Edge the Devilhunter Online

Ambition, competition, and technology are pushing me to make this move, but first of all I want to know what all of you think about ETD maybe making the jump to full color. Included in this post is a sample image, a colored version of the current page. It’s not perfect and completely finished, but it’s a decent measure of my current level of coloring skill (still gotta work on those fine details and adapt to doing this sans-Wacom tablet).

Somewhat hot off the heels of the MTAC convention (which I’ve yet to blog about), I’m heading over to the other side of my hometown to hang out at a week-long event I helped found called Tent State University.  It’s a tent city event founded 7 years ago at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey to protest statewide cuts to higher education funding  and the then invasion of Iraq.  It’s since evolved into something of a sparse yet national thing and has matured into a convention of sorts for local campus progressive groups.  We have tablers from various groups, free classes to participate in from a variety of subjects (I’m attending a “how to draw anime” class), local bands playing at night, and good people chilling all over.

Long story short, I’m gonna be hanging out there on and off next week at the Art City tent doing my thing.  So for anyone in the area wanting to meet me or ask me for a commission, feel free to stop by (Voorhees Mall on College Ave. at Rutgers in New Brunswick, NJ).  If I’m not at Art City, feel free to bug the TSU volunteers as to my whereabouts.  Hope to see you there!

Back from MTAC! Feel free to ask questions and provide comments. I’ll be doing a short reportback soon and officially announcing the ETD book. If you haven’t bought it, BUY IT NOW! Get the first 7 chapters of ETD with print quality superior to any pixely ass computer screen and new covers for Chapter 6 and 7! Have it all in the palm of your hands!

Hey, folks I’m heading out to Nashville tomorrow for the Middle Tennessee Anime Convention (or MTAC Ninja…not sure where the “Ninja” part comes from). I’ll be there doing commissions and promoting the webcomic. In other equally important news, the new ETD book is finally out! (much love to KaBlam and Indyplanet ^^).

I’ll be promoting the book officially next week with its own post and exclusive images. I’d do it now, but the listing on Indyplanet literally went live yesterday and today I’m getting ready for my trip to Nashville. I also want to set up the new store link on the ETD website. But anyone’s who’s a serious fan should hit up the link and score themselves a copy. The price is 15 bucks plus shipping, and for ETDheads outside the US, Indyplanet does international shipping to most anywhere (well, their website says so…).

I know it’s a bit pricey for a manga-size TPB, but the book is 352 pages, contains the first 7 chapters of ETD, exclusive never-before-seen covers for chapters 6 and 7, has more story packed into it than 4 manga books of similar size and price, with print quality that has to be seen to be believed. And I get 5 bucks off each book so the more of these I can sell, the more likely it is I’ll be self-sufficient enough to work on ETD full-time i.e. more updates and goodies.

So…BUY MY BOOK!!!

UPDATE: Also, feel free to make suggestions for merchandise on this thread as that’s next on the agenda. T-shirts designs are next on queue with Tail already on my request list.

Heads up everyone. The site’s undergoing GUI improvements in the coming days to help usher in the new store and products to come. It’s been a long time coming. The prepress on the ETD book was hell, but I’m about to wrap it up and both the store and the new ETD book will be up sometime this weekend.

I thought it was awesome. And I like Obama. I voted for the man. However, I’m 100% AGAINST his position of tossing any more welfare to the banks and credit companies. Either I’m insane, or ahead of my time, but that money would’ve been better spent putting this country back to work building real wealth and advancing our society (hiring scientists, engineers, doctors, construction workers, …artists…heh) instead of tossing our money paying down the claims on fake wealth concocted by these dick financiers and bankers that gave us the worldwide economic mess we’re in. There was a time in this country when someone could work their job and be able to support a spouse and a household. That’s the way things should be. Nowadays, people like me, and I imagine a lot of you, have to scratch the fucking earth just to get by on their own. Fuck the bankers, fuck the finance cacks who robbed us and continue to rob us wholesale, and fuck the people and politicians who support this immoral and corrupt system.

And…I’m back to drawing.

Here’s a few samples from the portfolio I’m putting together.  It’s pinups so far, but I’m starting on a set of 5 pencils for the Marvel/DC submissions part.  The new upcoming ETD book will use that pinup as the cover.

ComicCon beckons, I must answer and hopefully conquer the comics circuit.

Bestest-case scenario: ETD interests a major, respected publisher (preferably Vertigo), 2nd best-case scenario: one of my other portfolio projects interests a  major publisher, 3rd best-case scenario: I get a penciling gig with either Marvel or DC (much money and residual fame to be had), 4th best-case scenario: art gig with some minor publisher.

Worst case-scenario: art gig with minor publisher that pays beans, 2nd worstest case scenario: I come back with nothing and strike it out on my own again, trying to live off ETD independently and hopefully still having IT work available, worstest WORSTEST-case scenario: same as the previous MINUS the IT gig.

Wish me luck!

Pricksident Bush just gave his farewell address on TV a moment ago.  Honestly, if there’s one thing I hate about this country (and there’s plenty to hate about it despite all the pro-American branding and international propaganda), the society has a way of repressing any honest assessment of ourselves and our relationship to the ruling class.  A nobility exists in this country and for the past 8 years we suffered the criminal misrule of one of the worst of its idiot sons.  I voted for Obama both in the primary and the general election against McCain, but I’m not under any illusion that the man is a revolutionary.  And contrary to what Barack says, we shouldn’t be “looking forward” when the crooks are right behind us thumbing their nose.  Bush, Cheney, et al. should be looking at the swinging noose-end of war crimes prosecutions under the next AG, Eric Holder.

America’s in the shitter now, to the point that I believe another revolution is in our future if things get worse and no heads roll over the last 8 years of criminal fuckuppery.  The entire government has failed to protect us from the monarchical clown princes and if no justice happens in the near future for this country and the world, rest assured you’ll see justice done here on the pages of ETD in the worst way.

Seeing as I’m not economically self-sufficient with ETD yet, I’m heading down to the NYComicCon next month to look for gigs.  As such, I’m preparing the most badass portfolio that place is EVER going to have.   You get my point.  So, in order to put the best face possible on my skills, 2 more ETD updates will be posted very soon along with with a 3-4 week-long hiatus to do a lot of important things.  This site will see lots of periodic upgrades as everyone reviewing me will be getting business cards with my website address.  I’m also placing high priority on setting up print-on-demand ETD books and hopefully, t-shirts and other merchandise.

Also, despite my core drawing style you see with ETD, I am a classically-trained artist and am more stylistically-diverse  than I appear and I don’t want to be typecast as a “manga” artist as is starting to happen in some circles.  I can draw American comics-style, realistic illustration, pure manga, and experimental.  Unfortunately, my portfolio doesn’t demonstrate my copycat talents, so much effort will be made to show I can mimic just about any style out there, a skill extraordinarily uncommon among artists.

Announcing this small hiatus wasn’t easy. Nothing on earth would make me happier than wrapping up this chapter and story arc and starting on the next one asap.  But times are hard; I have an apartment and modest living expenses to cover, and I believe my skills are at a point where they rival and in many cases surpass some of the hackery of “professional” artists.  Yeah, I think I’m that good and I’m gonna show it.  And since I have a blog now, I’ll provide some scans of my badassery and hopefully, an eventual announcement of a professionally employed Sam Romero.