Natalie's Dilema
I've got a few fun facts for you about this week's comic. This was originally going to be the first page of Chapter 3, but I put it on ice so I could focus some time on Dustin and the gang as a whole. I also wrote this exchange long, long ago with intent to mention Comics Dungeon, being the first and only comic book shop that actually paid to stock The Elves of Iax over five years ago. Last time I was in there, those same five copies they bought from me are sitting there on the bottom shelf, defiant against the tides of cape lovers who shalt never purchase them. I'm not bitter, I sold plenty at cons and Wayward. It's simply the way the world works.
~Jer [10/03/2011]
Puddle
I saw a couple inadvertently drive their car through a big-ass puddle of water downtown, then drive around the block so they could do it again advertently.
~Jer [10/04/2011]
Sicaga!
The second official meeting of Sicaga was last night. We had some drinks, drew some comics, and a couple of folks hooked up with plans of drawing more comics as a team. I really couldn't have hoped for a better outcome.
~Jer [10/05/2011]
Steve Jobs has died
It was a courageous battle, one that lasted years, but it finally became too much, and Steve Jobs has died. A true innovator, Jobs has defined how we consume digital media in our daily lives. R.I.P.
~Lunchbox Mike [10/05/2011]
Markerboard
I got The Indies up in time to actually sleep tonight. Crazy! Nothing special to say about it, just plugging through what happened to Natalie.
~Jer [10/10/2011]
I saw a dog in a purse today
I think it's time to put an and to the toy dog in the purse fad. I think now is the dawn of yuppy wanna-be celebrity women carrying around dogs in purses that are literally toys. With just a little more robotics advancement, we might be able to further the ethical treatment of animals without toy dog owners even noticing the difference.
~Jer [10/11/2011]
Cat Factor
I've been studying my cat for some time, and have determined that her cat factor is greater than 1. She is more cat than a cat can actually be. This is of course impossible, but I've taken extensive notes and done the sums several times, the result is consistent. If anyone else out there has encountered a mathematical anomaly of this magnitude regarding a felis domesticus, I'd appreciate it if you could explain it to me.
~Jer [10/14/2011]
Congo
IT'S ABOUT GOD DAMNED TIME. The knowledge that there is a place in the world where human mothers are FORCE FED THEIR OWN CHILDREN by other humans has haunted me since I first heard of it. And why? So warlords can profit on mining the metal that is in your smart phone battery. [1] [2] [3] [4]
~Jer [10/14/2011]
Synching Nat's Story
Really hope The Indies is making sense. I was hoping this would match the timeline of Natalie's story to the stuff we've already seen.
~Jer [10/17/2011]
Getting kinda lonely around here
I don't think Studio Splurd really is about a crew of friends anymore, so I shuffled some stuff around, trying to focus Splurd on being about independent arts instead. Seems like the way to go. The Crew has shuffled off and gone their separate ways, for the most part. Everyone can still log in, it's just the times when anyone else needs to are few and far between. Anyway, I'm still here. Still stubbornly posting comics every week. Still trying to keep this ship running. Alone.
~Jer [10/17/2011]
I just like eating plants
I don't know which is weirder. The fact that just about everyone I meet eventually asks if I'm a vegetarian, or the staggeringly high percentage of the time the question is asked by someone who witnessed me eating meat not ten minutes earlier. I'm not kidding, this happens almost once a month.
~Jer [10/20/2011]
Like a Final Fantasy Counsel of White Magic or something...
Had a totally awesome evening. I was invited to a round-table meeting of Red Cross shelter managers, planning out important stuff. There were folks there with decades of experience, folks who've traveled across the country sheltering disaster victims. It was the closest to a meeting of actual Super Heroes I think I will ever be able to experience in this life, and I was invited as one of them!
~Jer [10/22/2011]
Scanned
I focused myself tonight and got my entire indie collection scanned for the library. There's a few I'm missing that have probably migrated to Rick or Josh's house, but as it currently stands I have 50 books I need to find something to say about. I went all the way back, too, including some of the original Keenspot Press titles. I'm actually quite happy with my collection, now that I put it into perspective.
~Jer [10/23/2011]
Wayward Wayward
The best coffee shop IN THE WORLD has almost returned to us! Wayward Coffeehouse is - if luck holds - opening it's new doors at 6417 Roosevelt Way NE #104, Seattle WA on Monday. This is going to be the BEST HALLOWEEN PARTY EVER
~Jer [10/28/2011]
Other people say it best
I don't talk about video games much because Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw really says everything I hate about videogames so well that I rarely feel the compulsion to even play them anymore. However this week's Zero Punctuation talks about something I have tried repeatedly not only to play but also to like. Everyone of my friends loves games on the Kinect and has lots of actual fun with it. When I step up the plate, though, well... as usual, Yahtzee explains it better than I could.
~Jer [10/29/2011]
Happy Halloween
Very happy with how my Halloween update of The Indies (not Halloween related) turned out. I love how delightfully meta it is. Have a fun and safe bad kid's day, and if you're in Seattle don't forget to hang out with me at Wayward Coffee's Grand Re-opening!
~Jer [10/31/2011]
Making Sense of the Plot
Armand is an interesting guy. I've been bothered a lot by how introverts are one of the biggest laughing stocks of popular culture these days. I don't find the "Look how socially awkward that guy is!" trope to be funny at all, I find it hurtful because usually "that guy" is someone I relate to. While everyone else is laughing at Dwight Schrute, the cast of Big Bang Theory or every character ever portrayed by Will Ferrell, I always find myself sympathetic with characters who are shallow reflections of actual mindsets, almost all of which I've found myself in at some point. These characters make me feel miserable because they are based on actual awkward people that writers would rather laugh at then bother to understand where they might be coming from. I think this frustration is coming out as I write for Armand. He's been detached from the world, he doesn't really grasp what's appropriate or how to connect to others on a normal level. He goes way overboard with something as simple as making a date. He's lucky Natalie doesn't freak out easy.
~Jer [11/07/2011]
Arkham
I'm totally late to the game - literally. Everyone's playing Arkham City, but I only just started Arkham Asylum. Decent game. Voices are amazing but the gameplay is super clunky compared to the Zelda or Riddick games. Also, I think I must have gotten a buggy copy, because all the textures are rendered dull gray-blue or bright yellow and all the enemies and NPCs look like glowing skeletons.
~Jer [11/09/2011]
Short Run
At the very last possible second, I learned of the Short Run Indie comics festival that happened today. There are few things in this world more relevant to my interests and arrived with only 40 minutes left to enjoy it - and enjoy it I did. Frantically, I went from booth to booth buying everything I could - in some cases literally throwing money at people. I returned with some great new treasures. At present, I still have 55 titles in my queue to add to the library. I wish I could get myself into some sort of update schedule for that.
~Jer [11/13/2011]
