Sunrise

Yucateca Overhaul

John Allie — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:40:16 +0000

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.

Issue 5 - Page 2 | It’s All Good

John Allie — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:01:26 +0000

The Link Board Presents Hereville

John Allie — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:30:52 +0000

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.

Issue 5 - Page 1 | Reminisces and Rooks

John Allie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 05:01:05 +0000

Welcome to Issue 5! As you can see, Kindler is on the first page again. He’s the only character who’s appeared on the first page of every issue. Whether he’ll be able to maintain that trend remains to be seen.

After the depressing Issue 3 and the high stakes of Issue 4, I decided to make this issue be more lighthearted. Issue 5 is going to be fast and funny, so don’t touch that dial!

Issue 5 - Cover

John Allie — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 05:01:16 +0000

Issue 4 - Page 32 | In Retrospect

John Allie — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:01:18 +0000

That’s all for Issue 4. Thanks for reading, and look for the next issue, In Pictures, beginning on the 26th.

The Zirconius Sampler

John Allie — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 17:36:17 +0000

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

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Issue 4 - Page 31 | The Pyre

John Allie — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 05:01:38 +0000

This is not the last page. Almost, but not quite.

Issue 4 - Page 30 | Man With a Plan

John Allie — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 05:01:55 +0000

Cramming characters into a panel like sardines into a can. Well, at least it’s a big panel.

New Typography

John Allie — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:26:38 +0000

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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