I'm Right Here

Apparently I've very claustrophobic ...

2008-05-13T21:31:31Z

Tried to do the MRI today, but I've never had one done and did not realize how tight it was going to be. I couldn't hack it, not for 40 minutes anyway. Anyway, I'm rescheduled for another one and they will try and sedate me. I'll keep everyone advised.

Eye Problems - COTC on hiatus

2008-05-12T21:25:39Z

Hi Cats,

Got some bad news. I have a bit of vision loss in my right eye, so went to the eye doctor today. I have edema or swelling of the optic nerve. I’m scheduled for an MRI tomorrow to rule out a tumor. The vision loss was sudden as it happened Friday. Needless to say COTC will be going on a hiatus. I had a nice buffer that got chewed up with my involvement in other projects. I’m very sorry about that. Anyway, I’ll keep you all posted. Thanks for all your support.

Take care,

Jamie

Free Comic Book Day at Hero's Haven

2008-05-02T17:05:20Z

Hi Cats! Free Comic Book Day is tomorrow and I will be at Hero’s Haven in Burlington, NC along with a few friends. Please stop by and say “hello” if you are in the area. Other webcomics artists attending include mckenzee, Ursula Vernon of Digger, Dan Johnson and Thomas Boatright of the Image comic, Cemetery Blues. Hope to see ya there.

X-posted from chelseascourt

COTC's "New Direction"

2008-04-03T18:39:18Z

Please Read

All You Need is Love ... and $400 Million Dollars

2008-03-10T18:00:56Z

I just read that a $400 million dollar deal has finally been struck between the Beatles and Apple, paving the way for the popular band to come to iTunes. Looking at some of the forum posts a lot of people are asking, what's the big deal? The Beatles have been available on CD for years. Well, this is the big deal. The Beatles' catalog has not been remastered since the 1980s and a lot has changed in 25 years. In 1999 the film and soundtrack for Yellow Submarine was released with the soundtrack being remixed and remastered. And that was nearly ten years ago. So it stands to reason that the quality of the recordings should be vastly superior to what is available now.

Anyway, I'm still sick w/ the stomach flu, but hey, this was important. ;)

Another Color

2008-02-21T02:25:11Z

Thanks to netguru for the link to this page. Again, I just did the colors.

Even More Coloring

2008-02-19T03:08:23Z

Again, swiped from this page. Mystique, although i think i screwed up the costume. Wish I could find one of the hulk. His costume is easy.

More Coloring

2008-02-18T23:42:16Z

Playing around a bit more. Got the art from this page.

This is Apocalypse. Again, costume colors are probably off and I only did the colors.

Coloring

2008-02-18T22:30:38Z

I thought I would try a bit of coloring on an actual print comic book character. This is Jubilee. I'm sure the colors are all wrong, but I just wanted to try a technique. I did not do the pencils or inks, just the coloring.

Part Two of Broken Frontier Interview

2008-02-15T16:10:57Z

This is Part Two of an interview I did for Broken Frontier.

Part One of Broken Frontier Interview

2008-02-13T20:18:05Z

This is Part One of an interview I did for Broken Frontier. Part Two comes up Friday.

X-Posted from chelseascourt

What the Hell?! Con

2008-02-13T03:57:37Z

X-posted from chelseascourt

The majority of the art guests were comprised of members from the NCWCCC. A few who were not already members were members by the end of the con.

2. We unveiled the first North Carolina WebComics Coffee Clatch book at the con and sales were brisk.

3. Met a girl named Chelsea who reads Clan of the Cats.

4. Got to talk w/ John, whose last name I always forget, but is most likely COTC’s number one fan. “Hi John!”

5. Bought a print of this.

6. Fell asleep during the Geek Auction.

7. Swapped buttons with Jennie Breeden and Arianna.

8. Huddled around with a mass of artists in the cold outside a Mexican restaurant that had no idea we were coming.

9. My friend Mike did some of the best art I’ve ever seen him do, IMHO.

10. Saw a Steampunk Justice League.

11. Saw

</a></b></a>ursulav dance all day Sunday.

12. Handed out my first professionally made business cards. They were made for me by a friend.

13. Talked with

</a></b></a>dirkdada about the movies Space Mutiny and Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster.

14. Saw the original art from Thomas Boatwright’s contribution to the Clatch Book.

15. Had many people come to my table and say, “Heard your comic was good,” though one guy added, “Can’t get into it.”

16. Saw lots of pretty girls in short skirts.

17. Found out that no such person as Lydia died in an automobile accident at the Jamestown underpass.

18. The weather was perfect and the temperature was in or near the 60s in the day time.

19. Gave original art away to Kate, John and Otter for reasons too detailed to go into in a list of highlights.

20. Got to really talk with some of my peers like Otter, Kel and Dan Johnson.

21. Came back from the con with more money than I took to the con.

22. Played a Theremin for about 20 seconds.

23. Had to explain to Otter that not all webcomic artists are miserable.

24. On the way home Friday night my friend saw a guy passed out at a bus sign. Called 911. They came. They woke him up. We left.

25. Introduced Chelsea, (the real Chelsea) to the world of webcomics, my peers and thus two worlds collided.

There’s more, but I’ll end it there.

What the Hell?! Con

2008-02-08T14:28:28Z

I'll be at What the Hell?! Con this weekend, so if you live in the Greensboro, NC area stop by and say hello. Here's a list of prominent guests.

Domain Hosting

2008-01-22T01:58:55Z

I have a friend who is considering starting up a comic book convention and he wants me to manage the website. I have a Bravenet account, which is great for small sites I run, but I'm not sure about it for this. Reliability and ability to deal with (possible) heavy bandwidth are more a consideration than cost, but cost is also a factor. Can anyone recommend a hosting service?

Thanks in advance.

What I Did on my Christmas Break

2007-12-13T05:09:48Z

Here's what I will be doing over the Christmas Break ...

1. Do comic for the NCWCCC Anthology (done)

2. Put together the NCWCCC Anthology

3. Get Knights of Jubal Forum up (done)

4. Redesign Knights of Jubal website

5. Get ahead on COTC

6. Get ahead on Sebo

7. Put together small WOWIO eBook

8. Put together page for non-US residents to order COTC eBooks

9. Schedule NCWCCC January meeting

10. Do January wallpaper for SKK subscribers

11. Exchange gifts with Chelsea

12. Do small Christmas themed COTC story for Christmas

R Rest

A Quick Note - COTC Returns Monday, Nov 12th

2007-11-12T02:27:03Z

What I just said. Plus the computer donation drive continues as well.

Thanks!

Old Computer Back Up!

2007-11-08T01:02:29Z

Hey Cats. I finally got my old computer back. So far so good, but it's already crashed a couple of times. It's five years old and being an HP it's its time. So, I am going to continue the computer fund donation drive. I ordered a new computer today and the cost is very close to the donation goal. I know this is a lot to ask, but again, thanks to all who have donated already. I do appreciate it, no matter if it is $100.00 or $2.00, it all adds up, and I am very humbled by everyone's generosity. Again, if you can, please donate.

For every donation over $100.00 I will send an inked sketch of any character you like. and a set of buttons and possibly other stuff too. And everyone who donates any amount will get something, either wallpaper or a sketch or both. Thanks!

Goal: $1500.00
Donations to Date: $875.00

As for the new computer itself, here are the specs for the curious.

New Computer Specs
Dell (built by local tech w/ local tech warranty, it breaks they fix it)
Windows XP Pro (no other software)
Intel Core-2 Quad 2.4 Ghz Processor
3 GB DDR RAM
500 GB SATA HD
EVGA 256 MB Geforce 8600 GT PCI-E Video Card
DVD-R Drive
DVD-CW/CD-CW Drive

edit - Updated Graphics card.

Tweets

2007-11-04T13:00:51Z

21:47 Got an issue with Daily Saving Time (&%#*!)
and Sao Paulo timezone... It's solved and tweets are flowing again. #

Automatically twitted by LoudTwitter

Computer Broke

2007-11-03T14:24:31Z

Hey Cats. Bad News. My computer is broke. I plan on taking it to get fixed, but I doubt I will get it back before the weekend. Currently I am using my father's computer, but do not have reliable access to it. It has also come to my attention that I need a new computer, but I do not have the funds to get one. So, I am asking you, and forgive me for doing this, to help out. My goal is roughly $1500.00. Sorry to do this,but I am desperate. If you can, please donate.

For every donation over $100.00 I will send an inked sketch and a set of buttons and possibly other stuff too.

And everyone who donates will get something, either wallpaper or a sketch or both. Thanks!

I Won’t Work For Jenny - An Observation

2007-10-21T01:17:11Z

I went to the grocery store the other morning to get some … I forget. No, really, this isn’t dramatic pause. I actually can’t remember what I went to get and now I just remembered - chicken. Anyway, I went to the grocery store the other morning, and while checking out I witnessed a spec of a conversation. The cashier, a tall, stocky, young man in his early twenties, and another cashier playing bagboy, only she was a short, stocky girl, were discussing a coworker, another girl named Jenny. I didn’t get all the conversation, but apparently the young man didn’t like Jenny and the tragedy that had befallen him was that Jenny might just get promoted. As I was checking out, the girl was polite in that typical cashier way. In fact she was perhaps a little too kind as the stocky young man barely noticed me and proceeded to discuss Jenny. Her, “Did you find everything alright today, sir?” was spoken to me, but with a “You’re waiting on a customer, you jackass, stop talking about Jenny”, tone toward the young man. He did not heed the tone. I didn’t know Jenny, but I gathered that she was okay to work with, but not okay to work under. I assumed this because the girl was nodding in agreement and making like minded statements all through our transaction. The tall, stocky young man finally acknowledged my presence when the receipt spit out of the cash register. He nodded, thank you, and then went back to talking smack about Jenny. “If Jenny gets promoted, guess where I’m going.” The stocky, young man then pointed dramatically toward the door, looking at the stocky young girl while giving both a slight smile and a nod. He finally added, “I won’t work for Jenny.” I was tempted to say, “I don’t blame you,” if for no other reason than to add a bit of surrealism to the day. I didn’t say it.

A short ... Whatever.

2007-10-21T01:08:54Z

"Are you of the kin?" the boy said under his breath to no one in particular. He imagined himself uttering this phrase in a tone not unlike Xerxes from the movie 300. Unfortunately the boy had the voice of an angel. Had he been a beautiful girl or went to a school in which the chorus was more important than football this would have been just fine. Unfortunately within the confines of high school his angelic vocal characteristics were more like the sound of an injured fish in the midst of hungry sharks. The school bullies, like grotesque hammerheads, could hear his voice from miles away. The way he said, “excuse me, ma’am” to all the teachers was like dumping twenty barrels of chum off the coast of Australia. This did not bode well for young Billy. What was worse, he really wasn't of the kin either. That’s why he wanted to be “of the kin.” The “kin” ran in packs and stuck together. Sullen, he popped in "Teen Wolf Too" into the DVD player and sat down for the evening.

eBaying

2007-09-06T02:38:40Z

Well, I'm eBaying, but this time it's not my comic art. That never went for much. :/ This time it's Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman. Go take a look! If this goes over well I may sell some of my other vintage stuff. Thanks!

X-posted from chelseascourt

You're Really Super, Supergirl ...

2007-09-05T03:31:08Z

I just wish I could find my Spider-man. I got him new back in '75. Anyway, I started collecting these figures here about 15 years ago. Last year I found them in a box in an outdoor shed. Yikes! I cleaned 'em up a little, but they still look a bit rough. I guess it was "Ladies Night" and the Hall of Justice.

From Left to Right: Supergirl, Batgirl, Wonder Woman, Catwoman, Isis and the Invisible Girl.

Anyway, I'm now thinking about selling them. Still not sure. But the nostalgia blast came from the fact that Wal-Mart, evil empire that it is, put out something I hadn't seen in over 30 years.

Pretty darn cool. I know everybody's making a big deal about the wee Joes, (the 3 3/4 '' Joes), but I grew up w/ the real deal. These guys went through it all, fire crackers, mud, thrown off of houses, face in dog poop and they came out of it looking pretty damn harsh. That's why the mint ones are worth so much. ;) Now I personally never put a fire cracker in my Joe's hand or flung him off a building, but we did have a dog in the back yard and a "Man of Action" must face many trials. On a twisted bit of irony the box that a GI Joe came in was typically referred to as a "coffin" box.

And now for something far, far away and completely different.

Yes, this is an original "Early Bird Star Wars" package. For those who don't know Kenner was granted the license to make Star Wars toys back in '77, but it was not going to have the toys ready in time for Christmas. So, Sears had the great idea of getting parents to buy their kids a piece of cardboard. Anyway, I remember my dad buying this for me a month or so before Christmas, but I couldn't open it until Christmas Day. It was agony to wait, because I thought that maybe, just maybe Kenner had made a mistake and shipped the figures in the piece of cardboard anyway. So, Christmas arrived and I opened it up to find a certificate and a form to fill out. They finally arrived two months later and looked nothing like the figures on the box. R2D2 was missing his third leg, that's how he was made, but he was still cool. I actually have the original Chewbacca from this set and I think an R2D2, but I can't find him. The rest are scattered to God knows where. Yeah, I played w/ my toys. Anyway, this thing is kind of beat up, but still I think I might get it framed some day.

Edit: I found the R2D2 and he's sitting on my computer now.

Order of the Knights of Jubal Regrouping

2007-08-22T23:48:38Z

Several years ago in a couple of the COTC story lines, Jubal flung himself in front of Chelsea to save her. Out of those small incidents sprung a question. Has chivalry has died out? That question was answered by the formation of the Order of the Knights of Jubal. Several COTC and CRFH readers banned together to form the Order. silveradept, timberbram, and Greg Bromage started the Order and w/ my permission they adopted Jubal as a mascot. With the help of others the Order flourished into a rather large size group w/ 140+ members. Unfortunately, just as it seemed the Order was going to burst out of the internet and into the real world, things began to decline. With COTC taking much of my time my interest in the Order wained. Besides, there were far more people qualified than me to oversee the Order. In 2002 we were dealt out hardest blow when it's heart and soul, timberbram passed away. To their enormous credit both silveradept and Greg took the reigns. Greg Bromage manned the website until a little over a year ago and then we lost touch. silveradept as well as others kept the faith, some still bearing the letters which stated their station in the KOJ in their signatures. I had all but forgotten about it.

Yesterday morning I received a spam notice from the KOJ Yahoo Group. I went to delete it and for a moment thought about deleting the group. Our original web site, ivbalis.org, had long since gone to the domain factory in the sky, and what really was the point? I can't say what made me do it, but I sat at the computer and thought that maybe, just maybe it could be rekindled. I had a Bravenet account for the NCWCCC and could build extra websites for no extra expense. I had also had two years experience in cat herding ... err, people management from doing the comics for Trinoc*coN and working behind the scenes at the NCWCCC. I figured, what the hell. Using the old site via the Way Back Machine I used Greg's layout the rebuild the the site. It's now up at http://ivbalis.com.

I don't know if this is going to work or how it will turn out, but I'm going to give it a shot. I'm not sure if any one person, group or order can change much, but we can at least try. As for what the Order stands for here is this from our front page:

The Order is dedicated to restoring Chivalry to the world. Chivalry, within our definition of it, is to promote Justice and Compassion to those in need, regardless of gender, race, religion or other factors. The oath of the order is an oath of Justice, Mercy, Service and Honour. It is these four principles that guide members of our order.

Probi Immotiqve Este

EDIT: As of 8/23/07 I have reconnected w/ Sir Greg Bromage.

Trinoc*coN 8

2007-08-09T02:31:56Z

Trinoc*coN was last weekend. I attended. I am the comics chair, so I kind of have to attend. ;) For those who don't know Trinoc*coN is a small (500 +/- attendance) “speculative conference” held each year in Raleigh NC. There were some minor problems, like the layout of the con being changed the day before, but all in all I feel the con was a success. The layout change was actually beneficial to the comic guests and others in artist alley. Among the comic guests were T Cambell,

cleahpatra, makkabee, Brian and Marty from Gravyboy, Van Plexico, Barb and Chris from Fragile Gravity, komejo, victor_von, dirkdada and m_monique , mckenzee, arienna and spontaneous guest, ursulav.

One of he Highlights of the con was getting together w/ a friend of mine from DC. In fact Friday night, she, I and two others were supposed to go to dinner, but word got out and it turned into a caravan of 13 going to the Thai House. Definitely one of my favorite spontaneous moments of the con. Saturday night a few of us guys got together and geeked out on comic talk among other things. I didn't know Tony Stark was a womanizer too, nor did I realize Disney employees must smile while they are accosting its guests. The things we learn at cons.

My two favorite quotes from the con: “Go where Books-A-Million used to be ...” and “Wolman has nards!! (quoting from Monster Squad) Hmmm. I'm hungry.” Ohhhhh-kay.

The art show was a little scarce this year, but given the fact that JR Fisher took the role as art chair in June, he did an excellent job as did the rest of the staff. My own sales were a little slow this year, but I was barely at my table the whole time. Still I did manage to pay for my table.
Anyway, I had a great time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones. Then I got home and got sick. Oh well. I'll carry wipes next year.