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

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

Webcomics Community

(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.

Super Books

(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

Want to Make Your Own Webcomic? Here's How

(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.

The Elusive Meaning of Life

(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

(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

Easter Eggs

(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

(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

Greetings from beautiful "Not PAX East"

(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

(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'

(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!