Art for the ComixTribe: Commissions and Creations by Tyler James, my new 100+ page, oversized, perfect bound artbook is now available!

It’s safe to say I’ve been busy these past few years, creating comics and attending conventions all over the country.  In that time, I’ve drawn literally hundreds of commissions for comic fans and created dozens of original characters.  Art for the ComixTribe contains the best of the best!

See for yourself! Take a Look Inside!

Great news! ComixTribe will be in full force at this year’s New York Comic Con, the east coast’s largest comic book and pop culture event.  NYCC will be a coming out party of sorts for ComixTribe, and we’ve got plenty in store for the show.  We’ve reserved a corner booth on the outskirts of the small press section of the show. It’s a great location, lending itself to plenty of foot traffic.

At the ComixTribe Booth

Holding down the fort at the show will be a number of familiar ComixTribers. CT publisher and co-founder Tyler James will be there the entire weekend.  He’ll be joined in the booth by creator and New York native Joe Mulvey, who will be debuting his first creator-owned book at the show.  And we’re thrilled to announce that John Lees, writer of our Creator Owned Zone column and author of The Standard is coming all the way from Glasgow to be at the show. We may feature some additional guests in the booth throughout the weekend, so stay tuned to the ComixTribe site for more details.

ComixTribe Programming

In keeping with the ComixTribe mission statement of creators helping creators make better comics, we’ve submitted proposals for two panels:

We will find out by the end of August whether or not our panels have been accepted. Stay tuned to ComixTribe for more details on this programming as we have it.

NYCC Debut Books and Exclusive Merchandise

Of course, we’ll be debuting a bunch of brand new product at the show. The full list of products is still being determined, but expect:

• EPIC #1 NYCC Exclusive
• The Red Ten #1 – with special variant cover by CP Wilson III (Stuff of Legend)
• The Standard NYCC Collected Edition
• Runners #1
• SCAM

We’ll also have on hand copies of Tears of the Dragon – Volume 1, the Over graphic novel, a limited number of ComixTribe t-shirts, and we’re working on printing some special creator resources as well. In the coming months, we’ll be releasing a “ComixTribe Takes Manhattan” digital preview book of all of the great product we’ll have at the show.

To make sure you get the preview, be sure to subscribe to our mailing list. We’ll be mailing out some special ComixTribe discounts to mailing list subscribers, and you’ll be the first to hear about other events and programming and special offers from ComixTribe.

ComixTribe Meet-Up

We’re also planning on organizing a special event/meet-up, most liking in conjunction with our good friends at The Webcomic Alliance for one of the nights post-show. Details are still being ironed out, but we’re committed to pull together an opportunity for creators to netork and unwind in the Big Apple.

Attending the show? Let us know!

If you’re going to be at the show, whether you’re a comics pro, aspiring creator, or just a fan, definitely let us know, either in the comments below, on our Facebook Page, or Tweeting us at our Twitter account @ComixTribe.  We want to connect with as many of you as possible.

And if you are a creator attending the show, either in artist alley, small press, or walking the floor, we’d like to publicize your appearance here on the site.  Let us know who you are, what you do, anything special you’re debuting or offering at the show, and where people can find you, and we’ll include you in our upcoming NYCC Creator Spotlight Series.  Send me an email at tyler.james@comixtribe.com with the details, and we’ll get you highlighted on our site.

ComixTribe has big plans for the New York Comic Con, many of which we will be unveiling over the coming weeks. It’s going to be a ton of work, but a lot of fun.  We can’t wait.

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!

Creator Owned Publishers Join Forces to Release Free Digital Crossover Comic.

To celebrate this weekend’s Free Comic Book Day event, creator-owned publishers ComixTribe and Red Handed Studios have joined forces to digitally release a crossover between their flagship titles. What happens when a teenage superhero whose only weakness is his libido teams up with America’s hottest supermom? Find out as EPIC joins forces with DYNAGIRL to take on the incomparable threat of INDESTRUCTOTRON! In addition to this never before seen crossover, the FREE 54-page comic also includes:

• A Dynagirl solo story by Cary Kelley and Harold Edge.
• An 8-page inked preview of EPIC #1 by Tyler James, Matt Zolman and Vic Moya.
• A preview of The Standard by John Lees and Jonathan Rector.
• A preview of Runners by Steven Forbes and Mac Radwanski.
• Additional pin-ups, previews, and more!

Download a free PDF version of the ComixTribe/Red Handed Studios Free Comic Book Day release here!

Or read it online right here:

Thanks for reading and if you like the book please share!

About ComixTribe ComixTribe is a new publisher of creator-owned comics, including EPIC, Tears of the Dragon, and The Standard, with several new titles debuting this fall.  In addition to being a publishing imprint, ComixTribe is also an online community, with the mission statement: Creators helping creators make better comics.  Visit ComixTribe.com or email publisher Tyler James (tyler.james@comixtribe.com) to learn more. About Red Handed Studios Red Handed Studios has been an independent publisher of comics and graphic novels since 2009.  Its titles include the hit mini-series Fallen Justice and the ongoing superhero series Dynagirl, with several new titles debuting soon.  Visit the Red Handed Studios website to learn more, or contact publisher Cary Kelley (info@redhandedstudios.com) to learn more. About Free Comic Book Day Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops.  This year, Free Comic Book Day is May 7, 2011.  To find out more about Free Comic Book Day, or to find a participating comic shop in your area, head to the official FCBD website. Please support your local retailers!

ComixTribe

ComixTribe.com has been live for three months now.  Feedback has been generally very positive.  To date, we’ve had some 6,000+ visitors and nearly 15,000 page views.  I’ve managed to do a weekly column again, and am a solid 13 columns deep into Comix Counsel.  We’ve managed to launch a couple of new columns, including Trenches and The Creator-Owned Zone with John Lees, both of which I’ve played a part in getting off the ground.  I’m happy with how things are progressing with the site, but of course, there’s always to desire to build it bigger, and do more.

Earlier this month, we’ve launched the ComixTribe Shop (filled with several of my books at present.)  I’ve also just added a Facebook Fanpage for ComixTribe, and if demand warrants it, we plan on opening up a forum on the site in May.  I’ve got some more advanced features I’m interested in implementing, and will be continuing to plan for those.  It’s a slow build, but I’m proud of what we’ve done so far.

EPIC

EPIC will be hitting the con circuit in a major way this year.  It wasn’t until August of last year that EPIC made it’s debut, and by that time, the bulk of my cons had already passed.  So this will be the first full year that EPIC will be making a splash on the con scene.  I did a small reorder of EPIC #0 standard edition for a show I’m doing in three weeks in Albany.  Currently printing is a special New England Edition of EPIC #0 with a flipcover featuring the EPIC/ Dynagirl crossover.  I’ll have a healthy stack of these ready for the Boston Comic Con.

On the production side, we’re working HARD to hit a July 15th deadline for finishing EPIC #1, a 32 page issue.  Last month we brought inker Vic Moya to allow Artist Matt Zolman to focus solely on pencils.  And let me tell you, it’s been great.  Matt’s pace has picked up, and his pencils have gone to the next level.  Our color artist Ty Tyner also had to leave the project, so we scrambled to find a replacement.  Arsia Rosegar has joined the team, and we’re now back at full capacity.  And let me tell you, the book is looking good!

Tears of the Dragon

I launched a pre-order campaign for Tears of he Dragon Vol. 1, which will debut at the Boston Comic Con at the end of April.  This book has been a couple year’s worth of work, and I’m really happy with how it’s turning out.  All pages for this volume are in from artist Koko Amboro, and it’s been incredible watching his growth as an artist and storyteller over the years.  The last four pages of the chapter are in the hands of color artist Miguel Marques, and I expect to get them in shortly.  I’m going to do a medium sized print run and try CreateSpace for the first time.

For the webcomic readers, TOTD continues its Tuesday update schedule, and will through June.  There will likely be another small hiatus inbetween the end of the second chapter and the start of the third.  But now that the TOTD team is really rolling, the story should continue on a regular pace.

The Red Ten

I haven’t spoken much about this project on my blog, so I’ll announce it here.  I’ve got another new book coming out!  And I think people are going to really dig this one.  This is a super-ambitious, 10-issue superhero murder mystery.  The first issue is written and in the hands of  the artist, and the entire 10 issues have been plotted. Artist Cesar Feliciano is co-creating this project with me.  Cesar has done an awesome set of character sketches already, and is bringing an incredible amount of thought and energy to this project. The current plan is for him to complete layouts by the end of the month, and get started on pages May 1.  We’ve set an ambitious goal to have the first issue done in time for ComiCONN in August.  This is a book that grabs you at page 1 and won’t let go until it’s done.  Twists, turns, clues, red-herrings, and MURDER! It’s going to be a lot of fun.

Con Season

It kicks off for me next month.  I’m pumped!  I’ve been sketching my ass off for the Boston Comic Con, doing pre-order commissions.  The good news is, my pre-order commissions are over $600 already.  To put this in perspective, last year I made $800 TOTAL (art, book sales, prints) for the two-day Boston show.  So, I’m looking to shatter convention sales records at Boston this year.  On hand will be copies of EPIC #0 and TOTD Volume 1, the OVER graphic novel, and a killer “Heroes at Fenway” set of 11×17 prints that I hope sell like gangbusters.

More shows coming up:

April 17, 2011
Albany Comic Con, Albany, NY
April 31-May 1, 2011
Boston Comic Con, Boston, MA
May 7, 2010
FREE Comic Book Day @ Comically Speaking, Reading, MA
August 20-21, 2011
Baltimore Comic Con, Baltimore, MD
August 27, 2011
ComiCONN, New Stamford, CT

Anyway, that’s what I got.  EPIC, TOTD, and THE RED TEN are all GNs or maxi-series, so writing them will be taking up most of my time for the rest of the year.  I think I know what my next comic that I’ll draw myself will be, but I probably won’t start that until 2012.  I’m also going to try to squeeze in some artistic professional development this year, as I want to take my artistic skills to the next level before drawing a new series.

So, yeah, I’m a busy kid.  But that’s how I like it!

ATTN: Boston Area Artists!

You’re invited to a special EPIC Drink-n-Draw at Larry’s Wonderful World of Comics in Lowell, MA January 19, 2011. Drink-n-Draw is a social drawing club that meets on Wednesday’s in the basement of Larry’s great comic shop.  It’s a chance to draw and talk comics in a relaxed atmosphere.

Need more of a reason to attend?

How about a FREE COPY OF EPIC #0 just for showing up!

Larry has graciously purchased copies of the hard to find EPIC #0 for all participants this week.  (Thanks, Lar!)  These are rare sketch cover variants you can only get at cons…and Larry’s!

So come on down to Larry’s on Wednesday, January 19th between 4-7:30 pm.  Pick up your new books, get a free copy of EPIC, and do some drawing.  I hope to see you there.

Larry’s Wonderful World of Comics

66 Lakeview Ave. Lowell, MA 01850

This year, I am supporting the Comic Creator’s Alliance’s mission to end human trafficking. I’ve joined more than 100 webcomic creators to build awareness for this important issue, by contributing an image to a massive collage that can be downloaded with any donation.

This week, the CCA is running their annual donations drive. If you’re unfamiliar with the work the mission of the CCA, please read founder Laura Innes’ words below. And if you can spare a few bucks, know that you’re supporting a worthy cause.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead

Tuesday, January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. In honor of the event, I teamed up with the Comic Creator’s Alliance–a group of over 100 comic book creators (both web and print!) who volunteered our artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause. You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year. Unlike slavery in the 19th century, what is happening today is happening in secret. It won’t end until awareness is raised, and people like you and me take a stand.

So here’s what we did: each creator contributed an original drawing of one of our own female characters, and combined them into a single image! This year’s theme was “The Brady Bunch.” There is so much going on in this image–you can look at the wallpaper for a long time and still find something new! All of the artists included in the drive are amazing and some of the fan favorites are: Scott Sava (The Dreamland Chronicles), Adam Hughes (Star Wars, Wonder Woman), Sarah Ellerton (Inverloch), Bryan Glass & Victor Santos (Mice Templar), Beau Smith (Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars), Billy Tucci (Shi), Mookie (Dominic Deegan), Crystal Yates (Earthsong), Lora Innes (The Dreamer), Thom Zahler (Love and Capes), and Alison Action (Bear Nuts). View the full listing of contributors here: http://comicalliance.weebly.com/the-people.html.

Donate today to download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper. Or, this year you can buy a print! The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from January 11th – 24th. All proceeds will be split evenly between Love 146 and Gracehaven House- two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime.

To learn more about the CCA and to donate visit www.comicalliance.weebly.com. To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Note: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)

Lora Innes

The Dreamer

Nominated for two Harvey Awards: Best New Series and Best New Talent

Adventure. Romance. War. 1776 is back.

www.thedreamercomic.com

It’s January 1, 2011. That means ComixTribe is now live, and I for one, couldn’t be more excited!

ComixTribe’s mission is simple: Creators helping creators make better comics.

The grand vision of what ComixTribe will become is extremely ambitious.  The ultimate goal is to make ComixTribe a premier online community and resource for comic creators serious about improving their craft.

ComixTribe will consist of two parts:

• ComixTribe.com, a free website/web-service/online community for writers and artists, featuring quality content and resources for creators, services not found anywhere else, and sponsored events for creators, such as the 30 Characters Challenge.

• The ComixTribe imprint, a new publishing imprint for creator-owned comics and books, with an initial focus on digital distribution (Comixology, Graphic.ly, etc.)  My titles Tears of the Dragon and OVER area already being published under this imprint name, and more titles will be coming under the ComixTribe banner in the months and years to come.
  

We have an ambitious and exciting roadmap laid out for the development of both the site and the imprint.  However, we’re starting small and simple, with an initial focus on producing quality content geared toward comic creators.  To that end, ComixTribe Editor-In-Chief Steven Forbes and I are curating a small selection of quality columns, podcasts, and resources we’re confident will appeal to the comic creating community at large.  Through frequent, consistent, and quality content updates, we’ll establish ComixTribe as a voice worth listening to in the comics world.  As the community builds, we’ll incorporate new features that will go beyond content, to meet the many needs of comics creators.

If you’re like us, you have a passion both for creating comics and sharing your knowledge about the process of creating them with others. If so, I really hope you’ll check out CT, and consider joining our Tribe!

ComixTribe. Creators helping creators make better comics.

Happy Holidays!

I wanted to take a quick moment in this always hectic holiday season to wish you and yours a happy holiday season.  I had a ton of fun making comics this past year, and am really excited about the new books I have in the works for 2011.  I really appreciate your support.  I hope 2010 finishes up strong for you, and here’s to a  happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Tyler James

Coming 1-1-2011…

Didn’t get my Christmas card in your mailbox this year?  Get on my mailing list and we’ll take care of that!

It’s November, and that means the 30Characters Challenge is back! I think it’s safe to say this thing has gone viral!  This year, I’m joined by 150 creators, each committed to creating a brand new character a day for each day of November.

Once again, I’m blown away by the talent and creativity that’s on display in the challenge.  We have an incredible cross-section of creators participating, and despite quintupling in size from last year’s event, the positive community atmosphere is just as strong.

Here’s the video message I sent out to all the Challengers right before kick-off:

I did have to officially close the challenge down to those creators who registered by the Friday night before the challenge kicked off.  Unfortunately, this left out a lot of folks who are just hearing about it now.  I encouraged those creators to “play along at home” and to make sure to leave a comment here to get notified about next year’s event.   I’m pleased to see that many people are doing just that.

As for me, my challenge is off to a decent start.  I’ve created some characters for an unannounced project that’s been on the brain for a while now, and will be doing more of those, as well as doing characters for EPIC, Tears of the Dragon, and who knows what else.  Want to check out the characters I’m creating during the challenge?  You can find them all HERE.

The BUZZ

I’ll be archiving the media buzz the #30Characters Challenge is generating, with links to all the major news sites covering the event.  Here’s who’s been talking about us:

• TGT Webcomics: Episode 134 – Tyler James Interview
• Comic Related: 30 Characters Challenge
• Robot 6: Because the World Needs New Characters
• Newsarama: Hey, That’s My Cape – 30 Characters, 30 Days

The initial print run of books should be delivered to my doorstep no later than November 1.  Once they arrive, I’ll start working on Artist Edition sketches for people who pre-ordered the book.  I’ll be doing them in order, so the sooner you pre-ordered, the sooner you’ll get your books!  (Early birds and worms and all.)  All pre-orders will be shipped withing the first two weeks of November!

If you haven’t had a chance to pre-order the book, and were still hoping to, I’ll be honoring the pre-order special for another couple of weeks.  Here’s the link for all the details.

Here’s a preview of the wrap-around cover, done exclusively for the print collection.

While the location has changed to the snazzy new 30Characters.com website, the premise is the same: Create 30 new characters in 30 days, one for every day of the month of November. Nearly 50 creators have already signed up, and I’m counting on a bunch more before we launch.

I’m looking forward to working on characters to flesh out the EPIC universe, as well as exploring character designs for an assortment of other projects I’ve had to backburner.

Thinking about joining?  Here are the details you need!

EPIC, a new superteen comic book, will make it’s official debut at this year’s Baltimore Comic Con.   Writer Tyler James, artist Matt Zoman, and color artist Ty Tyner will be appearing together in a corner booth on the main showroom floor to give this exciting project a proper launch.

For sale will be EPIC #0, a 32 page full-color book containing a self-contained 16 page story, along with pin-ups, sketches and more.

The EPIC team will have three versions of the inaugural issue on hand.

• EPIC #0 – Standard Edition, featuring an awesome wrap-around cover.
• EPIC #0 – Artist Edition, featuring a one-of-a kind sketch cover, with pencils by Matt Zolman, inks by Tyler James, and colors by Ty Tyner.
• EPIC #0 – Baltimore Comic Con / Comic Related Exclusive, we’re partnering with the comics news site Comic Related to bring you this exclusive cover.  Quantities extremely limited!

About EPIC

After a freak accident gives teenager Eric Ardor incredible abilities, he enthusiastically joins the ranks of the superpowered set as the masked crusader EPIC. He quickly learns he’s one of the most powerful heroes around: super strength, speed, flight, invulnerability. You name it, he’s got it. Unfortunately, he’s also just discovered his only weakness…beautiful girls! Eric’s powers are inexplicably linked to the attraction and arousal center of his brain. While other boys his age lose their cool around hot chicks, EPIC loses his powers! Living in Miami, home to the zaniest super-villians AND the most beautiful women in America, it’s gonna be a problem…

For a closer look at EPIC, check out the Digital Ashcan Preview to the right, in the featured comic section of this website.

Attending the con?  Want a FREE Sketch?

If you’re planning on attending the show, you’ll definitely want to check out the Free Sketch Card Promotion we have going on!

What Else?

In addition to copies of EPIC #0, our booth will feature a select number of prints, including AWESOME collaborative Baltimore Exclusive Prints.  All three creators will also be sketching and taking commission requests.

Tyler James will have print copies of his popular webcomics OVER and Tears of the Dragon available for purchase as well.

Oh, and by the way…

If you would like a Coupon for a FREE PRINT redeemable for one of a selection of 11×17 full color prints, contact me at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com or leave a comment below saying “Hey, I’ll see you guys at Baltimore!”

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

Convention Season In Full Swing

• 2010 has already been my most successful convention season to date.  With big days at the Boston Comic Con, ComiCONN and a Free Comic Book Day event at Larry’s Wonderful World of Comics, along with a few other smaller shows, I’m really pleased with how this year is shaping up con wise.
• That said, this month I’ve had a number of minor set-backs.  Unfortunately, I did not get artist alley table space at this year’s New York Comic Con, so it looks like I’ll be skipping that show.  And I just found out that the organizer of July’s New England Small Press Assembly is canceling the show due to personal reasons.  Major bummer, as I was really looking forward to doing a small-press centered show.
• Despite those setbacks, I’m focused on making this year’s Baltimore Comic Con my biggest and best show ever!  Once again, I’m doing FREE Sketches for attendees who contact me ahead of time.  (Click to get on my list.)  This year, I’ll be moving out of artist’s alley and into a booth on the main floor, tabling with Matt Zolman and Ty Tyner, aka the EPIC creative team.  We’ve got some killer product we’ll be selling at the booth, including the debut of EPIC.  More on what I have in store for B’more in a later post.
• I’m looking at adding a few more cons to my 2010 schedule, and will hopefully have news to that effect soon.  I’m really hoping to get an invite to Meredith Gran’s New England Webcomics Weekend.  I’m also considering the Wizard World New England Comic Con as a replacement show for NYCC, and even inquiring about doing a show in my home town of Albany, NY later this year.  So stay tuned for that!

OVER

• Hard to believe, but it’s been more than a year and a half that I’ve been working on OVER.  It’s been quite the process, and I’m planning on doing a thorough post-mortem analysis on lessons learned, successes, failures and challenges with putting out my first online graphic novel.
• In the meantime though, my head is down as I plow through to the finish line.  The fifth and final chapter begins next week, and three times a week updates continue there on out.
• As announced yesterday, PRE-ORDER has now opened for the OVER graphic novel.   $20 will get you the GN before anyone else, and that includes shipping and an Artist’s Edition upgrade to boot!

EPIC

• Three versions of EPIC #0 are currently at the printers, with an early August delivery date.  These books will be making their debut at the Baltimore Comic Con, and given the strong reaction to the digital ashcan, we’re very optimistic it will be one of the “hit” books at the show.
• Matt Zolman contributed an EPIC pin-up to the Master Digital Color/ Hi-Fi Color Annual contest hosted at the HueDoo forums.  (One of the better entries posted so far is shared here.)  To see all the entries, head on over to HueDoo.com.
• Eric White, HueDoo moderator and contributor to the Master Digital Color site did a comprehensive interview with the entire EPIC creative team.  If you didn’t get a chance to read it, definitely check it out.
• More EPIC action is being worked on as we speak.  Before we launch into the EPIC ongoing saga, we’re first doing a short 8 page EPIC crossover with the flagship character of another indy creator.  Announcement coming soon, but it’s going to be more fun than a comic book has any right to be.  Stay tuned for that!
• The EPIC Facebook page is the best place to keep tabs on the latest with our book.  If you haven’t gone over there and given us a “LIKE” yet, please do!  You won’t regret it!

Tears of the Dragon

• The TOTD Webcomic is currently a little more than halfway through Chapter 2.  Right now, we’re on a bit of a hiatus, as artist Koko Amboro gets caught on pages.
• I’m pleased to report, TOTD has been quite the hit at conventions so far.  I’ve been busy cranking out a ton of Artist’s Edition dragon sketch covers. There are plenty still available, so snag ‘em up before they’re gone.

Podcasts

I’ve had a number of performances on some great podcasts over the past couple months.  Give them a listen and let me know what you think.  My three most recent include:

• Zone 4 with Brant Fowler.  This is one of the more interesting discussions I’ve been a part of.  In this special Zone 4, I joined Victor Dandridge, Mason Easley and Chad Strohl in a discussion about paying creators, conventions, webcomics, indies and mainstream, and much more!
• Why I Love Comics Podcast with Eric Ratcliffe.  Eric relaunched his popular podcast with a new creator-interview focused format, and I was his first guest.  (Considering his more recent guests include Mike Carey, Joe Eisma, and Christos Gage, it’s definitely an honor to be included in that company.)  In this interview, we chatted about my work, and also covered my reaction to the news of changes at Zuda.
• The Lightbox Podcast with Matt Stout and Chris Flick.  This episode has received a lot of praise from creators, as we get into a discussion about “the dip” creators go through, and ways to get through the tough part of creating to eventually get to the rewards.

Columns

I’ve continued to pluck away with columns over at Comic Related. If you haven’t been keeping up, here are the latest:

32: Going All In
33: The Dip and Being the Best in the World
34: Patience Pep Talk
35: Tools You Should Be Using: Viddler
36: Zuda Says No More Competitions
37: Business Mailbag
38: 30 Characters Challenge Post-Script

Zombie Bomb

• I’m working on a short ~6 page story for the Zombie Bomb! comic anthology project. I’ve run into Zombie Bomber Adam Miller a number of times over the past several months, and have been extremely impressed with the book he’s editing.  So I figured what the hell, I’ll submit something.  For this, I’m teaming up with illustrator Greg Marathas, a guy I’ve met a few times at Boston conventions.  Greg’s got some chops and is looking to break into the industry.  I saw this as a good opportunity to work together on a small projects that could be a lot of fun.
• The story I’m working on is called Side Splitters. Check out some of Greg’s concept art for it here!

Other Stuff

• I have some commissions in the queue that I’m excited to get started working on.  I need to keep the pedal to the metal to get OVER complete on time, but will be working on some cool original art pieces around the edges.
• I’m very close to inking a deal to get my comics on the iPhone (and eventually iPad) with at least one distributor.  I’m cautiously optimistic about the game changing power for mobile digital distribution.  I think the current “app culture” may greatly benefit creators who are smart about the technology.  And as a bonus, I promised myself I could purchase an iPhone only after I had comics being sold on one…so iPhone 4, I’m coming for you!

That’s about it for now!  You’re caught up, and so am I!

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.

Stepping Up the Social Networking

Most of those of you reading this have probably already noticed, but I’ve been putting a lot of time into social media/Web 2.0/whatever it’ll be called tomorrow.  I’m definitely a believer of the power of this stuff, but want to keep it in perspective.  Content is King…I could spend all day long interacting with people online and building awareness for the stuff I’m doing, but at the end of the day, if I’m not putting out great product, it’s a waste of time.  So my primary focus is and always will be making great comics.

That said, I’m really jazzed about the tools out there to expand my audience, and the real friendships I’m making online.  Here’s what I’ve been focusing on lately:

• Facebook Fan Page- Having fun with this.  Been posting some exclusive EPIC stuff here, and connecting with some of the hundreds of millions on FB.  Fan me up if you’re a Facebook fan.

• Twitter- Twitter has quickly become my primary social networking platform.  I recently upgraded my page to have a bit more character.  Check it out and give me a follow.

• Podcasts- I’ve done a few Podcasts this year already and have a few scheduled.  In fact, I’ve been on 3 of the last 4 episodes of the JAVILAND Podcast, most recently talking about Teaching Comics and Making Webcomics.  Had some great feedback on these episodes, so if those topics strike your fancy, give it a listen right here:

EPIC is Coming!

Momentum is really building for EPIC- “Super Teen Hijinx” brought to you by myself and Matt Zolman. Matt recently completed this killer pin-up, which we’ll be using to promote the book, and as a test page to find a colorist to join our team.  I recently posted an ad at Digital Webbing, a site that I’ve had a lot of success finding artists on in the past.  We’re reviewing a number of promising colorists for the gig, and are confident we’ll find the right guy or gal for the job.

Matt is cranking on layouts, and barring any major hiccups, EPIC should be out this summer.  We have a number of cool things things in the works promotion wise, and I’m really thrilled with how this project is taking shape.

Over

Believe it or not, I’ve cranked out more than 100 pages of Over already! While I’ve still a long way to go (estimating the final page count to be somewhere around 165 pages) I’m definitely on the downhill climb.  The readership continues to steadily grow, and the feedback has been largely positive.  I’ve asked a lot of the readers, as Felix‘s journey has been quite dour at times.  The good news is, I promise to stay true to the story, tie up all the plotlines, and deliver a satisfying (and happy) ending.  (Okay, that’s a big promise.)  But I’m looking forward to delivering.

In a few months, I’ll be starting to take pre-orders for the Over graphic novel.  The goal will be to secure enough pre-orders to pay for the printing costs upfront, without going too deep into the red.  I’ll be offering some great pre-order incentives, so hopefully I’ll be able to generate enough scratch to do a nice big print run.

Right now, I think I’m a bit behind schedule to have Over printed and on the table in time for New York Comic Con, my original goal.  But I haven’t abandoned that target yet.  Over completed in 2010 or bust!

Tears of the Dragon

Chapter 2 of Tears of the Dragon is well underway on the production side.  Earlier this month, I sent a big check to my main man Koko Amboro who is killing it on the art side, and I already have my hands on some gorgeous new pages.  I’m getting color notes to Miguel Marques for more colors by the end of the month, and while I haven’t announced the return date, sometime mid-March seems likely.

Also of note, Tears of the Dragon: Book 1- To Become King is now available for purchase!  There are two versions of the book.  The Standard Version is being sold through my friends at Indy-Planet.

Also soon available for purchase is an Artist’s Edition of Book 1, featuring a one-of-a-kind Dragon sketch cover by me.  These are going to be limited to 100 and is sure to be a collector’s item.   I’ll solicit the Artist’s Edition version when I have them in hand.

Conventions

This year, I’ll set a new record for the number of conventions I’ll be attending.  I’ve been listing my con schedule at the bottom of this site.  However, con season starts earlier than expected for me, as NEXT WEEKEND I’ll be tabling at at Larry’s Woburn, MA Comic Book Show on February 20, 2010.

Through the magic of social media (see above) I struck up a chat with Larry from Larry’s Comics on Twitter (@LarrysComics), and he invited me to attend his show and is hooking me up with a table.  And guess what?  That’s my birthday! So, I’m much looking forward to kicking off con season on my 31st.  If you’re in the area, you’ve got to stop by!

As for the rest of my schedule, I’ve already sent in my table fees for Boston Comic Con and NESPA and I’m a guest at ComiCONN.  So, I’m definitely getting pumped.  Here’s my schedule:

April 10-11, 2010
Boston Comic Con
May 15, 2010
ComiCONN, New Haven, CT
July 18, 2010
New England Small Press Assembly
August 28-29, 2010
Baltimore Comic-Con
October 08-10, 2010
New York Comic-Con >
November 6-7, 2010
Webcomics Weekend – Easthampton, MA

And a reminder, I’m challenging myself to do 100 FREE SKETCH CARDS this year.  If you’re attending any of the above shows, email me tylerjamescomics@gmail.com and get on the list.

Colosseum X

Colosseum X has taken a back seat as I’ve been pushing EPIC forward.  However, artist Enrique “Z” Savory, Jr. and I are  pushing toward getting the concept art phase finished in time to preview some stuff at the Boston Comic Con.  I’d love to have a pin-up/print ready to go at that show to start getting people fired up.  EPIC will be my lighthearted super hero book, and C-X will give me a chance to do the dark side.  While the books will be aimed at slightly different audiences, I think they’ll compliment one another nicely.

I don’t have much in terms of concept art to show yet, but here is a sketch from Z that’ll help explain why I’m so excited about this project and looking forward to working with him to bring it to life.

Columns and Classes

I’m continuing my run of Creating Comics! The Art + Craft over at Comic Related.  The column still comes out on Mondays, but is now on a bi-weekly schedule.  I’ve done three columns so far in 2010.  Here are links if you missed them:

29: Setting the Table for a New Year of Creating Comics
30: Ready to Script

31: An Artist Ready Script

I’ve also put out several columns for my new series The ComixStreet Recap.  This is a forum for great resources and items of note that I think will interest the comic creating community.  Give it a read if you haven’t yet.

And, I’m two weeks into an eight week session of the Creating Comics Club, a once a week after-school program for 4-5th graders in a  Newburyport elementary school.  I’m having a blast teaching it, and the kids seem to be enjoying themselves, too.  I’ll be sharing some student work soon.

On the Back Burner

Because there is only so much time in the day, Super Seed, ICE: Interrogation Control Element, CounterTerror, and a yet to be titled sci-fi/horror series are on ice for the moment.  I’m optimistic about the future promise of each of those brands, but the above projects are currently prioritized.  When Over frees up, I’ll definitely be moving a few of these forward.

Whew!  I’m exhausted.  Now, back to work!

The fourth chapter of Over, my online graphic novel that started running last June has begun.  It’s been a good 90 pages or so that readers have been following the struggles of Felix, a comic book writer desperate to get over a girl who broke his heart.  Chapter four promises to shake up the status quo, as Felix finally sees the effect his behavior since being dumped is having on the people around him.  Can he turn it around?  Well, you’re just going to have to read to find out.

If you’re new to Over start reading here.

Also of note is the “Jinx’s Sign Contest” I ran last week.  Jinx is the rascally legless bum who always carries a sign around with him to aid in his panhandling.  Over readers contributed a bunch of great Jinx sign ideas.  Funny stuff.  You can check out a slideshow of reader entries right here:

My goal for the show was to get Jav himself fired up about getting into the webcomic game, something he admittedly has been hesitating to do.  The rest of the panel and I seemed to do just that, as Jav plans to launch a new webcomic in the near future.  If you missed the show, you can listen to it below, or search JAVILAND on iTunes.

And I might as well mention that I’ll be on the show once again this coming Monday night (Feb 8, 2010) at 11pm EDT, where Jav and I will be talking about teaching comics.  If it’s not too late for you, tune in!

TOTD is written by Tyler James (me!) and Illustrated by Koko Amboro.

Book One: To Become King is the first of seven chapters in the grand Tears of the Dragon epic. The story begins with the tale of Torvuld, a young nobleman with his eyes on the crown. Evoking an old rite of passage, Torvuld sets out to slay a dragon to prove his valor, earning the wrath of the mighty dragon Sythic.

Tears of the Dragon #1 TM and © Tyler James. All rights reserved.

Head on over to Indy Planet and pick up a copy!

You’ll also see I’ve added a widget to the front page of this blog, which will give you the latest feed from the page.

Would you like a FREE SKETCH CARD?

The cast of OVER and I just want to take a moment to wish you all a Happy Holiday season.  This has been a big year in comics for me, and I have many of you to thank.  I’ve been blessed with a ton of support and encouragement throughout this amazing year.  It means a ton to me.

And here’s to an even better 2010!

-Ty

(Click HERE for a full-sized image of the Christmas Card.)

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!