edbrisson

Last Bus Home: Page 2

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 23:03:04 GMT

Page 2 up, after two weeks. Plowing through the third page in an attempt to be somewhat weekly.

Last Bus Home: Page 1

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:04:24 GMT

Updated Things Are Ok.

I'm not normally a dude for drawing anthropomorphic characters, but the other night when I was finishing this strip up in my usual style (you can see the original under the cut), I thought I'd toss it on a lightbox and trace it out, trying to lose some of the "extra" details I'd added in. I also tried to keep the line weight consistent throughout.

I'm still not sure why I started to add animal heads, but I like the end result better than my original, so decided to stick with it through this story. I'm not going to be jumping on the anthropomorphic bandwagon, just kind of taking this for a test spin.

New Comic: Countdown to death

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:13:28 GMT

Comics. On the internet, even.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:25:19 GMT

For those interested, I've started posting comics and drawings to my new site ihatecomics.com.

Going to do my best to update it a couple times a week but, if my own history has taught me anything, I will likely fail at this.

Monkey Wrench

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:23:55 GMT

Thanks everyone for the great feedback on the last couple strips. I got all self-conscious this time out and swapped up the lettering.

For a dude who makes most of his comic money by lettering comic books for others, I've got some down right sloppy penmanship.

Comics!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:55:26 GMT

I haven't really drawn much in a long time. I tried to do a 24 hour comic this past weekend, but just couldn't muster up the gusto to push myself past a page.

I noticed a lot of others were doing hourly comics and although I couldn't possibly do something on that scale, I have decided to make an attempt to get some moments down on paper. One or two every day or so, just to get myself back in the habit of drawing something -- even if it is just simple chicken scratch 2 panel comics about nothing in particular. Not even sure if I should be devoting the time to colour these, or just leave them in black and white.

Post-SPX

Thu, 01 Oct 2009 06:35:35 GMT

Back from SPX, which was a great time. Loved meeting up with old friends and meeting new people.

Below is my haul from the convention:

Top row:

•Gangsta Rap Posse, Night Business 1 and Night Business 2 all by Benjamin Marra.
•Imaginary Monsters and Adventure Underfoot by Peter J. Lazarski
•Press Start and Fight by JP Coovert

Row 2:

•Motro Vol. 1 and 2 Motro minis by Ulises Farinas
•Radical Boy Portable GT by Tom McHenry
•Papercutter #11 featuring Amy Adoyzie, Jon Sukarangsan, Dustin Harbin, and Lisa Rosalie Eisenberg. Published by Tugboat Press.
•Real Cane Sugar by P. Cleland

Row 3:

•Secret Science Alliance by Eleanor Davis
•Lucy Legacy by Brian Evinou
•Unsettled by James Hindle
•Little Garden #4 and Nervousystematic Comics by Ayo
•Shithole and Recent Work by Corinne Mucha
•Eat World by Peter J. Lazarski

Bottom Row:

•At Least It's Company by David Huyck
•Comic Diorama by Grant Reynolds
•These Yams are Delicious by Sam Sharpe
•Pictures for Sad Children by John Campbell
•Monsters by Ken Dahl

I had picked up several other minis from JP Coovert, James Hindle and one from Jon Chad, but they all went missing somewhere between the hotel and me getting home. I'm hoping that they'll still turn up eventually.

New Reliable Press at SPX & Word On The Street

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:57:26 GMT

New Reliable Press will be making our annual pilgrimage to SPX on September 26th & 27th.

Come by and visit us at table E2. We have all the usual New Reliable titles, plus Jason Turner, Steve Wolfhard and copies of The Complete Nick O'Teen, which are not yet available through the New Reliable online store.

ALSO:

On Sunday, September 27th we'll also be at Word On The Street in Vancouver. Manien Bothma, co-author of True Loves, will be there selling and signing books. Swing by and say hi!

New Reliable Press will be set up in the Word Under the Street portion of the show, along with a slew of other Vancouver based creators.

New Reliable Press & Homies at Comix & Stories

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:42:16 GMT

What are you doing on August 23rd? Nothing? Well, hell. Swing by Comix & Stories and visit with the fine folks from New Reliable Press as well as all the crazy talented locals and imports.

Jason Turner and Simon Roy will both be there signing, doing sketches and whatever else will make you more likely to buy their books.

Please speak softly though, as we'll likely be nursing hang-overs from the Comic Jam the night before.

More info here.

New Shop!

Wed, 15 Jul 2009 20:48:38 GMT

So, after months of fiddling around with various programs, I've set up a shop for New Reliable Press which is more user friendly than the previous store. Better shopping cart system with more flexible shipping options for multiple items.

In addition, I've recently set up US based fulfillment of online orders. What does this mean? Well, if you live anywhere other than Canada, your books will be shipped from the US. That means that you'll get them in about half the time that you would have in the past, since they no longer have to go through customs (for US orders) and because USPS has better international shipping options (for international orders). If you live in Canada, your books will still ship from New Reliable Press central here in Vancouver.

Check out the new store here.

MoCCA!

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:51:33 GMT

New Reliable Press will be making our first ever trip out to New York City for the MoCCA Art Festival. Jason Turner will be sitting in with me at our table, selling and signing copies of True Loves. See you at booth 314!

Need a map to our booth?

Ontario Bound?

Thu, 28 May 2009 21:09:09 GMT

Since coming back from TCAF a few weeks back, I've been thinking a lot about Ontario. If I'm being honest, I've been thinking about Ontario for a while, TCAF just got me thinking about it more.

Janet and I are talking about having another kid. To do that, we would need to buy a bigger place. To buy a bigger place in Vancouver (or area) would require us to stretch ourselves thinner than would be wise to do. So, the possibility of moving back east has been discussed - seriously discussed.

In July, Janet and I are flying back to Ontario to do a tour of towns/cities we've been reading up on. We're contacting real estate agents and viewing homes, to get a sense of what we could afford and what the areas are like.

Our criteria is as follows:

•Must be in a college/university town. Janet would like to stay in the same line of work, so it makes sense.
•Can't be a tiny town (sorry Stratford, Ontario!).
•Must have a yard. Preferably completely fenced.
•1200+ sq/ft.
•3+ bedrooms.
•2+ bathrooms.

Things we'd like:

•In-law suite.
•Older, heritage/character home.
•Close to a downtown area and/or coffee shops and grocery. Walking distance close.

Benefits of moving to Ontario:

•Our cost of living would be approx. $1500 less per month than what it currently is.
•I would be freelancing instead of working a day job.
•Closer to Toronto means more possibility for picking up freelance work from publishers (since most Canadian publishers seem to be in Toronto).

Cities we're looking at:

•Guelph
•London
•Waterloo
•Originally, we had Kingston and Ottawa on the list, but are not sold on them yet.

From our initial research, it looks like we could get into a nice 4-5 bedroom house for $75-100,000 less than the cost of our current condo. It's heart wrenching to see homes that would cost upwards of $700-800,000 here in Vancouver list for under $200,000 elsewhere.

Anyhow, I'm just putting this out there and getting it off my chest. The weather here is great and I love living this close to the ocean. But, as much as I love the Lower Mainland, I'm not sure that the additional cost of living here is worth it. It's going to be a tough decision to make -- especially for Janet, who has lived her entire life in BC. However, if we do decide to go forward with it, I'm confident that it will be the right decision.

I would love to hear from folks in Ontario.

What A Night!

Mon, 25 May 2009 19:00:49 GMT

Thanks for everyone who came out to the True Loves 2/Jan's Atomic Heart launch party on Saturday night. It was a great success, far busier that we were anticipating.

Thanks to Gabe at Lucky's for hosting the launch and to the folks over at Cloudscape Comics for being there to launch their book too.

As usual, I brought my camera but didn't end up taking a single photo. So, below is one stolen from mr_esty and another of the beer, pre-launch.

Husband/Wife team Jason Turner and Manien Bothma enjoying a Brew Loves. You can see the back of my head and Simon Roy's arm behind them.

The beer served at the launch. 60 gone in less than two hours. Next time: more beer!

I know that Jason and Manien took a couple pics, which I will steal and post once they're up.

Jan's Atomic Heart & True Loves 2 Launch Party!

Fri, 22 May 2009 16:35:55 GMT

The fine folks at Lucky’s Comics are hosting a comic launch extravaganza!

Three books will be making their Vancouver debut: Jan’s Atomic Heart and True Loves 2 from New Reliable Press and Funday Sunnies from Cloudscape Comics.

Creators will be on hand to sign books! Original artwork from all three books will be on display!

Lucky's Comics
3972 Main Street
Vancouver, BC

Saturday, May 23rd
8pm-11pm

You can find the facebook event here.

Need another reason to come?

Jan's Atomic Cream Ale and Brew Loves (a nice stout). Both will be available at the launch.

Jan's Atomic Heart and True Loves 2 - now available!

Tue, 12 May 2009 22:38:28 GMT

True Loves 2 and Jan's Atomic Heart are now in hand and ready for the ordering. We've also added a combo deal for True Loves and True Loves 2.

We start shipping books out on May 13th.

Guess Who's Turning 3!

Tue, 12 May 2009 21:58:35 GMT

It's Teagan's 3rd birthday today. We're keeping it low-key tonight, but she plans on rocking out this Saturday with friends.

TCAF!!!

Thu, 07 May 2009 00:57:53 GMT

Packing up my bags and getting ready to head out to Toronto for TCAF 2009. This will be our first time attending the show and I'm probably more excited about this show than any other this year.

Swing by the New Reliable Press table for the debut of both True Loves 2 and Jan's Atomic Heart. Both Jason Turner and Simon Roy will be on hand to meet folks and sign books.

ORDER ORDER ORDER!

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 21:01:10 GMT

Hey folks!

One last push before the Diamond ordering deadline. If you haven't already, please ask your local comic shop to order in copies of Jan's Atomic Heart and True Loves Vol. 2. The deadline for orders is tomorrow. It's do or die time!

Previews of the two books are available by clicking on the links below.

Jan's Atomic Heart 22 page preview.

True Loves Vol. 2 25 page preview

Please print out this flyer and bring it into your favourite comic shop(s) and ask them to stock up. Be sure to point out to your retailer that Jan's Atomic Heart was a staff pick in Previews and that we have a special promo going on through Diamond where retailers receive a FREE COPY of True Loves 1 with every copy of True Loves 2 that they order.

I know that everyone will love these books. If you buy either book (or both) from your local comic shop and are not satisfied, send them to me and I'll give you a 100% refund. No questions asked.

Both books hit store shelves on June 3rd, 2009.

Thanks for all your support!

Off to Portland!

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:05:47 GMT

Heading down to Portland for The Stumptown Comics Fest on April 18th & 19th.

Stop by booth #8 and give us a visit, won't you?

Mitch's Stupid Life

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 14:19:40 GMT

My good friend Mitch has let the cat out of the bag about his My Stupid Life collection which New Reliable Press will be publishing later on this year (looking like an October release date).

Quoting Mitch:

The book features the entire online archives of My Stupid Life so far, AS WELL AS the entire run of my first autobiographical comic, San Antonio Rock City! Plus about ten or so never-before-seen strips from both series that I drew and never put online for whatever reasons (Mitch Clem: too hot for the internet).

Now, obviously I was dating different people in the time that I did each series, and it would be weird in the book to turn the page and all of a sudden I have a new girlfriend, no explanation (besides the fact that SARC ended in a shroud of mystery to begin with), so I'm also creating a bridge between the two series that will lead from the end of SARC to the beginning of MSL. This will not serve as a tell-all about the end of my relationship with Victoria, by the way. I'm not interested in shit-talking an ex to people who don't even know her. The bridge focuses more on the beginning of my relationship with Amanda, and a fun transition period between the two relationships where I slept on my friend Bryan's couch for a while, and we got drunk and watched the same episode of the Office every night. Fun! This section will be lavishly illustrated by yours truly, and will most likely feature a few more brand new comic strips where I deem appropriate.

Also, the book will measure 7"x7" square, the same size as the NN2S book, so they'll look nice on the shelf together.

Original post here. More of Mitch's comics can be found at mitchclem.com

Eye on Comics give Jan's Atomic Heart a 10 out of 10.

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 17:23:14 GMT

Don MacPherson over at Eye On Comics has just posted a fairly lengthy review of Jan's Atomic Heart, giving it a 10 out of 10. Check it out.

Here's an excerpt:

Jan’s Atomic Heart is both incredibly grounded and mind-blowing in its originality. It’s touching and frightening. Roy has crafted a compelling story that’s relevant and relatable, and if that’s not enough, he brings it to life with inventive designs and a slightly rough style that brings out the humanity even in characters that doubt their own humanity.

Read the previews!

Please print out this flyer and bring it into your favourite comic shop(s) and ask them to stock up.

Interview with Simon Roy @ Previewsworld.com

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 18:07:06 GMT

Previewsworld.com has posted an interview between myself and Jan's Atomic Heart creator Simon Roy. Included is an extra 6 page preview - including never before posted pages.

Emerald City Bound!

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 16:34:58 GMT

Heading out the door in a couple minutes to drive down to Seattle for Emerald City Comicon.

You can find New Reliable Press at booth #308. I'll have books for sale and promo stuff for Jan's Atomic Heart and True Loves 2.

Show Hours:

Saturday, April 4th
10:00am - 6:00pm

Sunday, April 5th
10:00am - 5:00pm

Previews and Previews!

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 17:22:41 GMT

Well, the new Previews catalog comes out tomorrow and stores can officially start ordering Jan's Atomic Heart and True Loves 2.

With Jan's Atomic Heart getting the a Staff Picks selection in said Previews catalog, we're off to a good start, but we need your help.

First! Read the previews of the two books, by clicking on the links below.

Like what you see? Great! I'm happy!

Please then print out this flyer and bring it into your favourite comic shop(s) and ask them to stock up. Be sure to point out to your retailer that Jan's Atomic Heart was a staff pick in Previews and that we have a special promo going on through Diamond where retailers receive a free copy of True Loves 1 with every copy of True Loves 2 that they order.

I know that everyone will love these books. If you buy either book (or both) from your local comic shop and are not satisfied, send them to me and I'll give you a 100% refund. No questions asked.

Jan's Atomic Heart makes Staff Pick in Previews

Wed, 25 Mar 2009 17:30:20 GMT

Great write up of Jan's Atomic Heart over at previewsworld.com. Obviously, we're thrilled to have a Staff Pick book in Previews.

Quoting from previewsworld:

Somewhere between the likes of Blade Runner and I, Robot, New Reliable Press’ Jan’s Atomic Heart is a story of our distant future and the dangers of our evolving technology, set amid growing social paranoia. Due to a violent accident, Jan’s mind has been transferred into a robotic “rental” body while his real body can be healed. While he becomes accustomed to his new appearance, Jan begins to get the feeling that there are other unusual things going on in his life… and they may have to do with the growing threat of terrorism that has the world in a state of panic.

Fans of B.P.R.D. will appreciate Simon Roy’s art style and visual storytelling, which could be compared to the likes of members of Guy Davis and Kevin Nowlan. Jan’s Atomic Heart is a character-driven mystery delivered in a simple, real-life pace, managing to bring the reader a feature film story in the span of only a single self-contained book.

Unlike so many other comic book stories that are quickly read and then tossed away, forgotten in a pile, the curious ending of this tale begs the reader to start at the beginning and read it all over again.

Stayed tuned to the New Reliable website. I'll be posting preview pages from both Jan's Atomic Heart and True Loves 2 later this week.