News

Nimmel's predicament may look dire, but I'm still in a great mood from Anime St. Louis. I want to say "hi" to a couple of people. Besides Dirk, who I've mentioned a few times already.

I want to give a shout to That Guy With The Glasses for not only being fun to hang out with, but for giving me some insightful advice on my "Writing Unique Heroes & Memorable Villains panel, forgiving me for being slightly grumpy last year (in my defense, all Italians are grouchy when they haven't eaten) and for sharing my bitter hatred of Moulin Rouge.

I also want to give a shout to Steve Argyle, who is not only a gentleman and a stellar artist, but shares my love of fine beer, Japanese food and wine, and wickedly dressed villainesses.

The Anime St. Louis guest relations staff welcomed me with open arms, and I want to thank them as well. Ally, I hope you enjoyed your "night out with the boys!" Cat, thanks for the late-night taco run! Thanks for the various rides over the weekend, Steven! And thanks to everyone else whose names I have criminally forgotten (like the gentleman who drove me to the airport two years in a row, the chefs in the green room, and the fine fellow who welcomed me to the dealers room) for making this weekend so memorable.

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

ANIME ST. LOUIS was a blast, but as of this writing I've come home very late and I'm exhausted. As promised, there is a filler sketch in place of a comic today. I received some very generous help.

Kate, the guest werewolf tangling with Alduraithel, appears courtesy of PARADIGM SHIFT. Many thanks to Dirk Tiede for the Monday filler, and for letting me wrap a tentacle-esque monster around his comic's main character.

Insert whatever jokes you'd like about furry characters, anime conventions and tentacle monsters here.

The comic resumes tomorrow.



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

You may have noticed that Alduraithel was spying on Milov, Jayden, Katya and Nimmel with only four of his five eyes last week. Now we know why.

I'm at ANIME ST. LOUIS today through Sunday! Come by and say "hi" if you're in the area! It should be a fun time!

There will likely be filler on Monday, as I'll be arriving back home late on Sunday night.




That's all from me for now.
Rock on, and I hope to see you in St. Louis!

Anyone who knows me can tell you that anything concerning eyeballs creeps me out. Big time. I love gory movies and slasher films, but as soon as anything starts happening to anyone's eyes I have to leave the room. I think I may have fainted when I watched A Clockwork Orange.

Happy birthday, Alyssa! I love you so much and I wish I could be with you today, but I'm headed off to ANIME ST. LOUIS to check in and do all that pre-convention preparation. I promise I'll bring you back something super cute from the dealer's room!

The comic will update tomorrow normally, but there may be filler on Monday. I'll see if I can convince my fellow guest and weekend roommate Dirk Tiede to help me put together something cool for the likely Monday filler.

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

Other than my attendance at ANIME ST. LOUIS this weekend, there's not a lot of news to report today. Oh, I'll be giving my Writing Unique Heroes & Memorable Villains talk at the convention, so be sure to catch that if you haven't seen it yet. It's always a good time and lots of people seem to enjoy it. I guess that's why conventions keep letting me do it!

Let's see. I guess there are some geeky things I could mention:

- I really enjoy Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer. I love the Mass Effect universe and cooperative gameplay, not to mention the great alien races that are playable (if you're lucky enough to unlock them). I'm partial to my Quarian Engineer (a la Tali), my Asari Justicar (a la Samara), and the Striker Assault Rifle on any Soldier class. That thing is like firing a metal concert.

- I stopped playing Star Wars: The Old Republic for awhile (mostly because of Mass Effect) but their Legacy update has really rekindled my interest. I can't wait to unlock all the new character options that are tempting me like a wonderful, nerdy siren's call.

- I need to get back into the habit of going to my local comic book store. Not because I'm terribly invested in many current titles, but I miss the people who work there. I'm lookin' at you, Salmon of Justice! (which is such an inside joke I'm not even going to attempt to explain it)

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

Alduraithel is kind of like the virus from hell. Some viruses just give us you a cold or a fever. He can rip you apart with his magic.

I do not function well when my wife goes away. I tend to mope around the apartment like an unattended puppy. If I didn't have a comic to do I'd probably just sit by the front door, waiting for it to open with big puppy-dog eyes. Well, I wear glasses, so it's more like all four of my puppy-dog eyes.

I hope she doesn't act the same way when I go off to conventions, like to ANIME ST. LOUIS this weekend. But I at least know that she's got better company when I'm away. Our cats don't sleep by my feet when it's just me in the bed at night, but she does not have that problem. Picky little pussycats.

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

For those of you who remember Snert from previous appearances, it should be noted that his eyes have never done what they're doing today.

I did it! I finally caught up with all my emails over the weekend! I'm back in business for keeping my 2012 resolution! I'm going to be doing my best to reply to your questions and comments as promptly as possible. So feel free to send me any feedback concerning the comic, the characters, the storylines, and everything in between!

This weekend I return to ANIME ST. LOUIS! This is a great show that's seen a lot of growth over the years and I'm so happy they asked me to return as one of their guests. Be sure to stop by and say "hi" if you're in the area!

And I was finally able to get Meshuggah's new album, KOLOSS. It's a monster of an album that I'm going to need a week or two to fully appreciate, but so far I'm blown away.

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

In case you thought today's comic was too sappy or happy, there's a lurking presence that may look a little familiar to darken the mood.

I felt this moment was necessary for these "couples" (even though none of them are romantically involved), but a reminder of the dangers around them was also necessary. I think Alduraithel's spying did the trick nicely. Whether he's helping or hurting remains to be seen (no pun intended).

If today's comic were to have a soundtrack, it would be the fourth movement of Rachmaninoff's "All-Night Vigil." There are many excellent recordings of this masterpiece, but this one is my favorite. Even if you think it doesn't go with today's strip, it's still an achingly beautiful piece of music.

Besides having a superheroic weekend planned, I'm also going to be finally catching up on my e-mails this weekend. I've fallen back into old habits and refuse to let it slide. Anyone who's written me an email within the past month or so should have a reply by Sunday. If you don't get a reply, your email may have gone to my junk mail folder so feel free to poke me again. I made a resolution for 2012 and I'm going to stick to it!

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

Nimmel is truly Dominic's student when it comes to showing restraint when a friend needs to be comforted.

It's also not the first time Katya has snapped at Nimmel. Jayden just seems to have that effect on her lately.

I'm planning on having a superheroic weekend. Although my trips to the comic shop are becoming more infrequent, my love of comics and the superhero genre remains strong. Since Alyssa is away this weekend, I plan on putting the finishing touches on the upcoming SuperGreg vs. Snowsong collection (which will be in comic book form) and getting back to work on an unrelated superhero side project that I've been sadly neglecting these past few months. I may also put on a cape while I clean the apartment. Maybe.

And next week it's off to ANIME ST. LOUIS! I'm flattered that they asked me to come back this year and I'm excited to return! Be sure to stop by and say "hi" if you're in the area!

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

No news to report today. Some days are just slower than others when it comes to relevant stuff to talk about down here.




Hm.




Yep.




Still nothing.



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

Nimmel Feenix has faced many dangers in his relatively short years as a wizard. Here's a reminder as to what he's gone up against.

A heartless infernomancer...

...himself...

...a wicked and spiteful elemental changeling...

...a gathering of werewolf elders and alphas...

...a haunting demon knight...

...and college werewolves.

Nimmel's been through a lot already, with a fair share of wins and losses. Is "the Phoenix" up for this latest challenge? I hope so.

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

I'm exhausted from a very memorable Anime Boston, so I'll keep today's news post relatively short.

This weekend rawked.


The adorable image in place of the comic was generously provided by Sanchay, while the rocking image down here in the news box was provided by ElicaDragon! Thank you both for the wonderful fan art!

The comic resumes tomorrow.

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

I imagine the college boy werewolves collectively sounding like a raunchy wolf from a Tex Avery cartoon, only without the wild takes and burlesque dance numbers.

And Nimmel is as disenchanted with them as ever.

Remember I'm at ANIME BOSTON today, tomorrow and Sunday! Come by the Artist Alley and say "hi" to me and my friend, Scott Wegener! We may look like a pair of grumpy old vultures, but we're actually quite friendly! Especially if we've just eaten (and preened our feathers).

There will probably be filler / guest art in place of a comic on Monday.


That's all from me for now.
Rock on, and I hope to see you at Anime Boston!

Today's comic calls for some linky reminders! Well, they're not necessary but I'm feeling linky and nostalgic, so here they are for your viewing pleasure:

House Petrovich has a problem with evangelical churches from Callan.

Katya has a problem with Jayden.

Milov can perform Lunar Divinations and he trusts Nimmel.

Katya is a runt.

Tomorrow is Anime Boston. I'm excited and nervous. Come find me in the Artist's Alley and say "hi!" Given the chaotic and busy nature of this mammoth convention, it's likely that there will be filler / guest art up in place of a comic on Monday. Just giving you folks a heads-up.

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

Jayden speaks the truth. That was a pretty weak joke, albeit unintentionally by Tessa. But the Luanians have never been known for their stellar sense of humor. Besides Pamela (who's ordained by the Luanian church) making the occasional dirty joke, we've only seen one or two priests let a profanity slip or make equally bad puns.

Actually, that was the same priest in those last two examples. There really are very few funny Luanians in this comic. I think their lame attempts at humor are endearing, but I'm biased because I write these lame jokes for them.

Preparation continues for ANIME BOSTON this weekend. This will be my first big show of 2012. I find myself a little nervous, but I think that's a good sign. After eight or nine years of doing conventions, big and small, I still get the occasional butterflies. That nervous rush of meeting readers face-to-face, hoping that I'll still make a good impression and that everyone who comes to see me walks away happy, is encouraging to me. It means that I'm not jaded to all this. It means that I still thrive off meeting you awesome folks in person. I hope these butterflies never fly away for good.

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