Character: Helen

Guess Who

I spent the weekend tabling at the Art Gallery of Alberta’s Comic & Zine Fair, so welcome to those of you that I met there who’ve made your way here! I was pleasantly surprised by the event, and particularly the response to Hell, Inc. from the AGA crowd. I look forward to returning next year!

This week’s Patreon preview revisited a topic from a few weeks ago, which was how to use perspective to add energy to a panel.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Sebastian is Employee of the Week, and you can, too! It’s how I have predictable money, which is both Cool and Good because we live in capitalist hell-world. If everyone who read the comic in a month chipped in $1, I’d be able to turn down most freelance work and focus on doing Hell, Inc. stuff and my own graphic novels! That would be preeeeetty cool. Especially now, because I am brooooke.

You can help Hell, Inc. for free by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which has been a great way to draw in new readers. Click the banner below to vote daily!

Next Week: Bridget tells the tale of Helen in Arrivals. Read it early on Patreon!

Thank You For Your Patience

The Patreon preview for this comic talks about a piece of advice I gained from early-career shop talk that continues to be a regularly used tool in my toolbox.  It’s about using rounded surfaces in the art.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Ben Hamlin, host of Syndicated with Lesley and Ben (among other casted pods), is Employee of the Week, and I just made my fourth appearance on the show, this time discussing crime drama Better Call Saul! If you want to hear me talk about how artfully executed BCS is, then good news, you’ll have a great time listening to that podcast!

You should also vote for me in the Sequential Magazine Awards, in the Favourite Cartoonist category. It’s open to anyone who wants to vote, and you can vote in as many or as few categories as you want! I would like to say I am above the external validation of awards, but I am absolutely not. Click the image below to go to the page with the nominees and ballot.

If you’re still in a voting mood, you can also head over to Top Webcomics by clicking the banner below, where voting can help draw new readers to Hell, Inc.!

Next Week: Meanwhile, at the office… Read it early on Patreon!

Helen: Judgement Day

Helen is probably second or third in the cast, behind B.L. Zebub and maybe Doug, in getting the super exaggerated demonic poses. That wasn’t something I intended from the start, it just kind of happened as Helen got more characterization that lent itself to over-the-top, expressionist depictions. In the Patreon preview for this strip, I instead talk about creating rhythm with panel layouts and how that’s useful in adding additional storytelling layers.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Robbie Dorman is Employee of the Week. He is co-host of The Simpsons Show, the only podcast about The Simpsons, and also the only podcast about The Simpsons that I have done a guest spot on. You should also check out his website to learn about his new novel releases. He writes that good good scary shit. Indie artists need your support now more than ever, so check out his stuff!

ALSO I’m still nominated for the Sequential Magazine Awards in the Favourite Cartoonist category, and you should definitely vote for me, because I want to win. Click on the image below to go to the landing page with the nominees and link to the voting form!

If you’re still in a voting mood, you can also head over to Top Webcomics by clicking the banner below, where voting can help draw new readers to Hell, Inc.!

Next Week: Human souls, please report to the scary lady for judgement. Read it early on Patreon!

Bridget Smash… Hand Bones

I think that’s more or less what would happen to me if I tried to karate chop a desk in half. Just BAM skeleton hand flying through the air. I also think the visual of a skeleton, or parts of a skeleton, popping out of a person intact is extremely funny for reasons I can’t fully articulate. This week’s Patreon preview goes into that a bit.

I’ve been nominated for a Sequential Magazine Award in the Favourite Cartoonist category! The Sequential awards are intended to recognize Canadian indie comics. Please go vote (for me, specifically), because I would very much like to win. Click on the image below to be taken to the landing page with the nominees and the link to the voting form (you can vote in as many or as few categories as you want).

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Brien Aronov is Employee of the Week, and you can, too! Patreon is my only predictable source of income, so chipping in a dollar or two is extremely appreciated, and helps ease the burden put on freelancing and conventions to prop up my art income!

You can also vote on Top Webcomics, because I guess we’re doing a voting theme this week. Click the banner below to vote!

Next Week: Failure chicken reaches the point of… chicken? The chickening? Read it early on Patreon!

Office Cult-ure

You can tell whether you’ve got a good workplace by how much chanting happens. I assume more is better? I’ve never had a chanting workplace. I should try to cultivate that in my studio space, but guinea pigs and chinchillas are notoriously chant-averse creatures.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

As you may have gathered from the graphic below, I’ve been nominated for a Sequential Magazine Award in the Favourite Cartoonist category! The Sequential awards are intended to recognize Canadian indie comics. Click on the image below to be taken to the landing page with the nominees and the link to the voting form (you can vote in as many or as few categories as you want). I would very much appreciate your votes, because I’ve lost various categories of these awards, like, 5 times now. Click on the image below and go vote (for me)!

You can also vote on Top Webcomics, because I guess we’re doing a voting theme this week. Click the banner below to vote!

Next Week: Strategies are formulated. They are not good. Read it early on Patreon!

Organ Liquefier

This episode’s Patreon preview is about the challenges of laying out a strip when the dialogue is concentrated into a smaller number of panels. It starts out with “oh no what have you done, past me?” and then I have to figure out what to do with what past me has given present me.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Sebastian is Employee of the Week, and you can, too! It’s how I have predictable money, which is both Cool and Good because we live in capitalist hell-world. If everyone who read the comic in a month chipped in $1, I’d be able to turn down most freelance work and focus on doing Hell, Inc. stuff and my own graphic novels! That would be preeeeetty cool. Especially now, because I am brooooke.

You can help Hell, Inc. for free by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which has been a great way to draw in new readers. Click the banner below to vote daily!

Next Week: Sara dives into the instruction manuals. Read it early on Patreon!

Making a Lot of Sense

Hell, Inc. has a pretty defined colour palette by this point, so it’s always fun to do panels that let me shake that up.

Also I made a video game, have you heard?

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Ben Hamlin, host of Syndicated with Lesley and Ben (among other casted pods), is Employee of the Week, and I just made my fourth appearance on the show, this time discussing crime drama Better Call Saul! If you want to hear me talk about how artfully executed BCS is, then good news, you’ll have a great time listening to that podcast!

Patreon! It’s a predictable source of income, and ALSO Patrons can play Space Jerks, the video game I made!

Also check out the newsletter, which is how to hear about what I’m up to without needing to subject yourself to things like Twitter.

You can also support Hell, Inc. for free by telling your friends about it, because that is infinitely better than any promotion I can do. Also voting on Top Webcomics by clicking the banner below is very helpful!

Next Week: Doug’s tale of woe and being bad at Arrivals. Read it early

Interdimensional Council of Helens

The Patreon preview for this strip is mostly about how lettering needs to be considered during writing, and also about how fun it is to write phrases that sound like they’re from a prog rock album. Probably one that has a laser light show set to it.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Robbie Dorman is Employee of the Week. He is co-host of The Simpsons Show, the only podcast about The Simpsons, and also the only podcast about The Simpsons that I have done a guest spot on. You should also check out his website to learn about his new novel releases. He writes that good good scary shit. Indie artists need your support now more than ever, so check out his stuff!

Also check out my Patreon, because if everyone who reads Hell, Inc. on a monthly basis kicked in $1, I’d be able to cut my freelancing schedule to nearly nil, and focus on the things you already like Hell, Inc., and presumably also other things.

You can also support Hell, Inc. for free by telling your friends about it, because that is infinitely better than any promotion I can do. Also voting on Top Webcomics by clicking the banner below is very helpful!

Next Week: Bridget attempts to develop a council, possibly less interdimensional. Read it early on Patreon!

Important Shame Plans

Important Shame Plans, as opposed to unimportant shame plans. Which is, presumably, whatever B.L. Zebub is doing the rest of the time. This week’s Patreon preview talked about lettering, and the main sources I used for learning that art form.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Brien Aronov is Employee of the Week, and you can too! Hell, Inc. is reader-supported – no ads, no sponsorships, just Patreon and book sales keep this thing afloat. 2023 has not been the best year for comics income, but you can help turn things around in 2024 for as little as $1 a month, which also gets you early Hell, Inc. strips, previews of other stuff I’m working on, and even commissioned art!

You can also help by telling people about Hell, Inc. Word of mouth is by far the best way to get new eyeballs on the comic, and that all starts with you, the reader! Tell your friends, tell your co-workers, or vote on Top Webcomics by clicking the link below!

Next Week: Bridget seeks allies, and an interdimensional council is involved. Read it early on Patreon!

Doris Noticed

As we’ve established previously, Sara is clearly very good at sneaking around and doing things clandestinely. This week’s Patreon preview post was about the ideas that need to germinate in the back of your mind before they’re ready, and how sometimes that means a poop joke is the catalyst for that.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Caitlin is Employee of the Week, and also author of our RPG BURGERPunk, which is now available digitally on DriveThru RPG.

Also available digitally are all of the Hell, Inc. volumes (1-6), on both Patreon and GlobalComix (the covers aren’t actually squashed and weird, it’s a display thing I don’t understand). Speaking of Patreon, you can subscribe to help me keep making art and also being alive, for as little as $1 a month!

You can help Hell, Inc. for free by telling people about it! Send links to your friends and co-workers, or vote on Top Webcomics! It’s the beginning of a new month, so the votes count for more as the rankings reset. Top Webcomics helps direct people looking for new webcomics to Hell, Inc. instead of whatever comic is using robots to have thousands of votes instantly!

Next Week: There are important shame plans. Read it early on Patreon!