The Comedown

New comic prints, Eddie P, and Alfred vs. Krypto

Last week ended with two boxes of new comics sitting on my doorstep. The feeling of receiving fresh prints in the mail never gets old, especially if it’s the first print run of a new comic. The blood, sweat, and tears of many months or years of hard work sit right in the ink of those pages.

It’s sort of odd. You really only admire the print for a few hours (after nervously making sure that there are no glaring mistakes), then another stress factor enters the picture. The stress monster asks, “Now, who the hell is going to like this thing enough to buy it?”

I’m very happy with the print quality. Going with a magazine-sized format was risky, but I think that the risk paid off. It has a different feel to it when compared to my other comics, but I think that it still fits my catalogue. I’ve found that when making comics, experimentation is something that I really need in order to keep me focused on the project. Not only experimentation in the art, but in the design and format as well. That burst of energy was the heartbeat of Eclosion. I sometimes wonder if other cartoonists need the same, or if they work better when staying with a consistent look. Creators, sound off!

I’ll have Eclosion: An Alien Love Story for sale at STAPLE! which is happening April 12^th-13^th. Soon after, I’ll have these up on the webstore as well. The soft launch of the site will likely be on the week of April 14^th. Keep an eye out!

RIP Eddie P.

April 1^st marked the one-year anniversary of Ed Piskor’s passing. I tried to not think about the sadness revolving around the situation and think about Ed’s great contributions to comics. He lived and breathed comics. His hustle was unmatched. It’s something that I always recognized and fully appreciated every time I’d click play on a Cartoonist Kayfabe video, which was daily. My friends and I still talk about the incredible shoot interviews that he and Jim Rugg would host. Ed was an inspiration to anyone doing anything creative, and he literally sparked a modern underground movement in comic making. That movement is still going and thriving. I’m so glad that I got to meet him in 2023. I gave him a copy of the first chapter of West, Not South. He dug it. The interaction was brief, but forever cherished.

Thanks for everything, Ed. Make More Comics.

Art by Kirt Burdick, an awesome creator who I found through the Cartoonist Kayfabe channel.

Alfred & Krypto

I mentioned that my dog, the adorably annoying Alfred (hey, that’s a good book title), bit my thumb last week after giving him a bath. Here’s a quick sketchbook comic about said incident. He’s a rascal, but I love him.

I listened to a Cinema Con wrap up show after the WB presentation on Tuesday. I loved what I heard about the Superman movie footage that was shown at the convention. Krypto sounded like the standout of the footage. As a dog person myself, I can’t wait to see the super-dog in action. I did this in my sketchbook back when the first trailer dropped. In an alternate universe, him and Alfred are keeping the streets safe from criminals and catastrophic alien encounters, one bite at a time.

I just wrapped up another sketchbook. There’s a lot of random art in it. Paintings, thumbnails, scribbles. I have a blank sketchbook in the queue. I sort of want just to draw mini comics in it, but I know that my scatter brain will want to break the formula eventually. I should just embrace the chaos!

Fresh haircut for this guy.

Inking and show prep for the rest of the week. See ya next time!

Thanks for your time,

Nico