All mediocre things...

This blog has been nice. I thank all of you who have followed it. but, we're switching over to a facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/ManicRepressive

We'll leave this up for awhile, but all new transmissions will be posted to the Facebook page. Join us there for the continued good times...

Thanks.

-Joe

So...

Well, Race War is DONE! That is fantastic, really. If you consider this was written in 2006-ish... it has taken a long time to actually just get it drawn. Lots of starts and stops and misfires, I am quite happy to have it finished.

Now that it's done and I'm gearing up for marketing - I need some "quick" funds so I've taken a job from DC. I have excellent friends there from back when I was a staffer, and they hook me up with freelance work often.

So now I'm working on Legends of the Dark Knight: Len Wein. It's 500+ pages for me. And while I'm working for Indian wages...and not living in India, it's a sizable chunk of change, so I merrily chain myself to the computer for the next 3 months. Which means that I can't get any drawing done on Blow Up. The chain doesn't reach over to the drawing table.

So there's going to be a bit of a hiatus on Blow Up. I HAD intended to build up a supply of pages, but it took longer than expected to finish up Race War, and now the Bat Man book beckons.

If, by the grace of God the pages go quickly and I have time, I will certainly get some pages posted. But, with a project like this, not only am I working gobs, but the wife is with the girls all the time and has to pick up the slack of my absence. that makes "downtime" a treat in short supply.

I think I will post a preview of Race War, though. so you'll all have something to look at each week.
Blow Up will begin reposting in August.

Thanks for reading.

-Joe

Blow Up rolls on...

Here is Wednesday's page for Blow Up the Outside World.

This is page 9 of 54-ish pages.
 
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So, I wrote this several years ago. I got the idea driving home from work one night, listening to the Soundgarden song of the same name. As the story slid around in my mind, twisting and contorting itself - I tried to make it a lesson in society’s need for male responsibility, but I think it works much better as an example of the dangers of too much fantasizing and detaching oneself from reality.

I don’t think I’m spoiling too much of the story with that.

Virlyn Davis (a cousin via marriage) helped me out with the backgrounds. I supplied him the script and layouts, then let him have at it. He gave me back some good stuff. It helps to have something to start with instead of a blank page every Monday morning.

I’ve been inking these pages without a ruler. I’m wanting that to help give the city and backgrounds a more run down feel to them. But rulers and I get along so well, it feels like a form of abandonment to not work with my buddies like this. Regardless, I am satisfied with these so far, and I’m almost 20% done! The zip-a-tone (dot patterns) is being applied digitally, because who has the time to try and find that stuff now-a-days? Somebody still makes it though, right? -sigh-

I have been posting the inks and a few pencil samples on my Facebook page each Monday, trying to keep people aware of the webcomic and build a little anticipation for the actual roll-out on Wednesday. I feel like I’m giving them the whole thing though sometimes, because my writing is so sparse on these that there is very little change when I letter them. Admittedly, I do like how quickly that makes the lettering stage go…

Speaking of which, my next graphic novel (once Race War is finished being colored and put together) is Jonah - and instead of writing out a version of his story, I’m just using the actual words from scripture (ESV, fyi) for all of the dialog and exposition. Broken down, it’s going to be 36 pages, and mostly silent - ‘cause Jonah is a short book.

This MIGHT be what my Jonah looks like...

 I thought that would challenge my storytelling skills more. I always loved the silent issues of G.I. Joe, Nick Fury, and Sin City: Silent Night. At some point, say a month or two from now, I’ll have to actually challenge my writing “skills”. I don’t have anything to swipe “Carson Cole: Fish-Men Folly” or “Light of the World” from.

So, for those of you keeping score, I’m putting out a new page of “Blow Up” every Wednesday, “Race War” will be available in June, then after that, “Jonah” and another children’s book, before finishing the year off with the first of the “Carson Cole” series, and beginning “Light of the World” in late 2014, early 2015.

Thanks for reading.

-Joe 

Race War

Here's the latest bit of art from Race War. Done last Friday.

It's the bottom 3rd of page 39. By the end of this week I'll have all the interior art drawn & inked - then will come the laborious coloring. Had I the money, I would totally farm that part out to friends and colleagues of mine. But alas, I am capable on my own, and producing on a shoestring budget...

Maybe next time. Click on some ads, people.

So, now that I'm very near the end, I thought I'd give you a brief overview of what Race War is all about. As you've seen, there are soldiers fighting each other in a harsh, not-of-this-Earth desert environment.

On it's surface, Race War is a story of two armies, long at war in said desert. The Commander's side always well equipped and prepared, The General's army - not so much. One night the General, tired of the mutinous threats, sends his men into the opposing camp, infecting the Commander's army with two rival parasites. As the parasites take over their hosts, the Commander's men first split into two camps, then fall into crazed disarray that culminates in a pseudo-civil war.

That's the glancing, first-blush look at the story - and what I think most people will take away from it.

More deeply though, it's an allegory about spiritual warfare in the Christian life. The Commander's army represents God's army, and the General's represents the Devil. God has won the fight through Christ's death on the cross. The Devil has already lost, which is just one more reason he doesn't like us. He can't do anything to us as victors, so he has to inject our lives with made-up stuff to confuse what's real and important - like ethnicity, gender, class divisions, regional rivalries, or denominationalism (my current thorny hot button).

None of the things I just mentioned matter. Not really. Neither do any other artificial difference between us. Not compared with Christian vs. non-Christian. These are all injected into our lives to rob us of peace, contentment, and love for our fellow believers.

One of the best visuals of this I've heard was from Bob Vincent, and it was that of a boxing match. Christ's sacrificial death on the cross was the KO punch that took out the Devil. He's out-on-his-feet, the fight is over, but the bell can't ring till he hits the mat. The past 2000 years has been us living in the time between when the Devil took it in the face (Jesus' death and resurrection) and when his unconscious body hits the canvas (Jesus's return). And on his way down for the count, he throws all kinds of distractions at us to confuse the fact that we're on the winning side.

But, God ALWAYS has the last laugh.

As Christians, we're all members of God's army. Struggling day to day against the Devil and his minions. Because that's spooky and overly dramatic sounding, I think most people dismiss it or take it for granted. But it's something quite real, and that's why we're trying to paint that picture for you with this book.

Soon you'll be able to enjoy it.

Thanks for reading,

-Joe

Everything Amazon

All of our eBooks are now up on the Amazon Kindle store.

Click on the cover and zap it to your Kindle. Happy reading.

An update on Race War soon to follow...

The End is Nigh...

My/Our first project on Kickstarter ends on the 3rd. There's still a huge way to go on it, but it's possible.
I posted one last update on it, check it out for possible freebies.

If you don't care about a physical book - go over to Amazon and buy it for your Kindle now.
In July, you'll be able to get it for any other device too.


-Joe

Blow Up Mondays...

Every Monday, for the next 45 weeks or so I'm cranking out a new page for my webcomic, Blow Up the Outside World. The city it takes place in is a run down, neglected mess - so I decided to freehand the inks to give the pages less of a crisp, clean look - which I normally like and strive for.

I'm on page 6 of 50-some, but I'm still not used to it. I hold my breath and wince a lot, while inking. But, I'm fairly satisfied with the finished pieces so far.

Here's page 6. You can read it on Wednesday.

Tomorrow, it's back to Race War. Till next time.

-Joe

Race War update

Here is page 19 of 46 or so... Inked just yesterday.

I'm shooting to have the whole book drawn and inked by the end of March still. God willing - completed in full by the end of April, then on the streets by June.
Stay tuned.

Don't forget, just two weeks left to help with our Kickstarter:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2098846853/honest-bird?ref=live

All of the extra original art and prints will only be available to people who participate in the Kickstarter. Just FYI...

-Joe

Race War

Now that Honest Bird is in the Kickstarter stage - here's an update on what is coming out next: Race War.

The cover is still in the works...

 

And here's the inks for page 13...

Looking at having this project out and available in June.
Enjoy the sneak peek.

-Joe

KICKSTARTER!

We've launched a Kickstarter for our next book: Honest Bird. It's going to be a great full-color, hardback, children's book. Check out the page, choose your support level, then help us spread the word. Pledge $100 or more and you can pick a page of original art from the book.

Thanks!

More Stuff!

Here's another free coloring book to download and teach-a-lesson-to with the business end of some crayons.
Colored pencils if you're the more delicate type.

Enjoy.

Free Goodies

Over the weekend we posted a new item into the Downloads page. Grab yourselves a copy of the free Seven: Sleepover coloring book.

Bust out the crayons and have fun!

New Site

Well - God is good and our new site is up.

There are some tweaks to be made, here & there - we still have to put up the material in the Downloads section (there will be a few wallpapers from both Davis Ketterer and myself - plus two new coloring books).

You may have noticed that while a new page is up for Seven, some of the older posts are not. But, they'll be up in the new format by Feb. 21st at the latest.

Starting next Wednesday our new webcomic Blow Up will start posting weekly pages. Below is a link to Virlyn Davis' site, who helped me with the backgrounds for this book. His stuff is amazing.

http://www.virlyncreative.com/

Be good while we're out.

-Joe

Construction

If you're looking at the blog - first, thanks - and second, don't mind the mess.

We're revamping our online presence and going through lots of tweaks here and there. So don't worry if you click on a link and it doesn't work, or the images on the blog start freaking out in size and shape.

That's just us fiddling with things behind the scene. "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain."

All should be normalized by Monday the 17th.

A new book!

Davis Ketterer, the better writing half of Manic Repressive, has a new romance novel out.

"A Simple Love Story, Psyche!" Its a great contemporary take on the Cupid and Psyche myth.

Check it out here: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/345406

I'm currently slaving away as a creative temp in the corporate world, but am still plugging away at Race War, looking at a 2014 street date. We'll keep you up to date on the comics and graphic novels we're producing, and in the meantime, read the Psyche book. It'll make you laugh and feel all warm and fuzzy too.

-Joe

Busy, busy...

Like a lot of freelancers- I can't say no to a job that might actually pay me money. So I take on WAAAYYY too much work and slowly destroy myself getting it all done in a timely manner.

Case in point is the current RPG project I'm working on: I'm doing character designs and background plates. I enjoy it, and yet it keeps me from working on Race War as much as I want. But Kevin is a good guy and we're both owed money by some scumbag in England named Russ.

Here are some of the character shots I've done so far.

Check out the game when it comes out later this year.

More next week on where Race War stands, and maybe what new thing DC has thrown at me.

-Joe

Race War update

Here's to a record...2 blog posts in a row! DC continues to keep me hopping, which is good, even though it steals time away from our own projects. But, you know, eating is important - for all five of us.

Below are a few of the layouts for Race War. I'm still in the midst of inking pages 9 & 10. Then I'll letter them all and send off the submissions to Dark Horse and Image. Hopefully one of them will bite and we won't have to put the money up front for the initial publishing. Fingers crossed!

Till next week.

-Joe

Long time no...nuthin'.

Well... it's been a year or so, time for an update. Hopefully, the first of many new ones. We looked at the web stats a few days ago and were pleasantly surprised by how much traffic was still coming to the site, considering I've done nothing with the site in about a year. Thanks.

I have still been crazy busy with reconstruction work for DC. Since they outsourced a lot of it to India, the pay has been slashed dramatically,  so I have to do A LOT to try and make ends meet - but that is another blog altogether.

Currently we are working on Race War. Its an allegory about Christian spiritual warfare and how the Devil divides us by getting us to focus on the wrong things. Currently we have a script and I'm working on a ten page proposal for Dark Horse and Image, we'll see if either bites. Hopefully so, it'll go easier than self-publishing it.
Here is the tentative logo.

I'll post some of the pages as I get them scanned in.

Till next time.

-Joe

Khozos #1 !

Well for the two or three of you who look at this blog, guess what...? We finally put a book out! Khozos: The Adventure of buck Halisson #1 is out now. So far there are three retailers Drive thru Comics, Amazon, and Lulu.
The best $2 you'll spend all day. You can also get a 12 page preview on Scribd.
Thanks for feeding the animals.

Is 2010 really almost over?!

We are still alive and doing things but having to make a living is slowing us down. If you are reading this, bless your heart. Something will be posted soon. We are currently getting ready for RoundCon in February 2011. Rob Richardson is drawing a book written by Davis, Race War, that will be printed in January. Joe is working on an art collection book...as well as commissioned work. Davis is picking at Seven at a crazy slow rate and reviewing new material to be written for next year's projects. Next year will almost certainly be another slow one as the company works on getting rid of built up debt. We will make more of an effort to keep you all updated...and to try to market ourselves and let people know we exist.