News

Many of you remember this, but I'll link back to the moment where The Beast's harbinger ripped out Gregory Deegan's white magic.

There was also the time that the soul of Raf MaLiksh took refuge inside the body of a seer, much like The Beast did to escape the Lost Treasure's destruction.

I've fallen a little behind in sending out book orders this month. If you ordered from me I apologize for the delay, and your order is most likely on its way as you read this.

In other merchandising news, I'll be selling the final batch of hand-made Dominic Deegan scarves next week. On April 30 scarves will go on sale in the SEER'S CATALOG, and once they've sold they will no longer be produced. I was saving this final batch for the summer conventions, since I've only sold them in person over the years, but I wanted everyone who's never had a chance to meet me at a show to have the opportunity to purchase one. More details will become available as next Tuesday approaches.

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

The Beast has been blown up, ripped apart, and otherwise obliterated on numerous occasions, but it keeps coming back. Today is no exception. As for what form it's going to take, or how it's returning? You'll have to come back on Monday to see.

Happy birthday to my beautiful and wonderful wife, Alyssa.
I love you so much, sweetie.

I got my hands on "Infestissumam" yesterday, the new album by Ghost BC. I am in love with this release. Front to back, I adore every single song on this album. It's wonderfully old school heavy metal and a refreshing change from the usual ear-shattering variety of metal I listen to. If melodic songs about Satan performed by a robed group of nameless ghouls and their skeletal high priest is an intriguing idea to you, I highly recommend "Infestissumam." And even if you don't, give a song or two a listen. They're catchy tunes, regardless of how you feel about the Devil.

I didn't make it downtown to be a human wall against the Westboro Baptist Church yesterday, but many others here in Boston did, including some friends of mine. Thankfully, the WBC never showed up (even if they claimed they did).

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

Celesto's right. This isn't the first time this has happened to Dominic. In the Elemecca.

During The Storm of Souls storyline, Celesto tried to kill Dominic by "detonating" the soul of Raf MaLiksh, causing him to lose his leg. Only this time, the souls who went "supernova" were mindful of Dominic.

Not much they could do to stop The Beast from sinking a few of its teeth in first, though.

I'm sad and angered to hear that the infamous Westboro Baptist Church is "scheduled" to be here in Boston today, planning to picket the services of the victims of Monday's bombings. There's a huge human wall planned, and I'd like to be a part of it. If I am, it may affect the update of tomorrow's comic. If I can't make it downtown, I still plan to help those in need by donating to The One Fund.

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

The city I call home is still recovering from Monday's terrible attack. Keep the people of Boston in your thoughts, if you can, and here are some ways you can help.

It's unfortunate that this moment in the story comes so near Monday's tragedy here in Boston. Frankly, it feels weird to showcase an explosion in today's comic. The last few strips have been leading up to this, and what's happening here isn't related to the bombings... but there's still a guilty ache in my chest.

In regards to yesterday's comic, since there wasn't a proper news post to go along with it, here's a quick reminder of the identities of the ghostly figures Rilian saw moments before he sacrificed his soul alongside the Prophet Luana.

I finally got a chance to pick up "Blodsvept," the new album by Finntroll. It's a fun album that's nice and loud, and I recommend it if you're into "trolls" being metal. My favorite moment on the album is during the song "Rosets Kung," where they either give tribute to jazz scat singing or do their best Tom Waits impression. I can't tell. It's still a great album.

Next on my to-buy list is "Infestissumam" by Ghost B.C. I only recently became aware of this band, and I'm hooked. On a personal note, my wife affectionately refers to the lead singer, Papa Emeritus II, as "Pope Skeletor."

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

My thoughts are with those who were affected by the terrible bombings at the Boston Marathon yesterday.


















That's all from me for now.

Looks like this isn't going to be a prolonged, epic battle after all. Is The Beast biting off more than it can chew? Maybe. It's had difficulty chewing up Dominic before, but that was on the psychoplanes. Those teeth are very real, and very sharp, this time.

Some folks either missed the announcement, or have only started reading within the past year, so this is just a quick reminder that these are the final months of Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire. The last comic will post some time before May 21, which will be its eleventh anniversary. I want to end the series before then, and so far I'm still on schedule to do so, but if I run a little long (which I'm prone to do) I can at least say "my webcomic went to 11."

Why end the comic? Because it's been nearly eleven years and I've told all the stories I want to tell with this cast of characters. I want to give you, the wonderful readers who have shown me so much love and support over the years, a proper ending. I don't want to run the risk of burning out mid-story somewhere down the road and leaving you all with an unfinished comic.

I really hope you folks enjoy the big finale.

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

Of all the transformations Dominic's undergone over the years, Black Magic Dominic was one of the most fun for me, and well-received by you fine folks.

Now Black Magic Dominic is back, he's out of the psychoplanes, and he's armed.

I realized I forgot to mention what I thought about the Evil Dead remake! I saw it this weekend and, as a big fan of the original films, was understandably worried. But this remake was both a fitting tribute to the original while putting its own spin on established concepts. And with absolutely no CGI, it managed to truly capture the proper splattery feel of a classic monster movie.

I normally don't like remakes, but I highly recommend this one. It's not for the squeamish, but that's probably not an issue for you if you liked the original Evil Dead movies.

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

Luna has been able to reach Dominic like this before.

Whether it's empowering him in the psychoplanes...

...or if she's literally saving him with a kiss.

There have been lots of references to past events in these final months of the comic, and I enjoy the walk down memory lane. At first I questioned the wisdom of relying on old events to tell the current story, since I used to hate that when it happened in comic books.

But that's the beauty of webcomics. In a comic book, a reference to an event in an old storyline would be a physical footnote from the editor, and then you'd have to find that back issue in your local comic book shop to see it for yourself. With a webcomic, all I need to do is post a link to a story from years ago and it's seen within seconds!

So, in the end, I get to walk down memory lane and possible confusion is cleared up with the click of a mouse. Living in the future is awesome.

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

Every so often, when he really needs to reach down deep into his mental powers, Dominic's third eye appears.

Whether it manifests physically...

...or on the psychoplanes...

...he means business when it shows up.

I'm going to enjoy a nice, mellow April before the convention season kicks into high gear next month. In the meantime I'll work on my amateur photography and stargazing, continue writing my new webcomic project (which will hopefully be up and running before the convention season kicks into high gear), and spend time with my wife in what will hopefully be warmer weather.

But it won't be a quiet month. The new Finntroll album dropped last week and I have yet to pick it up. But when I do, my quiet neighborhood is going to get trolled, so to speak. I realize I could download the album in seconds, but I like buying physical copies of music. Maybe it's because I'm getting older, but I still enjoy the presentation of buying a CD. Album artwork, lyrics in the booklets, etc.

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

I don't know if it's necessarily a bad thing to not have enough mental "fuel" to power a catastrophic meltdown like a mindbreak, but The Beast certainly thinks it's worth saying to taunt Celesto. It has spent some time in Celesto's mind, after all.

In other tidbits of news before we head into the weekend:

- "Eaten" by Bloodbath was playing in my head, and on my speakers, at numerous times during the creation of today's comic.

- I'm looking forward to seeing the remake of Evil Dead this weekend.

- After some technical problems, I should finally have some solid news regarding my new webcomic project with Garth Graham next week.

- A couple of friends of mine were saddened this week by the loss of their beloved pets. My deepest sympathies go out to them.


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

Celesto should have remembered that The Beast doesn't stay dismembered for long. I was going to go with "doesn't remain maimed for long," but I like the other rhyme better.

I finally finished playing Citadel, the final DLC for Mass Effect 3. I found it to be very satisfying, as an overall "fond farewell" to the cast of characters that made the series so popular.

It was also funny as hell. My wife was particularly tickled by Grunt's drunken antics. I enjoyed my romance with Tali, as well as all the jokes in reference to the multiplayer mode that you overhear walking around the Citadel. I know a lot of people have their grievances with ME3, but I'm a big fan and love the series, start to finish, regardless of some of its faults. No game is perfect, but the Mass Effect trilogy came pretty close for me.


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

Whenever Celesto gets into a fight...

...he always...

...makes a gigantic...

...mess of things...

...and his opponent.

Celesto's fights are gory splatterfests. I always picture them like monster movies from the 80s, with copious amounts of slime and blood coating the hapless actors. Celesto would be right at home in movies like The Thing, Dead Alive or Reanimator.

Speaking of old school monster movies, I'm seeing the remake of Evil Dead this weekend. I was skeptical of this, since remakes of classic horror flicks are almost always disappointing, but as soon as I learned that the new Evil Dead contains no CGI, my interest (and hope) was renewed. I'm hoping it's good.

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

Unbelievable as it may seem, especially to Bort, he has spoken once before. I try to avoid big exposition dumps if I can, but I think it made for a cute gag today. Plus, I think it's amusing that the poor mongrelman doesn't seem to have control as to when he can talk.

I had a spectacular weekend at CONBUST! I met so many nice people, spoke on really great panels, and spent three days in a great mood.

My thanks to the ConBust staff for being so nice to me, and my thanks to Bruce Coville, Stephanie Dray, and Genevieve Iseult Eldredge for putting up with me as a fellow panelist.

I hope to return next year!

And finally, it's April Fool's Day. This is my least favorite day on the internet. I'm not going to do any April Fools comics. I'm not going to click on any links, believe any news stories or announcements, and generally stay as far away from my computer as possible today.

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

And the mongrelman makes the save!

Bort was last seen checking on Celesto before the two of them seemingly vanished.

He leaves us, quite literally, with a cliffhanger for the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, I'm at CONBUST! This is a really great, intimate convention with amazing attendees, guests I'm flattered to be counted among, and panels that are some of the most fun I've had the pleasure to be a part of. Some panels will be new to me this year, like "Geeks In Love," while others are so memorable that I specifically ask to be a panelist again, like "Dragons Are Awesome." So if you're in the area, be sure to stop by and say "hi!" This ought to be a fun weekend.


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

In case you missed it during my annual holiday vacation at the end of 2012, Celesto was trying to recover in relative peace and quiet of the Wild Edge.

Celesto has been after The Beast for a long time.

From his first encounter in its home "dimension" in the Elemecca...

...to his entrapment and eventual escape... twice...

...to swearing a bloody crusade against The Beast. And it was certainly bloody...

...but The Beast's influence lingered in Celesto's mind...

...which helped him to imitate The Beast to such a degree that the disguise finally began to wear him.

So yeah. Celesto's got a bone to pick.

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