Going Black

So, within the next couple of hours, Dim Bulb Comics will be blinking off. I'm switching domain name registrars and because of it, dimbulbcomics.com will be MIA for about 42 days. This sucks, but it's a necessary evil.

Besides, it's not like there are any comics coming through here these days.

My Evil Plan to Save the World!

FYI, I've almost finished penciling the first comic of the My Friend Sylar mini-series.

"But Adam...you started that, like, three weeks ago!"

Shut up and die.

In other news, it would appear that El Grillo del Caos took me seriously about my fear of losing my old schedule days, because there hasn't been a new comic since. In fact, it would appear that I've scared him away from all the other days, too.

He is a cautious one.

I am curious where the all-purpose sauce thing is going. I mean, that's a pretty deep mine, if you dig it right. Should be fun.

Ok, Not THAT Alive...

I don't know what's up with the lack of comics. I do know that I am consistently thwarted in my attempts to make with the comicking, but that only covers my side. Yesterday, for instance, I was trying to draw in chapel, it's what I always do, when one of the student gestapo made me put it away. Apparently, as a staff member, I do not have immunity to certain rules. It's unfortunate that I am largely unable to focus my attention without the ability to draw in chapel, as well.

I know, having a distraction so that I can pay attention sounds counterintuitive, but it works for me. If Aaron was there, bouncing him around and such to keep him quiet would also work, but he doesn't go to college here.

You know, because he's a baby.

I'm sure that the attention thing signifies something, but your guess is as good as mine as to what. The common suspect is ADD in most cases, but I don't completely fit that profile. I think it has to do, partially at least, with TV training. The scene doesn't change often enough in classes and such for me to maintain strict attention. The thing is, it doesn't bother me that I can't give 100% attention. I LIKE drawing while listening. The product of the drawing time usually helps anchor the thing learned until it sticks in more permanent storage. And, of course, it's nice to have something drawn.

This time, however, it turned out that I didn't need to draw to pay attention. It seems that mild embarrassment and frustration make a decent substitute.

Just not as productive a one.

IT'S ALIVE!

Well, if Cricket can refrain from breaking it again, everything should be smooth sailing at Dim Bulb from here on out.

That's asking a lot, though...

Where in the World is Cricket Sandiego?

So, supposedly the Cricket of Chaos has returned to his humble abode. Of course, this has not alleviated our site problems and, honestly, I'm not entirely convinced there's anything he can do about it. I have a request in for someone at CG to fix it...again, but since I put that in over a week ago, I decided to try uploading all the comics (save the latest one that no one has seen but Cricket and, presumably, Mrs. Cricket) and having them overwrite the broken ones.

It didn't work.

So, I guess, for now, we wait.

Gah! Cricket, you killed it again!

I wasn't sure it was you before, but something in your FTP program's settings made all the comics disappear like it did after you uploaded the sketch before. It's somehow set to make them only viewable to certain people, who I am not one of. Nor is anyone else. Maybe you. I'm not sure.

Anxiety...ATTACK!

I've been having a bit of anxiety where the site is concerned. Obviously, my level of involvement here over the last year has been less than...much. I've had numerous false starts on comics and I've even planned a redesign on the site that didn't happen. That last one is partially my fault and partially the fault of the people who make the irrational policies on our email at work. It's ok to keep a viewed email forever (so long as you don't exceed your inbox capacity), but unread emails have a shelf-life of 30 days, no more. The sketched version disappeared (I emailed it to myself so I could work on it at home), so I have nothing to go off of and I don't have any ideas for what to do with it.

Then there's the new comic idea...which is an older comic idea that's jumped back to the front. I have it more fleshed out than I did in the past, which is good...helps make comicking easier. Unfortunately, every time I start to draw, I...well, I don't. It has been suggested that my passion for drawing has been replaced by my passion for fatherhood, which in and of itself is not a bad thing (I do want to be a good dad), but since drawing was my outlet for frustration and creative impulse...well, not having that may end up being difficult on me later. I don't know how this works.

And there you have it. I'm freaking out because I'm not drawing, but I'm not drawing because, other than in the theoretical sense, I don't care to. I mean, even in times when Aaron isn't around and I might normally draw, I don't. What's THAT all about? Hopefully, this will resolve itself. I'll discover that mostly my inability to make myself draw was a byproduct of sleep-deprivation or something. But if it doesn't, that may mean fatherhood has changed me to an extent I wasn't prepared for, and that scares me.

Who am I, now?

Late, late, late.

There is no comic, currently. CG seems to be experiencing Technical Difficulties. As I cannot find a strip in the queue, I don't know if that means that yon Cricket has done one and it is waiting to be updated or if he is the King of all Slackers.

My money is on "B".

Bearing Gifts

Well, as I have the ability to do things unilaterally and have no fear of repurcussions (what can Cricket do to me from Virginia, huh?), I've decided to crack open the vault, so to speak. Back in the day, when we were young, naive, and a great deal more likely to do things beyond the comicking for kicks, we had a series of gift offerings for those who would jump through certain hoops to get exclusive content. This lasted about four months before we decided that doing comics was quite enough effort. Also, we were doing it for MAYBE three people.

Now, years have passed, Cricket's got several hundred more strips under his belt (plus the whole engagement thing, let's not forget that), and I've all but quit comicking entirely (though I promise to come back regularly...I've just not made good on that, yet), I've decided to redefine what exclusive meant, back in the day. So, here they are...links to stuff that I think is worth making available to the general public: September, October, November and December. Enjoy!

Also...

I am not, at present, prepared to make a statement concerning Cricket's latest announcement. I will, in time. You can expect it to appear above the blogs in the space usually reserved for comics.

You! Yeah, You! Get Out of Here!

ComicGenesis! Your days are numbered.


At least, as far as this comic's address is concerned. You see, we've had the dimbulbcomics.com domain for...what? Three years? Maybe longer, I don't remember now. Anyway, though it's been an option for about a year now, we're dropping the comicgenesis from the address for good. We aren't going anywhere, mind you, just simplifying the address.

And also forcing you to use it, since we're paying for it and all.

Anyway, update your bookmarks and links and also your bacon. Dim Bulb Comics is now found at WWW.DIMBULBCOMICS.COM and only there.

Good to Go...

No, you Taco Bell freaks can't eat it! I mean, dimbulbcomics.com is good for another year, so you lazy bums don't have to type in the epic dimbulbcomics.comicgenesis.com. We took care of that for you! Appreciate it!


I SAID APPRECIATE IT!!!!

Coming Soon(er or Later)...

Yeah, so that comic I've been working on...I don't know what's up with that. In the conceptual phase I was all gung-ho about it. "Yay, superheroes!" and all. Thing is, I lost steam. I realized that, while I had a concept, I didn't really know how to get from A to Z. Some of that is actually due to memory. I was counting on remembering some of the ideas I'd had from the first version of the comic I'd come up with B.K. (before Keenspace). Some of that was crap, but the backstory for Widow, especially, was some good stuff. I can still remember bits of it, but that's not enough. Plus, I think I took too long getting it actually going. I wasn't at a place in life that was conducive to starting a whole new work and I recognize that now. I AM however in that place now, I think. Only time will tell for sure, but I've already gotten the first page of a new comic mostly drawn and I plan to have it scanned and such very soon.

Don't get your hopes up, though, I don't plan on debuting it until August. Ze Cricket will get a preview, because I plan on uploading pages as I finish them, but next month is going to be busy for me (my niece, daughter of my sister-in-law, will be staying with us for a couple weeks, then we'll be in Idaho for a couple after that) and I don't want to start the project with a string of missed updates. However, this project is at the same time something new that I'm interested in and a steam-builder. I do intend to get that superhero comic going. I just need to be able to be in a place where everything is flowing in that direction, which it isn't right now. Something else caught my eye.

No, I won't be posting previews. I've only got a couple VERY rough sketches besides the first page, and I'm not letting those hit daylight. I'm kind of doing this on the fly, designing characters on the page (which I couldn't do with superheroes). I think it'll be cool. It's like nothing I've ever done before. And I plan on it being short, for me.

That means I hope I'll be done with it before my (unborn) child is in kindergarten.

The Falling Axe and The Drowned Rat

Those of you who follow such things may've noticed the absence of two of the comics I'd linked previously on my sidebar. One, No Room For Magic, was in danger last time I mentioned this and has since run out my patience.

So, *poof*.

The other, Hopscotch, was moving so painfully slow BEFORE Levi decided to put it on indefinite hiatus that I decided, "Screw it" and dropped it, too.

If you know of a comic that you think I'd like, based on what I have on the sidebar, go ahead and leave the address in my comments. I'll check it out and, should it fit my tastes, I'll give it a link. Don't feel slighted if I don't link it, though. I'm rather particular about what I link, moreso at some times than others, mind, but still...

Who Broke the Chuck?

Seriously? I mean, here it is, 3:16pm on Friday and we don't even have the sketches he promised on Wednesday! I say we string 'im up! Who's with me?

Also, The Office season finale was really good. A little more soap opera-ish and a little less funny, but still good tv.

Admissions

First of all, Happy Cinco de Mayo. This is a stupid, stupid holiday, as far as I'm concerned, but people celebrate it and so those of you who do, enjoy.

...Perhaps I should elaborate on WHY I think it's stupid. I'll start by reminding you, I have more Mexican heritage than anything else, so it's not like its a racial thing. No, in fact, until this morning, I thought it was an interesting day. However, that was based on bad information. Though I have a lot of Mexican blood, my family (on that side) is very Americanized, so I know very little about it. What I found out is that Cinco de Mayo is NOT the equivalent of the 4th of July...it's a celebration of the Mexicans defeating the French in the Battle of Puebla.

Beating the French is not worthy of a holiday. That's like awarding money to someone for beating a two year old in a cage match.

Second...I love The Office. Yes, I know it's not like I'm the first to say so. The thing is, at first, I wasn't interested at all. It didn't look that great and it's an adaptation of a British comedy. How many of THOSE have been good? What's that? Almost none? Indeed. In fact, I missed the entire first season (all 6 episodes), and the first episode I saw of the second season was the Halloween episode. At that point, I decided I didn't like it because the only actor in the show I was familiar with (Steve Carell) played an obnoxious boss who tried to be cool but came off as just pathetic. The little shot at the end of the episode of him home alone as the kids came over trick-or-treating was just entirely too sad.

And not in the "I feel for you" way.

In the "Wow. Loser" way.

Anyway, since it comes on right after "My Name is Earl" and right before "ER" (I feel obligated to watch ER because...I always have...it's there and I feel compelled to come back to it. Actually, since its not focusing so much on the ER as it is the Darfur stuff, I'm rather enjoying the show lately) , I kinda caught it a time or two after it by accident.

Then it hit me. This show is genius. I just needed some exposure for the characters to grow on me. Dwight's line from the drug test episode "It has to be official and it has to be urine"...dude. Dwight has to be the best villain on tv because he's evil the way so many real people are evil. He's so wrapped up in himself that he's...dude. And...I hate to admit it, but I'm totally wrapped up in the near-romance between Jim and Pam. I blame comic books for hooking me on serial things, and my wife for making me understand romance, so once I began to care about these people (because the show is well-written enough that you care about the characters) and every time it takes a turn for the worse, I find myself thinking "Aw...poor Jim." Plus, the episode last night where they listed off a few of the pranks he'd pulled on Dwight...I'll tell you what, just the thought of them...I had to exercise a great deal of restraint not to try one of them out today. Not really the kind of environment where that'd work, here. Anyway, the problem with the Jim/Pam thing is that I want to feel bad for Pam's fiance. I mean, he must care for her. It's just obvious that Jim does so much more. At least, while she's unavailable.

In other news, I'm such a girl.

Anyway, after seeing a few more episodes, I've decided that, yes, Michael is a loser. However, he's also so pathetic it's funny. I really like that show. That, of course, means that by some freak event, it won't be back next season, even if it IS supposed to.

Third, it would appear that my links have claimed another victim. Reasoned Cognition is on hiatus until the 15th. Or so he says. I'm not saying he's lying. I'm just saying that my links are very powerful. In a negative way.

State of the Links

It's funny, that little column of linkage down the right-hand side of the blog 'neath my pseudo-self-portrait. Of course, I put Dim Bulb in there first because, frankly, I don't want someone reading my blog without the possibility of them clicking over to see some comicky goodness. Even if I'm hardly involved at all anymore. Remember, that's just a temporary thing, anyway.

Next, is the Google News link. I'm not even sure why it's there. It was there when I started the blog, and I guess I just left it. Why? I don't know. Maybe you want to read some news...how should I know?

The next one is where things start falling apart. It seems that when I link a comic, the liklihood of it updating ever again go down at an alarming rate. Pointless hasn't updated since the end of March, which isn't actually that bad, considering. However, Derenge's been spotty with updates throughout his run. Star Bored hasn't updated since the middle of February, though he backdated the last page to the day after its predecessor. Bob does things like that. Following that is Reasoned Cognition. We've had a link to RC for a long time, but since the link moved to the blog, Ryan's had numerous health issues and other things popping up that've messed with his update schedule. Cigarro & Cerveja's actually started updating at a regular pace within the last month or two. Once a week, but regular nonetheless. Darken is going strong. Hooray, Komi. Inverloch has also been going well, though it's not been without it's rough periods for updates. However, recent history has been very good (only one missed update this year, I believe). Schlock Mercenary has never missed an update. Ever. It is the shining beacon of hope in an otherwise dismal link bar. Count Your Sheep has been semi regular and hasn't gone through a week without updating in quite a while either. Adis has made me happy, there. Hopscotch would really have about 3 times as many pages if Levi just updated once a week. But his art is pretty, so what do you want? No Room For Magic is in danger of disappearing entirely...or at least its link is in relation to this blog. Adis started this wonderful project once before and, after getting overwhelmed by too many projects (other than CYS), handed the art chores over to another artist. Fortunately, the replacement was able to carry on the art in a way that had a similar feel to it. Then, the project languished for a year or more. After almost all hope was lost, Adis revived it, once again drawing Magic and her odd little world. This is good yes? Yes, it WAS. Now, he's once again handed the reins to another artist, but this time the difference between the two is jarring. Not to mention that 10 out of the 15 panels that have made up the comic since the change were EXACTLY THE SAME DRAWING WITH THE FACIAL EXPRESSIONS SLIGHTLY ALTERED OR A HAND MOVED. Cut and paste is one thing, but this is bloody excessive. Ugh... I'll give it a couple more updates. For the rest, Starslip Crisis is consistently updating weekdays, 10k Commotion updates almost never, but it's always nice when it does, Sam & Max is slow going and not nearly as funny as I remember Sam & Max being, Reckless Youth is digital goodness, even if the next month will be slow going (I can't help but love Claude's style), and I don't know when The Menagerie updated last, so I don't know when it's been too long since an update. I'll have to find out what Jops is up to. I skipped The Archive because even if it didn't update regularly, it's a resource more than entertainment. If you want to track down where some character has popped up (or even some artist...it lists where I showed up in The Menagerie and Legostar Galactica). Oh, and I just added Legostar Galactica, so it gets a free pass on not updating for...one week (I'm feeling generous), though I doubt Dusan will need it.

So, tallying that up, we have:

5 comics not updating
9 comics currenly updating regularly (one of those in danger of getting the axe)
and 1 comic that was at least regular before I linked it

I'm not saying this is proof that I'm the kiss of death to a comic when I link it. Linkage from me is more like an albatross, hung about the neck...that occassionally also gives the recipient the bird flu. And SARS. And maybe chicken pox, just to be sure.

Hoping for Red 5

Man, yesterday was crazy. I had another one of those getting-up-every-five-minutes-to-blow-my-nose days. On the other hand, some good stuff happened between rounds with the tissue (or paper towels...whichever was closer). Also, watched Good Night and Good Luck. Dude. Awesome movie. Very static, but man... With as much of it being regular news footage, they still managed to make the characters have some weight to them. Man, I have a general rule against based-on-a-true-story movies, but this one is really good.

Also, I took a look at The Guide and saw that we're on Page 4 of the by page views list. That's HUGE for us. We'd previously peaked around the middle of Page 5, so this is great! We're actually two below Star Bored, which is rather spectacular. So, thanks to all of the people out there who've been coming back. Obviously, the way for Dim Bulb to succeed is for me to quit forever.

Hmm...maybe I won't quit, anyway. Sorry.

Timing and such...

It strikes me as a bit odd that, though the movie came out in theaters a while back, and Ze Cricket saw the movie in it's full glory, that he didn't do the King Kong strip until after I'd seen it.

I mean, it seems especially odd given that we haven't spoken in a while other than posting on the blog things. Either A) he's secretly NOT in Virginia and is instead stalking me (in which case...DUDE we can just hang out!) or B) reality is like The Truman Show, in which case I can only assume that he was forced to move so as to keep him from revealing that it's all fake.

This does, in fact, mean I've ruled out coincidence because...well...I hate plausible answers.

Splitting the difference...

Cricket's making this tough on me. This only works if I'm the unreliable one! Anyway, I put up a sketch on Vapor Lock's site, one which'll be up on the Dim Bulb main site on Thursday. I was going to put it up on Tuesday, as I often do, but Cricket's colored drawing deserved some airtime, so...there you go. So as not to leave it unseen, I decided to put it up on VL for today and DBC tomorrow. The sketches, as you may have noticed, have gotten less and less detailed. That would be because I'm busy scripting right now.

One step closer, baby!