All Good Things Must END

 On Friday April 15th, I published what I believe to be my last Cousin Harold webcomic strip. 

There are many reasons I brought Cousin Harold to an end, but the main one is that I have changed and want to work on other things. 

I originally thought doing a kids comic would be cool and fill a void, but after 10 years there are a couple of things that I realize. I have to build a new audience every 2 to 3 years, kids grow up. I have no way of competing with big name children's entertainment companies, pockets are not deep enough. I'm just a guy who writes, draws, folds, staples, trims and sells his own work.

I still have a few issues of Cousin Harold to publish and 2 trades to collect issues that have been published, so I will still be doing some Cousin Harold stuff for the next year. I have few NEW ideas left for the little guy. Not sure when/if I will ever get them done, but the ideas are sitting there for some short revivals.

Thanx to everyone who has support Cousin Harold since his creation. You made a dream of mine come true.

So what's next? Well I will be posting a little about it next week.

-denny

 

Don't Throw in the Towel

I wrote a post and got everything off my chest, then deleted it.

I realize that I would rather share some things I have been working on instead of the thought process that got me here. Just know that life goes up and down and the ups are always worth the downs, so Don't Give Up!

- -- The cover of the new issue of Cousin Harold which should be in your hands with in the next month. Planning on doing a short and sweet Kickstarter to help distribute it.

- -- The Dark Time Master figure is close to final production. Hoping to release this figure in the middle of February.

- -- Doing some design work for a storyline called Cousin Harold Backwards C.

Hope you enjoyed this. Have a Great Week!

-denny

Always Grinding

Out here on the south side of Peoria, it is still HOT! And I'm always grinding, although there might not be much to talk about each week.

- -- I print my stickers through Sticker Mule and they send out a lot of special offers on what seems to be a weekly basis. I thought that I would start taking advantage of these offers and print up stickers. This was the first one. 

- -- Yesterday I wrote the final page of Cousin Harold 13, which is the 2nd part of the circus storyline. Very excited with how this story is filling out. Last year the story was just an idea and now I'm over halfway through making it. When people ask me how you make comics. I tell them one page a week, which is still the grind I'm on. The one page a week method, lets me work on other projects. Planning on a Kickstarter to help distribute this book in late September, early October. 

- -- The figure above, is something that I recently purchased. The Iron Goth (Night) by Kosrobot. I ordered this figure for a couple of reasons. The first is because it was a little different than the 3.75 figures that I usually purchase and I wanted to see how it was made. The second is a little more serious. As a kid I grew up being told that America was the country where you can do anything you want because of freedom and in other countries things were not the same. As I became an adult I have found out that this was not true, that people in other countries have the freedom to do the same things that I have the freedom to do. In this case, Kosrobot (who lives in Russia) gets to make bootleg figures and sell them to people around the world (the same as I do, living in the United States). I would then assume that his life is very similar to mine and not a horrible prison that I have been led to believe. I'm not sure why this bothers me so much, but I feel like I have been lied to by adults and society regularly throughout my life.

- -- On the super down low, Shawn Demumbrum and I have been recording a podcast where we talk about the comics we have recently purchased/read. This really is just us feeling things out. I feel like the show is a person getting to be a fly on the wall, listening to two guys talk about comics. Both Shawn and I are well read. I purchase comics from around the world (even if I cannot read them). My friends joke that if aliens arrived on the earth the first question I would ask them is "Do you have any comics?" I'm not sure where we are going and what our goals are, but I'm having fun.

Thanx for reading this week.

Take care,

-denny

  

Another Day, Another Dollar

Out here on the south side of Peoria it is still HOT! Also my summer of being a creator is over because my day job started this past week. And as Murphy's Law states, things are finally starting to happen as I'm now at a loss for time.

- -- Wrapped up a couple of new Space Monstas figures this week.

Zack Zombie is now out there in the world. The character will be featured in the next Space Monstas storyline. He is also one of the original 7 planned figures.

The Invisible Astronaut. I came up with this figure idea after I started making the Space Monstas figures. I had planned on holding off on making him, but then I got several other ideas and I realized by the time I got around to making this figure I would have a couple handfuls of other ideas. So I was a little stuck because I needed to get through the original 7 figures that I had planned. Then I remembered how the Boba Fett figure was introduced into the world, as a FREE figure. So I decided to make the Invisible Astronaut my first free figure. All you have to do is purchase 3 Space Monstas figures at one time and I will include an Invisible Astronaut for FREE (while supplies last).

These figures were released on Instagram and in person yesterday and already 2 people took advantage of the buy 3 get IA FREE deal. The figures will be up in my online store by the end of the day today.

- -- Working hard on Cousin Harold. The Harold at the circus storyline starts up again shortly and I'm very excited about it. Many pieces of this storyline were inspired by the Japanese manga magazine Coro Coro. Check out what is happening with Harold and friends 5 days a week here. 

Those are the projects that I'm working on personally at the moment. However I have been invited to start working on a podcast (today we record the first episode). I have been invited to contribute to a redraw project (hopefully doing my page next weekend). And there are other things in talk.

Take care,

- denny

SDCC - Thanx for an Awesome Time

Well I'm back on the south side of Peoria where is is HOT, but just a week ago I was in San Diego for the annual San Diego Comic Con. I had a great time and spent way too much money.

- -- People say SDCC is not about comics any more, but the above box was empty when I started the weekend. Sure the whole convention is not about comics any more, but if you are looking for comics there are tons of them to be found. I bought a nice stack of Kirby's FF and Thor books, a new Charles Burns book, a couple of mini-comics and a bunch of miscellaneous comics. I also picked up a couple of Ashley Wood books which were to big for the box.

- -- One of the best parts of this years SDCC was doing the Space Mummy Figure Drops. This was tough to do in the convention center with so many people and security, so most of the drops happened off site. I also did a couple drops in Arizona before leaving.

I basically provided a couple pictures to hint at the location of the figure via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

The best place to drop the figures turned out to be the garage where I was parking my vehicle. During one of my trips back to drop off some of the comic I had purchased, I ran into a guy on the elevator. He noticed my shirt and then told me that he knew who I was and was on the hunt for the Space Mummy figure.

His name was Daniel and he was one cool dude. It was so Awesome to meet someone on the hunt for one of my figures. This 10-15 minute meeting was my highlight for the convention.

I hooked Daniel up with a couple of Space Monstas comics to go with his new figure. 

- -- Maybe the second highlight of the show was handing out Cousin Harold comics Friday morning at the start of the show. My wife and I handed out 200 books in 10 minutes to a bunch of happy con goers. Great Times!

- -- I'm not a big fan of cosplay, but these guys are my favorites (and also close friends). Always great to see them at shows.

I'm sure I could go on and on about SDCC, it is my favorite show each year. But it is over and I have to wait another year for a new adventure. That also means I have to get back to work.

- -- Which means it's back to making figures and comics. wrapping up Zack Zombie and the Invisible Astronauts this week. I'm sure I will have a few more pictures to share next week. On the comic front. I'm back to working on Cousin Harold and the circus storyline. I'm also doing a page in a special project for a friend (will share more once the page is complete).

That is all for this week.

Take care,

- denny 

SDCC is this Week!

Out here on the south side of Peoria it is still HOT! Good thing I'm heading out to San Diego on Wednesday.

I will not be tabling at SDCC this year. I'm a comic fan at heart and SDCC is the only show I attend as a fan. Last year I tried to table, but it just wasn't for me. With that said I will still be promoting my comic and resin figure work at the show this year with 2 special giveaways.

         

- -- First up is the Cousin Harold SDCC Special. This book is a collection of 3 of my favorite stories. I will be handing out copies of this book outside the convention center on Friday (Probably in the morning hours. Check my Instagram for more info on Saturday morning.

- -- Second up is the Space Mummy Figure Drop figure.

I will be hiding these figures around San Diego as I travel. Both inside and outside the convention. I will be sharing hints on Instagram about where to find them. Also I will be hiding 2 in Arizona before I leave.

- -- Wrapped up production of the Space Mumm (Black Matter Variant). This figure came out of my greatest discovery from earlier this year, photocopying on black paper. This figures will be in my online shop by the end of the day Sunday - $40 each.

- -- I'm wrapping up production on Zack Zombie and the Invisible Astronaut. Trying something new here, the Invisible Astronaut will be available for FREE with the purchase of 3 Space Monsta Figures or for purchase. Hoping to having these finished by the end of July.

Okay that is all for this week.

Take Care,

- denny

Always Something Going On

It has been HOT out here on the south side of Peoria, record breaking HOT! And this heat has been messing with my productivity. Hoping to get on my grind a little harder this last few weeks of summer. Thinking about pulling some late nights.

- -- I'm so thankful that my family puts up with me. I do not have actual space for my creative energies, so I have to take space where I can find it. This is 1/3 of our kitchen table.

There are at least 4 different figures at some point in the creation process in these piles. Seriously though I'm working on way too many projects at one time.

- -- The San Diego Comic Con is coming up and while I'm not tabling this year I'm still putting together some stuff for the show. First up is the Cousin Harold SDCC Special. This is a collection of 3 of my favorite stories.

 

Sent this off to the print this past week and if all works out, I should have them to hand out at SDCC. Probably somewhere out front during the show Thursday or Friday. I will let you know via Instagram when the book is being handed out.

- -- Also I have made up these Space Mummy resin figures to do some Figure Drops (Art Drops) during SDCC.

Again I will be letting you know during SDCC via Instagram when and where I'm hiding the figures for you to find.

- -- In addition to this stuff I'm working on the Cousin Harold webcomic each and everyday/ Plus putting in some work on the next Space Monstas comic. 

Hope you are out there creating also!

take care,

- denny

I'm a Bootlegger!

It has gotten really HOT out on the south side of Peoria.

So this week I attended a mold making seminar at Reynolds and they had us introduce ourselves and state what our interest was in mold making. i said "Denny and I'm a Bootlegger!" I really like that title, Bootlegger. Makes me feel a little sinister. Oh well on to what I have been doing, which is mostly Bootlegging.

- -- The stickers arrived for my Invisible Astronaut release.

So when I originally conceived the Space Monstas figures/universe/idea, I came up with 7 figures and stories that went with those figures. These stories were going to take me 3-4 years to complete. As I started to make figures I began to get addition ideas for figures and stories. How would I add these figures in befor I even got through the original 7? Well how did they add Boba Fett to Star Wars? He was a FREE send away with 5 proof of purchases. 

So I have decide to take that idea and play with it. Each year I will be adding a figure to the Space Monstas Universe via FREE with Purchase. Sure you can buy the Invisible Astronaut when he is released, but you could also just get him for FREE if you purchase 3 other Space Monstas figures from me (while supplies last). What a deal, right? I also have a short story featuring the Invisible Astronaut, that I'm hoping to get to after I wrap up the story I'm working on now.

- -- Production on the Zack Zombie figure and Invisible astronaut is happening daily, This heat is killing the amount of pours that I can do at a time because the resin is curing so fast. So I'm pouring 3 parts at a time, which means I'm getting about one figure poured every hour.

I did have a chance to finalize the card backers for both of these figures.

Zack Zombie and the Invisible Astronaut are scheduled to be release the last Friday of July at this point.

- -- Cousin Harold strips are being produced at a rate of about 5 a week. Really enjoying Fester and Lea's first case together storyline. The strips will start running later this week or early next week. Also started producing a Cousin Harold book to hand out at SDCC this year. More information on this book in the next couple of weeks.

Okay that is about it for now. Have a GREAT week!

Take care,

- denny   

Things are Not Always as They Appear to Be

It's getting HOT out here on the southside of Peoria in Arizona. Expecting 120 degrees on Tuesday. Looks like I will be spending a lot of time inside making comics and figures.

So this week I had an experience at the gym that reminded me that "Things are Not Always as They Appear to Be!" The nice elderly woman on the elliptical never to me told me that she does not like to workout next to me because of how fast I go and the amount of calories that I burn. Those that know me, know that I'm a big man with a weight problem. I'm over 100 lbs over weight. I would like to lose about 75 lbs and I would be happy. I go to the gym 5-6 days a week and workout really hard (I'm a beast, really), but I love sweets. So every pound that I work off I put back on eating donuts, cookies and ice cream. This summer I'm doing a little better and actually losing weight because I'm eating less sweets. However I'm not happy with myself at the gym and I always feel like I could have worked out harder. So where this lady sees someone who is successful, I feel like I'm not even close to being there.

The same could be true for comics and figure making. I make a ton of things each year and people make comments that they wish they could produce like I do. However I'm always thinking I can do more. This has been my main thought this summer so far, becaus eI have been a little lazy in the creation department. But things are still getting made at a fairly steady pace. I have 2 figures in production, with a third/fourth starting soon. I'm about halfway through Cousin Harold 13. I also have a few pages of the next Space Monstas book drawn. So while many people see what I do and think that I'm successful, I feel like I'm not even close to being there.

- -- Production is in full swing on the Invisible Astronaut and Zack Zombie.

Hoping to drop these figures at the end of July. Both will be $40 or there is a special deal for the Invisible Astronaut figure.

The Invisible Astronaut will be FREE with the purchase of 3 other figures (while supplies last).

- -- Cousin Harold comic production is in full swing. I making 5-6 strips a week. About halfway through issue 13. If you have not check out the strip lately there is a ton to read here.

- -- Some big plans are in the works for Space Monstas. Working on a FCBD edition fpr next year, which will guest star someone else's character. Very Excited about this, but probably will not be able to share anything until early 2018.

Also working on the next Space Monstas story, where the Space Mummy fights a bunch of asteroid zombies. This story is going to be a little long (the goal is a 100 page mini-comic), so I'm planning on dropping some preview mini-comics along the way. More info to come.

Okay that is about it. I still feel like I should be doing more, maybe that is what makes me look a bit more successful than the next guy (even though I do not think this). I do however think that I'm a BEAST when it comes to creating things and at working out.

Hope you all have a great week,

- denny

Back on the Grind

It's not like I ever stop, but man I have been slacking a little (at least in posting info here). Out here on the south side of Peoria things are always hoping.

The goal is to start posting about once a week again. There are a few things that I wanted to post, but never got around to it. Hopefully I will get some of that stuff posted, but for today I'm going to stick to current events.

 - -- First off I released a NEW figure at Phoenix Comicon, the Time Master.

     

The Time Master is like an alter ego figure for me. People always ask if I have a time machine because of all the work I get done. I'm also a big fan of the Kang character, so this seemed like a perfect fit. If you interested in adding one to your collection get them now in my store, I only made 5 of each face color.

- -- The long awaited Space Monstas trading cards made there debut at the Phoenix Comicon. 

These packs sold like hot cakes. Super happy with the way they turned out and the response the cards got. I have already started working on the next set.

- -- My NEW convention banner! Shouts out to Custom Teez for doing an AWESOME job on this for me.

- -- The Cousin Harold Kickstarter was a huge success, this issues also debut at the Phoenix Comicon. If you did not snag on at the convention, they are now up in my store. 

This issue features the first part of the circus storyline (which will run through issue 14). Super excited about this storyline and how it's coming out. 

- -- This week I was on Killer Bootleg's Resincast Podcast.

We talk about toy making and comics for an hour. Super honored to be on the show. Killer Bootlegs is one of my favorite figure maker. 

Okay, that is it for this week. I'm working on a secret figure right now. Hopefully I will be able to talk about it more next week.

Take Care,

-denny 

Too Many Projects

Out here on the west side of town in south Peoria things are good, except for the allergies. I have had a steady cough for about 3 weeks at this point. It always happens at this time of year. Should clear up in a couple more weeks.

- -- Comics Never Stop is back. After quite a long hiatus, the newspaper is back.  

Big thanx to my beautiful wife for helping me distribute at First Fridays in Phoenix. I have some copies left and plan on distributing those at the Phoenix Comicon. So if you have been a regular reader and did not get one, stop by and see me at the show and ask for the Spring edition. The plan is to have another newspaper to distribute at the convention.

- -- Secret Project! The secret project that I was commissioned to do is out. Released at AZ Eventure Con, a 19 card set of comic creators, featuring some of Arizona's best and brightest.  

I'm sure Jesse James still has some, hit him up if you want to purchase a set.

- -- It is finally happening, the Cousin Harold resin figure. I should have these ready by summer. There is a lot of post casting work that needs to be done on this figure. These will probably be standard colored, with a black & white edition planned for later this year.

 - -- Cousin Harold the webcomic is in full swing. Super excited about the storylines I'm currently working on. In one storyline, Harold has quite being a detective and run off to join the circus. This story is influenced by many of the Coro Coro manga that I have been checking out lately. The other storyline features Fester and Lea taking over the detective business. Below is a picture of the traininn story that Fester and Lea are currently involved in.

- -- Oh and then there The Time Master resin figures. I should begin to paint these guys this week and will hopefully have them for sale mid-April. More pictures to come as the painting process begins.

So that is a lot of stuff going on and I just completed Mini-Comic Day yesterday, look for an update about that event midweek. These are also some other things cooking I'm trying to wrap up the Space Monstas card set, if that is done in time I have another card set idea for the Phoenix Comicon. I'm working on the next Ratchet Robots figure idea, hoping to release this one through DKE at SDCC. So my plate is very full at the moment.

Thanx for your support, it really means a lot to me.

- denny