Oct16
Sad

I think I’m walking away…

by Paokens Keeper on October 16, 2011 at 9:00 pm
Posted In: Blog

Update: 12/30/2011

Alright, the last page of this arc is up. I’m done for a while…I can’t believe it took two months to do it. Thank you all so much for your support, your hits, and your links. I’m already contemplating the ways that I can come back. Schemes and ideas. So keep half an eye on the site, and follow me on Twitter and Deviant Art for my triumphant return.

I’m not putting a date on it, but wander in during the Summer and I’ll at least have some kind of update for you. Until then: Peace, love and everything else.

-Paoken’s Keeper

End update.

I guess I should just stop pussy-footing around it…I’ve been trying to deny it to myself for way too long.

But I’m done, for a while at least. I’ve got no time in my life right now for the comic, and as much as it pains me to say it, I need to hang up it up.

It’s been building for a while now. Since I started Book Two, I think. But I just don’t have the heart for it anymore. I love The PKF, but it needs to be put aside for a while so I can decide my next move.

See, I thought I’d be able to hire someone to work on the art for me, but the more I look into it the more I realize that for what I’d be offering, I’d be lucky to get a decent penciler. Which would leave me with inks/colors/post work (lettering, bubbles, etc.).

And I don’t think that I could even keep up with that. So I’d be doing a disservice to the artist, myself, and all of you.

Back when I started this comic I was a bored senior in high school who’s more strenuous activity was marathon gaming sessions with his friends.

Then it was college…and let’s all be honest here, the first two years of college are a joke. I mean, I barely had to work for anything other than an odd project here or there.

But the last two years it’s been work, studying, preparing for a career, finding a job that starts said career, and now trying to maintain that career and excel at it.

And now my living situation has changed (I’ve never been one to whine to you, so I won’t go into it), and I need to concentrate on saving every penny so that I can move out as soon as I can.

So the comic is getting taken off the burner officially.

I hardly have time to sit and relax, let alone force myself to do something that I no longer have a passion for.

And that’s just it, really. I’m sick of keeping a schedule, the only times I’ve really enjoyed drawing lately were when I was doing for giggles.

And that means I procrastinate working on the comic.

Worse, it means I put off doing things I WANT to do, like write.

See, I wasn’t lying about that. I still love to write. But I’m sick of drawing. I’m sick of watching my stories stagnate with a weekly (if I’m lucky) update.

So my illustrious twelve month plan is dead.

But I’ve got a new idea. Something vaguely crazy, but I think it will work out better for everyone.

I’m going to start work on a new story, a new comic. I’m going to prepare, and work, and write it. Then I’m going to find an artist, and pay them decently. And I’m going to publish it online.

It’s not The PKF, it’s something else. Something that I came up with five years ago, but ignored, but now I’ve got the angle.

I’ve got the idea right.

And I’m going to go for it.

I’ll tell you a little secret, when I started the PKF in 2005, I had no idea what I was doing. I had twenty or thirty stories written over a ten year period that I decided I was going to make into a comic.

Since then it’s expanded as I learned more and more about what I wanted my stories to be. But I’ve always been left with those early comics that I hadn’t planned out well enough, and they make my life hell.

But not this time. I’m going to have this new story totally planned out. And ready. So when it hits the intertubes I’ll know exactly where it’s going.

Sadly, this does mean I’m hanging up my PKF hat for the time being.

But, and here’s the honest to god truth, I’ve never stayed away from it for too long. The PKF has been around since I was seven years old, and this was the biggest, longest, period of my life that I consistently work on it.

It’s always been there, and will always be there.

And when I’m ready, The PKF will continue. Maybe with a time skip. Maybe from right here, right now.

But it will continue. You have my word.

Just…later.

As it stands, I’ll finish this arc (I’ve always hated with web-comics end midarc), but then I’m going on extended hiatus.

I won’t ask the few of you to keep checking in, that wouldn’t be fair, I don’t know when I’ll relaunch. But if you keep an eye on My Deviant Art, or My Twitter, I’ll keep you appraised and you won’t even have to check the site.

But if you do stick around, I’ll keep the blog updated from time to time, and maybe I’ll even post a picture or two.

I don’t know.

But for now, it’s goodbye.

Thanks for an amazing six years.

And all the fish.

Peace, love, and all the other good things,
Paoken’s Keeper
(Keith Thomsen)


					

				

				

								

					
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Aug27

									
happy

								

						
Accomplish none of the things!

by Paokens Keeper
on August 27, 2011
at 10:33 pm

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
Yay!


Lol, so this week was a total bust as far as ‘comic’ things go.


As far as new job/life related things go it was pretty sweet. I love the people at my new school…seriously, aside from a few quirky individuals everyone has been fantastic. And even they’ve been pretty cool. Now if the kids are half as awesome I’ll be in for a good year.


But the week was hectic as all sin. I worked on the summer fun pic a fair amount, but it’s not really done yet. I’ll try to finish more of it tomorrow, but today was spent working on more school (work? Not sure what to call it now…) stuff. But I’m totally ready for the first three days, and mostly ready for Thursday and Friday. Just need a few more things printed.


In any case it will be up before August is over so help me Gods.


I’m still planning on going back to two a week starting September 6th. Until then the comic is on…Hiatus? I don’t know if I’d call it that.


Temporarily suspended due to life overload.


TSDtLO?


Lets go with that.


I want to get the last three comics done that would get me through the month, then there’s only another month or so before I step down as artist (hopefully…we’ll see how the whole ‘work for me for jack’ thing goes). In any case The 12 Month Plan is still on.


If I think of anything important I’ll update this post, but otherwise all information stands until further notice.


Thanks again for hanging in there.


-Peace

					

				

				

								

					
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Aug05

									
normal

								

						
My Twelve Month Plan for This Comic…

by Paokens Keeper
on August 5, 2011
at 1:31 pm

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
Essentially what follows is my one year plan for making the PKF more popular/profitable.


Now, keep in mind, I don’t want to live off this comic. I’d love to, but I don’t really care about that.


What that means is basically this: If it can pay for itself, The PKF will continue expanding and growing until it either tapers off or I die (or run out of ideas…which seems unlikely).


I want the comic to not be a financial burden on me, but I’m also willing to put some time and effort and money into getting it there.


So without further ado…the steps.


Step One, starting in August:

Free advertising, anything latent that will take time to build up.


-Webcomic Directories

-Load More comics into DA (late August)

-More Facebook, more twitter

-Mirror Sites (Drunkduck, CG, comicfury, smackjeeves, etc…)


Step Two, Starting in September:

Any advertising that involves instant interaction, IE: post on other’s blogs/reading sites (redit?)


-Back to Two days a week…eight comics a month.

-LINK EXCHANGE! Any takers?

-Article sites (Bukisa and Hubpages), lots of articles, maybe a short series, I don’t know yet.

-Shetoldme (I’m told its a very good platform to advertise your URLs or website address.)

-Reddit http://www.reddit.com/r/webcomics

-Webcomic news sites:


http://www.fleen.com


http://www.comixtalk.com


http://www.webcomicoverlook.com


http://www.stormingthetower.com


-Other


http://entervoid.com/news.php


Step Three, starting in October:

Find assistance




-I will looking for someone to help me sometime in October, I want someone to take the weight off of me. Realistically, I’d like a full-blown artist, someone who’ll draw/ink the comic and I’ll do the coloring. However, I don’t know if this will be possible on my meager salary. I’ll have money saved up between September and October and I’ll start my search.


Step Four, starting in November:

New artist/Paid advertising


-With some new blood in the site I’ll begin updating more often. My short term plan is to have ten pages a month, maybe bulk update each Friday? I’d love to have twelve again, but that’s totally up to my budget/artist.


-Here’s where I start shelling out some cash, just a few dollars at first. I don’t know what my advertising budget is going to be, but it should be decent. With the new help/regular updates I hope to have major retention of readers.


Step Five, starting in March (2012):

Reader driven advertising


-I intend to have a some incentives, little things, nothing huge. Maybe a print. I don’t know. Basically if you ‘donate’ your time to me and post some ‘check this shit out’ stuff around the web/your campus (don’t spam, please) I’ll give you something.


-This is where you guys really come in, if you love the comic, pimp the hell out of it!


Step Six, starting in May (2012):

Donation Drives/Products for sale


-By this point I’ll have SOMETHING for you guys to buy, unless this just explodes and I have to get on that sooner. It’ll likely be smaller stuff, maybe buttons, or something tiny for donation reasons. Like: Donate four dollars and get a button set.


-I’d also like to get prints up and running properly. IE: Buy a print of this page.


-I also wouldn’t mind some kind of shirts or something. Maybe King of No Pants (though that’s mostly because I want one…).


Step Seven, starting in August (2012):

Rounding it out/expansion


-I figure that by this point I should have a clear view of the future…or, at least, a less muddled view. If readership is up and I’m not totally shouldering the burden I’ll likely ask the artist/assitant if they’d be willing to continue on after the year is over.


-More merchandise if there’s a call for it.


-Expand/remove donations. If there’s enough coming in from sales I might shift the donation incentive into the merchandise category (the buttons, for example, would be for ‘sale’). If donations are still a huge part of the thing, I’ll probably just go ahead and make more donation incentives, more buttons, more stickers, etc…)


-Beg like a son of a bitch if we’re not doing well.


Step Eight, starting in November (2012):

To infinity and beyond…


-If everything goes well, it’s mostly going to be more of step seven. More expansion, maybe another assistant (if I’m coloring, get someone else/pay current artist to color), etc…


-If this has bombed horribly, then, well, I’ll probably just take over myself and start updating once a week again…or I’ll shelve The PKF for a while and reconsider what I’m doing. Though the former is much more likely…at least through Book Three (which gives an ‘acceptable’ ending).


-Conventions? I don’t know…that might be interesting, haha.


—————————————————————–


Alright, there’s my plan, my rough plan. I’m thinking that it might behoove me to have some merchandise sooner (small stuff) than my current plan. So I’m going to have to look into that.


Maybe as early as December/January I’ll have buttons or patches for you guys to buy.


If ANYONE has anything to add to it I’d be appreciative. Or, hell, if any of you are decent artists that are willing to work cheap, I’d love to hear from you.


As it stands, this is what I’m going to follow in hopes of getting this comic to a place where it’s not hemorrhaging money out it’s severed neck, so we’ll see.


I’m thinking that there might be a minor website design change in September…one that highlights this plan so that new readers know what’s going on.


Either way, thanks again for sticking it out with me, you have my word that I’ll be doing everything I can to return the comic to a normal update schedule.


And bring in some new friends.


-Peace

					

				

				

								

					
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Jul28

									
happy

								

						
Book Two, Chapter Six is finally over…

by Paokens Keeper
on July 28, 2011
at 5:43 pm

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
Aside from how long it took me to finish, I have to say I’m insanely happy with how it came out.


So much major stuff happened this arc it’s kind of insane to think about…but I guess that’s what happens when you’ve got eighty pages to cover everything.


Chris is gone…faded away, stolen, or just plain gone if you’d rather. Either way Tom is free from his snide comments and general hate. Though how Tom will fair without said distraction is yet to be revealed.


Well…since he bailed like a little bitch I guess something was revealed, right?


Either way Tom has opted to abandon his duties as The Peaceman and leave his life behind.


For how long?


I totally know. But you don’t. It could be forever. Or he might wise up and turn around in the next comic.


Maybe I’m just @#$%ing with you.


Maybe the Spiker actually hit him and the whole thing has been one big coma dream constructed by Chris so that he can gain access to Tom’s body.


…


Damn it, that would have been awesome…why didn’t I think of that before?


@#$%.


Anyhow, the chapter’s over…so it’s time for me to start thinking about the next one. Well, start thinking about drawing it, anyhow, since I’ve had it written for the better part of six months.


Like I’ve said, I’m going to finish out the next arc myself, then I’m (planning to) pick up an artist, in some capacity, to help me out and lessen the load.


This is all contingent on how much money I’m making next fall, but after looking at my budget I think I’ll be okay.


More on that later (maybe next week).


Either way, there won’t be any story comic updates in August as I try to get a buffer ready so I can go back to two pages a week in September.


So keep an eye here, I’ll have a full information dump sometime in the next few months.


-Peace

					

				

				

								

					
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Jul21

									
happy

								

						
So…I’ve updated all of Book Two Prologue…

by Paokens Keeper
on July 21, 2011
at 11:23 pm

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
No, I’m not kidding.


No new art or anything psychotic like that, but I’ve resized all the pages, redid all the dialogue/sound effects in the new fonts, and I reworked some of the dialogue. Nothing severe. That’s one thing I will never do, retcon things in the past to fit the future.


Mostly I just scrapped out some bad lines/wordy lines that weren’t needed. And edited a few jokes that either just sucked ass or were unclear.


Best example is here. Originally when Tom introed Sam, he said that he hated being called ‘Electrin’…which made no sense. I think Sam mentioned that he didn’t like the name once, then never again. That was really me expressing my distaste for it…so I scrapped it since it added exactly jack-crap to the comic.


I also cleaned up the exposition about Jalom a little. So that it makes a little more sense and doesn’t sound as convoluted.


So I hope you guys will forgive me for that. I’ve been working on it on and off for about two months (with some pretty big breaks in between). I plan to do this to every comic in the archives by November.


Why?


Because by November/December I’m planning on stepping down as the artist for The PKF, and I’m going to make a legitimate go at making this comic something successful. I kind of mentioned it in April. But I think I’ve officially decided that I don’t want to draw this anymore…all I’m doing is dragging it down.


And I want my old art to look as clean as possible.


So I’ve begun to hunt around for an artist who’d be willing to work in my price range…I’ve found a fair few, but I haven’t contacted them quite yet. But starting in September I’ll be switching back to two days a week for the comic while I round out the Night Jewel arc (it’s black and white…I think I can handle that…).


And while I’m finishing the NJ arc, I’ll be (hopefully) working with a new artist to pick up when Chapter Eight starts.


I originally wanted to start them ON the NJ arc, but I realized that if I did that I’d be picking them up for more than a year if I wanted to finish this book with them. And I don’t want to dedicate myself to that right now.


I’m still working out my plans, but the idea right now is to hire someone for one year. One year to make the comic something that pays for itself. One year to advertise, get links going, and start making money back.


I’ve only got a few thousand to spend on this, but I think that at two or three days a week, with an artist doing only the pencils/inks (I’ll color at first) I’ll be able to find someone.


Anyhow, I’ll talk more about it when I finish my business map of vague logic.


I hope you guys enjoy the weird little update for today…and thanks again for sticking with me.


-Peace

					

				

				

								

					
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Jul16

									
normal

								

						
Harry Potter, The Phenomenon

by Paokens Keeper
on July 16, 2011
at 12:39 am

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
Too all those who are wondering what I thought of the last Harry Potter Movie, I have to say it was a 7/10.


It was good, but not great. Then again, I felt that way about the final book.


So I guess that’s to be expected…


However, I’m not going to write about the last movie, there’s bound to be a myriad of blogs and reviews about that.


No, I’m going to take a moment and talk about the phenomenon that is Harry Potter.


Because the only way you can really think about a franchise like Potter is as a phenomenon.


Please note, that I won’t be censoring my thoughts for spoilers, but if you’ve read the books there won’t be any.


So…SPOILERS AHEAD!


I grew up with Harry Potter, as many of us did. The first book came out in 1997(8), he was eleven. I was Ten.


I read the first book two years after it’s release (I was a staunch advocate of ‘mature’ books when I was young, so I considered it a ‘baby’ book).


But I eventually relented and was hooked from there on out, devouring them as they were released.


I purchased the last book the day it came out (from Target, the ass behind the counter at Barns and Noble laughed when I asked about it and told me it was sold out everywhere, so I went next door (literally) and found a dozen).


But as I read it seemed to have lost it’s magic.


To me, the delight of Harry Potter was Hogwarts, his friends and the world.


It’s strange to say this (as I rarely admit to it), but I would write myself into the books along side Potter.


Did anyone else do that?


Not as Harry, mind you, but as a third friend. Ron, but blond and less scrawny.


There’s something psychological about being the side-kick in your own fantasies, I’m sure, but I did it.


I think that Harry Potter fed to the insecure, alone, middle schooler in all of us. We wanted to be told we were special, and that there was a place for us to belong.


So when the final book seemed to destroy so much of what I loved about Harry Potter, it was a little depressed.


I know there had to be a climatic battle, destruction.


But there wasn’t any wonderment in the book. No new knowledge, just death.


But it wasn’t the right death.


Harry needed to die, and he didn’t.


The death’s that occurred didn’t mean anything.


A world without Voldemort should have been a world without Harry.


The deaths were off screen (most of them) and were reported in a way that was anything but meaningful. Sure they ‘cried’, but you didn’t care (I didn’t in any case).


For me, the magic of the story had been lost. The deaths were words on a page.


I wish I could say that it was done that way by design, Rowling’s commentary on the futility of war.


But I don’t think it was. I think it was fear that saved Harry, and fear that killed everyone in the least heartfelt way possible.


Her fear that everyone would have hated her for killing Harry.


And I think that’s why, in the end, I can’t read the books now. I see their flaws. I see all the ways that it should have happened.


I see how vile Dumbledore was, a man afraid of himself, and struggling to hide everything from Harry. Patronizing and belittling, willing to sacrifice others for his own gains.


I see Snape as the truly tragic character he really was. Forgotten, alone, despised. Without a family, or even a friend. He was abandoned by Lilly, utterly, and for what? Because he hated James and lashed out at her?


And I see Harry as a lamb pulled back from the slaughter by the pointless sacrifice of others. Almost two dimensional, pulled along by fate and the machinations of others.


So I can’t put myself into the stories anymore. I can’t enjoy the books because I can’t get past what I hate about them.


But the magic was there and, I suppose, it still is. But to me the words on the page don’t come alive anymore. Diagon Alley is just cardboard and plaster, cold, with no real life.


I can’t see past the writing and read the story, as it were.


In any case, I’ve rambled too much. I’m glad to have seen the end of this story, because I saw the start of it. But I can’t go back to it, because the ending felt fake to me.


Forced down our throats because it’s what they think we wanted.


I hope you see the movie, if you’ve read the books. Even if you’re like me and haven’t seen any movies since the third (or fourth).


I hope you enjoyed them, and I hope they made you feel the sense of wonder and magic I felt when I first read them.


Because without Harry, my childhood would be vastly different.


-Peace


(And long live Longbottom, the true chosen one!)

					

				

				

								

					
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Jul14

										

						
Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro – Spoiler Free

by Paokens Keeper
on July 14, 2011
at 5:25 pm

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
Alright, first of all, both of these movies deserve a solid 9/10, maybe even a 10/10. Both are amazing in their own right, however, if you look at Fireflies as a ‘kids movie’ it just down right sucks.


Hell, it damn near bankrupted the company, for @#$%s sake.


I mean, it basically opens with the main character dieing (that’s not a spoiler since it happens TWO SECONDS into the opening), and I don’t mean ‘oop, you just died a hero, here’s how’…I mean he died surrounded by the bodies of other cast offs and homeless people in a subway station as others rush past him on their way to their own lives.


So, he out right @#$%ing dies.


Which is just depressing. Then the actual depressing stuff starts. Because it wasn’t bad enough already.


Essentially the story revolves around a brother and his sister who are orphaned during World War II, and it follows them as they struggle to survive the ravages of war.


I won’t go into too much story detail (you can get that anywhere, just Google ‘Grave of the Fireflies’) but it’s a lot less ‘Anti-USA’ than one would assume since it takes place in Japan as we’re bombing the hell out of them.


Not saying that they didn’t deserve it, they did kind of jump our asses when we weren’t looking.


But  compared to most war movies made by the people one the wrong end of an ass kicking, it’s not as ‘Damn you White Devils’ as one might expect.


In fact, it wasn’t even made overly clear who they were at war with (but why would they? It’s WWII, only an idiot wouldn’t know, or assume it was Germany or something).


The clearest picture you get from this movie is that war sucks, not just for the people fighting, but for the weak and helpless that are left behind and stuck in the middle of it.


There’s not a lot of levity in this film either, aside from some brief joy it’s more about the fleeting nature of life and happiness (a metaphor made perfect by the fireflies they capture).


This was a better ‘war movie’ than most I’ve seen and I’d love to show it as a companion piece to a war book in my own classroom when the time comes.


And the final scene is damn near heart wrenching. Seriously, as the new city is revealed I nearly cried…though the nature of it’s reveal is somewhat idiotic (I’m being purposely obtuse for the sake of not revealing something…).


HIGHLIGHT FOR SPOILERS:


The biggest problem I had was the inconsistent use of the brother’s ‘spirit’. After he died he rose again and was greeted by his dead sister, and they get on a train which I’m assuming is a metaphor for their journey home.


However, after that they’re almost forgotten until (for no reason) you see the spirit break down a start crying…for all of two seconds as he stands outside of where his sister died. Then it finally shows them standing on a mountain side fully fed and happy looking down at a modern city. But that’s it.


Now, if the spirit only shows up at the beginning and end I’d have been fine, but they threw in this WTF appearance of it in the middle. It was almost as if they didn’t trust us to realize who the spirit was, or that we’d forget about the spirit. Either way the random middle appearance really threw me for a loop.


But despite my minor complaints it was a great movie that I really enjoyed.


Oh, did I mention that it’s loosely based on true events…as in this dude’s family died and he had to watch his sister slowly wither away?


Because that screams ‘family fun’, right?


Good thing they paired it with My Neighbor Totoro.


My Neighbor Totoro was fantastic as well, and I don’t think I need to say much about it other than it’s the best done ‘slice of life’ film I’ve ever seen. Even the fantastic elements to the story were out-shined by the beauty and simplicity of the main characters.


And the whole thing felt so damn natural that you didn’t even question Totoro or Catbus.


A+ kids flick if I ever saw one.


But for god’s sake, don’t try to get a little kid to watch Grave of the Fireflies unless you want them to fall into a depression spiral. I mean really Ghibli, what the hell?


-Peace

					

				

				

								

					

								

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Jul08

									
normal

								

						
Laputa: Castle in the Sky – Spoiler Free

by Paokens Keeper
on July 8, 2011
at 1:00 am

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
So, I’ve started kind of watching the Studio Ghibli films, I’ve seen a few over the years, but I not too many. But I decided to watch them in order (chronological), so I figured that it might make a good series of blogs.


Because…well…I don’t really know what else to blog about and I know that I should (I’m told it helps my ranking on Google…).


Anyhoo…I already watched Nausicaä and I really enjoyed it. Seriously good flick, 9/10 and it had a pretty strong pro-nature vibe which I appreciated that as overt as it was it wasn’t exactly shoved down your throat and it had Patrick Stewart, and he makes anything better.


But it’s been about three weeks and I’m not going to try to give some blow by blow of it.


So, on to Laputa!


First of all, it’s a solid movie too. I didn’t like it as much as Nausicaa, but I think that’s because Nausicaa was a total bad ass and I have a thing for strong female protagonists. Sheeta wasn’t a bad hero, per-say, but she wasn’t exactly in the mix…she was more content to kind of drift toward her end goal while being tugged along by Pazu, the male protagonist, and primary hero.


For the most part I really liked the premise, the whole world had become infatuated with airships and the sky, so they took to the air in giant floating cities…that, obviously, started to fight with each other. The one that was left after all shit broke loose was Laputa, which was abandoned by everyone but a few dozen robots that like to tend the grounds (cute cameo by Nausicaa’s pet fox-squirrel), and, when provoked, murder the hell out of intruders.


Personally I thought that the Pirates made this movie…they were easily the most interesting part and they had some of the best lines. Hell, I’d go so far as to say that without them I don’t think I’d have even liked the movie.


Which is weird since Nausicaa was really the only character I could remember and she was really all you needed. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there were some great characters…but for the most part it was just her dealing with the various issues.


When it’s all said and done, I’d say that it deserves a 7 or 8 out of ten…so I’d hit watch it if you get the chance.


Final verdict: 

8/10


More reviews next week sometime…I’m watching a twofer, Grave of the Fireflies and My Neighbor Totoro. Because one is, apparently adorable, and one’s so depressing it almost bankrupted the company.


-Peace!

					

				

				

								

					
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Jul01

									
Sad

								

						
The Director

by Paokens Keeper
on July 1, 2011
at 11:55 am

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
First of all, sorry for my radio silence…I’m still working out what I want to do with this whole comic thing. I’ll talk about it more later, but for right now we’re getting close to the end of this chapter…this long, long, long chapter.


Haha! That’s the problem with only four or five pages a month…everything moves at a snail’s pace. Thanks for being patient though, I appreciate that.


Anyhow, onto this update…so…you know, spoilers.


No, seriously, if you haven’t read this month’s update, WALK AWAY.


NOW!!


Alright…now that they’re gone.


Sam’s dead.


Let me just come out and say that. He’s dead. This has been planned for a huge amount of time and the way he died was decided before this book even began. Hell, there was even a line in Part Five of Lost Time where Sam says that the only way he was going to die is if ‘some psycho got the better of him and stabbed him to death’.


I mean, I nixed it, I felt it was too wordy/telling. But it was there…I might have to find the line in an old draft.


But Sam’s dead, and it was a good death.


He fought off, arguably, the toughest enemy they’ve faced so far.


And his fall off the roof was, by far, the best bit of sequential art I’ve produced.


And you won’t know it for a long, long while, but he’s going to save the world.


Well…not him. He’s dead. But his death is a catalyst for pretty much everything that happens from here on out. Tom’s going to…well…best not spoil it.


Also, just to get it out of the way, he’s not coming back. This isn’t Dragon Ball Z or Marvel/DC comics where death has no meaning and the heroes will, at some point, rise again to take up their shield and defend the Earth once more.


Now…that’s not to say that Death is the end of all things. I mean, look at the Reapers. They’re dead as hell and they’re still kicking around. But they also don’t interact with people that much. So Sam won’t be returning to the main PKF storyline…but who knows what the future holds for our illustrious hero? Maybe we’ll see him in Hunter. Or a story of his own.


Or maybe I’m just trying to make you feel better that I just killed one of the main cast.


Either way, he’s dead and won’t be getting better.


But it was one hell of a death, wasn’t it?


Now then…The Director. You know…I conceived him as a throw-away asshole (beware, book one link…ugh…bad art). I mean, the ZPF was originally going to be some half-assed organization that constantly needed The PKF to save them. And he wasn’t even a total asshole, just a jerk. He tries to make Adjana be NICE for God’s sake.


But here he is. Being a total, and complete, asshole. To an almost cartoonish level. I mean really, no one is this effing heartless.


SO…I’ve decided that it’s about time for me to explain why he’s such an asshole. And let’s just say that ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ isn’t in reference to Temtra. The Director hates Jenny, with passion that has allowed him to treat her son, and everyone associated with him like shit.


Book Two, Chapter Eight’s ending will…clear up everything. So if you’re starting to hate this old bastard try to hold out. I mean, he has lost someone he cares about (Pro tip: She’s younger than him, and is following in his footsteps).


Also, it has something to do with the ‘New York Incident‘. And Eugene already knew about it.




Anyhow, I’ll be back to check in later. I really need to get into the habit of reviewing books and movies. When I finally install Google ad words I’ll need something to give it reference to, right?


-Peace








					

				

				

								

					
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Apr17

									
normal

								

						
Looking Ahead…

by Paokens Keeper
on April 17, 2011
at 2:25 am

Posted In: Blog

					

				

				

				

					
Basically, I’ve come to the realization that I either have to make The PKF into something successful (read, updating 3x a week, and paying for itself) or I need to scale back all together and update on a purely ‘when I feel like it’ basis.


Don’t worry, it’s not some ultimatum or some such bull. It’s just that I graduate in less than a month and the reason for the comics existence (free time) is now fading slowly away.


And one day a week updates are bull shit. You know it, I know it, and this ‘sequence’ thing is only a way to lessen the blow.


So I’ve decided. Starting September (when I either get a full time job teaching, or start subbing full time) I’m going to get a colorist. Someone that can lessen the burden of The PKF…so that I can try to get back to two days a week at least.


But I also recognize that The PKF isn’t all that special visually (well…the art design of the characters, I’m still the best special effects I’ve seen on a comic…which isn’t a GREAT thing, haha!).


So I’ve slowly been trying to update the feel of the comic. I’ve started figure drawing on a regular basis, I’ve begun to shift away from the crappy things I don’t like about my art already (flounder faces, overly similar eyes, etc…). But I feel like the comic is due for an overhaul. So that’s what I’ve been working on.


But you won’t see this go live until after this arc (which is due to end sometime this summer), at which point a Night Jewel arc begins. I don’t want to redo everything mid-stride, so you’ll likely see sketches of this style show up.


Ultimately I realize that I’ll never make decent cash doing this, but I don’t really care. But I can’t sink money into a hole, either. So I’ve decided: One year. One year to try and make the comic something great. One year to build a following, pick up an artist (at least a colorist), and to start breaking even.


One more year starting in September. Then, if the comic doesn’t succeed (read: not hemorrhage money) I’m going to reevaluate my dedication to it.


Because after I do everything I’m planning and the comic STILL isn’t floating…then the comic just isn’t that good. Which I don’t believe.


So starting September I’m setting a budget (a decent one…like…a month and a half of pay), and I’m going to hit the ground running. And if it runs me off a cliff then I took a chance and failed…but it’s better to take that chance than sit here and wonder why the comic isn’t successful when I haven’t tried shit different. I’ve always said I’ve loved this quote:


Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. – Albert Einstein


And now it’s time to actually live by it.


So let’s change it up.


-Peace

					

				

				

								

					

								

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