Long John

Tomorrow, the last page of Chapter 2, “Bird’s Eye,” will go up and we’ll head back into the silence until Chapter 3 goes up.

I sincerely hope you have enjoyed Chapter 2; it starts getting to the heart of what kind of story I want Long John to be. I’m incredibly happy that it’s so different from Chapter 1 (and will be so different from Chapter 3––I hope you like action) and that it acts simultaneously (I think, at least) as a sort of standalone story and as a continuation from “Sunza.” I hope you’re still guessing; I hope you’re still intrigued.

A lot has been going on behind the scenes at the Long John Livery, stuff I can’t talk about yet but am excited to share with you as soon as I can, but Chapter 3 is in development with the hopes of pages getting drawn by December and a book by next summer. I’m frankly surprised that, despite the hiatus, I was able to keep on a book-a-year schedule and I plan to get Volume 3 printed in 2017 so I can actually establish a pattern.

In the meantime, Long John Volume II is already available for sale for a meager $7 (+ $3 shipping). With it you will get a sketch from me and a bookmark. I will also get a two-book bundle up on there for a deal.

As for a second installment of Hellrider Jackie’s side-story. I really want to do one. I need to develop it and pitch it to Josh, but he has been incredibly busy since moving to Oregon from Colorado and already getting ensconced in the local art scene. The dude’s on the rise and I don’t want to stand in his way (but we’ll see what we can do).

I am excited to get back to some writing, more Sketch Fridays and blog posts are planned for, perhaps with a Sketch Friday book down the line if I can figure out the logistics of it. My main qualm has been to decide whether to include the essays (or, at least, the good ones) with the drawings or if it should just be the drawings alone. To me, the latter seems kind of boring and a little off the D. Bethel brand, but it would be much easier to produce. What do you think? Let me know!

Also, my nerdy-geeky podcast, A Podcast [ , ] For All Intents and Purposes, is still going strong. We’ve got a brand new website, too, to which we publish not only the podcast episodes but also original written content that you may enjoy. I’ve also started recording and streaming videos of me playing video games, culminating in a “show,” called The Dan & Rusty Video Game Power Hour, where I play video games with silly commentary over the top while my dog makes noise in the background. We’ve also got a bunch of other videos on there; check them out if you like them (and subscribe to our channel).

More than anything, if you like the comic, please share it. Spread it around. Post it to places. Help get the word out. It’s not about getting more money; It’s genuinely about the fact that I think it’s a good story and something that people will enjoy.

I’ll see you on Tuesday! I hope you like how it ends.