ComixTribe

• Hard to believe it’s been half a year since ComixTribe launched already.  Where does the time go?

• ComixTribe continues to slowly grow in terms of both traffic and reputation.  The Proving Grounds continues to get rave reviews, as it should, for providing a genuine service to comic writers not found elsewhere.  I think we’re meeting our mission statement, and I’m excited about some of the articles, interviews, and features we have in the pipeline.  Good stuff coming!

• We’ve added a great asset to the ‘Tribe in the form of writer John Lees.  His reviews of independent comics in the Creator Owned Zone are some of the most thoughtful and constructive on the internet.  John has been a tireless supporter of ComixTribe, and we’re thrilled to have his contributions to the site.

• And speaking of John, we’re excited to have launched The Standard #1 under the ComixTribe banner. The Standard is a project John’s poured a lot of blood, sweat and tears into over the past few years, under the editorial guidance of Steven Forbes.  It was a no brainer for us to want to bring John into the ComixTribe fold from a publishing standpoint. And with strong reviews like this and this and this, it was clearly a smart move on our part!  Keep tabs with all things The Standard at it’s official blog, and if you haven’t read issue #1 yet, you can do so right here, thanks to Graphic.ly:

• And speaking of, we’re very excited about the strong work being done over at Graphic.ly, and are thrilled with their revamped publisher pages.  If you haven’t checked out the new and improved ComixTribe publishers page at Graphic.ly, please check it out.  We have a catalog of 10 titles and counting, with more to come soon.

 

Tears of the Dragon

• Tears of the Dragon – Volume 1 is now on sale at Amazon.com.  (Getting a book on Amazon, the world’s largest book seller, is a bit of a milestone.  check that one off!)

• The stories that comprise volume one have been split up and sold in issue form via a number of distribution channels.  In particular, I find the Graphic.ly panel to panel transition mode to be a great way to experience the story.  (Especially on the iPad.)  I’ll share those here:

 

• On the webcomic side, we’ve finished posting the second chapter, Torvuld’s Plight, at TOTDcomic.com earlier this month.  We’re currently on hiatus until August 1, when Chapter 3: The Assassin, begins.  In some regards, this chapter is where the story really begins, and everything previous, merely a preamble.  We open with a huge battle scene, introduce a number of colorful new characters, and meet Princess Yordania, age 19.  If you’ve been a TOTD fan from the beginning, things start paying off this August.

EPIC

• EPIC production continues, though not at the pace Matt or I would ideally like.  Unfortunately, life has a way of interfering with making comics.  Matt and I (and the rest of the incredible creative team) are firmly committed to the project, it’s just taking longer than expected.  Right now, we’re about 40% done with the first bonus-sized 32 page first issue.  Trust us, though…it’ll be worth the wait.

• In the meantime, however, I’m pleased to report that the EPIC/Dynagirl Free Comic Book Day digital offering we put out across a number of platforms has been viewed or downloaded by more than 7,500 people and counting.  If you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favor and enjoy:

The Red Ten

• The Red Ten #1 production is well-underway.  Cesar Feliciano is a good seven pages in on pencils, and is producing strong work.  Cesar’s pal Jimmy Tournas is inking this project, and we’re expecting inked pages to start coming in shortly.  I’ve been doing some preliminary lettering tests, to establish a style and template for the series.  All in all, things are looking good.

• The Red Ten is an ambitious project.  It’s a 10-issue mini-series, a murder mystery, with a large cast of characters.  (Of course, that cast gets cut down one by one with each issue…)  Still, it’s a large ensemble, and juggling all of the characters has been a challenge.  The series is plotted out in broad strokes, and I recently completed the script on issue #2.  My goal is to have at least the first three issues scripted by the time Cesar finishes pencils on issue #1.

• Readers will be able to get their first taste of The Red Ten at this year’s ComiCONN in August, where we’ll be debuting a sketch cover ashcan preview of issue #1.  Cesar and I actually met at ComiCONN last year, and this year we will be tabling next to each other.  It only seemed fitting we debut this collaborative project at the second annual show.

Conventions & Appearances

• This summer convention schedule is actually quite light, as I’m spending the bulk of the summer focusing on producing new material, rather than selling it.
• Unfortunately, I will not be going to the Baltimore Comic Con this year.  While I love the Baltimore show, and Baltimore area fans have been great to me in past years, I just could not justify it this year.  That said, I plan on making a big return to the BCC in 2012.
• I may try to do a local event or in-store appearance this summer…still working out the details.
• As for the conventions I will be attending, here’s how the rest of the year looks:

August 27, 2011
ComiCONN, New Stamford, CT
September 10, 2011
“Faster than a Speeding Bullet: An Exploration of Funnies, Superheroes and Comic Book Art”, Stamford, CT
September 17-18, 2011
New England Comic Con, Boston, MA
October 14-16, 2011
New York Comic Con, New York, NY

And that’ll about do it for the comics update.  Believe it or not, this is only a fraction of what I have going on in life as a whole.  Crazy times, but crazy in a good way.  Thanks for checking in!

Great news!

Tears of the Dragon – Volume 1 is now available for pre-order!  This is the first landscape format print collection of TOTD, containing the first two chapters of the fantasy epic.

I’m running a special Pre-Order Campaign between now and May 15, 2011, with a number of great incentives for readers who choose to support the campaign.  This book has been a labor of love, and I’m really excited to be releasing this new volume.

Pre-order now and receive:

- FREE Shipping!*

- Artist Edition Upgrade! Original sketch in the book by series creator Tyler James!

- Free Bonus Digital PDF Copy !

Pre-ordered books will ship 5/15/11.

US/Canada – $14.99 (Includes Shipping!)

International – $14.99 (+$5 Shipping)

About Tears of the Dragon

To entertain his grandchildren while on a pilgrimage, a well-traveled Old Man spins a grand tale of swords and sorcery, dragons and demons, revenge, regret and redemption, and above all…love. His story begins with a young nobleman with eyes on the crown. To prove his valor, the would-be king sets out to slay a dragon, earning the undying wrath of the mighty Sythic.

Volume I collects the first two chapters of the Tears of the Dragon saga!

Writer – Tyler James

Artist – Koko Amboro

Color Artists - Paul Little, Miguel Marques, Evan Surya Nugraha

56 pages, Full Color

Contains Mild-Fantasy Violence.  Appropriate for pre-teen and up.

8.5″ x 6″ Perfect Bound Trade

www.totdcomic.com

* Free shipping to US/CA. Add $5 international orders.

Tyler James Comics has partnered with brand spanking new mobile comics publisher Oxicomics to distribute a selection of books in a format tailor made for the iPhone, and sold through the App Store.

Tears of the Dragon #1 is now available for purchase, one of the inaugural handful of comics released during Oxicomics soft-launch kick-off.  (In fact, Oxicomics has been using Tears images in the promotional images of their new app…which is fine by me!)

TOTD #1 is on sale for just $0.99 at the app store, and can be found easily by searching either “Tears of the Dragon” or “Oxicomics” or simply by following THIS LINK.

Also available FOR FREE is Tyler James Comics Presents…Vol. 1.  Yup, that’s right.  FREE!  So, please, download and let me know what you think!

In the coming weeks and months, I’ll be adding new titles to the Oxicomics Catalogue, including Tears of the Dragon #2 and the complete OVER series, with all new, mobile-only covers.

One of my biggest goals of this year was to get my comics on the iPhone and iPad.  Partnering with Oxicomics, a new kid on the block whose comics reader rivals the best apps out there, made a lot of sense, and it will hopefully be a win-win for both of us.  Though I’ve been drooling over the iPhone for a long time, I refused to allow myself to purchase one until I was selling comics through it.

Well, looks like I’ll be hitting the Apple store, soon!

AVAILABLE NOW AT OXICOMICS

Mark your calendars, boys and girls…Tears of the Dragon returns March 22!

Chapter 2: Torvuld’s Plight will continue the fantasy epic that began last July.  They say heavy is the head of he who wears the crown, and it’s never been truer.  The early days of Torvuld’s reign should have been joyous…a beautiful wife, a strong daughter, a kingdom in peace.  Yet sinister forces are at play, hellbent on his destruction.

Tears of the Dragon is an epic fantasy webcomic written by Tyler James, with art by Koko Amboro.

Read Tears of the Dragon Chapter 1: To Become King in it’s entirety online here, purchase the standard edition of Chapter 1 from Indy Planet, or get a limited Artist’s Edition version here.

Now available for purchase is the Artist’s Edition of Tears of the Dragon – Book One: To Become King.  These are exclusive collectors items,  each featuring an original, one-of-a-kind “Dragon” sketch cover drawn by me.  I’m only making 100 of these books…ever!  I expect them to move pretty quickly during con season, which starts for me in April with the Boston Comic Con.  This book with be debuting in Boston, and I expect the TOTD- Artist’s Editions to sell very well.  I’m making them available for purchase online for those of you who won’t be able to get to the show.

These books feature the full color first chapter of the Tears of the Dragon saga, written by me and drawn by the incredible Koko Amboro.  Artist’s Editions feature a cardstock cover with a penciled, inked and marker toned original dragon sketch, that I’m having a blast drawing.  The back cover features the brilliant image featured on the standard edition cover.

These books are priced to move at just $15 + shipping.  It’s been added to my online store and you can order directly by clicking the link below.

Also available is the standard edition of Tears of the Dragon Book 1: To Become King.  Order a copy from my friends at Indy Planet!

Wow, it’s been a long while since I’ve done a projects update. Guess that means I’m busy, huh? Let’s dive right into it, shall we?

The 30 Characters Challenge

• We’re sitting here on day 24 of the challenge to create a new character each day for 30 days. Though we’ve still a week to go, I have to call the challenge a resounding success. Hundreds of new characters have been created and some of the artwork has been simply astounding. If you haven’t checked it out, what the hell are you waiting for? Click here immediately!

• I am looking forward to the completion of the challenge, however, because, low and behold, it IS a challenge… and I haven’t even been cranking out top caliber artwork like some of the creators. But it’s done exactly what I hoped it would…encourage experimentation and creativity. (Case in point, Jot and Nub here.)

Over

• Over soldiers on. My first foray into online graphic novels continues to pay dividends. Slowly but surely, I’m adding readers and am always surprised to find how many people are digging my story. It’s been a quality experience for me and I’m learning a lot committing to the story and delivering it consistently. Glad people are enjoying it as well.
• That being said, Over will be taking it’s longest break of it’s run shortly. I don’t want to post throughout the Christmas holiday, because let’s face it, people have better things to do than read my comic. And I also want to break on a good stopping point…luckily, I have that stopping point, but it will probably be the second week in December that we pause our update schedule until the new year. The good thing about this is that it will allow me to build my buffer again. And the pages that will start the new year…they’re some of the funniest stuff in the entire book. It’ll start the new year with a bang.
• I’m starting to do some prep work and research into printing costs for the Over graphic novel. My goal is to have the book ready for the New York Comic Con. We’ll see if I can make that happen.

Tears of the Dragon

• I want to finish chapter 1 starting mid-december, and have been coloring the new pages myself. I will probably need to pull on a new color artist to make it happen, and will be looking for one over the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Received some dazzling new pages from Koko Amboro over the weekend. I love his art and I love this book. Hope you all do too.
• If you haven’t read any Tears yet, you can read the first 10 pages with a killer cliffhanger (literally) here.

Colosseum X

• Colosseum X will be my next (and final?) Zuda Comics submission. The script is written and it’s gotten positive feedback from a number of creators, which is great. I’ve delivered it to the artist and co-creator I’m working with, local talent Erique Savory, Jr. He’s been working on concept sketches for characters (there are a TON of characters), and I have too. This is a “go big or go home,” ambitious as hell project. If done right, it could be really huge. So, I guess we better do it right.

Creating Comics! @ Comic Related

• You’ve been reading my articles, haven’t you? If not, here’s the archive. I’m 27 articles in.
• I continue to get a lot of positive comments and feedback from people who tell me the articles are helpful. That means a lot, as do the retweets whenever I tweet a link to my latest column. Thanks guys!
• Haven’t announced it over there yet, but next week’s column will be my final column for 2009. No, it’s not that I’ve run out of things to say…it’s more that I have some other things that I need to direct some effort into that will also help the larger comics community, and I need the writing time to do it. So fear not. If people have found my articles useful this year, just wait until 2010…I’ve got some BIG ideas I want to implement that I think will be a serious help to a lot of creators.

Other Stuff

• TylerJamesComics.com will be getting a total facelift. I hope to unveil a brandnew personal webpage in time for the new year. Blogger has been a great home for the past two years, but it’s time I stepped up my presentation to the world at large. I want a clearer, more professional site that showcases my comics, links more clearly to all of my work, highlights the colloboraters I work with, and has an appealing storefront for me to sell my wares.
• Several projects are still sitting on the backshelf, including Super Seed, ICE, CounterTerror, and a very cool horror/sci-fi/mythology series tentatively titled “The Box” (although probably gonna have to change it since there’s currently a big budget movie out with the same name.) If I had unlimited time and money, I’d be working on them all. Since I have neither, I’m just trying to pace myself. Once I finish the art on Over, I’ll be taking a few months off from drawing to WRITE MY ASS OFF. In that time, I’d like to finish both the Super Seed and ICE screenplays and write at least 64 pages worth of “The Box.” That way, I’ll have those done and out of the way, and can turn my attention to drawing the remaining pages of the Super Seed graphic novel, without being held up by the writing of my other stories. Between that and writing Colosseum X for Zuda next year (play to win, remember) I’ll be very busy.
• Continuing to look to other avenues of getting my name and work out there in the public eye, and am lining up podcast appearances. I also hope to have an aggressive convention schedule in 2010. Should be a big year for me. Can’t wait.

That’ll do it for the update! Thanks for reading!

Tears of the Dragon

Readers of TOTD were left hanging in September with a cliffhanger (literally), as Torvuld faced the vengeance of the might dragon Sythic.  After a three month hiatus, the fate of Torvuld will be revealed.

Tears will update weekly on Tuesdays for the next 5 consecutive weeks, which will complete the first of seven chapters.  (I did mention it’s an epic, right?) With page 12, we welcome outstanding new colorist Miguel Marques, who did a great job finishing up the chapter.

If you’re new to Tears of the Dragon, now’s a great time to get caught up!  I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it.

READ TEARS OF THE DRAGON NOW!