Skulls and Paper

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I'm still furiously plugging away at getting Smithee ready for print! Garvin had the idea of making a variant limited edition cover, so I made that. I made the actual How-To-Spin-Yarn instructions that will ONLY be found in the print edition. I figured out how to layout the pages in the correct order for printing. Plus, throw in a couple traumatic (to me) dental appointments involving a double root canal to make for unproductive days recovering, and here we are.

I just happened to pick up a free comic day reprint of the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the quarter drawer and was reading the saga of in the intro of how that came to be and got ramped up all over again to be publishing my little survival tome. In my book, I want not only to appeal to Zombie fans in general, but also to those looking for real life information that could theoretically be used in the event of needing to know this stuff.

 Speaking of real life - and diatomaceous earth - I have a new theory as to why it messed up my dog. In studying bladder stones in dogs, it seems that when the urine PH becomes alkaline, it promotes stones. And wouldn't you know it, that stuff alkalizes the PH of urine. Plus, part of her home-made diet was sweet potatoes -which are high in Oxalate's (stone forming material), not to mention a home-made diet rich in vegetables can also be alkalizing. Little did I know! To compensate, I give her vitamin C and Cranberry pills to tip the balance back towards acidic.

Billy's in the dog house now!

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And back into the story we go. The last post about the nuclear survival handbook was in keeping with part of my mission for making Smithee - that is to give real world survival information.
Well, folks, I'm getting closer to wrapping up this issue. But as I begin to think about that, a whole new bunch of issues rise up. I figured out the only way to format these comics in a book is in landscape format.Won't that be unique? Also, I have learned alot about comic writing since I began Smithee and see things I want to improve.
Like I want to insert some panels where need be, add a Zombie character in issue 1, a splash page, etc. But, it is emotionally challenging to take those extra steps. I wanted this to be easier. But, I'm just a naive newbie and I have to suck it up and do it right. Growth doesn't always feel good. It's humbling to look at what you have poured so much of yourself into for months and gasp when you now realize "I coulda done it so much better" - had I known.

Get ready to rumble

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Welcome to page 2. Spent most of my time making the fence cage. The cage is in the "Cold Room" where perishables are stored. Billy isn't very fond of it, considering recent events, so Smithee decides to tease him a little about it by tossing his new mitten into it. Probably not such a good idea. Billy can be temperamental. The cage is an emergency refuge incase they are cornered by Zombies. Or, to keep Billy from pilfering sodas. Also a safe place for valuables while they are out on a mission. Why doesn't everybody have a chain link cage in the spare bedroom?

Ware-Wolf begins

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And our exciting introduction into the world of Smithee Zombie Hunter begins! Here we catch Billy sneaking a home-brew soda. He kills people (well, hopefully not real people - just Zombies) for a living, so upsetting Smithee's inventory is no big deal. Besides, he has had a harrowing time lately getting that one mitten he is wearing.
I enjoy doing these drawings. With each one my pen & ink style gets better and I learn a little bit more. I use a digital pen to draw with in photoshop and compose it all in CorelDraw. My plan is to update every week, probably on the weekends like today. It all depends on what's going on.
Enjoy & Survive!

Ware-Wolf Introduction

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Welcome to the online preview for my in-progress Smithee Survival Guide #2. The survival skill that is taught in this guide is how to spin your own yarn from dog fur. The plot revolves around Billy's harrowing encounter with a very hairy dude who sells mittens, and turns ware-wolf and attacks him when the sale goes awry.
I redesigned this site to be in the format of the standard webcomic site with a cleaner interface. I find enough people come to my blog that I thought I would make it more about the Smithee story line than my art musings, which will now go into my Plutonium Casserole blog. The old posts will still be here, but now I am focusing more on Smithee. Plus, since I'm doing all this work on Smithee #2, I wanted to share what I'm drawing with you.
I drew several  ware-wolfsbeore arriving at this one this ware-wolf in pencil. And by the way, I spell it ware-wolf on purpose. My ware-wolfs aren't biological creations, but technological. And what better way to talk about fur and yarn spinning while providing some danger and drama?

Werewolfs in mittens

I am working on Smithee Zombie Hunter zine #2. It's about a ware-wolf that sells mittens and how Smithee saves the day while keeping the bitten-Billy locked up in a cage! Will Billy turn ware-wolf and kill everyone in sight or at the least become a VERY noisy neighbor?
So, I've been drawing werewolves to get a feel for what I want it to look like. This is one from my note book - not at all meant to be serious. Hope you like it anyway.
It isn't easy writing a comic, but it sure gives me something to smile about when I wake up in the morning - feeling like - finally, I'm doing something I really love to do with my life!
Mittens alludes to learning how to make yarn from dog (or wolf) fur.Billy is complaining about the cold and wants some mittens.And there is this ware-wolf that attacked him in the process....