Howard Tayler's blog
Back From Vegas, I Think I Won
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 29, 2009 - 13:20
I went to the “Success in Comics†seminar in Las Vegas over the weekend as a featured speaker. Turns out I was the closing speaker. I worried all weekend that my job was going to be the “Voice in the Wilderness,†prophesying doom for everybody who depended on syndication — especially since the original theme of the seminar was pitched to me as “self-syndication.â€
Fannish Musings
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 25, 2009 - 00:21
True story: there was this girl at a convention I attended recently, and the show ran out of tickets to the big signing before she got hers. Her last words before collapsing in tears were “I guess I’m not a good enough fan…â€
It never occurred to me that bad things happen because you’re “not a good enough fan.†In fact, it never occurred to me that being a “good enough fan†was a prerequisite for anything. But it takes all kinds of people to make the world go ’round so I shan’t disparage this particular angle of divergence from what I consider normal.
“Pick Up in Vegas†Shipping Option - Two Days Only!
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 23, 2009 - 11:27
Short version: If you live in Vegas, and can make it to the Tuscany Saturday Evening you can get free shipping on Schlock stuff. Good friends of mine are driving down, and will be hauling things for me, so I’m not going to run out of luggage space.
Want a boxed set? Want THREE boxed sets? Want to buy XDM for all your friends for Christmas? Shop now! Just select “Pick up in Vegas†for your shipping option.
Vegas-Area Schlockers: Call to Action
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 22, 2009 - 14:30
This should be easy.
I’m going to be in Vegas for a seminar this weekend. There’s an open evening on Saturday for fans to come say hello and get stuff sketched in. But some of those fans may not yet HAVE stuff.
Check Your Math Before Clicking “Sendâ€
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 22, 2009 - 14:18
First: Yes, the very original-most version of Tuesday’s strip had a math error in it. It’s gone now. Hat tip to Matija for telling me to move my decimal point. Clear your cache and we can proceed.
Kiki’s Para
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 19, 2009 - 13:09
Keliana hadn’t finished coloring Tagon last week when she started begging for me to draw Para Ventura. In her defense, she is a fourteen-year-old girl, and loves to see empowered girls in comics.
She’s also my daughter. How could I possibly deny her this? So I drew Para Ventura in a fairly empowered pose. Keliana colored her last night, using pictures from my iPhone as color reference. Also, she canonized Para’s eye-color: brown.
Vegas Schlocker Meet-up, Saturday the 26th
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 17, 2009 - 23:57
I’m attending (and presenting) at a cartooning seminar in Vegas next weekend, and our hosts have arranged for some fan-time. I’ll be at The Tuscany on Saturday, from 6:00 to 8:00pm, along with several other cartoonists of note, including Daryl Cagle, Chad Carpenter, and Bill Kellogg.
For the faint of heart, Archive Binge
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 15, 2009 - 04:44
It may not be the best solution, but it is certainly a good solution. Oh, wait. You still don’t know the problem. This is because if you’re reading this you likely don’t HAVE the problem.
The problem is that people who are going to love Schlock Mercenary look at the depth of the archives (3380 strips and counting) and balk. They can’t afford to lose entire days of their lives all in one stretch. They are tempted, perhaps sorely, but they are the faint of heart. You, though. You read the whole thing. Some of you did this very recently, and have the scars to prove it. A very few of you are in withdrawal right now, having only just reduced your Schlock intake to but a single strip per day.
Well… Archive Binge promises to solve this problem. The faint of heart can set up an RSS feed that will carefully parcel Schlock Mercenary out to them a few strips per day. I recommend seven. In that way the archives can be savored over seventeen or eighteen months.
Sketch Jams on the Auction Block for Jake
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 13, 2009 - 13:20
Yesterday I agreed to auction a few pieces for Jake. The first is already fetching 30 times what was originally donated for its creation. The rest, though… wow.
We did two sketch jams for Jake. The first is pencils only.
The second started at the other end of the table, where Derek Hunter and Ryan Ottley broke out the pens and the markers and raised the bar.
The Benefit Is Not Yet Over…
Submitted by Howard Tayler on September 12, 2009 - 21:09
So… after all that talk about how much I didn’t want to be running online collection for Jake, I’ve had a small change of heart.
Small, mind you. Three items worth.
