It's time to get back to work

For months now, I've been giving myself all this grace for not working on new After Death comics. But, I think maybe, I need to quit. I think it's time I looked at myself and said (firmly) get back to work, or you're fired! Which would be an empty threat, but I'm trying to light a fire under my own ass, so I have to threaten myself somehow. Maybe: get back to work or no coffee! Which would definitely work, but I would never, ever withhold coffee from myself simply for fear of endangering those close to me. People would get hurt, and I wouldn't be able to stop myself. Like The Hulk. But early comics Hulk before he figured out self control. But look at me, I'm starting to ramble, what I'm trying to say is this...

Looking and listening to other artists and cartoonist talk about their work ethic in both the early days of their creative practice up 'til now-- a lot of them put emphasis on putting in the time. Showing up everyday. Making time to draw or write or whatever and showing up for that time set aside no matter what. And, y'know, I think it's time. I've been pretty meh about it for too long now.

Also, as you do when you work on a book, I've been reading over older pages of The After Death and I miss it damn it. I miss spending time with those characters. So, yeah, that's all. Just putting it out there in this newsletter to basically hold myself a little more accountable. I'm ready to jump back into The After Death...who else is ready?

The Art World Part 2, also known as The Time I Felt Embarrassed for Trying, but Now That Time Has Passed It's Just Funny.

Kickstarter

Two major mile markers have been surpassed this week. We're over half way through the campaign and we're over half way funded! I'm...very cautiously optimistic. Comparing Book One's Kickstarter to this one is funny because I feel like it's the exact same trajectory. There's an update I gave during the last Kickstarter where we had 10 days left, and we were only at 57% of my funding goal. It seems like I might find myself in the same position again here soon. Part of me wishes it wasn't this hard, getting people on board for a comic book. But another part of me realizes the way I react to other people's Kickstarter...in the one's I'm on the fence about I tend to wait it out. I'm assuming other people might do the same. People do tend to rally behind you when push comes to shove and I'm sure this Kickstarter will be much the same.

But yeah the numbers as I write this are: $2,123 out of $4000 funded, which puts us at 53%! Crossing my fingers we get there! Again, here's the link if you're thinking about backing the project and haven't yet!

Every week I work a little bit more on some new panels to add to the book, here are a couple more from this past week:

Over on Substack...

In the great race to find a place that makes it easier for creatives to create a creative career, I've been keeping my eye on Substack. For those who don't know, I've been on Patreon for a while now and many of the changes Patreon's been making lately have been due to them trying to stay toe-to-toe with how easy, intuitive, and innovative Substack is. While no platform has come out on top yet, and-in fact-I think we're past the days where everybody gathers together at one digital marketplace or social platform, I still think it's smart to have a couple of solid footholds out there in the creative internet diaspora. For me those have been Instagram, Patreon, and Substack. As I learn more about how best to use Substack, I'm told it's important to make a few introductory blog posts and then pin them to your Substack page. Those first few posts serve as an introduction to who you are, what you do, and what people can expect to see if they subscribe to your Substack. So, I put some of my creative energy towards cultivating that sort of Substack page. I created a "Welcome to Bag and Board" page, and also pinned a favorite recent After Death post to give people a taste of The After Death. I'm still tweaking some things (I recorded a bonus ramble podcast about my origins as a cartoonist that will be coming soon) but am excited to be able to scratch this off my creative to-do list. Substack often suggests you subscribe, or upgrade to a paid tier, but most of what I post there is free to read, these are no different. So, if you're interested, you can head over to Substack now and check out the changes I've made so far!

What's Making Me Happy This Week

• I finished a couple of graphic novels this week that each have made me very happy. The first being a comic called Zombies Calling about a zombie invasion on a college campus. It was Faith Erin Hicks' first published graphic novel and I thought it was charming in every way. I wrote a review over on Substack, you can read it here.

• I also started and finished In Limbo, the graphic memoir of Deb J.J. Lee. It's about their experiences during their high school years and feeling not quite American and not quite Korean. It's made several best-of lists in the past and I bought it on a whim this year for my birthday. I haven't had time to write a full on review of it yet, but I highly recommend it. Lee does what American graphic novels often forget to do, and that's give us plenty of pages of just artwork and quiet moments. In a graphic novel, these pages allow the story to breathe but also helps submerge the reader into the world of the story. For In Limbo, that meant pages of art depicting New York City, Seoul, New Jersey, and High School. It's a great book and a great read and comes highly recommended, not just from me but from several book lists as well. Definitely one to read.

Okay you guys, that's all for me this week! I appreciate you reading! And, if you do anything this week, back the Kickstarter at any level-you can even choose to donate towards the making of the book without any rewards! $1, $5, any amount goes towards the overall funding goal. You can also share the project with someone you know who might love it as well. Just keep spreading the word in whatever ways you can. I'd really appreciate it. And-again-thanks for being here and reading. See you again next week!

~b

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!