| Fablewood online |
[Apr. 8th, 2008|09:28 pm] |
Hey, I just wanted to post a quick note that Fablewood, the fantasy anthology I have a story in, is now available for purchase online. Good news for anyone who still wanted a copy but doesn't have a comic book store at a convenient distance. |
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| Raining and pouring, but whatever. |
[Mar. 2nd, 2008|12:30 pm] |
As predicted, there's no update this week. Maybe next week? I've got this commission to square away first and it's almost done.
Most of the reviews I've read so far for Fablewood have been more positive than negative. People seem to sort of like the book. But the reviews for my contribution have been split. I linked a couple of reviewers who really seemed to get what I was trying to do and thought it was cool, but I've since found a couple of others that are decidedly negative and didn't like my story at all. Initially I planned on linking to them or quoting them here in the interest of fairness, but if I did that I'd feel obligated to rebut their arguments and I don't want to do that. I don't need to do that. The work should speak for itself. If it doesn't, so be it. Nothing the reviewers said hit me very hard even though they clearly weren't pulling any punches. Everything they didn't like were the things I liked the most and would seek out in comics to read myself. I have a running list, you see, of things that I don't like about Cloud-Leapers, and they didn't touch on those at all. So. Whatever. Possibly not being able to go to Stumptown has been a much bigger blow to my ego this week. Hopefully Stumptown will find enough space for everyone and then all will be right with the world again.
You can google the reviews if you're really interested. They're not hard to find. |
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| FABLEWOOD IS HERE! (take 2) |
[Feb. 28th, 2008|06:44 pm] |
I bought a copy of my book yesterday!!!!!
Maybe I should take pictures or something? |
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| FABLEWOOD IS HERE! |
[Feb. 23rd, 2008|09:12 pm] |
...But I can't get a copy! There was one copy of the book available in Vancouver this week that I know of for sure, and someone bought it! Someone not me! Grr!
After doing the rounds of the comics shops today, though, I am reliably informed that there will be more copies in more locations come this next Wednesday. I'll keep you posted on specifics after I get MY copy.
I mean I could just sit here and wait for the contributors' copies to arrive in the mail, but what fun is that? I want to walk into a shop and be able to say something to the effect, "Oh-ho, but this seems like a fine publication. Perhaps I shall purchase it? And what is this? My word, it seems that I am in this book as well! Quel suprise!" |
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| Fablewood is imminent! |
[Feb. 17th, 2008|08:07 pm] |
First off I guess my last post wasn't clear? I'm in a book, which I also coloured the cover for, and if you click on the image in the last post you can see a preview of it.
Oh, and Lords of Death and Life just updated. But now let me tell you the real news!
Fablewood will be on comic book store shelves VERY SOON. Possibly as early as the 20th and definitely within the next two weeks. I won't be able to go to a comic store before Saturday, probably, so tell me if you see it before I do!!! Also, I've been mentioned in a few of the reviews of the book. Which is completely awesome.
From J.L. Collins:
Jonathan Dalton closes this collection with The Cloudleapers of Blue Pine Mountain, challenging the reader with a culturally-inspired style and color palette, and a tale of a fantasy empire facing all too real and familiar problems of war, environmental changes, and the loss of ancient traditions that define us. Dalton’s story reminds us that every choice we make affects not just those around us, but the very land we share.
Dang. That's a nice review. Dang.
And from Indie Jones of Ain't it Cool News:
Jonathon Dalton’s “The Cloud-Leapers of Blue Pine Mountain” looks to be taking a lot of inspiration from Japanese ink drawings. This is a beautiful tale of a culture’s sacrifices during a war and what that culture must do in order to persevere. It also has a nice battle between a boy and an albino monkey, so it’s gotta be good.
Again, two out of three reviewers really seem to like the story (the other reviewer talked about other stories but not mine). This is really great. Except that it's a GIRL dammit! Not a boy! *cries* Apparently I can't draw girls or something. Oh well. I'm glad he liked the monkey. The monkey is awesome. |
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| I'm on the radio! |
[Dec. 21st, 2007|11:15 am] |
Hey, guess what! I was on the radio yesterday!
I got interviewed by the guys from Inkstuds, Vancouver's own indie comics radio show. Listen as I single-handedly destroy their indie street cred by tricking them into discussing manga, Star Trek, and J.R.R. Tolkien! Taiwanese politics also seems to come up a lot!
You can listen to the podcast here! |
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| Tukil |
[Nov. 13th, 2007|11:10 am] |
I want to make this an "art week" or something. Basically, I've got my portfolio on my mind, particularly in the sense that I haven't updated it in years and it needs some new stuff in it. Also I just want to post a bunch of art this week. Let's start, though, with something from Cloud-Leapers. Specifically the main character- which I posted on a forum once but haven't posted here.
This is Tukil. She is from the Blue Pine Tribe who live on the appropriately-named Blue Pine Mountain. But so far that's all you get to know about her. This was the character sheet I relied on for drawing my comic. |
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| There goes one of my favourite characters. Y__Y |
[Nov. 4th, 2007|07:55 pm] |
Bad things are happening in Lords of Death and Life.
In other news, I just read Fablewood #1 in its entirety for the first time today. It's pretty cool. ;-) |
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| More than one way... |
[Oct. 27th, 2007|08:19 pm] |
When I was studying illustration at Sheridan, a professor basically told me that the only way I would get into comics was if someone else left the industry feet first. If I was still trying to get into Marvel I'm sure he'd be right. But then again...
Just in case you haven't heard, the book I'm in is in the November issue of Previews and will be coming to a comic shop near you in January.
FABLEWOOD GN VOL 01
NOV07 3306 (Page 208.Page 16 in the order form Catalog.)
Softcover, 144 Page Full-Color
$19.95
FABLEWOOD compiles the talents of up-and-comers like Ryan Ottley (Invincible, Superman/Batman Annual #1), Manny Trembley (Panda Xpress, Sam Noir: Samurai Detective), Joe Infunari (Oni Talent Search, Borrowed Time), J.P. Ahonen and Sarah Mensinga (Flight 4) with talented newcomers like Chris Studabaker (Howard E. Day Prize Nominee), Kevin Crossley (Event Horizon), Axel Machain (Metal Hurlant), Joe Suitor (Popgun Anthology) and more.
Our longest FABLEWOOD story “Under the Midnight Sun” was nominated for the prestigious Howard E. Day Award. Comic legend Dave Sim (Cerebus) stated that "through a balance of pencil and ink on the interior pages and Christopher Studabaker's evocative, austere and expressionistic dialogue and narration, it's a very successful experiment."
http://www.ape-entertainment.com
I'm the "and more." But yeah, I'm in Previews. Now we just have to make sure shops stock the book! |
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| It's official- I'm in print!!!!!!!!!!! |
[Aug. 19th, 2007|01:05 pm] |
The Cloud-Leapers of Blue Pine Mountain
Fablewood will be a top-of-the-line print anthology featuring fantasy-themed stories from some very cool up and coming comickers. Check out the website for more info and some sample pages. Oh, and um... it seems that I'm in the book too. The Cloud-Leapers of Blue Pine Mountain will be my first professionally published comic and I'm absolutely thrilled to be sharing space in a book with the likes of Sarah Mensinga, JP Ahonen, El Cooper, and JJ Naas! I'll tell you more as things develop (I only just found out Sarah Mensinga was on the list!) For now you'll have to see what you can figure out from the panel above.
I know I posted earlier about how I thought my comic was so hot and it deserved to be in print so much, blah blah blah, but really the more I find out about the people in Fablewood, the more I've come to realize that I'm lucky to be in at all. But hey, Cloud-Leapers has a home now and I can't think of anywhere I'd rather have it live. Except maybe your bookshelf.
Oh, Lords of Death and Life updated today too. But forget about Mol and his impending danger with a knife-wielding lunatic. Cloud-Leapers is where it's at. Best comic I ever did. :-D |
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| Bad news, guys. |
[Jul. 19th, 2007|12:08 am] |
It's been a few years since my last rejection letter. I have a pile of them somewhere. The last batch were for my ill-fated chapter book "Jingyun and the Dancing Dragon." Though I worked really hard on it, doing lots of research, toiling for months in front of a keyboard, even test-marketing it with actual kids, I wasn't terribly surprised that it didn't get picked up. Even when I wrote it I knew it wasn't a spectacular piece of writing. I just hoped it was "good enough." I've read it only once or twice in the years since because all I can see now are the flaws.
But this comic was supposed to be different. "The Cloud-leapers of Blue Pine Mountain," the comic I've been working on for months, is hands-down the best comic I've ever done. Best drawn, best colours by far, most action-packed, and best ending (I so rarely get to write endings). I've also finally found the way I want to portray imaginary cultures that I failed to achieve with some of my previous comics. I even learned how to draw feet. I can see flaws in it, yes, I can always see the flaws, but there are so few flaws standing in the way of the story. I swear it's better than half the crap in print right now.
"The Cloud-leapers of Blue Pine Mountain" will not be appearing in the anthology I wrote it for. Add another rejection to the pile.
Now I know, this is part of the process. Any author worth spit has a bigger collection of rejection letters than I do. There are all sorts of reasons for things to get rejected- anything as simple as it having too many pages or there being another story already in the book that has a talking monkey in it. I don't know what happened. Not all publishers take the time to tell you their reasoning. I also know that, as always, my best story is the one I'll write next.
I'm not going to post the comic on my website just yet. You have no idea how difficult it is to resist the urge. I want to find another anthology to get it into. I know it's good enough. Too many comickers I respect have seen work of mine half as good as this and told me I should be in print. These are people who in some cases know the industry better than anyone else I could name. For once I have the confidence to believe that the quality of my work is not the main problem. I just... have to re-acclimatize myself to repeated rejection. I wasn't ready for the blow this time. I should have been.
*sigh*
Anyone know an anthology that might accept a fourteen page fantasy story about blue Chinese elves and a talking monkey? |
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| My life as a comics monk |
[Jul. 6th, 2007|12:08 am] |
An update on my top-secret comics project: I'm on schedule. The whole thing is now drawn and inked and I've got about five solid days of colouring to go before it's done completely. That and I need to finalize the translation of something into Chinese. Then I can take things a bit easier and cut back to two pages a week. Lords of Death and Life is waiting.
It's good to know I can actually set myself a deadline and stick to it when it really matters. I know it seems a novel concept based on my history with webcomics. What I have learned, though, is that I would really not enjoy being a full-time comicker. This is not the healthiest of lifestyles, stuck at home alone skritching away at bits of paper for 5-7 hours a day every day. I have to really watch that I take good care of my hand. I have to carefully monitor what I eat and how much exercise I get lest I contract a case of computer-butt (I know people who work with computers all day. It's not a pretty sight!) I've taken to sticking pages onto the fridge so that I can draw standing up and give my back a break. Actually this works pretty well. It feels like I'm a fine arts student again. The amount of money I spend on CDs has quadrupled. I need to get the heck out of Abbostsford more often so I can find some real people to talk to (not that I don't appreciate my imaginary internet friends!) Basically, drawing comics is awesome and everything I ever dreamed it could be, but the life of a comics monk is not anything to be envied. I honestly don't know how people cope.
Good thing I've got teaching to look forward to in September. I've said it many times before but I'll say it many times more because it is so true. I love both my jobs and I hope they continue to play nicely together because I wouldn't like myself nearly as much if I had to give one of them up. [/emo] |
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| Move along. Nothing to see here. |
[May. 23rd, 2007|08:25 pm] |
I'm tired, I'm behind schedule (still), and it's testing my sanity trying to keep up with the schedule, but this comic I'm working on is going to be awesome. I've got to think of something I can show you without giving anything away!
Oh, I know. How about this?
What is this exactly? Some damn Chinese painting or something, I don't know. I certainly didn't draw it, so don't ask me! It's none of your business anyways!
In other news, are any other Vancouverites planning on going to Scott McCloud's brief appearance in town on May 31st? This is also going to be awesome. |
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