Post 244: More LANDIS retrospective. and MY GOALS...

Last night I wrote up a lot of where Landis started...today, I'm going to go more into that, because it really brought back some memories.

I remember when Chris first showed me Owen's samples for Landis, both he and I said, "This is our guy." And that's when Chris went crazy..."We'll do it in full color!" I was shocked. I applauded, with big YAYS! because I knew that this is how my goals in life went...

1) Write comics...(done)
2) Write a comic book that gets published...done when I turned 13, with CITY OF ILLUSION with 5th Panel Comics...the first appearance of Ardy. This was also my second published piece of art, as I drew the cover, and Jeremy Phillips drew the interiors.
3) Write a comic book that cracks the top 300...hasn't happened yet (technically), though honestly, the orders for LANDIS #1 would have been, since it would have been ranked #265 the month it would have come out, had it been profitable...not to mention, the FREE issue did 22000 copies, which back then would have easily broken a top 75...but since it was FREE, it did not show up on that listing. SCORN HEATWAVE sold 6000 copies when it shipped, so technically it was in the top 150 Black and White comics the month it came out...so that was a pretty big step.
4) Get ARDY seen....done. Ardy has been on a T-Shirt of Peter Parker in Sensational Spider-man #21, as well as on a coffee mug in Major Bummer #6, AND his name was on the wall in Uncanny X-Men #346 thanks to Mike Wieringo, Tom Nguyen and Tim Townsend respectively! (You guys all freakin rock, BTW).
5) Get a COLOR Comic published....done as of why this was originally started.

Now the lofty goals...

1) Write a comic for Marvel OR DC.
2) Write Highlander for Dynamite Entertainment (obviously, hehe).
3) Cartoon DEAL for Ardy...
3A) VOICE Ardy...or another character in said cartoon.
4) Movie Development deal for LANDIS.
5) Self-Publish THIEF, though I may strike a deal with Keenspot for that title, as well.

Back to what I was talking about earlier...I want to discuss Owen and his talent. Owen is not just your everyday artist that swipes poses from other artists, and he des not seem to cater his style to what he always wants...he's a true professional. He easily was able to take EVERY written page (except one, hehe) and create a landscape, a horizon and ultimately...the whole picture. I didn't have to give full page descriptions most times with him, I just said what I wanted to see, and he took my vision and made it a beautiful piece of work. I truly don't believe LANDIS would be as successful as it is if he hadn't been doing his top notch art on it. Not saying the story couldn't holdup by itself, but like a movie...it isn't just the actors, its the plot, and the cinematography...and Owen gave it ALL of that.

I was truly rewarded with him on this project. I would probably give a kidney to work with him again.

I would like to also say that I'm sorry I wasn't able to work with Ryan Stegman on #5, since the series had been cancelled for print long before that. He's an extremely talented artist that is doing his own great work on Midnight Kiss from Markosia, and continues to tell me if I get my Marvel book...he "better be" the artist that draws it.

More to come later...gotta get back to work.

Post 243: More of the different

Hey all,

Hopefully you enjoyed the total turn for the worse the world took in Landis, as Tagger, Ardy and her were unable to fix the problems at hand. It is great that the feedback that I have received has been nothing but positive. I was afraid that the way people would take this spot, where little kids get infected (and Allegedly attack a mother) so well. I really want to take this time to let everyone know that this story would never have been done if not for the fact that an audience WAS out there for a story like this.

Personally, Chris Crosby and I knew the project was onto something when I was able to talk a guy named Ethan Van Sciver into drawing a cover for us (for a LOT less than what his going rate would be at this point, since he's drawing Superman/Batman at DC Comics...though he did recently state to me at a convention that if it weren't for his exclusive deal with DC, he'd be on board with doing more covers for the book, which made me feel REAL good). After that, Chris asked me to go ahead and plot and write out a four issue headstart and we'd look for an artist, and even do a talent search. He was always REALLY supportive of the story, I guess seeing something in the concept.

Elisa cam a LONG way since she was created in the Bad Girl craze of the comics industry (part of what led to its downfall in the mid to late nineties). She was originally one of the bad girls...someone created in an issue of SCORN for SCC Entertainment, and then was to receive her own comic. That didn't pan out. This was 96.

I chat with Chris in 2002 and tried to talk him into launching LANDIS again when Ethan wasnow working on a small indy title called X-MEN (hehe). Realizing if our cover artist was working on a high profle title, we should jump at the chance to push a book out.

We knew Free Comic Book Day was coming, and we knew we had something that could work.
Chris and I were looking for a name for a new company. I suggested "A-BOMB" because with an A and a - at the beginning, it should be at the forefront of the independent section of PREVIEWS, where the direct market orders comics.

In October, we knew we were going to do the FCBD book. We were thinking did we want a stand-alone story, or did we want something that was totally new, that led into the already written and drawn series. Owen wanted a new book to draw because he wanted to show how much he had expanded his art style since he began, so I got to work.

The first script was rejected...too campy is what I was told from Chris. He gave some insight to it and said, "why not include some cool backstory, and lead into where the other four issues will take us?" And I thought about it...and then I started to research it...and I think Chris suggested that she would be Nostradamus' mistress, which I didn't like using someone that popular in history, so I did more research...and found Jean Ayme...a real person, without much written about him...turns out, he actually became the mayor of his hometown before dying alone...which I would find out about a year ago.

That's why if you re-read Landis from the VERY beginning of the website, it holds a totally different feel and pace. It isn't until those three lead in pages to "CHAPTER 1" that you actually see the pace, feel, and look really become what I wanted it to. What I ask you to do is this...re-read Landis. You will see the change, and you will feel it flow differently.

I saw this when I wrote it, and I think everyone saw the difference, and the popularity picked up after that.

Now folks, its your turn...with the end coming up real soon...(I can't recall if this was the last page and I don't have a harddrive to read the script at the moment), I ask you to review it. IF you want a paper copy of it, send replies...lets try to get Keenspot to move forward with the print version of it.

ARDY is around the corner. A character I created 10 years before Elisa, and have more love for than just about any of my characters...the story will be different, and there will be more humor. This story is going to be fun, and much brighter...but I PROMISE...to come back to LANDIS, since I know people want more.

After THIEF is completed, if I can talk him into it, Eric will draw LANDIS. He's one of the few I'll trust with her return. There's one more Landis story to come back to...and then hopefully I'll get BOTH stories (Landis and ARDY) rolling at the same time...or rotate them.

Thanks again, because I know I want to return to her...and I can see from the responses I've been getting, that you want her to return, as well.

Good News....VERRRRY BADDDD NEWWWWS

Good news:

I have a new 200gb harddrive which I was going to use as a slave drive and have a total of 280gb on my current desktop...Awesome, right?

Not quite.

VERY BAD NEWS...

I may have installed it incorrectly, and when I tried to fix it, the cheap ass cable that came with it broke off, and two of the harddrive pins FROM THE OLD DRIVE THAT RUNS MY COMP, fell into the drive and probably now need to be resoldered on...thus meaning unless I can pull the spindle off and copy it (I know I've heard that places CAN do that, I just don't know how much it costs), the drive may be fully lost. Meaning...

No scripts from me...no art from me or the other artists...and only able to post to the blog from work.

This is a terrible day to be me...heh.

my latest sketch.

This is another of Wolverine, on purple paper and drawing with pencil, ink, and whiteout. The lighting is all wrong and the proportion is off, but heck, I'm just sketching for fun, right?

I find it difficult to stick to certain proportion levels and anatomy, because with a comic, the characters are supposed to be larger than life, and I hope I caught that here.

On another note, dealing with Landis, I know Eric probably will read this before I get a chance to discuss it with him, but I'm going to ask him to take over for LANDIS after we complete THIEF, which I will probably jump back into writing until JK gets where we want to be with Ardy (though he is about 15 pages in, which is awesome). Even though I'm figuring to ask Eric to take over for Landis, I may actually change it to a solo story for Janus Tagger, because I had a really cool story in mind for Janus, and just hadn't gotten it done...who knows, maybe when I'm back into writing THIEF, I'll just want to stay with that story instead...just rambling...

and now I have to decide WHO out of the two folks that signed up to win the contest will in fact win...Thanks Jenna and Ernie, you guys probably are two of the best five fans the story has =)... 

The piece I'm pretty proud of. Captain America, here, is unfinished, and like Marv, was drawn on a steno notebook, which isn't great quality, thickness or anything, but for a sketch done at work when I'm supposed to be trying to earn commission, taking less than 30 minutes to complete and such, this is a pretty slick drawing. With it, I'm trying to give the look that he's holding the shield with his right arm, and I really like the composition. If I were to attempt to ink this piece, I'm not sure if I would go for a darker, more striated art look, ala Stephen Platt, or if I would go for a "as few lines as possible" ala Mike Avon Oeming look.

Either way you slice it, I'm enjoying the fact that I'm getting my drawing chops back, but as you can see, I haven't really explored other mediums, so I may go back to the different colored paper with black, paper color and white inks, to really give it a positive and negative space feel. Maybe I'll begin liking my stuff enough to once again attempt a comic...

ehh...probably not. 

The first of some new sketches by me. This one is of Marv from Sin City. I still don't understand HOW Frank Miller is able to make a complete black and white contrast, but I attempted to emulate some of that, here.

I always think that I draw heads better than bodies, and this is a prime example. I wanted to give the impression that he's grabbing for a gun inside the coat, and I'm not sure I accomplished that task...anyways, any feedback? 

Post 238: Marvel?

Well, I just received a response from Joe Quesada at Marvel, and it read, "Thanks for the suggestion, Rob."

That's all, hehe. It's cool though, that's not a "We will be going another direction."

It's also not a, "No thanks."

Post 237: Marvel.

Well,

I haven't done this in like two years, but I pitched Marvel Comics a story today that I think would be a guaranteed sales increase for the title in question, but that's about all. I'm not sure how many comic BOOK readers are out there, but this story has gotten nothing but praise from comic fans since I first mentioned it, and even though the pitch is rough, I think that my sales skills will help it at least get looked at.

Can't get too into details on it, in case it gets greenlighted, but I'm not holding my breath. More when I hear it...either way, you'll hear the response.

Played around sketching a bit myself, today, and this is what I came up with. I'm very sketchy, whereas JK is extremely clean with our art. It'd be interesting to have him draw something and then have me ink it, because I'd almost definitely throw in ink marks where they almost wouldn't be necessary.

I hope you have all enjoyed my more present appearance here, as of late. Hopefully in the next two weeks or so, I'll have POTCHAK.COM up and running so that you can see some of my art in gallery style. I'll probably also have a mirror of elisalandis.com on ardyvanstarr.com for the time being, as well, so that both sites are up and available to see.

I hope everybody is enjoying where Landis is going, because I feel its safe to say now that it doesn't have a happy ending...and I think that's one of the things that truly seperates it from where everyone WANTS a comic to go. I try to live in a more modern sci-fi realm, and must admit that I liked Empire Strikes Back more for the fact that the bad guys won. I just seems more real, that the good guys COULD lose. Only a couple days left. 

Post 235 is ME wearing the new Ardy Ringer T. I love these shirts, and I just wanted everyone to see that this shirt IS really slick. 

Post 234: NEW Millennium...Falcon...shirt.

NEW T-Shirt Design. This one is sure to please STAR WARS fans. Now you can own the t-shirt that says it all.

Going with a piece of the ARDY script, a phrase that he says in an upcoming piece, I'm pleased to announce the "No I will NOT fix your Millenium Falcon." Black T-shirt. The art is seen below and the shirt is available through CafePress.com/Potchak. This is perfect for anyone that is looking for that PERFECT Force Fan gift. You could just imagine Chewy wearing this thing. Or R2D2. Anyway, I thought it was a nice fun play on the original, "No I will not fix your computer." shirt. 


Cafe Press Pots and Pans Ink Store - "No I will not fix your Millenium Falcon" T-shirt.

Below is the cover for the first issue of THIEF from Eric. This will probably be the #0 cover, and I have to say, the man has been working out those comic chops.

Originally, the series was going to be in black and white with color covers and be in a cartoony style, but Eric has been taking a lot more time on the pages AND covers to show that he just wants to make this his trial book for something or someone bigger, like Marvel.

Right now, I believe he's putting the final pencils to issue #2 (so that's 0, 1, and 2) so I'm still about one full script up on him. Hopefully I'll be able to pick the series back up and surprise him with as good of an ending as it began. 

Post 232: What a week...yikes.

Let's start with the good and roll into the terrible. ALSO, go to the LANDIS forum and SIGN UP FOR THE CONTEST! Only 25000 more hits...we could hit that THIS WEEK!

The New ARDY T-shirt I friggin love this thing. Its too bad nobody wants to order this, hehe. I just got mine (paid the same as everyone else will) and it is REALLY a slick shirt. I'm VERY happy with the design from JK and the color scheme by me. I'll see about putting a picture of it on here.

cafepress.com/potchak

Contract Signed JK and I are now exclusive with Keenspot starting with the tenth anniversary ARDY: CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS The Director's Cut. I've finished the first 48 pages of script and JK says that he's drawing like a man possessed. I've been playing with colors, but I think JK and I are going to do the story in grays with added color where it makes sense. This way we'll be able to keep up with the rigorous schedule better.

X Box 360 Yes, I finally got one. I have to say, though the game selection currently is not where it needs to be, this thing is sick.

Speaking of sick...

Rob is sick I've been sick now all week, and even got pink eye after having an upper sinus infection. NOT GOOD. I also missed my first day of work like EVER due to illness. I was supposed to drive to Charlotte (about 2.5 hrs away) for a training on Weds, and was unable to attend due to this stuff.

My wife's grandad is sick. He just had surgery for lung cancer. I've only met him twice, and I'm sorry I've not gotten to see them more often. I'm super happy he was able to make it to our wedding, though.

My brother is in trouble. I'll put it like this...don't drink and drive. It's a rule to live by that if you don't, it'll catch up to you eventually.

That's about the extent of my week. If I remember anything else from it, I'll make sure to spill my guts here. I've begun working on a homepage, but I have no idea how to post it to a site or anything. If anyone has any info let me know.

Post 231: REALLY LIMITED TIME ONLY OFFER!

Hey all,

For the next week (or so), the brand new ARDY Shirts are going to be NO MARK UP at the Pots and Pans Ink Store! I'm doing this as an introductory offer, since when you add the shipping cost to it, it means paying around $19 for a t-shirt, which is not cheap, but since I own one of the last Ardy shirts I create, I can tell you, they are pretty good quality...

ALSO:

A NEW CONTEST! Landis is less than 50k in page views to the magical ONE MILLION HITS mark! Considering its only taken 3 months to hit the second 1/2 million, I decided I'd throw a contest!

I have ordered ONE of the ORIGINAL PRINTS from Owen's art, and will be GIVING it to one lucky winner. The rules are simple. Between NOW and the day not too long from now when Landis hits #1million, anyone who posts something in the LANDIS FORUM (link at TOP of elisalandis.com main page)will automatically be entered and have a chance to win the print. The print will also be autographed by me, and even have a sketch on it. It will be a ONE OF A KIND collectable! The only thing I ask is that whoever wins send me a digital cam pic of them with the piece, so that it can be shown on the website.

Its that simple! Good luck. Odds of winning are dependant on how many people try to play!

Post 230: The REAL new shirt design!

http://www.cafepress.com/potchak.48166521 <--New shirt design available for order HERE. Is it a little pricey? I guess, but being the fan of ringer shirts that I am, I purchased one today because I'm proud of the design.

As you can probably tell with the art, here, we're going for a mix between flashy and really towards animated/celshaded art for TAVA.

What I was trying to accomplish with this was something that could look cool on a t-shirt, or even the main page of a website. JK told me he liked the shaded look I went with and although that logo looks a lot like a cheesy sandwich, I definitely gets the point across for what it is for. Although the t-shirt design that's currently at the store is NOT this one, I'll probably be switching to this, since I really like it. Anyone have an opinion about it?

 

Post 229: New T-Shirt Available!

www.cafepress.com/potchak

The above link is for the LANDIS and ARDY store, and has been streamlined, with only VERY few products being offered. The latest is a "The Ardy Vanstarr Adventures" Ringer Tee, drawn by JK Radtke and colored by Rob Potchak (me, heh). I will probably NOT have it available for a long time, and I will be ordering one and probably placing a picture of me wearing it on here.

Later today I'll probably post a picture of the design here, but I'm at work currently, and don't have access to adding pictures here.

Well, Here's the first page of the two-pager that JK and I have done for FCBD for Keenspot, and will officially be the first part of the NEW Ardy Vanstarr Adventures comic. I'm not sure if we intend to REPOST it online for everyone to see when we've got everything going, but I figured everyone would want to see what to expect. I don't want to spoil it for everyone, YET, but we probably WILL post this in the archive section of ardyvanstarr.com when we've got the site up and going.

I don't think it will upset anyone that I'm posting this now, but again, we want everyone to see where we are going with this, so that we let you know what to expect. Enjoy! 

Post 227: Booooooo Today. A RANT, not for Everyone.

Alright, I'm totally going to "Guy out" here. I HATE Valentine's Day. And I used to manage a Godiva Chocolatier...I REALLLLLLLY Hated it then. I know I have some female readers, so I'm going to try to explain my rationale.

Valentine's Day is what guys call a Hallmark Holiday. A day created by big business to push more unusable product on more people, and to generate sales for companies going through a quarterly slump. Look at it...Days like that are: Valentine's, Secretary's, Boss's, Mother's Day, Father's Day and others...now, sure, we all love and respect our wives, girlfriends, mothers, fathers and secretaries for those that have them, but that's why we celebrate their birthdays and Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, whatever...that's TWO days a year that we splurge for loved ones...

Me? I have Christmas on the 25th, wife's birthday on Jan 12th, Valentines (today), Easter (march or april), who knows whatelse (at some point, Mother's day) and it goes on.

I hate Hallmark days. There's nothing that tells a loved oen you love them as much as seeing 45 Zales, Kays and Jared commercials between an episode of 24. Obvious marketing of Valentine's gifts to a male oriented program...it just bugs me.

I'm sure lots of you like today, and some guys may actually get nice gifts, too, but I just personally don't like daysthat force me to say something I say twenty times a day anyway.

I hope you female readers don't hate me for this, since I've already given my wife a nice stuffed animal and a dozen roses, and will be taking her out to dinner and a movie tonight...just to show you that as much as I hate it...it still gets "practiced."

Post 226: NEWER Updates, hehe...comics, wrestling, radio, more...

Thanks for checking out elisalandis.com on this fine Monday morning...evening...nighttimes....hehe.

Alright, I'm going to try this in BULLETED fashion.

THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES:

- We actually anticipate a start date of either July 3rd, or July 10th. The only reason we'd push it back to the tenth is to NOT coincide with the holiday of July 4th, which would already hurt turnout.

- Expect a two-page introduction story to TAVA in the Keenspot Spotlight 2006 special. I'll probably post a scan of the pages (incomplete) here, so not to give too much away, but to let everyone see where JK and I are going with this.

- By July, we'll have at least 30 pages completed at the pace we are going, which is awesome, since that will give us ten weeks of material before a page even shows up.

- After LANDIS finishes, we'll DEFINITELY see Ardy: City That Never Sleeps: The 10th Anniversary Director's Cut here on Keenspot, probably right on the elisalandis.com site to ensure that everyone still gets their helpings of Potchak written comics. After that, I'll be releasing a version of it in book format.

LANDIS

- Landis is going to be over in only about three weeks time....but wait.

- Landis will return for one more black and white adventure on elisalandis.com that I'm calling "The Lost Pilot Episode." It is actually the FIRST issue that never happened, but could actually fit into continuity after the events of the current miniseries. This was the story that started the story, and made both myself and Chris Crosby realize exactly what kind of talent Owen REALLY and TRULY IS! He made my mediocrity as a writer come off as credible =). He may not be happy with how the art looks, but all his fans will want to see the transition when we reprint Landis.

- I'm in discussions with Crosby on HOW to bring Landis to print, just to fulfill my personal obligation to myself on getting that out. More news on this when more has been finalized.

FUTURE PROJECTS
- My contract with Keenspot states that "Future Considerations" is something that if both sides were to agree to, more POTS AND PANS INK projects could follow.

Wrestling!
- Christian Cage won the NWA World Title last nigth! Whoo....that's a huge step for this genius.

- Samoa Joe retainedhis title in probably what was the match of the night.

- Contrary to popular belief, I DID NOT purchase the PPV, so maybe I'm a hack.

Radio

- JK and I are in discussions to cmoe on board with Keens podcasts with our wrestling show...more on that as it becomes available. This is big, since this is something that JK and I are looking to do without doubt.

- The program will probably be weekly to start, and hopefully our first REAL presentation will beout of "beta" for Wrestlemania...this is a lofty goal, but we are committed.

- The show will probably be a two hour program, since we can't seem to stop talking about wrestling, but at the same time will probablybe available for downloading in one hour blocks. One being a WWE block and one being an INDY block.

- Advertising would be handled by Keen, but we wouldn't be against the iea of 30 second spots IN the show for possible other advertisers.

- We WILL plug our upcoming pojects and things we like...you know, free advertising.

MORE on this stuff when we have it...until then, take care!~

Post 225!: Updates!

Well,

Eric told me that he's still working on THIEF, so who knows, this project may still see the light of day, and maybe even through Keenspot, like my other projects, but more on that as we get down to it.

Right now, I'm at least 30 pages into the TAVA story. I figure I'm going to run it as 48 page story arcs, though they will undoubtedly have chapters seperating in between. The reason for the 48 page format, is so that if we do print comics AFTER they are seen online, I want a reasonably priced book, and most publishers like Marvel and DC will do a 48 page story for $5.95, and I believe through my research, I've found that I'd be able to do that price as well...though not NEARLY as profitably as them...

Hey, I know everyone is skeptical of these things, but I've heard this one is 100% legit. Its to help me get an XBox 360...if you send them 5 other people, and sign up for one offer, you get one...if those 5 people also sign up. If folks help ME get one, I'll help them by adding their referral info up next...until then, anyone wanting to help out, here's the site...http://freexbox360.peel.com/refer.php?l=xbx12455766ycyfb

Post 224: A new day is upon us!

 


Its about as close to being a done deal as it CAN be (just need to sign and send the contracts).

To show how excited I am about today (since I'll probably be sending off the exclusive web agreement for THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES today or tomorrow), I went ahead and threw a little advertisement together for it.

With that all said and done, I know JK is about 6-7 pages into penciling the script, and says that he sees no reason why we shouldn't have a good buffer in front of us before either of us needs a vacation, hehe. We may even start up a website before the launch date, since at least one other ARDY story will be seen before we start doing the all new material.

I hope everyone else is as excited as me, since I haven't heard from near as many of you recently. It's a little funny, that with the start of the month elisalandis.com has had, February could VERY WELL be the BEST month yet in terms of hits.

All this, and JK and I will probably have a TNA radio show up before their PPV on Sunday.

Post 223: The Ardy Vanstarr Adventures is Official.

Well, I thought it was a good statement. It looks as though POTS AND PANS INK (my comic label for my projects) will be bringing THE ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES and "Future considerations" to Keenspot...exclusively. It wasn't a hard decision to make since Chris has never really steered me wrong when it came to being honest and letting me know how any project I did would be treated.

The current thought that JK and I are going through is to have it launch on July 1st, and Keenspot will help out with promotion of the "event..." JK and I realize the necessity to get a nice little buffer in the amount of pages we have ready for Launch date because unforseen instances DO occur.

So, as we have around 20 pages of Original LANDIS material remaining, and we may very well use the one last complete Landis story a little later, after that Landis story, we have a 25 page ARDY story that I've discussed printing, and probably still will. That story is entitled ARDY: City That Never Sleeps. This story was completed 10 years ago, and was drawn by Timothy Johnson, and is NOTHING like what we have planned for TAVA.

When TAVA launches, you will see action, adventure, and if done correctly, funny. It's more along what I have always wanted to do, and if you looked at that art from a couple days ago, you will probably see why I see this being 100% different from whats out there, but also...why I think Ardy will desreve his own cartoon towards the end...and unlike Landis, JK and I are looking at a 3 year commitment to the project, though we may take certain hiatuses to ensure that when the project goes live, it is a top quality production and stays that way. Neither of us want to slouch and do a disserivce to you, our readers.

JK and I are also in discussions to bringsomething else to Keenspot exclusively, but more on that when we get further into the discussions.

What we have here, folks, is page five of the new ARDY VANSTARR ADVENTURES, and is nowhere near complete, but it gives you a good idea of what to expect. As we draw closer and closer to the BIG LANDIS finale (I'm sorry, I'm getting choked up), we will be launching the ALL NEW Ardy adventures (hopefully) july 1st.

This project is my dream, folks. And while we'll probably see another Ardy story happen BEFORE TAVA (The Ardy Vanstarr Adventures), we will see a whole new evolution of the character, now that he's 20 years old...now is the perfect time to sell it.

Let me know what you think either here on on the forum.  

Post 221: Welcome ALL!

Hello! I see that some of you are not the usual LANDIS crowd, and because of that, I would like to take the time to THANK YOU for showing up! Please, feel free to let me know what you think of the comic either here, in the blog, OR on the forum. All feedback is greatly appreciated.

I hope you take the time to visit the rest of LANDIS' adventure, as well as when we launch ARDYVANSTARR.com...(SOON)...for a whole different experience.

Post 220: AP Furtado

Anyone who looks for good interviews on web-comic writer/artist/creators, ought to check this one out... from Comicon's Pulse website on none other than AP (Tony) Furtado. The dide knows his stuff, and we've worked together previously.

Also, check out APFurtado.net for updates on him and his upcoming projects from 01comics.com

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.

Post 206: 90% increase!

Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that within the week already, Landis has jolted up the Top Webcomics chart, going from somewhere around 3900th place to 388 this week.

I know this is asking a lot, but it allows you to vote once a day on this site, so please, help out...I'd love to see it suddenly get hits daily based on the fact that everyone that is hereis helping out!

Oh, and before I forget, Hurray for the losses of Michigan and Miami! Now all I need are Penn State to win and Notre Dame to win to make this a GREAT Bowl season!

POST 205! Great news for Notre Dame fans.

In an article on ESPN.com today, Brady Quinn announced that he will be coming back for his senior year at Notre Dame because he still feels that learning under Charlie Weis' tutelage is better than taking a wait and see attitude in the NFL.

In other news, Anthony Fasano, a 6'4" tightend for Notre Dame feels that there isn't much more for him to accomplish at the school, and since he graduates this spring, even with one more year of eligibility left, he's looking forward instead of cming back.

If all goes as planned, ND will have Quinn, Walker back at HB, Samardjia back at Receiver and Rhema McKnight coming back after a redshirt year due to injury. That means the only posititon that will be looking for someone new is going to be the Tight End position and we've got three potential NFL caliber guys there...so as long as the line is set, we should be fine.

Post 204: Way late...but VOTE for Landis has begun!

Hopefully that shows the NEW link for TOP WEB COMICS, but if not, the link to actually VOTE for Landis is right here...Hopefully this could generate MORE hits if everyone votes...So I'm asking nicely...please Vote for Landis!

http://www.topwebcomics.com/vote/3930/default.aspx

Post 203: The Holiday Celebration

Hey all...MERRY CHRISTMAS...and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Just so people don't get mad if they celebrate something different.

I got a Brady Quinn Notre Dame Jersey for Christmas, and my wife and I are going to her parents house to find out what else I got, hehe.I also squeaked out $90 in Best Buy Gift Cards (wahoo...that's 25% of my Xbox if no one signs up and helps with my referrals, hehe) and some cool stuff for around the house, like a leaf blower and a liquor rack.

Oh yeah, and I got new tires put on my car, too.

Hope everyone else got great presents. I think the best part of last night was watching my 15 month old god-daughter take my phone from me and "talk" to her aunt. It was just plain classic!

Post 202! You know what tomorrow is!

My birthday was a smash hit, and I'd like to thank both Ernie and my partner in crime from THIEF, Eric for wishing me a happy birthday (and yes, the Partner in Crime bit WAS a known pun before I wrote it). Christy (my wife) and her parents got me the Crock-pot BBQ pit cooker, which was funny because I REALLLLLLY wanted it, but only asked for it once and her parents and her remembered.

Because of that, with my family coming over for Christmas eve, I've got to get to the local supermarket before they close so I can try this sumbitch out =). Personally I prefer the tomato based bbq, and I'm going to cook some ribs, so it'll be interesting to see what goes on.

Well, the BIGGEST week in LANDIS is almost over (and will end on Christmas day), but it looks like we'll slide in at a bit over 24000 hits, which is 14000 more than last week (shows the difference of a hot woman in a bathtowel ad will get you =).

Anyway ,I'm going to wish all of you readers a MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HANUKAH (however you spell that one). I'll almost definitely be back on here before New Years, but I just wanted to make sure you guys leave your milk and cookies out for the big guy.

POST 201: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROB!

Hey guys,

it's my birthday, so I can't stay on and write a long message or anything, because my wife has lots of great stuff planned...I just wanted to let everyone know.

I'm old...28.

POST 200!!! Numbers and such!

Well,

Last week the website did a total of 10330 hits...technically the third most for a week (not including this week), while it was actually the MOST hits for a week that had NO Ad run. The reason I bring this up is because YESTERDAY...the site did 14186 hits! There WAS an ad run across all of Keenspot, so it brought people from all over the community by for a look, but I want to run a comparison here.

The last week that an AD ran on Keenspot for LANDIS, was week 41, when we did a total of 14642 FOR THE WEEK...and yesterday we almost BEAT THAT...JUST YESTERDAY. Today, already, the site has done more than 1100 hits, meaning that we've already beaten the best week we've had, and its only Tuesday.

If you couldn't tell, I'm VERY numbers oriented. I only hope that we can KEEP a good amount of these viewers with the way the story is going.

Also, I'd like to thank Owen again for his mention of Guy's demise on the sorethumbsonline.com blog, since I know that would have something to do with the numbers (since that site has a HUGE following...and check it out if you haven't).

Also, in case I miss doing it later...happy holidays All...and I'll be sure to thank each of you on my birthday, Thursday...I'll be an old 28.

One thing I haven't asked is people's opinions. As a guy writing a story about a woman...and a 700 year old woman for that matter...how does it come across? Does her voice truly sound like a woman? What about the other characters...

Also, I don't think I'll be able to do sketches of LANDIS herself anymore, but any of the male characters I can draw, hehe...sorry Jenna...hopfully it'll be okay, since I'm NOT the artist Owen is.

Til next time, keep reading!

Post 199: CONTEST WINNERS! (Week 50)

Hey all,

Doesn't it just sound like we'vebeen doing a contest for 50 weeks when I do that?

I actually decided to pull two winners out of the hat, and the two that I pulled were

FAERYVAMP and the only person that submit her response on the blog, ANGEL.

Guys, you'll have to email me your addresses to receive the prizes, which I've decided can be either the copy of the comic or the Head sketch. Hopefully I'll be doing sketches of Ardy or Janus, since I'm not nearly as skilled at drawing women as Owen =-), but I'll make it great for you.

email me your address at: RPotchak@gmail.com

Post 198: We will have a winner!

Being the fair guy I am, and the fact that I love everyone who has shown an interest in LANDIS at all (not just the past two weeks, hehe), but due to the response that actually put LANDIS OVER the 10,000 hits number WITHOUT an ad, I will be choosing the WINNER of the 10,000 hits contest sometime this week, and will try to post it before my birthday (Thursday)and ship it one day next week. If I can find multiple copies of the comic, I'll actually try to pull extra winners.

On top of that, Today I saw the NEW Landis AD that will run ALL DAY TODAY, and I have to say that Crosby has a tendency to look for the skimpiest thing to get the fanboys looking, hehe.

I agree that LANDIS doesn't currently have a page for bios of the characters, and for that I apologize...but just so everyone knows, Owen Gieni IS the artist of the story, which was written by me.

He deserves I'd say 90% of the credit, though, since his beautiful pictures, colored by Studio Makma in France, are just stunning.

This week, we need to hit 20,000 for a winner, because of the ad, and with it being Christmas week, as much as I want us to hit the big big big numbers, I'll understand if it picks back up AFTER the holidays.

Post 197: Kinda low...

I'm going to write about something a little different than my future projects and stories, and go with something about my real life.

I'm in Charlotte, NC, right now, at a training, two weeks before christmas and my 28th birthday, and besides thinking, "Why am I here, when I should be selling?" I'm truly giving thought to the question of, "Why am I doing this if it doesn't make me happy?"

aMy wife called me, talking about problems she was having while I've been gone, and it really upsets me sometimes that I have to deal with all the problems at work, and come home and have to deal with problems from my wife...not necessarily effecting me personally, but anything like that places a strain on our marriage, whether we try to get through it together, or just by herself...

It's selfish on my part. She wants to be there for me when I have an issue, but my issues always seem to come up around the same time as hers. I wish I had more to give and help with to try and make it up to her, but (and I'm not sure she's even heard this, yet) I'm too tired and have nothing extra to give after I've tried to work out my demons atwork and my feelings on my own time.

I ahve a boss that doesn't realize what I do for him. He doesn't realize what I attempt to do to make his job easier, so when it comes to looking for a promotion, he'd rather give it to someone who politics his way to the top of the class by trying to learn something when told, "I'm going to promote someone" instead of seeing what he DOESN'T HAVE TO DO because it's already getting done...which is the way a manager SHOULD WANT IT...but of course, he'd rather consider the statements made about what I would like to see from him, claiming its unneccesary criticism, rather than realize the work and the positives that come from the things that are being done BY ME...the two things that should be most important.

It really bugs me. I want to be successful, but when you get told, "I didn't have to take you..." and "Everyone was throwing you under the bus..." and then the follow up is, "But I know you get numbers" there is no positive personal reinforcement to those comments, and it means that he's got me on knowing that I am successful in how I handle my business.

I just don't know what I want to do with my life besides write...the problem is, writing isn't worth the bills I have to pay and unfortunately, that's the most important thing when it comes to employment to me...nobody works 100%, 100% of the time...and that's not a typo.

I'm having a hard time dealing with this, now exactly, and its dragging me down. I mean, I must be making impressions on the right people, because the VP of Sales in NC asked me to talk to him while I was in training, and the manager of NC told me I deserved my own store...butthat's not good enough for what I want, anymore. I want to feel appreciated and respected, and I don't get that feeling, and I don't see that changing. I've learned things at this training that I'm at, and I'll do them... and we'll seif anyone else actually steps up like I intend to...

unless something better comes along.

Post 196...HDTV costs...is it worth it?

Well, I know this doesn't pertain to anything else that I normally discuss online, but I've mentioned my want for a TV for a while, and I've got to say that the PANASONIC 30IN Widescreen HDTV I got is WELL worth the value, even though its quite a bit more expensive than purchasing a standard tv.

Things to think about if you are intending to buy HDTV...get one with HDMI or DVI hookups. Cable typically comes with DVI, and Satellite typically comes with HDMI. The cable in either situation will cost you AT LEAST $45, but again, to get the best possible quality, you are going to need this anyhow. Without it, you can use Component video cables, and they will run you (for a good set) about $79. I bought an HDMI to DVI conversion cable, from Walmart for $45, so that I can connect it to my Cable box, but ultimately, if I go to Satellite, it will be unnecessary, but for now, I guess I need it.

Here's the kicker...Cable only charges you $7 more for the HD Package, which gives you I believe 10-15 channels. Directv charges more, ($11), but they offer a few more channels and 3 months free...Directv is also offering all the premium channels free for three months (they get expensive AFTER that), and all the equipment free after instant online rebate.

you are probably wonderng why I am even considering staying with cable, and the real answer behind that is that I'm not sure if I'll save any money. And in the mean time, that's the important thing, while still getting the best quality.

I ultimately think that DirecTV will save me money, or be right at the same price per month if I go with the HBO Package, which is nice...

I just don't know, and with all the Christmas shopping, I don't like the idea of signing up for a new service right now...

Thoughts?

THE CONTEST IS ON!

Hey all...to have a chance to win in the contest...on the LANDIS page, right above the contest, click on the FORUM link, and register and post a reply in the post for the contest.

If your name is pulled, I'll contact you through the forum to get your address for the prize.

Thanks all! Please, sign in at the forum and try to win! If the site hits the number, YOU EARNED IT!

LANDIS 10K and 15K CONTEST is on...

Starts MONDAY at 12sm PST, ends SUNDAY, 11:59pm PST...

I posted this in the forum...please sign up, as its your only way to win.

As long as LANDIS is NOT advertised next week (if it is, I'll still try to be a sport about everything) the contest is valid.

If Landis reaches 10,000 hits NEXT WEEK (Monday through Sunday), I'll send an autographed copy of Landis' first REAL comic appearance to a lucky reader who says they read the comic.

If the story does 15,000 hits NEXT WEEK, the winner will get a handdrawn head sketch of their favorite character from LANDIS, while a second place contestant will receive the comic.

If Keenspot DOES run an AD for LANDIS next week (which I am unaware of), the contest will then run as follows:

For 20,000 unique hits, The comic will be rewarded...and for 25,000 unique hits, the sketch and comic will be given. It's only fair that we really blow the old numbers out.

This was the original post in the forum that you will reply to to participate in the contest...

------------------------

This week will undoubtedly mark the first week (without any main page advertisements) that LANDIS will go over the 9000 person mark. This is AWESOME!

If the comic goes over 10,000 "unique" hits, meaning your IP address can only register once per day for updates, I will give away something special...I will give away an autographed copy of LANDIS' first appearance to one lucky fan of the site. (Scorn: HEATWAVE #1, circa 1997)

Here's the main rule for it. After you've "hit" the site, you will need to post into the forum under a post that everyone will be able to reply into. I don't care if the response is, "I went, too..." I just want to get your Keenspot name and such, and I'll send a private message to the winner.

If we get 15000 unique viewers, I'll Handdraw a headshot of your favorite character from the story AND give someone else the copy of the Scorn Comic.

If you get your friends to come on and say you referred them onto the site and make a reply to the post, it'll DOUBLE your chances of winning the contest...

This contest is NOT endorsed by Keenspot, but I will try to get the winner's name posted on the Website as the "FIRST LANDIS CONTEST WINNER..."

So get cracking everyone. Starts MONDAY at 12am PST...and you can make the REPLY to THIS message, or I'll probably start another post entitled: LANDIS CONTEST REPLIES...

----------------------

Thanks your making the story even MORE popular.

Snatching Victory from the jaws of Nature...

No not defeat...though it could have happened.

This week, even after Chris and his family were snowed in without power, Elisalandis.com will EASILY have its best week ever without advertising the page through Keenspot. How did it do it?

I'm not quite sure, but I've been getting around the webcomic community, still attempting to find the person that will take over as artist after this first arc (anyone know anyone? Lemme know!), and I've been finding some really really excellent stories out there that are just amazing and deserve to be collected in print.

I want to really thank Blix over at EATKITTIES.com for placing a link to Landis' adventure on their site. It is an EXTREMELY good comic, and just wonderfully and beautifully drawn. I've made mention of the comic before, and it really is doing well in those top webcomic pages, normally cracking the top 25...so if you aren't reading it, or heck, even just looking at what this artist is capable of (most of the work is available as a print...y'know, with Christmas on the way)...you are truly missing out.

I've also started reading Inverloch and Abstract Gender (this is still in the early stages, but seems pretty ridiculous and funny), and there's another one on my work computer that I go to that is just great, but I can't remember the name of it right now.

Anyway, by giving my thanks and praise to them, they may have mentioned my story, too, but I'm not sure. I know Blix did, THANKS!...Its really cool when you can find something totally different than what you are used to and become a fan of it.

Anyway, again, after all that happened with Chris this week, the site actually got MORE hits and I'm hoping this is a trend that will continue on. I'm loving the pages as they come up now, since most of them I hadn't seen in full color, and I'm just as big a fan of this story as I hope you folks are...its funny when you see where you started in comics, and then where you've gotten.

Now, I think I'm going to try to write a proposal for a Marvel Character that will probably just get laughed at because I don't write movies or tv shows, but heck, y'never know, right?

Here's the AP (Tony) Furtado piece. I just wanted to let everyone look at it in its beautiful full color glory (I believe it was colored by Tyim Corts), because in the upcoming ARDY: CTNStdc book, it'll fall back into black and white.

In other LANDIS news, last month, November, even with Chris and his family out of power (hope they are doing better), Landis struck its second best monthly numbers. In fact, truth be told, since NO ADVERTISEMENT on the Keenspace happened for LANDIS in November, this is actually the biggest month without an Ad, beating September by almost 8000 hits! That's great, guys!

In fact, this week has been a huge week, already hitting the 7000 hit mark by 11am EST on Friday, so with 2.5 days to go, this could be Landis' biggest non-ad week, possibly to date!

 

Hope everything is okay

With the holiday weekend and everything, I hope everything is okay with Chris Crosby, because I noticed that Landis hadn't been updated yet. I apologize for the inconvienence, as I have nothing to do with it, but I hope he's okay and just a bit overworked...

I hope everyone had a good holiday, and the season is upon us.

Just got my two dogs their shots for the next three years (what a present)...heh, it only cost me the entire price of the TV I wanted...BOOOOOOO.....

So here's a page in progress of ARDY: CTNSthc as I guess the acronym is now, hehe.

I'm really happy with how the pages are turning out. Tim, the artist has said that the graytones really give it a new dimension that just wasn't available back in 1996/97, so hopefully it looks good enough to draw some attention.

The funny thing is I'm seeing exactly how bad the script WAS, so I've given it an overhaul, so anyone that has seen THIS page before (this is one of the pages that HAS been published before), you'll see how different the script already is. If I had a larger page count to play with, I may have put up a side by side comparison to the differences, but I don't really think that's necessary, as this is my first attempt at "being George Lucas," hehe. This is the image I want this product to have, and I think I'm accomplishing a polished product ready for print. 

Post 189: More completed pages and stuff

Well,

I'm now up and done page 15 of the book. I truly think this is going to be something I'm proud of. I'm going to ask my pro buddies if they want to contribute a pinup to the book, but I have to keep the page count down, as I don't want to incur other charges. Based on where it is right now, I believe the total page count is about 28, which means I have four more pages I can play with, so three if you don't include the page where I thank everyone...

The back cover is going to be an advertisement or Landis, and either include the cover from Ethan Van Sciver or possibly an Owen cover, unless Owen wants to do a pinup =)...

Well, if Notre Dame wins today, I expect them to go to the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona. I also expect to BE AT THAT GAME if that is the case, since I have family in Arizona, and a buddy is already trying to get plane tickets.

Now all I need are two things...1) Notre Dame to win tonight and 2) Tickets to the game.

Post 188: To TV or not to TV

Well, first the update...I have RE-lettered the first 11 pages of ARDY: City That Never Sleeps The Director's Cut already, and will continue to work on it until its complete...unfortunately, I've got three days working in a row, so it may slow down this weekend. I should actually have it ready for print within about 2 weeks, if I can stay motivated.

The good news there is that I sent some of the prelim pages to Timothy Johnson, the original artist and he said that the graytones add a good bit to the art, and I told him that he can have as many copies as he'd like.

TV News: Anybody that knows me knows I want a new tv...been wanting one for about 12 months. I've decided that a 30 inch widescreen tv is more than enough to take the place of my 27 inch standard size tv, and I can even get one for about $400. The question is, do I want to spend the money when I do have a perfectly good working tv as is? Well, it does have a degauzing problem, and a large blue spot on the screen, but I want it...I just have to justify the cost, which at this time of year sucks.

Lost and Found! A long while ago, myself and artist AP Furtado (who contributed a pinup to Landis #0 print version) were going to work on an Ardy title named INDOMITABLE FORCES, where Ardy became an intergalactic wrestler in order to find a missing person. Well, only one piece of art that I know of actually ever got created, and I thought it was long gone...well, through the greatness that is the WWW, I was able to find a link to a colored version of what would have been the cover. And though AP (I call him Tony) is busy working with 01comics(.com), and contributing semi-regularly to HEAVY METAL, I still have hopes that one day him and I will work on a project we can both look upon and be 100% satisfied with...since we did a lot of cheesy books, and never really got a chance to work on anything serious together.

Ahh...someday.

Post 187: Happy Thanksgiving!

Hey all,

give thanks and have a wonderful day.

Later, I'll probably be lettering Ardy: City That Never Sleeps The Director's Cut, which I've already gathered all the pages (its now 25 pages in length, compared to the original 21), the original covers of the books he appeared in (though I'll probably need to put Landis on there, as well, hehe), pinups from all over, some never before seen sketches and more.

I've already completed changing the art to grayscale and adding tones to it. I'm relettering it, with changes to the script to help the flow and the wording to be more up to date...

I've also found a printer that although it isn't print on demand, though I would have liked that, it's inexpensive enough to do a black and white book and have 32 pages and keep the cost of the book below 2.50 per copy...so I think I'm going to do that and set up a storefront here to sell them.

So I've been working on ARDY: City That Never Sleeps Director's Cut for a while now, and though its nowhere near complete, I figured I'd give everyone a glimpse of the cover art that I intend on using.

The art itself is by Tom Nguyen (Batman) and colored by an OLD friend, Jas Ingram.

The piece was done by Tom because he really liked the dynamic of the character. Jas added the background color aspect to it, and voila!

I did the design element, and may still change some of it, but I think the simple logo gives it an almost better feel. Let me know what you think. 

Post 185...more babble

Well,

lots of weird things tend to happen at this part of the year, and its normally inexplainable (or is it unexplainable?) and it really makes me wonder if it is truly the change of weather that causes the craziness in all people?

Next week, we celebrate Thanksgiving, so if the numbers on the pages are down, I understand, because I want everyone spending time with their families and being thankful for everything they have, rather than waiting for an update on my blog, hehe, or my comic.

I am going to be seriously trying to clean up more pages of ARDY: CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, for its release, whether its online or in print, though I really hope it comes out in both. I've got some art that can be used as a cover, notto mention, I've got some REALLY funny stuff that I may include in an ARDY retrospective.

What's weird here is that many people don't know a lot about Ardy, because he plays such a short and small role in Landis, and it was designed that way...in fact, I kinda snuck him into the story in the same way that Kevin Smith was Silent Bob.

When I found out LANDIS #0 was going to be full color and available on Free Comic Book Day (high volume, in other words) I snuck Ardy into the script, and even wrote him into following issues of the series. Although I think a series with Ardy would take off at some point, he is best served (at this point) as a supporting character, but I still want him to get his own Star.

He will. I want everyone to see him. He's popular around the comic book community (or was circa 2002), but he'll always be my first character, and the one that will be my favorite to write.

Update of sorts

I was going through my old collection of my work, and as stated previously, I want to do something special for ARDY's 20th birthday (much like I will intend to do for Landis' in 2007 (10th anniversary). Well, I located a lot of the old pages of ARDY: CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS, and since the final portion had NEVER been released, I intend to put out a printed version through my POTS AND PANS INK, through ComiXpress sometime next year.

I may also try to put it up in place of LANDIS when it goes on hiatus (unless another artist is available to take over the project).

I believe for that, I may use either the Tom Nguyen (Batman) or Bill Maus (Zen) piece as the cover...but I'll be doing the story as a director's cut that will now be in graytones instead of plain black and white, and with a rewritten script, and have not only the ending that was never seen, but also some scenes that didn't originally make the cut. Maybe even some of the original sketches from Tim Johnson, and probably a pinup gallery. All in all, I'll even try to keep the cost of the book relatively inexpensive so that anyone that wants one won't break the bank for it.

Also...although I haven't really gotten full feedback on it, but Chris Crosby (publisher of Keenspot) said that he enjoyed the treatment I wrote for the next Landis story, but it still looks like we're a good ways off from starting any movement on the story. But at least we're psat the first major hurdle. Him and I will throw ideas back and forth and start trying to move the story further.

Eddie Guerrero 1967-2005

If you know me personally, you know that I am a prowrestling fan. "Isn't it fake?" is normally the response I hear when I let the cat out of the bag. Its funny, too, because I feel connected to my childhood by a lot of these overgrown characters in these ridiculous storylines...but then I remember...I write about overgrown characters in ridiculous storylines, and it puts me a little at ease. I've met a lot of comic fans that are also wrestling fans, and I think because in main stream life, they get looked at the same type of way.

Yesterday, the wrestling world lost a brother, a father, a champion, but more than anything, a true man, and a man of God.

Eddie Guerrero wrestled his heart out, and it seems that ultimately, he truly did. He seems to be one of the men that while at the peak of their life, it was all taken away, way too early.

He was 38, and had a wife and three daughters. He worked along side his real life nephew, Chavo, who in actuality was more like a brother...only three years younger.

Its upsetting when you see someone who tries so hard to not only make it in the business, but the same with life. Eddie had personal demons, in the form of drugs and pain killers, but had been clean for four years. It seems the demons found him and did their worst.

It saddens me to see one of the funniest, best and hardest workers not there to entertain me, but I can only imagine how hard this hits the men, women and children he had a direct effect on. I'm sorry he's gone, for partially selfish reasons, but at the same time, for his family and loved ones.

As a true fan of his work, he will be missed.

A treat for all of you LANDIS fans, today...

This is actually the second page that ELISA LANDIS ever showed up on in a comic. I've "remastered" it, since I could only see it in a very bad gray and newsprinted page, so I've cleaned it up and placed it here. The comic in question is SCORN: HEATWAVE #1, from SCC Entertainment.

It's a little funny. She has gone through SO many changes since her first appearance here (January 1997). The whole idea was that the characters live on multiple Earths (similar to DC Comics...but more similar to SLIDERS). Some of the characters would be evil on some Earths, while some would still be heroes no matter the world they were on.

In this particular world that Scorn showed up on, Landis was a mystic and helped TRAIN Scorn to be a better hero. The funny thing was, that this issue was created during the height of the BAD GIRL craze, and due to that, Landis was an almost Gothic girl, wearing weird headpieces and such.

If Chris wants to, as a very special EXTRA to the print version of LANDIS, I'd love to reprint the story, since it was fifteen pages of...well, not great writing, and interesting (to say the least) art. I'm still proud of it, because I was able to write the last fifteen pages of that book in less than 7 days, but now, when I look back, you can tell.

I guess that's what I get for being a cocky 19 year old when writing it. 

Alrighty. After being told that people loved the color scheme I picked out for the cover of THIEF #1, some people told me that they didn't care for the simplicity of it. So what I've done is also placed on here the Todd McFarlane "Swipe" cover concept.

The idea here is simple. The book is called THIEF, so what better way to truly show the THIEF aspect, then by stealing the covers off of other famous books?

I really like the idea of doing that, as long as we pay homage to who originally did the piece, so even here, I've put "After McFarlane" on here because it was a direct copy of Amazing Spider-man #300's cover (which was a swipe from I think Amazing Spider-man #298's cover, but I'm not sure of that...)

Let me know what you think. 

A Further Updating of the cover idea...Which does everyone like more? Let me know. 

Alright, With this piece, I want to take absolutely NOTHING away from Eric. He did an amazing job penciling the art. I took the liberty to ink it (without his okay, but I don't think he'd mind too much), color it, and label it as the cover for the first issue of THIEF. And yes, as the product continues to step forward, and if I can continue to do work like this...(yes, I impressed ME), it won't be too long before this is actually a full book.

I even have proportioned it already for standard comic book size. Colors were done in Photoshop 7.0 and the graphic design aspect was added in Microsoft Publisher.

PLEASE, let me know what you think about it...this project means almost as much as Landis does, to me. 

Post 178: Laying some ink down...

Well, I received the pages for THIEF #0 and #1 yesterday (so Eric if you are reading this...hehe) and I gotta say, I'm liking them lots...There are some spots where they definitely need some backgrounds, and I'm gonna see if I've got any buildings or things that can go, or some night falls to put in...

But I am going to play around with inking some fo the pages, scanning them in and possibly lettering them so that everyone can see where they are going. If Eric doesn't want to ink everything himself, maybe he'll like the pages I do...who knows. I'm leaving the art side up to him, but I still thought I'd play with a couple of them...

I may one up as early as tonight, too.

My first attempt at a sample cover design for THIEF...and I hear that Eric has through issue 2 completely penciled, which actually means that three issues are in the can. I'll try to get some good resolution scans when I get copies of the art this week.

This project has me jazzed, for the fact that it'll be the first recent work I'm doing that is getting completed, since Landis was finished a long while ago. 

This is an attempt by me (June 15, 04) to get back into drawing some of the characters from Landis. I don' t think I've posted this piece here, before, but I may have.

You'll notice a huge stylized difference between how I draw Ardy and how Owen does.

Oh, as a notice of something I just remembered, and can't believe I forgot it in the first place...next year is Ardy's 20th birthday. That's right, Ardy was created by me while I was in 3rd grade, and that was the fine year of 1986. What does this mean, exactly? I'm not sure...but I'll be attempting to release ARDY: CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS the Director's cut, if there is any way I can get the art, otherwise I'm going to have to "remaster" it myself, and hopefully reletter it all, as well...

Other than that, I've been putting A LOT of thought into doing an Ardy one-shot... written and penciled by me...and then I'll probably have Eric ink it (and fix all my bad art, too, hehe). I just really want to show why people like Mike Weiringo, Doug Mahnke, Bill Maus and even Dave Finch have attempted to catch his likeness. Well, enough of this mindless chatter...go on about your night =). 

Post 175: THIEF UPDATE

Well, in totally unrelated news to Landis, its time to fill people in a bit about current OTHER projects.

Eric has sent me the pages via UPS for the first issue of Thief and he is still claiming these are his best pages to date. Some seeing early prelims, I can't dispute that, since he's putting A LOT of effort, heart and soul into them.

With THIEF, Eric and I are not going to publish ANY of it until its all completed... meaning that if I don't get off my ass and start writing more, it might not get done. The book is done in a different format than normal American/Western comics, as the chapters or issues (trying to tie the terminology all together for both online and those that read paper books only), as the stories only consist of 16 pages each, in an effort to give most bang for the buck, the main story would be 16 pages, and the rest of the book would consist of things like script pages, sketches and other, and keeping the cost to the consumer down.

It'll be interesting because I intend to publish the story myself, but if Crosby wants to bring the final project to Keenspot, since he's been real nice to me, we'd probably do that, as well.

Post 174: PSP and other things.

Well, I triedto use the new web browser on my PSP to view LANDIS, and although the site comes up, it didn't show the actual comic, which was a bit disappointing, but the file is probably too large for the browser on it.

I've been looking at a lot of other web-comics recently, and one that I give my highest recommendation is EATKITTIES.COM, a manga that is just wonderful on the eyes, and another called INTERLOCH, both of which are on the TOP Web Comic listing.

I guss part of me feels that I may be able to sway a great artist off of their current web-story, and get them on Landis, and I think very similar to Marvel's idea of changing totally on art style from their last version of ULTIMATES to the Joe Madureira version for the third installment is the only way to do things.

If I can't get Owen to come back for another run on Landis (even just penciling), then I want to change it dramatically, so that it stands on its own.

I guess you've heard it hear first, hehe.

Post 173: Final Numbers and Records for October

Well, the final numbers are in for October, and needless to say, they were outstanding, as it was an Amazing month for numbers.

As we look back here were our records for Largest week, Largest Week including reloads and largest month and largest month including reloads... And then I'll show where the new record stands...I'm very excited! The largest week is NOT INCLUDING ANY ADS THAT RAN that bring in readers.


Largest Week: 8449 (week 42)
New Record: 8637 (week 43)

Largest Week (Inc. Re) 67920 (week 34)
New Record: 82426 (week 41)

Largest Month: 28337 (Sept. 05)
New Record: 41627 (Oct. 05)

Largest Month (In. Re) 91645 (Aug. 05)
New Record: 141292 (Oct. 05)

These ARE HUGE! Wow! Now if we could get Landis on the Top 100 Webcomics listing, that would make my year! Hehe...I'll look into what it takes and hopefully get some help from you readers!

Thanks so much for your continuing support on this...and if you know someone that MAY want to be an artist for it, have them send me an email...

rpotchak@gmail.com

Thanks again everyone!