Hey, Industry Professionals! It’s that time again where we all vote for our favorite Eisner nominees. This year, as many of you already know, I’ve been nominated in the Best Digital Comic category for this project, the Process. This is a huge deal to me. If you haven’t already read the comic, do so now! The journey starts here. When you’re done, head on over to the Eisner voting website, www.eisnervote.com and cast your vote for your favorites. If you took a shine to the Process and think it deserves wider recognition, I would very much appreciate your vote! Thanks for your support, everyone!

I’m speechless. Unfortunately, that isn’t conducive for writing posts so I’m putting aside all stupefaction to confirm that the Process has been nominated for an Eisner Award in the Best Digital Comic category! This is the single greatest honor (besides winning) that could be bestowed on this project and I am very fortunate to be in such esteemed company as the other finalists, The Abominable Charles Christopher by Karl Kerschl, Billy Dogma, Immortal, by Dean Haspiel, PX! By Manny Trembley and Eric A. Anderson and Sugarshock!, by Joss Whedon and Fabio Moon. The awards ceremony, held during San Diego’s Comicon International, will be at a gala event on July 25th, 2008.

When this really sinks in, I’ll write a followup post but in the meantime, I’d like to thank the judges for their consideration and thank YOU for supporting this project.

Best,

Joe

Okay, folks, this is the horse’s mouth and I’m here to let you all know that next Monday June 23rd, Ultra-Lad will be hitting Act-i-vate! Look for the graphic to the left to be your gateway.

Unlike this site, The Transmigration of Ultra-Lad will be updated regularly on a bi-weekly basis. I apologize to fans of this webcomic as I settle out my work schedule and resume posting new pages of the Process. Take heart, The Transmigration of Ultra-lad is part of the Process! As I may have already mentioned it’s a future chapter that doubles as a standalone story. Here’s the back story:

While rummaging through the attic of my childhood home, I found a very mysterious old comic. I had been up there to look for some of my older comics from when I was a teen and this comic, “the New Adventures of Ultra-lad” was not at all familiar to me. I did a little research on it and it appears to have been a comic printed very shortly before the “Seduction of the Innocent” controversy and as a result of that, this ashcan comic never saw print as it was ultimately intended. In fact, the New Adventures of Ultra-lad was to be the flagship of the startup, Jolly Brand Comics. Publisher Arnie F Junio had sunk all of his money into getting Ultra-lad off the ground and the whole venture collapsed when the gavel fell and the writing was on the wall for comics. The artist and/or writer for this book are not credited and I fear their name(s) are lost to posterity.
So there I was with this rare comic whose art and dialogue is remarkably ahead of its time and whose story ties in strongly with my own work!  I couldn’t let it  or the creators pass away into obscurity. When the opportunity to do a webcomic on Act-i-vate came up, I discussed a few possibilities with Alexis Sottile. This time around we thought I should do something unconventional and post up pages from this comic that has inspired me so much. It’s a way for this lost tale to be brought to light and made available for anyone to enjoy for free. The comic itself is at times funny and campy but not without serious subtext. It deals with a lot of the issues of youth, growing up and growing old; things that will resonate with many comics readers in today’s market: the older comix reader who thrills at being transported to his youth and the young comix reader who delights at Ultra-lad’s outrageous feats of daring adventure and action.

So there you have it! See you next Monday at Act-i-vate.com!

After a little trepidation with the USPS/Canadian Postal Service, the drawing giveaway reached its destination yesterday safe and sound. PHEW! Once again, I not only got a confirmation email but photographic documentation to boot! Daniel Lafrance apparently didn’t let it rest for any period of time before it was up on his wall! He received it yesterday and in the same afternoon had this image fired off to me.

Thanks for the pic, Daniel! Once again, I am left with a warm feeling with the happiness that my art has brought someone else. You guys are the greatest. Thank you.

Now, you’re probably all wondering if I get such a warm fuzzy from showing you my art why I have been so stingy of late. Yes, I’ll admit that this project has suffered from neglect and I promise that will soon change. I am currently in the process of finishing up one project as I prepare to launch a couple more. My previous state of the webcomic address was before the Eisner Nomination and my opportunities have multiplied since then. It’s been a bit of a juggling act trying to keep all the balls in the air. But come early June, you will all have some more graphic storytelling from me. I’ve already hinted at it but I’ll have to say this. It is a future chapter of ‘the Process’ told out of sequence in searing four-color glory. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry and you’ll be thrilled. That’s a promise. Once this project launches, I can then go back to a regular schedule of Borrowed Time 3, the Process and ‘PROJECT X’. Thank you for your patience and loyalty.

Here’s proof that satisfaction is guaranteed when you commission a sketch. Not only did I get an email when the piece was delivered but an email full of photos posing with the sketch! This level of enthusiasm deserves recognition and here it is:

This gentleman is a fan of this project and was particularly keyed up about Ultra-Lad. So much so in fact, that I had to warn him that if he sent me any more ideas about the character, I’d have to credit him! In all sincerity, this sort of thing really makes me feel good…it’s not often that I get to meet someone this excited about one of my creations. Frankly, his enthusiasm is infectious and I am very thankful to have his support. Cheers, you are a Prince among men

Want to join in the love? Well, it’s a simple donation away. A $25 donation gets you a black and white sketch and a $50 donation or more gets you a full color sketch such as this. Please note, photos of you with the sketch are optional and public display of said photos is not required.