Wednesday, April 30, 2003

Aaaaand our first missed day! Rest up and don't freak out.

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:36 PM EST

Friday, April 25, 2003

Actually I don't know what I'm going to make her shoot with that bullet. But I don't want to waste it yet.

Posted by Shaenon @ 07:38 PM EST

Oh wow! That's two times I almost had her shooting the gun. I forgot she only has only bullet!!! You must be up to something!

Posted by Tom @ 03:21 PM EST

No, you can't have her shoot the statues! She only has one bullet! It looks great the way it is.

Okay, I'll send you some more scripts ASAP.

Posted by Shaenon @ 01:14 PM EST

Today's was a complete disaster. I was drawing at 2 am still. I gotta get caught up. I stared at it in the morning to look at all the issues I didn't do right cause I was too rushed and exhausted. If I was smart, I should have had her blowing the statue to bits in the 2nd panel, cause that's how the drawing came out and it would have been funny.

Anyway, let's do it! Let's bring this thing home!

Posted by Tom @ 12:54 PM EST

Thursday, April 24, 2003

Nonono, I won't tell. It's nothing big - it's just what I've settled on as the image toward which I want to navigate the story. We'll get to it pretty soon anyway.

Posted by Shaenon @ 07:57 PM EST

Oooh tell me the last panel please. Don't tell me anymore. Just the last panel!

Have a great Wondercon too!

Posted by Tom @ 06:41 PM EST

It looks fine. I'll send you more scripts soon - hopefully over the weekend, although Wondercon may hold me up.

We're close to the end. I now know what the last panel in this storyline will be.

Posted by Shaenon @ 05:38 PM EST

24 minutes late! That was a really really tough one. I can't seem to draw anymore.

t

Posted by Tom @ 01:25 AM EST

Monday, April 21, 2003

Yeah, those need to be flopped around. Although actually they make okay sense either way.

I can't believe you're caught up already! I'll send you more! I've got to get Vera some Li'l Mell thumbnails, too... good thing I'm still several weeks ahead on Narbonic...

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:11 PM EST

Friday, April 18, 2003

Wait- so yesterdays was todays and vice versa? It still reads, but I guess it makes more sense. A lot, actually.

Posted by Tom @ 02:08 PM EST

The order of the 4/17 and 4/18 strips is reversed. The 4/18 strip is supposed to come first. Did I mix them up? If so, sorry.

I cannot wait to see the French Trunks.

Posted by Shaenon @ 01:25 PM EST

Thursday, April 17, 2003

I don't know how it all got away from me. I'm holding up fine. It should be no problem to get back on track a little tomorrow and Saturday, but I will never be more than 3-5 days ahead for the duration of this run, I'm sure of it.

Today's IS nice. I like it. These have been really really fun lately. Can't wait to see what the hell is going to happen when Hutch storms TTown (a VERY FUNNY twist!)

Don't forget to think big full page ttown kids things for Nickelodeon after the run is over!

PS- I have some gifts for you- Trunktown in French in Phacochere. Typically they neglected your bi-line, but you're of course credited in the strips. It's that communication breakdown- I kept telling them to put you in. Anyway, that and the Alternative Comics offering for "Free Comic Day" has two cluttered pages of Trunktown in it too.

And will you tell me where I can read your anime reviews again? I always miss it.

Posted by Tom @ 01:39 PM EST

Today's looks awesome! I am so happy with the way it turned out. How're you holding up?

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:19 PM EST

Today's went up 8 minutes late by my clock.

Posted by Tom @ 01:11 AM EST

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

yeah i got them ! I love them- when i said the new strips are greeeattt that's what i meant

Posted by Tom @ 02:00 PM EST

Eek! Hurry hurry hurry!

Did you get the new thumbnails?

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:41 PM EST

oh my god I haven't drawn tomorrow's striiiipppppp yet!

Posted by Tom @ 10:07 AM EST

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

new strips are greaatttttt

Posted by Tom @ 09:45 PM EST

Monday, April 14, 2003

oops!

Posted by Tom @ 04:59 PM EST

Tom, you've gotta fix the dialogue in the last panel of today's strip! It's "He never has time for me, Thurber."

Otherwise, the new strips look great. I'll send more tonight, I promise. It should be pretty easy to write from here on out.

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:29 PM EST

Sunday, April 13, 2003

3 more ready. hoping to hit 2 more and be thusly caught up by end of day.

t

Posted by Tom @ 02:49 PM EST

Friday, April 11, 2003

The dossier's helped me sweat out a busy weak. Strange thing is, I'm not sure why it was so busy or why I was so incabable of drawing.

Anyway, I have 5 scripts ahead of me, and one of those is totally drawn and colored and merely waiing for text, so more scripts would be great, but won't be urgent until mid-next week.

I'll post new ones Sunday.

Posted by Tom @ 03:47 PM EST

Okay, so now that we've got the dossier in the can, how far ahead are you? You need more scripts ASAP? I'll get you some tonight.

Posted by Shaenon @ 02:11 PM EST

Wednesday, April 9, 2003

I can't believe Andrew tattled on me. I'm going to get him.

Posted by Shaenon @ 02:34 PM EST

Shaenon- you are ordered to find this book! IMPRO by Keith Johnstone and read the 50 something page chapter on "Status" and especially the master / servant relationship. It's so great; illuminating the possible results and potential in the differences in status between characters, how that can shift, etc. It's so great! Check it out.

And Andrew said you never read Ben Katchor. Read some Katchor!

Posted by Tom @ 09:06 AM EST

Monday, April 7, 2003

Finished the dossiers. Glad to be caught up, thanks. And I think they're very funny. The mayor is the best one. You're a good satirist in these trying times.

Let me know what you think of them.

Now on the drawings for 120 and on.

t

Posted by Tom @ 09:43 PM EST

Hey Shaenon- ok renumber your new strips beginning with 125- thanks! Think I finally made some time to move this thing forward a bit. How are we doing on this thing anyway?

Tom

Posted by Tom @ 06:36 PM EST

Yeesh, who cares what Milo thinks? The dossier is cracking me up. I like the Flats farmer in the second strip.

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:34 PM EST

The Frick'like dossier was harder to do than I thought. A lot of preliminary drawing involved and frankly, I didn't do enough. I'm so swamped this week. And with the recent comment about our strip looking like the work of "ADD sufferers" I'm afraid I'm offering up the best example of this yet.

But it's pretty freakin funny.

Posted by Tom @ 01:50 AM EST

Friday, April 4, 2003

dossier: genius. you are a genius. more soon.

Posted by Tom @ 11:11 AM EST

Thursday, April 3, 2003

Don't do the Frick thing unless you want to. Heck I don't need to draw out the ending- it just might be fun, and the obviously inherent satire -without even trying- possibilities to current world scenerios would be really fun.

The author of the review was "Mariko" someone. I agree with your Roy Crane comment. I think Roy drew much more substantial backgrounds didn't he? And cartoony but realistic figures. IE- maybe a tiny bit like Baldy but like no one else.

I agree that we started out scattered. More power to us! My favorite line is the one about playing with toys! Yes! That is what we were doing! Right on! And we had no idea what we were doing; we were playing. But I think the last few months or at least month have gotten really focused, funny and well drawn.

More power to us!

t

Posted by Tom @ 12:31 PM EST

Oh, and I agree with the ADD line! Not so much anymore, but definitely in the early strips.

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:02 PM EST

Incidentally, where are the supposed constant allusions to Roy Crane coming from? Spurgeon mentioned him, too, and the sad truth is that I've never read any Crane. I'm just ripping off Segar.

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:00 PM EST

Oh, man, that Journal quote is amazing. About what I expected, of course. Who wrote it?

I have to pick up a copy of TCJ anyway, because supposedly it has a transcript of the underground comix panel that was held at the Cartoon Art Museum a few months ago, with an intro written by Andrew. He still hasn't gotten his $8.00 check for writing it. Oh well.

I have thought it over, and I think I can do a week of Frick's dossier. Will send soon - tonight or tomorrow.

Posted by Shaenon @ 11:58 AM EST

Wednesday, April 2, 2003

Re: Comics Journal review- I think they're right! (though I think the ADD reference is a slightly caprecious exaggeration.) More later.

Posted by Tom @ 07:24 PM EST

This from the new Comics Journal:

"...Trunktown looks like the work of ADD sufferers whise only reference for how comics work was a fragment of the Smithsonian Collection of Newspaper Comics; the sort of half-assed artistic dress up on display here... most Trunktown strips scream "Hey Look I'm doing comics like Roy Crane! Hey look, now I'm Segar! Hey look, I'm Ham Fisher!" ad nauseum as the strips's narrative shifts from scene to scene and character to character with the randomness of children playing with their toys..."

YES!

Posted by Tom @ 07:23 PM EST

Billiant idea to stall - er - grant us another week:

Cardboard Flats Dossier by Frick. Basically, like, this is Frick's information to the king about civil and military matters at Cardboard Flats based on survellence, intelligence, etc.

I'll draw it like Frick would- in pencil, fast, it will help us get caught up, unless it will ruin the momentum.

Frnkly, I think it would build momentum, since we still haven't seen Cardboard Flats yet, so we can do this, then bring out the trebuchet and wham! Ending!

Thoughts? Can you write 5 strips like this?

t

Posted by Tom @ 10:21 AM EST

Tuesday, April 1, 2003

"Cardboard Flats" by the spouses, eh? I like it.

Let's see how it goes. Seems a shame to take one of the final weeks off. We've got good momentum.

Posted by Tom @ 12:48 PM EST

Li'l Mell starts Wednesday. It is, as you know, fantastic.

You know, if you feel we're too close to the wire, we can always take a week off. There is no shame in it. Andrew and Leela can draw "Cardboard Flats" in the interim. ;)

I watched the entire fourth series of Blackadder last week. Best. Show. Ever.

Posted by Shaenon @ 12:34 PM EST

New strips- great!

No tme.

Where is Lil Mell?

I think this is going to be down to the wire. We've been so good about being ahead of schedule, but I can tell, I'll be drawing that final episode at 11:58 pm the night before it goes live.

Watched a Black Adder (II: "Potato") episode this weekend for the first time in years. So great! I love Baldrick so much.

Onward to TRUNKTOWN II, TRUNKTOWN III and TRUNKTOWN GOES FOURTH!!

Posted by Tom @ 09:15 AM EST