Lots of things to share! ^^

Happy Halloween folks! :3 Got three big news things to share today so it's all going on! :D

Firstly - A community event on the sweatdrop forums of a 'Serect Satan' is happening today where everyone puts their names into a hat and does a drawing for another member. The above drawing is my present for fellow member Alpoynter. I also recieved a great picture from Gothich_Madines_ who drew me a zombie-filled party. Rather than rip her work for the blog, you can see it on this thread:
http://www.sweatdrop.com/forum/showt...d=1#post180998

Great stuff all round - woot!

Next - One of my very early comic strips has seen print in the UK Anime Club magazine! They guys over at Anime Connect have been kind enough to be the host of Otaku Bytes - a page of two 4koma strips in a similar vein to Japanofail. I'm hoping to have a page in the new issue as well, so if anyone's a member of the club please look out for it! ^^

Last, but my no means least - I should be attending a new event... next week! 0_0;

I'm a newbie to the self-publishing scene, and so only heard of this event for the first time a few days ago, but the ICA will be holding a comic market next Sunday called Comica Comkiet. The ICA is near Charing Cross station in London, and the doors for the event will be open 1-6p.m. on Sunday 8th November. Only just applied for a spot there at the last minute - but should be good to be there will all my comics amongst a mixture of comickers of varying styles. Should be fun!

October Expo 2009 Report

So I just got back from the Expo a little while ago... and look a bit worse for wear.

I always forget just how much energy the event drains from you. Saturday was really rough and in all honesty I struggled to keep up with all the people coming to my table, the packed aisles of cosplayers and the nearby events stage running karaoke, Taiko drums and Parapara dancing throughout the day. Quite a coincidence that I put a Parapara display on my table which brought a few people over, but the price was hearing a techno version of the Evangelion theme many, many times! (it's still in my head @_@;)

So I went into Sunday a weakened state, but more mentally prepared. From it I somehow caught a second wind come the late afternoon. Sorry Saturday folks, but the shiny, happy Ushio was only around on Sunday! Still having not learned my lesson from last May, I'll have to try even harder to build up my strength for future events in order to talk properly to my awesome readers.

Quite a few people stopped by and I'm glad that so many of you were willing to give my work a go, and am especially happy for those who liked it enough to come back for more! XD Japanofail sold much more than the rest, with the second edition topping the sales by a margin I frankly did not expect.

Was also very cool to hear a couple of people asking after Beholder of the Eye 2 - you're a hardcore little group and will do my best to get it done for the next show. ^_~ It's currently in the pencil stages so it's all under way. I'm trying to make it as badass as possible with all the dramas so please look forward to it!

Overall it was rough, but ultimately rewarding. Just give me a while to recover and will then start getting ready for the next event: The UK Web and Mini Comix Thing in March next year! (I'm on table 32 listed as Japanofail, lol)

Japanofail 2 is here!

Because my printer is awesomely reliable and lenient to me throwing stuff at them at the last minute - the hardcopies of Japanofail 2 landed on my doorstep today and so therefore will definitely be available come the Expo! XD

They've come out really well so I'm extremely happy looking at the finished product!

Everyone bring your £2 coins this Saturday and Sunday. Preare to set sail for fail! ^_^

Also available on my shop: http://www.ushiocomics.co.uk/

Pre-Expo hype - build up the tension!

The guys over at Sweatdrop uploaded their latest podcast today. For anyone interested in what's going to be at the Expo in terms of UK comics, it is well worth a listen.

Go here:
http://www.sweatdrop.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12437

Because they are undeniably awesome people, they give Japanofail a mention not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES throughout the show! o_0; Considering I'm not a part of their group (thought I do spam up their forums somewhat) that's a hell of a lot of love that's being sent its way.

Essential listening then. ^^ It also mentions a lot of new titles coming out from both themselves and other UK circles and independant artists. There's a lot to look out for!

Sweatdrop stuffs:
Chemical Blue 1
Talking to Strangers
Sun Fish Moon Fish - Lyre Fish Story (that'd be number 3 for those keeping track;-D )

And from other cool non-Sweatdrop peoples:
Unnatural Remedy
Legends Anthology
Between Worlds
Far Out Mantic 2
Also Secret Colours which I mentioned previously in an earlier blog post. :3
And of course Japanofail 2 which as far as I'm aware is in transit and will arrive very soon!

I've probably left thousands of other worthy comics off this list - please forgive! More are certainly mentioned within the podcast, but no current links to find at the moment. Just listen to it for all the juicy info and get ready to spend your moolah! ^_^

Title Announcement - Japanofail! Issue 2

This was the one I’d been trying to get done in time for the Expo - and I did! XD

It was a bit of a close-run thing, but I got Japanofail issue 2 finished and sent off to the printers last week so it should be good to debut at the Expo next week! 24 pages of otaku-related fail for £2 - come get some, lol!

Will update again once the physical product arrives, which I’m really looking forward to seeing. If you want to remind yourself of what Japanofail is then have a look here. There’s currently about 5 strips from this issue online of the 30-odd that are in the comic. Plus this also has a few bonus of content that won’t be appearing online, so alongside being a real physical thing, the hardcopy has a definite edge. ^^

Expo’s so close, but feel like it'll take forever to come - I can’t wait! X3

Expo Directions!

It's still over a week away, but I'm starting to get excited about the Expo. The info and maps for the Comic Village have been released, so thought it an idea to say where I'll be if anyone wants to check out my comics.

The Comic Village in will be in the far left corner of the hall, of which there'll be a highly condensed patch of raw artistic talent within the 60-odd tables of comic-goodness. I'm number 20, as indicated. ^_~

I hope the MCM don't mind me using their map - promoting their event and stuff is good right?

Stay tuned for big Expo news from me. Will probably update again tomorrow about it as I've been holding back on this news for barely a week now. Really looking forward to the Expo! ^^

Secret Colours

Leading up to the Expo, Kairi-Moon will be selling Secret Colours, an art book with step-by-step guides as to how they were made. The quality of work in their looks amazing to be honest, there are a couple of previews on the Sweatdrop community forums here.

One section of the book will be a general sketchbook-type section, where everyone of a wider range of abilities was asked to submit a random doodle (this was my point of entry ^^ ). Mine's here which is basically a random sketch that I got carried away with. I'm looking forward to seeing how it looks in print alongside everybody elses! ^^

Be on the look out for it at the Expo - I think there are a lot of different artists within those pages, so it will be a good chance to see everyone's work. Yay!

Ellerbisms fanart

A few of you may or may not be familiar with his work, but Marc Ellerby's diary-styled webcomic Ellerbisms just hit a landmark of 200 pages. To celebrate, he put a call out for people to submit any strips, fan arts or anything else that people wanted to share.

I'm a bit of a fan of his comic, and we've met a few times, so did him a drawing for fun. I know Mark likes his manga, so I hope this slightly tongue-in-cheek tribute was to his tastes.

Not familiar with his work? Click here!

Expo's soon - I should have news about that very soon... ^^