Friday, May 30, 2014

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


The 69 Eyes www.69eyes.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 

Monday, May 26, 2014

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 





Thursday, May 22, 2014

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.



Wednesday, May 21, 2014

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.


Tuesday, May 20, 2014

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!

Thursday, May 15, 2014

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.