I made some progress on my Rag the Viking minicomic this weekend. As usual Steve has been helpful in helping me spotting blacks. Here’s a little preview panel for you. I’m closing in on the halfway point, I should have no problem finishing this for the show.

I posted an image of Lian that I made for the CCA, and I just wanted to alert you all to this cause, as it is going to begin taking donations on January 11th.

The Problem

There are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year.

The Project

Web Comic Creators from all over the world are working together on a single drawing which will be available as a downloadable wallpaper for readers who donate to our fund raising drive!

The thought of children being sold into sexual slavery pretty much makes my blood boil. I’ll be adding another banner shortly above the blog to remind you, but please consider donating to this cause to help raise awareness and end this horrible practice. You’ll get a pretty cool wallpaper to boot. A little preview here below.

Well I hope everyone had a nice Christmas holiday, I know I did. It was actually nice to take a little break from Marooned. Not that I stopped thinking about it entirely, but to not have the looming deadline twice a week was a nice reprieve.

I planned on doing some other work over the break, but I really wanted to spend as much time with the family and just relax as possible – which I did. In the back of my mind I wanted to get a lot of Rag the Viking finished. In the end I was able to complete the thumbnails and get the first three panels going. As I get further into that project I’ll post some teaser images or a preview.

So what’s up for Marooned in 2010? First of all, holy cow – 2010. Having read sci-fi novels all my life that looked forward to the 21st century as this hugely distant time, it seems odd to actually be living in 2010 – the number itself seems so futuristic. Anyway, we’ve landed at a pretty interesting place in the strip. The revelation that Ugo is something more, or something other than you may have first believed. There’s been some speculation in the comment thread on what he is exactly. In the coming months we’ll be exploring that very thing.

One thing I was able to clear up in my mind over the break was some details about what happened to the Martians to drive them to this underground existence. It also helped me solidify my thoughts on Ugo. Obviously John is going to have some questions – and probably Asimov too! So I think this year we’ll be getting a bit into the back story of Mars.

But meanwhile we’re at this pivotal moment in the battle with the Krosa. Looks like Ugo is okay, but things don’t seem to be going well. Where is Lian in all this? Hmm, stay tuned.

I’ve also figured out some things about the Anfald and their underground city, Vita. At some point this year we’ll definitely find the group back there – possibly sooner than later. And have you forgotten the last transmission between Earth and Asimov? Asimov has not actually had time to discuss this with John as of yet – that the NFF cannot at this time send a rescue mission. And we still have the issue unresolved of who sent Bob to Mars.

While I have much of this in my head, it needs to be put down and organized, so I have a lot of work to do in that regard over the next few weeks. The new year is essentially beginning a new chapter in Marooned. Ugo’s revelation was pretty much the culmination of the previous story I had written.

In March Marooned will be 2 years old. Hard to believe in some ways for me. I’m very grateful for the support you all have shown me so far. I’m hopeful that the strip will continue to grow and mature this year. I still have not found my “artistic voice” so to speak. While the art is improved, it’s not where I want it to be. I’ve not found a style I’m comfortable with. So continue to expect changes and experiments along the way. You should be used to that by now!

It seems as though the book was a big hit. I’ve gotten nothing but glowing reviews and comments from everyone. It’s been pretty exciting for me. It sold much better than I had hoped (over 50 copies) and it was so cool to get orders from fans that I had never heard of before. I’m already thinking about the next book. Having done it once, I will be better prepared the second time around for sure.

One thing I wonder about for the next book is the “mission log” – the creator comments. Are they really necessary? I know that some people really thought they were neat. But I’m not sure it appeals to everyone. The truth is that the mission log was a pretty time consuming process. The truth is it would be easier to produce the book without the commentary. So I will be looking to you folks to let me know about that. One thing I have thought about is rather than having commentary for each strip, I might break the strips up into sections where there’d be a page of commentary preceding. You’d still get that creator insight without all the details on a strip-by-strip basis. The truth is there’s not always something interesting to say for every strip. And as the comic matures, there’s really less and less to say on that basis.

People seemed to love the artist gallery, and that is something I plan to continue for the next book as well, in addition to having another Marooned short story and maybe something else from myself as well.

Lastly, this year will see me doing my first show. I’ve already mentioned that Steve Ogden and I will be attending the SPACE convention in Ohio this April. That is sure to come up faster than I realize. So we’ll have a bunch of Marooned and Moon Town stuff, as well as some mini-comics and prints to show. I’m really looking forward to it. So if you are in the Cleveland area, or can be, definitely plan to stop by and see us. At some point I will make a dedicated post for the show with all the details when it gets closer.

Once again, thanks to everyone for reading. I hope to make 2010 the best Marooned year yet

Just in time to still be on Christmas and perfectly fitting into the Marooned theme is a wonderfully amazing film by my friend Dave Pryor. Those of you who bought the book have seen three of his wonderful pieces in the gallery. Dave has extensive experience in the animation industry and as you can see, he’s quite talented. Make sure you stop on over at his blog and let him know what you think of the film.

Alien for Christmas from Dave Pryor on Vimeo.

Self animated film about a little boy who wants an alien for Christmas. This animation was inspired by the song of the same name, created by the awesome band, Fountains of Wayne. After having this film tour the festivals for the past few years, I’m excited to share it with my family and friends.

The important lesson about Christmas is really giving. God promised to give his son for us, and his son gave his life for us. I know my comic is a small thing, but having experienced harsh unemployment myself in the past (to the point of losing my home) I know how any little thing can help.

So, if you are unemployed, and you’d like a copy of my book for a diversion, maybe to bring a little cheer or just something to help you forget for an hour or two, please contact me. I will send you a link where you can download the book for free.

If you know someone who is not a Marooned reader but is still unemployed and might enjoy it, please pass the news around. And obviously it goes without saying that you shouldn’t just say you are unemployed to get a free copy right?

Unemployed? Contact me for a free book (in PDF form).