Lineage Issue 2 Page 20

Posted! You can read it here. Feel free to read and let us know what you think.

Issue 2 Page 20

It's posted. You can read it here.

New Page Posted

Lineage

Chapter 1, Issue 2, Page 19 is posted!

Read it! Love it! Share it! Support it!

New Page Posted

Lineage
Chapter 1, Issue 2, Page 18 is up.
Read it! Love it! Share it! Support it!

Diversity Discourse

In the Disqus chat on the latest page of Lineage (Issue 2, Page 17), one of our readers made an observation that we were following the "there is no X" in the future trope, in this case, no racism (and possibly sexism). This observation was made because the children represented in the scene were two boys, two girls, two occidental, one oriental, and one negro. His observation was made with that typical critic's cynicism (that is both annoying and enlightening) of how writers create screwed up future worlds that have some modern ideals shoehorned into them (a dystopian society where the genders are equals, for instance).

To say I was a bit annoyed by this cynical observation would not be inaccurate. The truth is, we have consciously tried to put racially diverse characters into the story. We have even had long discussions on not stereotyping the characters' races (so, for example, our metagen with plant powers should not be hispanic -- something that never occurred to me, but to Californian Chris immediately seemed a slap in the face of the Mexican immigrant populace). Being ourselves minorities of one form or another... Chris both in his sexual orientation and race, and myself for my sexual orientation and religious heritage, we have consciously tried to create a world of many races, orientations, etc. To have that effort scoffed at was a bit hurtful, and in my mind unjust. We have in no way indicated that there is no racism, or sexism, or gender orientation bias in our world, we have simply made certain that diversity in race, etc. is "visible".

But the poke in the eye has merit as a disqus-sion point. Does consciously trying to infuse our world with diverse characters make our world artificial, fake, unbelievable? Does it make our world more real, provide more opportunities for readers of different races and orientations to identify with the world and feel included? Neither? Both? Something else? No matter our intention, the choice will be interpreted by our readers based upon their own backgrounds, their own ethos, their own filters, fears and issues. Some authors and artists may even have such understanding of human nature and skill with their creative powers that they can accurately predict the reactions of their readers/viewers and play them like instruments. I'm not sure either Chris or I are that good.

So, regardless of whether our efforts are perceived as natural or contrived, it is important to us and we will continue to have people of different races, faiths, orientations, etc. represented widely in our comic. We hope it will be well received... but regardless, it is our way of giving voice to the mostly silent minorities of our culture.

Never Nuf Sed!

Crowd Sourcing Support

After much debate and deliberation, Chris and I (Jay) have figured out what our goals are, what reward we can offer for varying levels of patronage, and so on. We're already pushing forward with some of our goals ahead of the patron support because they will help us keep Chris from going insane trying to do EVERYTHING in this comic.

So, until we can afford to hire help, I'm now flatting pages to free up Chris. Supposedly a "professional" flatter can do a page in 2-3 hours... I can do one in 6-8... still, that frees Chris up to concentrate on drawing and coloring, which is all to the good. We've also gone ahead and hired a letterer to free Chris up from lettering. Issue 2, Page 17 will be our first page utilizing the talents of Tom Orzechowski. We are delighted to have him onboard.

What will happen with Patreon Support? For our patrons it means such things as side story lines, character art, previews of upcoming pages (page 17 is already up for patrons), wallpapers, hangouts with the creators, and so on. For US it means, with luck, that our expenses for creating and maintaining an online comic will be mitigated, the means to obtain professional help with parts of the comic's creation (like flatting and lettering) will be provided, and if the muse smiles upon us we might actually earn a few bucks off our art (the dream of most creators).

So, if you have a buck or more to spare, please click on our support graphic or here.

You haven't actually read Lineage, you can find it here.

Thanks!

Post Delay - artist health issues!

from danscartoons.com

Poor Chris can't seem to get a break... well, that's not quite true, but he doesn't have a broken leg -- only a swollen one. Still, this has made it nearly impossible for him to spend any extended time at the drawing tablet/computer/art table because he can't bend his knee.

So, sadly, we must delay posting of the latest update for a little while longer.

Thanks for understanding!

New Page Posted!

Issue 2, Page 16 has been posted at www.lineage-thecomic.com.

Read it! Love it! Share it!

Adjusting the Posting Clock

The problem with being a one man art team is that poor Chris works himself to exhaustion drawing, inking, coloring, lettering, and posting the pages of our comic. My part of the partnership is fairly easy: I write plot, scenes, dialog, and character development and drop it in Chris's lap; then I get to edit the finished product (within reason); and finally I get to show off the comic to my friends claiming "look at my uber cool creation!" All the while, 99% of the effort is Chris's, and nearly 50% of the credit goes to me. It really isn't fair, but that's the way of things.

So here's the dilemna. Though I am a fairly competent graphic designer, and I can do some good illustration work, my art style is nothing close to Chris's. I'll be better off doing the equivalent of "fan art" of Lineage, or maybe we could say "another artist's interpretation" rather than try to lay my hands on Chris's Wacom!

So we're stuck with the reality that since we can't afford to hire Chris an inker, a colorist, or a letterer, we have to admit to his being Only Human! It is quite hard for him to admit, as he continually tries to prove the universe wrong by trying to literally draw his life into continuance without such meager necessities as food, shelter, companionship, WiFi (okay, not the last... he can't upload his art without WiFi... darn first world problems!).

Because Chris can not clone himself, nor does he have a time turner, nor can he thin dimensional barriers so other aspects of himself can take on some of the burden, we must move to an "every other week" schedule for posting page updates. We apologize. We really do. But we think it is better Chris maintain his health and sanity (both of which have been strained recently) by cutting back on the demands of weekly posting.

Lineage will post bi-weekly
for the foreseeable future!

Involving ourselves in our Community!

There is a lot of "cred" given to artists and authors who create LGBTQ oriented media or who simply claim to be a member of the LGBTQ community. As with any minority group, members of our community generally like to support the efforts of other members of the community to strengthen and enhance all our lives. However, being a part of the LGBTQ community is more to Chris and myself than simply being a gay artist and a bisexual writer -- we involve ourselves in both online and face-to-face organizations to address LGBTQ concerns and issues today.  As we come from very different backgrounds both geographically and socially, our efforts seldom overlap, but when it comes to online community outreach we are of the same mind -- do all we can to get the word out and to support through networking.

With that in mind, I am spreading the word about a very ambitious project conceived by the Clemson Alumni Society for Equality. Our members have funded an annual scholarship for LGBTQ students each year through their generous donations, but we want something more permanent... something that will not be dependent upon the ebb and flow of donations over the long term. As such, we've created an endowment fund for the scholarship which would maintain the scholarship into perpetuity.

Our goal is to create a $50k endowment to support the scholarship, and we have managed to obtain commitments for over $22k in funding. Unfortunately, if we don't obtain a minimum of $25k in funding before the end of the 2015-2016 academic year, the endowment will be forfeit.

Please help fund our scholarship for LGBTQ students attending Clemson University and help us promote diversity support at one of the South's best public universities!

New Pages Posted

Issue 2, pages 14 & 15 have been posted

Latest Page

Page Posted

Issue 2 page 13 posted!

http://lineage-thecomic.com/index.html

Page 12 posted

Latest update

Page 11

Sorry it's late! It's up: http://lineage-thecomic.com/index.html

Page 10

It's late but it's finally up!

http://lineage-thecomic.com

Page 9 posted to http://lineage-thecomic.com.

Page 8 posted!

You can read it at http://lineage-thecomic.com.

Page 7 Posted!

To read it, go to http://lineage-thecomic.com


Lineage Ch1 Is2 007 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

New Page Posted!

http://lineage-thecomic.com



Lineage Ch1 Is2 006 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Issue 2 page 5

It's posted!

http://lineage-thecomic.com/index.html


Lineage Ch1 Is2 005 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Page 4 posted

Issue 2, page 4!

http://lineage-thecomic.com/index.html


Lineage Ch1 Is2 004 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Update!

New page loaded: http://www.lineage-thecomic.com/index.html

Issue 2 Page 1

Issue 2 started!

http://www.lineage-thecomic.com/index.html


Lineage Ch1 Is2 001 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Lineage - Page 28

Page 28 posted. This brings issue one to a finish.


Lineage Ch1 Is1 028 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Page 27 posted!

http://lineage-thecomic.com/index.html


Lineage Ch1 Is1 027 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Page 26 posted

Page 26 posted!

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Lineage Ch1 Is1 026 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Page 25 posted!

All I have to say is: DRAMA!

http://lineage-thecomic.com


Lineage Ch1 Is1 025 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Page 24 posted!

http://www.lineage-thecomic.com/index.html


Lineage Ch1 Is1 024 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

Page 23 posted. Enjoy!

http://www.lineage-thecomic.com/index.html

Page 22 posted!

http://www.lineage-thecomic.com/index.html

I didn't tell you?!?

The most consistent challenge of long term collaboration is communication. Really. Or, at least for me it is... which is ironic considering I'm getting my PhD in Rhetoric, Communication and Information Design. 

It isn't that I have problems communicating my ideas to Chris, not at all; we worked through our ego-headbutting years ago (thank Gods). It IS that I spend so much time thinking about an idea that I forget that I haven't communicated it to anyone else. It amazes me, actually, how much I HAVEN'T told my partner about the full story arc of Lineage. I just assume we've talked about things which we haven't, or have only had passing commentary about. 

Our readers should nominate Chris for sainthood for putting up with it!

Page 21 posted!

http://lineage-thecomic.com

Life's little laughs!

The webcam is WHAT?!?

I think it is the curse of most artists (visual or otherwise) to be taken "seriously." We want people to recognize our Art (note the capital "A") as something worthwhile, wrung from our souls, and worthy of admiration (or simply attention). It is like all those photos guys (and to a lesser extent, girls) put up on dating-hookup sites, where we strive to look attractive (and subsequently lock our real attractiveness behind a mask of what we think is attractive to others).

When Chris and I started Lineage, we wanted it to be this world changing, LGBT comic with important messages, deep plots, and multifaceted characters! We had things to say, and we were going to say them! This resulted in our first attempt being very rigid, focused, and frankly... a bit dull. When we broke free of the original structure of the story, Chris began to add in little touches of playfulness and experimentation in the ways he assembled the pages, dramatically improving our story telling.

As Chris began to loosen up his illustrations, I found I wanted to loosen up the tight-script. I felt that there was so much more to the story than "the message", and if we were redoing the art we might as well redo the script in the bargain. We began to add more humor, spent more time exploring the quirks of the characters and their situations, and the graphic novel exploded with uniqueness and attitude that was a curious blend of Chris' and my personalities. So, suffice to say, we now smile a lot more when we work on the comic... not that it isn't hard work, tedious work, and exhausting work... but there is nothing better than looking at your art in mid-creating and having it make you smile.

New page posted!

http://www.lineage-thecomic.com

New page posted!

http://www.lineage-thecomic.com

http://www.lineage-thecomic.com/index.html

New page posted!

Lineage Page 17

http://lineage-thecomic.com/index.html

New page up!

Page 16 Posted

New page posted at http://lineage-thecomic.com

Page 15 posted

New page up at http://lineage-thecomic.com!

Young Protectors Fan Art

Another piece for fun. This is why I was lazy in my post about the latest Lineage page.


Young Protectors Fan Art by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

A Challenge in Visual Storytelling

As an academic, and a fiction author, the majority of my energy goes toward literary (aka. written, textual) endeavors. It is a 2000+ year tradition of expression which is both empowering and imprisoning. We are no longer "bound" by the written word. We have so many other ways to explore the power of narrative.

The challenge we face when we strive to move from the written word to another medium is that we aren't trained to do this through our standard education. (I might argue that today we aren't even  educated to write well in the literary form, let alone in visual forms.) We do not know what expresses a feeling, a sensation of motion, hardness, softness, stillness or activity.  We have to take special courses to learn what techniques work to communicate visually. Visual codes are different than textual codes, but to write a narrative to be presented in a visual medium we must understand both the visual and the textual codes. We must have a common language. In most cases, to create a visual narrative requires a team, as very few of us have all the skills necessary to both create a story, illustrate a story, and promote a story.

As a rhetorician who primarily works in the written word, creating the script for a graphic novel has been a distinct challenge. When we began this adventure in 2004, Chris wanted me to script out every aspect of the comic page, frame by frame. We discovered over time that though I could do this, my decisions on visual narrative were not as powerful as when Chris was inspired to represent a scene "his way." It took us about eight years before we had a comfortable language through which I could communicate the "essential message" of a scene without dictating the specific visual elements to be included.

Chris was not comfortable, initially, in making the decisions for the visual representation of the story. He was used to authors who believed it was their jobs to micromanage every element of the comic's creation. I, on the other hand, wanted to work with a partner, not an "employee". Today, however, we have found a balance between scripting everything and leaving it all to Chris to create. I feel it is my job to provide Chris with the core story, including the subtle and hidden messages necessary for the long-term plot, and then I leave him to generate the visuals. This requires a lot of trust for both the artist and the author, because many times we don't imagine the same things... and as a "Type A" personality, the lack of direct control is difficult to manage... but the rewards are amazing!

Page 14 posted

Lineage Ch1 Is1 014 by ChrisTsuda on DeviantArt

http://lineage-thecomic.com

I'm being lazy.  You'll see why soon.

Being an Artist is WORK!

I have certain pet peeves, I admit this freely, but one of my really big ones is when people think that being a "creative" person is "easy". So many (not so creative) people, who do "real" jobs (like accounting, manual labor, etc.), believe that doing something artistic or creative (like drawing, sculpting, writing, etc.) is just a relaxing pastime. It isn't difficult. It is relaxing. It is a dawdle one does between doing something worthwhile (like saying "would you like fries with that?").

One reason for this perception is that when one "creates" artistically, there can be long spaces of time when you're not "producing" anything tangible to a non-creative person. We (the creative) stare at the screen waiting for the Muse to hit us over the back of the head, or to help us past a creative obstacle (or so that's how it seems). Since creative endeavor is not something that works strictly by a time-clock, it isn't thought of as "real work". For some, especially hobby-artists, this is actually true. If the Muse doesn't inspire, then you're spending a lot of down time -- whether that down time is relaxing or frustrating depends upon one's personality.

When I see these T-shirts and memes running about the internet, demanding that we (the creatives) "Stop Pretending Art is Hard", I flare up like a drag queen whose mascara has just run! First of all, what are you actually trying to say? Creating Art isn't difficult? Understanding Art isn't difficult? Being Creative isn't difficult? All or None of these? The statement is so imprecise as to be incomprehensible. And to top it all off, why the f*ck does someone believe they have the right to judge how challenging a task is for another person, whether that be math, art, language, etc.?

If you have EVER been required to produce ANYTHING on a deadline, repeatedly, dependably, at a high level of competence and skill, then you know that it is a stressful, difficult task. Those of us who must "be creative" on demand, regularly, do manage to devise techniques by which we can draw upon the Muse at will. It is like digging a deep well so that you have a reliable source of water you can use on demand. That works fine until there is a drought... then, just like water tables, your resource of creative juices drop... if the drought lasts long enough, or if you are required to utilize those reserves on schedule with no regard to availability, your well of creativity can run dry. Yes, then you can try to "dig a deeper well", but that is not a long term solution. You have to have the opportunity to let your resources replenish.

Where the disconnect for most people happen is that in today's world, most people do NOT perform creative tasks as part of their jobs or every day lives. They drudge through their careers and daily lives, burning non-creative reserves, and USE their stores of unutilized creative resources to replenish their spirits. For them, being creative isn't "hard" but is the way they recover and recharge for the next round of creativeless existence. However, what happens when you work/daily life depletes that very creative reserve? An artist can't go there to rejuvenate or recover, because that's where they just exhausted themselves. So creatives have to find other sources of regeneration.

Just because what you do as a hobby is what someone else does as a job, don't equate the two. There is a significant difference between the amateaur and the professional in any field. I have been a very huggy/touchy-feely person my whole life. I have a natural aptitude to healing others with my hands, and used to give great shoulder and food rubs. It was fun, relaxing, enjoyable. Then I became a massage therapist, and though I still loved doing massage, and I could find solace and strength in my work, it was WORK. When you don't HAVE to do something, the aches from the activity are just "part of the experience", but when you have to work through/past/around the pain in order to fulfill your job-requirements (do 3 deep tissue massages in a day and see just how good your hands are feeling b*tches) there is nothing enjoyable-stress free about it.

I have the greatest respect for my co-creator and Lineage artist Chris. He has doggedly stuck with the task of illustrating, coloring, revising, recreating, lettering, etc. the comic for over a decade! Now he's committed to doing it fast enough that we won't run out of new pages, regardless of posting schedule, until the project is done (which for the first GN will be between 160-240 pages). That is after doing his "day job" in order to have food to eat and a roof over his head. I admire his fortitude, determination and drive to see his art become something others will want!

So, don't spend your time in my presence talking about how "art is easy" or isn't a "real job" or "is fun". Hiking is fun... a 50 mile march is not... but both are walking!

O'ryn's first appearance

O'ryn's first appearance in http://lineage-thecomic.com!

New page up at http://lineage-thecomic.com/comic.html.

Why don't we call Lineage a "Gay XYZ Comic"?

This is a question Chris and I are asked, and which we've asked ourselves, many times. Claiming Lineage as a "Gay (Superhero, SciFi, Fantasy) Comic" would certainly attract a specific audience of devoted fans which any comic creator would long for. And, I must admit, it does seem a bit insane not to "cash in" on that rather specific genre. The argument has swung wildly over the years for and against without any real resolution.

The facts...

Lineage is the co-creation of a gay artist and I bisexual writer. Yes, all we'd have to do is add a lesbian social media expert and we'd be as queer a creative team as could be asked for. Add to the mix that the story itself has main characters of decidedly queer natures, and a host of supporting cast ranging the gamut from straight, through queer, to asexual, and you certainly have all the trappings of a maelstrom of queer opportunity hunting. We're rainbow warriors, writing and drawing strong characters of every conceivable gender and sexual identity. So yes, by nearly every measure we could with all sincerity claim that Lineage is a "gay comic".

But... 

There are certain expectations the moment one tosses the "sexual orientation" of the creators or the characters into the description/bi-line of a work. That expectation is that the work, whether SciFi, Action Adventure, Steam Punk, Fantasy, or Paranormal, will be a "romance." It has become almost a requirement that the moment orientation is advertised, "intimacy" and "sex" of said orientation become a central point to the plot (not THE, but definitely more than a side note).

And that is where the rub lies. Lineage is NOT a romance. It DOES have relationships, attractions, and intimacy. It DOES even have some sexual content. But it is not a tale of boy-meets-boy overcoming challenging odds to be together. The orientations of the characters, though vital and important aspects of their identities, have little bearing upon the central plot. So to raise the expectations of readers by adding the "Orientation" clause,only to disappoint them by not providing the hoped for content/scenes, would be a shabby thing to do.

Yeah, but...

The other side of the argument is that by not clearly stating that our comic is created and populated by queers, we are hiding behind "straight-privilege" and thereby not only lying to our straight-anticipating readers but are diminishing the relevance and visibility of an unseen and unprotected minority. Though I do not wholly agree with this argument, I can see some validity in the ethical and moral issue that a quiet minority will be a victimized minority. We are by no means ashamed of ourselves, or our characters. We believe that our characters epitomize the strengths and virtues of individual identities of all types. They won't be disguised or hidden from view, nor will there be any apologies for their existence as queer beings.

So, what do we do? Where do we draw the line between pride and prudence, honesty and vulgarity, between honoring who we are and rubbing it unnecessarily in people's faces? This is a dance we have yet to master the steps to!

It's here!

In case anyone is still watching this space, Lineage-The Comic is posted here: http://lineage-thecomic.com. There will be weekly updates to that site.