Character: Slava

Puzzle It Out

I mentioned this on Patreon, but way more people read the stuff I post here. Every time I look at one of the strips involving spreadsheet Tetris I’m struck with the desire for there to be a Hell, Inc. video game. I don’t know how to program a video game, but if anyone else thinks a Hell, Inc. puzzle RPG with spreadsheet Tetris as the core gameplay would be cool and you either know or are a game developer, hit me up.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Bartender of the Apocalypse is Employee of the Week, and you can too by heading over to the Hell, Inc. Patreon and supporting at the $2/month tier or above! At the $5/month tier or above, you get access to Hockeypocalypse: Slashers as I draw it! And you should do that, because that’s my only paying thing right now, and humans need money to live because we haven’t overthrown the rich yet.

EDMONTON EXPO UPDATE: I was going to be doing my first convention appearance in 2 years at Edmonton Expo in October, but that has since been cancelled due to the Alberta provincial government’s complete inability to do anything for the public good unless it benefits the party or its donors. Anyway, in an attempt to both get books to readers and replace some of that convention revenue, I’m running a sale on my Etsy shop until October 3rd for 25% off your order total on any order of $20 or more. If you were planning to stop by at Edmonton Expo, head over to the shop and grab the books you were looking for!

Next Week: The Real Break Room/Revolutionary Headquarters. Read it early on Patreon!

Puzzled

Happy Labour Day, workers of the Hell, Inc. audience. As always, I support using Hell, Inc. to steal company time like they’re stealing your time, so make sure to use your “settling back in” time on Tuesday morning for some catch-up or an archive binge.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Sebastian is Employee of the Week, and was also Employee of the Week last time I posted a comic on a holiday Monday, which is a strange bit of chance. I don’t know how to transition from that to Patreon stuff, but you can get Hockeypocalypse: Slashers as I draw it AND access to over a thousand pages of other comics, including the previous Hockeypocalypse books, for $5 a month on Patreon and ALSO help support me, the creator of said comics, because apparently humans need money to live. It’s a real bummer, that need for money to live.

You can also help Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics! It’s early in the month, so votes are worth even more as the rankings reset and each vote has more power to move a comic up the rankings.

Next Week: Suspicions are… whatever suspicion as a verb is. Read it early on Patreon!

Ambient Misery

For the first time since December, 2019, I sold some books at an event. Over a year and a half. I was helping Caitlin sell soap at an event called Wholly Handmade, and brought some books along at her suggestion, as well as promo materials for Hell, Inc. To those of you who discovered the comic by meeting me at the show, welcome!

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Jillian Dolan, artist of Kyle the Nihilist Dinosaur, Misha, and other delightful comics, is Employee of the Week! She has access to Hockeypocalypse: Slashers, my new graphic novel, which is being serialized on Patreon as I draw it! We’re up to page 24 as of this post, and they’re some of the best pages I’ve ever drawn. The first 5 pages are available on Patreon for free, and the rest are unlocked by donating at the $5 and up tiers. So go do that.

You can help out Hell, Inc. by voting for it on Top Webcomics, which results in better placement on the rankings and visibility to webcomic readers. Votes early in the month are worth more as the rankings reset, so click on the banner below to vote daily!

Next Week: A puzzling lack of ambient misery. Read it early on Patreon!

I.T. to the Rescue

The title kind of makes me wish I knew how to make the hang-up click icon in the bottom right panel into a spinning sound effect thing like the Batman ’66 scene transitions. The first panel reminds me that this is the most “The I.T. Crowd” that Hell, Inc. has gotten. Sometimes I think about how Slava kind of exists in a totally separate sitcom that occasionally crosses over with Hell, Inc.’s office comedy.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Barrie Deatcher is Employee of the Week for upgrading his Patreon pledge to read the new Hockeypocalypse graphic novel, Slashers, as I draw it! And you can, too, by pledging at the $5/month or higher levels! For the cost of a cup of coffee, you can help finance my next book so I can draw awesome stuff AND pay my mortgage! Because drawing comics is what I love, and paying my mortgage is how I get to continue being alive. The arts! They’re a nightmare because capitalism.

You can also help Hell, Inc. gain readers by voting for it on Top Webcomics (or just sharing it with your friends). More votes = higher ranking = better visibility, so click the image below to vote daily!

Next Week: The I.T. imp makes his triumphant return to the office, gas mask in tow. You wouldn’t think the I.T. department would need those so often. Read it early on Patreon!

Vital Knowledge

For a comic that was originally intended to test how fast I could draw a strip from blank page to finished letters, I’ve sure started spending a lot of time drawing backgrounds. This isn’t even that absurd an example of them – there are some pages in upcoming weeks where I spent as much time drawing one background as I did the rest of the strip.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Damion is Employee of the Week, and you can too! If you think Hell, Inc. is worth a buck, donate to the Hell, Inc. Patreon and help keep the lights on around here. As I post this, I’m sitting around waiting for a freelance gig to start so I can get my next paycheque, and I have NO IDEA when that will be! Could be tomorrow, could be October. The Patreon gives me, an artist, a predictable income, which is invaluable to me, and also to the bank, to whom I pay my mortgage.

If you can’t afford the Patreon because capitalism has crushed the value of your labour, vote for Hell, Inc. on Top Webcomics. It’s been the best way to gain new readers (and potential Patreon patrons) thus far, and voting is free! Click on the banner below.

Next Week: Butt-based comedy is the best kind of comedy. Read it early on Patreon!

Visions of Horror and Tetris

In the black and white Hell, Inc. comics, which some of you have copies of due to the Kickstarter for the print books, Slava installing the spreadsheet Tetris game comes much sooner after his introduction. Also it’s an entire book earlier, which is a BIT of a difference. Incidentally, for those who might be newer readers, we’re currently in the middle of what will end up being the third print book.

I’d also like to dedicate this strip to the memory of guintern Boo, who passed on Friday. She was a vital part of our operation here at Hell, Inc., and will be missed.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Robbie Dorman, host of The Simpsons Show podcast, is this week’s Employee of the Week. I’m listening to an episode of The Simpsons Show as I type this update! You should, too. It’s very good. If you think Hell, Inc. is worth a dollar, you should give said dollar(s) to the Hell, Inc. Patreon, because that helps keep things running over here. Money: I need it to live.

As always, not everyone can afford to give their favourite artists money. But everyone can afford to give them clicks! Click on the banner below to vote for Hell, Inc. on Top Webcomics, which is the number one source for driving new readers to the site.

NEXT WEEK: Butt Talk with B.L. Zebub. It’s not as gross as it sounds. Read it early on Patreon!

Ghost Butts

Sometimes I get to do really stupid things in a comic, and those are almost always my favourite things. For example, using the phrase “ghost butts” in a dramatic context. I also sometimes forget to update the comic on Monday morning because I forget what day it is, which is what happened today. It turns out going to an outdoor concert for like 8 hours on a Friday really screws up my sense of what day it is. On the plus side, I got to see GWAR, Slayer, and Disturbed from the VIP section, so that ruled.

Speaking of music, I’m putting together a Spotify playlist for Hell, Inc. If you’ve got music suggestions for it that fit with the theme of the comic, leave a comment here or hit me up on Twitter.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

This week’s Employee of the Week is Brien Aronov! He, along with the other Patreon patrons, will be getting access to a cool piece of Hell, Inc. short fiction written by my partner Caitlin. I’m continuing my efforts to figure out how to overhaul the Patreon to make it more appealing and provide more content without taking away from time spent on the actual comic. You can support those efforts by chipping in a few bucks to the Hell, Inc. Patreon, which keeps the lights on over here (sort of literally, the Patreon money tends to go directly to bills).

As always, supporting Hell, Inc. for free is also appreciated – go upvote Hell, Inc. on Top Webcomics to bring in new readers.

Next Week: How to make a riot riot-ier. That’s a word now, shut up. Check it out early on Patreon.

Satan Give Me Health Insurance

I feel like Satan Give Me Health Insurance merch might do really well. Thoughts? Is that something you’d be interested in? I’ve been kicking around a bunch of ideas for Hell, Inc. merch, but I haven’t been able to get a good handle on what I think people would actually want. In art-related news, the third panel was a nightmare to colour. There are at least three layers of different shades of green creating the miasma of horrors that is B.L. Zebub’s computer usage.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Joe Amon is Employee of the Week! Please make good use of the Employee of the Week parking spot. If you want to be Employee of the Week, or just help add some stability to my financial health, which allows me to do the comic, donate to the Hell, Inc. Patreon page.

As always, supporting Hell, Inc. for free is also appreciated – go upvote Hell, Inc. on Top Webcomics. Readership has expanded substantially since the comic has been on Top Webcomics, and that all comes from your votes boosting it up the rankings for better visibility.

Next Week: Gas leak. Read it early by supporting Hell, Inc. on Patreon!

The Word is Butts

The word is always butts. I will regularly lean over to my girlfriend and whisper “buuuuuutts” just to amuse myself, because butts is an inherently funny word. I think it’s why “ass” gets used so much now – it’s hard to say “butts” without making something funny.

EMPLOYEE OF THE WEEK:

Joe Amon is Employee of the Week! He doesn’t have anything for me to link as a plug, so instead I’ll just say that if you enjoy Hell, Inc. consider pledging to the Hell, Inc. Patreon. Even a dollar or two is useful in keeping the lights on around here (power bills in Hell are ridiculous, you guys). You can even get a shoutout as Employee of the Week, or a ton of digital comics at a huge discount.

Next Week: The Boss can’t use his office, so that’s going to be good for everyone else. Read it early on Patreon.