It's RecomMonday!!  I have two recommendations (or 7 depending how you count…).  The first recommendation is mainly because these shirts were just released today, and I drew one of them.  Threadless.com does these series of tee shirts called “Comics on Tees” and I was invited my my friend Jhonen Vasquez to participate in this series written by him and drawn by him, Becky Cloonan, JR Goldberg and myself.  It was an honor to be among such talent and I did my best to measure up.  My assigned shirt features a robot fighting a sea monster.  I think it turned out pretty cool.  You can buy all four, or individual shirts right now at Threadless!

As a side note, I have also put a “donate” button up over at Bearmageddon which will give you access to an exclusive Octo-Bear wallpaper.  My computer is on its last leg and I really need to buy a new one, so all help is highly appreciated!

Now for the real RecomMonday entry, I present to all aspiring creators my favorite series of books on writing around… Save the Cat!

When I first moved down here to the Hollywood part of California, I met with my manager Peter at the Gotham Group.  I had recently had my first TV show pitch optioned by Cartoon Network and, because that had set the ball rolling, I moved down to California.  When I met with Peter, I tried to explain my other story ideas to him, and as I struggled to put them into words, he wrote on a card and handed it to me.  He had written the words “Save the Cat”.  He explained that this was a great book not only on writing, but on being able to pitch your story in a way that people will want to read it.

If you live in Hollywood, you see people reading these books everywhere.  They became the big hit book series on screenwriting over the last few years and the reason why is they are fun to read and simple to understand.  Unlike a lot of famous books on writing, Save the Cat boils it down and doesn't get into a bunch of Theory and esoteric concepts.  It lays it out.  It's really brilliant.  I was so inspired by Save the Cat that I got on the web site and noticed that Blake Snyder, the author, was going to be doing a small group weekend seminar. I coughed up the cash and signed up.  The classes were limited to only a dozen people and took place in a conference room in Hollywood all day for two days.  I wasn't sure what I was in for but the experience was amazing.

When I showed up, I had this messy, incoherent idea for a story called “Bearmageddon”.  I had written about three incarnations of it… one that took place in the future, one where a father is trying to save his son, and on about some slackers.  I had no idea which one to tell, and none of them were very good.  Blake really helped me turn the story into something I was really excited about, and on the last day after I did my final pitch, Blake said “Congratulations.  You just pitched the weirdest story I have ever heard.”

A week or two later I got the completely shocking news that Blake had died of a sudden heart attack.  This guy who was so full of life and passionate about teaching storytelling showed no signs over passing on any time soon.  It was totally tragic, and as far as I understand, those other 11 people and I took the last class he ever taught.  It was an honor, but a very sad one.

Blake had just been finishing up the third volume “Save the Cat Strikes Back” when he passed.  It came out somewhat recently and I have been reading it lately, which inspired me to post this today.  I know that for people in my neck of the woods (Hollywood) these books are as popular as NASCAR in the South.  But I wanted to share these with you guys because I know that a ton of you are aspiring comic artists and creators and if you want to tell a story, GET THESE BOOKS.  At the very least, get volume one.  You will not regret it.

That's my big recommendation for you this week.  Tomorrow, I have a little surprise for you guys, so I'll see you then.

Ethan

I got another week off here, so I got that whacky guy Jamie Smart to fill in this week.  If you don't know Jamie's work, he is an SLG veteran like me and his head is full of all sorts of madness.  Plus he's British so you get to feel all sophisticated for reading his work.

I really liked this Guest Episode because of how spot-on it nails studio notes.  Of course, if you have never pitched an animated series to a network before, and most people haven't, it may not be as funny to you… but I would submit it is funny enough to the laymen, and twice as funny to the animated series pitcher.  Being that I pitched an animated series today this hit home, though my pitch meeting went amazingly well and was nothing like this comic.

What's funny is, in all the dealings with companies like Dark Horse, Steve Jackson Games… and other companies who are getting involved or have shown interest, not one (yet) has made a fool of themselves and tried to alter Axe Cop in any way like Jamie so perfectly mocks in this guest episode.  Everybody, I think, knows that the moment they do that they just Jenga'd the whole stack.  Pull that one piece out and it all comes down.  I think just about every decision Axe Cop makes is one that would make a studio exec laugh nervously, tap his/her fingers together and say “yeah let's put a pin in that and maybe look at some other options just to keep an open playing field, heh.”  I would love to see Axe Cop in a pitch meeting.

I'm up to my nips in Bearmageddon right now… actually, I am on the last page of the bunch I wanted to get done before I dive into the next Axe Cop miniseries.  I also need to post something up here a week from today.  So much to do… so much, and even more I can't talk about on line.  Don't let the lack of posts right now fool you, I am a busy busy man.

I played my first ever game of Munchkin Axe Cop the other night with my friends.  We had a little get together at my place, I made garlic infused burgers with roasted garlic on top.  I had a couple friends who were Munchkin players and they showed me the ropes.  My mind was not made to comprehend card games I think, but I think I got the hang of it.  The cards by themselves are hilarious, and if you are wondering if it is all real Axe Cop stuff, it is.  There were cards Steve needed us to come up with, so I got Malachai to fill in the cards we needed and I did the art, so there is Axe Cop content in the game that is not in the comic, but it's all totally legit.  It is not altered by the execs like today's great guest episode.  Want to know more about Munchkin Axe Cop?  Read the review of it at Mtv Geek.  You may have never played Munchkin before, but now would be a good time to start.  The game is released Nov. 1st I believe.

And that's another week.  See you next Tuesday!

Ethan

I am a fan of Blair Kitchen's Possum comics. His art style is very lively and reminds me a lot of Sergio Aragones.  I highly recommend his comics.  He did something pretty awesome and here created one of my favorite guest episodes to date.  He had his kids write a comic where his character, the Possum, teams up with Axe Cop.  It is a lot of fun and Blair does a great job of conveying humor.  Read more Possum comics here!

Just a reminder, we have some awesome new tee-shirt designs over at PopFunk.  See you next Tuesday with a new guest episode by Jamie Smart.

Ethan

Ryan Browne came up to me and gave me copies of his God Hates Astronauts comics at Detroit Fanfair.  Because, most of the time, when people come up and give me their comics they are really bad, I tried not to let him onto the fact that I thought the cover and the title alone was awesome.  But on the plane ride home I read the two issues and enjoyed myself immensley.  If you like comics like Axe Cop and Dr. McNinja that poke fun at the super hero genre, you will love this comic.  I will warn you that there is adult content in this series, so don't read it to your kids. 

The art is really well done and the characters are hilarious.  Well played Ryan Browne, well played indeed.

Highly recommonday'd!!

Ethan

I still don't really understand why the rabbits have to be eaten when they get old… but it's just one of those dirty jobs that goes on behind the scenes so that civilized people can enjoy magic shows.  We should tell Mike Rowe about that.

Here's some behind the scenes on this final page.  Page 15 (the episode before this one) was supposed to be the ending, but I felt it was really weird for the magic police to never be revisited and for their to be no resolve to that story, so I called Malachai and quizzed him on what was up with the MP.  Were they good guys?  Bad guys?  He said they were good guys and Axe Cop was just pranking them.  It was all good clean fun, but the MP were really mad.  You will see on the first letter they sent that Axe Cop will have to do whatever they want for three days to avoid being locked up in magic jail.  The “whatever we want” in that letter would have been for Axe Cop to eat their poop and drink their pee for three days.  I think Axe Cop sensed it would be something like that and that is why he didn't agree to it.  Plus I told Malachai I am not drawing that. 

Well, another story is over.  As I said, I'll post some guest episodes over the next couple weeks.  If you would like to submit a guest episode, go for it, but please have it to me in the next week or so.  Like by October 7th at the latest.  We will be going back to Thursday-only updates for a while here as I get into the new Axe Cop print-exclusive miniseries.  It was fun posting three comics a week while I could but I can only do so much.  If I learned anything from today's episode I'd clone myself.

Don't worry.  There are more Axe Cop stories to be told… we have one that is mostly done about Wexter and his Dad having a father/son day out killing bad guys, and we also have a dog adventure wherein Ralph Wrinkles, Army Chihuahua, Presty and a new dog character go on an adventure.  Both need work but I hope to make one of them the next online story… though I have an Axe Cop Presents that is my favorite new thing right now and for all I know it could become it's own full story.  Man!  So much to do!

Also, false alarm on the Bad Guy Earth trade being released yesterday.  It got postponed ANOTHER week.  I have no idea why.  LAME.  Sorry for constantly hooting and hollering about it only for it to suddenly not come out.  I hope it actually comes out next week.  I'm trying to keep the faith.

See you next week.

Ethan

I had a good time in Detroit, and I apolgize for no RecomMonday blog, but I got home after another day of flying and was pretty wiped out.  I didn't realize my flight home was four stops on the same plane, so all in one day I went from Detroit to Chicago to Oakland to Burbank.  

Besides meeting lots of great people and other artists, we were honored to have won the Shel Dorf Award for Web Comic of the Year!  I never prepare myself for winning, so I had no speech, I just sort of stumbled around saying thankyou this is awesome.  Axe Cop won the Eagle Award in the UK but I was not present to receive it (they had me record a web cam acceptance speech just in case I won).  This was the first time I have won an award in comics and been present to accept it, it was pretty cool.  Here is a picture of me, having just received the reward, taken by none other than the super-skilled Jason Howard (The Astonishing Wolf Man, Super Dinosaur):

So, as I mentioned last week.  Things are going to slow down around here for a bit.  I will let a couple guest episodes give me some time to do some Bearmageddon work and also get crackin' on the new Axe Cop miniseries for Dark Horse.

Speaking of miniseries for Dark Horse, the complete Bad Guy Earth book is hitting shelves on Wednesday!  This is a book any Axe Cop fan should own, especially if you have only been reading the web comics.  This is the ultimate Axe Cop story and I am extremely proud of it.  Please order it, buy it from your local shop… do whatever you must.  But get this book!  Even if you got the singles, there is over 30 pages of bonus material including a ton of “the making of” material that has a lot of characters and concepts that never made it into the final story.  I spent a month making Bad Guy Earth with Malachai and I document that month in this extra section and I think if you enjoy Axe Cop you will really dig this bonus section I put together.  It is a bonus section I totally put together myself and sent to Dark Horse, just to be clear.  This is not a few pages thrown in just to get you to buy the trade.

Anyway, I know this page felt like the last page of Axe Cop Babysits Uni-Baby, and it sort of is- but there is an unresolved issue that Axe Cop has to deal with and he will do that next episode, which will be the final episode of Axe Cop Babysits Uni-Baby. 

Ethan

I know that sounds like the title of an amazing new series… I mean what city needs Axe Cop's blade of justice more badly than Detroit?  I know Robocop has it handled, but hey maybe hey could team up?

Well, nearly as awesome is that I will be in Detroit this weekend at Detroit Fanfare as a guest, and to add to the awesome, I will be there with a shipment of the brand new Bad Guy Earth trade paperback, which doesn't actually hit comic shop shelves until the 28th, so if you are in Detroit you will be able to get an advance copy straight from my own grubby little mits, signed and sketched in.  It's a good weekend to be a Detroitian!

I will be on a panel... I think it's the one called “There is an Alternative” talking about alternative methods of getting your comics out there besides through mainstream publishers.  It is Saturday at 12:00 in the Gene Colan Memorial Room.

Also, Axe Cop was nominated for a Shel Dorf Award for Best Web Comic of the Year, and I will attend the ceremony. 

I am not yet sure where my table will be located, so just frantically scream my name like I'm a lost child in the mall and you will eventually find me.  Bad Guy Earth books are first come, first served… I will only have one box of them so if you want to get one try to stop by sooner rather than later.

Alright, well, that was very poopy, and for you poop sensitive people I apologize. 

Now, just to let you know, we are coming up on a break here.  I don't have any new Ask Axe Cop material for a little while, and I only have two more episodes left of the current story arch.  As this story winds down, I am going to try to do a glob of Bearmageddon pages, and more importantly, get to work on the next Axe Cop Miniseries for Dark Horse Comics.  This will, as it did last time, have an effect on the online output (namely, it will bring us back down to a page a week for a while).

I haven't quite yet decided what will come next.  After next week when this story concludes, I will post guest episodes the next week ( I have a couple awesome ones in the hopper).  I will take the next two Wednesdays off since I am out of Ask Axe Cops and need the break, but Bearmageddon will still post those days.  I'll have a better idea of my plan in the next two weeks, but I wanted to give you the heads up that there will be a change in posting rate here for a while as I begin to draw our next print-exclusive comic for Dark Horse.  If anyone wants to submit guest episodes during this down time, please be my guest!

Ethan

There you have it, the rest of the Narnia episode.  I think it's the most massive Ask Axe Cop episode yet because I had to work in the battle image with Wexter charging through Narnia with his guns blazing. 

Apparently the release of the Bad Guy Earth trade paperback got bumped to next Wednesday, but if you will be in Detroit there is still a chance I will have some there.  Also, new Bearmageddon page today.

Ethan

That's right, that thing is a poop cannon.  It was actually Cliff Cramp's idea to make it a poop cannon, and Malachai liked it, so he used it.  (Of course he liked it.)  I forgot to mention… if you have seen the new Star Wars blue-ray collections that have just been released, that is all the work of Cliff Cramp, the inventor of the poop cannon stroller.

I have been working feverishly on putting together Axe Cop Volume three, the next printed collection of the web comics. 

Also, tomorrow is the release date for the Bad Guy Earth trade paperback.  I don't care who you are, you gotta get this book!  This is my favorite publication of my own work to-date.  It's full color, it's epic, and there is a lot of extra stuff in it about how Malachai and I work.  It will be in comic shops tomorrow.  If you want to get it in book stores you will have to wait another couple weeks.  Whatever you do, get it.  It is the ultimate Axe Cop book and I am very proud of it.

And of course Ask Axe Cop #70 is released tomorrow… the second half of the Narnia adventure.  The episode is giant sized and I can't wait to post it.  What a lot of work it was.  See you then!

Ethan