So I've attempted to write an intro to this week's newsletter a half dozen times. Apparently I'm struggling to strike the right tone or voice, or maybe I'm just overthinking things since I've deleted every attempt at starting besides this one. So, why don't I avoid the pleasantries altogether and just get straight to what was noteworthy about the week that was. |
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No. Not the presidential campaign...God no. My upcoming Kickstarter campaign. This past week I started to get that weird anxious feeling you get when you've forgotten something very important but have no idea what it is. I started feeling a certain urgency towards prepping for this upcoming Kickstarter campaign. Like, a now or never feeling. And although it may be unwarranted--I mean, we haven't even hit the middle of July yet--you can never be over prepared right? I decided to listen to that instinct and got to work. Part of launching a Kickstarter campaign is building the pledge page and making the pitch. All of that requires I have copy and illustrations and/or photo/video all ready to go well before launch day. This week, I worked on the pitch for Book Two on what will be the Kickstarter launch page. And finished work on a few of the rewards. Below find (in order) 1. The illustration for the Exclusive Print that you can get on one or more of the reward tiers. 2. The design for what I plan on making into a magnet for a reward tier. 3. A 4x6 pen and ink drawing that I also will be including as a reward tier (it won't be this specific drawing, but a commission tier where I'll draw something similar to this for your pledge. |
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Some reward tiers will look familiar as they're sort of a no-brainer. Of course I'll still offer to sign the inside of the book, or offer a remarque for fans. But I'm not a big fan of offering more of the same, so these new rewards are ways of mixing things up and keeping things interesting. I hope you love them. |
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What's Making Me Happy This Week |
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This week's "happy" section is going to be pretty substantial as I've been squeezing as much out of this summer as possible. Since there's so much to share, I'm jumping to the Happy segment. You'll see why. Some of these things you'll be able to enjoy too, others...you just had to be there. Let's get to it! |
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First up, I went to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. I had gone years ago to see a traveling Titanic show and spent so much time in the Titanic exhibit that I didn't have time to experience the rest of the museum. I finally remedied that this past weekend. The family and I had a really good time, but if I ever return, I'll aim for a weekday when kids are in school and adults are at work. Lots of screaming children. But, it was still awesome. I finally got my hands on Emil Ferris' long awaited sequel to her breakout graphic novel My Favorite Thing is Monsters. Book One came out way back in 2017 and Book Two has finally been published. I haven't had time to read it yet-it's massive-but I can't wait to dive in!
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We took a trip out to the floating bridge on Lake Weatherford. An easy drive from the house that ends with a bridge that rises and falls with the lake's water line. We went a while back and found the lake covered with water lilies and it was magical. Since then, Texas has suffered from some dry spells. This summer's no different, but after a bit of a hike further on the bridge we found a few surviving lilies on the water. It was hot, but it was worth it.
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I picked up a special comic issue celebrating 40 years of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. And, while acquiring comics at any time is fun, I bring it up here to point out that the first little story in the book (which is drawn by the GOAT himself Kevin Eastman) looks like was colored using color pencils! How cool to see a modern comic colored using old school techniques, especially the media that I call my own. Super cool.
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Um...the Agatha All Along teaser for the upcoming series looked seriously awesome. I've been avoiding a lot of Marvel and Star Wars TV and films lately just because I was getting seriously burned out and bummed out (sometimes I wonder just what they are doing?!), but this preview makes the show look awesome. I've been saying this about Marvel for a while now but I just might show up for this TV series. Lastly, I recently listened to an interview with Chris Pine, but it isn't your usual interview. It's a new podcast slash game? called Wild Card. It was promo'd on another regular podcast I listen too called Pop Culture Happy Hour. The gimmick is the celebrity guest pulls a card and has to answer the question written on the card. They are insightful questions that ask about dreams, goals, life and get more at what's going on behind the celebrity's facade. Give it a listen if you have the time, but I wanted to point out a specific moment during Pine's interview. He brings up how his latest film Pool Man-that he not only stars it, but wrote and directed-got some pretty bad reviews. And he reflects on how much it doesn't really matter that people don't love it. What matters is that he had fun working on it and making it, that it brought him joy, and that joy is worth more than awards or even acclaim. I think about this with The After Death a lot. If this comic never "takes off" or finds a wider audience, I'm not sure I care. I love writing and drawing it. I love bringing it to life, and spending time in this world I've created. I'm committed to finishing it (no matter how long that may take) and when it's all said and done I'll be able to say it brought me joy and that it still brings me joy.
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Okay that's a wrap for this week's newsletter. As always thanks for reading! If you aren't subscribed to the newsletter please do! That way you'll never miss out. I publish this newsletter on Substack as well, so subscribe via Substack and get your newsletter that way! Or, and this is the best option, you can join us on Patreon where I share even more stories, posts, and have a podcast of my own. Links to all of that are right below. I hope you to see you back here soon. Have a great week! ~b |
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If you enjoy this newsletter and want to help support it and my artwork consider hitting one of those buttons below. They're all free to peruse but becoming a member on Patreon or a paid Substack subscriber are the best ways to help me pay some bills. If you don't want a long term commitment, consider checking out my Etsy shop. Or, lastly, follow me over on Instagram. Thanks for reading! |
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