Issue 14, cover (version II sketch)

Hey all! While I like the earlier sketch for Issue 14, I decided to give another idea a try. Max is a little less than pleased at not being able to go after Gavin in Issue 13, so I promised him a chance at causing havoc in the fey realm instead. Needless to say, he said yes. So, with Max taking a bigger role in Issue 14, I thought a cover with Max on it might be better than our mystery fellow from earlier.

Here's the rough sketch.



Hopefully I can pull off coloring a night scene well enough. I'd rather it be night than full daylight.

Thanks to this sketch, I've had Tom Smith's Smash the Frickin' Fairies song stuck in my head all day. Hey, it fits Max's mood towards the fey at the moment. Go to Tom Smith's Death Sheep Radio page and look for "ITOM4_01_SMASH_THE_FRICKIN_FAIRIES" to listen.

Okay, I have some exercises to do as well as more inking. Later and thanks for reading!


Some people see the fairies and
Their hearts and souls are moved
I tie them to bowling pins
My average has improved
-- Smash the Frickin' Fairies - Tom Smith

A new week and a new look

Hey, guys! Welcome to Monday. This week's SpiderForest Comic of the Week is actually CN:H. And, since you're here, I'm going to assume you're already familiar with the comic. Sounds like a good assumption, don't you agree? I'll have a new SpiderForest link to share with you all next week.

As you can see, the site has a new look! So long, bright red and hello mellow slate and blue. While I liked the red, it was a little hard on the eyes when doing an archive binge - yes, occasionally I go back and reread my own comic. There are a few small changes I'd like to point out...

First off, the 2003-2004 Version I of the comic will no longer be updated once a week (twice a week on the Supporters side). Instead, the whole of Version I has been converted into a CBR which can be downloaded for free here.

With the updates increasing eventually and there being some confusion about whether this old version of the series is canon or not - again, it's not - this seemed like the best way of doing things. Besides, you now get to read all of "Beginnings: Gypsy" and "Blood Ties" right now instead of having to wait. That's a good thing, right? Right.

Supporters, I've been telling you that it was going to happen for a few months now, and it finally has. The color version of the comic is no longer available. I apologize to everyone who enjoyed the color version, but with the planned update increase to three a week for you all, I need to produce four a week to keep a buffer. The hours used to color the comics could be put to better use creating new pages. Add to that the idea I'm kicking around about opening commissions again, and the days quickly get eaten up.

On the home-front, Matt and I are planing on switching the office back to the spare room upstairs. We turned that room into a spare bedroom on the advice that it'd make the house more appealing whenever we put it up for sale. Thought why house-buyers wouldn't be able to figure out that the room could be a second bedroom instead of an office on their own, I'll never know. The trouble is, the room downstairs that the office is currently in is a little too small. Matt and I keep bumping into each other in here. Not to mention it's hot! There is no airflow in this room, not good with the summer months coming up. So forget trying to 'maximize the staging value' of the house. It's more important to be comfortable when working and living in it. I also got a lot more work done when the office was upstairs. There was a lot less distractions. (The current office is in the front of the house, and we live on a busy street.)

Speaking of working, I need to get back into the groove. The last few weeks have been less than productive due to various things. Though they have been good on the health-front. I've still page sixteen of Issue 13 to finish inking as well as pages to sketch. There's always something to do. And, it won't get done unless I do it. So, I should get to it. Thanks for reading and take care!


"People forget how fast you did a job - but they remember how well you did it."
-- Howard Newton

Weigh-in, week one

Hey, guys! Happy Friday! I hope your day is going as well as mine is. I just got back from my first weigh-in and I lost a little over ten pounds! Cool! I'm so happy! It's the first week so, most of that is water weight. The weight loss in upcoming weeks won't be as much. But, as long as some progress is made each week, I'll be pleased. Even little losses bring me closer to my goal. I'll get back into a pair of size 8 jeans yet!

Float, little lady! Float towards the goal!

Also, when the meal plan said unlimited lettuce, I figured it meant Iceberg only. Turns out I was wrong. Jess, the awesome lady who's acting as my coach in this whole diet thing, told me that lettuce does not just mean Iceberg. I can have any green, leafy, lettuce-type plant I want. She showed me a list of various types and said I could include Romaine and Baby Spinach in the list, which I love. I haven't noticed these at the local supermarket though. Maybe it's time to venture into that Whole Foods Market. Farmers markers are a little hard to find around here, at least this early in the season.

She also gave me some ideas for light weight training at home for my arms. I've been seeing some good results in the legs from playing the Walk it Out game on the Wii each morning. I've lost two inches off my thighs.

I swear, I'm probably the only person who enjoys this game. All you do is walk in time to the music and build things around your little city, but I love it.

Still, I need something to get the arms working. I'd love to find a copy of Zumba Fitness for the Wii, but I haven't run across it yet. That mixed with some wrist weights, as well as the dumbbells we have might help change things out a bit. Yes, a gym membership would be helpful, but I don't have the funds for that at the moment. I'm debating taking a few commissions a month to create a 'Keep Darc and Matt Healthy' fund, but I have a few other projects to finish up first.

So yeah, I'm excited and feeling pretty good. Occasionally I still want a hamburger, but that can wait for a bit. Why didn't I do this years ago? Oh, that's right, because I was an idiot. *laughs*


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'School Spirit'. The misadventures of a gaggle of Australian primary school children, their school, and the cemetery next door. Remember when you were a kid and the world held magic the grown ups never knew.


As for right now, I've some puttering around the house to do. It's warm enough that all the windows can now be opened, which means it's also time to wipe the blinds down nice and good. I was going to wash the car - the neighbor's tree loves to plop pollen all over it - but I couldn't reach the hose. The damn Burning Bush in front of the house ate it. I swear, those things hit a growth spurt every year once the warmer weather hits. They've grown ten inches around on all sides in the last few weeks! When the garden center said 'fast growing' they really meant it.

Well, I've work to do. Later!

Edit, Saturday evening:
Matt and I found a copy of that Zumba Fitness earlier and I just tried it out. The guy behind the counter at the game store was right, it does kick your butt. Twenty minutes on easy was impressive. But so much fun! Whoot!


"Getting my lifelong weight struggle under control has come from a process of treating myself as well as I treat others in every way."
-- Oprah Winfrey

Issue 13, pages 16

Okay, another page sketched. This time, it's page sixteen of Issue 13. Gavin should know better than to threaten the young prince. RCSI agents don't take kindly to that.



No, not at all.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'School Spirit'. The misadventures of a gaggle of Australian primary school children, their school, and the cemetery next door. Remember when you were a kid and the world held magic the grown ups never knew.


"Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
-- Napoleon Bonaparte

Who wants an Old Art Day?

Hey, guys. I got some preliminary sketching done - pose practice and such - but they're rather rough so, I'm not going to post them. It's just me scratching away in a notebook, nothing terribly interesting.

So I was thinking, since every other Wednesday is Guest Art Day (whether we get new guest art or not - you should really send some in) why not make the other Wednesdays Old Art Days? There's a lot of CN:H drawings going back to 2001 or so. It could be fun, right?

So, let's see, what for this week...? Well, when all else fails, go back to the beginning. Here's one from 2001. I don't remember the idea behind it, just that Matt and I referred to the foxes as the 'evil yet cute fox army'.



I'd like to think I've gotten a bit better over the years. Hopefully I have, anyway.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'School Spirit'. The misadventures of a gaggle of Australian primary school children, their school, and the cemetery next door. Remember when you were a kid and the world held magic the grown ups never knew.


Well, I should really get my exercising out of the way. I didn't do that yesterday. While this diet says exercise isn't needed, it can't hurt. Later.


"Fools," said I, "you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows
Hear my words that I might teach you
Take my arms that I might reach you"
But my words like silent raindrops fell
And echoed in the wells of silence
-- The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel

Comic of the Week!

Hey, everyone! It's a new week, which means it's time for another SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic is a favorite of mine, 'School Spirit' by Dutch.

'School Spirit' follows the students of the Come-by-Chance Primary School in Australia. One day, Casper and Cody discover that the cemetery near the school grounds is a little more lively than your average cemetery. It's haunted... by friendly spirits. Well okay, Fos is a little cranky at times, but the rest are pretty welcoming. Especially a young spirit named Wendy who takes a liking to the boys. Add in Casper and Cody's fellow schoolmates, the unflappable Miss C, the sweet Mr. Kelly, and Mavis (we've all had a bus driver like Mavis) and you have a delightful cast of characters.

The archive has just hit 1,000 strips, so it's quite long. But, please don't let that stop you from giving this comic a look! Dutch has set up the archive into separate stories for easy access. And while it's enjoyable to read straight through from beginning to end, you can hop in at any storyline and begin there. My personal favorites so far are "The Easter Ferret", "Mr. Kelly's Memory", and "A Graceful Spirit". So hop in and join the fun!

In CN:H news, if the site seems to change between red to blue and then back to red, please don't worry. You don't need to fix your glasses, we're just doing a little site maintenance and redecorating. Things will level out in a bit.

Thanks for reading and take care!


"It's fun being a kid."
-- Bradford Arthur Angier

Moving, dieting, and ways to comment

Hey guys! It's hard to believe that it's Friday already. Returning from the trip earlier this week kind of left me confused.

California was very nice! The area we were visiting was absolutely lovely. Unfortunately, the job offer for Matt fell through, so we'll be sticking around the New England area for a bit longer. In a way this is good, we were getting the impression that finding the size of house we wanted at the price we were looking for was going to be a bit difficult. Not to mention the chaos of packing and trekking to the other side of the country, or the hardship of being so far from friends and family. Still, it was a beautiful area. Maybe we'll head out that way for a vacation sometime.

I'm still going to wait a few more weeks before deciding just when to increase the update schedules. There are still a few variables Matt and I need to keep an eye on yet. I'd hate to start on more rapid updates only to fall behind because one of the things we're keeping an eye on came through and disrupted our schedule for a few weeks. Trust me, I want the updates to come out faster too - I'm annoyed by the fact that the pages on the Main side of the site were drawn about a year ago now. I also want to remove the color gallery from the Supporters side soon. But, it's best to wait for the moment.

On the personal front, I've started a new diet yesterday. I'm actually feeling pretty good on it, except for one thing... there's so much water! I understand the need for all the water - flushes your system out and all - but man, does it make you have to pee a lot! Still, I'm looking forward to getting my weight down. The chiro appointments have done wonders for my wrist and overall health - I haven't had any wrist pain, loss of motor control, backaches, or migraines since starting the appointments - so I'm taking that as a push towards getting my body back to college fitness levels. If only it wasn't so rainy around here. I could go skating downtown. Hmm... maybe I should just bring an umbrella.

We've had the commenting system running under the comics for a few weeks now. A big thank you to everyone who's tried using it so far. It's still new, so it will take some getting used to. A quick note, if you comment on pages way back, please don't be offended if Matt or myself don't reply. We haven't set up the notification part of the system yet - that won't come out until Clickthulu 2 - so we can't see when and where comments pop up.

You can also comment on the forum, the blog, via email, or ask a question on Formspring. So, if you have a free moment, please let us know what you think. A little feedback and encouragement now and then is always nice.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Between Places'. In a world where dreams are reality, the Order has one mission: to save the inhabitants of what may be nothing more than a dream.


Other than that, things are bouncing along like normal. I'll be spending this weekend sketching and inking, so I should have something to share on Monday. But, for now, I've water to drink, some exercises to do, and inking to finish up. Later, and thanks for reading!


"It is amazing how much crisper the general experience of life becomes when your body is given a chance to develop a little strength."
-- Frank Duff

It's Guest Art Day!

Morning, all! It's Wednesday which means, it's time for another Guest Art Day! Yay, it's cool!

Since we don't have any new arrivals this time, I'd like to showcase an older image from a few years back. Here's Max and Ruby by Jim Groat!



I love Ruby's response. I feel like that sometimes. Which is why it's probably safest for everyone if I never pick up a gun. Though I have been curious about the firearms class the local police station offers. (Turns out you need to go through the class and receive your conceal carry permit before you can buy or carry pepper spray here. Who knew?)

Be sure to visit Mr. Groat's website for more of his art! Thanks, Mr. Groat!

If you'd like to share your CN:H art with us, please send it along and we'll post it on the site and in the gallery. Nothing above a PG-13 rating, please. Thanks.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Between Places'. In a world where dreams are reality, the Order has one mission: to save the inhabitants of what may be nothing more than a dream.

That's all for now. Later and take care!


"I believe everyody in the world should have guns. Citizens should have bazookas and rocket launchers too. I believe that all citizens should have their weapons of choice. However, I also believe that only I should have the ammunition. Because frankly, I wouldn't trust the rest of the goobers with anything more dangerous than string."
-- Scott Adams

Issue 12, now in print!

Hey everyone! We have an announcement to make... Issue 12 is now available in print! As usual, it's twenty-four pages of ink and toned CN:H goodness for the low, low price of $3.00!

Issue synopsis:
There are rules one should follow when it comes to the agency collars. There are also rules to follow when dealing with the fey. When a certain fey from Max's past comes looking for him, will these rules be enough?

You can see a sneak peek of the pages in Issue 12 here.

We've also added this issue to our Catch-up Bundle. So, if you're looking to collect all of CN:H currently in print - the A Political Spell trade and Issues 8 through 12 - now's the time! You can nab the whole lot for $30.00, nine percent off the full cover price. Pretty neat, eh?

The digital download version of Issue 12 will be available in a few days. Matt's currently preparing the file now. Digital download versions are $1.00 each, including the Prologue versions. (Though there is one freebie in there. Can you find it?)

Meanwhile, Issue 13 is now running on the Supporters side. As I said last week, I still have a few pages to do before Issue 13 is finished, but we're stocked up until early July at our current schedule. I'll get back to work on those tomorrow, I'm still a little fried from the plane trip and am currently playing catch-up.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Between Places'. In a world where dreams are reality, the Order has one mission: to save the inhabitants of what may be nothing more than a dream.


And, I think that's all for now. Thanks for reading, guys, and take care!


"We know that whatever we do is simply a droplet in the ocean. But if that droplet were missing, the ocean would be lacking."
-- Mother Teresa

Comic of the Week!

Hey, guys. As I mentioned last Thursday, Matt and I had to rush out of town for a quick trip to California Friday. And, we've only just returned - literally, we just got in about half an hour ago, about 6:30am our time. So, after a night of no sleep, we're trying to figure out what needs to be taken care of quick and what can wait until we're well rested.

Since it's a bit late, I figured it would be best to mention this week's SpiderForest Comic of the Week before I do the few quick mods to the site, pick up the fuzzies from the vet, and crash. This week's comic is 'Between Places' by Tiffany Munro.

Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to read this one at all. I'm sorry, with us being out of town and not bringing the laptop, my net access has been nil. But, what I do know is it's a fantasy/cyberpunk comic set in the world of dreams. I can also tell you that it's done in a very unique art style. Yes, it's digitally drawn, but it looks like paint - specifically oil paint. Pretty cool, eh? So stop by and give 'Between Places' some love.

And give me some love while you're at it! Seriously, a 'I like what you do, Darc, thank you' would be nice now and then. Yeah, I'm cranky. Being stuck on a red-eye flight with a hyperactive toddler kicking the back of your seat for hours on end tends to do that to you. A cranky toddler on an airplane equals hell. That's all there is to it.

Eh, I still have work to do before I can try to catch up on some sleep. Later.


Jeff: "The drive from the valley...?"
Peanut: "Was bad as hell!"
Jeff: "Traffic...?"
Peanut: "Sucked like hell!"
Jeff: "Drivers...?"
Peanut: "Angry as hell!"
Jeff: "And you...?"
Peanut: "Were scared as hell!"
Jeff: "Parking...?"
Peanut: "Sucked more like hell!"
Jeff: "So...?"
Peanut: "We're in HELL!"
-- Jeff Dunham: Arguing with Myself

Issue 13, the update schedule, and Swedish music

Morning, guys! With Matt and myself flying (airplanes = scary) out of town tomorrow, I thought it'd be best to mention this now. Since Issue 12 ended on the Supporters side Monday, Issue 13 will be starting tomorrow!

Issue synopsis:
Gavin's returned, and he has Max in his sights. With the Treaty Night rule of "no blood is to be shed" hanging over his head, Max's only option is to get the young prince and himself to the ballroom as soon as possible. Can he outwit Gavin at his own game?

I'm still in the process of drawing this one, many of the poses have been giving me some trouble. Not to mention the heavier toning involved - there are a lot of dark pages here. It's all Gavin's fault, I swear. He just sucks the fun right out of the room. *laughs*

I'm currently working on page fifteen so, nine more to go. Still, despite being behind my ideal schedule, there's still more than enough for an adequate buffer. The Supporters side is covered up until July first and the Main til November of next year (at the current schedule).

So, if you're interested in reading ahead, all of Issue 11 and Issue 12 are now available on the Supporters side. If becoming a Supporter isn't your thing, no worries! All the issues will be available on the Main side in time. I can't give an exact date as to when each issue will show up on the Main side at the moment, but they will. As to why I can't give an exact date... we're still planning on increasing the update schedules on both the Main and Supporters sides. We're currently waiting to find out the results of the upcoming trip before we make a final decision of exactly when that will happen.

Also, as mentioned earlier, we'll be removing the color version of the comic from the Supporters side once the update increase happens. With the increase in production to stay ahead, I'd rather spend the time currently used on the recolors for working on new pages, as well as extra storyline ideas for the series.

In non-comic news, I found this song while wandering around YouTube on my break yesterday. It's Hall om Mig by Nanne Gronvall. You can hear it in the AMV below. And, for anyone curious, here's a translation of the lyrics. I want to watch Princess Tutu now. I've never seen that anime. Magical girls? Dark overtones? Raven-type dudes? Looks like something I'd enjoy!



Oh, before I forget, due to us being out of town and not getting back in until early Tuesday morning, this week's Letters Column will be a little late. Chances are good we won't be able to write up an answer until Tuesday afternoon. Next week's SpiderForest Comic of the Week will be posted a little late as well. I apologize for the delay. But for now, please enjoy this week's comic, 'Cetiya'.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Cetiya'. Welcome to NAAMAST, an elite military organization for the deployment of 'magic-users'. This is a world where magic is technology, where memory is reduced to rewritable data, and where - for one man with no identity - trust is everything.


Okay, I've work to do. Later, guys, and thanks for reading!


Kazukiyo Souga: "You might also add fear of horror movies, fear of ghost storytelling, fear of suddenly getting scared from behind, and fear of TV commercials about horror movies. What is it with those, anyway? Why must they air those segments without any warnings? What's become of the rights of cowards?"
-- Ouran High School Host Club

No Ustream today

Hey, guys. Like the post title says, there will be no Ustream today. I apologize. I haven't been sleeping too well the last few days and that, combined with a trip coming up, is making me a little twitchy and nauseous.

The trip? Matt and I will be flying out to Southern California Friday evening and returning sometime early Tuesday morning. No, not a con or a vacation, Matt's going out for business reasons and I'm coming along for the ride. With luck, that will all go well. So, I'm going to spend the next few days inking as much as I can, as fast as I can. I'll be loosing the whole weekend, after all.

Because of when we'll be returning Tuesday morning, I'm not sure about Ustreaming next Tuesday either. We may just go to a random, whenever it happens, schedule. Yes, it's not the best. But the Ustream does slow the system down enough that if I need to get a lot done quickly, I can't. And between Matt's job, trips, possible house packing, and the chiro... scheduling is a little tipsy at the moment. I will try to do at least one a week. This week is just a little crazy.

With that in mind, here's a AMV for a song Matt and I can relate to. I swear, it's like our theme song lately - Stress by Jim's Big Ego. Man, I haven't watched Cowboy Bebop since college.



Okay, I'm going to start on more inking. I've two pages sitting here awaiting ink and hopes of sketching two more before we leave. Later, and thanks for reading.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Cetiya'. Welcome to NAAMAST, an elite military organization for the deployment of 'magic-users'. This is a world where magic is technology, where memory is reduced to rewritable data, and where - for one man with no identity - trust is everything.


"But actually, I think would be really relaxing. Just me by myself in the middle of the ocean and that's what I'd really like to do more than anything else except... I'd probably hate it."
-- Stress - Jim's Big Ego

Comic of the Week!

Hey, guys. It's a new week which means, a new SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic is 'Cetiya' by Leah.

'Cetiya' tells the story of Pada, Nine, Daven, and Nezumi - four people who work for an elite military organization known as NAAMAST. In the world of 'Cetiya', magic is a form of technology, implemented by use of a series of hardware known as ADEPT.

It's dangerous work, made even more dicey by limited support, hacking attempts by an international crime syndicate, and the fact that they're forced to share an underground headquarters. Getting along isn't always easy, especially when there are moments in your past you'd rather forget.

I love the interaction between the characters, especially Dav and Nine. Of course, that could be because I love Dav (pictured to the right). He has so much personality. Not to mention he's a little snarky. What can I say, I have a thing for snarky men.

But what really impressed me was Leah's layouts. Much of Volume II, Chapter 2 takes place in the CUBE - a virtual reality, upgraded version of the Net - which lacks Leah's rich backgrounds. There's a lot of discussion going on, which normally leads to boring layouts thanks to "talking head syndrome". (Yes, I'm guilty of that, I admit.) But Leah, no way! She kept the characters moving and the camera angles changing. Very excellent. And her mastery of hands... I'll be studying her work to see if I can't pick up some pointers. Oh yes, that I will.

'Cetiya' is rated Web-16 for language and some mild nudity. Be sure to check out it out! You won't be disappointed!


"Being nice to governments doesn't work, they are such lying bastards."
-- Joy Baluch

Issue 13, page 15

Hey, y'all! I've another page sketched, lettered, and awaiting inking. The annoying thing is that I often like the sketched version better than the full ink and tone one. It seems more lively when sketched. Messy too.



Little mouse-boys jumping in front of big, angry fairies...? This is why one shouldn't give a ten-year-old cake before bed. It makes them do stupid stuff.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Gemutations: Plague'. Gemues (genetically mutated humans) are discovered who carry a mutagenic virus - one that kills most who contract it. It has to be stopped.


"The only moral lesson which is suited for a child, the most important lesson for every time of life, is this: Never hurt anybody."
-- Denis Breeze

Issue 13, pages 13 & 14

Hey, guys! I got knocked down for a loop yesterday - some weird, dizzy/nauseous feeling all day. So, today was a sketch day instead. Here's the roughs for pages thirteen and fourteen of Issue 13. We're getting there.



Now the only question is, do I want to go on to sketching page fifteen next, or start inking first. Hmm... decisions, decisions. Poor Max, he's so not fond of me right now. Don't worry rodent-boy, you'll get your revenge in time.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Gemutations: Plague'. Gemues (genetically mutated humans) are discovered who carry a mutagenic virus - one that kills most who contract it. It has to be stopped.


"It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power."
-- David Brin

It's time for Guest Art Day!

Morning, all! Welcome to Wednesday! It's been two weeks, which means it's time for another Guest Art Day! Are you excited? I know I am! What can I say, I love getting guest art. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy.

Since we don't have any new arrivals this week, I'd like to showcase an older image from a few years back. With the current My Little Pony craze that appears to have taken over just about everyone I know online, this drawing just seemed too perfect. Welcome Ruby as a My Little Pony, courtesy of Stephanie Laberis.



I love the heart and gun on her butt. I mean, her cutie mark. Sorry, I'm a little rusty on my Pony vocabulary.

Be sure to visit Stephanie's gallery for more of her art! Thanks, Stephanie!

If you'd like to share your CN:H art with us, please send it along and we'll post it on the site and in the gallery. Nothing above a PG-13 rating, please. Thanks.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Gemutations: Plague'. Gemues (genetically mutated humans) are discovered who carry a mutagenic virus - one that kills most who contract it. It has to be stopped.


I'm off to get some sketching done. I finished two pages up yesterday! Let's see if we can't keep this momentum going. Take care, and thanks for reading!


"Time spent laughing is time spent with the Gods."
-- Japanese Proverb

New commenting feature and Ustream @ noon

I've been holding off mentioning this so the post for the SpiderForest Comic of the Week could stay up a bit longer but, I figured it's time to announce that commenting under the comics on the site is now available again!

We tried offering this before when Clickthulu was new, and found it to be a complete mess - the comments didn't thread, it was hard to catch spam, and we couldn't moderate inappropriate behavior. Matt's been working on the system and has found a way of addressing those concerns. Sweet, eh? Be sure to thank him!

edit: I just saw that Matt made a post while I was making this one. To copy what he said...

We've spent the weekend working on new code to add comments to the site. If you look under the comic page, you'll see a link that says "Show Comments". To avoid all the screen space and clutter of lots of comments, we've cleverly hidden them away. Comments are protected by Akismet, to cut down on the spam, so hopefully we can avoid the ubiquitous "make money now" and other random posts. It's basic now, but we're going to add an expanded module to Clickthulu 2 that'll incorporate more features.

We tested it out this weekend and it seems pretty sturdy. If you find anything not working, please let us know via email. We're more likely to see the email faster than we will the forum or comments. Both Matt and myself are not big forum users.

Also, today at noon US Eastern Standard Time I'll be broadcasting my slow stylus scribblings on Ustream. I'll be finishing up page eleven of Issue 13 and starting up the inking on page twelve. We'll probably go til around five, so if you have some time, stop by and hang out.


Be sure to check out the SpiderForest Comic of the Week! This week's comic... 'Gemutations: Plague'. Gemues (genetically mutated humans) are discovered who carry a mutagenic virus - one that kills most who contract it. It has to be stopped.

Thanks for reading and take care!


"Home computers are being called upon to perform many new functions, including the consumption of homework formerly eaten by the dog."
-- Doug Larson

Comic of the Week!

Hey, guys. I'm doing Monday's blog a little early for a few reasons, the main one being that I'm still feeling off and will most likely be spending the day alternating between sleeping and inking. (Food poisoning sucks, by the way.) With my appointment being first thing tomorrow morning, I figured it would be best to post now instead of having to wait until sometime after noon tomorrow. A few more weeks of intensive chiro to go. And, aside from the food poisoning thing, I feel great. My wrist has full motion back. Holy crap!

Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about here. As I mentioned last Thursday, this week starts the SpiderForest round robin, also know as the Comic of the Week! This week's comic is 'Gemutations: Plague' by Darwin.

'Gemutations: Plague' follows David (Tigershark) Scott and Angelina Cortez, a pair of gemues (Genetically Mutated Humans), as they attempt to discover who's behind a mysterious plague that threatens to ignite a powder keg of persecution against gemues. It's a science fiction comic with a slightly higher rating than CN:H - it's rated R, but most CN:H readers should have no problem. We're all adults here. We can handle some violence and a serious storyline, right? You bet we can!

I love the character designs for Tigershark and Angelina (pictured to the right). Elongated facial structures are often difficult to handle (trust me, I know). Darwin pulls them off brilliantly. I'm rather jealous of her ability there, actually.

Be sure to check out 'Gemutations: Plague' and give her some love!

As for myself, I'm going to try to get a bit of site work and inking done before I take another nap. Thanks for reading and take care.


"To him who is determined, it remains only to act."
-- Italian Proverb