[UPDATE] Apparently my acceptance email was in error and I am on the A.P.E. wait list instead. Keep your fingers crossed. I'll be going ahead with preperations just in case, though.

That's right, I just got word that I've been accepted as an exhibitor at the Alternative Press Expo (A.P.E.) in San Francisco!

This is a huge deal for me seeing as how it will be my very first convention as an exhibitor. I need to think about table set up, travel (uh...drive up the 101?), and what I'll have to show. I HOPE to have something printed, like a Sorry, We're Open comic.

NOW to just figure out how to make a book. :/

So, I hope anyone who is in town will swing by my table, say hi and pick up a sketch. Or a flyer ... or ... whatever I have on hand.

You can autograph pocket lint, right?

Ok, now that InkTank Studios is a legitimate entity it's time to start building up some funds to get this ship sailing. I am really focusing on making the studio a self sufficient entity, so whatever money I bring in is what money I can spend. To that end, I will be having a donation drive soon (early next month I am thinking) with random prizes, plus I have dug some original comic strip art for Angst Technology and the others out of storage to sell (perhaps eBay a few and the rest add "buy" buttons to the strip archives themselves).

On the "need to buy" list is a InDesign plug in that will allow me to automate the layout process of books for print. First up, a small run of a Sorry, We're Open one shot comic, collecting all the SWO strips in one book. It will be pretty much a test bed for future printing and a way for me to test the publishing waters on a small scale. My ultimate goal is to work towards collected volumes of the Angst Tech strips. With that will come the need to buy some ISBN numbers for that and future books.

Plus, my A.P.E. application is in, so I'll need to cover table/booth registration and expenses. Luckily it's local, so again it's a good small step to test the waters. Plus I have Blizzcon coming up where I'll be promoting Emissary and making some contacts and taking a few meetings (didn't have time to get booth space or set up a meeting area).

I will have to be VERY fiscally responsible in this endeavor, so buying only necessary software/equipment, lessening travel expenses, etc. My plan is to hit convention up and down the West coast to keep my travel expenses and shipping low. Heck, I can just drive to like 90% of them here and take all of my inventory in the car.

I am also looking at some goodies to sell on the site here as well as take with me to appearances. Mugs, t-shirts ... the usual stuff. Personally, I might even just make a one off "I Think I Pithed Myself" t-shirt just to wear around. I'll be posting some surveys and polls on the site in the coming weeks to get a feel for what folks would like to see and to get some demographic info (visitor age, sex, location, etc.)

All in all, I have grand plans for InkTank Studios. The grand plans I never followed though with all those years ago when I was riding the crest of Internet notoriety. But this time around, I plan on doing it right. And in the process, also do right by you.

I'd also like to extend my thanks for the folks who have donated already. Don't worry, if I have any contests and pull random donator names for prizes, I'll be including everyone who made donations, including ones made before the contest announcement. I won't double dip the donations. Consider yourselves "in". ;)

This week I begin a new chapter in my cartooning career by rolling out Emissary. A new weekly, long form, graphic novel style story set in the World of Warcraft universe. I want to thank Eldorian and the gang over at Stratics for giving me this opportunity to push myself and my art in new directions.

The comic will follow the adventures of a dwarf hunter named Ryshat and his polar bear pet, Tundra. It will have humorous elements (hey, it's me after all) but will definitely have a more serious tone and hopefully I'll be able to take you on a rollercoaster adventure that will leave you gasping for air at the end. Or it will have screwed up your hair. One of the two.

Needless to say, this is quite a departure from my tried and true four panel format. Just in brief talks with Eldorian about doing a gag a week strip a nearly fully formed story popped into my head and was dying to put it to paper. I've done the occasional story line in my strips, but this is a different creature entirely. From having a fully plotted out storyline (I am anticipating the story taking a year, in weekly doses, to tell) to doing digital inking and even adding grayscale coloring, this endeavor is pretty much everything I haven't done (i.e. been afraid to do) online before. But it's exciting and exhilarating and the creativity is just bursting forth. I hope you come along for the ride.

Speaking of creativity, it seems Lem Pew of Lethal Doses and Daily Victim fame is back with a buddy, Aric McKeown, in Blank It. They are stuck (voluntarily?) in a "blank" dimension and pretty much only have each other for company (for now...). Think Robinson Crusoe without a set dressing budget. The gags are quick and quirky, just the way I like them. It's great seeing Lem back in the saddle again and it looks like they've got a great concept on their hands that should be fun to watch unfold. Be sure to check them out, for they are the "Featured Toon" on InkTank.

And speaking of featured, I have a featured interview posted over at Comixtalk. I think it came off pretty well and Xavier picked some really great clips from the strip to highlight the interview. It's a fun read, so feel free to hop on over and take a peek.

So, it's been a pretty busy weekend DESPITE playing a bit of the Warhammer Online trial weekend. My video card couldn't handle it (granted, it's an old GeForce 5950) but even with funky textures I was enjoying running around in the Warhammer universe as a dwarf with a gun.

Hmm, I am sensing a theme here.

These are really getting me stoked to play one of my favorite wee ones. Plus, a bit more dwarf info from that same FO thread:

The dwarfs are awesome. Their starting area is fantastic, and some of their higher-level tier areas are great too. In terms of environments, we're talking about sweeping mountain valleys, stormy snow capped mountain ranges, foggy, pine-laden coastlines, etcetera. They have a very ancient, mighty feeling—moreso than the WoW dwarves, and more in line with the kind of "lore" the LotRO dwarfs kind of had—ancient, wise and mighty.

But you have a healthy dosage of the "angry, beer-swilling quick-to-fighting" kind of dwarf, too. They love their booze, demand to drink before battle, and love gunpowder, guns, cannons and all sorts of devilish devices. They are the king of black powder in WAR. The starting area boasts a MASSIVE cannon built by a widowed dwarf (his wife was killed by Greenskins). The entire thing shakes the starting area when it fires (it does so periodically). It's cool, because ammunition lined up ready for use is clickable, and you can see that the dwarfs have named the iron shot to be used in the massive cannon—also, one of the shots has a dead goblin strapped to it.

As for classes, the dwarfs can be the steelclad ironbreaker, the shotgun totin' engineer, and the rune-scribed runepriest. The ironbreaker is the tank, and arguably one of the best order tanks. Can take one hell of a beating, and has an assortment of awesome snares and damage. Ironbreakers do very well in PvP/RvR, and have gotten some really good feedback for being a fun and engaging tank. The Ironbreaker uses the grudge mechanic—the more damage you take, the better your damage/defense becomes. You can also "name" an oathfriend (temporary buff). If your oathfriend becomes damaged, or hit, it increases his defense and your attack (you can also use other abilities and tactics to play around with the oathfriend mechanic).

I.E. In RvR you find a rune priest or archmage. You make him your oathfriend, and stick with him. In return, if he gets attacked you buff him simultaneously and your damage increases. This is a huge incentive for the RP/AM to stick with you and keep you alive!

The engineer we already discussed. This may be, by the virtue of their turrets and guns, one of the most played order classes.

Then Rune Priest. The RP is supposed to be the order healing class. They have the best HoTs, the best instant heals, the best mega-heals, and the best AoE heals. They can dish out a modest amount of damage as well, but they are by no means a DPS class. The Rune Priest was my main, and I had little trouble soloing him. He was a fun class to play.

Ok, there is a new, official trailer for Warhammer. This time it's bigger and in English. [UPDATE] And now there has been footage posted of actual gameplay.

Personally, I am looking forward to dwarves with guns. Not to mention manning the siege engines and artillery. That's right, it seems you can man dwarven cannon, Imperial Hellblaster, etc. (I think it plays like a mini game with range and ballistics when you shoot at the enemy)

The following is a pretty good writeup by Thrawnseg that I found over at this thread on Forumopolis (along with screenshots and plenty of back and forth discussion and silly questions from me).

General Class Overview

Ok guys, heres a general class overview of what i've played. I've gotten just about every class between 10-20, in WAR you get the bulk of your abilities before 10 and after that you begin learning tactics, morale abilities and other class perks.

The other thing you need to know is that pretty much every class has a mirror on the opposite faction. When I say mirror they have the same unique mechanic (i'll explain these a little later) and their skills are very similar. I'll explain these classes together.

Ironbreaker: A pretty unique take on a very traditional concept. Ironbreakers are tanks, but in PvP they double as a support class. They work on "grudge", in that everytime you are attacked you gain 5 points of "grudge" out of 100. Some abilities consume grudge, others get stronger the more grudge the Ironbreaker has. What really makes them interesting however is the ability to pledge an "oath" to another player in your group. Whenever that player is attacked you'll get 10 grudge, and a lot of your abiltiies will buff them as well, always with some sort of decreased defence.

In terms of actual playstyle you'll oath a healer and the two of you will run around owning face. He gains defensive buffs and a personal bodyguard, you gain permahealing making an already unkillable class unstoppable. If you like being independant this isn't the class for you, and if theres no healer in your party (which happens in scenarios quite a bit) you are in for an uphill battle.

This is by and large the hardest class to kill.

Chosen: A very strong class at the moment, Chosen are melee tanks with offensive auras. They generally drain enemy stats in an area, and a lot of their attacks have debuffs. They are really the "anti" Ironbreaker in that instead of helping a single ally they screw over an entire enemy team. Like the Ironbreaker they are very hard to kill, but pose more of an immediate threat.

Runepriest/Zealot: These guys are the purest support classes in the game. Damage output is terrible, though their healing is top notch. Their unique mechanic is the ability to give party members buffs, which apart from stat bonus's give them an extra ability: for example, an AoE attack. If you like healing this is the class for you, they top the healing scoreboards consistantly.

Engineer/Magus: These are both ranged attack classes with the ability to summon a stationary platform which attacks. Engineers build turrents, the Magus summon demons. These are defensive ranged classes that suit a conservative playstyle. You won't top the scoreboards in damage, but you are versatile and pretty stress free compared to a lot of other classes.

Witch Hunter/Witch Elf: These are your "rogue" type classes, though in War stealth isn't as huge as it is in other MMO's. Both these classes build points for finishers, out of 5, pretty much identical to the WoW Rogue system. Don't expect to be able to stunlock people however, crowd control is very minimal in War. These guys do enormous amounts of damage, and Witch Hunters have the best asthetic in the game. Unlike WoW these guys aren't even close to being overplayed. A no nonsense melee damage class.

Bright Wizard/Sorceress: Want to deal so much damage you can actually blow yourself up? This is the class for you. These guys deal INSANE amounts of damage, and I mean absolutely insane. They have the best AoE in the game and with every attack they build up points /100. The more points, the more damage they deal, but at the same time they can damage themselves. At 100 you will be throwing nuclear weapons around, but killing yourself is VERY easy to do. Much less conservative than the engineer/magus but with more damage.

You'll be a high priority to the enemy and you'll die ALOT.

Warrior Priest/Disciple of Khaine: These guys are melee battle mages. Most of your abilities are focused on melee damage, and you have some support buffs/heals as well. Your heals are dots, however, so you can't spam people into life like the other healing classes. The weakest of the 6 healers, they also have strong armor and good DPS abilities. In 1v1 they are unbeatable, and in groups they are a generalist class with no real focus.

Their unique mechanic is that using melee skills builds points out of 250, and healing skills drains those points. Hence you have to attack to heal. Unlike Paladins in WoW playing a Warrior Priest is not about buffing yourself passively. You have one general buff your your party and the rest of your skills are HoTs and damage skills, so don't expect to be running around autoattacking.

Swordmaster/Black Orc: Melee tanks with a strong offensive focus. Their unique mechanic is that by using skills in specific orders they unlock certain abilities. For the Swordmaster its "balance", using some skills to get into better balance, from there others to send them into perfect balance. The same system applied for the Black Orc but with "da gud plan". Because of this you can't just spam random abilities, you have to work your way into the stronger abilities and be a little clever about it. They are very hard to kill, and work well by themselves.

Squig Herder/White Lion: These are the games pet classes, White Lions being melee and Squig Herders being ranged. Squig Herders have 3 "squigs" to choose from, each with a different focus (tank, melee dps, ranged dps) that give the herder buffs. White lions get a single lion, though they both play as you would expect. Its all about micromanaging your pets and dealing damage. They are very independant and are very strong in PvE.

Shadow Warrior/Marauder: These are your "adapt to the situation" classes. The Shadow Warrior is ranged, the Marauder is melee. Both of these classes have the ability to manipulate themselves to deal with different situations. Shadow Warriors have different stances depending on what range you are attacking from, switching between them unlocks different abilities.

Marauders have this fucking hardcore ability to mutate their arm into different weapons. A giant arm for DoTs, a giant bone blade for instant damage, and a giant club for AoE attacks. If you like the idea of being able to indentify and adapt to different situations, these are the classes for you.

Goblin Shaman/Archmage: These are your ranged dps/healer classes, with a very involved mechanic. By using damaging abilities, you build points on one side of a two sided icon (for the Archmage its a ying yang, for the Goblin Shaman its two wooden tablets). After 5 damaging abilities you'll be able to unleash a very powerful healing attack, and vice versa. Its all about switching between damage and healing at the right time to keep a good momentum going.

They can do about as much damage as the melee support classes (warrior priest/disciple of khaine), but they have better healing and worse defences.

General PvP Notes:

- You can have both an offensive and defensive target, at the same time. For example, if I click on an enemy, hes my offensive target, and all my damaging spells go to him. If I click on a friendly, all my healing goes to him. This can get confusing and can mean you'll be healing someone instead of yourself. Press F1 to reset the defensive target to yourself.

- Watch for abilities that buff your "defensive target". This can either be you, or someone else. Warrior Priests/Disciples of Khaine have many melee attacks that buff a defensive target, and this doesn't always have to be you

- Every class uses "AP" or action points. Theres no mana/energy/whatever in the game, though some classes have unique resources

- Chosen and Shamans are very popular. Shamans in particular are very strong and give destruction a guarenteed source of healing in most circumstances

- Order Tanks are unplayed: want groups? Play an Ironbreaker

- Destruction outnumber Order about 3:2

- Classes in general are very hard to kill, tank classes are practically unkillable for any one person. "One shotting" never happens

- There isn't a huge amount of AoE in the game, and whats there isn't all that powerful

- Many buffs don't stack, so having mutiples in your team is a waste of resources

- Movement speed is generally quite slow, the ability to "run" costs you all your action points leaving you unable to do anything

- When your HP is low your movement slows to a crawl

- Crowd control is scarce

- Disciple of Khaine / Warrior Priest are probably overpowered at the moment. They can do lots of damage and dish out a lot of healing, which means they earn a shitload of experience/renown points

- Doing PvP earns you renown. Renown unlocks buffs and entire sets of gear

- Doing scenarios is the fastest way to level

Too excited not to share ... it's a commercial/cinematic/something in French for Warhammer Online.

Gleee!

Warhammer Online Video (in French)

Love my dwarves with guns and love that the dwarf is drinking during battle.

Oh boy oh boy! InkTank Studios makes an even bigger move towards legitimacy with its very own bank account. I'll be able to keep my personal and business finances separate and allow the business to grow of its own accord. I'll be able to pay for things like business supplies, convention expenses and even merchandise.

Wow, it's like a legitimate business now. How much longer until I'm livin' the dream full time. ;)

[UPDATE] In the pursuit of the dream, and to give the company bank account some purpose, I have set up a donation page for anyone to contribute funds to the funny! I can take small, recurring monthly payments as well as one time donations. Plus you'll find examples of the sorts of things the money will be used for.

Thanks gang!

That's right folks, I'm BlizzCon bound this October!

This will be my first BlizzCon and I'm really looking forward to seeing the sights, taking lots of pics and meeting folks! And getting a polar bear mount to match my polar bear pet.

I will also have a table at the Alternative Press Expo (A.P.E.) up here in the Bay Area in November. I hope to have something to sell, but at the very least I will be doing sketches and doing the meet and greet thing.

Con season starts NOW! (for me at least)

See you guys at the cons!

The job search story line will take a quick breather as I have a bit of fun this week.

I inked today's strip completely by brush. It was speedier than my traditional inking style, and while still rough (for my personal taste) I think I like it.

Plus, I'v ehad that strip idea in my head for forever. Pretty much a real slice of my life (much to my wife's chagrin).

But not to worry, this will just be a fun week, a break in the "seriousness" of looking for a new job.

Ok, so I've got some fun little sites sitting in my bookmarks along with some new finds courtesy of the inkies in the forums. So, without further adieu, some fun things to do on the web:

Pandemic 2 - The big one. This is engaging and depressing and ... I don't know what else. Infectious? It's you vs. the world when you develop an killer disease and try to wipe out everyone on earth before a cure is found. And might I just add as a foot note: GOD DAMN YOU MADAGASCAR!

Dice Wars - It's like RISK, but with dice. It's pretty engaging but you can easily get screwed by luck with all those dice rolling around. I just wish you could allocate your own assets. But it's still worth a look see.

Dirk Valentine and the Fortress of Steam - I'm not a huge side scroller fan, but this game has some great art, a fun premise and any game that included the "Wilhelm Scream" is tops in my book.

Tactical Assassin - A sniper game that is pretty interesting, if not a little easy once you get the right equipment. But it was pretty cool in that the targets could be surprised/alerted and that hitting a part of them doesn't kill them unless it's a kill shot. Worth a look see.

Click The Ball - A fun little time waster that is pretty self explanatory. Should keep you busy for a few minutes.

Bowmaster Prelude - I linked this before, but it's my favorite "tower defense" type game with a twist. You do defend a tower against oncoming hordes, but YOU are the bowmaster and set the angle and power of your shots. It's great for ballistic nuts like me.

And as always, we have our [INK] pirate fleet sailin' and raidin' away in Space Pirates. Feel free to join us and hop on the forums as well to say 'hi' and get some beginner tips. Ayarrr!

And for some REALLY good web fun, check out the latest featured toon over there on the right. It's called Gtrood (and he needs to change his site name in case any other comic creators SPEND ALL DAY AT WORK TRYING TO REMEMBER HIS FANTASTIC SITE!) and is chock full of everything we all love about webcomics. Great art, funny gags, non-sequiters and it's just plain, damned funny. I don't think I've consistently laughed out loud so much reading a comic's archives as I have with Groodt. So stop on by, check it out and give him some love.

Today's punchline is courtesy of someone in the show chat room watching a recent TWiT podcast. In fact, it was so popular around the house that it's one of my wife's favorite new sayings. Gee, thanks Leo. :/

Speaking of making an impression, I've gotten confirmation that this comic has popped up in a few Starbucks here and there. I apparently motivate the baristas! Yay! 'Cause they sure as hell move me each morning. Sometimes twice a day if I need the extra boost.

You know what, every fridge and every cubicle is like the Louvre for a comic strip artist. It truly does the heart good to get printed out and posted. =)