Post #219: Rumble Results and what I said...

Hey folks, If you do like wrestling, I'd suggest checking out that real audio file that JK and I uploaded yesterday, as it gave more insight to the WWE than anyone could have guessed. I can now say that the predictability factor is what was upsetting. I'll put my predictions and the outcome in this...

Match one: KID KASH Cruiser Invitational...Six man match, one fall wins...

My Prediction: If Greg Helms or Knoble are in it, Kash does NOT retain. Actual: Greg Helms and Jamie Knoble BOTH show up, and Greg Helms wins the title...1 for 1

Second match: Ashley vs. Mickie with Trish as the special ref.

my prediction: Ashley by DQ... End: Mickie Wins and gropes Trish...weird.

Match three: Boogey Man vs. JBL...

my prediction: JBL via DQ Actual: Boogey SQUASHES (beats very easily) the forer world champ 4 minute match

Royal Rumble match: 30 man over the top battle royal for a title shot at wrestlemania.

My Prediction: Final three: RVD, HHH and Rey, winner: RVD Actual: Final four: RVD, HHH, Rey, Randy Orton. Winner: Rey Shawn Michaels gets knocked out of the Rumble by both Vince and Shane McMahon BOTH were predicted BY ME for this

Match 5: Cena vs. Edge for the WWE Championship

My prediction: Edge, because otherwise he'd have his career destroyed Actual: Cena "ends Edge's career" by destroying a good thing.

Match Six: Bad match placement, Angle vs. Mark Henry for the World Heavyweight Title.

Prediction: Angle, Actual: Angle...BAD MATCH...boring chants...

In actuality, I may not have predicted all the winners, but when you are choosing frmo 30 different men to win one match, and you get three of the last four right, that's damn good. The fact that I called the Greg Helms and the Shawn Michaels knock out, makes up for a lot of it...and on top of that, I also called the appearance of one Hacksaw Jim Duggan...but WHY?

For you NON-wrestling fans...here's some info...I was recently quoted in the latest edition of LYING IN THE GUTTERS by Rich Johnston about Batman's second Robin coming back to life and possibly taking the place of the guy he had replaced once in life, arleady, Dick Grayson as Nightwing...will it happen? Who knows, but it was fun to be mentioned...check out the article at CBR.cc.

Until next time, I'm out!

Post 218: WRESTLING FANS: READ HERE!

http://fastfoodjunkies.net/podcast/wrestlingshow.ram

As big wrestling fans, JK Radtke (the new artist of THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES) and I decided we'd broadcast our first real audio wrestling show. Now mind you, its not all FOR ALL AGES, but its a good listen if you are looking for a real good insight as to what is going to happen at the Royal Rumble tonight.

We intend to actually do a wrapup after the broadcast of the Rumble itself, but I think all involved that listen will hear hints of genius in this, and when we start doing more of them, it'll definitely be on more people's listen lists.

BY THE WAY, the first 8 minutes or so are a little choppy, but if you just go past that, you should enjoy the rest.

Post 217: Landis update and more.

LANDIS UPDATE:

As you can no doubt tell, Landis for the rest of its current run (22 more updates) will be in black and white. While Chris, Owen and Myself would have preferred to have the entire story in color, an unexpected hiccup occurred, and we do not have color files for the remaining art. I personally want to apologize for it, but I can tell you that I agree with Chris when I say I love the art whether it is colored or black and white.

THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES Update:

Twenty five of the strips are fully written and plot details are beginning to show up. Ardy was a character created in 1986 by an 8 year old (me) and was developed as a character that was wanted for the destruction of his home planet. He was NOT the one that actually destroyed the planet, so because of this, he's been on the run in our sector and keeping a lower profile. The story will start with him attempting to clear his name as he gets caught, and will introduce at least 2 high profile characters. After the first story is over, he may have more interaction with the characters from Landis (including Janus and possibly Landis herself), but for the most part, the stories from Ardy will be ARDY specific, much like how Landis is the main character of her story and Ardy was a supporting character.

If all goes well, I'll have the Keenspot contract sometime in the next two weeks, and JK and I will probably have ARDY's first adventure in the Keenspot 2006 Free Comic Book Day book, as long as time and the pages permit. With all of Keenspot's stories having the opportunity to participate with that, JK and I want to be a part of it, too, as it should give people a good visual of the story, and hopefully with that kind of free advertising, will help bring in new viewers.

And by the way...24 is BY FAR, the best show on tv...hands down.

Post 216: As we get closer to the end of Landis volume 1, I realize that if I want the viewers to actually consider reading The Ardy Vanstarr Adventures (and yes, that will be the title), I've got to show you, the viewers, how it will be similar...and how it will be different.

From chatting with Chris Crosby the other night, I can honestly say he agrees with me when I say that TAVA will be unlike anything else available on the comic scene. Not because of how it is written, because as with what people noticed with Landis, I'm a little cliche when I write...its with the art. JK Radtke wanted to be a comic artist. He loves drawing and he loves a good story. I think we've crafted something special, and over the coming weeks, as LANDIS is finishing up, you'll see how ARDY will look and feel.

One thing about our NEW Ardy story...you will not see it first, as Chris and I have pretty much come to an agreement to "air" the Director's Cut of ARDY: CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS (The 10th Anniversary Edition). We'll start there to allow both JK and myself to get far enough ahead on the art and story to where we hopefully will not miss a beat.

And as an added bonus to add silliness to everything, JK and I are testing the waters with between chapter breaks that HE will write and *I* will draw. Don't know how that's going to pan out, but its to make sure that we stay ahead far enough and continue to give the readers an added touch.

The art above is a quick sketch of what the Intergalactic Police are going to look like. This may not be the final, and I don't think JK will be upset with me showing you all this...enjoy! 

Post 215: Hello...

Hey all. I didn't want to make everyone think I was gone and busy, because I have actually had a little more time to do some writing.

I wonder HOW any writer ever can work on multiple stories at the same time. I mean, obviously, writing is MUCH easier than the drawing aspect when it comes to comics, but when it comes to writing, I normally find myself in the right frame of mind for one specific story for a while and then want to work on something else...except when it comes to fun concepts and Ardy...he's everywhere.

JK and I are already discussing our second story arc, which is a little funny since he's a whole three or four pages into the story and we're already trying to come up with ideas "for the next one." The specific DOWNSIDE to this is that I haven't even come up with the full ending for where the first arc goes...I just know certain elements that I have to accomplish to be satisfied with the movement forward.

I will actually release some art for THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES in terms of character designs and such a little bit further into production, because this is something I TOTALLY want all the Landis readers to take in with open arms.

Believe me when I say the project is going to look nothing like anything else on the webcomic market, and that is due to the totally unique art style of JK Radtke. I want to express that in a good way, because this art is quirky and fun, and if you've enjoyed my story for LANDIS, you should totally enjoy a project involving the other character I have much love for in terms of my creator-owned property.

After I get deep into ARDY (already about 25 art pages into the scripting, and want to get about 50), I'll probably look for some work for hire in writing. Hopefully my resume with cohesiveness and other story elements should show decent enough to get some work at this point. I've noticed that most publishers end up writing books themselves because its cheaper and everyone wants to see their name in print.

I'm rambling now, but I did want to let everyone who reads COMIC BOOKS, that they HAVE to pick up Infinite Crisis. Its insanely good, and its written by hands down the best writer in comics, today...Geoff Johns. The art is top notch, as well, but the story and all the inclusions that need to be made to it...wow.

Post 214: The Ardy Vanstarr Adventures Update...

So I have completed what I would consider the "first issue" of the new Ardy series, though I haven't read through to see the "page count" it just felt like a good end.

JK has already shown me the first two pages (give or take, since one panel was missing off the second page). I really like the cartoony look we're going for, and since I have his blue-line art for the frist page saved, what I might do (especially for a collected edition, or for Keenspot Premium (a premium service offered with special DVD features and such, but it does have a monthly service fee)) is save the fils as I receive them and put together an "art in progress" section for the work, so that you can see as the art gets completed, and the different steps JK and I take to make the finished product. I may even give a sampling of it as we get a little bit farther into the pages and project.

I'm already thinking of finishing a story JK and I started a LONG time ago as the second story arc for ARDY...It's called SPRING BROKE, and involves a character called TORCH that was created a while back by JK. The idea behind the story, is that Spring Break gets stopped by a bad guy and his "Henchgeeks (c)" and its up to Ardy, Torch and a guy named Cheech to fix the problem.

Cheech may actually show up in this first story as a background character. The idea behind this is simple. If you have ever watched a Robert Rodriguez movie, you've seen Cheech Marin show up in every movie (minus El Mariachi) as a different character...esepcially funny when he WAS in Desperado, died and then showed up as the one-eyed guy in Once Upon a Time in Mexico. It'd sort of be JK and my way of adding an inside joke for everyone to enjoy. We both love the idea, and hopefully, those of you that have stuck it out this long with LANDIS will really enjoy the different story that we are preparing for her PI guy.

I sent the first blueline page to Chris to look at and take notice of the style change from Landis. I think as long as its a good comic, it won't matter with the style change, since most of the characters are going to be different anyway. Heck, I'll be honest when I say this story is going to feel different to anyone accustomed to Landis, but hopefully in a good way.

I've got the second Landis Arc planned out, and it's not a direct sequel to what you'v seen. In fact, I've got two different arcs planned out, and one takes place 6 months later, and one takes place way before. I also have a single issue of Janus Tagger written, which was originally going to be drawn by Ryan (Midnight Kiss) Stegman, but he bailed for a paying gig (love ya Ryan!)...which I don't blame.

I may post some script, or I may bribe an artist to draw the next one...who knows...

oh well, I'm going to get back to writing and working.

Post 213: News, updates, and personal stuff.

I'm probably going to start this in opposite form. First, I want to apologize for the terrible spelling that you may see from me...the thing is, I'm actually a very good speller, a pretty fast typer, as well...the problem is, that we have a register keyboard at work, and the thing just isn't very responsive, so it actually misses alot of letters and such...some spaces, all sorts of stuff.

I want to thank everyone who's been voting. I enjoy it, and still encourage it, since I think it helps get more viewers here, so those participating, please continue if you would =). I'm going to try to come up with a link button so that anyone who has their own sites or comics can show their support by linking Landis.

Christy's (my wife) dad is in the hospital right now after surgery, so she's been kinda down for that, and I haven't had a chance to visit since he's been in. Hopefully I'll get a chance to see him tomorrow, unless she tells me she'd prefer me not to. I won't discloe info about it, and I hope you all will respect the privacy aspect of this. The surgery went as well as could be expected, so that's good.

On the comic front. As I was worried about, Landis will be going into a hiatus since no artist has been found...however, if all goes well, and right now, things are looking up for it, I would say that you will see a replacement comic entitled "The Ardy VanStarr Adventures" take its place. If all goes well with "negotiations," with Keenspot, you'll probably see it simulcast here on
www.elisalandis.com as well as on its own site. Chris Crosby and I are working out the details on this, and with about three months until the end of Landis (for now at least), it gives JK Radtke (the artist for the adventure) and myself plenty of time to really get into the new project.

I will say that I don't expect TOO much to be the same in terms of status quo from Landis to Ardy, as Ardy is a much larger character than the little PI work we've seen...and even though I wanted to PRINT the original Ardy Mini-story that brought Chris Crosby and Rob Potchak together, I've offered the City That Never Sleeps 10th Anniversary Director's Cut to be the first offering for Keenspot and Ardy's solo adventures. This story is NOT in the same style as either Landis or TAVA (The Ardy Vanstarr Adventures), as it is even more "realistic" in its art style. The art for this one is from Timothy Johnson, who I don't believe even works in comics anymore, but is still a great graphic artist.

In other news, now that I ran on about that for a half hour =), THIEF, my other comic property, with Eric Kent may very well also be brought to Keenspot, however, this project is much farther off from , since both Eric and I want the initial "mini-series" completed before we publish any of it, whether in print or online. Eric and I are trying to come up with the perfect ending that is wrought with guilt and pain, that would make it flow perfectly, as well as set the status quo for what I consider to very possibly be the LAST original idea in ALL of media...alright, that's a little far fetched, but there is nothing like THIEF out there from anyone right now. It's a very Vertigo style book while containing its roots in a darker, Alan Moore-esque superhero-y pull.

Anyway, I'll end this with if anyone knows a manga-styled artist that is looking to do a webcomic, I think I'm going to go to a more manga look for the next arc of Landis. If you know someone, please have them get in contact with me. the email address once again is rpotchak@gmail.com

Post 212: News and more

So everyone can vote for Landis!

Yesterday was the biggest Monday in quite a while. That's great! We did over 2300 hits to start the week. It looks like we may be making stride by being in the top 100 of TOP Webcomics.

Also, the store now has quite a bit more Landis merchandise (again, til I get told to shut down, hehe). The GREAT news here is that there are magnets, posters, a keepsake box, and t-shirts of LANDIS available, now.

It will also probably be the FIRST place that you can see designs for the NEW Ardy Webcomic, since it'll probably have shirts and maybe a print available before we start the actual comic. On Other Ardy news, they also have a way of distributing comics ON CD as a data CD, so I may talk to Chris about packaging LANDIS onto a CD as well as the print comic, so that everyone can have the whole thing available for about $12.

The site for the store again is: cafepress.com/potchak

Please, check it out, since anything you'd want autographed, I'll be more than happy to order personally, and then ship it to you after I receive it. Just let me know. Prints and such, I'd even be able to do a head sketch on.

Post 211: POTS AND PANS INK STORE NOW OPEN!

Okay,

After I got home from work, today, I went on my comp, grabbed my favorite art pieces and went ahead and put them in the store as a t-shirts, mugs and more. There will be more out there later with THIEF and such...and definitely more ARDY products will be available with JK and me wanting to market him correctly...and let's not forget, since its his 20th birthday, there's actually a VALUE PRICED LIMITED TIME T-shirt for Ardy...only $11.99!

Oh yeah, and until I get told differently, there's some LANDIS stuff up at the store, too...shhh...don't want to get thrown off Keenspot.

www.cafepress.com/potchak

Post 210: Til I get told to shut it down!

Hey all, check out

www.cafepress.com/potchak

to see some great merchandise from POTS AND PANS INK...its still in the early stages now, but I figured instead of asking my readers to DONATE moneys and not get anything extra in return, I figured I'd let you know that I'm intending to run a whole line of merchandise until I get told its not in my agreement.

With the hiatus coming up (probably around April), JK Radtke and I will be writing and drawing a new web comic based on Ardy, the yellow guy from Landis. To promote this new venture for POTS AND PANS INK, I opened the store to try and earn a little side stuff.

I understand it may be a bit pricey, so I'm going to continue to look for other places that do similar stuff, but right now, the Teddy Bear and the spaghetti strap shirt are up there to see what kind of response they get.

Also, at the bottom of the blog, if you are interested in setting up your OWN store, or looking for gifts, there's an ad for the other Cafepress.com stuff available. It has my referror info on it, so hopefully if anyone buys anything, or sets up their own store, Pots and Pans Ink may see some residuals from that, as well.

Thanks.

Post 209: Landis printed available on Ebay...

http://cgi.ebay.com/LANDIS-2003-0-FCBD-Good_W0QQitemZ6588495093QQcategoryZ77QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

This should pull up the link for it...Apparently, Mile High Comics is trying to sell some of the LANDIS comic frmo 2003...they have different conditions available...if anyone wanted to purchase these and get them signed, I'd be more than happy to sign them =).

Anywho, I was a little bored at the day job, and figured what better way to spice things up on Landis, then to bring up the printed edition.

Post 208: Prnited Landis rumor...

I don't know how many of you have tried to see when the collected in print format version of Landis was going to be available, but these things keep turning up. Beow are links from what was to be the initial publication dates of the book, but I have not been informed by Chris when the book may actually ship, sell, or otherwise...


Overstock.com
http://www.overstock.com/cgi-bin/d2.cgi?cid=54554&PAGE=PRODUCT&PROD_ID=1128144&fp=F&siteID=kIJjYST5b44-M0Vp4G.DEcX.AyIvxPBr3g&cid=60488&fp=F

Barnes and Noble's website
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?userid=9k79RpqCPR&isbn=1932775099&itm=1

or of course...

Amazon.com
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1932775099/qid=1136591756/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/104-1306196-6568724?n=507846&s=books&v=glance

Of course, if everyone starts ordering copies of the title, maybe Keenspot will push UP the initial print date. Again...I personally do not have an idea of when it will be completed, printed and shipped, but I have been asked questions about these postings...all I've been informed of is that LANDIS WILL see print in this 104 page format (which may still change if Chris lets me and Owen play with "special features" more), because I'd like to include the very first drawn issue of Landis Owen did, which was like a One-shot issue, 22 pages in length and I thought quite good.

Of course it started Owen and myself on our playful series, and his art just got better and better as he continued.

Post 207

Well,

Happy New Year everyone! I didn't say it before, and I was a little upset at the whoopin my boys took from a better Ohio State team, but I wanted everyone to know that I do think this will be a great year for everyone...if they want it to be.

I'm working hard and trying to come up with an idea for a webcomic that will run in a similar format to Landis, though more cartoony, and to be based on Ardy, the private eye from Landis. He's 20 years old this year, as I created him when I was eight, and I'll see if I can find some old embarassment, I mean art from his early days, but there probably isn't anything before 1991 still out there.

Hey, great news, and a BIG HUGE GINORMOUS thank you to the folksthat have clicked on the link and gotten Landis into the Top 100 on TopWebComics.com! You guys are the best! Right now, she's sitting about the #65 spot, but I know if we keep trying, we'll move up.