exhaustion in the bushes.

And so begins this domestic story of a trans girl trying to make sense of the fabled Demon King passing out on her couch.

The Origins

This concept all started with this sketch.

concept for vanita and the demon king page 1
concept for vanita and the demon king page 2

(In the beginning, the Demon was a Golem, but the more I researched it I went, “Nah. Demon.”) So I started with this sketch and the notion of wanting to make a slice-of-life/romance story. But I made it a fantasy with a demon king because…fantasy is my MO.

(To be honest, if I have an idea for a story but it doesn’t click with me for some reason, I’ll transplant it into a fantasy setting. Then the story clicks. It works 98 percent of the time.)

The Twist

So I started scripting the story as part of the National Novel Writing Month challenge in 2021. I was a rebel that year and drew thumbnails for the script of Vanita and the Demon King.

As I scripted the story, something happened that surprised even me…

Claudia, from The Case of the Wendigo, showed up.

vanita meets claudia from The Case of the Wendigo

And that’s when I went, “Wait…is this…a spiritual sequel to The Case of the Wendigo? Is this another Charlie & Clow adventure?!”

Yes.

I know! I’m surprised, too. It only took…4 or 5 years from The Case of the Wendigo going to print to the beginning of production for Vanita and the Demon King.

The story is 90 percent scripted with an outline in mind for the very end. I only have roughly 20 pages or so left to thumb.

After That…Will There Be a Crowdfunding Campaign?

Yes!

At first, I thought I would need to pivot because of Journey of the Mystery. But thankfully that project is being handled separately. By doing that, it frees up time to focus on getting Vanita and the Demon King funded before launch.

How?

Well, I’m looking at running a campaign on either KickStarter or Crowdfundr. Both have their pros and cons, which I’ll talk about more tomorrow.

Whichever platform I pick, though, I hope to launch it soon.

The goal is to get certain back-end costs covered. A domain name for a website and website hosting are the two biggest concerns right now. Extra funding after that can help with overhead during production.

If you would like to see more development sketches – or get the first notice when the crowdfunding campaign launches – sign up for my email newsletter.

Your email is secret with me. I don’t sell it anywhere. Plus I only post once a week unless it’s a special occasion. Like if you’re Subscribed to any Clubs I run.

I hope you’re excited about Vanita and the Demon King! I know I am.

That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!

You. Are. Awesome.