I’ve been using Photoshop exclusively for nearly two decades, so a full transfer over to Manga Studio was bound to run into a few difficulties. Happily, the folks who moderate the Manga Studio forum on Smith Micro’s website have been able to help me each time I’ve run into a bump in the road.  In certain ways all graphic programs are going to be similar and interchangeable, but I’ve worked at a pretty high level for a long time and I’ve been way down the rabbit hole in terms of complex operations.  I sort of expected to start up with the new Manga Studio 5 Ex build at the same level, and it just isn’t happening.  I can now see it’s going to take an unspecified number of weeks and lots of experimentation to make it happen the way I want.  That’s OK, of course. It just sucks being patient.

Here are my short term goals.  Yesterday I rendered three more pages of Johnny Saturn, so that’s just nine pages left until I finish up the comic content of the third trade paperback.  After that will begin a several week period of trial and error and craziness that happens every time I format and collect a new trade paperback.  If I’m going to ask someone to write a forward I’d better get on the ball and ask soon.  I roughed out a cover today, and it’s going to kick ass.

Once the graphic novel is off and being printed I’ll upgrade my “Johnny Saturn” website.  There is a lot to do, from advice Brad Guigar gave on webcomics.com, to ideas I’ve culled from a variety of webcomics and podcasts and books on marketing and website optimization.  Things are going to be different.

In the meantime, as everything else is underway, I need to format more of my comics for Comixology, order a convention banner, and order new copies of existing books to sell at shows.  It’s both exciting and daunting how much I’ve got planned for this year.

Hi, Folks!

By folks, I mean “me.”  At this point in the blog’s history I can still enjoy the anonymity of having no readers.  That means I get to gab on and on and postulate this and that.  That assumes I have something interesting to say, however, and I don’t think I have tonight. I’ll make a go of it anyway.

Peter O’Toole passed away today.  He lived to be 81, and from what I can tell he spent his life well.  I remember being young, maybe six years old, maybe five, and listening to Peter sing his parts on my mom’s “Man of La Mancha” album again and again till I wore the record out.  Often, I would do this as I drew and re-drew the album cover, featuring O’Toole in rusty armor.  Later, in my teens, I saw whatever cut of “Lawrence of Arabia” was available for rent, and I knew that I was seeing something heavier than I could yet comprehend.  By the time I saw “My Favorite Year” Peter O’Toole was installed in my imagination as a giant among actors. I don’t want to overplay it, though–he was part of my life, but he was part of everyone’s lives in way.  When I saw him play Henry II in “Becket” and more importantly in “The Lion in Winter,” I knew he was one of the all-time greats.  I can’t forget “Masada” either, so it gets honorable mention. So, rest in peace, Peter O’Toole.

Lately, my key words have been prosperity, abundance, and health.  We live in a world of abundance, and there is enough for everyone.  For me, prosperity means making enough wealth to be able to devote my time to what I love, namely art and writing. Heallth should be self-evident.

Be cool, everyone (i.e. me).  Scott.