CK Radio Ep 6-7, and CKS News Updates.

Thank you Neil and Sarah for giving me topics for episodes 6 and 7 of Charisma Kills Radio!

Charisma Kills Radio Podcast Schedule 

This week: Episode 6: Transmedia (Episode and Link coming soon)
This is the subject that actually motivated me to go back to school for New Media and Animation. 

Lapingaroux: Liam Speaks. Spring 2014 New Media & Animation Class Project

© May 2014, Jessie W Craig

Next week: Episode 7: Comics Inspired by Dreams/Nightmares.
Like Transmedia, this is another subject I happen to be intimately acquainted with! My first webcomic, Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms was heavily inspired by at least 2 decades of reoccurring nightmares.

Except from Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms: Year of the Rabbit-2011
©Feb 2011 Jessie W Craig-Charisma Kills Studios.

If you are, or know of, a comic creator (including webcomics) that shares this connection to their work, e-mail me at jwcraig@charismakills.com. I'd love to hear your story. And, if we can arrange it, maybe get a few of you fine folks on as guest for that show.

Charisma Kills Studios News

The Kenshin 1281 print comic gofundme project:
I am proud to announce that the CKS crowd funding project dedicated to printing our first comic has exceeded its goal! I will be personally be thanking everyone in the upcoming CKS Radio episodes. Since we didn't make it in time to use a PoD printer to get the comics in before CONtraflow, we are going to leave the gofundme open until the end of October. This will give folks at CONtraflow and the Halloween Comic Fest 2014 a chance to get in. 

From Now until the end of October, you can still become a backer for Kenshin 1281 at www.gofundme.com/ell9ic

For those that have already backed the project: Don't worry, The PDFs will be sent in for final print proofing next week. You will not have to wait until the end of October before the first run is sent to print.

Contraflow 4:
Last week I turned in the design for the CONtraflow 4 t-shirt. The colors for the design are being done by Mike Guerber. Since we will not have the Kenshin 1281comic by then, I'm planning to do a Mini-Ashcan comic. We'll be doing the printing and assembling of that in the studio and packaging them with CKS prints. Notice I said planning. I'm not sure if I'll have enough time. I still have to get my pieces for the art show ready and film a stop motion animation for class. Fingers crossed!

Don't forget to check the program schedule for panels. I lucked up and got scheduled to be on three with comics writer, and CK Radio Episode 2 guest, Kurt Amacker. 

You can get more info on CONtraflow 4 at www.contraflow.scifi.org 

Halloween Comic Fest 2014 at Magic Comics and Cards
On October 25th, we will be celebrating Halloween Comic Fest 2014 at Magic Comics and Cards in Slidell. This is the cozy little comic and game store I get together with local artist and associates from the New Orleans Drink Society  to do Magic Minicon every year. If you are in the Slidell area, mark that on your Calendar and stop in. The event is free and good for all ages. In addition to meeting local artist and comic creators, Magic Comics and Cards will be having a 20% off sale and fee comics while they last. 

You can check them out at www.magiccomics-hobbies.com 

If you are not in the Slidell area, Halloween Comic Fest is nation wide. So be sure to go out to a comic shop near you to celebrate and support your local comics dealers. If you need help locating your nearest comic dealer, you can always find one using www.comicshoplocator.com

If you would like to know more about Charisma Kills Studios, or read the webcomics, you can visit us at www.charismakills.com  

Follow us on Facebook Charisma Kills Studios 

Charisma Kills Studios on twitter 

Jessie W Craig on tumblr

Charisma Kills Studios on deviantART

CK Radio Episode 5, News, and Events

Charisma Kills Radio is back with episode five. With special guest....me? Don't worry, It will  all be explained.

You can listen the CK Radio Episode 5 here. 

The show notes and info are below.

"What do you mean smile? I am smiling!"

In this episode, I'm flying solo. I talk about what's new, give some excuses, Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms, our gofundme crowdsourcing project to print our first non-webcomic Kenshin 1281, and the Charisma Kills Studio's October event schedule (CONtraflow 4 and the Hammond Horror Fest). I also give a review of one of my favorite comic reads in the past few months, Bryan Lee O'Malley's latest book Seconds.  I also give thanks to the first four backers that supported our print comic project. Thanks again! This episodes song is "Rabbid" by the COG. you can get more info at www.consortiumofgenius.com 

Show Note Links: 

Kenshin 1281 Print Comic gofundme Project

If you would like to help us out you can go here www.gofundme.com/ell9ic  . 

 Image from page 8

Image from page 9

CONtraflow IV

Where I will be appearing as an artist guest, drawing stuff, and taking part in several panels on comics, webcomics, and art. Please check the convention out at www.contraflowscifi.org

Hammond Horror Fest 

It's on my birthday. This leg of the fest will be at Wyatt's Comics and Cards 

CK Radio Episode 4 Has Been Posted

Some important information before we start:

*If you are looking for the show notes concerning Time Fest 2014, They follow Neil Kapit's info. 

*Charlie Wise and I decied to record a fresh episode to use as part 2 of his interview. A lot has been going on since it was recorded and we'd like to go over them. 

* The sound levels on this episode get a bit wacky at the end. You may find that you will need to adjust your volume at the bottom of the show. I apologize for the inconvenience. 

Charisma Kills Radio Episode 3 Special Guest: Neil Kapit.

At the top of the show, I speak briefly about the NOLA Time Fest 2014 which I attended last weekend. Following that, I speak with webcomic creator, Neil Kapit. Neil is the writer, artist, and creator of the webcomic Ruby Nation. He is also an avid comic reader with a passionate insight on the subject. Born in California, he has an MA in English. He currently lives in Los Angeles where he works with individuals with developmental disabilities. Having been born autistic himself, he not only makes it part of his career, but also works the disorder into his comics.

You can listen to the episode here 

You can read Ruby Nation at www.therubynation.com

You can follow Ruby Nation on Facebook here 

You can check out Neil's side comic, Poet Kitties at www.poetkitties.com

Neil is a member of the Webcomic Underdogs

 You can follow Charisma Kills Studios on facebook for updates and additional information.

Charisma Kills Radio, webcomics, and addition information can be found at www.charismakills.com

If you would like to email Jessie W Craig, you can do so at jwcraig@charismakills.com

Here are the Time Fest links mention at the top of the show 

Krewe du Who. The New Orleans Dr. Who fan group and cofounders of Time Fest www.kreweduwho.com

The Consortium of Genius (Also know as The C.O.G) band and multimedia entertainers. Also cofounders of Time Fest www.consortiumofgenius.com 

Charisma Kills Studios Time Fest 2014 photo album

CKS News Update: This Week on CK Radio

Charisma Kills Radio episode 3, featuring special guest, Charlie Wise has been posted!

You can listen, or download it here

Charlie Wise is a comic creator from the Pacific Northwest. Throughout his career he's been a multitude of things including radio disk jockey, librarian, bookstore owner, writer, penciller, inker, letterer, and cover artist. He's latest project is the webcomic Groovy, Kinda
Charlie's comic creator credits include:

Writer:

 Blue Moon (1992)

 Blue Moon (1994)

 Genus (1993)

 XXXenophile Presents (1992)

 Penciller:

 Blue Moon (1992)

 Blue Moon (1994)

 Genus (1993)

 Shanda the Panda (1993)

 XXXenophile Presents (1992)

 Inker:

 Blue Moon (1992)

 Blue Moon (1994)

 Genus (1993)

 Shanda the Panda (1993)

 XXXenophile Presents (1992)

 Letterer:

 Blue Moon (1992)

 Blue Moon (1994)

 Cover Artist:

 Blue Moon (1992)

 Blue Moon (1994)

 Giant Shanda Animal (1996)

 XXXenophile Presents (1992)

You can read the webcomic, Groovy, Kinda  here

You can find the Webcomic Underdogs here

Charlie Can also be found on Facebook here

You can purchase Blue Moon, the Adventures of Lyssa and the Pirates here

You can find XXXenophile Presents #3 , Utopia Unlimited 1 on Amazon here

You can find XXXenophile Presents #5, Utopia Unlimited 2 on Amazon here

And Shanda the Panda #10 here

Please note that Charlie's works fall into the mature audience and  NSFW categories, so they are not for the kiddies!

CK Radio Episode 2 with Kurt Amacker is Now Up!

Charisma Kills Radio Episode 2 with comic writer, promoter, and vampire enthusiast, Kurt Amacker, is up. Kurt talks about his latest works: Tad Caldwell and the Monster Kid, the Cradle of Filth: The Curse of Venus Aversa comic, Dead Souls, and The 69 Eyes: The Helsinki Vampires trilogy. Kurt also talks about his annual vampire ball, Fangtasia. This is a great episode with a little bit of something for comic creators, goth and extreme metal music lovers, and fans of vampire literature and lore. Hang out to the end of the episode were I give updates on some of the subjects Kurt and I discussed.

You can listen to the episode here

You can find out more on Kurt and the bands, people, places, and events talked about at the following links:

Kurts website www.kurtamacker.com 

Comic Writer Kurt Amacker on Facebook

Kurt’s publishing imprint Dark Notes Press www.darknotespress.com

Cradle of Filth www.theorderofthedragon.com

The 69 Eyes www.69eyes.com

Fangtasia www.fangtasiaevent.com

Seraphemera Books and Music www.seraphemera.org

Wyatt’s Comics and Cards www.wyattscomicsandcards.com

BSI Comics www.bsicomics.com

The music for this episode, Bite Me, was provided by The Consortium of Genius www.consortiumofgenius.com 

Be sure to follow us, Charisma Kills Studios on facebook for additional news, info, and updates of CKS webcomics and projects

You can also find us and read the webcomics at www.charismakills.com 

If you have any ideas for guest or topics for future episodes of CK Radio, perhaps be a guest yourself, email me here: jwcraig@charismakills.com 

CKS News Update: CK Radio Up and Running, 2014 Event Schedule, and SDMW Returns

Charisma Kills Radio Up and Running!

After way too long, the CKS podcast, Charisma Kills Radio, has become reality! Episode One is up. It features an interview with Marius Hjelseth, creator of the October 20th webcomic. Episode 2 will be posted this weekend with special guest, Kurt Amacker. Kurt's works include titles such as the much anticipated Cradle of Filth comic, The 69 Eyes comic trilogy, Tad Caldwell and the Monster Kid, and Immortals.

You can listen to episode one with Marius Hjelseth here.

We just received word from iTunes that the podcast is under review. If it gets approval, listeners will be able to access it there as well. 

In the next few weeks we'll be looking for guest for the new episodes. You can email me at jwcraig@charismakills.com 

Charisma Kills Studios 2014 Events

Here are the conventions and special events we will be at 2014. This is the current list. More will be added as they are confirmed. 

NOLA Time Fest 2: June 7th, 2014

CONtraflow 4: October 3rd, 4th, and 5th, 2014

24 Hour Comic Day 2014 October 4th: This one is tentative. It takes place at the same time as CONtraflow 4. Maybe we can make it special event at the convention. 

Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms Returns!

We are frantically try to get this comic back in production. Two months of Updates are ready for scan. I wanted to have it back running for Wednesday, but It may not be ready until the following week. Fingers crossed.

If you would like to revisit the prior issue from 2011 you you can do so here. Just scroll down to the navigation bar and click FIRST to start from the beginning. 

Thank you for your time, and enjoy your Memorial Day!

Jessie W Craig 

CKS News Update: October 20th Audio Drama, Who is Shields McKloskey?

October 20th. A webcomic created, written, and drawn by Marius Hjelseth. You can read it at www.october20comic.com 

In Chapter Two, Someone Wicked. Someone Who Kills, we encounter several new characters. Among them, Marina Rossi. On page 124, Ivanov, Rai and Catherine are discussing a poor guy named, Ivanov,  that got wrapped up in the mystery of Shields, lost his mind, and met with an unfortunate end. 

In sticking with Marius's talent for keeping people in disparaging suspense, that's all you get other than I provide the voice for Ivanov, and Kodi Killgore portrays Rossi. 

It's been sometime since Marius contacted me about taking part in the project. Production has been in the works ever since. The show is now in post production and it looks (Fingers and toes crossed!) the first edit will be done by the end of next week. I'm not sure what Marius's plans are for the when and where of it's release. When that Information becomes available, I'll let you know here!

I can't begin to tell you how honored I am to be apart of this. I'm a huge fan of October 20th, and to be apart of it is... I have no words for it. I can't thank Marius enough. This type of project falls in step with the transmedia/multimedia direction I've been trying to steer the studio. I look forward to doing more audio dramas in the future. 

Recently, Marius has given me another opportunity to be apart of his comic. The details of that are under lock and key too. But, when I get the green light to talk about it,  I'll spill all of the details!

So, A big thank you to Marius, and to Kodi as well. 

The Image below is not and official image. Just something I was playing around with.

CKS News Update: CK Radio... About Damn Time!

It's been crunch time in the studio! I personally have just under two weeks before Summer classes start. I'm trying to get as much done as possible. So far, progress has been good. So, what's the deal with this Charisma Kills Radio podcast thing?

CK Radio Podcast 
It may seem like a myth, but it's real. As I understand it, Bigfoot hunters were starting to give up on the North American Skunk Ape and start investigating CK Radio.

Prior to returning to school for my bachelors, I recorded 6 episodes. I was under the misconception that If I recorded a month or more episodes at once, I could take a week or two to edit and post them.

I was wrong! shortly into it, I was banging my head against the wall chanting "Never, never, never, never, never, again!" Once the Spring semester started, reality set in and there was just not enough time to work on them.

One more hitch in the plan happened when I upgraded the Studio's systems. Everything on the older computer went onto a portable hard drive and set there. There has been some issues with transferring the older files over. As for as The raw CK Radio recordings, some files didn't make it.

So, what episodes survived the exodus? Charlie Wise (Groovy, Kinda), Vas Littlecrow (webcomic diva), and Marius Hjelseth (October 20th webcomic). Post production on these have already started. I should have  Charlie and Marius finished late tonight or tomorrow. Vas's will take a little longer. For some reason, her episode broke up into five different files. Some of them partial duplicates. Technology... it works in mysterious ways. I of course deny operator error.

What Can Listeners Expect to Hear on These Early Episodes?
On the first four episodes, you'll hear interview's that contain a mix of dated information, such as convention appearances that have past, But, you will also get to a lot of information that is still relevant.  Here's a brief breakdown of the episodes. Some of the episodes do have a touch of distortion on the guest voice that seems to be common in a lot of podcast I've heard. I've made every effort to fix this, but it is still apparent.

Charlie Wise: We talk with Charlie about conventions, his comics, influences, and his creative process with emphasis on inking.

Vas Littlecrow: Vas talks about her various comics, how she got started, and gives listeners some brief tips on webcomics and digital comics.

Marius Hjelseth: We cover the October 20th webcomic, his influences, processes, and talk a bit about the October 20th Audio Drama Who is Shields McKloskey?

I also plan to record a brief introductory episode that goes into what the CK Radio Podcast is about, show format, and other information.

The When and Where?
I can't say exactly when the episodes will be available. But, it will be no later than a week from tomorrow. You will be able to access them on the Charisma Kills Studio's home page, www.charismakills.com (Please note that the CKS home page is currently under construction, but will be fully functional once the episodes are released) and on iTunes. It could take up to two weeks for them to appear on iTunes. The current plan is too release one a week. But, if I can get the introductory episode finished in time, the first week will have two releases.

Will There be More?
Yes! But, I'm not going to make the mistake of recording 4-5 episodes at once again. From now on, One at a time! A lot of trial and error went into the making of the early episodes. This means the new episodes maybe be formatted differently, be more focused, and better quality in general.

C.O.G. Webcomic Returns!

The C.O.G. webcomic returns this Friday! The new pages are being scanned, lettered, and loaded into the buffer today. The buffer will be set to auto release the pages every Friday at midnight, Central. I will continue to add to the buffer weekly. Once I'm comfortable with the size of the buffer, C.O.G. will go to TWO updates a week!

What Can Readers Expect to See?
The story picks up right were we left off with Big City's Spider Monkey 12 confronting the Consortium of Genius outside of the Wellington Museum. Their will more explosions, more super science, and Dr. McLummox loses the mystical mask from Fingal's Cave. Chris Lenox, guitarist and man behind Dr. McLummox no longer wears the mask. So... good bye cellulose face, and hello to the adorable, Scots hooligan, mug behind it.

Dr. Z will be displaying some more of his mystical talent and master swordsmanship. Drumbot continues to hate his creators and human race. And Dr Pinkerton's secret contingency plan is activated!

Quick note on the art and page layout. These pages were drawn over a period of months. So, don't be alarmed by changes in visual texture and page size. It all levels off after the first few updates. For example, this Friday's update will bees strip format like Apocalypse Pizza, but returns to full page the following Friday.

You can access the C.O.G. Webcomic at:
The Consortium of Genius's website www.consortiumofgenius.com
The Charisma Kills website www.charismakills.com
The Comic Fury Host www.cogcomics.thecomicseries.com

Plus, you can give us a like on Facebook where all update notifications and information is post regularly. Charisma Kills Studios Facebook 

We'll be back soon with more info on CK Radio and the October 20th Audio Drama, and current schedule of events Charisma Kills Studios will be participating in this year!

CKS Progress Report May 15, 2014

Whats been going on?
If you follow the CKS blog, you know I went back to school for my Bachelors degree. Major in Art with a concentration in New Media and Animation. I foolishly thought that I could do this and still work on comics and other studio projects. Reality set in about the time I had to learn to use Adobe Illustrator inside and out. That was NO small task. it took Many long nights of practice and untold hours of youTube tutorials to learn how to use the pen tool alone. Next was Photoshop. Thankfully I use Photoshop in webcomic creation. I did pick up many new tricks, but the learning curve was easily overcome. Then came Adobe After Effects. And thats where at new level of ass kicking began. Ass kicking with my butt in the crosshairs. It's the end of the semester, and I'm only about 60% comfortable with it.

I decided to take a full course load over the Summer semester to expedite my 2016 Graduation date.
In the Summer, I will be taking Digital Photography, Intermediate Drawing, 2d Design, and 3d Design. I have a feeling this may not have been a wise decision since Summer courses are accelerated.

Ill go into more detail on my school adventures on the Lapingaroux blog in the future. For now, It's studio news.

Charisma Kills Studio Grows
I mentioned awhile back Jenette Mapp (Spelled it right this time, Jenette!)We were working on a graphic novel trilogy that I've been toying around with nearly 20 years. We were making decent progress until I started school. Then the momentum on that project drastically dropped. Mainly because she can't start until I finish the script. But! now that I have free time between semesters, I can bang a page plot script out so Jenette and I can work on storyboarding while Sherri finishes the script.  I'm not comfortable with setting a print date for this project, but concept art and some prelude web and digital comics could be coming soon.

Next, is Kodi Killgore (That's Killgore with TWO L's, but that's a story for another time.) I met Kodi in ART 190. She's got talent and a strong skill set for digital art. We've been working on developing another comic I've been messing around with for 2 or so years. Kodi recently went through her trial-by-fire intro to the chaotic inner workings of CKS studios. She provided the voice talent for The October 20th Audio Drama: Who is Shields Mckloskey. For those that came down to Wyatt's Comics and Cards, in Hammond, on Free Comic Book Day, Kodi joined me, Sherri, and Jenette. There was much drawing, face painting and signing CKS comic prints going on.
Kodi will be spending the Summer at Pony's Pancake Paradise, but work will continue on our project via email, and Skype. I'm hoping to have some of the project we are working on before Contraflow in October.

I want to talk a bit about Free Comic Book Day, but I'll save that for the next blog

Current Project Updates
C.O.G. webcomic: 2 months of updates are ready for scan and lettering.

Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms (Web Comics): Four months of updates are ready for scan and lettering.

Apocalypse Pizza: I have 3 vectors I've been exploring for this comic. As I said in the past, AP was always intended to be the first CKS Multimedia project. Now that I have started the studio's transmedia initiative, I think it still promise for this venture.

CK Chronicles: This comic has been canceled. The current, story line, Mind Shock,  will be transferred and continued in SDMW.

Next week I will have updates with news on CK Radio, Time Fest 2014, Contraflow 2014, and the October 20th Audio Drama: Who is Shields Mckloskey. It was written by October 20th webcomic creator Marius Hjelseth and features me and Kodi as Detective Ivanov and Captain Rossi.  

CKS News January 20, 2014

First off, I hope everyone had a happy New Years and a productive start to 2014.


If you've been following the CKS facebook, you know already that the last part of 2013 was rough to say the least for the studio. I'd like to leave all of that in 2013 so I'm not going to go on about it here. What I'd like to do is fill everyone in on my plans for 2014. Lack of resources, financial stress, and my new schedule are forcing some major changes.


The Original Mission of CKS
From it's inception, Charisma Kills Studios was created to be a multimedia studio and a vehicle for the collective works of creative individuals. At the time webcomics were all I knew, and attempts to work with other artist and writers resulted in marginal to no success.


2014: The Year We Get Back on Track
I've made it my goal for 2014 to be the year that I realize my initial vision for the studio, and focus efforts on making it viable. I have established relationships with a few artist and writers that have expressed interest and production has already started on several projects. First, Janette Mapp. Janette is bringing her talents as artist on a graphic novel trilogy. It's based on plots I developed many years ago that we have merged into a single, self contained, story. I'm very excited about this project and happy with the progress that we've made on it. I'll give more info on it once enough material for a proper copyright has been created and the paper work filed.


Multimedia Initiative
I start taking classes in New Media and Animation next week. This will help me develop the skill sets I need to realize my goal. I've also entered CKS into a partnership with Fire Storm Studios. Fire Storm is operated by a long time friend of mine, Rusty Gregoire. His skill and studio's multimedia resources exceed mine. We've already started with some voice work on audio dramas.


In addition to this, I've been speaking with an associate in Norway, Marius Hjelseth, to produce transmedia projects based on his webcomic “October 20^th”. I'm super excited about this and we've already made some initial progress on it as well.


There have also be some preliminary talks with and friend of mine, Jaimie Callender, who operates Broke Dick Media. Jaimie is extraordinarily talented in a diverse range of artistic mediums. While no concrete plans have been made, a mutual interest on partnering on multimedia projects has been established.


CKS Webcomics
I simply cannot continue producing 3 webcomics. There's just not enough time and resources. Juggling the webcomics prior to my new schedule was hard enough. Now, it's going to be practically impossible. CKS will still produce the C.O.G. webcomic; however, Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms and Apocalypse Pizza will continue as multimedia projects as well as digital and print comics that will be scheduled as time permits.