Author: Teel

I wrote this up, press release style, and sent it to Comixpedia, the leading news site on the web focusing on online comics. Anyone have suggestions as to where else I should send it? Is there another comics news site out there I don’t know about? I’d love to get the broadest possible response.

So, every day I’m up here and grandpa’s up here and feeling well, we work on at least one project. Yesterday we worked on getting the metal security door and windows that just got finished being built primed with white paint. As you can see on the right, my grandfather did the actual painting. I just help out generally, and do all the heavy lifting. IE: carrying the horses around and into place, setting the metal door and windows on them, carrying around the paint and tools and hooking up the air and whatever else. See, my grandfather likes to do as much by himself as he can. Since he’s recovering from bone cancer, is anemic due to the chemotherapy, and 76 years old anyway, he does tend to run out of strength and energy, and he knows he will sooner if he doesn’t have my help, so he lets me do parts of things. But he seems really to want to do it himself, and most of the time he does the most ‘important’ things, like the actual painting here, or the welding below.

See, while yesterday’s work was cut short because grandpa ran out of energy and then it started raining on our metaphorical parade, today it didn’t start raining until after supper. So first we moved the big saw from where one big pile of wood used to be to where another big pile of wood still is. I’m sure we’ll get to work on cutting it into firewood soon enough. Note: the saw has two major components, the smaller of which is almost heavier than my grandfather and I could lift together. Oh, and then driving stakes into the ground to hold it in place when it’s running later was fun, too. Especially for my wrists and arm muscles! Then grandpa had me shovel up the mess that remained under where we’d been working before. Except that since someone else had been using the same spot without cleaning up for a year or more before that, I filled four 55-gallon garbage barrels with what I was scooping up there. The stuff was so heavy it broke one of the barrels’ handles off, and I threw that away, too.

Then, after grandpa had a break (while I was shoveling and lifting in the sun), we moved the Scamp around to the warehouse, where we proceeded to attach a rack to the back of the Scamp to support a generator & stuff. The image on the left shows grandpa welding the rack into place. I helped with getting it bolted onto the Scamp, and with gathering tools, moving the wire-feed welder, etc… but he did the bulk of it, drilling the holes and tightening the bolts and then, of course, doing the actual welding. (As I have mentioned, an eye problem of mine makes welding nye impossible for me anyway.) There was still plenty of lifting to do, so by the end of this I was pretty tired.

Oh, and then later, and I’m sorry I don’t have any pictures of this, but … I’m sure you’ll understand… Later, upon grandfather’s instructions, and after it had rained for a couple of hours, I went out into the rain. To water the flowerbeds. Man, if those flowerbeds weren’t the epitome of wet when, after an hour of work, I was done with them. Woo! Watering in the rain.

The following is a quote from an excellent article at The Onion:

On Monday, 3,000 people in markets as varied as Dallas, Chicago, Albany, Atlanta, and Seattle screened Gigli, a gangster-themed romantic comedy written and directed by Martin Brest, in which lowly thug Affleck lets his love for hitwoman Lopez get in the way of a high-risk mob assignment. Of those viewers, 2,965 “strongly agreed” that the ending should be changed to include a graphic scene in which its main characters die.

I’m looking for a few good comics.

I mean that in two ways.

First is easy. Link me to your favorite webcomics that you never miss a day reading. As I’ve said in the past, certain things have transpired to drop my webcomics reading down to only a few regulars (goats, PA, Achewood, sometimes Mall Monkeys, Ghastly’s Ghastly Comic (which is totally worksafe, by the way, and if you don’t believe that, maybe it’s time to find a job at a porn company) or Joy of Tech). Going to the con and not having a clue about any mainstream comics (because I was never interested much in mainstream comics) OR many online comics was a sort of downer for me. Consequently, leading up to the con and following it, I’m trying to pick up webcomics reading again. (Now I’ve got the Morning Improv, Creatures in my Head, Something Positive, PvP, Diesel Sweeties, and … and…) And that’s where your help comes in. Let me know what I should be reading.

I’m thinking of starting to read some of the MT/serializer comics again (such as Pup and True Loves); their interface is much improved since I last used it, though still bandwith-hogging. But I don’t know which other ones to try until you tell me. Because trying them takes a long time on dial-up. I’m also willing today to give Keen a new chance, so feel free to link me to Keen comics, if you love them.

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Now the second thing, the one that’s less easy.

I’m looking to put together a “Premium” section of Modern Evil, which will be in addition to all the currently updating and existing content on Modern Evil. That is, all the blogs will remain free, the comics archives, the poetry, the reviews, all will remain free, and I don’t see any reason why they all won’t keep getting updated at the rate they are now (sporadically, ::wink::). In addition, there will be all new, hopefully exciting content. I’m personally planning on doing a regular comic (regular on a calendar, not regular like ‘normal’) either three or five days a week. I’m also planning on making my re-written novel available in PDF format in the Premium section. Edison tells me he’ll be able to get one New Comic out every month (in which you can find out how he finally got back to me). The completed ‘Mouse’ Project (still looking for artists!) will be Premium content. I’m in talks with other creators at this time about other forms of content (collected and/or epic poetry, short stories, long fiction, and yes, more comics) that may also be included in the “Premium” section of Modern Evil.

And that’s where I need some help. See, I plan to use BitPass to charge micropayments (sub one dollar payments, potentially as low as a penny) for access to the “Premium” content. Which means that the people who create Premium content will actually be able to earn a little money for their efforts. No pay schedule as yet has been finalized, so don’t ask. (unless you’re applying, re:) I’m looking to have not less than three regularly updating comics in the Premium section, preferably three I’m not directly involved in the creation of. Which means that if you’re interested in doing an online comic, are already doing an online comic and want to join the Modern Evil community, or know someone who might be interested in doing a regularly updating online comic for Modern Evil’s upcoming “Premium” section, email me: teel@modernevil.com

Now, I’m not looking (yet) to expand the site to Keen or MT proportions, hosting dozens of comics and looking to build a ‘media empire’. So if you don’t already have examples of your work available online, you’ll need to send me something to show me what your work looks like, plus a synopsis of what you plan to do. I want to select the best few comics (probably not more than 5, likely fewer) of quality and demeanor that fit in with Modern Evil (look around; the bar isn’t too high, just high enough). I am planning on launching the “Premium” section of Modern Evil on or around September 1st, so that’s the deadline for this round of submissions. Keep in mind that if you submit your idea on August 31st at 11:59PM and I love it, it probably won’t make the launch, though it will likely be added sooner or later.

Oh, and I’m not just looking for comics, and I’m not just looking for “Premium” content. I’m already in talks with an existing online comics creator about mirroring his comic on Modern Evil for free, and would be glad to discuss hosting new and interesting comics by authors who have no interest in money. Plus, as you can see if you look around Modern Evil, it isn’t just comics. I will also be accepting submissions for all other media; Poetry, Reviews, Art, Fiction, Music, Written Columns, whatever, for both the regular and the “Premium” sections of the site, through September 1st.

Tell your friends, and link about it on your site, even if you aren’t interested. Unless you hate me. Then, link about it twice.

Again, to submit your comic or other idea, send an email to teel@modernevil.com with a description of your ideas. If you’re submitting a comic, be sure to include links to examples of your work online, as well as brief descriptions of your characters, settings, and planned/existing storylines. No matter what you’re submitting, include information about how frequently you plan to update, ie: seven days a week, MWF, weekly, monthly, annually, centennially, etc… Quantity will be considered alongside quality, and may effect the number of submissions accepted. Adult content will be considered, and will undergo close scrutiny for general entertainment value.