Exclusive Knight and Day Book!

On the Road with Knight and Day!  The story begins with a little girl wanting a cat, then her mother needing a vacation, and ends up with a compromise that has the Knight family driving 18 hours to Florida... on a whim!  It'll be over 20 pages of Knight and Day goodness when finished, with new artwork for the cover, and some never before seen strips and illustrations from their trip, including some time at Walt Disney World, and a side trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina.  The Kickstarter cartoon above will definitely be in there as well, IF this book gets made, that is.

This book has been planned for a while to be the big incentive in getting people to contribute to this much needed kickstarter.  However, I've been pretty busy so the book is on hold until the Ghost Pirate Skeletons of Three Craters Lake is finished, and I've put to bed the magazine I'm currently illustrating.  Have no fear, though... I love this story and it will get done.  Only if the kickstarter succeeds, though, will you see this delightful little collectible.  Otherwise, you'll have to wait for the next Knight and Day comic strip collection to come out... and that may be a long wait!

First off, yes, I do plan on having one more Knight and Day comic strip collection... a companion to my first book Take Me Away From All This!!.  And yes, most of this vacation storyline will appear in that book.  However, the second book was supposed to celebrate 10 years of Knight and Day, which was last year, so you can see where the schedule is right now.  Frankly, I'm about halfway through the book, so... depending on where the company goes next year, it may be a very long wait.
My plan is to finish On the Road with Knight and Day this December, have the limited number of books printed, and, providing the Kickstarter works out, shipped out in January.  I will try to get the cover art done in time to post it at the kickstarter for all to see.

Check out my kickstarter page for more.  See you there,    JOHN :0)

10th Anniversary Edition!

The four edtions:  Original, Lulu hardcover, Lulu, 10th Anniversary

Hard to believe, but November marks the 10th Anniversary of my first book, "Take Me Away From All This!!". 

A lot has happened in those ten years, and that is reflected in the 10th Anniversary Edition that is now available through Amazon.com.  Yes, there are changes, and yes, there is some new material (and never before seen early stuff), including a new introduction in which I look back at ten years of Knight and Day.

When Knight and Day first appeared on the web,
I colored some of them when they appeared on Sundays.

Do you need this new edition if you already have a copy of Take Me Away From All This!!?  No, not really.  A collector, or someone who wants a complete set may want it, to see what's new, but I plan on adding any of the additional material to the beginning of the next Knight and Day book.

However, if you do not own a copy of Take Me Away From All This!!, then you really should check it out.  It is still a funny book that stands on its own as a fun collection of comic strips. If you enjoy Knight and Day, then this book is essential for seeing the characters develop, and getting a lot of classic strips all in one place.  There's the England trip, in which we see Sunny Day and Oz the Ice Cream Man begin the tumultous relationship that carries into my graphic novel, 3 Knights in India, and even a new addition to the spin off strip, Oz... in Thailand!  You'll see Steve and Amy deal with apartment life, and searching for their first house, and finding out that they are going to be parents (which means cleaning the house and acting more grown up!)

This edition solves another problem of mine, and that is the fact that there are many copies of Take Me Away From All This!! available on the web, from the original 2002 edition.  Frankly, I'm not sure how many of those copies are legal.  I am not, and never have, received royalties from those books.  Maybe from a used copy here and there, but not from any that claim to be 'new'.  It seems that the original files of the book are being used to make Print on Demand books, and so, I urge you not to buy the book unless it's from me, Lulu, or now Amazon.

This rather 'interesting' strip was part of an extended storyline as the events of the book
reach towards the conclusion of Steve and Amy's first year of marriage.

Printing costs have gone up.  You just need to go to any bookstore to see how expensive books can be.  For that reason, and the reason outlined above, I have lowered the price of the 10th Anniversary Edition to (currently) $8.95.  That's a great price for this collection, and the best you'll get without a coupon code.
Through Lulu, and now Amazon, I am finally gaining control of my own creations.  Amazon won't remove the other copy from their site, but now I hope shoppers will see the lower priced alternative and future royalties will go to the only rightful person... me.

I worked hard to create these strips, and my books, and many of you have been along for the ride and made it a terrific journey.  The lower price is also my way of thanking you all for sharing my comic strip world, and for your helpful and often amusing comments.

Of course, the eBooks are at an even lower price, but sales of my eBooks have fallen below expectations, so even though I have the eBook version of Take Me Away From All This!! in the works, it has been put aside until I can determine if eBooks are more than just a fad. If there is interest in an eBook version, please let me know.

For now, though, I need to concentrate in other directions.  I am still working on the second Knight and Day collection, and there is a special story that will hopefully be debuting soon.  I'll save that for another post, so please stay 'tooned! :0)

All the best to you, and thank you for an eventful ten years of Knight and Day!!
JOHN :0)

Buy the 10th Anniversary Edition here.

Another Haunting Tribute!

Some time ago, a young lady I know, who relates very much to my character Iris from The Inquiring Minds, approached me with an idea.  She was proud that she had faced her fears, and finally went on the Haunted Mansion ride in Disney World, and loved it!  She then had her mom take a photo of her in front of The Mansion, posing as a hitchhiker.  What a cool idea, and she deserves all the credit for it!

Now, she's been adamant that Iris is based on her, and has requested that I put her in a comic strip.  After seeing the photo of her in front of the Haunted Mansion, and letting it simmer in my mind a bit, I decided to draw Iris in the same pose.  After all, I'm in the midst of writing and drawing the Knight and Day Family Vacation, in which the Knights go to Disney World. So, the illustration works for me, and at the same gives this young lady the proof she required that her and Iris are twin souls.

I am very happy to present the original art to her, to reward her inspiration, and very cool idea.

The illustration was based on her photograph, and then turned into a postcard, which I then made into a Knight and Day panel.  This is, quite fittingly, my 13th Knight and Day panel! Don't you just love coincidences like that?
All the best,    JOHN :0)

PS On my iPod?  Hugh Laurie, Let Them Talk
PSS How fitting that Iris appear in a tribute to the Haunted Mansion, since her fellow Inquiring Minds, Bobby and Albert, appeared in a haunting tribute last year! (Available as a fine print in our shop)

Keeping it straight: continuity

I've talked recently about how adding Snowie to Knight and Day has caused me a bit of a flurry in the writing department.  I had planned on introducing the idea of Iris wanting a cat into the strip, but hadn't gotten around to it. And while I was writing, rewriting, and pondering, real life handed me Snowie!

However, doing a comic strip the way I do can cause other continuity glitches, problems, etc.  Ultimately, my goal is to be syndicated, and have the strip presented daily in a newspaper, then collect those strips later for book collections.  Currently, I am not syndicated, which means most of my cartoon income comes from book and art sales, which is not enough to make the comic strip a full time job.  This also means that I am creating strips to be seen by an Editor first, an audience second.  This means that you, my friendly audience, don't get to see new strips every day, or even every week when my freelance work piles up.  I also spend most of my time doing gag a day strips, where there IS an overall continuity, but it runs mainly in the background.  You'd need to read a few weeks worth of strips to see how they all fit together.

As confident as I am in my work, I do realise that the syndicates may have lapses of error, where they may not see the potential of myself and my comic strips, and how well we could do working together.  Which leads me to plan B.

And here is my advice... always have a plan B!  When pursuing a goal like syndication, or trying to find yourself as an artist, you can get lost in the many directions that you can go.  Trying to find the one path to focus on is not easy, and not always practical.  So, to make your life easier, choose projects that pay, first, keeping in mind that those pieces will go into your portfolio, and also improve your artistic skills, and dealing with client skills.  Second, choose projects that if you can't use them in one place, use them in another.

For example, I work with Knight and Day since A) the strip has been very popular with people who have read it, and B) given time, I will have enough material to publish another book.  My first book is still popular, so creating another comic strip collection makes perfect sense. 

Of course, if syndicated, things may change, but as it stands, all these strips I have been doing will go into another Knight and Day comic strip collection, which I am already creating.  It's a blast seeing it come together, but that word continuity comes in again.  First, there's continuity with the seasons, so that summer strips must come together, and winter strips are all together, and now the Snowie storyline must be fit in to make perfect sense with the overall book.  Like Take Me Away From All This!!, this next book will read like a year out of the life of Steven and Amy Knight, so although most strips stand alone, altogether they will create a perfect 'whole', where we will see the characters grow and change and see just how much can happen to a family in a year's time.

I'm looking forward to it, but meanwhile, as the book comes together, I now have a timeline where each strip must fit into.

However, I've written several books now, and many cartoons, both with Knight and Day as well as The Inquiring Minds, of which Iris Knight is a part of.  So NOW I have to worry about what I write in a different way... the strips have to fit the continuity already established in my first books and comic books!

I think it's time I took the time to make a time line... which may save some time in the long run. :0)

All the best,    JOHN :0)

Cats and Continuity (updated)

So my last two posts have dealt with the newest addition to my home, and how I deal with such matters in my comic strip.  I'm talking, of course, about Snowie the cat, who has complicated my life tremendously, and yet has given me loads of comic strip material by joining the cast of Knight and Day.

I also mentioned how fortuitous her arrival was, since I was actually in the early planning stages of introducing the idea of Iris wanting a cat.  Of course, once I started asking for advice on facebook, everyone wanted Snowie in the strip, and so she was, the very next day.  The only problem with that was, with people enjoying the strips, I felt obligated to do more.  However, a cat like Snowie can't just magically appear in a comic strip.  Besides, she deserves an introduction, and her own little storyline, doesn't she?

And so I find myself going back and forth between brand new strips featuring Snowie and brand new strips introducing the idea of Snowie, and then Snowie herself.  Not to mention the backlog of other strips written and waiting to be drawn!  So please bear with me.  I'll post Snowie strips at the website, and on facebook, and post some pre Snowie strips here.  Soon, I hope, I will have filled in the gaps, and will either post the storyline on a special webpage, or save it for the next comic strip collection.

Hopefully for you, the reader, each strip stands alone, and yet fits into the overall continuity.  Kind of like reading someone's journal by flipping back and forth through the pages looking for juicy stuff. :0)

All the best,    JOHN :0)

Art Preceding Life, and Vice Versa!

[updated:  all strips added]



I posted last about Snowie, the latest addition to the Knight and Day comic strip.  When she arrived at my doorstep, I asked for advice from my facebook friends, and immediately got requests for her to join the strip.  Who am I to argue, I thought, and Snowie joined the cast.

Now, at this moment in time I happen to be extremely busy, what with the taxes, and a new freelance project, so I drew some Snowie toons from life, and what was happening.  Then, recently, I sat down with my project notebook to see my To Do list.  Imagine my surprise, then, when I saw that I was kind of heading in this direction on my own. :0)

Yeah, I know... it's hard to surprise yourself, but hey, I said I've been busy!  And besides, my project notebook is full of scribblings, sketches, and thoughts... many of which may never become cartoons.  Still, it was funny to find a page of notes for Knight and Day, all dealing with Iris wanting a cat, and getting... something different.  Funny, and useful!

This actually solves my problem of continuity, by giving me a transition from pre-Snowie to Snowie.   Eventually there will be another Knight and Day collection which, generally, follows my drawing order, but sometimes involves strips being shifted around for a variety of reasons, mainly that they make better reading in a new order.  Also, truth be told, I sometimes draw strips 'out of order', either because I need to draw a certain strip first so I can establish the scene visually, or just because one strip seems more fun to draw and I don't want to wait.

So, anyway, here are a few of those pre-Snowie strips.  Once we get these told, we can go back to telling Snowie's story.

Cheers,    JOHN :0)

PS By the way, if there is anything you particularly want me to write about, feel free to let me know.  I sometimes wonder if I should do more basic Cartooning posts, or more advanced?  Meanwhile, I'll try to keep a good mix. :0)

Getting it done.

It's a new year, and that busy Holiday season is over, and it's time to get back into the action.
I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, because frankly, to succeed in anything, you have to have resolve each and every day... which is not always easy.  So with that in mind, I am tackling my to-do list, and finishing things that need to get done!

First off, I've been wanting to submit a comic strip to the Syndicates again, so am finishing that package of Knight and Day material.  I know times a ticking, but to submit anything to anyone, you should always submit your best, which means doing a lot of work and choosing the cream.
I'm also trying to finish a model boat I started last year, and doing some painting again.  I'm not done the painting yet, but will post that here when I'm happy with it.  I started it quite some time ago, as a gift for a friend, and it got put aside, and put aside.... well, too long.  Painting takes time, but is different enough from Cartooning that different energies are involved, so perhaps I can do both concurrently.

Of course, that also means paint brushes to wash, as well as pens to maintain, and other tools.  Which brings me to another resolution:  Keep the studio clean!

I've probably mentioned this before, but if you want to be a professional Artist of any sort, you need a dedicated work space.  Sitting on your bed with a sketchbook is great, but having a drawing table, or an easel, or a desk of any sort is essential.  A place with only your most necessary tools arranged within reach, and a place that is clean.  I think one of the best tools ANY Cartoonist can have is a box of baby wipes.  Seriously!  One cartoon can leave such a mess of pencil dust on the table, and ink on my triangles, and if I don't clean every day, then smudges appear on my drawings that don't go away easily, and which scan quite messily.

Please note that the spot on which I work is very clean. :0)

So, here are a few brand new Knight and Day's for your enjoyment.  Let me know what you think, huh?

Cheers,    JOHN :0)

PS On my iPod?  Aimee Mann, Lost in Space, and the soundtrack to an awesome tv show, Defying Gravity

Injustice!!

Hello,

I'm kind of upset about this, and want to share. If you're reading this, then chances are you already have our flagship book, Take me Away From All This!! It's a great book, and still our best seller, but the problem is that I'm not the one selling the book, or getting the meager profits!!

Some of you may remember the excitement of the book being published some time back by a company called PageFree Publishing. At the time, I was grateful to the company, but as time went on, I outgrew my need for them, and began self-pubishing my books. And to be honest, I didn't feel like I was getting honest royalty reports from them, and had seen others complaining about the company. I sent them a cease and desist notice some time back, which they acknowledged receiving.

As time passed, though, I kept seeing the book being offered for sale at ebay and at many online bookstores, and I emailed PageFree to stop selling the book. The problem is, they are a Print on Demand company, and so allow online booksellers the opportunity to list books that they do not actually have in inventory, and then print the books and ship them when ordered. Recently, I have seen more and more online sellers offering MY book, and I have actually heard from several people who say they bought the book, and I know for a fact that they didn't buy it from me.

I, and happyGlyphs Comics, are selling a new, improved and updated version, for a similar price as the old one. Cheaper, actually, since I charge less shipping, and the quality is actually better, as I've been told by a comic book shop owner. Lulu.com is the only other authorized seller of the book.



I ask, and urge, you to please let me know if you have bought the version in the last few years that says PageFree Publishing on it. If you are an online books seller, and you are receiving the book from PageFree, then you are an unwilling accomplace to a crime. I am being robbed. Probably not a lot of money, but every sale is important to me, for many reasons, and there is of course the sense of justice. PageFree has no right, and has had no right, to sell my book.

And for those of you looking to self publish, I urge extreme caution in dealing with any print on demand company that charges you to print your book. You cannot trust that you will be treated fairly or get accurate royalty statements. Maybe some are honest, but try to get references before working with anyone you don't know.... a good recommendation for any business transaction, I suppose.

I try to trust people first, and judge later by their actions... and unfortunately I get screwed for that. It's a shame that dishonesty is part of the business world, but what can you do?

I can, and will, pursue legal action if this goes on. I can also give the warning out to those who want to self publish, and I can also ask you all NOT to support thieves.

Take Me Away From All This!! is a great book. I want you to read it, and have a copy of your own to treasure always. But please... help support a starving artist instead of an (alleged) crook.

Thanks! JOHN :0)

PS Wanna know a secret? Besides having a bunch of new cartoons, and better quality, the second Edition of the book has an altered cover. There is a third stripe on the sock falling out of the laundry basket!! Shh... don't tell anyone! :0)