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30 / JAN / 07 - 1319 CST : Convention Survival Guide...

Hey folks.

I've been doing a lot of thinking and number crunching lately to try and get a realistic idea as to how many cons I can attend this year, and which ones I'd most like to hit.  Now I'll talk more about what I've come up with another time, but for now I just need to share this with you.

First off, as I'm sure a lot of you out there already know, Comic Geek Speak is one of (if not the) best comic related podcast out there on the net. And if you're a fan of comics, web based or otherwise, and you're not listening to it, I strongly suggest you go over there and check it out immediately.  Trust me, with well over 200 episodes you'll have a lot of content to peruse. 

Anyway, as of late I've been trying my best to go through their archived episodes and I came across what has quickly become one of my favourites.  It's a special ep. they did in September of last year entitled "Convention Survival Guide".  So please do yourself a favour and give it a listen.

I won't tell you much more about it other than to say that not only does it have some great info, but if you don't laugh your ass off during parts of the show (like when they get comic writer Jimmy Palmiotti on the phone to share his con experiences / tips), then I'm guessing you lost your sense of humour in some tragic accident long ago, and I mourn deeply for your loss.

Okay, that's all for now.  See ya tomorrow when I have the next strip up.

Later,

-Ed

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28 / JAN / 07 - 1437 CST : Quack, quack...

Hey folks.

Just wanted to drop by to apologize for not keeping up with the news posts here over the last few days.  I've been busy trying to get my GT and non-GT ducks in a row and well, you know ducks.  Sometimes they can be such a pain in the ass.  Especially when you're trying to get them all to line up.

Fuckin' ducks.

Anyway, I'll hopefully have more time to talk your ears off here this coming week.  Till then...

Later,

-Ed

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23 / JAN / 07 - 1752 CST : Tomorrow's forecast...

Just letting you guys know that the next update will be posted sometime tomorrow.  I'm shooting for another full page to be completely finished, but I may have to go with another half page for now.

Keep in mind though that come the end of this month, half done or late strips should for the most part be a thing of the past.  So hang in there one more week and I'll have everything back up to speed.

Later,

-Ed

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21 / JAN / 07 - 1617 CST : Back online...

Okay, tell me if it's just me.

Whenever something goes wrong with a computer in some way it's always, "Fucking stupid computer / program / network!  Why?!  Why won't you work!  What's wrong with you?!"  I mean after all, it is the computer's fault, right?

But the second things start to click and something actually works it's "YES! I'm a goddamn genius!"  'Cause all of a sudden everything that's happening is the direct result of your actions and ability, no?

That was just something that's been on my mind lately. Can't imagine why...

Anyway, as you might have guess from the fact that I'm posting this, my network / computer problems are all sorted out now.  Which means we'll be getting back to the updates tomorrow, and hopefully back to the regular three day's a week schedule come the end of the month at the latest.

In the mean time though, I want to share a little bit of artwork I just received in the mail on Friday thanks to the Lar "I don't need no stinking clones" deSouza.

Thanks a bunch Lar!  I love it (and fully intend to ink and colour it one day too).

And for those of you Myspace folk who are waiting for your free bits of artwork from me, I should have them all mailed out by the end of the month.  Thanks for hanging in there guys.

Well, I'm off to ge a bit more work in before I head to bed.

Later,

-Ed

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18 / JAN / 07 - 1408 CST : Technical difficulties...

Hey folks.

Okay, here's the deal.  I recently bought a laptop so that I would have the ability to work on the strip, as well as my other projects, when I'm away from home.  I'm happy to say the new computer works great (though I'll never buy from the ATS "quality"  computers ever again, but I'll get into that another day), and I know that once I get all the kinks out it's going to make it so that missed updates are a thing of the past.

However I'm having a hellova time getting it to communicate with my desktop computer.  Which is kinda important seeing I need these two to make nice and learn how to share so that I'm not forced to transfer everything over to the laptop.  

Now I know the problems I'm having stem from them each running on different operating systems.  And I know that despite that I should still be able to get this to work.  But in this case it would appear that "knowing" is far from half the battle.

So, instead of messing around with the computers for a few hours, stopping, putting everything I screwed up right again so that I can at least work on the strip, and then repeating the process over again, I'm going to take a brief break from the strip to concentrate on getting my cyber-shit together.  Which means that the next update most likely won't be till Monday.

Trust me folks, I hate to do it, but if I'm going to get everything back on track by the end of this month then it needs to be done.

In the mean time though I'll see if I can dig up some bits of filler art that I have kicking around and put that up here so y'all have something to look at while you wait.  Plus I'll do my best to keep you guys updated on how things are shaping up.

Anyway, I've already stayed up staring into computer screens several hours more than I planned, so I need to head to bed now.  

Later,

-Ed

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17 / JAN / 07 - 0941 CST : Delays, but their end is nigh...

Hey folks.

Dropping by to let you know that coloured version of the last strip will up later today.  However the next update is going to be delayed.  Hopefully no later than tomorrow, but there's a chance I won't have anything up till Friday.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on this though.

Now on New Year's day you may remember that I mentioned how  it may take a couple of months to get things straightened out as far as returning to the regular Mon, Wed, Fri updates were concerned.  Well thankfully it's looking like it should only take me till the end of January for things to get back to normal around here.  I've taken some pretty big steps recently to assure this fact and they (finally!) seem to be panning out.

So I'd just like to thank you all again for the patients you've shown over the last little while, it means a lot to me, and I promise you I will have everything back on track soon.

Okay, back to my digital crayons.

Later,

-Ed

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15 / JAN / 07 - 1609 CST : "It's a Wonderful Death - Pt. VIII"

Hey folks.

As you can see today's strip is only black and white for now.  Don't worry though, I won't let it stay this way for long.  Hopefully it'll all be done by Wednesday when I have the next strip up.

Oh, and I still plan to tell you all about the bullshit I'm currently dealing with in regards to my recent notebook purchase, but it'll have to wait for another day.  'Cause if I get into it now, I'll just end up getting myself all riled up to the point where I won't be able to calm down and get some sleep.

And speaking of sleep...

Later,

-Ed

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12 / JAN / 07 - 2235 CST : Backgrounds on the backburner...

Hey folks.  I never got a chance to redo those backgrounds, but at least the page is done.  Enjoy!

Later,

-Ed

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11 / JAN / 07 - 0841 CST : Uh…about that lap-dance…

Okay, now a few of you out there might be wondering what the hell the title of my last news post had to do with yesterday's update. Well in point of fact it had absolutely nothing to do neither with the comic, nor the short news blurb. I just flat out screwed up is all.

You see, I had intended to do a little write up on the trouble I've recently encountered while trying to purchase a lap-top, but then decided that doing so would take too much time away from the strip. So I figured I'd save that write up for another day and put up a quick blurb about yesterday's comic instead.

The only thing is I'd already written up the title for the laptop story before I changed my mind, and never even thought twice about that when I updated the site. Anyway, you can imagine how confused I was when I checked my e-mail today to find someone asking me to hurry up and finish the page so they can see Blue Bird give Casey a lap-dance (which… **SPOILER ALTER** …ain't gonna happen by the way).

I do still intend to fill you guys in on my the wacky notebook computer woes, but I'm going to leave that topic till tomorrow or possibly the weekend. 'Cause for now, I'd kinda like to talk about the strip for a bit.

Okay, first off this last page really should've been completed yesterday, but I got way too caught up in messing around with technical things like brush settings and line weight, and ended up burning through a ridiculous amount of time. Now I don't consider the time I spent on these areas to be a waste, but in hindsight I feel that it might have been better if I had just set 'em aside till the weekend and concentrated solely on the strip instead.

Speaking of the strip, I've a lot got mixed feelings about the artwork here.

First off, despite the fact that I think I did a fairly decent job on the rest of her, I absolutely hate how BlueBird's wings look. I swear, every time I draw that woman I tell myself "Today's the day. Today you will not make her wings look like ass!", but they always seem to end up that way in the end. So even though I know it'll bore me to tears, it's becoming quite clear to me that I really need to sit down one of these days and just do a life study of wings and feathers.

The other part of the strip I'm pretty disgusted with is the background. Truth be told, I rushed it, and if you look at those big blobs of white fluff that are somehow supposed to represent starts, it really shows. So by the time the page is finished expect to see an overhaul of that particular area.

Now just to show y'all that I'm not totally incapable of find the good within my work, I'll end this crit on a positive note by saying that I don't think I've ever drawn Casey as well before as I did in that last panel. I don't know why, but I just really love how he looks there.

Okay, one last thing about the strip and this storyline in general before call it a day. As you have no doubt noticed things seem to be getting a bit more…well I want to say "serious", but it's hard to use that word when the main antagonist of the story is a demonic ferret. Bleak? Will that work? Yeah, that'll do.

Anyway, while the main thrust behind the site has always been humour, you may find a few of the future strips kinda lacking in that area. Still, even though I may not be able to get a good laugh out of you with each update, I will be throwing in as many lines here and there as I can to help lighten things up just a bit (for example, the Justin Timberlake line was something I added last minute for just that reason).

So consider that heads up everyone. Not all of the upcoming pages will be chalked full of the funny. After all, it's kinda hard to squeeze in a good dick joke when you got your main character laying on the floor with his skull split open.

But if I think of a way you can bet your ass I'll use it!

Okay, that's all for me for now guys.

Later,

-Ed

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10 / JAN / 07 - 1218 CST : No lap-dance for me...

Howdy folks.

I'll be throwing a new page your way later today.  Still not sure at this point if I'll have the whole thing done or just the first half, but there will definitely be something for you guys to check out later this evening.

Okay, back to work.

Later,

-Ed

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07 / JAN / 07 - 2303 CST : Updated date...

Hey folks!

Just wanted to give you a heads up and let you know that the rest of this page will be up tomorrow (Monday).  I came close to getting it done tonight, but I have to get my ass to work soon so unfortunately it'll have to wait.

Now I haven't had much sleep today, so I may end up grabbing a few Z's right when I get home in the morning.  If that's the case then you can expect the finished strip to be posted later in the afternoon / early evening.  But hopefully I'll have a bit of steam left after my shift so that I can get it out to you before noon.

Anyway, I better get ready.

Later,

-Ed

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04 / JAN / 07 - 2056 CST : Practice makes perfect...

Hey folks.

Lately I've found myself needing to practice up on inking and colouring stuff that doesn't involve Noname and the boys.  Unfortunately I don't really have the time (or for that matter the skill) to actually draw the type of stuff I'd like to concentrate my efforts on.  So I've decided to try something that I've seen a lot of inkers who want to build up their portfolio do, and that's ink (and in my case colour as well) the finished pencils of other artists.

After taking a look around DeviantART I managed to pick out some work that seemed like it would be fun to try my hand at.  One of the artist there who's work really blew me away was Clayton Henry.  Clayton is currently working on X-men over at Marvel, and if you go and check out the stuff he's got in his gallery you'll see just how lucky they are to have him working for them.  Seriously, his line work is just incredible.

Anyway, I figured I'd post a pic of how my first attempt at inking one of his pieces went.  Remember folks, I lay no claim to the artwork here.  It's all Clayton Henry.  I just inked and coloured it for practice.

Well, that's all for me.

Later,

-Ed

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03 / JAN / 07 - 1037 CST : Turning the page...

Hey folks.  Just wanted to let you know that I will be finishing up the rest of the page today.  After that I should have part of the next one up either tomorrow, or Friday at the latest.

Later,

-Ed

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01 / JAN / 07 - 1538 CST : Forgot to mention...

There will be an update later today.  Figured I should let you know in case you were wondering.

Later,

-Ed

0923 CST : Happy New Year folks!

To tell the truth, I've never been a big fan of New Years. For the most part I think of it as little more than a day that allows me to make a bit more money at work than usual. However, like a lot of you out there I'm sure, I do feel it's a perfect opportunity to take stock of the last twelve months and in turn set some goals for the next dozen that are on the way.

And while I won't bore you with the ups and downs of my personal life, I'd like to take this time to throw a couple "GT Top 5" lists at you. So without further ado…

Top 5 Geek Tragedy Highlights for 2006

(please note, the items listed here are in no particular order)

1) Clothing the Naked

After a truly dismal experience the first time I tried to have T-shirts done up for the site (fuck you very much Tom Lickers) I was finally able get them produced thanks in no small part to the wonderful folks at A Brick Shirthouse. Granted it was only a small run (I have only three or four left at this point), and was far from being a cash cow for the site, but I sure learned a lot from doing it. Not the least of which was that next time I need to stock more ladies tees (Frank seems to be a bigger hit with the ladies than I gave him credit for), and less larger sized ones (seriously folk, would it kill ya to eat more!).

So a big shout-out to each and every one of you out there that picked one up and acted as a walking, talking billboard for the site. It may not seem like much, but I assure you that type of promotion is worth its weight in gold to me. Which brings me to…

2) The Birth of a Media Whore

Thanks to the GT-shirts, my friends who wore them, and a whole lotta dumb luck, I managed to have a nice little article written up about Geek Tragedy and webcomics in general in The Winnipeg Free Press (one of the major local papers). Add in even more dumb luck still, and I was fortunate enough to be asked to do a video interview a few days after that.

And while the aftermath of the article didn't exactly launch me into superstardom, and nothing really came from the video interview (yeah, for those of you who keep asking, that interview will never see the light of day it seems. *sigh* If only I had wore a lower cut top…or y'know, spoke in complete and intelligible sentences) I still consider this one of the coolest things to happen to site in 2006.

3) Con Pros : The Real Life Story

I finally, FINALLY got a change last year to find out what it feels like to sit my ass down behind a table at a comic con instead of standing in front of one. And despite not knowing what the hell I was doing, it turned out to be the most fun I ever had at a convention. 'Cause not only did I get to meet a few new people, catch up some old friends, and pimp the site out to those that hadn't heard of it (which was just about everyone at the con), but I also got a chance to stroke the old ego a bit by talking with a few folks who were already fans of the strip.

Oh! And I sold a T-shirt too!

Yeah, it always comes back to selling those damn shirts doesn't it? What can I say, I'm all about the Benjamin's baby! Or I guess I should say the Elizabeth's, seeing as how it's Canadian money and all (which contrary to popular belief does not have that old dude from Monopoly on it).

4) Putting Perfume on a Pig

2006 saw a redesign of the site, and with it came much rejoicing among Firefox users. Yes, it took me forever to do, and yes there are still some areas that have yet to be set up, but given the fact that I am totally clueless when it comes to coding and webdesign, overall I feel quite pleased with how things turned out. Plus, given the fact that Firefox is now the browser of choice when it comes to the site, I figured it was a good call on my part to create something that could actually work with that program.

Anyway, I hope y'all like the new look, 'cause until I can afford to pay someone to do another revamp for me, this sucker's gonna be around for a while.

5) My How You've Grown!

I had a goal in mind for where I wanted to be as far as unique hits go by the end of the year, and while I didn't quite reach it, I still came pretty close. So thanks to each and every one of you who continue to drop by the site and validate my online existence by enjoying what it is I do here. If it wasn't for you folks I don't know if I would've lasted as long as I have.

One day we're all gonna have to get together and have a big group hug. Or form a puppy pile…I still haven't decided.

And now that we're done looking back, let's fire up Kris Straub's Time Friends machine and take a look at how I plan to handle things in the future.

Top 5 Things I'd Like to Do, Not do, See Happen or Not see Happen With Geek Tragedy in 2007

1) Come up with better names for future Top 5 Lists.

Nuff said.

2) Improve my art skills.

I've been lucky enough to get a fair amount of positive feedback from some of you regarding this particular area, but I still see much room for growth. In fact, whenever I look at one of my strips that's almost all I see. Anatomy, backgrounds, colours, all of it and more could use a fair amount of work. So as always I'm going to do my best to delivery far better visuals than the year before.

Unless of course I can finally manage to kidnap Lar or one of his clones. In which case screw improving my abilities, I'll just get him to do it for me.

3) Hit more cons!

I'm currently trying to work out a budget and schedule for cons this year that I'd kinda like to be able to stick to. As well, last years plan of not booking my tables till the last minute…didn't really work for me so much. So in 2007 I think maybe I'll give this "book your table more than two weeks in advance you moron" tactic that people kept telling me about a shot.

However, given my fragile financial state I'm gonna try to keep my expectations grounded somewhere close to reality. Because even though site promotion is important to me, having money on hand for food and shelter is sort of a big priority in my life as well. I know, I know. I'm a pussy that way.

4) Find a better balance between the GT universe and the one that I'm forced to live in the rest of the time.

Like I said before, the site is important to me, but it'd also be nice to find a bit more time for friends, family, and sleep (oh blessed sleep! How I miss you so!). As well, I've been informed (or as I like to call it, nagged incessantly) many, MANY times over that my current lifestyle is really doing nothing for my physical health.

On top of which, I have an idea for a Frank project that I've been dying to sink my teeth into. Plus I'm getting extremely excited about the chance I have to work on certain non-site related project that a friend asked me to work on with him this year, and I want to free up enough time so that I can put 110% into it.

How am I going to do this? Well I have a few ideas, but as of right now I'm still not exactly sure. What I do know is that I will keep producing Geek Tragedy for many more years down the road. However I just can't pass up the opportunity I have with the other project I'll be working on. Especially since if it pans out the way we hope it will, it'll mean that in the long run I'll have a much easier time concentrating on the site.

So please bear with me folks as I do a bit of adjusting with my time management. Which bring me to…

5) Putting the "schedule" back into my Update Schedule.

I'm the first to admit that the updates have been erratic this past month (and maybe even a bit before that) to say the least. However I assure you I am taking steps to remedy this problem. I want you to know that I plan on putting a lot into the site this year. Both time wise and financially, and I'm quite confident that in a couple months things will start to get back on track.

One of the first steps I'll be taking will be to decided whether or not I want to keep going with the full page strips, jump back into the smaller ones I've done in the past, or do a combination of both. Each of which of course have their own set of advantages and disadvantages.

Or maybe I'll just start producing porn and make a shit load of money that way. I don't know.

Either way I'm sure I'll have things sorted out in a month or so. Which coincidentally is about the same time I predict this freakin' "Christmas" tale will finally come to a close. I mean seriously, who makes a holiday story arc that lasts longer than the holy bible itself? And then repeats the same mistake two years in a row?!

On the bright side though, at least I haven't passed Ukrainian Christmas yet!

Anyway, just as soon as things get a bit more settled I'll let you know how the updates will be run for what will hopefully be the rest of the year. Until then though it looks like the partial page updates will continue on.

So there you have it folks. I'm kicking off 2007 with the longest damn blog post I'll probably write all year. Thanks for reading, and I hope y'all had / have a safe and Happy New Year!

Later,

-Ed