I've been pushing to build a buffer on my comics for the last few weeks, and there's a very good reason... like last year, UnCONventional will be updating five days a week (and in full color) during the month of November.
I did this as an experiment last year, with the "I Hate November" storyline - and the reaction was positive. I Hate November was a serious storyline though, and I know it was outside the normal comedy of the comic. And while drama can be enjoyable, I know there are a few of you who just clicked off until December 1st came around.
For that percentage of my readership, the following news should come as a relief: This year's November event is going to remain comedic.
"In the Beginning," if you couldn't tell by the title, is going to document the first Bork Con. That's right, all of those Chapter 3 flashbacks? They totally had a point. Of course, I've had to avoid revisiting them for a chunk of the year with the Bork Con 2012 storyline, so you can see why I'd want to finish it off...
It'll be fun, trust me.
- Traegorn
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 So my convention schedule is ever changing, so I thought I'd add an update to where you can find me over the course of the near future.
First and foremost, I'm going to be at KokomoCon in Kokomo, IN on Saturday. So if you're in Indiana, you should definitely come find me there. I'll have copies of all my books and some prints (which I only sell at cons) available for sale, so you should definitely swing by this one day con if you can.
From November 16th to 18th, I'll be back in my old stomping grounds of Wisconsin for Daisho Con 2012. It's being held at the Kalahari Resort in Wisconsin Dells yet again, and anyone who knows me knows that this is literally one of my favorite conventions in the whole world. Whether you're there to see me or not, you should definitely try to fit this event into your calendar if you can.
Some of you may have noticed I've added a couple of spring dates to the calendar as well. The spring schedule is still in flux (as there are at least two events I'm waiting to hear back from), but there are two places I am certain to be -- so I thought I should mention them.
First off, I will be appearing as a guest at AnomalyCon 2013 from March 29th to 31st in Denver, Colorado. It's a steampunk convention, and this is my first year going to it so I'm fairly excited. Frankly, it's been over fifteen years since I was last in Colorado, so that's just exciting on its own in general. I know I mostly center my con activities in the Midwest, so this will be a bit more of a trip than most cons I go to.
But if I can cross a couple of timezones, so should you.
Come to AnomalyCon.
Yes.
I added No Brand Con to the schedule as it's my home con, and we all know that I'll be there hosting events come hell or high water. But we all knew that already, right? Yeah.
- Traegorn
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 I've been a reader of webcomics by David Willis since right about the beginning of It's Walky!. I, of course, archive binged and read his Roomies! comic that led into it when I started, and have been reading his work ever since.
That's... a long time.
I haven't read those original comics since I first went through them over a decade ago, so when Mr. Willis started reposting the comics on a new site (BringBackRoomies.com) with additional commentary, needless to say I was elated. In truth, most of the commentary involves David Willis mocking himself, but it also adds depth to character motivations - along with understanding how much is autobiographical (and what he was just flailing around with). What I've discovered though was that I, as a reader, had been interpreting one of the leads (Danny) completely differently than David Willis ever meant the reader to.
I had the character dead wrong.
See, what I was unaware of as a reader initially was that the David Willis of the late nineties (unlike the David Willis of today) was a fundamentalist Christian. Danny, the lead, likewise was intended to be one. There were small hints sprinkled in, but as I grew up entirely outside that world (raised agnostic, used to be an Atheist, and for over fifteen years I've been a Wiccan) I totally didn't get them.
And while I assumed Danny was a Christian, as most Americans identify as such, I assumed he was of the more secular mindset like most of my friends who are Christian. In other words, in the absence of proof, I strongly assumed the character was more like, well... me.
Not only that, but when presented with evidence that the character wasn't like me (as in the linked comic you'll find if you click on the panel above) I completely reinterpreted the character motivations to match my idea of who they are. My mental version of that scene and what David Willis intended when he wrote it are lightyears apart... and what he intended is (honestly) the much more obvious version.
But since this was back in the day where comics didn't have comment sections and readers rarely interacted with the cartoonists of their favorite webcomics, I kept on assuming I was right. And when later comics DID incorporate much more author interaction, David Willis had already changed to a much more liberal mindset... so there was little evidence that he'd have written Danny that way.
Now I'm learning about this character all over again, and I'm faced with a choice: Do I continue to imagine my version of Danny or do I recalibrate to the author's initial intent?
On the one hand, frankly, I like mine better. If I'd understood Mr. Willis's intent at the beginning, I might not have kept reading all those years ago. On the other hand, I'm such a staunch defender of my own characters that I'd feel like a hypocrite not accepting the Author's version.
It's a puzzle, and one that I'm not sure has an easy answer.
- Traegorn
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So yesterday's installment of The Chronicles of Crosarth features our heroes' ship, the HMS Hummingbird, chasing down a smaller airship.
When presenting this I, of course, attempt to make it look as dramatic as possible - and the Hummingbird overtaking the other ship is presented thusly:
But we really need to ask a simple question -- how fast are these ships actually traveling?
The Hummingbird is supposed to be the fastest airship ever built (in the world of the comic), but I am wary to assign a specific top speed to the craft here (to avoid contradicting myself in the comic later). The limit lies with the other ship though - as it has some serious limitations.
First off, the smaller airship has two envelopes of lifting gas, one on each side. These are too small to be the only mode of lift (the fictional, laws of physics defying material Gravitronium supplying the rest). An envelope, in high speed, can begin to deform. Secondly, this is not exactly an aerodynamic craft and it's being propelled by a single prop.
In the end, the intended speed of this chase? 20-30 miles per hour.
Needless to say, I may have taken some liberties with the speed blurs in the image.
- Traegorn
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It's coming. It's finally coming. Rejoice, dance, wear silly hats, and celebrate -- for it's on the way.
...I thought it was driving me nuts waiting for it to ship, but now instead it's driving me nuts reloading the tracking data.
I am going to end up driving my wife insane.
- Traegorn
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 Last week I wrote about my initial reactions to CBS's Elementary. I only touched on Lucy Liu's Joan Watson briefly in that article, but after watching the second episode of the series I wanted to talk again about her version of the archetypical sidekick. What I said last week I still stand by though - while Liu is wonderful in the role, she isn't really quite playing a real Dr. Watson.
...Yet.
I've seen a lot of people complain about Watson being a woman in Elementary, but honestly gender flipping the character was a minor change. No, the reason Liu's Joan Watson isn't quite a real Dr. Watson has nothing to do with whether or not the character has two X chromosomes or an X and a Y.
It's about background and motivation.
The background changes to the character can't really be adjusted -- as far as anyone can tell from two episodes, Joan lacks the military background normally associated with the character. It may seem like a small point to some, but there it is. Either way, that will never change - Watson isn't going to go to war between episodes and come back shot in the leg and/or shoulder (depending on which Arthur Conan Doyle story you're reading).
Well, unless they get super desperate during May Sweeps.
The more important point though, is Watson's motivation. Joan Watson is Sherlock's "Sober Companion" in Elementary. She's not there for the mystery, she's not there for the excitement -- she's there to make sure Sherlock doesn't give in to his addiction. Her focus is on the man, and while she's aiding in the investigations, it's not her reason for being present. And that's the biggest reason she's not quite a true Dr. Watson.
Again, I say "yet."
Because Joan Watson's arc is clearly going to be her character getting hooked on the mystery over the first six episodes. It's a six week contract for her to watch Mr. Holmes, and I'm fairly certain they want to have the series last longer than that. The first part of this season is going to see Liu's Joan acquire the motivations which will make her a true Dr. Watson.
She'll still lack the background, but the motivation is always the most important part.
- Traegorn
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Today's random art is from Monday's page of The Chronicles of Crosarth. Our heroes are in pursuit of a yet unnamed airship, and you can see Friday perched on the open hull door of the HMS Hummingbird.
Not a lot to say about this particular image other than that I thought it looked cool, so I figured I'd share the full color version with everyone.
But that's what most of these "random art" posts are like anyway.
- Traegorn
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 I'm a big fan of the Moffat and Gatiss series Sherlock, so when CBS announced they were doing their own version of a 21st Century Sherlock Holmes with the title Elementary I was both skeptical and interested at the same time. Interested because, frankly, I love Sherlock Holmes -- skeptical because I knew CBS had been turned down when they tried to acquire the rights to adapt Sherlock itself.
And last night Elementary hit the American air waves, sending Jonny Lee Miller's incarnation of the character out into the world.
To his credit, "Zero Cool" did not disappoint in his performance. While his interpretation varies greatly from Cumberbatch's in Sherlock, I found it to be an equally valid interpretation of the character. Channeling something halfway between Robert Downey Jr. and Jeremy Brett, Jonny Lee Miller manages to be both grungy and aloof. Cumberbatch's sharp edged version may remain my favorite onscreen interpretation of Holmes, but I can accept Jonny Lee Miller into my pantheon of Sherlocks.
I honestly don't have a lot to critique here, because Jonny Lee Miller frankly does a good job in the part.
But we all know a good Holmes is only half of the equation - the rest of the weight falls on our Watson. Casting a woman as Watson seemed like a deliberate attempt to distance Elementary from Sherlock, but Joan Watson's gender isn't the biggest change to the character. Rather than a former member of the military, our new Watson is a surgeon who lost her medical license, hired to look after Sherlock by Sherlock's father.
Honestly, Joan Watson feels light years away from John Watson. It's near impossible to compare Martin Freeman's performance in the part to Lucy Liu's because of it. They really are two completely different characters, whose only thing in common are the name and being companion to a man named Holmes.
That isn't to say she isn't good. Liu's performance as Watson (at least in the first episode) is interesting and likable. She's no Martin Freeman, but honestly... who is?
Moving beyond the lead actors, there are a few important things to note. Elementary deviates from the standard Holmes story greatly beyond setting it in New York. As stated before, Watson has been hired by Holmes's father to watch him. That in itself alters the dynamic greatly. It's hard to tell how old our Holmes is supposed to be because of this, as he must be younger than the 39 year old Jonny Lee Miller. This version of Holmes is a recovering addict (which makes perfect sense in a modern interpretation of the character), but being financially reliant on a rich father? That's new. Frankly, Holmes's parentage is never really talked about in the original texts.
The visual tone of Elementary is very different than Sherlock, trading the stark contrasts of the BBC series for a warmer palette. The story of the first episode, being set in the standard 40-something minute episode length of American Television, felt a little more formulaic - but that is frankly fine. I like a good American crime show, and putting Sherlock Holmes into it can only improve the genre. Frankly, if I were to compare it to another series, Castle would come to mind long before Sherlock.
But again, I like Castle, so that's not a bad thing.
In the end, Elementary isn't my favorite interpretation of Holmes, but it's not a bad one -- and I'm more than happy to use it to fill my time waiting for Series 3 of Sherlock.
- Traegorn
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Today's random art is part of a panel from one of next week's pages of The Chronicles of Crosarth. I won't say too much (so I can avoid spoilers), but it's obviously Friday, and she's crouching on an open hull door of the Hummingbird while it's in midflight.
Chapter Five was all talk, Chapter Six... won't be.
- Traegorn
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So my convention schedule is ever changing, so I thought I'd add an update to where you can find me over the course of the near future.
Last week 
I'm a big fan of the Moffat and Gatiss series Sherlock, so when CBS announced they were doing their own version of a 21st Century Sherlock Holmes with the title Elementary I was both skeptical and interested at the same time. Interested because, frankly, I love Sherlock Holmes -- skeptical because I knew CBS had been turned down when they tried to acquire the rights to adapt Sherlock itself.