not here!

i haven't been on here so much lately.
go here!
carlistheawesome.com
or
marcosperez.livejournal.com

Right on into it....

I was sick this weekend and forced to do nothing. Nothing but draw. I am now on page four of TSM #6. I'm planning on getting up to issue 8 this year, as well as speeding up my Carl schedule. It'll be a busy year! Only two cons this year. Ill have 6 for Mocca and 7 for SPX.

Lately I've been thinking more about what to do with Tear-Stained Makeup. It's a book that, I think, people like when they read it, but do to my inexperience it has suffered under some bad covers, reproduction, and various sizes. The lastest issue Im happiest with, design-wise. I'm thinking I'll reprint the earlier issues so they're a little more consistent, for the next con. Of course if I got my act together I could just make a TPB and put an end to the the minis. But I'd have to do it now to have it for Mocca. Also, I think it'll be a fun thing to redesign the covers of the first 4 issues. Covers are still a learning process for me. Thinking about it as advertising (sell the product) more than just tossing something up there. I'm curious if redesigning will help TM sell better (it is easily the worst selling cliffface comics book). This will also sharpen up those chops for trade paperback time. I may try to hire a designer to help me out for that. I've seen so many HORRID self published Trade collections, that I want another eye to help me out as much as possible.

And another thing I keep thinking about. Putting it back online. I had it on for a little bit and then stopped. I was in foreign territory, and i didn't really like the interface I was using. So I killed it. But after working on the Carl website I love the idea of having new stuff up more frequently and not retreating into the shadows for months at a time. I know I'd gather more readers (It'd be hard to gather less). I guess the biggest argument against the whole thing is that it would be more work. I'd still be printing up the mini-comics (until i have a collection I need to have something for stores and cons), and on top of that I d have to run ANOTHER website! It probably wouldn't be that much work. I figured out a lot of bugs with Carl. Just toss it up there. I realized when I was thinking about Mocca That I would HAVE to print out some Carl minis for the show. Just to have something. Then I'd probably put whats left over in stores. So even though I wanted to do a webcomic, to cut down on my mini making, I'll still have to do it. And I'm beginnging to see these two worlds, web and print, as have toos. Or more to the point, why nots? there's no good reason not to appeal to potential fans in both spectrums. hhmm. what to do...

oh yeah! i have a blog.

i dont feel like woking any more today. my eyes are a bit sore. that is ok. im excited cause i got this cool paper for the cover of TM#5 . ill check out first printouts fro shorts tonight. I want it DONE!

its been awhile...

and things are heating up! Tear-Stained 5 will be done in a couple days. at least the analog part. I'm planning on buying a laser-jet and just printing these out at home because, I cant take it anymore. Also I've been thinking alot about what to do with the others. Collect them? try for a grant? self publish? do a short run of POD's? and...the more i think about it. the less I care. I don't know how i want to proceed. I think at the very least. I will remove the grays of 1 and 2 ans attempt to simply have new, second printings of ALL the issues. I still have some left but I can't abide by selling the old ones anymore. ANd lately I've been thinking, that all I really want to do this year is make books. Not worry about making a tear-stained collection and getting my act together for a grant application. I'm not sure about collecting after issue 5 I'm not sure about the format. Blech. All this not sure makes me think I should focus on what im sure of. making the comics. Having them beter represented through black and white and better printing is rerally all i want. for now. we'll see!

COMICS!! AHH!!

so i've started Tear-Stained #5 and it is the awesome. I'm REALLY liking drawing smaller (8x12). I've concluded that smaller drawing forces me to draw ink more controlled then the big style, and it's EASIER. Drawing big lets you go looser, but it requires a lot more skill to wrangle that hog than it does with a smaller page. Of course, I could be just getting better. Also I feel like I finally found my favorite way to letter. lower-case with a MICRON 08 and an Ames lettering guide. FEEL the difference. I think i will even go back (at some DISTANT point in the future) and reletter the first 10 carl pages. Because CAPS are out of style, and a big problem. for me, though I think I'll let Carl talk in caps. So my new, incredibly, pointless and unreachable goal because the holidays and neil will fuck this up, is two tearstained and one carl page per week. i'll be done, inks and letters, for the first four tomorrow hopefully. It would be tonight but I had a crazy dream and decided to RETCON Tear-stained and make stella afghan. Gotta follow the dreams dude. Anyway if I stick to this schedule that's FOUR TEAR-STAINED's next year. I'll accept three though.

Spxing...

A little late on this report. Hmm. After a couple days away the biggest thing I realized about SPX is that I didn't work nearly hard enough. Considering the medical problems and all, I'm giving myself a pass. I was not that into business man mode. But I did get some cool stuff. Prints from Fredo, Paul Pope, and Jamie Tanner. New Liz Baille and Longstreth, plus cool stuff by other folks I don't know: Tom Kacynski, Paulette Poulett, Karen Sneider, and David Yoder. And a buncha trades I haven't waded my way thru yet. And it was good to see familiar faces like, Randy and Peter, and Dawson, although Sakura wasn't there. The first Sakura-less show I've been too!

The new venue was ok. Peter pointed out that it felt like a cruise-ship. It even had a deck. I enjoyed the all in one room idea. Though I think it makes very little difference in the end. If they want your crap they'll buy it. Right? But these things aren't really about selling. So next con I need to get off my ass, make more trades and give away more comics. BAM!...venison. Because I sucked it up big time.

must...stop

going to comic stores! i walked in to Cosmic yesterday and walked out with Lost girls. No more comics for me. Ok, after SPX, and the Pope book, and the new ACME...then i'll stop. I need a serious reading day...and an intervention.