• Tag Archives comics

  • The Snow has Arrived – Event Planning this Winter

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Snowy Yard
    A snowy yard this morning

    The snow that hit earlier this month had melted but this morning the yard is white. It may or may not stick around, but even if it goes away, it’ll be back with a vengeance because snow is what we do six months of the year here in Winnipeg. And while the possibility of doing things outside gets greatly reduced during the winter months, being locked indoors for half a year has its advantages when you make books and comics for a living.

    You get to just, simply, work. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t plan for out-of-the-studio excursions in the New Year.

    If you go to the Convention and Book Signing Schedule section of this site, you’ll see that I didn’t do events in 2019. There are lots of reasons for this, some of which had to do with being unwell. With the loss of the Central Canada Comic Con–my “default” show for every year except for last year–I have to do some research for local events over the winter so I can book on time for the 2020 season. If I succeed in what I have planned for the winter, then I’ll have a lot of new material for next year’s shows plus any book signings along the way. There has also been talk here at the Central about leaving the province–possibly even the country–for a few events next year. Once dates and locales are locked down, I will announce them here. I’m eager to connect with fans again at these venues. Always a joy to see them.

    In the meantime, I’m really looking forward to just working throughout the winter season. It’s been a good long while since I was able to create without hindrances. I can’t wait to get back to it again.

    Ps. A new behind-the-scenes entry is scheduled to go on my Patreon page later this week. Join the journey to catch the post plus other behind-the-scenes goodies already on the site. Of course, getting access to a serial novel, essays, patron-only posts and patron-first announcements along with an exclusive membership card isn’t a bad deal either.


    📂This entry was posted in Book Signings Conventions Life Patreon Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Creator Breakfast with G.M.B. Chomichuk and Jonathan Ball (Publishing Business)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Publishing venture sketch by G.M.B. Chomichuk
    Publishing Model Visual Documentation by G.M.B. Chomichuk

    This morning I once again met with writer/artist G.M.B. Chomichuk and writer/editor Jonathan Ball at Clementine Cafe in Winnipeg’s Exchange District. On top of the outstanding fried chicken on toast I had for breakfast, we got to work talking about the publishing business.

    See, I have a major advantage over other writers: I’m tapped into both the book publishing world and the comic book publishing world. While there are similarities in the overall business side of things, there are distinct differences and, I believe, it’s a merge of these two models that are the future of publishing.

    What’s happening in the book publishing world at present is an old archaic system at war with the new digital paradigm. While some adaptations have been made, for the most part book publishing is operating on an out-of-date system that doesn’t work in today’s reading climate which is why most writers cannot make a living from their craft. What compounds the problem are publishers–big and small–stuck in the old way of doing things and writers who don’t want to do anything but write. This is a major problem that hurts both publishers, creators, and readers.

    Ground was gained this morning in coming up with a new way of doing things that merges the best of the book publishing world and that of the comics publishing industry while setting aside dated systems that hinder bringing books and comics to the reader. Some of the ideas put forth were new (to me) and others were in line with the bomb that went off when my workload exploded.

    The above photo–a visual documentation of our little meeting created by G.M.B. Chomichuk–shows how three creators think when hashing out how to create a publishing system that benefits both the creator and reader. Yes, the image is hard to follow without explanation, but will serve as a future reference point for a venture that was brought up during the meeting (details still to be ironed out).

    The main goal with these meetings outside of spending time with friends is to learn something new, have discussion, and then apply those lessons to see what works and what doesn’t.

    In the end, it was a productive morning and one that will stew in my brain for a while as I retool things over here.

    (Please also see my first entry about my breakfast with these two creators by going here.)


    📂This entry was posted in Life Publishing Self-publishing 📎and tagged

  • Cracking the Webcomics Code – Thoughts

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    Read Fredrikus webcomic Title Red

    For what seems like ages, I’ve wanted to get back into webcomics. I briefly had one when I aired the first issues of Axiom-man many years back (along with some Canister X Comix stuff), then took everything down for various reasons. Recently, I’ve been wanting to do a comic again but know it’s a long slog and one that may or may not pay off, whether via viewership or compensation. (Ideally both.)

    As I mentioned in my Patreon reflections article, if I didn’t have bills to pay, I’d gladly give away my work for free. But I can’t. I have myself and a family to take care of.

    I love comics . . . but they take a long time to create. It takes anywhere from approximately eight to twenty-four hours to make a single page depending on your process and how many people you’re working with. Twenty-four hours. A whole day . . . just for the page to be read in a minute or less. And that’s the main hangup with webcomics: Time. Comics take a ton of time and unless you are independently wealthy, a good chunk of that time is taken up by a part- or full-time job so you can fund the basic essentials for life.

    The standard model for webcomics–which typically make money from ads and merchandise while the comic itself is on-line for free–only works for a tiny percentage of webcomikers. All those other webcomics you love have someone behind them who stays up to all hours working on pages and making enough money off it for a few items but not enough to make a full-time living (if they make any money at all).

    And this is the conundrum: How do I make my webcomic monetarily worthwhile so I have the time to make more of the comic on a regular basis?

    I have some ideas, but thus far they all cater to the standard webcomics’ long game. And by “long game” I mean that getting traction can take anywhere from a few months to several years. There is no recipe I can think of that will shrink that time frame, and I’ve done my research.

    This blog post isn’t a complaint, by the way. It’s just getting my thoughts on webcomics out in front of me so I can see them.

    I’d like to be able to share with you my still-formulating webcomic plan–which incorporates old ideas with [hopefully] new ones–but I can’t because it’s still formulating.

    I’ve had a webcomic in my head for coming up on a week–or maybe it has already been a week? I don’t know–that’s slowly being added to every day, my subconscious bringing ideas and notions to my conscious brain and filing them away as both solid form and possibilities. I’m also not overthinking this stuff either because overthinking and painfully analyzing something leads to disaster, if not immediately then inevitably.

    All I know is there is room for innovation in webcomics. I think what happened was webcomics came out under a certain model thus that model became the norm for comic readers. It’s going to take time to break that norm.

    After being in publishing for sixteen years, I know the industry is constantly changing. What worked for book authors ten years ago doesn’t work now so writers made changes. The same holds true for comics: What worked in the old webcomics model doesn’t work now so it needs an upgrade.

    Back to formulating. Will post more thoughts when I have them.


    📂This entry was posted in Publishing Self-publishing Webcomics 📎and tagged

  • Status Report – 100919

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    A.P. Fuchs in black and white October 9 2019

    Status report for 100919 – Busy week thus far, including–but not limited to–notes on marketing ideas for books, comics, social media, and the blog; Inktober; SEO work; book order facilitation; contracted publishing work; daily blogging; idea formulation.

    A fresh notebook stands at the ready.


    📂This entry was posted in Blogging Status Report 📎and tagged

  • On Being Swamped

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    On Being Swamped

    on being swamped

    Last night, as I was winding down, I was struck with an idea for another massive project, one that, by it’s very nature, would be ongoing for years to come. I made a bunch of notes, but I had that famous moment where I thought, Gee, don’t I have enough to do already?

    I tweeted:

    “Why is it that I keep coming up with ideas for gigantor projects? As if I’m not busy enough writing books, making comics, blogging daily, taking and sharing pictures of my cooking efforts, marketing, freelancing, and trying to rebuild my life. I need to stop sleeping.”

    If I could indeed stop sleeping, that would free up 8 to 10 hours a day. But I also know that without a good night’s sleep, a person won’t make it in this world, and my years of functioning off minimal sack time are long gone.

    My plan for this massive project is to let it simmer in the ol’ noggin and if I’m still hyped about it in a week or two (or more), then maybe I’ll put it in motion.

    Man, swamped.


    📂This entry was posted in Life Public Journal 📎and tagged

  • Entertainment isn’t an Escape

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs
    entertainment isn't an escape

    One of the main reasons people enjoy entertainment–whether that be books, comics, or movies–is because they say it provides them with an escape from everyday life. And let’s be honest: the world isn’t too pretty right now. In fact, if people needed an escape from reality, 2019 is a good year to hammer down on that.

    It’s often claimed people don’t like to think when being entertained. They just want a break from life, be told a good story, and that is all.

    Except . . . that doesn’t happen. Entertainment immerses you in life under the illusion of escape.

    See, there is a reason that while we’re in the middle of being entertained we like what we’re watching/reading, why we have favorite books or movies. The reason is this: we can relate to the source of entertainment on some level, whether overtly or subtly. Whether a scene is plain-as-day relatable (someone at work getting a cup of coffee while talking to an intense co-worker) or something metaphorical even if just on a subconsciously-recognizable level (good guy fighting a bad guy, equating to us wrestling with our own issues), everything in a piece of entertainment is a reflection of real life, the very life we’re trying to escape from.

    (Even something as whacky as watching a psychedelic cartoon is akin to us closing our eyes and watching the colors swirl by.)

    You get my point.

    There is no “escape” into entertainment. It might feel like it with your brain sending reward chemicals throughout your body and you’re muscles relaxing while you slouch in your recliner; you might even forget your problem(s) for a short time, but in actuality, you’ve simply just changed your perceived interaction with the world.

    If anything, entertainment is an avenue that gives us the tools to deal with the world around us. How many times have you watched a movie or read a book and related to what’s going on, whether to a specific person or situation? How many times have you looked at how a character handled something and applied a similar or same idea or solution to your own life? How many times have you quoted memorable lines to yourself whether for encouragement, wisdom, or humor? How many times have characters reminded you of people you know thus creating a bridge between you and them, even bringing some understanding as to why your friend Joe does what he does? The combinations of these things are nearly endless.

    Entertainment speaks to us on multiple levels and automatically puts us in a state of active or passive engagement. And it’s this engagement that immerses you in entertainment. Your brain is always working. It never shuts off. Even when you sleep, it’s working and showing you stuff and telling you stories.

    As you’re being entertained, you’re processing what you’re reading or seeing and correlating it to what’s already in your head and the world around you to help you make sense of life. It’s impossible to escape into entertainment, that is, truly escape. Entertainment is simply another window through which to view the world. (Even fantastical worlds, which were created and written with some, even minute, connection to reality.)

    All this isn’t meant to put a damper on entertainment value but rather add a new layer to it, a recognition of what’s really going on when we try to get away from planet Earth 2019.

    Entertainment isn’t an escape from life.

    Entertainment is an immersion into it.


    📂This entry was posted in Articles 📎and tagged

  • Project Rebirth: An Update

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    This is an update regarding PROJECT REBIRTH, my codename for getting things up and running in a new way after stepping back for a season. PROJECT REBIRTH was first announced here. Here are the status updates in list form for easy reading.

  • Comics – Sketchbook work has begun. This is me getting down how I want things to look for my yet-to-be-announced comic project.

  • Resumption of The Canister X Transmission – A couple issues have already gone out and a new one will hit this Saturday. Archives are here. Subscribtion box is on the right or please go here. You get a free novelette as a thank you.

  • A Patreon account with special content just for patrons – This was recently launched. A serial novel is part of the deal starting at $1. Other goodies at the higher tiers. New chapter of GIGANTIGATOR DEATH MACHINE airs this Friday. Please join my Patreon journey either via the button to your right or by going here.

  • Order fulfillment of the Axiom-man/Auroraman: Frozen Storm Kickstarter – For those who missed the Kickstarter, the book is available on the left. For those waiting on rewards, the Lettered Edition has come in (see this video) and the paperback is being printed shortly.

  • Publication of projects that were temporarily put on hold – These are still being sorted through. Announcements to come once I’ve got them figured out.

  • Bigtime expansion and growth of The Axiom-man Saga and associated products – Still in the planning stages.

  • Revving up public appearances and media again – Once a couple things above are settled, this will be looked into.

  • New YouTube channel – Just announced. More content coming. First video here.

  • More – Ah, the ever-mysterious “more.” This encompasses something that I’ve been meaning to do for a long time but haven’t been able to for different reasons. Part of this was settled upon when I was at the bookstore the other day. That’s all I’ll hint for now. Super vague, I know.

    I’m also pleased to report this blog has had a surge of traffic since I’ve gone regular with it again. Thank you to everyone for coming by. Some say blogging is dead. I disagree. I think it just fell by the wayside for a few years while everyone was focused on their social channels, but now that many are complaining about the problems of social media, I think newsletters and blogs will make a comeback. Websites in general are the foundation of the Web. We used to surf for hours going from one site to the next. I still bookmark pages for easy access. Websites will never go away.

    Thank you to everyone for your patience as I get things back in order. As I’ve said elsewhere, it takes a lot of time, especially if you’re a one-man band.

    Onward.


    • 📂This entry was posted in Stuff Updates Web Stuff 📎and tagged

  • Up Around the Bend: What is Coming

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    I’ve been very busy behind the scenes here at Axiom-man Central. Presently, I’m working on PROJECT REBIRTH, which is my master plan to get things going again writing and publishing . . . and cartooning? Yes. As part of my grand comeback, I’ve decided to get back into the world of comics because it was comics that got me started down the book path and everything else I’ve done since. There are plans. There is work being done. Rebuilding what was lost is taking place at a steady rate. Healing that which was broken is also taking place. Applying lessons from the past both professionally and personally is also occurring.

    Bottom line: Lots is happening.

    Some of what you can expect coming from up around the bend:

    – Resumption of my newsletter, The Canister X Transmission

    – A Patreon account with special content just for patrons

    – Order fulfillment of the Axiom-man/Auroraman: Frozen Storm Kickstarter (if you missed the Kickstarter, the published book is available on the left)

    – Publication of projects that were temporarily put on hold when life went to crap

    – Bigtime expansion and growth of The Axiom-man Saga and associated products

    – Revving up public appearances and media again

    – New YouTube channel

    – More . . .

    Now understand, I’m a one-man band so while the above is presently being worked on, that doesn’t mean all of it is going to happen right away. Creating things takes time. Lots of time, even when working steady. Just how it is. Please be patient and keeping checking back here for updates. Announcements will also spill out of the social media machine as things are released into the world.

    In the meantime, consider expanding your A.P. Fuchs collection while you wait. Plenty of books and comics to choose from on the left. I also ship direct, which gets you a signature and a personal message if you so choose.

    Look after each other this week. Stand tall.


    📂This entry was posted in General Announcements 📎and tagged

  • On Broadcast Mode

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    On Broadcast Mode

    on broadcast mode

    Some people might wonder why I periodically switch to broadcast mode with social media. The answer is simple: eliminate distraction. I program Hootsuite with my social media posts and let it run in the background so I can focus on producing more work in the foreground. It’s tough to constantly lead two lives—digital and physical—so to unplug and take a break from one lets me work on the only life that truly matters, which is the physical one I have on Earth.

    Besides, it speeds up getting books and comics to you because I’m spending my time making them instead of writing thousands of words in social media posts.


    📂This entry was posted in Opinion Public Journal 📎and tagged

  • On Alternative Reading

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

    On Alternative Reading

    on alternative reading

    It’s a small niche and is outside the mainstream, but I’ve been giving a lot of thought to alternative reading and how important it is. It’s the stuff that’s not controlled by big corporations or publishing houses. It’s the stuff where money isn’t the primary objective. It’s the stuff that has the freedom to be open and honest—an industry not run by greed, but one run by love.

    I encourage you to check out zines, check out bizarro literature, check out off-beat publications, and support that side of the industry by not only getting the books and comics, but by also spreading the word about them. This world is so brainwashed it’s sad. We’ve been force fed the same shit over and over and all we do at the end is smile with our crap-covered faces and say, “More, please.”

    Time to shake things up, but we have to do this together. But it’ll never happen. It’s easier to sit in shit than to actually get moving and find a better, alternative spot.


    📂This entry was posted in Books Public Journal 📎and tagged