News

As you can see, I'm off to Maine for ten days.
Yay for end-of-the-summer vacation.

I busted my ass this week to make sure you fine and patient folks wouldn't get any more crummer filler while I'm gone. The strip will update normally tomorrow with a "full-color big-panel Sunday" comic. The strip will update next week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday in full color. No big-panel strips, either. I'll be gone until September 2, but I produced enough strips so that next week the strip will resume updating normally.

I've fallen behind on my e-mails (again) in cranking out strips to cover my vacation, but I'll do my best to get things back in order once I get back.

But now, it's off to Maine for me.
Rock on.

I feel compelled to tell you folks the story of Bort today.

My descent (or ascent) to nerd-dom began in the sixth grade when I discovered Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition. In that game there was a race of monsters called the mongrelmen, who were so hideously ugly that they were treated like, well, ugly mongrel monsters. They were peaceful and misunderstood, despite being ugly as sin, and I immediately took a liking to them.

Years later, when I was senior in high school, I put a "comic book" together that I got "published" with the help of my photography teacher. In my crappy, home-made comic book was a story I wrote about an ugly-as-sin, misunderstood monster that was really a nice guy, blah blah blah. Bort was the star of that little adventure, and it was my very first (and downright awful) attempt at comics.

It's really nice for me to revisit him. Even if you all end up hating his guts and calling him the worst thing to ever hit this comic or the internet, it's still nifty for me to have my very first comic protagonist meet my most successful one... and I am so very blessed to have an audience to share this little moment of self-indulgent geekery with.

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

Happy Monday, folks.
Here's the latest news regarding this very scattered August.

I'm going on vacation next week with my friends from the 23rd to the 31st. I'm going to be away with no phone, no internet, no nothing. A magnificent isolation. Naturally, as has been the trend with most of August, this is going to affect next week's update schedule.

Here's what's going to happen. Next week the strip will switch to a Monday-Wednesday-Friday update again, but all three days will be in full color. No big-panel or one-page strips. Three days of eight-panel color. That very next week, when September is upon us, the comic returns to normal.
I figure it's the least I could do for you fine and patient folks who have stuck around while August has wreaked havoc on my regular update schedule.

In any case, that's the big news. Oh, and August's Donation Wallpapers are up for your approval. I hope you like them.

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

Wow. Thank you all for the kind e-mails regarding yesterday's missed update. It was a very pleasant surprise and I am humbled by your kind words. Also, thanks to those of you who wished my father a happy (belated) birthday. You folks have this wonderful tendency to show me more love than I deserve, and I cannot express my gratitude enough.

The strip has, as you can see, updated as normal today and we're rolling again.

August's Donation Wallpapers will be up later today, so keep an eye on things around here. I do hope you like them.

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

Okay, so there's a number of reasons there's no strip today.

Turns out yesterday was my father's birthday, so my brother and I decided to take a trip to New York to surprise him. We spent the entire day with my parents... eating, drinking and celebrating. My demise was assured from there.

My brother said, "Mike, it is my goal to make sure you don't draw today so you lose all of your fans."

My mother said, "Michael, let me write something on your site tomorrow. You're not working on your father's birthday and anyone who complains can answer to me."

My father said, "Mike, I just got a new computer and I don't have the scanner software I used to. Sorry."

So, yeah. Between a last-minute trip to New York, a scheming brother, an insistent mother and a father with a new toy there's no strip today. I would post the e-mails of my family so any and all complaints can be sent to them, but I'm wouldn't let them suffer the wrath of angry Dominic Deegan readers. Any and all complaints can, as usual, be sent to yours truly.

Sorry about this, folks. You know I hate unannounced missed updates more than anyone. :(

Two filler Mondays in a row thanks to insane conventions. I hate doing this sort of thing, but my trip back from OTAKON literally got me in the door at 2am thanks to even more insane traffic and brutal thunderstorms. I'm lucky I had the energy to do this crappy filler sketch of a pissed-off Stunt.

The half-pencilled strip you see was supposed to be today's comic, but thanks to the insanity that is Otakon I was only able to do as much as you see before you today. I tried my best to get it done for today, I really did, but the biggest convention of the summer is a demanding mistress.

My apologies to those of you who hate it when I do this.

Things return to normal tomorrow, as I am now officially done with my "summer convention tour."

Just in case you're wondering where today's strip is, there isn't one because I'm on the road down to OTAKON. There will be a full eight-panel strip up tomorrow since I did promise you fine and patient folks at least three strips this week. I hope you enjoy it.

And if you're coming down to OTAKON, you can find me in the Artist's Alley at the ring of tables closest to the entrance... at a table facing away from the entire room. Not an ideal location, but you make do with what you've got. Don't be surprised if you find me standing on a chair waving my arms at some point.

In any case, the strip returns to its normal updating schedule next week, along with August's Donation Wallpapers.

That's all from me for now.
See you at OTAKON!
Rock on.

I've been doing a lot of these "one big panel" comics since the vacation arc started. This was the one that was supposed to go up yesterday when I got back from ConnectiCon, but stuff happened and et cetera. Still, the idea gave me the giggles and I'd already started it, so instead of scrapping the whole thing in favor of eight panels I decided to finish it.

I decided to color it because I feel guilty for doing so many "one big panel" comics lately. There ought to be less of them, since the summer conventions are drawing to a close and so is this vacation storyline.

There will be another (eight-panel) update Wednesday and then another on Friday, but none during this weekend while I'm down at OTAKON.

August's Donation Wallpapers will be up once I return from Otakon, too.

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

CONNECTICON was a blast. An exhausting blast that left me with very little free time to draw today's comic. Also, on the way back from the convention I found myself stuck in horrendous traffic that caused me to arrive at Mookie HQ close to 3am. Thankfully, the lovely Aido was nice enough to draw this charming little picture for me.

So here's what's going to happen. As opposed to doing a Monday-Wednesday-Friday update in preparation for OTAKON next weekend, I'll do a Tuesday-Wednesday-Friday update, so you'll still get at least three strips this week.

I'll have a con report, tons of links and pictures once I'm done with this con-athon.

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

I don't know where "please do not kick the leviathan" came from, but it popped into my head and it gave me a case of the chuckles, so much so that I decided to make it today's punchline. Or would that be kickline? Either way, I think it's funny, but I'm biased.

Okay, the big news is that this very weekend is CONNECTICON! This convention never fails to be entertaining as hell and I've been honored to be involved with it every single year since its maiden voyage. This year will be no different, as I'll be doing a number of panels including the DDQ&A, Writing Unique Heroes & Memorable Villains and Great Comic Books. I'll also be up for auction at the Webcomic Charity Auction and I'll be hosting the Cosplay Chess Game for the fourth year in a row. I'm so fracking excited.

I'll have some swag for sale, as well as convention-only goodies such as scarves and limited-run t-shirts (but if the shirts do well enough they'll go on sale here). If you stop by and say "hi" you'll notice that I'll be offering commissions, except I won't be the one doing them. My good friend Tarah, whose artwork has been featured here over the past few years, will be drawing any and all of your requests.

And finally, because OTAKON is the very next weekend, the update schedule around here is going to change temporarily. This Friday will be the last update of the week, and starting next Monday the strip will only update on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule. Once Otakon is done, the strip resumes its normal updating... if I make it out of these two mammoth conventions in one piece.

That's all from me for now!
See you at CONNECTICON!
Rock on.

Brian Wilson is a buddy of mine. Not the Beach Boy. The webcomicker. Among my friends in the webcomic circle, Brian tends to be that guy who makes you go, "Oh lord, I cannot believe you just said that out loud." He managed to translate that into his previous webcomic and now it's in his new one, Geist Panik. I dig the idea of an amnesiac ghost hunter chick with a strange tattoo on her butt... plus, he threatened to do horrid things to my cat if I didn't plug him today. I can't believe he actually said those things out loud.

A reader quickly whipped this up after reading my news post yesterday regarding what the hydra sounded like underwater. I think it's either haunting or ridiculous... but you be the judge.

The serious fantasy writer in me imagines the hydra's song as a haunting whale song, only infused with the innate magic of the world and harmoniously joined in five equal and yet unique parts.

The smartass in me imagines the hydra's song as a barbershop quintet.

I'll let you folks be the judge as to what version haunted Luna for days afterwards.

In any case, I decided to go with a full-page splash panel (pun intended) today because I wanted to give the encounter a similar feel to that of the dragon in Nagastrali. I decided to do it in color because... well, I just felt like it. I may also feel a little guilty whenever I do a big one-panel comic on any day that isn't Sunday, so making today's strip colored is really just to ease the epic amounts of guilt I carry around anyway. When you're raised an Italian Catholic and spend your youth hanging out with Jews, you get a lot of it.

Other than that, the only news to report is that CONNECTICON is drawing ever closer! I'll have some neat swag for you to purchase, a guest artist doing commissions, and I'll be doing lots of (hopefully) entertaining panels! If you only go to one convention this year, make it this one. You won't regret it.

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

I'm totally geeking out over my own material again. I don't know whether that's arrogance, vanity or just plain nerdity. I think I just made up a word. Anyway, in case you couldn't tell, I'm pretty excited about Quastrilla, the home of the comic's underwater people, the qualenti.

I've loved underwater settings for years. I've watched The Little Mermaid more times than I can count (I even own the two-disc special edition DVD). I thought the Snorks were awesome. I'm a very vocal fan of Aquaman and the Sub-Mariner. Finding Nemo is one of my favorite movies.

That being said, I get to translate a lot of my love for this stuff into Nagastrali and now Quastrilla. The latter has been the vacation spot of this arc I've been the most excited about, so now I'm pretty thrilled that we've gotten Dominic and Luna under the sea (cue steel drums).

I hope you all enjoy Quastrilla as much as I'm going to enjoy taking you on the tour.

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

A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.

- "The Mermaid" by W.B. Yeats

There's really not a whole lot to report on this fine Monday. I've got a bit of a break from the summer convention season until next month so I've been taking it easy, at least as far as traveling goes. That said, things are pretty mellow here at Mookie HQ.

Next month things get crazy again, however, as I get ready to hit CONNECTICON and then OTAKON within one week of each other. Updates to the strip will probably slow considerably during that week in between conventions, but I'll keep you folks posted as we draw closer.

I'm especially excited about CONNECTICON. It's been my favorite convention since its maiden voyage and I've been privileged to be involved with it every single year. This year will be no different. I'll be doing my Writing Unique Heroes and Memorable Villains talk, along with the Dominic Deegan Question & Answer panel (which I like to call the DDQA). I'll also be talking comic books alongside some fellow troublemakers, I will be available for auction and I get to host the Cosplay Human Chess Game for the fourth year in a row. Wowzers. Who knows? Maybe I'll get in on the fun this year and wear a costume myself.

July's Donation Wallpapers are up for your inspection and approval.

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