Karmic Debt Comics http://karmicdebt.net Serving up hot and tasty comics on a weekly basis Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:28:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 The as of yet unnamed comic project http://karmicdebt.net/2012/01/26/the-as-of-yet-unnamed-comic-project/ http://karmicdebt.net/2012/01/26/the-as-of-yet-unnamed-comic-project/#comments Thu, 26 Jan 2012 12:28:31 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/?p=1929 I’ve been hard at work trying to finish the drawing aspect of this project before the summer, that way I can finish up the cover and any edits that are needed and then I can move onto the pre-press process.

image

This is a quick look at one of the pages in progress.  You’ll notice I am using Manga Studio to create the comic, there are two main reasons for this.
1) The way it handles word balloons/lettering is phenomenal.
2) The fact that it can handle a multi-page comic like exactly that. It creates a nice simple means of organizing your project. Which is good for me since I get a tad forgetful in terms of what I am on and such.

I’ll continue to post updates about the progress of the project. And maybe even give some sneak peeks at some of the finished artwork. So keep an eye out.

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2012/01/26/the-as-of-yet-unnamed-comic-project/feed/ 0 The Super Secret Project http://karmicdebt.net/2012/01/05/the-super-secret-project/ http://karmicdebt.net/2012/01/05/the-super-secret-project/#comments Thu, 05 Jan 2012 07:55:00 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/?p=1899 So, as some of you know, I have been working on a project known till now as the only The Super Secret Project. I am now far enough along in this project that I feel I can reveal the nature of the project.

| Insert Drum Roll |

The super secret project is actually a Graphic Novel.

Yes, you heard me correctly, a graphic novel.

Why am I doing a graphic novel you ask? Well, I am glad you asked. I’ve been asked quite a few times about the possibility of creating a printed version of my comic. And I’ve always said that while I would love to do so it’s an awful lot of work to put into what amounts to a re-run. Don’t get me wrong I like collections of strips just as much as the next guy, but if I was going to do a book I wanted to do something new and different. I know I could have added “special” comics to a compilation, or a bunch of sketches but that just seemed like adding filler. So the more I thought about this book idea the more I wanted to do a completely new story.

The big problem was what exactly would the new story be about, I batted ideas around in my head for a while. Would this new comic be about epic battles or a simple day in the life of the hero? Would it be fantasy based or firmly set in reality? Ultimately I realized I already had a story waiting in the wings, it wasn’t a complete story but more like a list of plot points and an idea for an ending.

And so I set out with a basic plot in hand, and started crafting this story. It’s been quite a while since I have attempted to tell a story in a long form format, and the last time I don’t think it was much more than 8 pages or so long. This new project is looking to come in around 76-80 pages. That is quite a bit larger than any story I have attempted to tell, heck I think my longest comic was a comic called “Welcome to my World” and that came in at 30 pages I think.  This new project is a deeply personal story that I hope touches others the way it has me.

You might ask “Why all the secrecy?” Well, that has a lot to do with the length of the project, it is easily twice as long as any comic I have ever attempted so I was unsure if I could stick with it long enough to finish it. By keeping it secret I would not let anyone down who had been anticipating the comic anxiously. It’s still a ways off till it’s done, but now that I have passed the halfway point I feel I can at least reveal a the nature of the project.

Heck, I will even share a page or two with you:

Both of these pages could in fact change a lot before we get to the final editing stage, but the at least show you a snippet of what the comic may look like.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As much as I’d love to go into the what the story is about, I don’t want to ruin it or the folks who might actually want to read it. What I can tell you is this:

1) The format of the book will be a Manga sized digest, full color cover and black and white interior.
2) I’ll be printing it through Ka-Blam most likely which means you will be able to order it directly from them.
3) I could be convinced that “Artist Editions” where you order the book through my site and get a fun sketch in the book are a good idea. It would take a lot to convince me of this, but it is possible.

So there you have it, now you know all about The Super Secret Project… well except what is about. I guess you’ll have to wait and buy it when it comes out!

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2012/01/05/the-super-secret-project/feed/ 0 Character Sketch http://karmicdebt.net/2011/12/16/character-sketch/ http://karmicdebt.net/2011/12/16/character-sketch/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:47:15 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/2011/12/16/character-sketch/ image

This is the initial character sketch for potential new character. The story idea for this character is still in the formative stage, it is based on a discussion I had with a friend the other day.

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2011/12/16/character-sketch/feed/ 0 The Ice Cream Party http://karmicdebt.net/2011/10/04/the-ice-cream-party/ http://karmicdebt.net/2011/10/04/the-ice-cream-party/#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:51:21 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/?p=1890 The far left and far right seem to be up in arms and making all sorts of demands. One could say that they are attempting to hold the country hostage to their ridicules demands. Not one to be left behind in terms of demanding ridicules things I am forming a new political movement, The Ice Cream Party. We the Ice Cream Party have one simply demand from our leaders, Free Ice Cream for every American! We will not rest until this demand is met! For far too long have we been oppressed by not only having to pay big corporations for what is in essence our god given right but we have also had to pay taxes to big government on that same god given right! We know that all federal employees have free ice cream every Tuesday!  And to make matters worse their staff gets it as well!

Don’t even get me started on the greedy corporations…
Too late.

The CEO’s of these giant ice cream conglomerates are hording all ice cream for themselves! Then they have the audacity to pay not a single penny in taxes on even a spoonful of the ice cream they eat!

It’s time to take a stand people, it’s time to say enough is enough! How do I do that you ask? Why in the simplest way possible, all you have to do is spread this message through world. Use social media to help spread the word. Post the image here on your Facebook wall, share it with your Google + circles, tweet the hell out of it! Show people that you are part of the one political movement that makes sense.

Do it today!

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2011/10/04/the-ice-cream-party/feed/ 0 Standards are different for all things, so the standard set by man is by no means the only ‘certain’ standard. If you mistake what is relative for something certain, you have strayed far from the ultimate truth. http://karmicdebt.net/2011/07/04/standards-are-different-for-all-things-so-the-standard-set-by-man-is-by-no-means-the-only-certain-standard-if-you-mistake-what-is-relative-for-something-certain-you-have-strayed-far-from-the-ul/ http://karmicdebt.net/2011/07/04/standards-are-different-for-all-things-so-the-standard-set-by-man-is-by-no-means-the-only-certain-standard-if-you-mistake-what-is-relative-for-something-certain-you-have-strayed-far-from-the-ul/#comments Mon, 04 Jul 2011 06:13:33 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/?p=1875 Standards are different for all things, so the standard set by man is by no means the only ‘certain’ standard. If you mistake what is relative for something certain, you have strayed far from the ultimate truth.

How many of you have had a similar experience? Do you really think that emergency room turns away folks without clean underwear… is this a question on the form you fill out while waiting? 1) Are you insured? Yes  |   No   |   Umm… 2) Are you allergic to any medications? Yes   |   No    |   I [...]]]> Standards are different for all things, so the standard set by man is by no means the only ‘certain’ standard. If you mistake what is relative for something certain, you have strayed far from the ultimate truth.

How many of you have had a similar experience? Do you really think that emergency room turns away folks without clean underwear… is this a question on the form you fill out while waiting?

1) Are you insured?

Yes  |   No   |   Umm…

2) Are you allergic to any medications?

Yes   |   No    |   I get hives when I shoot heroin

3) Do you have on clean underwear?

Yes   |   No   |   Define Clean

Somehow I doubt that is on the form, but I suppose one never knows.

 

I have been noticing lately that my backgrounds have been becoming pretty nonexistent, I obviously need to address that so maybe in the next strip I will try to add some details.

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2011/07/04/standards-are-different-for-all-things-so-the-standard-set-by-man-is-by-no-means-the-only-certain-standard-if-you-mistake-what-is-relative-for-something-certain-you-have-strayed-far-from-the-ul/feed/ 0 Ninety percent of the time things turn out worse than you thought they would. The other ten percent of the time you had no right to expect that much. http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/27/ninety-percent-of-the-time-things-turn-out-worse-than-you-thought-they-would-the-other-ten-percent-of-the-time-you-had-no-right-to-expect-that-much/ http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/27/ninety-percent-of-the-time-things-turn-out-worse-than-you-thought-they-would-the-other-ten-percent-of-the-time-you-had-no-right-to-expect-that-much/#comments Mon, 27 Jun 2011 06:13:25 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/?p=1863 Ninety percent of the time things turn out worse than you thought they would. The other ten percent of the time you had no right to expect that much.

We are mostly settled into our new place, mostly. As for this comic, well… I am sure you have all seen this where some small injury (such as having a stake through your side.) is blown up beyond all recognition like it is the end of world. As you can see that is basically what [...]]]> Ninety percent of the time things turn out worse than you thought they would. The other ten percent of the time you had no right to expect that much.

We are mostly settled into our new place, mostly.

As for this comic, well… I am sure you have all seen this where some small injury (such as having a stake through your side.) is blown up beyond all recognition like it is the end of world. As you can see that is basically what is happening here.

Poster in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachus...

Image via Wikipedia

As a complete side note; I am writing this the day after the “Rapture” as you can see I have not been called home to sit at the right hand of the Lord. I have tried in vain to get God on the phone and he has not been answering… I know there has just been some kind of clerical error, they took the wrong Keith C. Smith I am sure of it. I have sent God several emails and thus far he has not replied.Hopefully, I get in touch with him soon.

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/27/ninety-percent-of-the-time-things-turn-out-worse-than-you-thought-they-would-the-other-ten-percent-of-the-time-you-had-no-right-to-expect-that-much/feed/ 0 Apple NewsStand, zombie-fied micropayments http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/26/apple-newsstand-zombie-fied-micropayments/ http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/26/apple-newsstand-zombie-fied-micropayments/#comments Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:34:21 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/26/apple-newsstand-zombie-fied-micropayments/ I guess I missed this when it was announced or didn’t see it applying to comics as much, but Apple announced the launch of a new service called NewsStand a month or so ago.

Either way,  in case you missed it too here are some some relevant links to the info:

As you know I have talked about micropayments on more than one occasion, it’s an idea that I support even if I have yet to see it work. I place it in a special box of ideals along with my other unrealistic ideas, like free universal healthcare.

Image representing Comixology as depicted in C...

Image via CrunchBase

NewsStand is said to be the iBooks for newspaper and magazine publishers, allowing one centralized place to get your content. From a consumers point of view I would think this would be advantages, it’s a one stop shopping type experience. Think of it as your digital comic book shop, in a way that Comixology has never quite achieved. From this lazy consumers point of view, if I can get everything in one place I will more than likely do so.

 

From a publishers point of view there are advantages to a service like Newsstand, the major thing being it’s an Apple product and as much as I hate to admit it, they have a very substantial user base. Access to that large a user base is tempting for any publisher, but one thing most publishers want, besides your money that is, is all the information contained in your subscription. With Newsstand it seems as if Apple will control all this info, which cuts off a secondary income for the publishers. The selling of your info, even if that just share it with their sister publications, it means you might decide to get another of their family of publications. So will publishers really want to go along with this? Let’s face it, if Apples wants to do it, it will, and the smart publisher will be forced to go along with it. Apple is the schoolyard bully demanding lunch money, and you better pay… or else. Speaking of paying… Apple will take 30% of what the consumer pays for their subscription. You feel you are being treated unfairly? Pray Apple doesn’t alter the deal further.*

iPad Display Item

Image via Wikipedia

 

Now what does this mean for comic artists? Well, if you draw a webcomic strip I don’t think it means much for you honestly. I think this will be an app geared to long form comics more than strips, I would guess that the minimum transaction will be about ¢99 or so and honestly are you going to pay a buck to read a singular strip? Maybe if a webcomic creator could sell a monthly subscription that might work otherwise I don’t see it as a viable option. Long form comics on the other hand, I can see this as being a great way to market your story, especially via the iPad. Comics look really nice on the iPad *Better than on the Kindle, sorry Kindle. :-( * so all you long form comic artists should gear up for this!

Which brings to my last point, how does one get included in the newsstand app, do you need the backing of a major publisher or will it be similar to the Kindle and you just need to meet certain minimum requirements for submitting and then you are approved? And how much censorship will Apple enforce. And let’s face Apple already “filters” quite a lot of content via the App Store, will Newsstand be any different?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Steve Jobs, the Darth Vader of mobile devices?

Related articles
]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/26/apple-newsstand-zombie-fied-micropayments/feed/ 0 The final delusion is the belief that one has lost all delusions. http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/20/the-final-delusion-is-the-belief-that-one-has-lost-all-delusions/ http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/20/the-final-delusion-is-the-belief-that-one-has-lost-all-delusions/#comments Mon, 20 Jun 2011 06:13:27 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/?p=1846 The final delusion is the belief that one has lost all delusions.

Eventually our hero will get a band-aid… I think it might be time to reflect on the art style of the last several strips. You may have noticed I have been experimenting slightly with the layout, size and overall look of the comic. I think I have settled into a comfy place for now, so [...]]]> The final delusion is the belief that one has lost all delusions.

Eventually our hero will get a band-aid…

I think it might be time to reflect on the art style of the last several strips. You may have noticed I have been experimenting slightly with the layout, size and overall look of the comic. I think I have settled into a comfy place for now, so hopefully the experimentation is over. But it has caused me to revisit some of the earlier comic in the series just to get an idea of how much things have changed. And because I know you want to see some side by side comparisons here you go.

A random sampling of comics:

This the very first comic in this series. As you can see it started out in Black and White, it was also drawn on paper and not digitally.This is the first in the series with color and it seems fitting that it would star my “Secret Girlfriend” Cassie.

 

This next comic contains some of my trademark violence, you know the kind that is somewhat bloody but not too gory.

I will be adding more of these in a while.

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/20/the-final-delusion-is-the-belief-that-one-has-lost-all-delusions/feed/ 0 I know not how I came into this, shall I call it a dying life or a living death? http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/13/i-know-not-how-i-came-into-this-shall-i-call-it-a-dying-life-or-a-living-death/ http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/13/i-know-not-how-i-came-into-this-shall-i-call-it-a-dying-life-or-a-living-death/#comments Mon, 13 Jun 2011 06:13:55 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/?p=1839 I know not how I came into this, shall I call it a dying life or a living death?

We continue on with our tale of blood, gore and violence. Unfortunately, it contains no zombies, which I know makes the internet weep a little. But believe me there are plenty of other webcomics out there with zombies. For now all we have is this tale of a persons journey through life.]]> I know not how I came into this, shall I call it a dying life or a living death?

We continue on with our tale of blood, gore and violence. Unfortunately, it contains no zombies, which I know makes the internet weep a little. But believe me there are plenty of other webcomics out there with zombies. For now all we have is this tale of a persons journey through life.

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/13/i-know-not-how-i-came-into-this-shall-i-call-it-a-dying-life-or-a-living-death/feed/ 0 Depart not from the path which fate has assigned you. http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/06/depart-not-from-the-path-which-fate-has-assigned-you/ http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/06/depart-not-from-the-path-which-fate-has-assigned-you/#comments Mon, 06 Jun 2011 06:13:50 +0000 Keith http://karmicdebt.net/?p=1809 Depart not from the path which fate has assigned you.

Well, I think I have nailed down my issues with Manga  Studio, in theory at least. I was having trouble with the page size for some weird reason, possibly because I don’t use a standard size for my comic… but I believe that should be resolved now.]]> Depart not from the path which fate has assigned you.

Well, I think I have nailed down my issues with Manga  Studio, in theory at least. I was having trouble with the page size for some weird reason, possibly because I don’t use a standard size for my comic… but I believe that should be resolved now.

]]> http://karmicdebt.net/2011/06/06/depart-not-from-the-path-which-fate-has-assigned-you/feed/ 2