All right, so things are starting to come together. Just over the weekend I received back the edits for AXIOM-MAN/CRIMSON CLOAK: SCARLET SYNERGY, which means that after I go over the edits (which is me doing just that: looking at the edits only prior to a final pass), the book goes into the production machine, gets a final look-over, then off to you, dear reader.
I’m really excited to release this book. It’s not your usual Axiom-man story and it was a chance for me to start a mythology that may or may not be true. I’ll leave that to you to decide for when the book comes out.
Also, I got the final piece I needed for my Writing 101 series I’m bringing to YouTube. There’s a method to the madness here and a bit of scheduling. It’ll all make sense as the episodes come out.
Lastly, this week is also a major work week with a ton of hours needing to be put in so if I’m a bit silent on the social feeds, that is why.
. . . A.P. Fuchs and welcome to my blog where I have all sorts of things going on. I’m an independent writer, cartoonist, and freelancer in the worlds of books and comics. This is Canister X, my official web site and the Realm of Heroes and Monsters, where we attempt to entertain and inform you on a regular basis. (We blog 6 days a week, sometimes 7 so be sure to bookmark this site.)
I’ve been at this publishing thing for over 20 years and I still have lots to do. Presently, we’re big on video content—both longer videos and shorts and reels—and podcasts, so be sure you’re hooked up at the appropriate links below (podcast on YouTube).
My Patreon page is here. It’s a very special place where I post serial novels, serial comics, essays and articles on the creative arts business, behind-the-scenes secrets, artwork, photography, and more. Join me and my other patrons and be a part of something entertaining and interesting with consistent content. Check out the wicked trailer for the page.
I’m also the writer/artist behind the webcomic, Fredrikus, which you can read from the beginning here.
On Saturdays, I send out my newsletter, The Canister X Transmission. It’s a weekly newsletter where we all come together after a busy week, unwind, regroup, and kick off the weekend. Presently we are in The Very LongYear Six. Join us.
Last Friday, I released an important essay to my patrons on how an author or artist can managing funding their current and future projects while still reaping the reward. How to budget as an author or artist is huge right now in this digital do-it-yourself era.
I cover a solid tip here on this site but the real meat and potatoes is below.
Excerpt:
“Money management can be the bane of many creators. It can be difficult to juggle funds for your project as well as keeping the financial reward from that project while also ensuring funds are available for the next project (never mind juggling the costs of life on top of this, especially in this era of inflation).
Here’s a solid approach:
First, understand the moment you decide to take your creation public and start charging money for it, you’re a business not a person. That’s how businesses work: They make something and sell it. No different here.”
Please visit here for the rest of the essay. Its intent is to save creators headaches regarding funding their work.
Well, I’ve been working in the same space for almost five years. This is the only room in the house that accomodates my desks and equipment to bring you books and comics and a pile of other stuff.
However, it’s time to change the decor and shuffle things around. Depending what Melinda says, I might even be able to free up an additional 2′ x 6′ area that’s presently occupied within the studio. As well, with a new studio layout comes new decorations so I’d like to showcase the studio as it is right now one more time before we say farewell to this version and change things up for 2024 and beyond.
Here’s the teaser I shot to hint at the tour:
The Phantom’s Door. A.P. Fuchs Studio Tour coming soon to YouTube
And here is the tour itself. Hope you tune in when the 2024 studio changes kick in and all is complete and a tour is given.
Just sitting here thinking about blogging. It’s considered a great sin in the blogging world for a blogger to blog about blogging. But, every now and then should be okay, right?
To be honest, I don’t have much to add to the idea of blogging or what a blog is. I mean, what is a blog anymore? A long, long time ago in an Internet far, far away, blogs were basically public journals where writers–pro or hobby–could express thoughts and opinions on whatever topic, post it up for the world to see, then hope someone out there agrees with them.
I’ve been thinking about this blog here at Canister X, the Realm of Heroes and Monsters. It’s not really a blog, is it? I mean, kind of. It’s runs on a WordPress engine so thus a blogging platform. The site’s divided into sections and pages, I have the main window of this place to share whatever I want on any given day, and I try and encourage you to explore the site because there’s lots here from articles, to comics, to artwork, to videos, to podcasts–I mean, we’re not really blogging anymore per se. We’re not journaling or running a series of articles on a topic as our main thing either. We’re just sharing art and writing and hoping to entertain and inform you. That’s it.
This site–this place–is more a multimedia hub than a blog-blog. And that’s how I’ve been viewing it for a while: A place of free entertainment and a celebration of pop culture, superheroes, and monsters.
Just some random thoughts this early Sunday afternoon (the time I’m writing this).
Well, let’s just go forward step by step and take it from there.
“Every day’s a brand new deal, right? Just keep on working and something’s bound to turn up.” – Harvey Pekar, AMERICAN SPLENDOR
Canister X Mailbag – Scott A. Story’s Aorlis Fantasy Art Book Unboxing – 01242024
Fellow writer/artist Scott A. Story sent me a copy of his latest book because he blames me for having put it together. Haha. Funny guy. Thank you, Scott, for the kind gift.
Check out the artwork showcased in this video, folks, never mind more art in the art book itself. This is fantastic stuff and I can’t wait to dive in and go page-by-page through each piece.
Support Scott by picking up your own copy of the AORLIS fantasy art book at Amazon here.
And check out Scott’s main hub on the Web at here.
Support independent art!
Canister X Mailbag – Scott A. Story’s Aorlis Fantasy Art Book Unboxing – 01242024
Be sure to subscribe to stay up to date on all the latest videos.
Some moments come along and your world—your life—changes. Something shifts inside and everything’s the same yet somehow different. Sometimes someone comes into your life and helps you to breathe for the first time, to think with clarity and to give you truth and joy.
Often, we never see it coming. But it also happens when we need it the most and, usually, when we don’t realize we need it.
For Joseph Bailey, life has come to a standstill; existence, living, call it what you will, have stopped moving, stopped flowing, stopped growing. Those he knew while growing up seemed to have gone down the right path, creating a so-called normal life. He’s not sure if he followed.
Spending lonely nights writing comic book scripts and hazy afternoons watching cartoons brings him to his knees, and he needs something—maybe even someone—more. One Friday, while at a coffee shop working on a new comic script, Joseph is interrupted when a quirky girl with long black hair and smooth-as-marble gray eyes sits down across from him, seeking sanctuary from her controlling boyfriend, Dan.
Her name is April.
All seems under control even when Dan follows her in to the coffee shop, looking to patch things up. At least, that’s what was supposed to have happened. Once Dan leaves, Joseph figures his work is done and April will be on her way, never to be seen again. Instead, she stays, removes her sweater and orders an apple cider. Just then something slips inside Joseph, something good, right and pure.
Their weekend begins.
From a quiet night in an old railway car to seeking the undertones of humanity at the art gallery, to bringing to light the tender commonalities that we as humans share, April is a story of how a simple chance meeting can hold you and protect you, and give you what the human heart is continuously after—
Let’s travel back in time to my first YouTube video when I relaunched the channel in September of 2019. I had a channel prior to that but had minimal content. Nothing as vast as it is now.
But hey, we grow and things take time. This unboxing video is special because the box contains the first arrival of the Special Limited Hardcover Edition of AXIOM-MAN/AURORAMAN: FROZEN STORM straight from the printer.
This book is almost sold out and is the ONLY limited edition (especially lettered) superhero novel on the market.
Be a part of history. Check out the video then check out the book. Yes, a little pricey, but only 26 copies of these guys exist on Planet Earth. That’s it. Signed by both authors.
If you’re a reader of my newsletter you’ll know that I’m booked to table in Artist Alley at the Winnipeg Comiccon on October 25 to 27, 2024 at the RBC Convention Centre downtown. It’s a huge show and I’m excited to take a part in it after taking some breathing room from doing shows.
I also have a couple other conventions I’d like to lock down for this year but am still investigating. Some local book signings would be nice, too, but one thing at a time.
In the mean time, yeah, Winnipeg Comiccon 2024 appearance this fall.
Last week I finished CAUGHT IN BLACK HEADLIGHTS, but if you’re a reader of my newsletter, you get advance news so those guys already know about it. It is a book of text and photos, my first in that regard. The next closest thing would be CANISTER X COMIX No. 3, in which photos were used instead of art for the panels.
This one is set for a spring release, looking at late March or early April. Date to be determined.
AXIOM-MAN/CRIMSON CLOAK: SCARLET SYNERGY comes first. (Presently with the editor.)
Gonna be a good year for books. Lots of things planned and, as you can already see, we got 2024’s first two releases already lined up. Are you caught up on everything?
