Studio Catch!

Wow, here we are, the end of the first arc of this story – this really feels like a milestone for me and my relation to this story. I’ve been thinking about this chapter for years, and I’ve finally been able to catch up to it. This may be the end of the first arc, but much in the tradition of “Shounen Jump” titles, it’s only the beginning, so it feels like the meat of the story really begins here. I’ve learned a lot writing and illustrating this chapter. Of course I couldn’t have done it without the amazing Kyle T Webster brush sets, especially the recently added Screen tones set. (And the great Blambot fonts too.) That was a game changer for this chapter and for establishing a new visual direction for how I’d like to keep going with this comic. It’s been about 8 months since the last release, so maybe I’m getting faster at it? Probably not, so I’ll be honest and just say see you next year for another chapter of “Hockey, Love & GUTS!”…

Click the image below to start reading from the beginning of the chapter.

HOCKEY PUNCH!!

But, don’t worry, I’ll be back to posting random things here and there. :]

REMINDER: This is a PG-13 comic for language and teen situations.

Hockey, Love, & GUTS! – Chapter 6 Release!! Click below to start reading at the beginning of the chapter, or click on the “Comics” tab on the top menu to check the archive, so you can start reading from the beginning or wherever you left off. Scroll below for some of my thoughts and comments.

It’s been a little over 2 years since I released the last chapter and it was a tough decision to restart. I spent most of the last year and half working on a few pitches for feature and tv animation and so, the comic work was put aside. Since my daughter was born, time has flown incredibly fast and I’m just trying to stay busy with work of all kinds to pay the bills really. So the comic work was put aside. Also, I wanted to try new things to see if projects of different genres would stick and I could make one of my personal projects into a professional one, and while that might still happen, it hasn’t yet, so the comic work was put aside…

So, why come back to it after such a long time? And to start pretty much where I left off. Well, the truth I never actually stopped working on the comic, but progress just slowed down to an almost dormant state, until a few months ago when I decided it was time to come back. Above it all, I feel that I’m a storyteller, and if I’m not engaged in that medium artistically in some capacity, I really start loosing the passion, the feel, really the “GUTS!” for what I do. And I have so many plans with “Hockey, Love, & GUTS!” that I feel like we’re just getting started. I already have the next chapter planned out and I’m already thumbnailing it. And my next goal is modest: to be able to release the next chapter in a years time. So, I understand that this is probably the worst way to enjoy a comic, but hang in there, and take the experience from a meta level: you’re really getting to feel what it’s like to be a professional animation artist constantly hustling to stay employed in a crazy industry while juggling parenthood and the projects that really matter to me. I think it will get better and I’ll be able to post more often – that is the feeling that I put working on this chapter and onwards. So, come by and check it out in the “Comics” section. Start fresh if you haven’t read it yet, or catch up if you have keeping up with it. And don’t hesitate to leave a comment either, I’d love to know people are reading it, loving it, or hating it. I welcome it all with love, and GUTS!