Character: Sara

Very Different Problems

It took me the longest time to grasp what magical realism meant, only to learn that I do it ALL THE TIME in my comics. Like, constantly. Like, this entire strip. So that’s fun.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

In some pretty ideal CORPORATE SYNERGY, Ben Hamlin, host of Syndicated with Lesley and Ben (among other casted pods), is Employee of the Week just days after my SECOND appearance on his podcast! First, I joined Lesley and Ben to talk about underrated sitcom gem NewsRadio, where we dunk on Joe Rogan and Andy Dick for human garbage, but mostly discuss the clear line of progression that can be drawn from NewsRadio to later hit NBC workplace sitcoms The Office, 30 Rock, and Parks and Rec. Then, because of some scheduling weirdness, I returned for the very next episode to discuss the episode of Workaholics where they try to network at the Gathering of the Juggalos. They’re both great fun, and an opportunity to actually hear me talk and confirm that I am a real human and not just a robot that generates comics.

Speaking of comics, I’m serializing my new graphic novel, Hockeypocalypse: Slashers on Patreon at the $5/month and up tier, which gets you 10-15 pages of the book as I draw them! It’s the best book I’ve made so far, so you should absolutely check it out, because patrons at the $5/month and up tiers will ALSO be getting a print copy of the book when that’s ready.

You can also help more people see Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which is the largest webcomic database thingy that I’m aware of. More votes = higher ranking = more visibility, so click the banner below to vote daily!

Next Week: It’s very important to be clear that you are using office supplies for work purposes. Especially when you aren’t. Read it early on Patreon!

Punishful Punishosity

Usually my favourite character to write dialogue for in a series will change over time as different characters are focused on. In Hell, Inc., though, B.L. Zebub has never really relinquished that crown. He’s so malevolent but dumb that he can say almost anything.

In other news, I got my second dose of the COVID vaccination last week, so I will soon possess the superpowers of “being able to make plans without a Zoom link” and “getting groceries without anxiety.”

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Cait is Employee of the Week at Hell, Inc. and also at her soap business, Soaps & Sorcery. She has been busy turning our kitchen into a soap laboratory to supply her new retail partner, Pe Matawe Games in Edmonton. You, too, can support Hell, Inc. on Patreon, which, starting in July, will include a Patreon-exclusive comic – Hockeypocalypse: Slashers.

You can also help Hell, Inc. out by voting for it on Top Webcomics! A new month (on Thursday) means new rankings, so click the link below daily to help make the comic more visible to new readers!

Next Week: Sometimes things just work out when you threaten your underlings without a plan. Read it early on Patreon!

This Shall Not Stand

I have visions of doing a B.L. Zebub-style header every time I stand on a chair for something. That never prevents me from standing on said chair to change light bulbs or get the crockpot or whatever, but I always think it as I’m climbing up there.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Shane Lees is Employee of the Week! He also does a webcomic, called The First Dude, which you can check out at his website. You should also check out the Hell, Inc. Patreon, which will be getting an overhaul in July, which you can read more about. In short, the $5/month pledge tier is gonna be STACKED with a whole new Hockeypocalypse graphic novel.

You can also help Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which helps bring in new readers to check out the comic. Click the banner below to vote daily!

Next Week: It’s hard to maintain the energy of a speech when you get a head injury in the middle of it. Read it early on Patreon.

Fired into the Sun

YEET: The Sun Edition. Which will hopefully be the result for all the billionaires trying to flee the planet, tbh.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Bartender of the Apocalypse is Employee of the Week. Presumably also the Employee of the Week at O’Hellihan’s Pub. They support Hell, Inc. on Patreon, and you should, too, because my latest freelance gig is over and Patreon is my only income source at the moment. Keep an eye on the Patreon, as there will be major changes coming in July, including a WHOLE NEW COMIC SERIES.

As always, you can help Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which continues to be one of the largest sources of new readers. Vote daily by clicking the banner below!

Next Week: B.L. Zebub adjusts to party planning in completely normal and healthy ways. Read it early on Patreon!

Carry On

Just ignore the guy who slammed his head through the wall. Happens all the time.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Azhar Baig is Employee of the Week, and has a podcast called The Wisdom of Love that you should check out. It’s a comedic recounting of the Great Western Philosophers. In addition to all of that philosophy, he has access to Hell, Inc. Volume 5: Overtime, and you can, too, by supporting Hell, Inc. on Patreon! It’s my entire income at the moment, which is not ideal!

You can also help out Hell, Inc. by voting on Top Webcomics! More votes = more visibility, and it’s still early enough in the month that the rankings are very fluid. Click on the banner below to vote daily!

Next Week: Party planning instructions are more thorough than anyone’s actual job training. Read it early on Patreon!

Immediate Regret

It’s Victoria Day in Canada, which means a long weekend which always screws up my routines for remembering to update. Could I load a bunch of posts in advance and not have to worry about that? Probably. Am I going to? Probably not. Much like how watching the NHL playoffs has made me furiously angry, but will I keep watching the Oilers next season? Yes. Will I do so while wallowing in self-loathing? Probably. If you want to check out the product of the last time I was in this headspace, go read the Hockeypocalypse books. People aware of the origins of the series will not be shocked to learn I’ve been writing a new volume.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Sebastian is Employee of the Week, and will be one of the first to have access to Hell, Inc. Volume 5: Overtime later this week, as I’m in the process of finishing that up. You can get that AND access to over a thousand pages of other comics, including the aforementioned Hockeypocalypse series, for as little as $1 a month on Patreon and ALSO help support me, the creator of said comics, because apparently humans need money to live.

You can also vote for Hell, Inc. on Top Webcomics, which brings in more new readers than any other avenue thus far. Click the banner below to vote daily!

Next Week: Mistakes were made, and their consequences have become clear. Read it early on Patreon!

Worst Person in Hell

One thing I’ve learned while working on Hell, Inc. is that a handful of the characters are a huge pain in the ass to colour because they have way more colours than everyone else. Willis is one of those characters. I’m glad he’s not really a character who pops up in backgrounds.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Jillian Dolan, artist of Kyle the Nihilist Dinosaur, Misha, and other delightful comics, is Employee of the Week! She is one of the folks with exclusive early access to the digital edition of Hell, Inc. Volume 4: Mandatory and will be receiving a digital copy of Hell, Inc. Volume 5: Overtime when it’s done in two weeks or so. Support Hell, Inc. on Patreon for as little as $1 a month and you, too, can have early access to every Hell, Inc. book and over a thousand pages of other comics!

You can also help Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which boosts the comic’s visibility and helps bring in new readers. You can vote daily by clicking on the banner below!

Next Week: The party planning binder is… maybe a bit excessive. Read it early on Patreon!

Fried Tires and Nuclear Fish

Is this a weirder callback than Steve eating the bees? Yes. Yes it is. In other news, I’ve just finished drawing episode 210, which is the end of book 5! Once the book short story and the cover are done, that’ll be a wrap on that volume, then on to book 6!

Speaking of books, I’ve put together a survey about how people want the print books to be released. Click here to give your feedback!

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Cindy Gauthier is Employee of the Week, and you can read her comic Posthumous on Webtoon (where you can also read Hell, Inc., if that’s a format you prefer). If you want to get your comics needs handled, support Hell, Inc. on Patreon, where you’ll get a digital copy of Hell, Inc. Volume 4: “Mandatory” (which includes a book-exclusive short story) as well as over 1000 pages of other comics! Patrons should keep an eye out for volume 5, which is currently being wrapped up. I’ve probably got about two weeks left on that.

You can also help Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which is responsible for lots of new readers. Click on the banner below to vote daily and help boost Hell, Inc.’s visibility!

Next Week: You know what everyone loves? Meetings. Read it early on Patreon!

Re-promoted

And that’s a wrap on volume 4! In fact, I’m already halfway done drawing volume 5, which is zipping along pretty quickly. As of typing this post, I’ve just finished strip 189, and have scripts up to 205. I’m hoping to have the whole volume scripted by the end of the week, then I’ll start figuring out the back-up story for the print book while I draw the rest of the volume.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Bartender of the Apocalypse is Employee of the Week, and presumably works at O’Hellihan’s pub. They support Hell, Inc. on Patreon, and you can, too! New patrons receive access to Hell, Inc. Volume 4: “Mandatory,” which includes a book-exclusive short story about The Bad Chair, and over a thousand pages of other digital comics!

You can also help Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which is where the largest number of new readers come from. Votes early in the month are especially valuable as the rankings reset, and your efforts have been keeping Hell, Inc. in the top 300 for the last several months. Click the banner below to vote daily!

Next Week: Volume 5 begins in the Real Break Room! Read it early on Patreon!

Busted

Patreon patrons will be aware that I’ve retitled this strip. The reasons for that are two-fold: 1) the original title on the Patreon preview was long and terrible and 2) I forgot that I had already titled every strip that’s already drawn for alternate reasons I think I’m now supposed to mention yet. In news I can tell you about, I’m almost 20 strips ahead! This one is 167, and I finished 186 on the weekend. Now I need to get back to the script mines to wrap the rest of book 5 (which will end on 210).

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Azhar Baig is Employee of the Week and would like you to consider supporting (NAME OF CHARITY HERE). You might also consider supporting Hell, Inc. on Patreon, where readers have access to new digital works as soon as they release and new patrons get access to over a thousand pages of digital comics!

You can also support Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which is the largest source for new readers of the comic. You can vote daily by clicking on the banner below!

Next Week: When the boss is happy, nobody else is. Read it early on Patreon!