It’s the two-year anniversary of CATS: A Sketchbook coming to print! To celebrate, I’m sharing some of the sketches from the sketchbook. Here is this week’s batch of sketches.
Come back next week for the next batch!
Thank you for checking in.
You. Are. Awesome.
At the start of 2025, I had one goal shared here on the blog: The No-Buy 2025.
In short, the goal was to not buy anything superfluous in 2025. Only necessities. No buying from major corporations (because fuck you, Amazon and Wal-Mart).
I actually managed to fulfill this objective…for the most part.
There were only two times that I lapsed: the end of August, and the first weekend of November. The reasons being that the end of August was hell week (I’ll get to that in a minute), and the first weekend of November was a trip/quasi-vacation to the DC area.
Now, I did keep to my promise of No Amazon, No Wal-Mart, No Home Depot. Technically, I didn’t buy from Target, either, especially during the boycott organized by the Black community at the start of the year. I have to add “technically” because in October-ish, a very kind lady from the UU church I attend helped get me a new slow cooker and a Ninja toaster oven (because my actual oven in this apartment is doing *something* that makes the alarms go off any time I cook or bake over 400 degrees).
Still, I didn’t buy from major corporations (except Kroger or Michaels sometimes). If I had to buy anything, I thrifted, traded, found mutual aid, and found local stores.
So, long story short – my younger sibling (and co-creator of Seeing Him and An Ignorance of Romance) moved in with me in January. We moved apartments in May/June. And then they moved fully out in August. During this time, and especially during the move-out period in August, they became the roommate from hell. Folks who have been on my newsletter since July know what happened. But the TL;DR of it is that this sibling needs some fucking intervention and it can’t be from me, because I’m tired of being the savings account of a borderline personality patient who treats animals like a pair of pants to be replaced when they die, and drops everyone and everything as soon as a boy comes into their life.
Part of the reason I even did the No-Buy Year was because I knew, going into the year, that this sibling would be living with me, and they have no savings whatsoever. They’re in the process of trying to file for bankruptcy for a second time (they failed the first time because the paperwork wasn’t in order).
But since September, I’ve been living on my own, and trying to rebuild my savings. On top of that, I do not like this apartment complex I was forced to move to. We only moved here because of my sibling’s garbage credit score, and they moved out within 3 months of signing the lease. As soon as this lease is out this upcoming May, I’m moving again. Which means I have to build up savings again.
I’m going through YearCompass, which helps to reflect on the year just lived and plan for the year coming ahead. I did my reflection for 2025, and if you thought what I wrote above was rough, that was just half of the year. It doesn’t cover:
But also that did not cover:
There were also more personal wins, but those wins are for my private life.
I’m still meditating on my goals for 2026, but the biggest one is: save back as much money as possible. I want to rebuild from this past year, and I want to move to a better apartment with better management than the people at this current complex.
Everything else? I will write about at the start of 2026.
I don’t know about you, but I’m taking a break for the rest of the year. That means, until January 2026:
The Legend of Jamie Roberts will still update on Wednesdays, and Vanita and the Demon King will still update on Fridays.
With all of that said, it’s time for the break to start. I hope you also take some time for yourself during this season.
Thanks for reading.
You. Are. Awesome.
For the next week and a half, I am preparing for KickStarter fulfillment AND Genghis Con Cleveland.
Backer surveys didn’t go out on Monday because I took some time off (and started a new job yesterday).
Instead, they are sending out before the end of today. So keep an eye on your inboxes.
In other updates:
Full disclosure: I will open up for commissions for the holiday season. But KickStarter backers get top priority/billing since you claimed the spots first.
I should have new updates for you within the next week. Stay tuned! (And if you need more comics in your inbox, sign up for my email newsletter if you’re not on there already.)
November 30, find me at Genghis Con Cleveland!
Just like last year, this year’s event is at the Pivot Center for the Arts. The show runs from 11 am to 5 pm, featuring tons of indie comics (not just my own). Plus there are a handful of panels happening!
This year I want to be sure I bring extra copies of my books, because last year I sold out of some titles before the end of the day. It’s a good problem to have! But I want to be sure I have plenty for the new readers to get their hands on.
Full disclosure: The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3 will NOT be ready in time for Genghis Con Cleveland. Sorry, Cleveland peeps. But if you’re interested in getting a copy, let me know.
That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more updates!
Thank you for reading.
You. Are. Awesome.
Today is the LAST DAY you can back The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3 on KickStarter! This swashbuckling genderqueer adventure is about to sail over the digital horizon, so this is your last chance.
A lot has happened since we launched this campaign a month ago.
We’re closing in on the finish line now.
If you have not backed this campaign yet, this is your last chance to do so. You have until 11:59 pm EDT tonight.
While there is a 24-hour grace period for pledges, all the prices go up in the grace window. So today’s the last day to claim rewards at a discounted price.
“But wait,” you might be thinking, “this is for volume 3, right? I haven’t read the comic yet!”
Well good news – volumes 1 and 2 are also available as rewards (in both digital and physical copies)! That’s not to mention the other rewards available, like commissions and even original art.
So, once again, if you haven’t backed this campaign yet, this is your last call to do so.
If you backed this campaign already – thank you so much for your support! (And feel free to forward this email to folks you know who like comics about pirates and dragons and magic treasure! Word of mouth has been my only method of spreading the word about this campaign, so every share helps more than you know).
Thank you for your patience during this month while this campaign ran. We’re just about done.
That’s all for now. Thank you for reading!
You. Are. Awesome.
Jamie, Thomas, and Daniel found an unfinished treasure-map to a land they had never seen before. Once they took the map, they left the seas and became bodyguards for a wandering king. Now, after encountering strange spirits, fighting Eldritch creatures from another plane of existence, and bearing witness to their boss become A MOTHER-FUCKING DRAGON…
There is more adventure to be had!
This! Is! The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3, continuing the fantasy adventure epic that started as a webcomic back in 2018 and that has grown since then. While the webcomic is free to read, print editions like volume 3 feature re-touched art, bonus material that’s not on the website (like concept art and a peek at the process of making comics), and even additional comics exclusive to the print editions.
The Legend of Jamie Roberts, volume 3 is 110 pages of full-color glory, continuing the adventure from where it left off in volumes 1 and 2 (those are also available in this KickStarter campaign, so if you’re new here, you have a chance to catch up). Volume 3 also features bonus content like extra character bios, concept art, and an exclusive short comic that will *only* be in volume 3.
I’ve said it before in past KickStarter campaigns, and I will say it again – The Legend of Jamie Roberts is the story I wish I had growing up. As a teen, I wanted stories with genderqueer leads, dragons, magic, and fresh challenges on gender stereotypes. I wanted to see adventures featuring someone I could relate to – and most importantly, I wanted a story where the main character had best friends who would stick by them no matter what.
Turns out, a LOT of readers felt the same way! This comic has gotten successfully funded on KickStarter *and* Crowdfundr, and gets regular support from members on Ko-fi. Thank you, members! (You’re getting a special, exclusive reward included if/when you back this campaign.)
It is by the grace of support from fans like you that The Legend of Jamie Roberts exists. I cannot get this to print – let alone send it off to the far reaches of our readership – by myself. That’s why I ask patrons like you to chip in and help bring this book to print.
This might surprise you, considering the political moment of being a genderqueer artist in the United States making a webcomic about a genderqueer pirate…but I’m not stopping anytime soon. Come hell or high water, I’m making this comic, and I’m going to get this comic to as many readers as I can reach.
This campaign runs UNTIL NOV 13. If we hit our base goal before then, then there can be a 24-hour late pledge grace period.
With any luck, once we hit our goals, all rewards will be shipped out in time for the holidays! I will post regular updates in the Campaign Updates (as well as in my email newsletter) to keep everyone in the loop. After backers get their rewards, volume 3 will be available for the general public.
So if you’re ready to nab this treasure, ya’ best be grabbin’ it before it sails away!
Broke? Share this campaign far and wide! Good pirates know to spread the word when the gettin’ is good, and shares help more than you know. Use the link tinyurl.com/tlojrvol3 when you spread the word on the virtual seas.
That’s all for now…
THANKS FOR READING!
You. Are. Awesome.
