Ugh. We're already seven days into the new year, and I'm just now getting around to writing a blog entry for this month's story. The holiday season always does this to me.

Anyway, this month is part two of the Shaka/Demon story, and it's turning out to be a little easier to write than part one from October. I think what's making it so easy is that I know how it ends, and if you've read issue 3 of the print comic, so do you. ;)

I'm experimenting with different coloring techniques this month, and I hope it's not too obtrusive to your reading experience.

I'll add more observations to this thread as they occur to me. Right now, though, I need to get back to work.

Well, I got the “Visit Forum” button to show up again–by resetting the whole webcomic template back to what it was earlier.

Still can't figure out how to get the chapter listing back. Any bright ideas are more than welcome!

Well, all-righty then…

Looks like everything's magically the way it was before. Guess it takes a couple refreshes to show up properly. Or something.

I really have no fucking clue. And the whole thing's frustrating the shit out of me. Argh.

I'm just gonna leave it the hell alone for now. Until I need to do some more promotional stuff, that is. Then, I suppose, it'll get all busted and shit again.

Sigh.

Man, this story got dark in a hurry, didn't it? That wasn't entirely intentional.

I've been just kinda going with the flow on these 4K backstories–I wanted the feel of the Casanova story to be more elegant and intrigue-heavy, which was indicative of the time period. Or at least the popular impression of the time period. The Minamoto story was also indicative of the time period, as was Constantine, which turned into an imperial war epic with final backstabbing–perfect for ancient Rome!

But this Shaka story…I'm almost apologetic as to how dark this one got. Hell, the only good guy in this one is Shaka's mom, Nandi, and she's dead already.

Oh well. Next month, we're seriously gonna lighten the tone. I've been getting a lot of requests for another Casanova story. They've been coming in from the comments here, from Kiss forums, and even a few via private email. So February is definitely Casanova month. And it's going to be much more fun and light-hearted. Kind of like the Kissmas special from December, only not as tongue-in-cheek.

Sound really cool for next month. And I don't mind that the Shaka story is getting so dark, I like dark. I like that the 5 stories so far are very different from one another. It shows you've got a broad range.

Thanks, man!

So, this guy from South Africa knocks on my door this afternoon, selling books door to door for students. I already bought some of these books last year for my kids, so I didn't buy anything.

But we get to talking about South Africa, and I tell him how I just got done drawing this comic. I show him a couple of pages, that sort of thing. He ends up leaving without making a sale, but he has a link to the webcomic and a quick, autographed Demon sketch in his hand as he leaves.

I close the door and go smoke a cigarette, and think to myself: Man, my life is weird. I just signed an autograph in my pajamas.

And you should see my house right now. It's a mess.

Crazy. :)

Adam Black
So, this guy from South Africa knocks on my door this afternoon, selling books door to door for students. I already bought some of these books last year for my kids, so I didn't buy anything.

But we get to talking about South Africa, and I tell him how I just got done drawing this comic. I show him a couple of pages, that sort of thing. He ends up leaving without making a sale, but he has a link to the webcomic and a quick, autographed Demon sketch in his hand as he leaves.

I close the door and go smoke a cigarette, and think to myself: Man, my life is weird. I just signed an autograph in my pajamas.

And you should see my house right now. It's a mess.

Crazy. :)

Hahaa, now that's some cool behind the scenes commentary.

Sometimes I get to talking a long time to the people coming to sell at the door (African students, Jehova's witnesses, …) and I talk like a long time, and they always leave without a sale :)