PLEASANT LIFE COLLECTION is coming!!!

Holy crap have I had a productive month of February so far! After the major derailments that happened in my life in January, it feels good to emerge from that and take that as fuel for actual work to get done! Books are at the printer, I've made convention plans for this year and everything seems to be falling right into place!

Currently: Anna Pocalypse (reprint of first trade with new cover) and Captains Log: ARTBOOK 1994-2014 are at the printer. I should get a proof for the Artbook this week and an invoice for Anna very soon. But this week I have been working on this baby:

Its a book that collects all four of the previously released (and loooong out of print) PLEASANT LIFE comics. Its a comic I started back in 2002 and ended in 2007. This collection puts all 4 tradebooks and tons of supplementary material and NEW material all in one big volume. It should be manga sized and look great on the shelf!

Problem I had for the longest time was that when I built the first tradebook of PLIFE back in 2004, I saved the files as PDFS on a couple old ZIP discs. ZIP discs are hard to come by in today's age. Its like trying to make a FLAC Mp3 off of an Edison Cylinder! I tracked down two different external ZIP drives and bought cords and software for them. Both didn't work in any computer I have access to, and no one I know has a ZIP drive. Its just too out of date.

So I was left with only one option. I couldn't scan the original art pages because many of them are sold off over the years to friends/fans and some are just lost. But I did have one copy of the first tradebook in my archives. (Luckily I am a packrat and save one of everything!!) So I ended up having to scan those pages and touch them up as best I could. They will look a little fuzzy, but in all honesty, I can live with it. This is art I did back in 1999-2002 when I was working on the book. I didn't have it in me to scan the old black and white comics and REDO the tones, touch ups and retype every word balloon. The temptation to change things and go all "George Lucas" on it would be too great. Not to mention it would be giving me quadruple the work to do. So I decided that this is good enough to work with what I want to do for it. Its not like this is an IDW Artists' edition or something. If I ever get uber famous, maybe I'll do that. But at this point I just want to get the book completed and out so people can have it and read it. Besides, it don't look all that bad!

On the left is a page I scanned and knocked up the contrast on. On the right is a PDF from book two which I did have on a disc. Check it out:

So see? Its gonna be okay. Hey, at least you'll have the comics and you can read and enjoy em.

This book will have all four trades, tons of supplementary material including rare stories, aborted webcomic concept pages, pics of the real people/places that inspired the story, sketches, a script from the old series, the "pilot" comic AMAZING BUD that I did in high school circa 1995, new artist retrospective/commentary on BUD and other things, various sketches and production stuff/products made featuring the characters and an ALL NEW (EXCLUSIVE TO THIS COLLECTION) bonus story! Yes, I am drawing the gang again for a little quick story to add to the book. So you can see what my art looked like in 1999 all the way to now! It will be fun to draw the old gang again. Looking forward to it.

This collection will be a great thing for me personally and I want people to have it and enjoy it. I'm working hard to make it the best I possibly can and something I can be proud of. Ever hear the phrase that you "can't go back in time?" Bullshit! I'm proving it by doing this, baby!

I hope to have this whole thing assembled and ready by May. I will do a pre-order on it for those who want one. All total it will be around 460-480 pages, all for $20. WOW!

Wish me luck!

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In other news, the Kickstarter for MAYHEM #3 is doing great! We're over halfway funded and its only day four of the launch! Thanks to all who have supported so far. To look at the project and to donate, click HERE

STARSLAM is still rolling! Working on new pages this week. I'm in the home stretch of getting the first tradebook done, and I want it done before year end! YAY!

The Porn Store book and short story collection are being worked on as well, so don't worry. These things take time. But I haven't forgot about it. Just making the books I have DONE a priority for a minute to get them back into the online stores and for me to have at the cons this year.

Speaking of Cons, I'll be at the CHERRY CAPTIAL CON in Traverse City, MI on May 23-25th. I think I will be doing something for Free Comic Book Day but not sure where yet. Keep tuned in here for updates. And I will likely do some sort of con in the fall. This summer the wife is concentrating on playing music in a band again, so I want her to do that. So no June-July shows for me most likely. But around August/Sept I will be looking to get out and about to a show!

Thanks for reading!

T