News-type thingies

[Nineswords]

I forgot to mention that i added one of the keentags to each comic page that will load the previous and next comics in a one pixel space at the bottom of the screen. What does this mean? It means not having to wait half an hour per page, that's what! I wish i'd known about that tag sooner - the load time was pissing me off. Me and my poor overworked 56K modem....

Damn, school is keeping me really busy so far. They actually make you DO THINGS in this program (and not things that take 10 minutes like the OTHER schools i've been to). That's a good thing as far as my education is concerned, a bad thing for the comic. But don't worry! I will do my very best to have a page EVERY Friday, even if it happens to be noon on friday or

[Nineswords]

Hey wow, this forum actually looks decent in IE. I've been using Netscape all this time.

Anyway, I had a hard time getting the page up on Friday at all this week and I've decided that school is to blame (isn't it always? Handy scapegoat, this "school"...), so in order to ensure less stress for me, I'll be updating Sundays, starting next week.

That'd be the um... 16th? of September.

I don't really want to switch - i kind of LIKE Fridays for some reason. Updating on Sundays just feels wrong. Maybe Monday? I hate to be so wishy-washy, but we'll give Sundays a shot. I do most of the work during the week anyway.

Other than that, you may notice sudden drastic changes in the styles. Sorry, they're mental hiccups. I decided that it's more beneficial to me as an artist to expand during this comic rather than fight to try and stay consistantly bad. Hopefully this will be a fucking gorgeous comic when it ends.

And finally! they're out of that fucking garrida. I was really getting sick of painting dirt every week. I'm trying to use more interesting colors now, instead of the mind-numbing neutrals i had been using. I will try to cut back on the gradient fills though - that was just a shortcut this week to get everything out on time. Some of them looked okay, but i think i abused it by filling half a page with flood-filled panels.

Arrighty, see you guys next Sunday!

[Nineswords]

Hey, it's the first Sunday page. Go me.

I like this schedule better already. I managed to get this page done with NO hurrying, rushing, worrying, dying, etc., so it looks WAY better than it otherwise would have. I'm so happeeee!

That's about it for this week. School is fun, but time consuming.

[Nineswords]

Well, i have a bug of some kind. I hardly ever get sick so it's almost like being dead. Except i don't think you hear phantom harmonica music when you're dead. If you do, then i never, EVER want to die. I think it's all the fluid in my ears making things sound funny, but it's the SAME 4-bar riff and i've been hearing it for 2 days now. No, make that 3. Maybe i should be concerned. Naaaaahhhhh.

Whoo, another under-the-chin shot this week. I'm getting better at those. Also lots more flood fills, but i think they're better than having the damned TREES in every frame.

Johnny moment: (DZAHN-ee MOE-ment) 1. A lengthy diatribe on one's state of being - a seemingly casual dismissal of one's current state while simultaneously implying great weariness with the great burden that state poses.
2. Hacking someone to pieces with whatever's handy. ^__^

Riley's Johnny moment this week seems to suit him, which kind of worries me. I guess he does sort of fulfill a similar role to Johnny. But still!

If you can't tell, i've pretty much just been reading JTHM and SQUEE! over and over this week. Must. Find. More. Comics!

[Nineswords]

Well, i worked my little fingers to the bone this week to get out a picture for on T-Shirts. Yes, merchandise. Buy stuff and i will smile and i will draw more! Here is the URL <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/nineswords">http://www.cafepress.com/nineswords</a> If you're ordering the Riley design, get your parents' permission first if you're under 13 or whatever the rules are for that. It's kind of gory. And i'll laugh at you if you get suspended for wearing it to school. There's some stuff with just a logo and the comic's URL though that's quite appropriate if you're not up for a lot of blood.

I'll have another design up as soon as i can get the time to put one together. I'll try to make it a little more "school friendly" you know. Jhnih deserves a t-shirt too, IMHO.

Unfortunately, cafepress only allows free stores to have one item per picture, so i will have to rotate the images every so often. If anyone has suggestions for what they'd like on a shirt, i'm happy to hear them! Just email me or contact me on AIM.

[Nineswords]

Not much new this week. Painfully busy with school. I did start rewatching FLCL this weekend. The second time around it's a lot better. I am too used to predictable American television so i was frustrated when i didn't immediately know what was going on. That'll learn me. I still don't like the way they draw those little "o" mouths though. The rest is spectacular.

[Nineswords]

Whee. Barely got this week's page out on time. I forgot i hadn't done it yet and had to scramble late friday night when i remembered, because people were coming to visit all weekend. That's the problem with visualizing things before you do them - sometimes it's just a bit too vivid.

I had hoped to build up a bunch of comics this week since i'm out of school, but i have to use it to catch up on art projects for school, the sudden spur of commissions i've received, and other assorted items of responsibility.

I'll still try to get a few done anyway. I'd really like to get more pages out per week because lately i've been paranoid that i'll get bored and either give up or start putting out mediocre bullshit to just get it finished. I'd really not like for either of those to happen. So work i shall! Work work work!

[Nineswords]

I added the new <a href="http://nineswords.keenspace.com/music.html">music page</a>.

On that note, that sidebar is getting a might long. I think i'll combine some stuff to have less clutter. Maybe put a bunch of stuff on the "Extras" page, since the word "extras" can encompass a whole lot ;)

If you're curious, that pink blob on this week's page in the lower left corner is supposed to be a -pretty flower-, but if you can't tell what it is then i guess it's not. Why is it there? Damned if i know. A voice in my head told me to draw it. And then to make it ::shudder:: -pink-. Something is very broken in my noggin.

I'm becoming happier and happier with my pages. Ego boosters are GO!!! Also, i have this itching need to draw dogless ZIM fanart. Hold me.

[Kagerou-slave]

Why do humans make noisy banner ads with auto racing noises? I HATE THEM. and also, there is a large bug sitting on the end of my big toe. i think he's the one who decided to make the banner ad so noisy. I just crushed him against the wall. that will teach him.


MORE 9S!!!

[Nineswords]

Okay, i moved all the cluttery stuff from the sidebar to the Extras page. Eventually i'll make happy little buttons instead of having plain word links. Yeah. Just like i'll eventually make some page navigation buttons too....

I'm working fast to be able to start posting 2 pages a week, on saturday and sunday (so they won't both be on the same page). I have to hurry because i'm getting bored and burned out at the same time, and that's never good. The way i make myself un-bored is by making everything all

[Lorilie]

I just wanted to say "Hi." My name's Lorilie, I go by Lori, and I'm an angsty webcomic artist. My roomate, her boyfriend and my good friend, and I all read yer comic.

Take care ^.-

[Nineswords]

[quote="Lorilie"]I just wanted to say "Hi." My name's Lorilie, I go by Lori, and I'm an angsty webcomic artist. My roomate, her boyfriend and my good friend, and I all read yer comic.

Take care ^.-[/quote]

Oh cool! Thank you! I always love to hear from people who read the comic.

[Nineswords]

WOW. TWO pages. Can't beat dat shit wid a stick.

I'm really really fond of page 18 of this chapter. 19 is ... eh, mediocre in comparison. 18 is definitely my best yet. I love that page. Lots. I hope to make many more like it.

Not much else to report. Eh. I'll do 2 pages every week from now on, 'cause i'm just that generous.

[Nineswords]

Damn, sometimes it just feels so cool to type "2002" and realize yes, we ARE beyond the year 2000 - THIS IS THE FUTURE, BABY!

Oh, i put up a splash page to prevent spoilage. I had to change dates on the comic and fuck around with the site a lot but i think i've got it working how i want. Apologies to those of you who read the comic in the first 3 hours it's up - that's what you get for wanting to be the FIRST at everything, ha! No, i just kid. I appreciate all my readers and i apologize for any spoilers that might have happened or frustration at not being able to reach page 21.

Also page 21 says 12 at the bottom. This i know. I fixed it and re-uploaded it, but i've abused the update button enough for one night and that seems kind of trivial, so i'll let it fix it on the auto update tomorrow night. If this paragraph was all gibberish to you, i'll translate: "it'll be better tomorrow."

I'm unbelievably proud of the last panel on page 21. I've had that panel planned for SOOOOO very long and it turned out just how i wanted it. Damn i'm good. I'm gonna go gloat for a few hours now.

[Nineswords]

Well, that took a little longer than it should have. Updating at 1500 is not a good work habit. That's ok though, it was the dialogue that kept me screwed up all week. I couldn't figure out where i wanted to go with this - there are so many themes i'd like to explore!

Yes, Vanchek is a creepy little motherfucker (hehehe).

That little drawing of Jhnih on the front page is ... both adorable and horrifying at the same time. I can't believe that [i]i[/i] drew that.

Not much else to report. I should be on time next week since i've already got thumbnails and good dialogue for the next several pages. My favorite picture this week is that second frame on page 22. That made my whole weekend complete. It more than makes up for the shitty last frame on page 23.

[Joozika]

Ooohh. Might be the skinniness, the bottom part of the cape, or the font, but... Vanchek reminds me, for some reason, of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. Nifty. n.n

Oh, hi, by the way :). I love your comic. How you can produce two whole pages with such artistic quality every single week is beyond me.

[Nineswords]

Note: Guest = Me.

I guess it didn't log me in properly, sorry. You'll just have to deal with the annoying [i][/i] thingies because i can't edit that post.

[Nineswords]

Some of you may have noticed that there's only one page this week. Okay, well, probably all of you did and are mad at me. I deeply apologize and i will try to make it up to you next weekend.

Believe me, had i done the second page, it would have been really bad. I mean like stick figures and crayons kind of bad. I just couldn't bring myself to inflict that kind of thing upon you. For convenience's sake, i will blame my inability to draw coherently this week on the Bad Art Collection, which i duped someone into buying me for my birthday.

It's a great book, by the way, and you should ALL go buy copies of it. The mental retardation is only temporary, i promise. Next week, you'll see, my comic will be PURE GENIUS!!! Thanks, Jhonen!! (this is where i'm giving a big "thumbs up" and my smile is gleaming with a little twinkle noise)

Arright, seriously. There's no excuse for not being able to churn out two pages this week and again i apologize. I will try to come up with something special to do next week to make up for it. If anyone has any particular requests, let me know. BUT NO NUDIE PICTURES, because i KNOW what you people are thinking.

[Nineswords]

Yessss, i managed two pages this week, of unhurried quality, and even... Gasp! On time! Now i just have to keep up with this pace. Hopefully i won't keel over into hibernation during break. This is my last week of school coming up, so i'm hurrying on all those art projects i put off all year but that are due this next week (praise be unto Caffeine).

Say, my lack of desire to do those school projects probably explains why my comic was done this week. Hee hee.

Hmm. In other news i started some new threads - one for plugging comics, the other for questions and stuff. I figure this forum should be an interactive kind of thing, instead of my personal blog. Not that this is a good blog. I mean, i stay pretty much on target and tend not to rant. What kind of blog has that much focus? Huh? Huh??

Okay well, until next week. Happy something or other.

[Nineswords]

Well, it is thursday. Two hours from being friday, actually (okay, an hour and a half). The update is soooo shamefully late. And the forums are running like well... like something that doesn't run very well. But i figured i should do the courtesy of telling you kind folks why my page wasn't up on wednesday. I haven't really been at my computer much since... well, i'm not sure when. Mostly i've just been using it for a sound machine, playing [i]Invader Zim[/i] nonstop for days while i worked on my last minute art projects for school (thus all the Zim-isms; i'm highly impressionable). I hope some of this paragraph was coherent. Anyway, those projects were my finals, so i didn't just have finals week like normal earth children, it was more like... finals... three... weeks. Yeah. It's over now, but wretched Christmas is coming up and bringing with it a string of obligations and horrible running-around-ness. I hope nobody ever wonders why the suicide rate goes up this time of year, because it's painfully obvious to [i]me[/i].

I'm kind of coloring page 29 of chapter 2 right now. Yay! Maybe it'll be up soon. I should still have two pages on sunday, but i'm not making any promises because every time i do that i end up breaking them!!

People with commissions, do not worry, i haven't forgotten you. Really. I haven't.