This strip was the first thing I’d coloured digitally in well over a month. It went smoother than I was expecting, to be honest – with the palette now pretty firmly set, I guess it’s easier to pick up after a long time off than it would have been earlier in the comic.
EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:
Next Week: It’s the start of a new day, but the New Day. Read it early on Patreon.
This is the outcome that my brain always convinces me is ABSOLUTELY going to happen whenever I have to do the mildest equipment maintenance. I was putting ink cartridges in a new printer earlier, and spent most of that process terrified that I was somehow going to break the cartridge and spill ink all over my carpet. It’s an ink cartridge, the dumbest person in your office can change an ink cartridge without destroying the flooring, but that’s my brain in action.
Cait of the North! She definitely isn’t the employee of the week because we live in the same house. That’s crazy talk. You’re crazy. Follow her on Twitter. You too can become Employee of the Week by donating a few bucks to the Hell, Inc. Patreon page, which is how I make money on this thing, which is a requirement of our modern capitalist hellscape.
Next Week: What the here, Doug? What. The. Here. Read it early on Patreon!
I’m a few days into what will end up being about three months off (as far as travel and public appearances are concerned), and it’s glorious. Not having a looming spectre of “go to another town and hopefully sell a bunch of my books to the people there” is pretty refreshing, as I haven’t really had that since… Christmas?
Me. I did three comic conventions, two book fairs, a library conference, and moved in a five week span. If you ask me (and I just did, so there), I’m pretty much a hero. NAP TIME.
Next Week: An action sequence. In a comic about working in an office. Suck it, Dilbert. Make Dilbert suck it by reading next week’s strip early on Patreon!
I have returned from the Panel One Comic Creator Festival in Calgary, which means my hellish month of May will be over, which is AWESOME. It hasn’t been a bad month, by any stretch – I moved into my new home, I did several fun and lucrative conventions – but oh my god I’m tired all the time why can’t I sleep for a week bluuuuuh. Thanks to everyone at Panel One who stopped by to pick up some books and chat, and shout out to those of you who mentioned Hell, Inc. specifically. It’s always nice to get a reminder that those view count numbers are actual people.
Robbie Dorman is the Employee of the Week, and definitely hosts a podcast that aligns with your interests. Check out The Simpsons Show, which is exactly what you think it is from the title, and Serial Fanaticist, a podcast about stuff that people like.
Next Week: Doris is the MOST helpful. Find out how by supporting Hell, Inc. on Patreon.
“Kind of like that, but emotionally” seems like the kind of line I’m going to end up making callbacks to. It works in a variety of contexts. Sara the intern replaced the intern from the original print comics, Bobby. I wanted to add another female character, and nothing about Bobby’s character required him to be a man. Although now that I think about it, I really could have saved myself a lot of effort and just used the name Bobbi. I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to name Sara. Like, a really obnoxious amount of time for something that is ultimately kind of trivial from the reader’s perspective.
Tony Esteves, creator of the wonderful Cigarro & Cerveja comic strip and his current project, Legendary Woodsman, is this week’s Employee of the Week! Tony’s Cigarro & Cerveja strip overlapped slightly with Rent-A-Thug beginning in the U of A newspaper, the Gateway. I’m not sure if Tony was still a student at that time, or if he had provided strips post-graduation, as some of the more prolific cartoonists have. Want to be the next Employee of the Week? Throw a few bucks at the Hell, Inc. Patreon!
Next Week: Toner is a tricky business. Read it early by supporting Hell, Inc. on Patreon!
Doug is the BEST teacher. It’s also how I first think when I have to teach something, except that I then follow it up with something resembling actual teaching afterward. In other news, I’m writing this from a hotel room in Drumheller, Alberta, following a successful appearance at the Alberta Association of Library Technicians Conference. I am not a library technician, but if you make graphic novels, you should get to know as many of them as possible.
As a new patron, Crafty Geeks has jumped the line to be this week’s Employee of the Week. They do nerdy sewing stuff, so check that out for all of your nerdy sewing stuff needs. Do you want to jump the line and be next week’s Employee of the Week? Support Hell, Inc. on Patreon!
Next Week: We learn about photocopiers, and emotions. Read it early by supporting Hell, Inc. on Patreon!