Irons in the Fire

Nonplayer #2 has passed another milestone -- both linework and first-pass color are now in place, and I'm doing the polish pass now (adding shadows, gradients, highlights, and other atmospheric stuff). It's far enough along that I've been able to show it to a few compatriots, and the response so far has been a unanimous "it's better than the first one." Assuming they're not just telling me what I want to hear (and there are quite a few really mean people in the bunch, so I think I'm getting good data), all this toil may not have been in vain after all.

Building cathedrals over a span of centuries is all well and good, and I look forward to jumping right into bricklaying for #3. That said, I have been nurturing a second story in my spare (ha!) time, and it looks like all the pieces are in place to launch a new web comic around the end of the year. This one is going to be a lot faster than Nonplayer, chiefly because I'm not drawing it! I've found someone much better than myself to handle the art duties so that I can focus on improving my writing (with a tiny bit of concepting on the side). And this artist -- I can't wait for you to see his stuff. He's amazing.

I can't get into too much detail about the project because I'd like it to be a surprise, but I am at least as excited about it as I am about Nonplayer. It's got alien monsters in it. And muffins, lots of muffins.

Why a web comic? Partly out of curiosity. It's the 21st century and all, and I wonder whether this new story may appeal to readers who might not normally cross paths with a print comic. There are a lot of eyeballs on the internet, and I'd like to see if I'm able to grab a few of them. I like the idea of gathering the content at the end of each year and funding the printed collections through Kickstarter. I like that it feels like we're setting sail in our own little pirate ship, and there's nothing but uncharted water ahead.

More than anything, it feels great to have a second iron in the fire. I know that web comics are rarely a path to riches, but a second book means twice as many chances for me to finagle my way into a career as a full-time comic creator. I have a fantasy that this new comic will help me find more hours to work on Nonplayer, so that the bricklaying can happen at some other time than 3am (yes, I've moved my daily drawing time forward to 3am, which means that I now see dead people).

2014 is shaping up to be a lovely year -- full of robots, swords, monsters and muffins. Life is good.

Comments

  1. That's great news about #2 being close to completion and about the webcomic. I'll follow your stuff anywhere Nate.

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    1. Why thank you, Don. I hope you like both of them!

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  2. Fantastic news, looking forward to it.

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    1. Me too! How's Taiwan treating you?

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    2. Not bad, thanks for asking, I've been working a lot on kinda comic related stuff for US trading card publishers, but I hope I can soon take a break and start working on a comic I've been trying to have done, we'll see. Best wishes, especially the baby.

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  3. Awesome to hear can't wait to read #2 :) Any chance we see you at ECCC next year?

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    1. Yes, I think there IS a chance of that. I'll post more on that topic in the future. Thanks, Evic!

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    2. Awesome!!! I hope you do would love to meet you there :)

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    3. That would be great. Please keep us updated on any possibly appearance there.

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    4. Hi Nate so are you going to attend ECCC next weekend?

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  4. Brilliant news Nate - here's to robots, swords, monsters and muffins!!

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    1. I really am excited about the muffin subplot. I can't wait to show this to you guys.

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  5. Good to hear from you! And congrats!

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    1. Likewise! How are things going with you, Joumana?

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  6. Fantastic news! 'Any chance you will let a local shop help you celebrate the publication of the second issue?

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    1. Heck yes. Drop me a line and we'll work something out.

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    2. Nate:

      I was wondering if you had any plans to visit a local shop. I'm just a fan; I don't run a shop.

      I will stay tuned.

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    3. Aha! Well, yes. I will be signing somewhere, possibly at multiple places. My best guess is Arcane Comics in Ballard, and maybe Zanadu in downtown. Any other suggestions?

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  7. Awesome news! Can we get another sneak peak image?

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    1. There will be lots of sneak peek images soon, I promise.

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  8. NICE! I cannot wait for issue #2. I finally got a hold of a physical copy of #1 a while ago, and it's one of my favorite comics to have in my collection even though it's just a single issue of a series that is seemingly years from completion. ;) In any case, do you ever go to NYCC? I'm an East Coast guy right now and I'd love to see you in person so I can say all of this out loud, so definitely consider coming if you normally don't.

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    1. I really do want to get out to NYCC, though the presence of a newborn has definitely complicated things. I think the chances are still good that I'll get out there this year (knock on wood). Looking forward to meeting you, David.

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  9. Nate this is great news. I'm an aspiring writer and an artist finding my way, and I have one of you pages on my wall as inspiration. Look forward to seeing your next steps (as well as how you do that tricky dance between fatherhood and your projects).

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    1. I have already solved the problem of the tricky fatherhood dance. The answer: don't ever sleep! Good luck with your projects, Jay!

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  10. How about finishing one thing before you start on something else? Will you have issue 3 done before 2020?

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    1. Aw, Jamie. Come on, be nice. Nonplayer won't go any slower because I'm writing a little bit on the side. You're reading it here first: I promise #3 will be out way before 2020.

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  11. Do you have an approximate time frame to have nonplayer issue 2 out? A month through 6 months???? Please I need to know!

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  12. Definitely on the 6 month end of the spectrum. Have to add two months of processing/printing time to whenever I finish. We'll get there soon, Jason!

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    1. Well this is the 6 month mark. So how do we stand there Nate?

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  13. At this point I'm not so concerned about issue #2 or even #3 but the whole series. Have you thumbnailed the whole thing? If not maybe after you finish #2 maybe an idea to take time to do that?

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    1. Yep, the whole thing has been written, though as the zipper gets pulled shut, a lot of things tend to change as they get closer to being drawn. But if you're worried that this is some kind of Lost-ish thing where I have no idea where things are going, rest easy.

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  14. If your friends are saying it's better than issue 1, I can't wait. Just went through #1 again and it's stunning.

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    1. That's really nice of you to say, Jason! I hope you agree with my friends on #2...

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  15. I cant wait for#2
    any plans to collect this in some large format?

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    1. My understanding is that they will at least be reprinted in hardback form for the European market. Those will likely be a little larger, as well. I'd love to see an English-language special edition in large format, too. Let's see how the second issue is received... if folks like it, maybe something like that would work.

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  16. Naaate! I wanna see issue 2! How are you my friend? It's been way too long.

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    1. I agree. Miss you dude! I also would like to see issue 2. I assume you've been working on it for me, and it's just about done?

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  17. Replies
    1. It's actually underway, finally! Bet you thought you were joking. HA!

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