Zeros 2 Heroes - The People's Publisher

So after some time, I've managed to get through a good portion of the comics. Not all, mind you, I have to be honest, but most. And I have to say that, at this point, the comic that is clearly [in my mind] the best of the bunch is Knightcap: November's Song [and not ONLY because it's set near Toronto].

From front to back, top to bottom, Steven may be [again, in my opinion] the best writer we have on here, at least as far as these examples show. The dialogue is brisk, character-specific, realistic and natural-sounding, and, above all, actually funny. It was, quite simply, a joy to read. And the art! The art is beautiful. It's stylized, which may or may not be your cup of tea, but I can not see anyone not liking THIS style. It works so well in the context of this story, and, honestly, it just looks like a real, proper comic.

Now, don't get me wrong, it's not 100% perfect. There are a few times, 4 or 5 maybe, where some of the "monologue" captions could be snipped out. Some of them are redundant, and don't serve the overall flow. They reiterate where the joke would better sit on its own, without Eric's off-the-cuff retort. But like I said, these are scant, and with some slight judicious trimming this comic could be almost perfect.

But still, as is, it's a great read. It is a crime that this book has as few fans as it has right now. Read it. Love it!!

Well done! I just love both the main characters here. Good dialog, funny situations, this thing hits on all cylinders.

Wow, what a crazy week, huh?

I?d call it a roller coaster, but I suspect now that roller coasters will seem pretty tame compared to the experience of the past few days. November?s Song was going up and down so much, I thought I was going to be seasick. I don?t know how closely the rest of you were following the CCCN charts, but I was checking the page on as close to an hourly basis as I could manage over the weekend?and on the last day alone, the #1 slot must have changed hands about five times.

Five times. Seriously. I think I?ve gained back all the weight I lost the week I was sick, and then some, just from stress-eating.

Y?know what, though? Totally worth it.

Ladies and gentlemen, from the bottom of my heart?from the soles of my feet?thank you for seeing the potential in November?s Song. Especially to folks like VWG, MrIrony Tenzil Kem and mariathedreamer, who went out of their way to talk it up and generally remind people it was there when I wasn?t around to do so myself. Also, to the panel of The Gutter?Lord Maim, Fetternity, Crackwalker, Domestibot, and special guests Yen and Yog-Sothoth?whose spot-on criticism of the pitch really helped me to tighten it up just when it needed it most. And of course, to everyone who voted for and commented on the pitch, provided much-needed words of encouragement, and generally held my hand as I endured the ups and downs of the white water rapids of the CCN chart.

Most of all, though, I?d like to thank the community at large for making this a fun, instructive, and comfortable place to be?and perhaps most importantly, the kind of place where it?s safe to take risks. I?m constantly amazed at how supportive, friendly and helpful the members of Z2H are towards people they?re in direct competition with. It?s a rare thing to see, especially on the interwebs, and everyone here should be proud of themselves for it.

Thanks again, all. Muchly. I'll see you in the funny pages! 

I haven't seen it reflected in the 'This Just In' section of the front page yet, but I updated November's Song tonight with a couple (rather inaccurately named) FAQ's. Both address some nagging issues brought up by the panel in last week's episode of The Gutter ...namely, what happened to Eric's parents, and what the deal is with the original Knightcap's involvement in a rather infamous event of WWII.

Originally, I'd intended to work these into the character profiles for Knightcap and Golden Age Knightcap respectively, but especially in the latter case, the explanations that resulted grew to warrant their own entries. Ideally, I would have called them 'Character Commentaries', but the character limit in the 'title' field forced me to abbreviate them to 'FAQs'... despite being questions that have really only been asked once.

Anyway, please check them out and lend me your feedback....especially the answer to the WWII question in particular, which I hope lends Eric and his grandfather some dramatic weight--something I know some of you have felt they've been lacking thus far. Let me know if I got it right!

(OK, so it's not my pithiest blog title ever...but given that my brain is currently melting and leaking out my ears, it's the best I could do.) 

I've spent the day revising and updating the script pages for November's Song , incorporating many of the suggestions made by our illustrious panel on the last episode of The Gutter, including adding a few new pages that hopefully end the first issue on a more compelling note.

Overall, I think it's stronger for the changes. I lost the Herschel introduction--boo-urns!--but gained a cameo for True North, who I'd initially fretted about not fitting into the first issue. And the extra space that changing the ending afforded me also let me lay out both the apartment and rooftop scenes a little better, and let them breathe--in going back over it, I could see those pages would have been far too cramped the way they were.

I still need to comb through the rest of the pitch and make some alterations here and there...but later, when my brain isn't quite so melty.