My contempt for the shading technique I used in Yucateca is no secret,  so it probably won’t come as a surprise to anyone that I’ve just embarked upon a complete overhaul of the issue to remove the graytones.  Fortunately this is fairly easy to do,  and shouldn’t take more than a few days to bring it up to speed with the standard style.  I’m not doing any redrawing right now,  just fixing the shading.  There are a number of reasons I’m doing this:

• I’ve always hated the shading of Issue 2.  It looks futuristic,  which is totally out-of-place in this comic.
• It will not reproduce well in print.  One of the main reasons I haven’t offered any print issues since Issue 1 is that I’ve been worrying about how Issue 2 would look.  Once I finish fixing it, it will be print-ready.
• Now there will be more style consistency in the archive.  Issue 1 will be the only issue with a different art style.  (My working process was really bad in Issue 1,  so fixing these pages would be a huge amount of trouble and is not going to happen anytime soon.)

So that’s the story.  You can go check out the new look,  which has currently been applied through page 3.  I’ll post again when the transformation is complete.

Well,  it looks like it’s about time to change the old Link Board again.  Check out Hereville,  which has the most unusual premise I’ve seen in a while.  Its creator describes it as “yet another troll-fighting 11-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl comic,”  which about sums it up.  This is what I love about webcomics.  You can try out any formula you like without losing any money (or at least,  very little).  Hereville is an example of an unlikely formula that works.  The story reads like an old folktale,  the art is elegant,  and the writing is quite funny.  If any of that sounds appealing to you,  I highly recommend that you check this out.

Unfortunately there is still only one story on the site,  and the creator is involved in preparing it for print and says that there will likely be no more until 2010.   It’s a good one,  though,  so don’t miss out.

And,  as always with Link Board posts,  I will remind everyone that this space is open if you desire it.  Just say the word and your site will go up in this space.

You are about to see what has only been seen by my immediate family before.

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Are any of you graphic designers?  If so,  you probably don’t like the font I use for lettering,  and I don’t blame you.  I’m no typographer,  but I do have a passing interest in type.  I’m a devotee of the Ban Comic Sans movement,  a fan of Garamond,  and I’ve met the director of the documentary Helvetica (I could have played foosball with him,  but he didn’t want to play any more rounds).  So I am aware of the limitations of the font I’ve been using.

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I’m feeling guilty about the sparseness of actual comics around here lately (and it’s not my fault,  honest!  I’ve just been busy) so I thought I’d post some bonus content as a consolation prize.  Don’t worry,  this is not a trend.

I’m responsible for the existence of these characters,  and as such I try to treat them well.  I like all of them,  but that is not to say that I love them equally.  That’s right–I’m playing favorites.

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