MR! UGLY EPISODE ONE, CHAPTER ONE

Panhandling.

So, you probably noticed there aren't any comics here for you to read yet. You see, we here at PULP21 industries like to play things fast and loose. By that, I mean, I suck at hitting deadlines and completely misjudged how long it would take me to do the first six pages. That's the biggest problem with learning in a public space, maybe. As opposed to chopping up chapter one and updating as it was complete through the week, the floor managers decided that the debut should just go ahead and be put up in big chunk of Comics next monday. So you have that to look forward (?) to.

In the meantime, the PULP21 PRIMER is finally online at indyplanet to fill your purchasing needs.

PULP21 PRIMER @ indyplanet.

Panel One, 2.

Gonna take the easy way to pimp MR! UGLY today, and probably saturday, by posting the different steps for panel one, leading up to monday's debut. Saturday'll be the dialogue. Tomorrow, if Chet isn't around to talk about his (awesome) project, i'll post some character designs.

And if I get the embed right, here's the Black Keys' song that inspired MR! UGLY a whole lot of years ago.

MR! UGLY

Updating next monday, as long as tapeworms don't borrow through what's left of my brainmatter, my next project: MR! UGLY. I'd tell you more about the thing but fuck you. Come back and read it monday. Updating in six page installments.

NYCC Recap & More

Sorry for the delay and I'm going to keep this short.

We received some mail from the show, and no... our very own Richard did not send this in:

Hi Chet.

Just wanted to thank you again for the sketch you made for me. It is really neat, I will have it framed this week. Really enjoyed your comic and I am looking forward to your next one. Attached a couple pictures , hope you like them. Richard.

Richard also attached a couple of pictures of me drawing his sketch:



Thanks to you, Richard, and everyone else that's checked out the book.

For those of you waiting to be able to buy a copy of the PULP 21 PRIMER online, it's in the works. We've run into a few snags with our printer and net-distributor, but it's all being worked out. As soon as we know, you'll know.

Lots of interesting articles have been going up lately regarding the future of comics. While i haven't had the time to read two that I'm interested in, trust in fact that it will be discussed here.

In the meantime; check out these two links for some other people's thoughts:

http://webcomicoverlook.com/2010/10/26/ten-things-to-know-about-the-future-of-webcomics/

http://www.comixology.com/articles/412/-Ten-Things-to-Know-About-the-Future-of-Comics

Anyway, I need to get back to the Day Job and working on my next project, which will hopefully be debuting in about a week and a half.

That said; just wait until you guys see what Richard (Basey) has in store for you later this afternoon.

-Chet

taster

The first panel from my comic. Yes. It's got a monkey. Yes, he's in peril. No, it's not in color yet. No, you don't get the glory of the dialogue or any other context. We'll be leaving it at just this for now.

For anyone interested in this kind of stuff (I am.) or who may want to build a 'soundtrack' for reading a long: here's a playlist of sorts that's on when i'm working on this project. I start my writing while i'm laying out pages so I think it's okay to have music while working. Dialogue's a little trickier, but anyhows...

In no particular order, bands that are pumping out on iTunes while doodling are:

*My Chemical Romance's first album and their newest single

*Death From Above 1979

*Les Savy Fav

*Lords

*Battle of Mice

*ISIS

*boris

*Mastadon

*Grinderman/Grinderman II

post Zero

We've got the teaser over and done with, which you kind souls and assholes can keep eye on this spot for if you're interested in ordering. The second we hear back from indyplanet we'll post ordering info here. So now something else has to follow.

Chet and I will be spending a little bit of time this week posting little bits and peices of our projects leading up to the 'official announcements' next Monday. Today, I went ahead and posted other people's work to give an easy idea of what you'll be seeing from my side of south.

A few panels tomorrow or the day after. A few character design sketches the day after that. Somewhere in all this, Chet will be along to share nicotine and childhood laughter with you all.

Adios,

Richard.

NYCC 2010 Recap

Chet here and the first line of business that I want to get out of the way is... A huge thank you to everyone who came by and gave us a shot.

We're almost sold out of our initial print run. The end of the week will see us posting a link for those of you who weren't able to make it to NYCC to buy the Primer online. Come Monday, we'll be posting some preview material for our forthcoming works that are scheduled to launch here - maybe, mwahahaha - at the end of October/beginning of November.

NYCC was an absolute blast. Wall to wall people. And admittedly at times I was getting frustrated with the sea of humans; but had to stop, take a breath - yes, dangerous at a con - and remind myself how awesome that kind of turn out is.

Foremost, the show was an invaluable learning experience. Our table/booth mate Ed Conley of EdContradictory.com has his con presence down and running like a well oiled machine. Awe is not the word. And I can't begin to express my gratitude in allowing us to share his space.

We at Pulp 21 are already planning for the shows we plan to hit in 2011 and how we're going to attack them.

That said, I'm going to keep this brief and will catch back up with all of you this coming weekend.

Stay tuned,
Chet

P.S. I'll go into a little more detail over the remainder of the week; but I'm still settling back into my life back home and gearing up for my next project with a lot of notes, reading, and sketching.

NYCC Part 2

It's official, Chet has invaded New York. The air quality will get a little bit more foul as a piece of Houston has landed in Big City. Friday officially opens the New York Comic Con and Chet is there to represent Pulp 21 with comics and surly smiles. He'll be sharing the space with Ed at table 2491. Remember, 2491. There will be a primer comic of things to come from Chet and Richard.

These are images before Chet and Richard added the text.

Expect more things to come from them in the future. But in the meantime, if you're in New York and attending the Comic Con, make sure you hit up booth 2491. That's TWO FOUR NINTY-ONE. Don't forget that.

And make sure you get some photos and send them to us so we can post them on the site. Chet's suppose to get some image taken, but he might be bust hawking comics.

NYCC

That's New York Comic Con for you folks out there in real world land. Chet Presley is going to be there sharing a booth with Ed Contradictory. They will be at booth 2491. Make sure that you also visit Ed at Twitter at @EdContradictory.

Then make sure you visit the two of them at booth 2491 at the New York Comic Con. Pick up Ed's trade and the Pulp 21 Primer.

Ed's comics can also be found at Your Mom's Basement.

Stepping Stone

Well, that's the curtain on act one, folks.

Chet and I have both officially finished our shorts for the PULP21 PRIMER debuting as a POD comic at NYCC.

Did we mention that?

Those pages Casey posted a very long time ago?

Yeah. Those are for the PULP21 PRIMER debuting as a POD comic that Chet'll have at NYCC next weekend or whenever it is.

Colors are done. Lettering is being finished. Design work is done-ish.

We'll have links and information ready for people to order this beast if handing us money is something you're into. We hope it's something you're into. Booze and nicotine do not purchase themselves and we have dayjobs that need quitting.

The Men Are Back.

My job, I have to say, I love it. Chet and Richard labeled this job as cat wrangler. Outside of constant nagging, the amount of quality that they are producing is excellent.

The only downside to the whole thing is that when I see their art first, it's from a camera phone screen. A small screen that really can't capture the great things that they are doing, just general sense.

But once they scan, I have proof of their good work. And I can share that with you.

Richard:

Chet:

New stuff

Guess what? Chet and Richard and working. Working hard. This is what Chet has completed in the last couple of weeks. There are a couple of more weeks before the deadline to send out all these wonderful pages to the printer. When I get some Richard images, they're getting placed up here as well.

A new motto.

Chet and Casey don't know this yet, but there's a new working ethos behind what you'll be seeing from me when I start uploading content. The picture above pretty much sums it up.

Furnace.

This is a character design that Richard has been working on. It's going to be part of his main story. Chet, better be giving me designs soon, or I'll unleash the sister of doom on him.

You Want to Try Something New Tonight?

I threatened Richard with bodily harm that if he didn't post this one page comic. It'll be a little before he starts to post again.

Whip-cracker

Hello Internets. My name is Casey Ontiveros. I've been asked by Chet and Richard to beat them with The Dirty Tampon of Creativity™. It's to help sharpen them into a fine comic-making machine. A machine that produces stories. They might not be your cup of tea, but I can guarantee you they will be different. It will make you understand that comics can be anything.

I've know Chet and Richard for nearly 7 years now through various message boards. Always with this weird assumption that one day, these two are going to get to tell the stories that have been buzzing in their heads. You can see it buzzing in every line that gets laid down. The one thing that is proof positive about these two is that they are insane. Insanely talented. Look below for what they've done in the past. They will both try new things and mash genres together to form something that is both wonderful is grotesque. It's their lot in life.

Don't let them know that I think that well of them, they may reconsider me helping them out.

They don't like to admit to it, but the ideas that can sprout out of their heads are wonderful(Chet hasn't given me anything yet to look over, but I've known some of the idea ideas that he's had and they're good). But there is something that is a bit of a miss with them and that's why I'm here. To get their asses to move forward. Soon I'll be getting their phone numbers and calling at obscene hours to see where they are at with their stories.

I don't fear reprisal, I have a sister who gives nightmares to pageant mothers and professional leg breakers. I just want to see new stories that there two are going to create. Getting yelled out and threatened with bodily harm with a broken whiskey bottle comes with the job.

This new job is a boon and a bane. You see the story develop as a free form thought being molded into something tangible. That's a beautiful thing. The bane is that I can't tell everything I see about these stories until Chet and Richard are ready to release a chapter.

Seriously, it's a bummer.

I'll be smacking these two into shape over the next few weeks and trying to get the updates running on a more regular basis.

Richard:

Chet:

There's a party in your mouth and everyone's throwing up on the couch.

Chet and I would like to extend a round of applause for our new Guru and whip-cracker, Casey O. Hopefully, he'll not only get our asses in gear but one day class this joint up with some material of his own. Been promising for a while, but art soon (from Chet and myself, both, hopefully.) And a series of more substantive posts coming along with them.

Look to the heavens.

Been doing research for another 'series' for potentially running here on the site. This one involves aliens and the cosmic astronaut-origin of mankind theory. Lots of insane nutso ideas to run with on that.

Should have already started drawing the two scripts that i've got finished, yes. Character designs are not my strong suit, though, so i'm stumbling there.

Kindof got sideswiped by Chet's 'forget POD for now.' But it's kind of freeing with regards to the PILOT SEASON nature of our little empire-in-building. Now there won't be a record of failure if a concept doesn't work. I'd hate for people to dig up BOXCUTTER BETTY or THE UNKNOWN (thanks, Mark Waid. Now I need a new title.) if they're flat concepts.

Anyways, for any people who may be reading this, inspire me. What comics have you been reading and loving? Or reading and loathing but want to talk about? I've been finding a lot to like with Rick Remender, a guy Chet's been hounding me after for forever now.

Ramble.

As anyone who's still checking this out will notice, things have not exactly happened the way we said they would at this point. Honestly, that's due to a lot of laziness, particularly - because I have no idea what Richard's finished - on my part.

In fact, Richard and I have only exchanged a text message in the last two weeks and that was kind of a gag idea, that may or may not become something else at some point.

Anyway, as the title suggests I'm just going to ramble on a bit about a few things for the following reasons:

1. The net's been pretty fucking boring on all counts lately. Which is not to say that by writing up this post I'm fixing that, but by running my face and/or making my fingers do some walking I'll get some dormant parts of my brain kicked back into gear.
2. Yeah,... I'm just going to let a few idle thoughts out and see where they might go later on, because with a Day Job and your regular daily life it's kind of hard to stay focused on making shit up.
3. What's a blog without comment, right?

So, I think I'm going to shelve the POD line of thinking for the time being, because that's very much a case of getting the cart before the horse. Instead we should be focusing on webcomics, which don't exactly have too many disimiliar problems from POD for obvious reasons; but still remain totally different animals.

Webcomics are everywhere and a conclusion - albeit possibly uninformed - that I've come to is that most webcomics that aren't updated at least weekly and are humor based tend to do too well. Now, a lot of that could be chalked up to subjective tastes along several lines of thinking. I'd love to see what Zuda's hits are like, but ultimately that doesn't matter either.

And here's why... Nothing's really lost by creating content for the web, other than time. Which, yes, is a valuable commodity too, but depending on what you do with the results - POD? Portfolio samples? - is where the real thinking comes in. Still, there's a lot to be said for getting peoples' eyes on the work. And that will remain something to ponder about for a later date.

On the subject of Just Getting Shit Done: I think I've become notoriously bad about delivering on things promised. Good intentions and all that, as mentioned in a previous post, but there comes a time to put up or shut up, y'know? And I put a lot of thought into that over the weekend.

It's easy to say to yourself that you don't have everything you need to get work done that night. Or you're too tired from the Day Job. Or whatever easy excuse there you concoct. Heh, maybe I spend more time creating reasons not to get shit done rather than actually doing the work.

And, yeah, here I am wasting minutes putting together this post when I could be working on a page or two of script. (Yes, the plan is to actually work on something as soon as I finish this, FYI.)

On the subject of the Comics I Have Planned: One of the biggest problems I've run into with most of the stories I want to do is avoiding fragments that seem to incomplete or tease/promise too much. Finding that fine line between complete short story and teaser for something bigger is much trickier than you might think. You want the compact blocks of information, but also need those atmospheric moments that add that other essential but ambiguous element of character as well.

Which for some weird reason - as I type this - brings me to style in the illustrative mode when concerned with said stories. It's something that's been bugging me much more than often lately. I feel that I have a pretty pedestrian style of art that's functions fairly well, but lacks a lot of character. Too worried about being technically proficient without... well, having fun with it.

I like a myriad of styles that don't exactly mix together too well, which can make for some headaches. Imagine if you will - and these are just the guys running through my mind, today - a style comprised of Paul Pope's expressive and fluid line work, with Lee Bermejo's craggy noir rendering, Jason Pearon's kinetic and animated pen line, Bruce Timm's effective economy of figure and composition, with... oh, I dunno... Juan Jose Ryp's maniacally frenzied detail. It's a little insane, sometimes.

Anyway, I've gone on long enough. However, the interview(s) as promised is being persued. Also, I will most definitely get something graphic in nature up on this thing, because the place is looking kind of dull.

Off to script a page or two;
Chet