"GREEN LAMA, Man of Strength" from AC Comics

[JamesRitcheyIII]

Almost two years later...

Bill Black, out of the proverbial blue, emailed me yesterday. AC Comics is short product for next month, so after two years and no communication (mostly due to illness-related guilt and despair on my part), they're putting it out. After some minor touch-up and pacing correction, a real comic book will be available for sale online at their store next month, and I'm still not sure of the Diamond Solicit time-frame.

For those who know me, and have been supportive, and/or have heard about how Rick Olney attempted to sabotage this book--I'm sure you can only imagine how I must feel. I've loved this character since I was 12 years old, and saw him on the cover of Steranko's History of Comics--and this opportunity is the culmination a lifelong dream to both write and draw him,and have it seen by people. I'm looking at two months to complete issue two, and I'm gonna ask former Marvel embellisher Mark Stegbauer to ink, since we were already making plans for my Dark vs. Light series as a webcomic. Pleeze tell your friends, and I'll post the appropriate link to the store in my sig and on my Comicspace.

I'm gonna go be happy now.

[Magneto_X]

Congratulations, man! :D

[Crowley]

Fantastic News!

[Red Berens]

Is there a web site I can order it from?

[JamesRitcheyIII]

Thanks, Doodz!

I promise--I'll be a lot easier to get along with from now on. :D

Nothing like having your beloved, dead horse get up and walk around as good as new, two years after the funeral...

Bill just emailed me again--I gots to do a new cover, for 'branding' purposes. I'm glad he's being proactive with Dynamite's attempt to usurp the public domain (literally--putting trademarks on 'open source' characters whom Bill and AC have more of a claim to than anyone)--and it will be out before 'Superpowers'.

[JamesRitcheyIII]

Is there a web site I can order it from?

It will be here:
http://www.accomics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc
Start looking for it in two to three weeks. I don't know details yet, like price--but keep in mind, it'll be 34 and 33 pages of story, in the two issues.

[Magneto_X]

Can't wait to read the mini-series in its entirity (sp?), James.

[MightyJoe]

Bravo, Jimit! I know how hard you worked on this and was very happy to read it's finally a go. Looking forward to picking up a copy :D

Joe Z

[TomStillwell]

Huzzah! Good on ya Jim!

[JamesRitcheyIII]

Tom and Joe! Howdy, and thanks! Okay--updates...
My editor on the project, Mark Heike, will be inking the new, Alternate cover--a very talented embellisher. The original cover painting of my send-up of 'La Pieta' is now the back cover, and both will likely have new, original logos. Mark Stegbauer, the finest inker I've ever had, has agreed to do the second issue, So the modernized, 'Mac Raboy'-esque look that I wanted and was shooting for originally will at least be expressed with issue two. The boy could ink Wally Wood, and no one would notice the difference.

YEP--still happy!

[Major Comma]

WOW! thats GREAT!
Congrats!

[Red Jack]

Almost two years later...

Bill Black, out of the proverbial blue, emailed me yesterday. AC Comics is short product for next month, so after two years and no communication (mostly due to illness-related guilt and despair on my part), they're putting it out. After some minor touch-up and pacing correction, a real comic book will be available for sale online at their store next month, and I'm still not sure of the Diamond Solicit time-frame.

For those who know me, and have been supportive, and/or have heard about how Rick Olney attempted to sabotage this book--I'm sure you can only imagine how I must feel. I've loved this character since I was 12 years old, and saw him on the cover of Steranko's History of Comics--and this opportunity is the culmination a lifelong dream to both write and draw him,and have it seen by people. I'm looking at two months to complete issue two, and I'm gonna ask former Marvel embellisher Mark Stegbauer to ink, since we were already making plans for my Dark vs. Light series as a webcomic. Pleeze tell your friends, and I'll post the appropriate link to the store in my sig and on my Comicspace.

I'm gonna go be happy now.

Good on you, mate.

Were you involved with the iHero guys? If so that was a crying shame what happened there. I still hope they'll come back.

[JamesRitcheyIII]

Good on you, mate.

Were you involved with the iHero guys? If so that was a crying shame what happened there. I still hope they'll come back.

Thanks, Bub!

Yeah--Fradella really should have paid me the money he promised for issue one of Cyber Age Adventures--or given me the equivalent in product.

That Voodoo curse worked! :D

All I got out of it were 4 copies, a commentary by Frank in the sketchbook section implying to the world that I'm a fossil past his prime (when Frank is two whole years younger than I am--and I'm the same age as Dan Brereton who was in the same section)--and a bunch of useless art featuring his stupid characters that I can never sell.

Frankly, the excuse for iHero's failure was absurd--if a commission-based employee/volunteer oversells your publication to established bookstores (who often require a minimum order that's pretty high in count), and you're 2000 copies short--it's not time to get pissed off at that employee and give up, it's time to get proactive, and sell your freakin' car, if you have to. Or maybe use those sales figures as collateral to a bank or angel investor to get a loan, or to befriend a local printer, and make him a partner.

I may be harboring a little resentment, here...

No more updates for now--working on the cover today, which will look something like this layout:

[Red Jack]

Thanks, Bub!

Yeah--Fradella really should have paid me the money he promised for issue one of Cyber Age Adventures--or given me the equivalent in product.

That Voodoo curse worked! :D

All I got out of it were 4 copies, a commentary by Frank in the sketchbook section implying to the world that I'm a fossil past his prime (when Frank is two whole years younger than I am--and I'm the same age as Dan Brereton who was in the same section)--and a bunch of useless art featuring his stupid characters that I can never sell.

Frankly, the excuse for iHero's failure was absurd--if a commission-based employee/volunteer oversells your publication to established bookstores (who often require a minimum order that's pretty high in count), and you're 2000 copies short--it's not time to get pissed off at that employee and give up, it's time to get proactive, and sell your freakin' car, if you have to. Or maybe use those sales figures as collateral to a bank or angel investor to get a loan, or to befriend a local printer, and make him a partner.

I may be harboring a little resentment, here...

No more updates for now--working on the cover today, which will look something like this layout:

Um.

holy crap.

I thought they got wiped out by the hurricane. i had no idea it was just one more shady business practices situation.

WOW.

Well, even more props to you then.

"past his prime" my ass.

[JamesRitcheyIII]

Um.

holy crap.

I thought they got wiped out by the hurricane. i had no idea it was just one more shady business practices situation.

WOW.

Well, even more props to you then.

"past his prime" my ass.

I would never, ever go as far as saying shady--I think Frank's heart was in the right place--I think he just folded like a cheap suit under pressure, he pissed off the wrong people--his talent, and that combined with not making an opportunity out of a crisis, it all had a snowball effect, and he bailed.

I will add, on a personal level, some folks hang a shingle on the door saying 'publisher', and feel that earns them some form of instant infallible authority, rather than working towards earning respect--but not even all of those can be classified as an 'Olney'.