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Happy Mother's Day 1 day late :)
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May. 12th, 2008 @ 04:29 pm
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Today's comic
is up!
It has nothing at all to do with Mother's Day, of course, but Happy Mother's Day to those of you who are moms. I hope your day was peaceful. :) Willow and I celebrated by bringing a nice dinner over to my mom and playing a game with her and my dad. It was fun! Of course, that's why the comic is a bit late today... but oh well!
This week, I had a bit of dilemma with how to handle the subject of lesbianism in Diana's spiritual journey. In the end, I decided it would be best to simply present it as a fact rather than trying to explain it somehow. I'm sure that some people "choose" homosexuality due to a traumatic event or whatever, but most I have ever known are simply homosexual... because they are. So no explanation is necessary. Besides, this is a tale about her spiritual identity, so her sexuality is only relevant as far as it impacts her spiritual choices.Current Mood:  cheerful |
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Awwww, poor Wiccaman...
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May. 5th, 2008 @ 01:11 am
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Poor Wiccaman. Don't ask me why he was at the airport in the first place. Probably stalking evil where it lurks... or something.
Sorry to postpone the rest of Diana's tale, but HOLY JEEZ! I'm busy! Trying to get a full week ahead on stuff so I can go to a wedding at the end of the month. It's harder than it sounds, unfortunately. Blast and drat!
Well, hopefully next week I'll be back to the regular comic once more. See you all then!Current Mood:  complacent |
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Another week
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Apr. 28th, 2008 @ 03:13 pm
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Today's comic
is up! A little later than usual, but I have a good excuse. It's
becoming absolutely beautiful outside, and yesterday when I was supposed to be
working on the comic, Willow and I went outside for a little while
instead. It was sunny and warm, and we walked down to a soccer field near
our home and played some "baseball." We bought a bat and ball
about a year ago just to kill time when we wanted to go outside, and this is the
first time we've used them. It was pretty fun. But let me tell ya,
neither of us are any good at baseball. :)
And now that the comic is done, I am off to complete my other work as well. Enjoy the comic, and I will be back with more next week. |
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Comic #100!!!! Woooohooo!
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Apr. 21st, 2008 @ 01:28 pm
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Yeah, that makes 100 episodes of The Many Moons of Astra! That means that if you exclude missed weeks and filler comics, I've been doing this comic for just a little over two years now with weekly updates. Not too shabby!
This week's comic is pretty dark, both in coloration and subject matter. People have asked me why Diana is so grumpy all the time, well now you have some idea. Although, keep in mind that this is Diana's telling of the story, and her memories will of course be colored by her own perception and thoughts. She may be just a *bit* over-dramatic. :) But I think we all are when conjuring up our past hurts. I wasn't fat, but I was very skinny, pimply, wore glasses, and had a stutter so bad that I could hardly speak. Kids can be cruel, and I was picking my own books off the ground more times than I can count.
On a more cheerful note, the video I posted this week is our latest work with film. I know it's just a commercial for our business, but we are quite proud of it! I spoke too fast at the end, but oh well. :) The animals that we show at the very ending were actually filmed as we shot this commercial. We were very shocked and pleased to have been visited by so many creatures as we made our little film, and we just had to include them.
Well, I hope that all of you are enjoying your spring weather (if you are getting spring weather yet), and I will see you all next week!Current Mood:  hungry |
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Ah, full color again.
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Apr. 14th, 2008 @ 01:08 pm
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Well, that's it for the red lighting. I had forgotten how time consuming it is to do a full comic with color and shading. :) But I am glad to be done with the red.
Since it's been so long since I have really drawn the characters in their present appearance, I gave each of the character designs a bit of a tweak. The most noticeable would be Diana, who has never looked as heavy as she is supposed to be. The fact that she is supposed to be overweight has apparently escaped the majority of the readers, as evidenced by the fan art I receive, so hopefully this won't come as a complete shock to most of you. :) I blame myself entirely, of course, for not drawing her right in the first place.
As we near the end of the elevator sequence, I can't help but breath a sigh of relief. I knew it would be months before the end of it when I began this story-line, but had no idea just how sick of the elevator I would be by the time it was through. Hopefully I'm the only one who feels this way, because I have had to draw it so many times. At least the flashbacks have broken things up a bit.
Well, that's all from me this week. See you next week!Current Mood: hungry |
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Well, another week has blown by somehow. Whoooosh!!! I would have had this comic done and posted slightly earlier, if it hadn't been for my annoying friend who I won't name (but it rhymes with "schmushcrastination"). But you know what? I posted it on Monday. A man of my word is what I am. And don't you forget it!
So thus ends Astra's little back story. On to Diana's? Hm... we'll see. She seems all grumpy (big surprise there), so I'm not sure if she's in a sharing mood. I guess we'll find out next week.
Apr. 7th, 2008 @ 01:06 pm
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| » Wiccaman! |
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Since I've been getting a lot of good response from Wiccaman, I thought it might be nice to check in with him this week. Can you believe it's Monday again? Where did the week go?
I am tired, so anything I say here would likely be really boring and forced, so off I go. :) Have a good week, regular Astra comic next Monday!
Mar. 31st, 2008 @ 01:16 am
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| » Another Monday |
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The comic was hilarious this week, am I right? I aim to please. At least a very few of you will understand and appreciate the random silliness this time. For those that don't, sorry. Explaining it would not make it any funnier I'm afraid.
Anyhow, this week's comic was inspired somewhat by a recent event in my own life. My grandmother on my father's side passed away at the age of 86 a little over a week ago. To me, it was a relief because she was very ill after having several strokes and had a terrible quality of life. Her death was a release, and I feel certain that her soul is now free and at peace until she chooses to start life anew.
My father, however, who has no spirituality to speak of, is taking it very hard. For him, the finality of death is very daunting. He will never see his mother again, and that is a hard thing to accept. Death must be a much more difficult thing for those with no religious faith. Though I was basically agnostic through most of my life, I never had to deal with a death during that time period.
Anyway, this should all cheer up your week quite a bit, huh? You're welcome. ;)
Here's something a bit more cheerful, though... Thursday is Willow's birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WILLOW! Everyone should go to her blog on Thursday and wish her a happy birthday. here's the link to her blog:
http://willowgoldentree.blogspot.com/
Mar. 24th, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
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| » Another week |
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It seems like just yesterday that it was last Monday. My life is flying by! I need an emergency brake! My grandmother on my father's side passed away on Wednesday, so I am house-sitting at my parents' house and watching their dogs while they go to the funeral. I am unable to go myself since we are so busy with our business. I ended up finishing the comic today on my laptop over here at my parents' house instead of home on my regular overpowered computer. It did pretty well, actually.
Anyway, I had considered doing a filler this week since the death of my grandmother has added extra stress to an already busy week, but I figured I would be tarred and feathered if I missed another update. :) So, you're welcome. See you next week, when I may or may not have a comic ready. I should at least have time for Wiccaman, though I am hoping for a full update. We'll see!
Mar. 16th, 2008 @ 11:24 pm
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| » Guest comic! |
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Well, I was hoping to get at least a Wiccaman comic done for this week, but once again life thwarted me in my efforts. I don't know what it is lately, but orders are crazy-busy! The money is good, but time is lacking because of it. I will for sure have a comic up next week (of my own, I mean), but the week after that is another one like this week and two weeks ago. Every other week is insane, I guess.
Thank you SO MUCH to Willow for drawing a guest comic for me! It was my 31st birthday on the March 7th. Getting older sucks. I miss the days of my childhood when birthdays meant cake and ice cream, a chance to have a pizza party with your friends, and maybe some of those unrealistic gifts you requested from your parents. Or some sort of loot anyway. And getting older meant you were getting closer to those coveted ages where you had less restrictions. 16 you could drive. 18 you could smoke and buy porn. 21 you could drink. But ten years later, nothing new. There's nothing to look forward to now, life is all down hill.
Funny huh?!!! It's better than a comic, it's a cosmic joke! Hahahahaaaaaaa.... :(
Well, see you all next week when we find out the next step in Astra's past. Was she drafted into the NBA at an early age, but forced to retire due to a knee injury? Was she shot into space on accident after having a job in college dressed like a monkey for a local taco restaurant? The possibilities are endless. You'll just have to wait and see. But my guess... no. On both accounts. No.
Mar. 9th, 2008 @ 11:29 pm
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| » Astra's memories |
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Hopefully nobody will find the coloring of this week's comic too jarring. I am trying to find ways to set each of the girl's memories apart from one another. I figure we all have a different way of recalling our memories, some more or less vivid or realistic than others. Some people focus on positive events, some on negative. So it only makes sense to depict each person's memories in a unique way. Right? Sure.
Well, I must apologize for missing last week's update. Contrary to popular belief, I do not have an abundance of time or make millions of dollars from this comic. Yes, the sad fact is the comic takes more time than I have most weeks and I make virtually nothing (some people have donated, for which I am eternally grateful). Unfortunately, this means that on the especially busy weeks, the comic will be forced to take a back seat to my paid projects. That's just life. I got my first "You should work harder on your comic" email last week from someone who is apparently convinced that I am just a slacker. Sigh. It's rough to have adoring fans, sometimes. This must be just how Brad Pitt feels.
I am sure.
Anyway, I hope you all had a delightful week, and will have a delightful rest of this one as well. Thank you so much for reading my scribblings. :)
Mar. 3rd, 2008 @ 01:22 am
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| » A quick transition |
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Not particularly funny this week, but it's a transition. They can't all be gems. :)
Feb. 17th, 2008 @ 09:10 pm
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| » A fun week! |
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So, this week neither Willow nor I had a lot to do work-wise, which is a huge change from the norm. So instead, we spent our time making the video that I posted below this week's comic. It was a lot of fun! We plan to enhance our website by adding videos for product tours and various other things. This video will eventually be an addition to the wand pages, just as an amusing illustration of what not to expect from our wands. You would not believe the number of questions we get about the wands, asking if they can do magic like Harry Potter.
I hope you have enjoyed this look at Apple's spiritual past. It was months ago that I wrote the outline for it all, but I was still a little unsure about the details until I did it. I think it turned out better than I hoped. :) Next week, we return to the elevator and then maybe someone else will tell their tale as well...? Stay tuned!
Dun dun DUUUNNNN!
Feb. 11th, 2008 @ 02:53 pm
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| » Late update |
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Rotten tomatoes can be sent to my agent:
Phillip Goldman
829 Lincoln Ave.
Sacramento, CA
95814
Actually, I just made up that address. I don't know if it's real, so please don't send your rotting vegetables there. I also don't have an agent. All I have is dwindling time to update my comic. Sigh...
Feb. 6th, 2008 @ 06:34 pm
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| » A busy week |
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After last week's contest fiasco, our business thrived like it hasn't for a long time. One person ordered 20 of our scrying mirrors! Since I never have that many ready to go, I had to scramble to get them all done, which is why I didn't have time this week for a proper comic. So I hope you all enjoy this little Wiccaman intermission. :)
I want to thank each and every one of you for reading, and especially those of you who have taken the time to write a comment here or send an email or fan art. It's really an amazing feeling to know that people are enjoying the work I do. It makes it all worthwhile.
Please send money.
Just kidding :)
Kinda
Jan. 28th, 2008 @ 01:12 pm
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| » The mysterious visitors.... |
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So, today while I was finishing up the comic, our website started getting bombarded with people... from where? I don't know. But we run a contest to give away a free item on our site 8 times yearly, and we usually get a few submissions to that contest every day. But today about 2:00 pm (mountain time), we started getting a massive number of contest entries. And they haven't stopped. They just keep on coming in! WHERE ARE YOU PEOPLE COMING FROM?!!
My comic stats suggest that some of those people are also checking out my comic. So, I thought I would post here asking where they are coming from. If you found this site through a link on some other site, drop a line here and let me know where you came from. I am dying of curiosity, and my webstats program isn't going to tell me a thing about today until tomorrow. Cause it's lame. :)
In further news, my life is still boring. I hope you are all enjoying a look into Apple's troubled past and spiritual conflict. It's so deep, right? Like, totally.
UPDATE!
It turns out that the visitors were coming from a website called www.online-sweepstakes.com. Someone posted a link to our contest there, so a bunch of people were coming only to win a free item, with no idea what website they were even visiting. Bunch of moochers! We ended up having to end our contest early because of it.
Jan. 21st, 2008 @ 04:34 pm
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| » An early update? What the...? |
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So, this update is hours early. But get this, I was totally stressing out because I didn't get a start on even the pencil art until after noon today. I usually try to do the pencils on Friday night, inks on Saturday night, then the coloring all day on Sunday. It just takes that long. But today I was able to draw, ink, and color in just a few hours! Woohoo! Of course, that's mostly because I didn't have to shade this page... but still, an accomplishment. :)
I am almost entirely well now, and good riddance to that &%@! cold!! I hate being sick, and rarely get sick (due mostly to the fact that I rarely see other humans). So when I do get sick... it sucks. Ass.
Well, my life is a bit less boring due to events that have transpired in the past week or so, but it's nothing I can actually talk about on here due to legal concerns and other concerns as well. I hate that! I never have anything to talk about on here. Why are you even reading this? Don't you have something better to do? ;)
Jan. 13th, 2008 @ 09:37 pm
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| » Back from the holidays |
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Well, I've been sick as a dog the past week, but feeling a bit better now. Sick as a dog... what strange expression. Dogs aren't really sick, as in ill. They are kind of gross, but that's not the same thing. What is the origin of that expression?
Anyway... yeah, been sick. It kind of shows in this update, as my hands were really shaky while I was drawing it and it had to be a bit rushed due to lack of time. But it is an update after all. :) The reason I was sick is because our heater broke on December 23, the day before Christmas Eve, at about 4 PM. Well, obviously the repair man was off to enjoy his holiday and didn't get back to me about the heater until after Christmas. Then it took several days to get the heater repaired. In the mean time, it was about 45 degrees in the house. I tried a space heater, but it just didn't do much.
Plus, I was around family and exposed to germs... GERMS! I am never exposed to germs, having a home business and all. So my immune system was like, "What the...." and I got sick.
So that was my holiday break! :) I hope yours went better.
Jan. 7th, 2008 @ 11:24 pm
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| » Wiccaman Filler |
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Well, this was a very busy week for me, but I am proud to say I got everything done that I said I would! Wooooohooooo!!!!
Now I just have to pack all of these wands I made so that I won't be leaving the house too late tomorrow. Going to the post office this close to Christmas totally, totally sucks.
Oh a closing note, imagine if all people used their own personal power to heal the world just a little bit. Hmmm...
Dec. 10th, 2007 @ 09:45 pm
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| » The Yule Season... from HELL!!!!!!... (if hell existed) |
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I am burnt... and it's only going to get worse. This past week and the coming week are the big rush to get things by Yule weeks. This coming week I will be making something like 20 wands, 3 of which have animal totem carvings (which take much longer, of course). I have only ever made 14 wands in one week before, and that felt like quite the accomplishment. Hopefully I can get through it.
Yeah, I know, poor me... I get to sit at home and carve wood for a living rather than going to a "real job" and dealing with assholes all day. ;)
So anyway.... sorry I didn't respond to last week's comments. Dametuckaberry, I am very glad you like the red lighting. You may be sick of it by the end of this story arc, though. :) I am still not used to the new font. It doesn't look like my comic to me now. But I was able to fit so much text in the panels this week! The dialog actually reads naturally, like I want it to. So, no tears for the old font. Long live the new font!
Next week, it is unlikely that I will have time to do an Astra comic. So expect a Wiccaman filler instead. I hope you all like Wiccaman. I've gotten some good response from those comics, so expect it's a lot better than simply skipping a week or throwing up a sketch or something. Right? Maybe? Oh well, you have no real choice anyway. :)
Dec. 3rd, 2007 @ 12:45 am
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