Crazy 3am Realization

So, I was just playing Team Fortress 2 on Steam..the "Degroot Keep" map...when a crazy realization hit me.

Team Fortress 2 is DIGITAL VALHALLA.

Think about it: nothing but fighting, and dying, and respawning healed of all wounds only to start the whole thing over and over and over again.

Well...it makes sense to me.

Got a Left 4 Dead or Zombie fan on your Christmas Shopping List?

So, it's Christmas time. Want to be the cool relative and get your niece/nephew/grandma something cool to hang up on their wall? Well, I need to whore myself out to make some money...so I've got you covered. I've got this 11x17 Bill from L4D print for sale over at my Etsy store:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60152588/left-4-dead-bill-poster-print

I've also got this Zoey-turning-into-a-Witch print available in a variety of sizes and styles through my DeviantArt account:

http://www.deviantart.com/print/16078129/?utm_source=DA&utm_medium=DP&utm_campaign=DA_DP_BuyThisPrint-Left_121009&utm_content=BuyThisPrint-Left

I've got this Bill-Turning-Into-A-Smoker print available in a variety of styles and sizes through my DeviantArt account as well!

http://www.deviantart.com/print/16078029/

Finally, I've got this print entitles "Zombie Love" which has actually been pretty popular for a while. You can get this one of two ways:

Through my Etsy store at 8.5x11 glossy: http://www.etsy.com/listing/60150747/zombie-love-original-art-print?ref=v1_other_2

Or in a variety of sizes and styles through my DeviantArt account: http://www.deviantart.com/print/16078089/

...And it feels like an honest goodbye.

I've worked on The Path for a long time. It's had it's ups and downs, and it's really big ups. Lately, though, I've realized that the title has gotten away from me due to any number of things...lack of time being the big one. I've been toying with the idea of rebooting The Path since late 2009, and just never did it for fear of alienating the fine people that stuck with it since it's launch in 2006. Well, luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it), bringing The Path back to a "community" website did that for me. A lot of people who stuck with The Path while it was floating around on it's own took exception to the fact that it was now grouped in with another community of comics. I can understand that, I really can. But I was offered publishing without giving up ownership and I signed on the dotted line. Coming to Wevolt was part of the contract. I know a lot of my readers didn't like Wevolt at first and abandoned ship because of it. Hell, I didn't either, to be honest...and it's still...well...frustrating at times. But it's a great thing that's still finding it's legs. I wouldn't still be here if I didn't honestly believe in what Matt's trying to do. Yeah, I know there are other people running day-to-day stuff with Wevolt, but it's Matt that keeps me coming back. He has a clear vision for what he wants Wevolt to be, and if we can soldier through the beauracratic nonsense I'm sure he has to deal with, we're all going to come out the other end with something really spectacular. I know people are still only reading The Path on it's mirror sites. That's cool, too. Thank you for your continued support.

So, now I find myself with all but the most hardcore of my reader base off in the wind. I find myself with a title I love more than almost anything in the world that has gotten so off-target that only two things can fix it in my eyes: A reboot or walking away. I can't keep The Path going the way it has been the last six months or so. Trying this out, trying that out, caving to pressure to try and make it this or that...that was making me start to hate what's become my baby.

I'm clearly not going to walk away. I never would. I love The Path and all the professional and personal opportunites and friendships it's brought me. But the old girl, she needs some TLC. So, starting Dec 3rd, it's square one. The Path is rebooting. There are things I thought of and wanted to do after the fact with so many aspects of the story that would have made it tighter and better that I'm now going to bring to the table. This is going to be big, and it's going to be great.

There are three stories from The Path that will make the transition over to the reboot almost completely intact: The Cutty Black Sow, The Haunter of the Dark (with a new ending), and Noche De La Lucha Absolutamente. These stories, now in color, will update daily starting Dec 1st and will provide the buffer needed to get everything else rolling smoothly.

If you are one of the fathful few who have stuck with The Path since day one, all I can ask is that you trust me on this. It'll be worth it. If you feel the need to walk away...hey, no harm no foul.

Thank you for your support, and the many of you I've been lucky enough to meet at conventions...thank you for the beer. 2011 is going to be an amazing year for The Path. There are other things in the works with the boys upstairs that I can't quite go into yet, but you'll see some really cool shit coming your way from The Path in the coming year. Stick around.

And that's that.

-Riot!

Sell out...with me, oh yeah. Sell out...with me, tonight.

So...yeah. You can buy volume 1 of The Path as well as the "Left 4 Dead" style The Path t-shirt through the little store thingamajiggy up there. While supplies last, every order gets free stickers, patches, and "Cthulhu F'thagn!" bracelets! EVERY copy of Volume 1 bought through here gets free prints with purchase as well!

Neat, huh? Help me pay my rent!

Long Beach Comic Con, The Path: 1926, and all sorts of other crap.

Sooooo...how's everyone doin'?

Next weekend (Oct 2-4) is the FIRST Long Beach Comic Con! BOO_YAH!
Myself, and the best of my Mediocre Militia cronies will be in the artist alley, tables 94-95 doing sketches and whoring out our comics! Stop by and say hi! On Saturday, I'll be attempting an 8hr Comic Book Day in honor of 24hr Comic Book Day! Come see how miserably I fail at trying to complete an entire comic book story in 8 hours!

So, 1926 is underway. For reals. It's pretty cool, except now I have twice the workload and half the motivation thanks to the rest of the outside world encroaching upon my time. I'm doing my best, gang. Two titles to update regularly plus getting stuff ready for convention awesome on top of work and personal matters is a lot. If anyone wants to pay my bills for me, I'll do nothing but update the comics. Hell, if my bills are paid for me, I'll update everything M-F.

Anyone else excited about Left 4 Dead 2? I know I am!

That's it for now, I need to pretend I work around here!

-Riot!

8 Hour Comic Book Day

So, I'm doing Long Beach Comic Con the first weekend of October, and I wanted to try something new.

The second day of the con, Oct. 3rd, just happens to be the same day as "24hr Comic Day", in which small press and indie comic creators get together in one place and each tries to crank out a full comic story in 24 hours. It's a really cool concept that I only ever seem to hear about happening in Pennsylvania through my buddy Barry. If I wasn't so far away, I'd probably wind up taking the trip there to take part. But I am, so I can't.

Well, I'm thinking of honoring the incredibly fun spirit of this venture and doing it myself AT THE CONVENTION. Except, instead of 24 hours, I'll only have about 8. So, I'll be at my table, letting other people sell my wares, and spend the entire day cranking out pages for a comic book story there on the spot. Each completed page will be placed in a portfolio right there on the table and people can come by and read the story in progress.

So, the convention if October 2-4 at the Long Beach Convention Center in...well...Long Beach, CA. I'll be at my table in the artist alley plugging away at pages all day Saturday, so come by and say hi! Or just come by to see if I even come close to finishing! Either way, it'll be interesting!

I may do the same thing the following weekend at Baltimore Comic Con if it goes well/is fun.