News

Just a few quick references to what Dominic and his students are talking about today, in case you forgot the events of The Oracle Hunter and Oh, Snap!

Dominic was assaulted by Luna's sister, Barnet...

...he went into his own mind to chase it, like he's doing now...

...until he "took it outside" with the invading spell...

...and then the stress of it, and everything that came before, made him crack with the loss of his mavpel candy supply.

And this week ends much like last week's, with a vital question left unanswered.

That's all from me for now.
Rock on, and have a nice weekend!

It's the same spells, to the letter, that Prento used the first time he thought Dominic was suffering from mindbreak. And, once again, it seems to have achieved the intended effect, albeit indirectly. And, once again, Prento seems happy with the outcome.

New comic books hit the shelves today, and I must say I'm getting more and more aggravated with mainstream comic books. It's a few months old already, but this "Marvel Now!" reboot crap has restarted what few titles I was invested in. Thunderbolts has an all-new team I don't give a crap about (where's Songbird?!) and Nova getting rebooted makes me want to nerd-rage. Abnett and Lanning's run on Nova, Guardians of the Galaxy, and all the other space titles were incredible and I followed them faithfully. But now all those stories, all those great characters and all those amazing storyarcs are just brushed aside in favor of whatever the hell this new stuff is. Grah.

I'm nerd-raging, but it's not the end of the world. I still have those old comics stored safely away so I can go back and reread them any time I want. Continuity reboots can't erase the value of those comics to me.

Besides, ATOMIC ROBO and SAGA are still great comics and you should go read them. Seriously. Go to the comic shop now and pick them up. You'll thank me later.

That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

Prento's outfit may look familiar if you have a good memory. It's the same one he wore (along with the smiley-faced scrolls that he used) when he first thought Dominic was on the road to mindbreak and shot him through the walls of his home.

Let's see if this mindscape/mindbreak attempt is equally... "successful?"

In other random news:
- I've really been digging The Devin Townsend Project since I saw them open for Gojira. "Grace" is a particularly wonderful song to me.
- I should have news regarding my new webcomic this week. I think. I hope.
- I've been lining up photo-shoots with new models and performers over the next few weeks. My 2013 resolution to get back into my amateur photography is still going strong.


That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

I think Arc Telis is a neat character, despite the fact that I'm biased because I enjoy drawing the eld, and I feel it would have been neat to have him go into Dominic's mindscape in an attempt to save the day. But Arc Telis is also a relatively new character, and this is the comic's big finale, so "eleventh hour" characters shouldn't take the spotlight away from established cast members.

So, in the end, it's Dominic's students who come to the aid of their teacher...

...again...

...and again.

Let's see if their "winning streak" for helping Dominic can be maintained.


That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

My apologies to the "overnight update crowd" for the somewhat late posting of today's strip. The Enslaved concert, coupled with the lingering fatigue of Katsucon and the Gojira concert, left me more than a little drained. But the comic went up and we're left with a lingering question for the weekend...

Does Nimmel truly know the answer to his own question? And what will he choose to do once it's answered? Find out next week!

Last year, when Enslaved was in the New England area, they put on an amazing show and the crowd was enthusiastic without being violent. I was able to get close to the stage and really enjoy one of my favorite bands surrounded by a relatively mellow crowd.

Yesterday was a different story. The band's equipment arrived late to the show, cutting their set short. The crowd was composed primarily of drunk jerks who were more concerned with beating people up than enjoying the concert. I got kicked in the face by three crowd surfers and someone threw a full can of beer at the back of my head.

On the bright side, Enslaved put on another amazing show and I got pushed so close to the stage that I was able to shake hands with three of the band members after the show was over.

I think I'm done with concerts for a little while. They're fun, but I'm beat.

That's all from me for now.
Rock on, and have a nice weekend!

Klo Tark forged a planar bridge during The Storm of Souls, though he used it to switch places with Dominic. He also used the thoughts and emotions of those around him instead of incorporating the Tempest itself.

I'm surprised today's comic got done at all. I am in so much physical pain from Tuesday's concert that it was an effort to produce anything. I hope you folks like it, though.

Gojira was incredible. Well worth the time and effort to drive to New York City and back again in the same night from the New England area. It was one of the most intense and powerful performances I've seen from a heavy metal band, and I'm glad I was able to catch them for the last show of their U.S. tour.

And I fell in love with the opening act, The Devin Townsend Project. Anyone who can get a mosh pit to do jazz hands is worthy of more attention. He tried to get the pit to do a group hug, too, but that wasn't so successful. Still an amazing performance and I'll be looking for more of his music.

Between the two bands, there sure were more messages of love, peace and tolerance than I'm accustomed to at heavy metal shows. It made for a great, unique vibe that mixed well with the beautifully brutal music. If you ever have the opportunity to see either Gojira or The Devin Townsend Project live, I highly recommend treating yourself to a ticket or two.

I only hope I don't fall apart for tonight's Enslaved show. Yeesh.

That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

I'm going to see Gojira in New York tonight.

It was rescheduled because of the massive snowstorm that blanketed the northeast U.S. earlier this month. There's a chance that tomorrow's comic may go up late. Not filler, because I did that yesterday to help recover from Katsucon. But just in case tomorrow's comic goes up some time later during the day because of massive metal overdose, you'll know why.

But I'm still going to see Gojira in New York tonight. I can't wait. My voice may be hoarse from Katsucon weekend, but what I'll lack in yelling I'll make up for in headbanging. Because you can't kill the metal.

And then, on Thursday, I go see Enslaved. This is going to be a massively metal week.


That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

KATSUCON was a blast. I had a ton of fun meeting people, doing panels and generally kicking off my 2013 convention season. Thanks to everyone who came by, and thanks to the Katsucon staff for being so amazing.

It was also a long drive to-and-from the convention, and after such a high energy weekend I needed a break. So there's filler today.

Today's filler is a hint of the sneak peek of the new webcomic we offered folks who came by and said "hi" to me and Garth! We're very excited about this new project, and it seemed to get an equally enthusiastic response!

We'll hopefully have more details concerning the launch of this new webcomic later this week. I'll keep you fine folks posted!


That's all from me for now.
Rock on and geek out.

If this hybrid form looks familiar, it's because Dominic has seen it before. Which would make him wonder if he was seeing the Beast or King David at the time. But the Beast is really a part of King David. Or was. And Dominic is having some second-sight problems right now. And this is enough to break a poor seer's mind.

I'm at KATSUCON this weekend! I haven't been to this great show in a couple of years so I'm thrilled to be returning. Stop by, say "hello," come see some panels, and generally have a good time! I'll be sharing a table with Garth Graham and we'll be proudly premiering a sneak peek at our new webcomic. We're really excited about this and we hope you folks like what you see.

There will likely be filler of some kind on Monday in place of a comic, either in the form of a crummy filler sketch, guest art, or a photograph. The comic will resume updating normally on Tuesday.


That's all from me for now.
Rock on, and see you at KATSUCON!

The Sword of Centuries has been mentioned before, albeit a long time ago and in a different context. It's one of Donovan Deegan's most popular compositions, and the opening song Oblivion Folder performed at the benefit concert in The Battle For Barthis.

A few other bits of trivia about the Sword of Centuries:

- The official lyrics of the song can be found in the print edition of The Battle For Barthis.

- Over the years, readers have sent me lyrics, guitar tablature, and even audio samples of their own versions of Donovan's most famous song.

- The black blade of the sword is my own small tribute to Sokka's "space sword" from Avatar: The Last Airbender.



That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

I don't normally like patting myself on the back down here in the news box, but I am in love with Donovan's "diva moment" at the conclusion of today's comic, as he corrects the king. I hope you folks find it amusing, too!

I'll be returning to KATSUCON this weekend! There will probably be filler of some kind on Monday, as it is a long drive to and from the New England area. It will likely also be a busy weekend, so I'll need the day to recover.

Not much else to say down here in the news box today, so I'll just keep things brief as I ready for the weekend.





That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

We survived the snowpocalypse!

The northeast of the U.S. got slammed by a metric crap-ton of snow, and I spent most of my weekend shoveling it into mountainous piles, but we made it. I discovered that my wife plays dirty when I start a snowball fight, too.

And, as a result of the bad weather, the Gojira concert was rescheduled to a later date this month in New York!

Why am I going there instead of seeing them in the New England area this weekend? Because I'll be returning to KATSUCON! I'm so excited to be going back after a two year absence. I'll be sharing a table with Garth Graham, where we'll be selling our merchandise and offering a sneak peek at our new webcomic! We'll be doing panels all weekend, too, so be sure to stop by and say "hi" if you're in the area!

That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

I usually write these news posts the day before the comic updates, and sometimes only by an hour or so. As of this writing the reports of the incoming snowstorm due to hit the northeast are pretty serious, so it looks like I won't be taking the risk to drive to New York to see Gojira. Which kills me. Because I've waited years to see these guys live. And I already bought tickets. Bugger.

Knowing my luck, by deciding to not go, the storm will break up at the last minute and give us nothing but a dusting of snow and chilly wind. And I will spend my day cursing the Gods of Timing.

This weather nonsense better not repeat itself when I go to KATSUCON next weekend, or to see Enslaved the weekend after.

If this storm is going to be as bad as it's being forecast, and you live in its path, please be careful. Or have an epic snowball fight.

On the off-chance of lasting power and/or internet outages, keep an eye on my Twitter feed for the latest information. Or to watch me bitch and moan about missing Gojira in concert.

That's all from me for now.
Rock on, and have a nice weekend.

Dominic has delved deep into the mindscapes of others to speak with their inner selves. It usually hasn't been his idea, either. How will he fare in an apparent battle against himself? We shall see. And so shall he. One of him, anyway.

Turns out I may not be able to see Gojira after all. There are reports of a major snowstorm due to hit the northeast on the days I'm supposed to drive down to New York and back again to see them. And, just my luck, Gojira is in the New England area next weekend, where I live, but I'll be returning to KATSUCON then! I am the plaything of the Gods of Timing.

I'll be really bummed if I miss this incredible band that I've been waiting years to see, but on the bright side I'll be able to curl up in a blanket with my wife and spend the weekend watching professional wrestling.

That's all from me for now.
Rock on.

I do enjoy these out-of-panel adventures. Dominic is usually the one having them, but occasionally other characters get to have them, too.

New comic books hit the shelves today. Try to get to your local comic book shop and pick up some quality reading. Whether it's superheroes, two-fisted action adventure, manga, fantasy, science fiction, or anything in between.

I'm seeing Gojira this weekend. Oh em gee I'm seeing Gojira this weekend. Metal.

Otherwise there isn't much news to report today. So I'll leave things at that.



That's all from me for now.
Rock on and geek out.