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.

The Future of Charisma Kills Studios?

The Future of Charisma Kills Studios?


As I mention in a CKS facebook post, I have been struggling to keep all of the various projects under control. Unfortunately, I seem to have stretched myself beyond what I can produce. I've taken some time to think of a way to rein everything in. I think I have it. This will change the work flow of the studio and current projects. So, here is what I have come up with.


Webcomics
C.O.G. Comics:( www.cogcomics.thecomicseries.com ) Hopefully this new workflow will allow me to get back on schedule with it. Ideally, the C.O.G. Webcomic is scheduled to be updated once a week, every Friday. Because of everything else that has been going on, this became a challenge. I expect that the new system will allow for it to return to its normal schedule; however, this may take a week or two. One thing that will likely change is the art style. I'll try and make these changes gradual. My personal art style has been developing. Kind of like playing guitar, style and “voice” evolves. I've been trying to keep the C.O.G. Art style the same, but doing so is starting to become a hinderance.


Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms and CKS Chronicles:
SDMW www.sweetdreamsaremadeofworms.thecomicseries.com
CKS Chronicles www.ckscronicles.thecomicseries.com
Since CKS Chronicles is basically telling stories that foreshadow events in SDMW Book 2, I'm canceling CKS Chronicles and moving the Mind Shock story to the SDMW webcomic. This helps in two ways. First, it gives me one less comic to worry with. Second, it provides new material for SDMW which gets over 10 times the amount of traffic that CKS Chronicles gets. The next change here will be color. I swore that SDMW would always be black and white. It has always been a story that dealt with psychology, sociology, and the human condition. Well, color can be a major factor in these subjects. The fact that Ego has two different color eyes and Psychocide is green with purple polka dots are totally lost on the readers. I have 7 pages of Mind Shock already penciled. They just need to be inked and colored. Once I have at least 4 pages of it totally complete, I'll load them into the buffer. That will give me time to work on more. These pages were drawn about a year ago. And done on paper that does not take kindly to ink. I'm not going to mess with them other than add color. After those seven pages, there will be a distinct change in art style and ink.


Apocalypse Pizza: ( www.apocalypsepizza.thecomicseries.com )I'm at a loss with this one. Statistically, it remains the most popular of the webcomics. Even though it has only been updated 5 times in over two years, it gets almost the same amount of hits and more return visitor traffic as SDMW. I can't ignore those numbers, but I don't have time to do regular updates for it. I have two more updates that need to be colored. I'll post them as time allows. Hopefully I'll have a plan for it by the time I run out of material.


Printed Comics
All plans to produce print comics have been put on hold. There are several reasons for this, but for the sake of my own sanity, I'm not going to go into them. I will say, take an hour or two of your time and research the future of comics and Diamond Comics Distributors. Successful self publishing is a shot in the dark. In addition to this, I spoke with a publisher at Contraflow 3 that showed interest in printing one of my comics. If this goes through, I will not have time to dedicate to self publishing. I'll know more about this towards the end of November.


Charisma Kills Radio
I have already invested too much time and money into this project to cast it aside. It only takes an hour or two a week. Plus I have over 20 guest lined up and have started recording episodes. I'm just waiting for approval from media syndication.


In other news, I'm pulling a Rodney Dangerfield. I'm going back to school! I already have an associates in applied sciences, but I need more. So, starting January, I will be enrolled at Southeastern going for my bachelors degree in Art with the concentration of New Media and Animation.
http://www.southeastern.edu/acad_research/depts/vis_art/areas/new_media/


SELU has the best program of this kind in the state. http://www.southeastern.edu/news_media/news_releases/2013/july/new_media.html
I plan to pursue this full time. So, this will be a game changer for the studio. Come January, I'll have to evaluated and prioritize again. I don't know how much time I'll have to dedicate to studio projects.


And that's the News! I'm open to any comments, suggestions, and advice on anything I've mentioned. If you have anything to add, I'd love to hear it.
-Jessie W Craig

24 Hour Comic Day: The Aftermath

If you've been following me on any of the CKS social outlets, you know we participated in 24 Hour Comic Day at Wyatt's Comics and Cards in Hammond La. Here's how it went!

We stopped in at Wyatt's earlier on the 4th to bring in supplies and such. As usually, the shop was busy and Wyatt was on the move juggling the shop phone, his phone, the register, customer service, and I'm sure forgetting his lunch...again lol. Brain, Wyatt's version of Commander Riker, took the day off so he could man the shop overnight.

After dropping off drinks, snacks, and a case of coffee, I headed back to the studio. Sherri crashed out for a bit while Alex and I packed everything up. I then grabbed a few hours of sleep myself. We got up around 10PM and headed out for some food followed by a quick stop at the cafe, then off to Wyatt's

We arrived about 45mins before midnight. The Friday night Magic tournament was still going on. As I started in on my Super Sonic with cheese, my former sous chef, Rudy, from Worlds End Cafe made a cameo appearance. Not to join the team, but drop off his key to the cafe and run off to do some midnight fishing. Thanks Rudy! He would stop in much later on Saturday after sleeping to make sure I knew how behind I was on the comic... Thanks again, man!

At midnight, we hopped to it. We decided on a horror comic. The idea come from an old test play session of the CK Game Studios "wyrd RPG" that took place at Mobicon in Alabama years ago. Between me, Sherri, Derrick, and a little help from Alex, we started in on the characters and translating a 7 hour game session into a 24 page comic (mistake). I took the time to record a brief episode of CK Radio on location. We posted it on the CKS tumblr page. You can listen to it here.

                                                             "CK Radio Podcast  Logo"

Sherri, Derrick, and Alex. And yep. There's Mark Rhodes in the foreground grinding away at his comic.

Once our story was plotted out, I began on the pencils. I was still grossly underestimating the challenge of 24 Hour Comic Day.
                                                     "I had no idea what I was in for!"

After sketching out a few pages, I decided to stretch my legs and visit (Spy *cough*) on Mark and Brian.

                               "Fellow comic creator and Webcomic Underdog ,Mark Rhodes."

       "Brain, when asked how he was holding up and if he was enjoying working all night long."

"Brain, when asked how he REALLY felt... nah, Brain and Wyatt are great guys. I don't think you could ask for a more friendly and knowledgeable staff for a comic and game shop." 

With play time over, it was time to get serious. 

Hours went by and the scope of this project started to come to realization. I've never actually sat down and drew for 24 hours straight. I was quite shocked when it came time to start inking and I looked out of the window and saw sunlight creeping in. I was also starting to feel the physical effects: dry eyes, sore back, cramping legs, fuzzy perception, etc. 

Page one inked. It's a bit hard to make out at the angle, but I'll post it again on the Charisma Kills Studios face book later. For those that have read my web comic "Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms", you may recognize Ms. Tamyra Christmas, Dr. Klein's assistant.

Here's a look at some of Mark's stuff. He was a machine! Unfortunately, the stress of working his day job and coming to participate got to him and he had to bail out early. But Bravo to you Mark for coming and giving your all! Good stuff. I think he will be posting it on his webcomic site.

As for me... I lasted until around 8:30PM with about 12 pages to go. I had nothing left. My vision was blurry, slurred speech, fire in my lower back, and my hand went numb. I literally could not hold the pens anymore. But! I gave it all I had. While I didn't finish, I regret nothing and will be the first in line for next year! I looked back on the event and see several things I could have done and many things I should not have done. I'll discuss this and more on the next episode of Charisma Kills Radio.

I want to thank Wyatt and Brian for hosting the event and I hope we can do it again at the shop next year!

It's currently 4:11AM and I need to get to bed. I leave you with this image of the studio, sans me, and the video below. Goodnight!

Video: Me partially delusional and Mark so tired that the words come out of his mouth before his lips move! Or maybe it's just a bad recording on my part lol.

Whats the deal with Apocalypse Pizza?

Since AP's inception, around 2005, I've had an very specific idea for the way I wanted the world and themes Mad Dog encounters to be. As I've said before, it was initially going to be a "beer and pretzel" style table top role playing game. A lot of the material was written, but assumed to be lost in the fire. It wasn't until just recently, that a friend of mine (Say hello, Billy.), and test player for the game, emailed me an electronic copy of the first draft of the book. I had totally forgotten he had this!

Once I had gotten into making comics, I decided to bring Mad Dog and his world to life in a web comic. In the years between the fire and the rediscovery of the game book, I had added a few more ideas to the concept and developed an idea for making AP more than just a web comic. About the time I was writing up page 5 is when that fantastic email came in.

After reading over the game book for the first time in almost a decade, I had to take a step back and examining the project. Armed with the old, the new, and a vision, I decided to just put it on hold...yet again. It was a very difficult decision. But, I couldn't justify the time and resources to continue with it as is since it was going to get a reboot anyway. 

Now that I have access to everything i need. And  a wealth of information from the world building process of both the game and comic, The development of the new Apocalypse Pizza project has started! I'll keep you posted.
-Jessie

SDMW, Apocalypse Pizza, and web Comics Update News.

As I mentioned in the last news update, the closure of the cafe will be eating up a lot of my time this month. I want to keep the comics updating on Fridays, but I may have to make a temporary change to Sunday or Monday until the cafe affairs have been dealt with.

SWMW: I have plans to get the Companion updated with two pages by the end of next week. Also, some of you may have notice some minor changes in Year of the Rabbit. We are cleaning it up, correcting errors, and image quality. 

Apocalypse Pizza: It kills me to put in on full hiatus after just getting started, but the changes to it will require some time. So, to keep it active, I'm pulling the "Mad Dog's Armory" story from CKS Chronicles and putting it in as updates to the current Apocalypse Pizza comic. I hope to have at least One page of that posted by the end of next week. 

Thank you for your time,

-Jessie

New CKS Partnership

We have some very exciting news to announce. Charisma Kills Studios has partnered with the extremely talented Mrs. Mattie Rojas Kupper to add costuming to the studios product line's. Once all of the details have been worked out, costuming and cosplay fans will be able to purchase high quality, hand made, costumes, accessories, and props. Again, we are still working out the specifics, but here are some images of her designs that will be used for the "Steam Punk Genre" line.

Hopefully, everyone has seen the new web home for Charisma Kills Studios. Sherri was able to create my vision for the page almost exactly as I had designed. It was a major project and learning experience, especially with everything going on at the time. I'm very proud of it and her.  I feel that having everything under one roof (a hub so to speak.) makes the studio projects more accessible. We also have the CKS store function. At this time we are only selling prints, but stay tuned. Within the next few weeks we will be adding original art, ACEO original art cards and mini print editions, t-shirts and other items. Thats right, no zazzle, cafe press, or middle men. customers will be dealing directly with CKS which will allow for much better prices.  And now for the news!

Worlds End Cafe: We have closed the cafe. Economic pressure, rising fuel and food cost, and insane taxation in our area made the cafe no longer viable. We do thank all of he customers and those that followed us on the cafe's facebook (which is still up). It will be missed. This has a few effects on CKS,

First: This next month I will be busy with the processes involved with closing all all of the cafe's affairs. I will still try and update all of the comics on Fridays, even if it's just pin ups of guest strips fans or other web comic artist. The exceptions are:

          C.O.G. Comics and CKS Chronicles. These two comics will be updated no later than midnight on Fridays. 

          Apocalypse Pizza. I know I've been a bit tight lipped on this one. Mainly because I'm attempting something fairly ambitious with it. I'm not sure when it will be back up, but, I will post guest strips, pin-ups, and new concept materials for it to keep in alive. I'am am toying with the Idea of doing an e-comics atlas for it that will help set the stage when it returns. 

Second: Selling off the cafe's fixtures and equipment will give me the funds I need to update the studios primary equipment. The nightmare of dealing with the outdated systems has been causing major delays in multimedia and transmedia projects. Most importantly, the CK Radio project. 

Third: If you were and artist that had your work displayed in the cafe, and want it back, arrangements need to be made. But, I must say it's going to hurt returning Tedd Walley's. I'm quite fond of it, lol. 

Event News: I will be an artist guest at Contraflow three which is held in the New Orleans area. I will be giving panels, entering mixed media into the art show, running demos of CKS Game Studio projects, and donating the original Apocalypse Pizza page one to the charity Auction. I will be set up in the dealers area next to the C.O.G. (Yes the Consortium of Genius will be playing!) fan table and The Wyatt's Comics and cards booth. He's picked up a few cool items that Dr. Who fans will enjoy. If you are in the area, come in and say hello. 

-Jessie

 

It has been hectic here for the past few weeks. So, here's what's going on for you folks that are interested.

Comic updates: It pains me greatly that I finally got Apocalypse Pizza off the ground with weekly updates and now, it's three weeks behind. Between a recent road trip, a back injury (That became so serious I had to walk with a cane), the cafe, commissions, contracts, and trade shows, my time has been consumed.

On the bright side, some good has come out of it. Distribution of a print comic and merchandise in comic shops from coast-to-coast has been set up (Without to use of Diamond Comics or print on demand services). All I need now is to produce a comic lol. The boost in graphic arts projects, and the fact that the studio made more in six hours at the last show than the cafe makes in a day, has made it a potential source of income. Starting in August, I will attempt to operate it full time. I have a daily schedule already worked out, as well as special events and trade shows set up well into 2014. Until then, Apocalypse Pizza may have to go back to black and white in the interest of timely updates.

Also in August: The introduction of the newest webcomic "CKS Chronicles". It will feature the introductory story of C.O.G. before they are unleashed into their own title.

CK Radio is even closer than ever to becoming reality. The show format went though a change as more guest have agreed to do the show. It will also include segments by guest and co-host covering various subjects of fandom. It went from being a 15 min narrative to a full blown production.

Last thing, No more work will be done on the current CKS website. The new website is so close to being done I want scream because its not already up. The biggest holdup has been the acquisition of new skill sets required to get everything done. We have decided to cut the middle man out of as much as possible to reduce cost and increase return. It is paying off, but requiring more time. The new site will be a web entity that will serve as the foundation and hub for the comics, multimedia, CK Radio, CKS store, galleries, blogs, and networking. I also plan to actively pursue transmedia outlets and co-creators for those projects. 

Oh, did I say last thing. The script for Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms is being written! It shames me that I let it go this long. I'm ten pages into the first draft and story boards. I will say this: Get ready for a ride! The story of Ego and the cast will begin showing it's true colors.

Thanks for everything my friends.With the help of your support and readership, this thing that start with 9 pages of a poorly drawn webcomic is starting to come together! Maybe faster than I can control it lol.
-Jessie W Craig

Progress report. As you know, my mother was in the hospital for some time and I had to take some time off to see to her. All is well now and I have returned to the comics. I had quite a few projects in the works, but I'm just one person. So, many have been put on the back burner for Summer.

Sweet Dreams are Made of Worms:
Book 1: Year of the Rabbit. After nearly three years of set backs, We are finally in motion to get this thing printed. I've looked at several options and I think this is what we have settled on:
   
      Year of the Rabbit eBook: This version will be formatted for the various eBook readers such as Kindle. To give the reader more value, it will include a short story staring book one's most sympathetic character...the Mega-Mall Marts 2000. I told you he would be back. And no, this isn't just a day in the life of an artificially intelligent cash register. It's got cult's sinister plots, and the next evolution of MMM 2000!
     
      Year of the Rabbit Print Book: Like the eBook, the printed book will also have additional materials that can only be found in it.

**Both versions will have reworked and re-edited pages, correcting errors, uniform lettering, and cleaned. I would like to point out that the short stories in both are not critical to the main story. Their there to give each version something special.

    Companion Book: This one is evolving rapidly. Before my mother's surgeries, I had close to twenty pages penciled. I just need to ink and letter them. The first few pages are an introduction to the  comic as a whole. It moves into a short story that delves more into Ego's origins, including the readers first introduction the Team Osiris. Oh, and then there is Mr. Cathy. Remember him?  The Great Cerabrus "Molester of Minds". There is a 10 page short starring him and events that take places within 48 hours of the conclusion of Book: 1. The Last story is one I've been waiting for! As Dr. Kilavox tore the city a new one, he had almost no opposition because the majority of the city's heroes were battling the evil C.O.G. on the dark side of the moon. Well, we finally get to see that battle!

    SDMW Book 2: The script is have complete. I discovered a major error that I need to go and rewrite, as well as finishing up the resolution. SDMW was originally written to be a 12 book series. Wanting to see it finished in my life time, I've shortened it. Now I have to figure out what goes and what stays...which sucks.

Apocalypse Pizza:
I can't believe how difficult it's been to get this comic going. After much debate and input from readers. I have decided to make it a color comic. Once I get a buffer of at least six pages, I'll start it up again. I currently have 2.  

Wyrd:
I am sooooo close to having this finished. But, I can't do it, comics, and work at the same time. So, Wyrd has become a Summer project...again.

The Charisma Kills Radio Podcast:
During the times my mother was in the hospital, I downloaded a lot of podcast onto my iPod to listen to. As it happened, I already had most of the equipment and software to do one. I decided to give it a shot. While named after my studio, it's not all about me. It will cover subjects such as comics, games, movies, television, etc. And once the equipment is in place, interviews with special guest and even becoming a live show and allow me to take callers (The 800 numbers are already in place lol). At the moment, the shows are scheduled to be roughly 10mins. As/if it grows the show length will grow to accommodate new features. The first two shows will have only myself and will be mainly used as a test drive. Hopefully by the third show, Ill be set up to have guest. KNOWING, that some of you are comic creators. If you would like to get with me to schedule something, let me know.

Well that's everything for now. Thanks for your readership and support!

Magic Mini Con Aftermath

Magic Mini Con is over.  It was the first event since the return of Charisma Kills Studios from hiatus. It started off a bit rough, with a mad dash to get new material ready for prints, art cards, and posters. On top of that, we were up until 4AM getting the main page,  www.charismakills.com  , up. It still needs some tweeking but I’m very happy with it. Sherri Craig did a great job on it. Unfortunately, burning the midnight oil caused me to sleep late, leaving no time to get prints made, and missing out on selecting my table. After a few rounds of musical tables and chairs, I got a small spot in the back. This was not a big deal, except I didn’t have room to set up my stuff and still have room to draw.

The venue, Magic Comics & Hobbies LLC, is a comic and game enthusiast dream. If you find yourself in Slidell Louisiana, you have to check it out. It’s located at 727 Robert Blvd. Nope, I’m not getting paid to plug them, I am just that impressed. Comics, tons of toys, collectables, models, very friendly staff, and a large gaming area where the hold officially sanctioned table top games.

There were also lots of people in costume, mostly Star Wars from the 501^st Legion. These guys are hardcore too…very authentic costumes and gear. The good “Doctor” was there to with K-9 and sonic-screwdriver. Oh, and Wonder Woman and Aquaman. Hey, don’t laugh. That guy was more Aquaman that the one in the comics lol.  

After the initial stress of getting there late, not having new prints, and missing out on my table, I had a good time. We got a good response on “Sweet Dreams are Man of Worms” and a fair amount of interest built for Apocalypse Pizza. And I actually sold prints! The old standby “Jason vs. Courage the Cowardly Dog” print is always one of the first. It gets them to the table. The lighting was a bit off in the building, so nearly all of the photos I took didn’t come out. I did post some video of the 501^st on the Charisma Kills Studios facebook page.

As for the next events, we seem to be squared away with Coastcon for 2014, got an inquiry into appearing at this year’s Contraflow, and Bayou Con. I have been eye balling Comicpalooza in Houston Texas this year too.  We still have a lot more to do to get the Studio to where I want it, but it’s coming.