Lepus Studios Blog

Moving Day

2012-03-04T17:03:00.001-08:00

Moving is always a chore. Of course, I wasn't physically moving last week. I was moving my entire website to a new, improved and more affordable web server. Don't get me wrong, it was still a chore. Of course, I may have made the jump more complicated than it needed to be. Perhaps the rest of you can learn from my errors.

My first mistake was doing too much research. The web resources I found always included some worst-case-scenario stories about web hosts who punished customers for leaving. Apparently, in the 90's, hosts would often register a site in their own name (instead of in the customer's name) so if the customer tried to leave he was told that he could not continue using the same domain name and address unless he stayed with his current provider. These days, a grudging host will just bury the transfer directions and/or stall on sending the necessary transfer codes. It turns out that my old host was very accommodating when I asked for transfer codes and instructions. Unfortunately, my research had put me so on edge that when I finally contacted tech support my help requests sounded like I was making demands in a hostage situation. Sorry, tech support.

Time was my other enemy. I had planned on making the move two weeks before my old contract expired. This way, I wouldn't be paying for two hosts at once for very long, but if something went wrong, I'd still have some time to make adjustments. It was almost a perfect plan, but a personal crisis or two made me push the move back for a week. It turns out that, while you can change servers in a few hours, it is currently impossible to transfer a domain name in less than a week, so if your domain expires in less than a week, you need to renew for the year before you are even allowed to begin the transfer process. Sigh.

All's well that ends well. I'm set up on the new server, which has shown little or no signs of disappointing me. You readers probably won't notice the change, but you might find the site a little faster, more reliable and easier to find on search engines. Keep me posted.

-Marj

A Quest for Freedom

2012-01-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

As a cartoonist, I’m the kind of person who spends a lot of time stepping in and out of fantasy worlds. So it’s important that I try to keep up with world events as much as I can. It keeps me from becoming too disconnected. Still, I was amazed when I discovered Comic Creators for Freedom last winter (back when they were still “Comic Creators Alliance”). Comic Creators for Freedom [www.comiccreatorsforfreedom.com] unites cartoonists to help raise awareness and support for the fight against human trafficking – the buying and selling of human beings. I wasn’t surprised to learn that such a charity existed. I was surprised to learn how necessary it was. Up until then, I had thought of slavery as something from the past, something that may still exist on a smattering of small countries in distant parts of the world. Wrong. There is an estimated 27 million people being kept as slaves in the world today.* Even in industrialized countries, like here in American, humans are bought and sold. Even children and young girls are being kidnapped off the streets or from school bus stops. They are ripped from their families and abused in every way imaginable.

January 11 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day (in the United States) and Comic Creators for Freedom is starting their annual donations drive. This year, 127 different cartoonists have contributed a drawing of one of their female characters. These drawings have been assembled into one super drawing. Many popular webcomics have joined in this year, including Girls with Slingshots, The Dreamland Chronicles, Kukuburi, Earthsong Saga, Looking for Group, Love and Capes, The Dreamer, and even Draconis Wicked (look for Flight. I haven’t seen it yet, but I think she’s on the right.)

Anyone who donates to CCF can download the image to use as desktop wallpaper. All profits will be split evenly between Gracehaven [www.gracehavenhouse.org] and Love 146 Round Home [love146.org], two groups that help rehabilitate the rescued victims of slavery.

The donations drive will run from January 9th to January 20th so if you want a wallpaper, don’t wait too long.

Please note that the drawing itself does not include any illusions to slavery or other dark themes. It is safe for work and children.

I am honored to be able to take part in this. My deepest thanks to anyone who donates, or even passes the word along.

-Marjorie Rishel

(*facts and statistics courtesy of Comic Creators for Freedom [www.comiccreatorsforfreedom.com])

Second Anniversary!

2011-12-31T21:39:00.000-08:00

Here we are, beginning our third year of Lepus Studios. I chose to launch this wacky experiment on a New Year's Day because I was afraid that if I didn't choose a day with some significance, I would probably be tempted to put off my launch. Then I might never have gotten started.This year, my fictitious staff and I have made several significant achievements. More guest comics and fan art was drawn, we signed up for advertisements with Project Wonderful, Easter Eggs and Christmas Cards became repeated traditions, we got on twitter, we began our partnership with Ninth Runs Wild and (most importantly) the long-anticipated Draconis Wicked was finally introduced to the world.I'm already brewing up more good stuff for 2012. In January, Draconis Wicked's Flight will make an appearance in Comic Creators for Freedom's annual wallpaper project. (I'll tell you more about that next time.) I'm also going to be a part of something pretty big in either March or April (but I'll tell you about that one when the time comes.)I'm also trying to figure out ways to update more frequently and I've written some new Urban Underbrush stories that are my best yet.Lets begin year three with high hopes for the future!-Marj

Draconis Wicked Every Monday

2011-11-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

I’m changing the schedule for Draconis Wicked! From now on,a new page of Draconis will appear each and every Monday. The multi-pagemonthly updates were a noble experiment and they made it possible for me topost the entire first chapter in a single summer. The old system helped me getstarted, but now it’s holding me back.
Originally, I had one big reason for doing multipage updatesand a lot of little reasons for switching to one-page updates. Big, multipageupdates create a better reading experience. But with one-page updates, I canupdate more frequently, people don’t forget about Draconis in the off weeks, Ican schedule my drawing time more easily, I can add comic notes to each update(like I do for Urban Underbrush), I can put the latest comic on the Draconis Wicked main page, and the latest comic will always be easier to find.
I had been considering the change for awhile, but thensomething happened that really made up my mind. My comics got a short evaluation in the forums ofWebcomics.com. Webcomic.com editor and legendary webcartoonist Brad Guigarsuggested that my stuff would be more popular if I made it easier for readersto share the comics. But Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds are all designed toshare one page of content at a time. If I want to network, it makes more senseto go with the flow, instead of trying to reinvent conventions. I’m just notfamous enough for that kind of thing yet.
So when you visit the Draconis Wicked page, you’ll see thatthe latest comic is now outfitted with Facebook, Twitter and RSS buttons foryour convenience. If you happen to like a page, then please pass it on.
I look forward to seeing what other changes the new schedulebrings.
-Marj

Three Year Old Review (AKA Reviewed by a Three-Year-Old)

2011-10-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

A few days ago, my three-year-old cousin dropped by for a visit. Eventually, she found some Draconis sketches and wanted to know more about them. So we opened up the website and I read/paraphrased the stories to her. Here’s what she thought:

Draconis Wicked - Flight is pretty. Draconis and Snakey are cool because they have long tails. Malcorona is neat because he’s a dragon like Draconis, but he spends too much time in the dark and he’s hard to see. The “blue castle” is great. All the people are neat because they look like animals and it’s fun to guess what each one is. The only person who isn’t great is Cloaker, who is scary. Marjorie needs to “make more story.”

Urban Underbrush - Dynamite and Detonator are characters from a storybook, despite the fact that they have never appeared in print. Vincent is the “Prince Charming” because he’s the only one who got a kiss from a girl. The best comics are the ones with dogs or “the little green dragon that sits on people’s shoulders.”

Always nice to get some useful feedback.

-Marj

Another Birthday

2011-10-15T12:04:00.000-07:00

Howdy, Folks. My birthday is this weekend. This year, it's even a work holiday (called Sunday!) No need for gifts, I'm actually pretty good on moderately priced stuff. However, there is a traditional gift webcartoonists often ask for on special occasions and it's surprisingly affordable. It fact, it's free. Tell one person about my website. Give them the URL if you can. Did my birthday pass you by already? It's okay, you can still tell a friend about the site any time. See, with web stuff, word of mouth is really powerful. Internet sites and businesses often build their audience one member at a time. If people don't pass them along, they have a hard time growing. Networking, comic lists, even paid advertisements can't stack up to a recommendation from a trusted friend.

So spread the word and thanks in advance.

And Happy Birthday to you too (whenever your birthday is.)

-Marj

The Great Lepus Blackout

2011-09-26T11:37:00.001-07:00

Welcome back everyone. If any of you tried to visit us latelast week, you may have noticed something funny. The site didn’t exist for afew days. Thanks to a server glitch, we were down on Wednesday afternoon, allday Thursday, all day Friday, and Saturday morning (with a few flickers onSaturday evening and Sunday evening).
This was not the result of anything I had done wrong. Theblame rests with my host server. For those of you who are unfamiliar with howthe internet operates, a website is just a collection of files contained in afolder or a set of folders. These files are written in a code that your webbrowser translates and displays. In order for web browsers to access thesefiles, the folders have to be kept on a computer that is turned on andconnected 24 hours a day. These computers are called servers. It’s tooexpensive and inefficient for each website owner to own and operate their ownserver, so we rent space on a server that is owned by a hosting company.
So last week, my server crashed and needed to be rebuilt andreloaded. There is never a good time for something like this to happen, butlast week was especially lousy for a couple of reasons:
1.) I’ve recently started buying advertising. Now, new readerswho have only just found Lepus Studios from my new ads are going to wonder ifmy site is unreliable.
2.) I’ve recently started selling advertising. I had tosuspend all the ads I was selling until the matter was resolved. As a result,I’ve sort of had to start over with my sponsors. My web ads are not commandingthe prices they used to. Last week, I was earning 3 to 5 cents per ad each day.Now I’m back to 0 to 2 cents. It’s a sad day when you need to work your wayback up to 5 cents.
3.) I was invited to draw another guest comic for theSuperFogeys. (This time, it’s for their fifth anniversary celebration. Twelvedifferent artists are each drawing a wacky chapter summary. Here’s mycontribution: http://superfogeys.webcomicsonline.com/2011/09/26/chapter-3-the-techno-shuffle-recap-by-marjorie-rishel/)When people read guest comics that they like, they often want to visit theguest artist’s site. If my site isn’t working, I could miss my chance to drawin new readers. Luckily, the site repairs were finished on time for my part ofthe event, but it was a close shave.
4.) Did anyone read the latest Urban Underbrush? That week’scomic brought us to a fairly important point in the story where I spelled outsome fairly important character information. (I got to draw people making out).I would rather people not have missed that.
I’m not too angry at my hosts over the server crash. Iunderstand that accidents like this are unavoidable (Murphy’s law and allthat). I am a little annoyed by the way they handled it. They did not notifyany of their customers about the crash and have yet to make an effort tocompensate us for the time we lost (time that we paid for.) My server contractruns out in March. Unless these guys do something to really impress me in thenext five months, I’m backing my bags and heading for greener pastures andbluer waters
-Marj

Save Stripped

2011-09-20T22:33:00.000-07:00

"I know a lot of you like to wait until the last minute...well...THIS IS THE LAST MINUTE!"

Friends, as I write this blog post, there is only one day left in the "Stripped" documentary's Kickstarter campaign.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/smallfish/stripped-the-comics-documentary

In case you haven't heard, this is a documentary about comic strips made by professional cartoonist Dave Kellet (http://www.sheldoncomics.com/) and professional film maker Fred Schroeder. It's an amazing project that has a lot of important artists rallying around it. "Stripped" has already met its minimum funding goal, but it's crazy close to hitting the next goal, which would pay for closed-captioning, animation and lots of other extras. I would really like to see this project become successful. I know I don't have the biggest following in the world and many of my readers aren't hard-core comic fans but I would always regret if I didn't try to help spread the word during the final hours.

Please visit the site, watch the video, then decide if you wish to make a donation. Even if you can't contribute, you'll be glad you checked it out.

Thanks.

-Marj

Back to School Bully Field Guide

2011-09-14T21:41:00.001-07:00

(Note to Lepus Studios readers: If my blog feed is running all these lines together with no breaks, please click the blog title to read it in Google Blogger. Sorry for the trouble.)

Once again, it’s time for kids to return to school. That means it’s time for me to write another back-to-school survival guide blog. Each year, I try to write some practical advice for school children to help make their lives a little easier. I have an above average amount of memories from my own childhood and I’m a certified teacher. I’ve seen how schools work from both sides of the fence. Am I an expert? Meh, I can probably write a better survival guide then the ones those kids magazines crank out each September.

If you want to read last year’s blog on getting help from teachers, find it here: http://lepusstudios.blogspot.com/2011/08/back-to-school-blues.html

This Year’s Topic: The Bully Field Guide.

Whenever I hear adults reminiscing on how hard school was, they usually don’t gripe about early mornings, dull classes, or even homework. Eight times out of ten, their worst memories are about putting up with other students. We all know that classes and homework make us smarter and better. But putting up with bullies serves no purpose. It just drains our time and energy.

Bullies in real life aren’t always like the bullies on TV. They’re not always big dumb meatheads or ice-queen cheerleaders. I’ve made a list of the four most common types of real-world bullies and some tips on how to deal with them once you’ve identified them.

Remember, for any kind of bully, getting help from parents and teachers is always an option. It can be tough for adults to fix kid’s problems. You may have to ask for help more than once to let them know that the problem is serious. Ask your teacher about talking to the principal or school counselor too. They may have some extra tricks that your parents and teachers can’t pull.

(Note: In the section ahead, I’ve used the pronoun “he” just to keep it short. All of these bullies can be male or female.)

The Sociopath – This bully thinks that he is the center of the universe and other people are just around to amuse him. It’s easy to think of self-centered bullies as spoiled rich kids, but often times, they’re regular kids whose parents never told them “no” enough. These bullies are most often found in high schools (sometimes middle schools). Kids at this age realize that their actions can have big effects on the world. The sociopath likes to try this power out on other kids. To him, it’s fascinating to learn that he can make others unhappy. He also likes the idea that bullying is taboo. Breaking this rule makes him feel dangerous and rebellious.Sociopath bullies don’t push everyone around. They only have a couple of targets, which they attack frequently. They can have real friends and are often good students. Sometimes they get along with teachers, other times they try to push the teachers around too. They are often leaders and will try make their friends join in on the bullying. They avoid a fair fight. They may strike, then run or confront their target only when they have their friends around.

Strategies: Your best bet is to shield yourself. This bully wants to destroy your self-esteem. Remember that you’re not to blame for this. Also, when this bully comes around, stick to your friends. He doesn’t want to challenge all of you.

If you yourself are a sociopath bully, be warned: most of them regret their actions when they grow up. You may be spoiling your future childhood memories.

The Tease: Some kids really enjoy laughing at others. For this bully it’s all about feeling clever and enjoying a laugh. It’s not about hurting your feelings, but that’s a side effect that he can live with. He usually teases everyone, but picks on some kids more than others. Sometimes this bully thinks you’re enjoying the joke. Sometimes he doesn't care how you feel. These bullies are silly kids who like to get swept up in the moment.

Strategies: Confronting him will either gets him to stop or encourages him. Try confrontation once to see if it works. Don’t sound angry or emotional. Just let them know you don’t want to play. If that doesn’t work, ignore him as much as possible.

The Class Clown: Sometimes this kid is really funny. Sometimes he only thinks he’s funny. This bully runs purely on impulse. He hits people or breaks things just to make something exciting happen. This kid often disrupts class and is always in trouble with teachers. He never plans on hurting you, but he doesn’t really mind if he does. When he realizes he’s done something wrong, he's too worried about getting out of trouble to think about apologizing. People who act like this do it because they have other problems. Never try to hurt him back. If you later find out about his troubles, you’ll end up feeling guilty. Plus, this kid is likely to go off on you. You don’t want that kind of trouble.

Strategies: You and your friends should never to laugh at anything this kid does, even if it’s funny. Don’t criticize his jokes either. Just say nothing. Other than that, it might be best to stay out of the way. If one of your friends is a class clown bully NEVER encourage him to act out. Sure, it may seem to lift his spirits for a moment, but in the long run, you’re helping him damage himself.

The Vigilante:This is the most common type of school bully: the bully who doesn’t know he’s a bully. He mistakenly thinks his victims are bad guys who deserve to a hard time. He’ll pick on people who make fun of his friends, mess up his stuff, or have a bad attitude. Then he goes to far. He may spend years picking on you because of one rude comment you made by accident. Or he torments people who were already punished by a teacher because he didn’t think the teacher was tough enough. Most of the time, you won’t know why he’s giving you trouble. But he won’t tell you because he thinks you already know. Here’s the weirdest part: To everyone else, he’s probably a real nice kid.

Strategies: Of all bullies, vigilantes are the most open to logic. When he picks on you, say something quick like “How long are you going to keep pushing me?” or “What have I ever done to you?” With any luck, this may make him to think about what he’s doing.

Be warned: Sociopaths can look a lot like vigilantes. Logical arguments may get a vigilante to back off, but it will make a sociopath push harder. I recommend you only try logic once. If it doesn’t work, you may have a sociopath on your hands.

Everyone has the potential to become vigilante bullies if we don’t check ourselves. Let little things go as much as possible. If you ever find yourself fighting with another kid, it’s possible that you’re both vigilante bullying each other. Remember, your goal is not to get even. It’s to stop all the fighting and make your life less complicated.

Good Luck.

-Marj

http://www.lepusstudios.com

Website Make Over

2011-08-30T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, we've had the old Lepus Site for a year now, and it's time for some changes. I've kept most of the old design, but I tried to get rid of some of the clutter.

I suspected that the site needed an overhaul when I added Draconis Wicked to the mix. Right from the beginning, I had always expected to add Draconis Wicked to the existing site. When Draconis finally joined us, I thought it would be like adding a second story to an existing house. It was more like suspending a brick from a sculpture made from wire. It can be done, but it should be done carefully or everything collapses under it's own weight.

So here's a breakdown of our new features:
1.) The Home Page is now a hub for the site's most important features.
2.) The Draconis Wicked page is now a mini home page for all things Draconis and the Urban Underbrush page does the same for the Urban Underbrush comics.
3.) The Blog is no longer stuck to the comics. I now write the blogs on Google's Blogger and run them to the site via Feedburner. Older posts should be stored on Blogger, including all past blogs. (I moved them to blogger last week. It took too long.)

Other things may have moved around or changed color or something, but I think you'll be able to find everything. If you spot any flaws or broken links, feel free to email me or leave a message on Facebook.

This seemed like the perfect time to kick up the site a little because this is one of those rare times when both Urban Underbrush and Draconis Wicked are starting new chapters at the same time. We'll be meeting some new characters and following new adventures and there will be some shifts in the current dynamics. I hope you'll follow long.

Enjoy.

-Marj

Lepus Studios

Webcomics Community

2011-08-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Aug. 25, 2011)

I love this website. Working on the comics and site makes me happy and keeps me sane. In spite of this passion, Lepus Studios has not been a huge presence on the web. Lately, I’ve been playing at networking and marketing. I’ve joined some artist groups for fun and profit. I’ve got some outside work (I’ll give you more details as they become relevant). And I’ve created a new batch of advertisements.

Want to get in on the action? You can help grow the comics by continuing to visit the site and by recommending the comics to other people. Word-of-mouth goes a long way for website, especially comic sites. If you want to get more involved, you can join our community on Facebook (while you’re at it, why not join our “cousin site’s” Facebook fan page as well? If you like Draconis Wicked, you’ll probably like Wave Tyrant too.) And don't be shy about commenting on posts or voting in polls. That kind of thing improves our standing on Facebook.

Thanks for reading.

-Marj

P.S. Hey, comics fans! Here's another project that deserves your support more than I do (for now). I'm super excited about this. Watch the video (it's fascinating) and see what you can do.

Back in Town

2011-08-28T14:36:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Aug. 19, 2011)

Sorry for the delay, folks. I suspect you’ve all been very patient while I’ve been away.

I had scheduled a little vacation to Boston, so I wasn’t able to get the comic up at its usual hour. Before this week, I’ve often wondered if traveling web cartoonists spent their trips worrying about delayed updates while they were away. The answer to this is “no.” Sure, I gave my work a passing thought, but no one wants to spend their vacation fretting about things that are out of their control.

Anyway, I’m back to work and planning new and exciting things for the weeks ahead.

And if anyone’s interested, I had a really nice trip and I would recommend a visit to Boston to just about anyone. (Anyone who doesn’t mid walking around a lot, because you probably don’t want to drive if you can help it.) There’s a neat mix of historical artifacts and cheesy tourist stuff. It’s kind of like an American Revolution version of a Renaissance fair. An unexpected treat was the “Ghosts and Gravestones Fright-Seeing Tour.” If you ever get to try it, ask for Jonathan. He’s a pretty good actor and if he finds out that you’re a huge geek, he’ll sneak Dr. Who jokes into his prepared tour.

Happy Trails.

-Marj

The Daughter of Mountain Mist

2011-08-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Aug. 11, 2011)
Silky, the Rishel Family cat, died last Tuesday morning. She was sixteen years old and was battling terminal cancer, but I don’t think she even knew she was sick until the last week or two.
She was my last surviving childhood pet. I’m sure I’ll have lots of other pets, but there won’t be any more that can occupy that kind of place in my life.

Silky was a sweet little cat who was loved by everyone. Before the last year, she was exceptionally healthy but she was always very small. Her size, combined with her life-long sense of curiosity and slightly submissive nature made her seem like a perpetual kitten. She was born a farm cat, but if my mother’s cousin hadn’t given her to my family, I doubt that dainty little Silky would have survived one year on the farm.
Silky’s original owner happened to be visiting a few months before Silky first became ill. I thought he wouldn’t remember an old barn cat that had only belonged to his family for five short weeks, but he remembered her very fondly. He told us that Silky was the daughter of Mountain Mist, his very favorite cat ever. Apparently, our little girl had come from a family of exceptional cats. I like to think that her half-feral relatives are still running around the forests of Paris, Ohio, enchanting all they meet.
So long, little friend. Thanks for all the great years.
-Marj

Draconis Wicked Updated

2011-08-28T14:33:00.001-07:00

(Originally posted August 8, 2011)

Draconis Wicked: Chapter One, Part Three is finally finished and posted. If you missed the other links, you can find the latest TEN PAGES Here.

I wanted to finish Chapter One before the end of the summer, but it's been kind of frantic trying to get those pages drawn, colored and posted on time (or close to on time). But I was in a hurry to get to the point. I think a lot of people won't get on board with Draconis if they couldn't learn about his motives and mission right away.

Anyway, now that you know what Draconis Wicked is all about, I can slow down a little. Expect about six pages of Draconis each month. And before you complain, try to keep in mind that making a page of Draconis takes about three times as long as making an Urban Underbrush strip. Yet since Draconis started, you've been getting about two Draconis pages for each episode of Underbrush.

But don't worry. The story will still move at a fair pace and I have no plans to stop it.

In the meantime, I'll be spending some of my newly earned free time on web maintenance and advertising, so the Lepus world should be getting a little bigger and more exciting.

And don't forget to come back on Thursday for another installment of Urban Underbrush.

-Marj

Draconis Wicked Delayed - Here's Why

2011-08-28T14:32:00.001-07:00

(Originally posted August 1, 2011)

Sorry, folks. Draconis Wicked: Chapter One, Part Three is running behind schedule. Expect the third and final installment of the chapter to appear on Monday, August 8. Urban Underbrush will continue to run on schedule. I actually finished drawing all the pages weeks ago, but I haven’t found the time to color them. This is a pretty key moment in the story, so I’m not spoiling the effect by posting in plain black and white. Your patience will be rewarded. Why the delay? This month, I taught two weeks of computer art classes for middle school and high school students and helped set up their student gallery. After that, I had one week to finish getting ready for my sister’s wedding. I thought I could finish coloring my pages during that intermittent week, but weddings are a lot of work. On top of the normal amount of chores, we all kept thinking of little extra touches we could add, such as writing the wedding toast in the form of a poem or making the groom an exact replica of Homer Simpson’s pig cufflinks.

(He totally wore them to the ceremony.)

This is the first time I’ve ever missed an update, so bear with me while I get back up to speed. Thanks for understanding.

-The Management (Marj)

...So Get Her to the Church on Time

2011-08-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted July 28, 2011)

Excitement is still going strong for the Rishel family. My sister, Emily, is getting MARRIED this coming Saturday so I’ve been filling my days with last minute chores and visits with the relatives who have flown in for the occasion. I’m going to write down a few thoughts about the wedding, even though I should be saving my best material for the wedding toast.

Me and my two sisters, Emily and Liz, have always been pretty close. Growing up, we shared a bedroom, so I think we were forced to either become best friends or kill off the weakest. Fortunately for Liz (Yeah, that’s right, Liz) we decided to go the “friends” route - a decision we’ve only seldom regretted. When the three of us are together, we often carry out animated conversations in an inadvertent secret language of in-jokes and references to shared events. We also pull stunts that you can only do spontaneously with people that you’re in sync with.

The ~~poor sap~~ man Emily has chosen to marry is one of only a few people who not only puts up with our antics, but encourages them. This is a habit so rare among most people that I’m always a little surprised when it happens.

Emily and Chris, the entire Lepus family (which consists of myself and several dozen fictional characters) wishes you all the luck and the world. Have a nice marriage.

-Marj

P.S. Emily and Liz, we should totally go out for a sushi lunch sometime before Emily leaves the city. Oops, I just told the entire internet our plans. Now they’ll all want to go …Okay, nobody tell them where we’re going, okay?

My Summer

2011-08-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted July 14, 2011)

My summer’s been picking up speed lately. I’m teaching my annual summer art classes this week and next week. It’s where middle school and high school kids learn the joys of Photoshop and Flash animation. Also, I’m going on a camping trip this weekend, which will be a welcome break from all the computers. I’ve drawn a few comics ahead, so this won’t affect my website. Except that I’m writing shorter blogs, due to the time crunch.

The End.

-Marj

Draconis Part Two

2011-08-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted June 30, 2011)

As you can guess from the title, the second installment of Draconis Wicked has gone up. You can read it from the beginning of the story or start from the beginning of part two.

It's been a fair amount of work getting these pages posted on time. Especially since this month's Draconis needed to be up early, due to Independance Day Weekend (don't expect Urban Underbrush and Draconis Wicked to appear on the same day again anytime soon). I may need to make some schedule adjustments in the fall.

But it's been so nice to finally start illustrating Draconis and his friends. It's great to put pictures to these stories after all this time.

Happy 4th of July.

-Marj

Super Books

2011-08-28T14:25:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted June 23, 2011)

“So let me get this straight, you actually won something off the internet?” This was my father’s response when I told him I had won a free comic book from Brock Heasley’s SuperFogeys 2011 Teaser contest. Dad’s pretty cautious about scam contests and internet ne’er-do-wells, but I was able to convince him that this one was legit. I entered the contest, which ran in late March/early April and I was one of two winners who walked off with an autographed copy of SuperFogeys Volume One. (The book actually arrived several weeks ago, but I haven’t had time to give it a decent write-up until now.)

Here's me with my book. I'm making my best Captain Spectacular face.

There’s an obvious question that follows webcartoonists who want to print their work: “Why would anyone pay for a book of comics that they can read them for free on the internet?” I can promise you that Brock rises to meet this marketing challenge. For starters, he’s got the basics covered. SuperFogeys is a nice full-color book full of clear, high resolution art work. But the book is also full of fantastic extras that you can’t find anywhere else. There are concept sketches, new original stories, artist commentary on every page, and even a little flipbook in the page corners. It’s a book that you can feel good about holding in your hands.

But my book is special. Brock took the time to hand-draw a character sketch on the inside cover and he did not slack off on it.

Brock's sketch of the villainous Dr. Rocket with Harvey the Science Rabbit.

It’s a good book and a good example of how webcomics can successfully make the jump from digital to print.

And by the way, don’t let me say that I never win at anything.

-Marj

Make Way for Draconis

2011-08-28T14:22:00.001-07:00

(Originally posted June 9, 2011)

So, there’s been some crazy stuff happening here at the old comic factory. If you dropped in on Monday, you probably noticed the first nine pages (!) of Draconis Wicked, my newest comic. If you missed it, catch up here.

As I mentioned last week, I want to update Draconis on a publisher schedule - a large update each month. My goal is to add to the story on the first Monday of each month. Well there are no new pages this week I have finished the new cover for chapter one:

I’m really pleased that I can finally start drawing Draconis Wicked. I’ve been playing with the story for years, but it has taken awhile for me to improve my drawing, digital painting, and web design skills enough to do justice to the story.

Meanwhile, the fans of Urban Underbrush don’t have to worry. Underbrush will still be appearing on the regular schedule. We’re getting close to the end of the current story. Then we’ll get back to the general nonsense we know and love.

In the weeks ahead, I’ll be adjusting the site to make sure it’s big enough for two comics.

-Marj

Countdown Begins

2011-08-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted June 2, 2011)

Spread the word! Draconis Wicked, my other comic, is starting this Monday, June 6 2011. Make sure you come back to Lepus Studios on Monday for the first several pages.

I know, I promised you more warning than this. Originally, I had planned to begin Draconis on the last day of spring, but lately, I’ve been considering the advantages to starting at the beginning of the month instead of at the end of it. Sure, I would have liked to have more pages finished before the official launch, but now seems like a good time to get started and I really don’t want to delay it any longer.

So I could tell you a little more about the story and such, but I’d rather wait a few days and let the opening speak for itself.

See you on Monday.

-Marj

Tortoises and Hares

2011-08-28T14:18:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted May 26, 2011)

It’s a big week for the animal kingdom.

Last Monday was World Turtle Day (yay for Noko). According to Wikipedia, the purpose of World Turtle Day is “to bring attention to, and increase knowledge of and respect for, turtles and tortoises, and encourage human action to help them survive and thrive.” Small animals like turtles are often taken for granted. They seem so small, insignificant and commonplace, that it is easy to forget how much help they need.

Here’s some useful trivia about turtle keeping:

Some species of turtles have become endangered largely because of people collecting them as pets. If you see a wild turtle, leave it be. (It’s okay to admire it a little first.)

If you already own a turtle, don’t set it free either. Pet shop turtles are often disease carriers. They’ve build up their own immunities in captivity, but these diseases can still harm the wild population. (Weird, huh?)

Remember to keep your pet turtles clean, as all birds and reptiles carry small amounts of salmonella. (Why is so much of my trivia is about disease?)

We are also in the middle of Rabbit Awareness Week (May 23 to May 29) which is pretty much that same as turtle day, except for rabbits. Actually, Rabbit Awareness Week is more focused on the proper care of domestic rabbits that are kept as pets or livestock. If you own a rabbit, you are encouraged to stop and take a moment to see if you are meeting its five basic needs:

Environment
Behavior
Diet
Companionship
Health

As you may know, I own one turtle and no rabbits. So I’d like to see how my fictional rabbits stack up on having their basic needs met.

Environment: Dynamite and Detonator live at the Grass Roots House. It’s a cooler climate than they are used to, so they compensate by dressing in layers. Food and water is available. I suspect that they are litter trained and clean their own sandbox (it hasn’t come up yet).

Behavior: No comment.

Diet: Hmm, probably not very good. They are feeding themselves. They have a fair amount of common sense on what’s safe to eat. Still, I bet they fill up on junk food a lot. Clayton may need to intervene.

Companionship: They got each other. D’waaaa!

Health: The boys get plenty of exercise, have regular check-ups, and always wear adequate safety gear when operating explosives. What else can you ask for?

Whatever critters are sharing you lives, may they stay healthy and happy.

-Marj

Progress

2011-08-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted May 19, 2011)

Not too much to report this week. I've been crazy busy with family stuff, plus I've been trying to cram some extra drawing time into every spare moment. I've finished a couple pages of the big graphic novel, "Draconis Wicked," but I'm not quite ready to post them yet. It's still too early to give you an exact launch date yet. I've seen that blow up in the faces of too many artists. When things get a little more certain, I'll give you plenty of advanced notice and we'll do a countdown and serve punch and do all the other things that go along with launching a new project. Okay?

I will tell you that I'm pleased with how it's coming together so far. At this stage, Draconis Wicked is more tedious and time-consuming than Urban Underbrush, but in many ways it's easier to draw and the art is an improvement. I'm hoping that I can apply what I've learned to Urban Underbrush and kick up the quality of the artwork around here.

Drop in next week. I may have some teaser pics up.

In the meantime, Wave Tyrant is still going strong. Have you been reading? Have you made friends on Facebook yet?

-Marj

Running Wild

2011-08-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted May 12, 2011)

Something very exciting is happening in the world of webcomics. And I’m the only one who knows about it. Okay, I’m not literally the only person in the world who knows what’s coming, but I’m one of a privileged few who have had a chance to read parts of this brand new comic and I know it’s going to be big.

Kristine Synowka (at ninthrunswild.com) is now launching her first comic, “The Wave Tyrant.” It’s a high-seas fantasy story full of adventure, romance, humor, suspense, surprises, and whatever else people put in great stories.

This is not just another webcomic. Take one look and you’ll know right away that this one is special. The artwork looks like the gifted child of blockprints and watercolors, but it still bubbles with all the charm and personality of animated cartoons. Read just a few lines and you’ll see the craftsmanship of the story. The endearing characters and engaging stories unfold beautifully and genuinely. You’ll get to know the cast them instantly, yet still spend pages and pages learning what’s below the surface. (Okay, the story proper probably hasn’t started yet, but take my word for it. That will happen.)

To help you follow along, I’ll try to keep you up to speed on the important things going on with Wave Tyrant and Ninth Runs Wild. It’s our plan that Lepus Studios and Ninth Runs Wild will be banding together in the future to improve all our comics and make the internet a little more interesting.

So you’ve read the review. Now what are you waiting for? Go visit ninthrunswild.com and get on the boat.

Yes, I did actually say “get on the boat.” Deal with it.

-Marj

P.S." Ninth Runs Wild" also has a Facebook page. I suggest you like them now before everyone is doing it.

My Little Tree

2011-08-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted May 5, 2011 )

Hey, remember that little bansai tree I wrote about a few weeks ago? The tree is really agreeing with its new surroundings and it already almost doubled in size.

It's a tropical Bahama Berry plant (so I can't really plant it on the roof) which makes it a little unusual for a bansai, but not unheard of. It's kind of neat having a mini-palm tree, especially since I already had a more traditonal jade bansai for several years now.

-Marj

Nothing but Zombies

2011-08-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Apr. 28, 2011)

First of all...

I want to thank all the artists who sent such kind responses to the Easter Egg Gallery last week. I've heard from Andrew, Chris, and Kristine personally, from the studio of JoCo, and Doug's lovely assistant Katherine posted my egg pics in with the last wave of fan mail. You guys are such class acts.

Nothing but Zombies

This week, I really have nothing to write about. I haven't been up to anything, saw any good movies, had any deep thoughts, etc. This is because I've been spending the last couple of days doing graphic work fro good old "Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera." I'm designing the program (or playbill, or whatever you want to call the little book that they give you at the front door) and it's a much bigger job than it looks like.

Not to leave you empty handed, I'm posting a picture from the zombie animation I made last fall, which runs as a part of the show:

See? It's a stencil man fighting a stencil zombie. He's being all menacing and stuff. Isn't it something? You should see it in motion.

Tune in next week when I write about something other than Zombies.

-Marj

"Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera" Spring Performances

2011-08-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Apr. 21, 2011)

Are you a zombie fan who lives in the Pittsburgh area? If so, then do I have a deal for you. "Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera" is performing their "half-way to Halloween" show and tickets are STILL available! As you may recall, the fall shows were so popular that they sold out every seat at every show and still had to turn people away. If you missed your chance last fall or if you are going to miss your chance next fall, then I suggest you to grab a spot now while you can.

These new performances will feature

More zombie performers
Improved film sequence of the end of the world party
An enhanced version of the song "I've Been Bitten" recorded by the band, School of Athens
Gorey props from Specter Studios
An improved playbill designed by an up-and-coming graphic illustrator/webcartoonist.

The shows are running on May 6 and 7 at the Eddy Theater at Chatham University...

For ticket info, please visit www.zombieopera.com

Happy Half-way to Halloween.

-Marj

SALSEEG (The Second Annual Lepus Studios Easter Egg Gallery)

2011-08-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Apr. 21, 2011)

It's that time again! Once again, we are celebrating the Easter season with The Second Annual Lepus Studios Easter Egg Gallery! Yup, more brightly colored Easter Eggs that pay tribute to the Lepus Studio comics, as well as some other favorites. We have some crazy-popular comics, as well as some exciting new up-and-comers. I could tell you all about it, but you'd be better off seeing it for yourself (it's only one mouse-click, right?)

If you missed last years egg gallery, fear not, I won't make you hunt for it. You can find it Here.

Happy Easter.

-Marj

Cherry Blossoms

2011-08-28T14:01:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Apr. 14, 2011)

Last week, I mentioned that I would be taking a trip and I promised to tell you all about it.

This past Friday, some of my cousins and I drove down to Washington D.C. to attend the Cherry Blossom Festival.

Me outside the Shinto Culture booth. I have a banzai tree in my jacket pocket. Perhaps I should plant it on my roof.

Although I have visited Washington D.C. before, this was my first-ever Cherry Blossom Festival. The weekend was a very cool mix of events. We started by catching some of the parade on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Here is a fire truck driven by hobo clowns. Apparently, the recent budget cuts have hit the fire department hard.

The big event was the Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival. Although the festival was mostly shopping, it also included food, cultural demonstrations, traditional music, j-pop music, and martial arts demonstrations. Lots of different people crowded the streets, with just enough anime fans and cosplayers to keep things interesting.

Some fancy hand-made toys.

By Sunday, things had mellowed out a little. We attended the big kite festival that surrounded the Washington Monument. There were some kite demonstrations, kite sales, and a make-your-own kite table, but most of the guests just brought their own kites from home and had fun with it.

A few blooming trees over-look the grounds of the Washington Monument, where the crowds have gathered for the kite-flying festival.

We had a pretty awesome weekend. I may need to go back again some time and try all the events we weren't able to attend this time around (we wanted to go on the lantern walk around the Tidal Basin, but time, weather, and public transportation were not on our side.)

It was also very inspiring. At a time when the country of Japan is in such a bad place, I was elated to see that it's culture and spirit were still being praised, celebrated, and prayed for by so many different people.

-Marj

I walk to find you

sometimes five or six miles

cherries in blossom

Short Thoughts

2011-08-28T13:59:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Apr. 7, 2011)

Sorry, the blog is going to be short this week. I've been finishing some work and getting ready to take a trip this weekend. I'll tell you all about it next week (if everything goes as planned.)

In the meantime, I've been doing lots of "writing" for Urban Underbrush and Draconis Wicked. By "writing" I mean imagining and exploring new story ideas. Lately, I feel like the ideas are appearing so fast that I don't have time to put them all on paper. It sounds nice, but it also means I have a lot of formless concepts floating around that aren't resulting in any products for you readers. Anyone else ever have this problem?

Until next time.

-Marj

Spring Cleaning

2011-08-28T13:58:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Mar. 31, 2011)

Right now, I'm trying to tied up any loose ends before I start pushing on the Draconis project again. I've made some nice little changes to the site that I've been thinking about for a while. I've cleaned up the site banner and the links. Plus there's some new comic banners on the Urban Underbrush page and the Draconis Wicked page.

In my efforts to make improvements, I've broken one of the webcartoonist rules. Webcartoonists are often told not to go back and make adjustments to old work. It takes time and energy that should be devoted to new stuff. But there's been something bothersome about my old comics that was pretty easy to correct, the dingy backgrounds. When I switched the comics to color, I wanted to keep the background in shades of gray. This would make the characters look more vibrant by contrast. It might have worked if I was using a different art style, but it turns out that this comic looks better with colorful backgrounds. Plus, when I was working on the Grass Roots Blueprints it occurred to me that if all of the former residents were hippies and artists, then I would have an excuse to color all my walls in bright, uncommon colors. In fact, it would be wrong not to have a weird paint job. I started showing hallways with purple walls around comic #45. recently, I've gone back and "corrected" all of the backgrounds in the comics that came before #45, so the story has a consistent look, which should make it easier on new readers.

Old Version

New Version

I'm probably going to continue making improvements to the backgrounds in the new comics, but I don't plan on going back and changing any of the old work again, unless I ever need to make changes for a print version.

Also...

As you may remember, last week I ran the ad for Brock Heasley/Marc Lapierre's webcomic, The SuperFogeys. Well, it turns out that I won a free autographed comic book from their big give away. So I think I'm just gonna let that poster stay up for another week.

-Marj

Advertisement (Read it Anyway)

2011-08-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Mar. 24, 2011)

Anyone remember last January when I drew a guest comic for Brock Heasley's SuperFogeys? Well, the Fogeys have adopted a new lead artist (the talented Marc Lapierre) and they are adding an extra update to the weekly schedule. The Fogey crew has asked fans and colleagues to spread the word about the new and improved webcomic. So who am I to turn them down? Visit them here.

So enjoy the comics that remind you to never truly grow old...because when you do, you might get stuck in a rest home full of super villains and giant robots. That's a life lesson I can get behind.

-Marj

Putting the “Sham” in “Shamrock”

2011-08-28T13:55:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Mar. 17, 2011)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! It’s time to honor the life of good Saint Patrick, as well as the contributions of Irish folk around the world. Of course, even on such a noble holiday, we can choose some pretty poor ways to celebrate. Traditionally, many people will use St. Patrick’s Day as an excuse to imbibe in dangerous amounts of rather unhealthy drink. I am referring, of course, to the Shamrock Shake.

When I was a kid, we did not eat a lot of fast food. But, just before St. Patrick’s Day, we would usually visit the McDonald’s for some of those famous green milkshakes. Now, I know most people tend to romanticize their childhood and claim that everything was better back when they were young (it’s a right of passage into old age) but I am certain that the Mc Donald’s milkshakes of old had the advantage over the shakes they serve today. For one thing, they were actually made from “real” ice cream, or at least the same ice cream they used in the soft-serve machines. I know this because the drinks were not thoroughly blended. Every once in a while, you would encounter a lump of vanilla ice cream that did not get stirred into the mix. Sometimes, you’d hit the bottom of the cup and discover some flavored syrup that escaped absorption into the concoction. So, they were a bit hastily made, but they still fell well within my definition of “milkshake.”

Recently, my friends and I decided to try some of the new Shamrock Shakes “for old time sake.” It starts with a dab of whipped cream on top, which looks pretty good, until you realize that the whipped cream is only there to disguise the consistency of the shake. See, real milkshakes have a little texture from bits of ice and ice cream. The Shamrock Shake is an eerily homogenous chemistry experiment. It’s kind of thick like a milkshake, but while milkshakes are thick because they are partly frozen, the Shamrock Shake has some sort of artificial congealing agent in it so it stays thick even at room temperature, kind of like a non-dairy coffee creamer. (Pause and imagine drinking a glass of room temperature non-dairy coffee creamer.) But at least it has a strong flavor, right? Back when I was a kid, I remember people complaining that the mint flavor of the Shamrock Shake wasn’t strong enough. McDonald’s has responded by making the new shakes from Scope mouthwash. Customer feedback does make a difference, folks.

If any of you readers wish to treat your kids to green treats for St. Patrick’s Day, I recommend buying mint or pistachio ice cream from the grocery store, ice cream parlor, or any other place that isn’t a McDonald’s. Sure, they may have started the green milkshake tradition, but they have abused it for far too long and it’s time we took it away from them.

And for the record, I have no complaints about Irish shortbread or soda bread. Eat all of that stuff that you want.

-Marj

Hooray for Filler

2011-08-28T13:51:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted March 3, 2011)

I've been working late and I'm too tired to string enough words together for my weekly blog. But I refuse to leave you empty handed. So I've decided to give you good people what you really want. Some photos of my beloved pet, and our beloved mascot: Noko Noko the Box Turtle

Noko loves it when you visit Lepus Studios. He also loves it when you tell your friends about this fine website or link to it or follow us on Facebook.

Just look how happy you've made him!

-Marj

Sage Advice

2011-08-28T13:48:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Feb. 23, 2011)

Since I can't think of any topics right now, I think I'll end with some sage advice: If you're ever buying snacks from a vending machine and can't make a decision, choose which ever snack is closest to falling out. This decreases your chances of having your food get stuck, while increasing your chances of having an extra snack fall out.

Words to live by.

-Marj

Want to Make Your Own Webcomic? Here's How

2011-08-28T13:46:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Feb. 17, 2011)

As you probably already know, Urban Underbrush is my first webcomic. More than that, it's my first real project, the first time I took a story that I had written and drawn and went public with it (having eight readers still counts as public, right?)

I may have never gotten this project off the ground if a friend of mine hadn't given me a copy of "How to Make Webcomics," the book that's become the authority on webcomicking (that's a word now).

"How to Make Webcomics" is an amazing resource. It covers everything from writing and art design to building businesses and online communities.

For a while, the book was hard to get a hold of, due to high demand. But the third printing is hot off the presses. If any of you want to learn more about the fast-paced world of Internet comics, this is the place to start. Buy a copy here:

http://www.evil-comic.com/store/htmw/

I still have my copy and it's still serving me well. Some day, I'm going to get all four authors to sign it, but so far, I only got Brad Guigar. Still pretty cool considering that Brad has made himself the leading expert in webcomic education - and I don't take kindly to anyone who says otherwise. (Note: I'm glaring menacingly at my screen while typing that last part.)

-Marj

P.S. Bill, I don't remember if I ever thanked you properly for the book, so thanks.

Finally Got the "Like Button" Working

2011-08-28T13:44:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Feb. 10, 2011)

That. Click the button under the comic and like this week's page on Facebook. Show us some love!

In other internet related news, another one of my friends just got her art portfolio up on line. Want to look at pretty paintings and photography for awhile? Visit SallieKat Studio and give them some love too.

-Marj

We're Changing the Schedule

2011-08-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Feb. 4, 2011)

The Short Version:

Starting next week, Urban Underbrush will update on Thursdays. Our next comic will be posted on February 10.

The Long Version:

Like most webcartoonists, I am on an eternal quest to find more readers. So I was reading some articles on webcomics.com and happened to stumble over an old forum discussion on the best days to post new work. The webcomics experts suggested that Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays are usually the worst days to update because less people are surfing the web on weekends.

I took a quick survey on the Lepus Studios Facebook page to see what the fans thought about my update schedule. Most people didn’t think I needed to change the schedule, but they didn’t seem devoted to the current schedule either. Of course, the folks who commented on Facebook are already committed fans. Things that keep their attention might not be the best for capturing new readers' attention.

So how can I be more available to new readers while still being fair to the faithful followers? Switching to Thursdays seems like the best compromise. It’s only one day earlier, so Friday readers won’t miss anything, and it’s more accessible to the Monday through Thursday crowd.

Thanks to all of you who participated in the Facebook survey. Your feedback is important to me.

See you next week on our new day.

-Marj

P.S. Not only is today our last Friday update, it’s also my sister’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Liz.

Who Cares About Giving this Blog a Clever Title? We're on Axe Cop!

2011-08-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Jan. 28, 2011)

How many of you read other webcomics? To you webcomic fans, this may seem like a pointless question. What you must understand is that a large percentage of my readers are relatives who follow my work out of pity.

If you do read other comics, then you almost certainly read Axe Cop (comics written by a six-year-old and drawn by his 30-year-old brother.) And if you follow Axe Cop, you probably know that they are celebrating their first aniversary this week. And if you've been following the aniversary (aka "axeiversary") you know that they are celebrating with art and guest comics contributed by other artists and web cartoonists. Do you see where I'm going with this yet?

This week, my guest comic debuted on Axe Cop. It had the honor of being the first comic posted and, last time I checked, it was pretty well received. My topic was "Axe Cop and Video Games" which is a theme both the young and old readers can get behind.

If you haven't been there yet, drop by the Axe Cop site. Quite a few talented artists and writters are contributing their work.

And congratulations to the Nicolle Brothers for a solid year of quality comics.

-Marj

The Elusive Meaning of Life

2011-08-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Jan. 21, 2011)

This Blog discusses:

Comics

Even though it's been running for awhile, I've only just discovered the webcomic "Edmund Finney's Quest to Find the Meaning of Life." It is amazing how many of these are actually laugh-out-loud funny.

The comic follows a very loose story that usually involves Edmund, who has already traveled far off the map, getting into one ridiculous scrape after the next. No matter how bleak things look for Edmund, he always gets out of every bad situation, but only by falling straight into the next one.

Although it's best if you read the comics in order, I have linked to my three favorites. These are pretty representational of the art and humor, so if you don't find these funny don't bother with the rest of them (and possibly consider giving up on ever finding anything funny again ever.)

http://eqcomics.com/comics/fortunate-at-first/
http://eqcomics.com/comics/the-story-of-awkward-aaron/
http://eqcomics.com/comics/silhouettes/

Thanks to author Dan Long for making our lives a bit more meaningful.

-Marj

Comic Stuff That's on My Mind

2011-08-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Jan. 14, 2011)

This Blog discusses:

Comics

I've made some resolutions this year. I'm going to drink more water and clean Noko's cage more often. These resolutions probably won't effect you much, unless you are Noko. My third resolution, which will effect you as a reader, is to pay more attention to the anatomy of my characters from now on. I don't think I've been doing a terrible job of drawing bodies (only a few mistakes or glaring inaccuracies have gotten past me) but even when they gang is well drawn, I feel like they are not standing and moving exactly as they should. Anyway, watch for subtle improvements.

I've been reading some new comics lately. Our hero, Doug TenNaple, has launched a off-beat super hero comic called Ratfist, which is worth checking out. I'd like to describe it, but nothing I could write would do it justice better than the author's introduction.

Chris Baldwin's Spacetrawler has recently turned one year old. Chris's goal is to complete a whole book of the story each year. So if you start reading from the beginning now, the entire first act is all ready for you. Fun fact: Spacetrawler and Urban Underbrush both posted their first comic on New Year's Day, 2010.

There are a few more comic links I'd like to share with you, but I'll save some for the weeks ahead.

Happy reading.

-Marj

Super Guest Art (On Another Site)

2011-08-28T13:35:00.001-07:00

(Originally posted Jan. 7, 2011)

My guest comic is up and running on The SuperFogeys right now. Be warned, I've been reading SuperFogeys for a few years now and my guest comic is nothing but inside jokes and spoilers.

If you want to read SuperFogeys from the beginning first, click Here.

If you want to go directly to my comic, click Here.

If you really don't want to do either, don't click anything.

Warning: The fogey story starts off with some simple gags, then slowly turns into a more complex tale of suspense and intrigue. Don't get turned off by it's humble beginning.

-Marj

Happy Birthday, Lepus Studios

2011-08-28T13:32:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Dec. 31, 2010)

It’s New Year's Day, which means that Lepus Studios is now one year old! While the soon-to-be vast Lepus Empire is still small and scrappy, it has accomplished a surprising amount of things in its first year.

Lepus Studios Accomplishments in 2010:

53 comic strips, one each week without ever missing a deadline.
Four different desktop wallpapers.
Bonus work for Easter, Halloween, and Christmas.
Guest Art for Sandra and Woo, Legend of Bill, and Zorphbert and Fred. (Plus guest art for The Superfogeys, which will run in early January.)
Pin-Up art for Axe Cop.
Animated sequence for Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera.
A growing fan base on Facebook.

(That’s something to hang my hat on, isn’t it?)

My thanks go out to all of you who have followed my work this year. I hope you’ll keep following in 2011.

Happy New Year.

-Marj

Mittens

2011-08-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Dec. 24, 2010)

It’s almost Christmas and excitement is in the air (or it’s long past Christmas if you’re not reading this on the day that it was posted) as we all anxiously await that visit from Santa Claus (or he’s come and gone, depending on when you read this.)

The funny thing about Santa Claus is how well his complete image has stuck with us. The popular design for Santa (old, fat, bearded guy in a fuzzy red and white suit) has been the universally accepted standard ever since the Coca Cola Company used it in their 1930’s commercials. Now a days, every Christmas special, movie, commercial, Christmas card, storybook, parade, charity collection, hot coco mug, or beanie baby that features Santa uses this same design, down to the last detail.

Actually, there is only one aspect of Santa’s appearance that we all can’t quite agree on. What the heck color are Santa’s mittens? Most cartoons show him wearing green mittens so that the hands are more easily animated. The Thanksgiving Day parade features Santa with white gloves. Sometimes he wears brown driving gloves, or red mittens that match his suit.

I enjoy the idea that the people of the world have memorized and standardized every aspect of this character’s appearance, right down to the shape of his belt buckle, yet we never managed to decide on all of the colors.

What color do you think Santa’s mittens are? Figure it out because that is the one touch that will make your version of Santa unique.

And if anyone’s asking me, they’re green.

Merry Christmas

-Marj

P.S. Some designs show Santa wearing spectacles. What’s up with that?

Short Announcements (Because I've Already Written Enough Words This Week)

2011-08-28T13:29:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Dec. 17, 2010)
FYI: Urban Underbrush will still be posting on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. And they will be real comics. Not a non-canon picture of characters drinking egg nog or something.

Also, the Animated Christmas Card is still posted. Share it with your friends.

-Marj

My Gift to You (Yes, You)

2011-08-28T12:58:00.000-07:00

(Originally Posted Dec. 10, 2010)

I don't usually send Christmas cards. So this year, I am making up for lost time. I have made a card for everyone in the world. Yes, that's right to everyone in the world. It's even a special card with lights and movement. In order to save on postage, I will be using sending said card via the internet. To see it, just click HERE.

(It looks a bit like this, only animated.)

Do you love it? If so, feel free to send it on to your friends. There is also a non-moving version you can use as desktop wallpaper. You can find that in the Downloads section.

The animated card will stick around for the rest of December, then I'll probably move it to the Gallery or to the Urban Underbrush section or something.

Enjoy.

-Marj

The Tao of Noko

2011-08-28T12:56:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Dec. 3, 2010)

This Blog Discusses:

Noko Noko

Nature

Root Beer

The other day, I went shopping for Noko Noko, the turtle. I bought him some clean pine bark for bedding, water purifier with added calcium vitamins, reptile disinfectant, dry skin conditioner, and a new humidity gauge (I think his old one is broken). It would be fun if I could save these items for Christmas and let Noko have presents too, but the sad truth is that there is not one thing in that bag that can wait for those three weeks until Christmas. I'd rather not wait for a holiday to kill the salmonella germs, if it's all the same to the rest of you.

This has made me more aware of how everything that Noko enjoys is also a necessity. Meals, exercise, burrowing, soaking in water and basking under a heat lamp are really Noko's greatest and only pleasures. And he needs all of those things to stay alive and healthy. He honestly doesn't like toys, treats or anything else that's superfluous to his survival.

I would love to make some profound statement on how it would be a perfect world if we could all be like turtles and enjoy only the things we needed. But we all know it wouldn’t be perfect. It would be kind of boring and uninspiring. For better or worse, humans really do need treats, entertainment, root beer and other distractions. I'm glad that I have the capacity to enjoy them, even if they can make life a hassle.

It’s just kind of neat that Noko doesn’t need them. Good for Noko.

-Marj

Counting Your Blessings in Negative Integers and Other Complex Math.

2011-08-28T12:54:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Nov. 26, 2010)

Friends/Family

Root Beer

As I am writing this, the Thanksgiving holiday is slowly settling down. (No, I don't always write these blogs in advance. Quit riding me.) Of course, Thanksgiving has brought the usual festivities, good food, lively conversation, feeling no guilt over that extra can of root beer for the sake of the holiday... and the opportunity to count your blessings.

Of course, I am thankful for the modest success of this site, the big success of Zombie Opera, my brother's recent marriage, my other sister's engagement and my new iPod. But lately, my mind keeps coming back to the various things that have not happened...and how thankful I am to have missed them.

I am thankful that Silky, the Rishel Family cat, did not die when she became near-terminally ill last October. I am thankful that my brother and my friends who are moving have not had any accidents while hauling their heavy stuff clear across creation. I am thankful that no one got terribly sick during the run of Liz's show, even though everyone was working themselves to exhaustion and illness seemed likely. I am thankful that the city has not yet canceled the buses I take to work. And I am thankful that I do not have all of the same problems that I see others soldiering through. Sure, I've got some troubles, but I certainly wouldn't trade them.

If you have not done so already, please take some time to count your blessings in positives and negatives. Because if nothing new comes to mind...well, that's something to be thankful for too, isn't it?

-Marj

Hey, How 'Ya Doing?

2011-08-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Nov. 19, 2010)

Comics

Technology

Recently, I've had some nice websites link to me (always awesome) so chances are good that I have some new readers this week. If you are new, you have picked an excellent time to join us (you lucky devil). We are two comic strips into an awesome new story that is going to explain a lot about how this world works.

New and old readers, don't forget to visit the Lepus Studios Facebook Page. I try to post some fun stuff there, so please join in if you can. It's always nice to have more friends.

-Marj

Hey, the Comic's Bigger! What's Up With That?

2011-08-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Nov. 12, 2010)

Comics

Starting today, there will to be some changes to Urban Underbrush. No, this isn’t going to be one of those webcomics that starts over or does a complete redesign as soon as the artist gets some new ideas. Everything we’ve done so far will still be here. But there will be more of it.

Let me start by explaining why Urban Underbrush needed to change. I have been drawing this comic for a little less than a year. I really enjoy making them and I have been pleased with everything that’s gone up. Sure, there are some jokes and drawings that I like more than others, but that’s to be expected. In summary, I really like Urban Underbrush. I just don’t love it. Or at least I’m not as in love with it as I could be. And if I’m not madly in love with the things I create, then I can’t expect anyone else to love them either.

I do love the characters though, but then, I know them better than you do. The characters in Urban Underbrush were all created for various other stories I wrote over the course of the last eighteen years. Dynamite and Detonator were originally drawn in 1993. Slasher and Scatter were added a year later. Cassidy, Maxwell, Vincent, Clayton, and Blair were created in the summer of 1997. Clive was drawn in the fall of 1998. I have had years to consider how these characters think and act. All of them have deep and complex personalities (except maybe Blair). Yet when I put them in this comic, I feel like only a small part of that is coming through.

So the comic is not meeting it’s potential. How do I fix that? A couple of people suggested that I draw bigger comics with more panels. That way, I’d have more room for story and character development. I never felt limited by the old format, but when I tried adapting my scripts to the bigger size…wow. I never realized how much was getting left out before I gave myself more room to move around.

I also want to start telling some deeper stories. This new story is going to be different. It tells how the Grass Roots House got started. It will be a long story and Dynamite and Detonator will hardly be in it. But if you don’t read it, then you will never get to understand this world and its rules. And then you will never like it as much as you could. Also, I can safely say that it is the best Urban Underbrush story yet.

So stick around. If you like the comic so far, you’ll love what comes next.

-Marj

The Day the Music Died

2011-08-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

(Originally posted Nov. 5, 2010)

Music

Technology

I’ve have had very little music in my life lately. This is largely because I lost my entire iTunes library when my old hard drive crashed. Less than a week after my hard drive died, my iPod inexplicably broke. The scientific explanation is that my iPod and my original hard drive were deeply in love and the iPod did not want to live in a world without the hard drive.

I will eventually need/want to replace the iPod. I’m not a rabid Apple fan geek, but the thought of using anything but an iPod for my music…I might as well be using the Fred Flintstone record player made from a bird and a rock.

So which iPod do I choose? My old one was a four-year-old iPod Nano, which came with my computer. It only held one Gig of music, which was a little tight, but got the job done. If I buy a new Nano, I can store at least 8 Gigs of music (for you technical illiterates: 8>1). Of course, I could also upgrade to something that holds pictures and video. I could even keep art samples on it and carry it around like a little portfolio. But, I don’t really need anything but music, and I don’t need to pay a hundred dollars for non-necessities. But then, even the cheapest new iPod would cost over a hundred dollars. It almost seems foolish to spend that much money already, only to then get stingy and miss out on the extra features. Apple has arranged their price structures perfectly. If you have enough money to consider buying something, you have enough to at least consider the next level products.

This is the definition of a first world problem, where one of the most remarkable things on my mind this week is how much money should I spend on a luxury item for myself. There is probably someone out there reading this who is listening to music on a 1986 walkman with the knobs broken off. Since the beginning of this entry, this person has been wondering if I will ever acknowledge that buying an iPod is a non-problem.

-Marj

Five Things You Probably Didn't Know About Zombie Opera

2011-08-28T12:48:00.001-07:00

(Originally posted Oct. 29, 2010)

Last week, "Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera" performed their final show of the season. If you missed it, don't despair. It will be back next October. I suggest you buy tickets early. (In fact, just go by your tickets right now. Twelve months in advance should do it.)

(Disclaimer: Tickets are not really for sale. Don’t buy anything)

According to Greek mythology, the universe was created from chaos. The ancient Greeks also had a rich theater tradition. If this doesn't explain how the Greeks reached that "order born from chaos" theory, then you don't know much about drama.

The Zombie Opera, like many great creative works, was born from chaos. My sister, Liz Rishel, and her friends, Bonnie Bogovich and Barry Bogovich, spent countless hours fashioning this chaos into order. In case you missed it, the story is about a zombie outbreak in Pittsburgh. Apparently, a botched medical experiment caused the dead to reanimate. Our heroes, Ronnie, Izzie, and Charles, are three college students who are trying to escape to a military-established safe zone. But survival is not enough. Each of them has their own goals and wishes that they must sort out before they can deal with the dangerous new world that they have been thrown into.

I only played a small part in helping the opera along, but I was able to watch much of it unfold. The important parts of the story have already been told by Liz and her cohorts, during the countless interviews they gave when the show opened. However, there are a few good tales left that didn’t quite make the papers. So, for Halloween Weekend, Lepus Studios is proud to present “Behind the Scenes: 5 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Zombie Opera.”

1. The Zombies are Coming
I do consider Liz to be practical and reasonable. That said, a few years back she did go through a phase of believing that the zombie apocalypse could, nay, would strike at any given moment. She did keep bludgeons close at hand. Once or twice, she confided in me that people who staggered were beginning to make her uneasy. Although logically, she knew that they were injured or drunk or something, her mind wanted to read them as zombies.

2. What About Charles?
When the first draft of the script was completed, the character of Charles was a lesser character that inexplicably disappeared from the story somewhere around Act Two. Film Director and co-writer Barry caught this error and Charles’s story was polished up a bit. And speaking of Charles, did you know he was one of the hardest characters to cast? Several actors weren’t up to the challenge of playing this part and dropped out before the full rehearsals started. Two Charles (Charleses?) came and went before they could settle on singer Drew Fogle.

3. What’s in a Name?
Did you notice any of the hidden meanings in the characters’ names?
Ronnie Tomaston – The name, “Ronnie,” was derived from Bonnie, as in “Bonnie Bogovich,” Zombie Opera’s co-creator and the actress who played Ronnie.
Izzie Bower – Derived from Liz, the other co-creator and the actress who played Izzie. Notice a pattern?
Charles McKeelis – Named for Charles Darwin because of his strong survival instincts.

These three lead characters get their last names from the parts of a boat. (Tomaston = mast, Bower = bow, and McKeelis = keel.)

Professor Thalamus – The “thalamus” is the part of your brain that controls instinct and impulses. This mad scientist is not necessarily the impulsive type, but he does pride himself on his powerful brain. Of course, so do the zombies.
Commander Fletcher –“Fletcher” is another name for “arrow-maker.” According to Liz, the name implies that the kindly military man has seen combat and that he is “quick, and decisive by nature.”
Aidan – means “fire.” This probably has nothing to do with anything. I just think it’s cool.

4. Zombies are a Public Nuisance
All of the film segments needed to be completed before the stage actors could rehearse. So, during the spring and summer, filming was done all over Pittsburgh.

While filming the party scene, the set was so convincing that the neighbors thought we were actually throwing a party. One of them even threatened to call the cops on us for keeping him awake (in our defense, it was only 9:15 pm on Memorial Day Weekend).

Another day, when the zombie attacks were filmed, most of the actors were wearing zombie or victim makeup. Passersby repeatedly stopped them, asking if they needed an ambulance.

5. A Little Help from Our Friends
Good thing Bonnie and Liz are so popular. A lot of their personal and professional friends joined in to help complete the show.

Special staff included: A director, a film director, film editors, web designer, make-up artist, special effects make-up artist, stunt/fight scene coordinator, logo designer, costume designer (actually, Liz did that one herself), press and poster photographers, instrumentalists, 28 member zombie choir, and a digital animator (heh, heh).

So I hope you enjoyed your back stage look. I would like to close with my favorite response to the production. On closing weekend, my cousin Kristine told me, “I don’t really love zombies or opera, but both of them are better together that they are on their own.” I could not have said it better myself.

Happy Halloween.

-Marj

Here Wii Go

2011-08-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Oct. 22, 2010)

This blog discusses:

Games

Education

This past week, I finally beat New Super Mario Bros. Wii. I've had that game knocking around for almost a year, but I had to keep picking it up and putting it down due to work and school. It makes me nostalgic for the days when I could devour a good console game in a few weeks.

Sometime last winter, when I was still teaching middle school art classes, one of my sixth graders stopped me in the cafeteria and told me that she had just beaten New Super Mario Bros. Wii. (My students had figured out long ago that I did some gaming.) I told her that I hadn't played any games since Christmas break and I was still hung up in World 2. She seemed disappointed that I didn't have more to say about her triumph.

Well, I finally got to the ending, and, yes, the final battle with Bowser is pretty tricky. Now I regret not telling that kid that it was an impressive victory and that I was proud of her.

Everyone, whoever you are, if you beat New Super Mario Bros. Wii, then I am proud of you.

-Marj

P.S. Tune in next week for my complete Halloween post-show review of "Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera."

My Next Thirty Years

2011-08-28T12:45:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Oct. 15, 2010)

My 30th birthday is this Saturday. We had a nice party a few weeks ago (so we wouldn't interrupt the premiere of the Zombie Opera this weekend) and I got something I always wanted: a photo-cake with my cartoons on it. (pics coming as soon as I can find them.)

It's funny. Every year before my birthday, I always feel kind of introspective (the day itself is always fun, it's the days leading up to it that are weird). But this year, as I put my twenties behind me forever, when most people usually stop to reflect and take stock of their lives, I don't feel concerned. I guess I'm pretty happy about where I am and where I'm going. I think I have this website to thank for this peace of mind (at least in part). If I were not able to write and draw comics, I don't think I would be this happy. Thanks for reading and being a part of this.

Just for fun, I want to count down some of my most memorable birthdays. Please note that I sometimes have a freakishly clear memory, so some of these events will be annoyingly detailed.

My Seventh Birthday: My mom took me to the department store and let me pick out three stuffed animals. I only really wanted a Putter Popple doll (Putter was the green one). I think he was the first toy I ever wore completely ragged with play and love alone.

My Ninth Birthday: I had just started collecting Garfield books and I found the perfect Garfield doll. He sat like a teddy bear, but he could also stand up (if he were held). He was about the right size and the designers even remembered the stripes on his legs (the stripes are only visible when Garfield is sitting). I had seen a lot of Garfield toys, but I knew that this one was special. I used to pet it as I fell asleep.

My Fourteenth Birthday: My first real birthday party. I invited a small group of friends from school and we played video games all evening. My parents had bought me a used Nintendo (my first consol system) and Super Mario Bros. 3. The game was already obsolete, but I knew that it would be a collector’s item. I had taken my first steps into geekdom and I have never looked back.

My Eighteenth Birthday: The night before my birthday, my mom had volunteered the entire family to decorate our church basement for a fundraiser. I didn't get to sleep until about 3:00 am and I had to get up for high school at 6:00 am. But I was determined not to let that spoil my day. I had purchased several bottles of Jolt Cola, which I hid in my backpack and sipped throughout the school day. I also bought cookies because my math teacher said that we could give out treats on our birthdays, the way we did in kindergarten (we all thought this was a novel idea). That evening, my friends and I went to a "haunted" house and watched bad horror movies. My sister Emily bought me a brand new video game that had just come out in America. It was called Pokémon Red Version. I had heard that it was going to be big.

My Twenty-fourth Birthday: This one was a lot of work. I had to teach a five-hour computer art workshop, and then go straight on to my sister's choir concert. I had already had cake and presents with the family the night before, since we were too busy to celebrate on the actual day. At the time, I was working on a fantasy super hero comic called Hyperkinetic Revolution, which I could not finish because the story didn't have an ending. For my birthday wish, I wished for an ending to my story. My wish sort of came true, but nt how I expected. On the night of my actual birthday, I was sitting in the audience, listening to the choir, and my mind started wondering. I was imagining the concert hall as an underground chamber. There was a reluctant hero, not an animal but not quite human, fighting against a terrible villain who could wield terrible magic. In the hour or so that I spent in that concert hall, I wrote the story of Draconis Wicked. Well, it wasn't the whole story, but it was a sturdy frame for me to build on. And it had an ending. I'll have to tell it to you someday soon.

Also, my parents bought my Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. Still one of my favorite games.

Last Year: I went to a They Might Be Giants concert. Always a good time.

That brings us up to speed. If anything good happens this year, I'll let you know.

-Marj

Let's Talk Zombies

2011-08-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Oct. 8, 2010)

Hang on tight, folks, because it's all going down next weekend. Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera is opening on the 15th of October. As you may know, EIQ is the opera written by my sister, Liz, and her talented friends. What you may not know is that I have drawn a short animated sequence for the show, which will be projected on stage during one of the songs.

The Lepus Studios ad, as it will appear in Evening in Quarantine promotions.

This show is truly inspired. If you will be anywhere near the Pittsburgh area on October 15, 16, 17, 21, 22 or 23, I strongly suggest that you get yourself a ticket. (Recommended for mature audiences. Visit The Zombie Opera Website for full details.)

-Marj

Changes Ahead

2011-08-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

(Originally Posted Oct. 1, 2010)

Many things in my life are falling into place. My computer is rebuilt and working like new. Also, l'll be starting a new job soon. (No worries, I should still have plenty of time to draw cartoons.) With so many big things in my life either leveling out or changing, I can't help but feel like my comics are hitting a plateau. It is no longer a challenge fo me to write and post one comic a week. I'm making this too easy on me. So I'm thinking that I need to devote more hours to the graphic novel, update Urban Underbrush more often, or spend more time marketing this site. (It should probably be some combination of the three.)

I'm getting a little slowed down by the upcoming Urban Underbrush story. The new story starts out with these gag-a-day comics, like I have been doing so far, but I want it to grow into something with a little more depth and character development. I can't shake the feeling that these characters have a lot of personnality, but only a fraction of it is coming across in the comic strips. I need to improve my writing so Urban Underbrush can live up to it's potential.

If you are a fan of gag-a-day comics, don't worry. I plan to keep ending most of/all of the comics with punchlines. I don't want to take anything away from the current comics. I just want to bring out more of what's already there.

I can't make any announcements on the new schedule just yet. I won't know how long the comics will take to draw until I have finished the scripts. When I have it figured out, you'll be the first to know.

-Marj

The Comic That Almost Wasn't

2011-08-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

(Originally Posted Sept. 24, 2010)

This blog discusses:

Comics

Technology

This week, I have brought you a comic. The universe tried to stop me, but I was too smart for it. (Take that, The Universe). I had actually finished this week’s comic long before all the trouble began, on that fateful day known as Last Saturday. I was trying to upgrade my operating system, but my hard drive wasn’t having it. This hard drive was four years old and it had outlasted one power cord, two jump drives and two batteries. On Saturday, the hard drive told me that it did not plan to see any more changes. So it went on up to that spirit in the sky to store data with the angels.

Right now, I don’t have a lot of pocket money, so my cheapest (and therefore, best) option was to buy a drive online and install it myself. I was pretty sure I could do that. I dropped in on a friend of mine who had tools and instructions We had the computer put together again in a little less than an hour.

Sure, I gained technical knowledge on drive replacement. But, more importantly, I learned that, apparently, I can see into the future.

Last Saturday, shortly before my computer crashed, I made a complete backup of everything on the old hard drive, just in case the new operating system did something crazy. None of my work was lost. Not a single comic strip, photograph, or old college paper that no one in their right mind would ever read again. When the new drive was hooked up, I went to reinstall all of my software. This meant I had to track down half a dozen installation disks purchased over the course of the past four years. Every program I ever bought was neatly stored in a cardboard box with the correct product keys and installation codes attached. (Please note that while I was growing up, installing any software that had been purchased more than a day ago usually involved an hour-long search for the disk, and/or product key. P.S. The search usually came up empty.) I still need to re-connect with all my old web sites, most importantly, Lepus Studios. Well, no sooner had I started things up again, when I found an old “Read Me” file that I had written last January. It explained all of my web site’s start up procedures and FTP configurations.

So, little by little, over the past several years, I have been leaving clues for Future Me, preparing for this exact emergency. I have avoided pitfalls that man was not meant to avoid and I have cheated virtual death. I should probably be looking over my shoulder for some virtual “Final Destination” spirit to appear and deal out my comeuppance, but the excessive hubris usually blocks out those worries.

Besides, I wasn’t a total victory. I still need to re-purchase some iLife programs that aren’t part of my new operating system. Plus I lost a large percentage of the music files I backed up, namely, a hundred percent. As we all know, iTunes handles precautions against music piracy with a fervor most of us reserve for bomb threats. Near as I can tell, my honestly-obtained music collection was mistaken for pirated music and, therefore, was not transferred along with the rest of my files. (To be fair, I do think music software needs to be strict and I agree with their efforts to protect the rights of musicians.)

So it looks like I can see into the future. I must remember to use this gift wisely and responsibly.

Next stop, lotto numbers.

-Marj

Back to School Blues

2011-08-28T12:40:00.000-07:00

(Originally Posted September 17, 2010)

This blog discusses:

Comics

Education

It’s the middle of September now, and I have started teaching art workshops again.

To ~~soften the blow of~~ celebrate the new school year, I have posted many of my old comics from high school and college. They are up in the Gallery section. They are a little rough, but worth a look.

The rest of this week’s blog it dedicated to the students in the hopes that I can make their new school year a little more bearable.

So, I have been thinking about those magazines that run “back to school survival guides” each September. Does any of that advice work? So I thought I’d try writing school survival tips. If you’ve read my blogs (or if you know me personally) then you remember that I am a certified Art Teacher. You students may be thinking that I am some uppity teacher, using this blog to preach at you. If so, I applaud your healthy sense of cynicism, but I would prefer that you think of me as someone who knows the secrets of the other camp, and can sneak them back to you. So lets get started, there will be a test at the end.

I’ve asked myself to narrow this down to one topic, the most important point that if I could get it across to my students it would not only make my life easier, but it would make all of their lives easier as well. My answer? How to ask for help in non-emergency situations.

To be honest, most of this stuff is common sense. I’m just going to point out WHY it’s common sense.

Has this ever happen to you: You are in class, trying to follow the lesson, when something goes wrong. You didn’t get a copy of the worksheet, or you can’t see the projector, or you got distracted by that cloud outside that looks vaguely like Patrick Stewart and lost your place (we’ve all been there). You’re stuck, so you raise your hand to ask for help. Your teacher doesn’t notice. Is your teacher ignoring you? You wave your hand and, maybe clear your throat. Maybe you call out your teacher’s name, only to get shushed or threatened. You are trying to be a good student and this teacher is being paid good mediocre money to help you learn so why is this jerk brushing you off?

Believe it or not, your teacher may have some reasons for letting you twist awhile. Read on while I unravel teacher logic.

Choose Your Words
My older sister had a saying “Ask for help in a way that makes people want to give it to you.” (Good advice for life and school). Good manners usually make people more responsive. Teachers need to take this a step further. They are expected to teach you social skills. So if you demand help by being rude, interrupt lessons, or push ahead of other students your teachers will usually refuse or ignore you. Even if they want to help, they’ll think they are rewarding bad habits.

One vs. Many
If your teachers are fair, then each student’s education should be equally important to them. So if your teachers have to choose between helping you or helping two other students, logic dictates your teacher should help the two students first.

So what happens when your teachers have to choose between helping you to learn and helping the entire rest of the class learn? (Hint: it ain’t gonna be you). For example, if your class is watching a video and you can’t see the screen from your chair, then you have the biggest problem. If you then stand up and start drowning out the video by shouting “ I CAN’T SEE IT! I CAN’T SEE IT!” then you are the biggest problem (and yes, this has happened in my class before). A minute ago, your teacher might have been concerned that one person wasn’t getting anything out of the lesson, but now he/she is too busy being concerned about the other 29 people who aren’t getting anything out of the lesson because you’re screaming. Be patient. Your teacher probably notices that you’re stuck, but can’t drop everyone else yet.

Do It Yourself
Try to fix things on your own. I get sick of having students ask me for markers, pencils, and stuff when they are less then ten feet away from and often labeled. If you make a habit of asking for help all the time, then your teachers will not always know the when you really need help and when you are just making trouble. Plus, if you are the kind of student who doesn’t want teachers hanging around you, keep this mind: asking teachers to do stuff for you just puts them in the habit of coming over to your work space.

There. Hopefully, this advice will help the new school year be marginally less painful. Work hard and become brighter, better people. And don’t forget that the simple secret to happiness and success is – Whoops, ran out of space. Maybe next year.

-Marj

Social Stuff

2011-08-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

(Originally Posted Sept. 10, 2010)

This blog discusses:

Technology

Comics

Education

Lepus Studios is finally on Facebook. I had been putting off making a Facebook page for sometime. Up until last month, I was still taking IT classes. After being required to write so many websites, Powerpoint shows, videos, and hyperbooks keeping up with Facebook felt like another job. But now that I am no longer a student, I've started to feel a little cut off, so it must be time to get out there and become social.

Right now, the Lepus Studios account is a little small (but still growing). I have a few images up now and I intend to post some pictures from my sketch books over the course of the week. But right now, I am displaying some pictures from Draconis Wicked that have never been shown before. Go visit and join up here. You can tell people that you got in on the ground floor.

And speaking of Draconis Wicked, I have been doing some storyboards and color tests last week. Here is one of the samples:

I made this drawing to help me decide which colors I would be using for the backgrounds (The character colors were chosen long ago) and which brushes I would be using to color them (a combination of gradients, fuzzy brushes, and splatter brushes). This is basically what you can expect the graphic novel to look like. I hope to get some chapters of Draconis done in the next month or so, but I want to get some more Urban Underbrush stuff writen before I throw myself into another story.

It's only going to get better, so stick around.

-Marj

Technical Know-How

2011-08-28T12:38:00.001-07:00

(Originally posted Sept. 3, 2010)

This blog discusses:

Technology

Education

Noko Noko

Root Beer

So now that I've finished my schooling, I'm qualified to teach technology in most schools and businesses.

The trouble with specializing in technology is that there is so much of it that any specialist's knowledge will inevitably be a little spotty. I can't learn about everything so, of course, I have developed both strengths and weaknesses within the various realms of technology.

As far as web design goes, I would give myself a 6 out of 10. I built this website from the ground up. I like it, but someone with more experience could probably put together a site with more features. If I was the subject of a technology interview, here is how I think it would go:

Q. Your site looks pretty good on most computers. Was that by design?

A. Yes, I looked up standard monitor sizes in a book and worked out a format that looks good on most standard screens.

Q. Do you plan on giving pages a liquid layout so they will work better on mobile devices?

A. No, liquid layouts are tools of the devil.

Q. Why doesn't your page include a message board?

A. Access tools were the only part of web design class that I failed. Even if I could write a proper message board, I wouldn't want it to go live unless I could block swearing, slurs, and people who think online video games should replace console games.

Q. What measures do you take to make sure that your site is still visible by outdated browsers?

A. I place an offering of corn and root beer on my altar to the computer gods and pray that they make everything work out some how.

Q. Do you plan on adding an RSS feed?

A. I have wallpaper with trees and stars.

Q. Do you use any security measures to ensure that your site is protected?

A. Yes, security systems are employed.

Q. What security measures are you taking?

A. Why are you asking about that? Are you a spy? Are you with those seedy adult sites who tried to hijack my server?

Q. No... No, it's not like that... you got it all wrong...

A. Aha! you've come to hack my site and steal my eight faithful readers! Noko, attack!

Noko Noko: PHPFTTHHHH! (attacks)

...And so forth.

-Marj

New Site Design

2011-08-28T12:37:00.001-07:00

(Originally posted Aug. 27, 2010)

The new site is up, as promised. I think the new design is easier to use, makes better use of space, and is easier on the eyes. What do you think?

I think the old design was trying to be more like this one. I always wanted the theme to be "earth touches sky." I just didn't know how to make it work yet. A friend of mine suggested that I should take a more literal approach to the concept but I was not quite sure of how to do this. Three weeks ago, I finally had a good idea for how to make the theme work. I did some concept drawings, made some new images in Photoshop, and began moving data around. I was sure everything new would be up and running by August 13, but then something happened. What is the best and worst thing that can happen when you are making steady progress on a good idea? You come up with a better idea. Parts of this new design started coming into my head and I knew I had to start over, even if that meant delaying the site's upgrades. The toughest part was working on the new templates, then having to check back on my old site, which would still be online until I could finish adapting all the old pages for the new style. My old site looked awful. Every mistake stood out like a zit on prom night. In the words of Stephen Colbert "how could we stand to look at that beast?" This is not to say that I always hated my old site. I just always knew that it could have been better somehow. I think I now have a design that accurately reflects my work and my artistic style. I hope to keep this design around for a while. Maybe forever. Maybe until I get a better idea. (My thanks to Matt and Chris, who gave some valuable suggestions.)

As you may have noticed, I have also drawn up some icons to tag my blogs. From now on, each blog will be accompanied by an image, which will let you know what topics it will address.

Here are some of the icons I will be using:

Comics

Noko Noko

Friends/ Family

Literature

Video Games

Music

World Events

Education

Nature

Movies

Technology

TV

Root Beer

There. I have most of the basics covered. See how nicely they brighten up the page?

So with my new designs, I have lived up to about half of the promises I made at the beginning of the month. Everything else is still coming together, but I am making more progress every day (or every other day. Every third day? At any rate, something's gettin' done.)

Stay Tuned.

-Marj

Master Mind

2011-08-28T12:35:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Aug. 20, 2010)

Well, folks, this summer marks a major milestone in my life: I have finally earned my Master's Degree. As some of you know, in addition to being a pretty good cartoonist, I am also I certified Art Teacher. (This identity is known only to my friends, family, and anyone who bothered to read the "About" page.) Two years ago, I decided that I wanted to become certified to teach computers as well. I remembered that some of my friends and colleagues had recommended the Instructional Technology program at Duquesne University. I started my application in the late spring and I was ready to start my first classes in the fall.

Since I began graduate school, I filled every available slot in my schedule with classes. Like most grad students, I took summer classes and worked year-round so I could earn my degree faster. I was also teaching full time, so I was kept pretty busy. (Did anyone read my long rant last March, about how I was too tied up to hit any of the comic conventions?)

Admittedly, I did not need to take the web design class in order to graduate, but that class was well worth my time, don't you think?

Actually, all of the IT classes were pretty good. The program was well laid out and nothing we did felt like a waste of my time. All of the teachers and administrators were extremely helpful and supportive. (I would feel pretty guilty if I wrote this whole blog and did not give some praise to the hard-working folks who kept it going.)

This summer, I took my last class, The Practicum Course. For this final class, the students had to complete several major projects, which would exemplify everything we learned in the last two years. It was like taking a class entirely composed of final exams. It was easily the hardest class I had ever taken in my college career. It was the boss battle of classes. But after many sleepless nights and countless cans of Red Bull, I turned in the last of my projects roughly two hours before the final deadline, and then I slept for about a week. (I woke up only long enough to update this website. I've never missed an update!)

I am proud to say that all of my hard work and last minute scrambling earned me an "A" in the class (there were days when I wondered if I would graduate at all) and I exited the program with straight A's, except for one A minus. (That A minus should bother me, but it doesn't. It was a tough class.)

Now I go out into the real world, to see what doors this new Master's Degree will open for me. Don't worry, loyal readers. Although I now hold an M.S., I will continue to draw talking animals and telling myself how clever I am. (Bragging is part of my creative process. Why else to you think I just wrote all of this?)

- Marj

Odds and Ends

2011-08-28T12:33:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted Aug. 13, 2010)

As you can see, I have not finished the new site design just yet. I didn't want to switch to the new site until I fixed all the little glitches. The new design looks pretty good, but some of the links are broken and the tables need to be resized and the backgrounds are inconsistent and there are big pieces of useless code left over and some of the Div sections are being held together by a paper clip. How did a paper clip get into my source code, which was completely authored on the computer and does not exist in any physical form? I don't know, but I'll be up all night fixing it. I'll be working bit by bit on the new design. In the meantime, pardon my dust.

This week, I finished one of my more exciting extra projects, an animated segment for the up-and-coming new opera "Evenings in Quarantine: The Zombie Opera" (Visit them). My piece is an animated instructional video on how survivors can protect themselves from infection. I don't want to give to much away, but I'll tell you that it ain't pretty. (Well, the animation is kind of pretty. It's probably the finest animated zombie I ever drew.) If you are in Pittsburgh this October, I strongly suggest that you make some time to go see that opera.

So I got a lot of things done and there's still a lot left to do. All in all, it's not a bad place to be.

-Marj

The Near Future

2011-08-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted July 23, 2010)

Here we are at comic number 30. That's one comic a week for 30 weeks without ever missing an update. Yeah, it's not the most challenging schedule on the web, but I'm still pretty pleased with how it's turning out.

Back in January, I built this site from the ground up. But it hasn't changed much since. Sure, I've made a few small improvements over the last seven months, but nothing too dramatic. I want to add more content and features, but work and school are about all I can handle for now.

Usually, when people say "I'm too busy to do this now, I'll do it later" no one knows if they really mean it. Sometimes people genuinely are too busy to take on extra projects, other times they're waiting for some perfect moment in their lives that will probably never come. Sometimes they are lying to appear productive. I think the trick to getting things done is to plan for real, concrete moments instead of just waiting for your schedule to free up (schedules never free up) or for the time to feel right (geez, I sound like I'm giving dating advice - scary thought).

For example, I had been drafting this website for ages before I actually launched it. People would ask me if I was ever going to get it started. I told them that I would launch as soon as I had enough HTML background to build and maintain a proper site. I think several people believed that I was never going to finish it (you know you you are), but, two weeks after finished my first web design class, I went live as promised.

Now, I am setting some new concrete goals for myself: to make revisions before the end of August. Right now, the summer art class I am teaching is coming to a close. Then, I should finish graduate school at the end of the month. After that, I'm set to do a little freelance project for The Zombie Opera. That will still leave me with a good chunk of August set aside for building more website.

I can't tell you about everything I've planned, but here are some of the improvements I have in mind:

New character desktops
Standard icons and images to break up those large text areas
An animation section
Additions to the Art Gallery
More behind-the-scenes comic notes
More Noko Noko pictures (everyone loves Noko)

And...(saving the best for last)...news on the Draconis Wicked project.

All that and more, coming soon to an internet near you. Stay tuned.

-Marj

P.S. Hey, have you noticed how many web comics are taking a short hiatus for San Diego Comic Con? With so many of the good cartoonists gone, people will have no choice but to read my comic! I'm reaping all the benefits!

He's Getting Married in the Mornin'

2011-08-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted July 9, 2010)

My brother Jon is getting married this Saturday (July 10). He is the oldest of my siblings and the first to make that leap. The entire Rishel family has been a buzz with excitement as the date draws nearer. Friends and relatives from all over the country are flying or driving to Pittsburgh to witness the blessed event. Who knew that my brother is so well liked?

I would feel like I was disrespecting the importance of this occasion if I didn’t pause and write a few words about Jon. However, Jon is a rather private person and would probably want me to keep this entry light and superficial. Of course, I don’t think he actually reads my blog so I dish out whatever dirt I like and he’d be none the wiser Ha ha HA!

No, I have decided to go the high road and show some respect for my brother.

He is a pretty decent guy. Good with computers, keeps up on current events.

I don’t think he really gets my comics though. However, this has made him a pretty reliable resource when I need an unbiased outside opinion on character design or something. Jon probably does not even remember this, but the current color schemes for Dynamite and Detonator are the result of some comments he made back in 1994. Originally, Dynamite wore all blue clothes and Detonator wore only red. Jon had been reading this article about how characters with eye-catching color schemes are usually easier for fans to get attached to. Back then, Jon was too cool to help me out with my projects directly, but when he wanted to give me some advice he would “happen” to come across some interesting article on cartooning or that he wanted to share with me.

More recently, I have asked for his opinion on some of the Draconis Wicked characters and he has made some suggestions in a more straight-forward manner. (Being a teenager was such a tremendous hassle.)

My brother’s fiancée, Erin, already feels like a part of the family. The more I am around the two of them, the more I notice how perfectly matched they are. They share certain qualities that I have never seen in anyone else before, like they are already part of a set.

I think that what they have is the best that any of us can hope for: Someone on your wavelength who compliments your strengths and weaknesses, and can plan a major event for a hundred relatives without strangling you.

May we all be so blessed. And un-strangled.

-Marj

I Want to Live in Hyrule

2011-08-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted July 2, 2010)

Anyone else see the awesome screen shots for the new Legend of Zelda game? (Game to be released sometime in 2011.)

They are possibly the most beautiful video game images I have ever seen. If you haven't seen them yet, do yer self a favor and check them out Here.

Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword is set to come out sometime in 2011. It's been a long time since I have been anxious for a new game release like this. It's a good feeling. It makes me feel like I'm not too old for fun stuff.

I really just want to talk about the art, but there are a few other things that I feel I should discuss first, just to get them out of the way.

Usually, I am a rabid Nintendo fan who believes that Nintendo can do no wrong. But even that's not blinding me to the problems with the Wii Motion Plus controller. I case you don't know, the Wii Motion Plus is an add-on that supposedly makes the Wii Remote more articulate. Game producers Miyamoto and Aonuma have stated that they didn't want to use the Motion Plus because it didn't seem to be working out, but then Wii Sports Resort used it successfully, so they have decided to put Motion Plus back in Skyward Sword. I read that statement as "We didn't want to use it, but the company is making us."

In all fairness, I don't think the Wii Motion Plus will be a disaster that will ruin the game. Skyward Sword will probably play as well as any other Wii game, maybe even a little bit better, but I'm not counting on Motion Plus to bring any significant improvements to game play.

The other thing that got my attention was the announcement that this game is changing the Zelda formula. In the past, all Zelda games have followed the same pattern: Link finds out he needs to retrieve something from a well-guarded dungeon (in RPG's "dungeon" can also mean "palace," "temple," "tower," etc.). Link must complete some task in the overworld and then journey to the dungeon before he can begin the dungeon crawl. This has been the roll-playing game formula since the dawn of time (or the 1970's, whenever RPG's were invented). Now, we are told the the "overworld, dungeon, overworld, dungeon..." formula will never be used in a Zelda game again. What could they possibly be replacing it with??? Of course, none of the Super Mario role-playing games have ever relied on this pattern (except for the first Paper Mario game). Although there have been mixed results, the team has gotten some pretty fun stuff to happen there. Maybe breaking with tradition will put new game conventions to better use.

Now I feel free to discuss the art. I think Skyward Sword is what Legend of Zelda games are meant to look like. In the past, whenever I thought of Zelda, The Ocarina of Time art style was always the first thing to flash in my mind. I also liked the controversial cell-shaded toon style of The Wind Waker. Okay, those exaggerated chibi drawings will never replace the more traditional Zelda art, but it was bright and clear, and I liked seeing how all of the classic items and characters adapted to it. Plus, the cartoon drawings worked better then the overly detailed images on small hand-held systems. I had some mixed feelings about Twilight Princess. It was refreshing to see the more realistic images again, but I felt like they had lost too much of their cartoon-ness, which made them a little less friendly. But now we have Skyward Sword, which combines everything that's good from all the previous games. It has a little bit of the cartoony smoothness and colors, but that style stops just before getting silly. It has a nice level of detail, but the detail stops before the images get cluttered. The characters look well-posed and well-proportioned. The backgrounds look interesting and easy to interact with. It seems like the new Kingdom of Hyrule is a place we'll enjoy looking at while we spend hours solving puzzles and stabbing things.

If that weren't enough, the designers also announced that they are borrowing some inspiration from Impressionistic Art to make the game a little more classy. They mentioned, in particular, the work of Paul Cezanne. I have never thought of this before, but Cezanne's style already lends itself to video game art. Most of Cezanne's work used clear geometric structures covered with textures and vibrant color to show light, shadow and detail. This description already sounds like 3D model based computer graphics. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the work of Paul Cezanne, here is a picture. Educate yourselves.

Yes, I have decided to get my hopes up for Legend of Zelda: The Skyward Sword. Will my expectations be met? Probably. Will Zelda jokes work their way into my comics when it comes out? Likely. Will I annoy my family, friends, acquaintances, and random strangers on the street by talking endlessly about my thoughts and feelings on the Zelda Universe? Safe bet.

-Marj

P.S. After Skyward Sword comes out, I plan on revisiting this blog to see how the real game stacks up to my expectations. Stay tuned.

Summer Reading

2011-08-28T11:48:00.001-07:00

(Originally Posted June 25, 2010)

So there are two thing I'm really looking forward to this July. Okay, there's lots of important things I'm looking forward to in July. My brother's wedding, teaching computer art summer classes, and completing my Master's Degree come to mind. But I'm also looking forward to some of the great new graphic novels that are coming out this month. Sure, getting new comics may not be milestones like those other events, but it seems like a better topic to write about on an internet full of strangers who aren't exactly breaking down the door to learn about my personal life. (Of course, if strangers were breaking down my door to learn about my life, that's probably all the more reason to keep it quiet.)

Whew, long introduction. Now where was I?

Oh yes, new graphic novels. As we all know, late spring/eary summer means a beautiful new book from cartoonist Doug TenNaple. For the past eleven years, good ol' Doug has been producing big, fat books that each tell a complete, stand alone story full of sci-fi fantasy. Doug's greatest talent is that he can write about something completely strange that no one else could ever even begin to imagine, but his story telling is so clear, you would think that you knew about these ideas for all of your life.

Anyway, the new book, Ghostopolis, hits stores on July first. I suggest you run, run to your nearest book store. Then, realize that driving would have been faster but you're already there so you might as well go in. Race to the "Graphic Novel" section and scan the shelves for that book. Search again, the graphic novels in book stores are never clearly organized. Search a third time before asking a bookstore employee to look it up. The employee will tell your that, although the national chain carries books by Doug TenNaple, the stores in your city are not planning on stocking them. Go home and order the book on Amazon. Check your mail every day until the mailman thinks that you're coming on to him. Then 5 to 7 days later (because you can't afford rush delivery) you will be all set to enjoy comic nirvana. Then you can do it again next year. (Note: This year, Scholastic Graphix is publishing the book, so copies might be a little easier to find, thank heavens. However you may need to check the "Children's Graphic Novel" section, where most of the stores keep Scholastic books.)

The other book release I'm waiting for is the seventh installment of Flight, a compilation of comics by various authors, edited by rising-star Kazu Kibushi. The Flight books always provide an artful mix of stories and styles. The contributions are always well written and beautifully colored. Yes, that's right. The books are indeed printed in full color. Full color! Not 3 to 15 colors like those cheap comics. I mean elaborate color with highlights and gradients. The whole song-and-dance!

One of the most remarkable things about the Flight books is that, as comics go, the books appear really classy and artsy. Anyone who follows any kind of art knows how this appearance can be a little intimidating. You know that the experience will be rewarding, but "rewarding" does not always mean "fun." I can confidently say that the Flight books are indeed "fun." And they are also "rewarding" and "artistic" and "classy" and "inspiring"... In short, the authors tell stories that are good for your soul, yet still completely enjoyable. Open one up and see what I mean.

Flight 7 should be released on July 20th and will be easily found at most retailers.

I wonder how one goes about submitting stories to Flight...

Have fun and read comics.

-Marj

"Victory or Death" (aka "I Want to Talk About More 80's Movies")

2011-08-28T11:46:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted June 18, 2010)

So a lot of people seem to have video games on their minds lately. It's probably because E3 is going on now (capturing the hearts and imaginations of thousands). One of the weirdest side effects of this is that the old movie channels are repeatedly running The Last Starfighter at odd hours of the day. Watching this old movie has given me some things to think about. So this week, I'm going to use my blog space to analyze science fiction (it's such a brilliant idea, I wonder if anyone's ever thought of it before).

For those of you who don't remember 1984, The Last Starfighter is a movie about a teenage video game champ who discovers that the "Starfighter" arcade game is actually a training simulator for space pilots and his high scores qualify him to join the Star League. This movie is a must see for game geeks for two very important reasons:

#1: It completely sums up the notion of video games as an escapist fantasy

#2: Wil Wheaton is in it.

There are two things that impressed me about this movie. The first one is the story. See, once you get past the basic idea of "a supposedly made up game is actually real," the story becomes staggeringly simple. There's, like, five characters, some skin-deep developments, and a shallow subplot about a shape-shifting robot (which sets itself up to be incredibly slapstick, but is mercifully kept short). I, like most of the world, usually see science fiction as being synonymous with complicated stories. So it's jarring to see a well-known, well-liked sci-fi movie follow a plot that's about as complicated as a coloring book. And you know what? It didn't need a complicated story. The basic idea was enough and any more storylines would only be dead weight. So, again, science fiction does NOT always need to be overly-complicated. This revelation makes me wonder what other literary conventions can be ignored.

The other thing that impressed me was the special effects. If you think I'm just going to make fun of early CG effects then shame on you. I have a point. In the 70's and 80's, movie makers had just enough technology to barely make good sci-fi and fantasy possible. Each time I watched one of those clearly animated spaceships blast off, I thought about how much new technology was needed, how much money it must have cost, and how the animators and directors must have worked so hard and fought for every second of that scene.

I like to think that some day when film schools are teaching students how to stage special effects, one of the guidelines teachers might give to their students will be "Pretend that it's 1984 and you can only use so many effects. Which effects will you include? Which scenes will you spend your money on?" Hopefully, this will allow our film makers to think about where effects are most important instead of smearing them on everything like so much peanut butter. (Yeah, I'm talking to you, James Cameron...you thought I was going to say "George Lucas," didn't you?)

-Marj

P.S. See, I promised you a long blog this week. I don't recall any promises about content or quality.

Playing the Field

2011-08-28T11:45:00.001-07:00

(originally posted June 4, 2010)

This past week, we had Field Day at the school where I work. Interestingly enough, we teachers did not bother keeping score. You may think it would be difficult to motivate the students without some kind of point system, but when the kids are this young it take very little encouragement to make them run around and act goofy.

When I was in school, I remember that our teachers had a pretty careful formula for field day. Every year, they would divide the school into four teams: Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue teams. These teams would be broken down into five groups. The groups would compete in five events, which usually included tug-of-war, an obstacle course, a relay race, and some random stuff that I don't remember. At the end of the day, all of the points earned by all of the groups would be counted and the teams with the most points would be announced over the PA system at dismissal time.

The strange thing is (as I recall it) that year after year, my group would win all of our events, but at the end of the day my team would always lose. Either my early memories are unreliable, or else each year my group was awesome and the other four groups weighed us down like an anchor made of anvils.

I'm gonna go ahead and keep on believing it was the second one.

-Marj

(Now go get some exercise.)

Zombies, Ketchup and Football

2011-08-28T11:42:00.000-07:00

(originally posted May 21, 2010)

Last weekend was an adventure. As some of you know, my sister Liz and her friend Bonnie are writing an opera. It is an opera about zombies. In order to fit the show on a stage, many of the crowd scenes are being filmed in advance. These scenes will be projected on stage during the live performances. Last Saturday, I was asked to go downtown and help do various odd jobs to help keep the filming going. My tasks included taking film notes for editing, buying lunch, playing random extras, taking "behind-the-scenes" photos, and pretending to beat up some guy I just met because the stunt coordinator thought it would be funny if a random girl beat up some dude in the movie (don't worry kids, we're all just acting).

(Note: All stunts were performed with coaching and supervision by trained professionals. Don't try this at home. I know you all want to be cool like me, but please think of your own safety.)

Yeah, not a typical weekend for me.

Liz and Bonnie did a lot of filming downtown because they want people to know that the story takes place here in Pittsburgh. It's oddly poetic since horror movie master George Romero did so much of his early zombie work here. "Pittsburgh is known for zombies, ketchup, and football" one of the actors remarked.

-Marj

(Photo of me wailing on Eric courtesy of Brian and Barry Bogovich. See it in it's original form Here.)

This Looks Familar

2011-08-28T11:41:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted April 30, 2010)

This was the only possible way that I could introduce Clayton and Scatter (the iguana).

As some of you already know, most of the characters in this story are borrowed from comics I wrote in middle school and high school (although I like to think that the drawings have improved). Clayton, Cassidy, Vincent, and several others were taken from my eight-page graphic novel "Small Town Showdown." One of the most memorable scenes (according to my friends) was Clayton trying to hide a dozen various animals in a hotel room for safekeeping. I decided to revisit this scene for my new audience.

Speaking of which, some of my relatives have been asking me if I plan on re-releasing my old comics on the website. Someday, I may put the old comics up in the Art Gallery so that everyone can see where these ideas grew from. Or I may re-draw new comics from the old scripts, giving the stories the benefit of my improved drawing and storyboard skills. I had considered re-drawing the old comics and making adjustments to the script so that they tie in to the new stories. This idea was rejected for being "too George Lucas." I think most cartoonists who borrow from their student works end up weaving a lot of their old ideas into the new stories, without trying to replicate them exactly. Right now, that sounds like a pretty good idea, but I'll let you get to know they characters a little better before I bludgeon you with back-story.

Anyway, if you remember the original comics then you probably have some idea of what we will find on the other side of the door next week. If not, you can probably guess.

-Marj

Take Your Turtle to Work Day

2011-08-28T11:40:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted April 23, 2010)

We celebrated Earth Day on Thursday (April 22). If I were a better planner, I probably would have tried to have the "Animal Shelter" story fall on Earth Day. Oh well.

Thursday was also my day to teach art classes at the elementary school. I thought it would be a treat for the students if my lovable pet and Lepus Studios mascot, Noko-Noko, came with me. As you know from reading the "About" page, Noko is my box turtle. I brought him to school so the kids could make turtle-themed art projects out of recycled materials. We also talked about how people protect endangered animals and how students could conserve materials in the classroom. I know, connectig the two ideas is a bit of a stretch, but conservation is an important lesson for young students and I wanted to present it in a memorable way.

Anyway, Noko was on his best behavior. He never escaped from his cage in front of anyone but me, and he only peed on one student (don't worry, I packed his disinfectant cleaner).

At the end of the day, I think everyone had fun, learned some things, and walked away with some lovely memories. In fact, as I was leaving the building, I could hear the students in the parking lot running to their parents and excitedly announcing, "Mom, Ms. Rishel had a turtle and it peed in class!"

I like to think I made a difference.

-Marj

New and Improved

2011-08-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted April 16, 2010)

Many of you may have noticed something different about this week's comic strip. The lines are a little sharper. The words are a little more legible. The expressions are more vivid. (The sky is a little clearer, the water's a little bluer, the road's a little bumpier...) This is actually the way all of my comics look on paper, but when I scan them they get a little blurry. Did I buy a better scanner? No, I am much too poor for that. I have simply switched to a larger and higher quality paper. This comic is now drawn on 14 inch bristol board (what the professionals use) then shrunk down to 800 pixels, touched up in Photoshop, and delivered straight to your internet. My comics are usually drawn with the same proportions as newspaper comics. That way, if I ever print a book, I can use the standard presets and I won't need to pay extra for custom printing. However, I made a small error in measuring the new paper so this week's comic and next week's comic are a little bit taller than usual (think of it as a bonus). The following week (April 30) the comics will appear in what will be our new standard size. The lines and letters will remain clear.

Learning through trial and error is funny. I have been drawing cartoons for years now. My comics won some awards in high school (okay, it was "Honorable Mention" - happy now?) and I received a good deal of professional training in college (in both graphic arts and fine arts). I worked as a part-time animator for a number of years and read all of the standard Scott McCloud and Christopher Hart books that cartoonists are supposed to read. What is surprising is how many new things I have learned in just a few months of running this site. Was my previous education worthless? Absolutely not! But there are a good many things that are taught better by experience. And different kinds of experiences bring different lessons.

If you are an artist then you probably should practice until you are ready to go public, but don't waste your time polishing your art until it's perfect. There is something different about making art just for yourself and preparing art for a larger audience. And you will never learn exactly how to prepare presentable artworks unless you try it out and make adjustments as you go. If you spend too many years creating art in a vacuum, then you will end up disappointing yourself.

Whew, that was a preachy one. Anyway, enjoy the new style.

-Marj

Easter Eggs

2011-08-28T11:37:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted April 9, 2010)

If you tuned in last week, you my have noticed the link to the First Annual Lepus Studios Easter Egg Gallery. I probably should have announced the egg gallery, but by the time I came up with the idea I had already posted the blog for the week and I already had so much news. So I decided to let the gallery speak for itself. Anyway, the Easter Egg gallery will still be up this week and next week so you can still click the link at the top of the page to visit. Or, if you hate scrolling, just click here.

The First Annual Lepus Studios Easter Egg Gallery features Easter Eggs decorated with Lepus Studio characters and some Eggs that pay tribute to other popular webcomics. This year's gallery featured characters from Dave Kellett's Sheldon, Mike Witmer's Pinkerton, and Ethan and Malachai Nicolle's Axe Cop. All three of the artists have been kind enough to post my egg pictures on their own sites. Mike heroically linked to me twice (once on his Monday blog, once on his Wednesday blog). Ethan responded to my emails about 30 seconds after I sent them (even though he was still sick with the super flu), and Dave has sent me a record-breaking number of new visitors.

I also recieved a flux of new readers from the web comic Sandra and Woo. Ths week, Woo author Oliver Knorzer fixed up his April Fools' Day site, complete with guest art. So my Woo art, as well as art by the other guest artists, is now appearing on the gag site, on the Artwork page, and prominently displayed in this weeks blog. Mr. Knorzer is certainly giving us our money's worth (I know webcomics are free, I'm just making a point).

If you are one of the new readers then thank you for coming. More importantly, thank you for coming back. I know this is a new site and I have a number of things that are still getting of the ground. But Lepus Studios has a great deal of potential and there are some big suprises in store. If you stick around, you can tell everyone that you were one of the first to join in. You are getting in on the ground floor.

-Marj

P.S. Next week, I am switching to new art supplies, which equals better looking comics. How much better? Tune in next week and find out (same Lepus time, same Lepus channel).

Good News, Bad News

2011-08-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted April 2, 2010)

Good News: So, a few weeks ago, I wrote about how I missed my chance to visit PAX East in Boston. Well, cartoonists Scott Kurtz and Kris Straub were kind enough to send me an autograph:

Keep in mind that I have never met either of these artists before and I am 99.99% sure that they have never visited my website. Sooo...how did they know exactly which characters I would have asked for? Their powers of deduction are amazing and a little scary.

Also at PAX, my friends bumped into cartoonist Brad Guigar, who said (unless my friends are lying to me) that he remembers me from Pittsburgh Comicon 2009 and that he still treasures the fan art I made for him. Pretty high praise from someone who owns fan art by Lar deSouza.

And Now, the Bad News: So, I had been selected to do some guest art for Oliver Knorzer (aka Novil), author of the charming comic strip Sandra and Woo. I was to draw Woo's profile picture for a phony character blog/message board, which went live on April Fools day. Unfortunately, the tables were turned when some jerk used the message boards to post obscene images. All of the gag pages had to be pulled within a few hours, which pretty much wasted all of Mr. Knorzer's careful work, as well as my work and the work by the other guest artists. I was hoping that the event would give my site a little more traffic, but it was not to be.

But, all is not lost. My picture will be added to the "Artwork" section of their regular site. I'll post a link when my my work is up. In the meantime, don't rush the good folks at Sandra and Woo. I'm willing to bet that they are having a bad day.

-Marj

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH" - Charlie Brown

Mad as a...

2011-08-28T11:31:00.000-07:00

(Originally Posted March 26, 2010)

I'm really happy with the name "March Hare Demolition Contracting" as it implies both rabbits and madness. Want a closer view of the logo? It's now a free wallpaper in the "Downloads" section.

I love drawing these desert scenes. They look real high quality for very little effort. They also remind me of summer vacations. I have some relatives who live out in California. My family used to drive cross the country and visit them every other summer. So, despite my growing up in the east, I was no stranger to the expansive deserts of North America. Without these experiences, Dynamite and Detonator would probably be very different animals (I mean really different animals, They would probably be another species, or at least another genus). I like the idea of Dynamite and Detonator having ties to a dramatically different place then where they are currently living. It will give me a chance to play with other settings.

-Marj

Greetings from beautiful "Not PAX East"

2011-08-28T11:29:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted March 19, 2010)
I had the opportunity to go see PAX East in Boston next weekend (as a ticket-buying visitor, not as a guest or anything fancy). I was reluctant to take time off from work until I was sure that Kris Straub and/or Scott Kurtz would be in attendance. (I have no business with either of them, mind you. I would just be resuming my greatest role as "That Awkward Fan-Geek.") Back in January, when tickets were on sale, Straub's convention schedule said "maybe" for several months while Kurtz's schedule was suspiciously silent on the subject. Sometime after weekend passes sold out, both cartoonists announced that they would indeed be attending, leaving ticket-less me to sit at home and curse the darkness.

This entire incident is reminding me of what an immeasurable gap there is between myself and the established cartoonists; cartoonists who attend conventions as guests instead of having to buy tickets or climb in through a bathroom window. I have never been able to refer to myself as a "web cartoonist," even though, technically, I do have a website and a comic. But for me to try to put myself in the same box as the professionals... imagine that you are watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Now imagine that after the last float has passed, someone from the crowd darts out and starts chasing the parade. Also, imagine this person is wearing homemade float built from corrugated cardboard and glitter paint. This should give you some idea of where I stand.

I may sound discouraged, but I'm not. This is probably a very normal part of starting a website, or starting anything new for that matter. If there was a master checklist for success, it probably begin something like this:

Item One; Educate yourself.

Item Two; Develop your ideas.

Item Three; Chase the metaphorical parade for awhile.

You get the picture.

On an optimistic note, I should mention that I have put a good deal of work into these comics and a good deal of study into designing this website. Now that I am here I am NEVER GOING AWAY. To get rid of me at this point, you would probably need to get rid of the internet. And even then I would probably go around attaching these comics to telephone poles. Some of you comic readers may have been burned before by good comics that start strong, then disappear as the artists lose interest. I promise that I will not desert this project. Event if I run out of "Urban Underbrush" stories (maybe ten years from now) I'll probably have another story ready to take its place. Don't be afraid to get attached. You will not be abandoned.

If you like knowing that Lepus Studios will be here forever then you may thank me the next time we meet. I'll be the one cursing the darkness.

-Marj

"Nobody said it was easy. No one ever said it would be this hard." - Coldplay

Hellos and Goodbyes

2011-08-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

(Originally posted March 12, 2010)
A few weeks ago, I had started listing other comics that I read, comics I may want to link to from my site. There was one comic that I have been reading for two years which would have been a perfect fit: Chris Baldwin's "Little Dee". Little Dee is the story of a little girl who gets lost in the forest. She is rescued by a pack of misfit animals who take her in and look after her until they can find her missing parents. Sounds perfect, right? So, why didn't I add it to my list? Well, The comic is coming to an end soon and it would be unfair for me to link to it with only a few new episodes left. (Of course, you could always go over and view the archives. Read the whole series at once with no waiting! Instant gratification!)

I really liked this comic and its absence will certainly leave a hole in my daily routine. But I still think it's good that the comic is ready to end. The author has admitted that he is running out of ideas, but that's not why I'm okay with the finale. I'm ready for the end because the story was always built on a temporary situation. As much as we love Dee's Adventures with Ted, Blake, and Vachel, we know that Dee is not where she belongs. If her sweet, wonderful adventures were to continue this way forever, they would all seem very sad.

Sometimes I'm still a little depressed about how Peanuts ended. Charles Schultz wrote a letter to his fans. It was a very nice letter, but I feel a little cheated that, after standing by Charlie Brown through good times and bad, we never got to see if his struggles were rewarded. He never got to hit that home run or hold hands with that Little Red-Haired Girl or even kick that bleepin' football.

I think the only way to enjoy a light-hearted story that is built on adversity is to have faith that the happy ending will come along some day. Now Chris Baldwin is rewarding our faith. And I can't wait to see how he does it.

-Marj

Thinkin' about Linkin'

2011-08-27T20:08:00.002-07:00

(originally posted Feb. 26, 2010)
So I'm getting a good number of comics up. Now, I'm starting to think about various ways to improve the site. Last week, I activated my site's email account. Now, I'm thinking about adding links to other comic sites. For those of you who don't read webcomics habitually, web cartoonists often keep a linked list of their own favorite comics visible on their site. Readers can learn about the cartoonist's tastes, find new favorite comics, and create a stronger network among independent artists.

So I am faced with some tough questions. Which comics do I link? How should I organize them? Right now, my site is appropriate for readers of all ages, so should I only link to other general audience sites? Should I link to any super popular sites or will those sites seem too obvious? Should I include archives of comics that are no longer running? Why did I draw Detonator's shoes so big in panel two?

Here's what I'm thinking: I should have three lists that appear under the navigation signposts. The first list will be comics for all ages. The second list will be comics for adult readers. (The comics on this list may contain bits of violence, language, and such, but they won't revolve around them. There will be a warning.) The third list will be other stuff (non-comic sites that I am know to frequent).

I am not sure which favorites I should include, but here are a few that I'm thinking about:

Brackenwood (Animation)
Sheldon (All ages webcomic)
Copper (All ages webcomic)
Slightly D*mned (Young adult comic. Watch for bloodshed and language [clearly])
The Humble Stumble Classics (Retired series)

There are more than a few other artists I'd like to include, but their sites aren't particularly art heavy so I haven't included them. There are also some new sites that I just started following, so I'm not sure if I'm committed enough to add links yet.

What do you think?

-Marj

P.S. I've started signing my blogs, see? Classy!

Updates

2011-08-27T20:08:00.001-07:00

(originally posted Feb. 19)
There have been a few little changes made to the site in the past week. I have a few more images up. I also shrunk my banner size and made it a bit more colorful. But the most important change is the addition of contact information. I set up my Lepus email last week and I have added the new email address to the page footer and the "About" page. If you have questions or comments, you can reach me there.

Snow Day

2011-08-27T20:06:00.001-07:00

(originally posted Feb. 12, 2010)
I have been getting a lot of work done on these comics lately. This has been possible because I am buried under several feet of snow and ice. My town has been hit by a big ol' snowstorm and all of my classes and workshops have been canceled this week (except, of course, for my online classes). I had planned to divide this free time equally among drawing cartoons, preparing new lessons, and catching up on graduate school projects, but I mostly just drew cartoons. Oh well, at least I have the holiday weekend to get caught up.

In the meantime, I have been putting up some winter hardships. Sure, there are the usual problems; shoveling snow and keeping the box-turtle terrarium warm. But now I also think my roof is leaking. There is a damp spot forming above my lava lamp and I'm not sure how much water is already pooling above the plaster or if I should worry about the ceiling collapsing at any minute. Of course, there is nothing I can do until the roof unfreezes anyway, so I plan to address this problem by wishing really hard that everything will be okay then thinking about something else.

I'll probably move that lava lamp a few feet to the left.

To those of you in the area, enjoy your snow days!

Family Reunion

2011-08-27T20:03:00.000-07:00

(originally posted Feb. 5, 2010)
On a personal note, I got to visit with some out-of-town relatives this week (I only get to see them about once or twice a year). My young cousins have informed me that they have been following Urban Underbrush from the start and have already memorized a few punchlines. Thanks for your support, guys. Also, you won't be able to find any other items until you get the Pegasus Boots. Make sure you pay attention to the villagers' advice. (I'm abusing this blog space now, aren't I?)

Progress

2011-08-27T20:01:00.000-07:00

(originally posted Jan. 29, 2010)
Well, I've been running this site for almost a month and it is slowly starting to catch on. The titles "Lepus Studios," "Urban Underbrush" and "Draconis Wicked" are showing up in Google searches. Plus, just the other day, someone I never met before asked me if I was the same Marjorie Rishel who draws these cartoons. This was the second time I've ever been recognized through my work and the first time I've been recognized for this site. Give me a moment to gloat self-importantly over my small victories. (Bwa ha ha ha ha! Okay, I'm all finished.)

Stick around. There are more good things to come.

Welcome

2011-08-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

(originally posted Jan. 1, 2010)
Welcome to the Lepus Studios website. This site and its and comics have grown from years of studying, planning and dreaming. I am very proud that I am able to launch this site and to share my work in some small measure. I am also pleased that I was able to learn enough HTML and Dreamweaver to make this stuff look half-way decent.

So, you've read the first comic. You've met Dynamite and Detonator and have seen their love of making things explode. So who are these Jack Rabbits? What are they doing here? How did they manage to build an elaborate and (almost) working fireworks display? All of these questions and more will be answered in the weeks ahead.

By the way, the Urban Underbrush characters won't often speak to the audience but, for the first appearance, I decided that they should do something special.