We are mere pages away from the end of this chapter, and I’m realizing that my supplies have been kind of beat to hell. I’ve been using the exact same set of markers since I started the comic in 2004 with only a couple of replacements here and there, and they’re finally reaching the point of no return. I’m trying to put together Book 2 and it’s hit me that some of my materials just aren’t going to make it through another round of abuse. (Still, I’m kind of impressed at how long I’ve been able to stretch some of this stuff. :O ) I need to find a way to replace at least some of the most worn out colors if I can, so I’ve decided to reinstate the extra page drive indefinitely; every time $25 is raised in donations or shop purchases, I’ll add another page on top of the regular weekly update, with up to 2 extra pages per week. There’s now a donation bar coded right into the sidebar that updates automatically on donations, and I’ll add stuff from the shop to the count manually. If you donate or buy from the shop, you’ll also be redirected to a shiny new wallpaper download featuring Eldora and Icy as a bonus.

Still working like a fiend on Book 2. Got half of Chapter Two pencilled and inked. Coming up with new covers. Making progress. This is going to be a fantastic portfolio piece when it’s done. :B

Other minor news bits:

New article: About the Messengers – A brief FAQ kind of thing about the Messengers. I plan on updating it more as the story goes along, but for now it is what it is.

Shop updates: I’ve updated the Shop to be more organized and to include some new stuff, like Brave Chio shirts and Icy charms! I’ve also recoded some things so that international shipping is now a built-in part of the store rather than a by-request thing. Trying to make things simpler. :v

That’s all I’ve got for now. Have an awesome week, guys! :)

The February Page Drive ended last night, and I just want to send out my thanks to everyone who contributed. Together you gained one extra page in February, which is pretty great considering how small Messenger is. You all have my gratitude. ♥

That said, I have a new scheme for extra pages this month that anybody with a little time to spare can get in on! Instead of donations this month, I’m going to be counting transcriptions. I want to make Messenger more searchable and better indexed by Google, since it makes it easier for readers to find a particular page and it also helps new readers find the comic, but there are 172 pages of Messenger to date, and only one me. Most of Chapter One is complete, but there five other completed chapters with no transcriptions at all. So here’s my plan: For every chapter that gets a complete set of transcriptions, I’ll post an extra page. That means there’s an opportunity for six extra pages this month! That’s practically double the regular number of pages!

So, GROUP EFFORT TIME! :D The first thing you need to do if you want to help is register on the forum. Making an account and logging in will allow you to access the transcription editor on each page of the comic. (To read more about how this works, visit this forum thread!) The whole process is really, really simple, and you’ll really be helping me out by adding transcriptions.

Other new stuff for this week:

Updated the links list with a couple of new exchanges.
Cast page overhaul!The old one was cluttered and hard to follow, so a fix was in order.

There’s also a new vote incentive for this week! Voting will give you a quick tutorial on how I draw Eldora!

That’s pretty much all for now. :D

It’s been a busy week for me setting things up at my new house, but I finally have a desk and a proper workspace for doing comics again, which is really exciting after drawing at random flat surfaces for the past month or so. I managed to cut my thumb pretty badly earlier in the week, which kind of sucked. I’m just glad it wasn’t my drawing hand. D:

This is the LAST FULL WEEK for the extra page drive! If you’ve been thinking about commissioning me or buying something from the shop, February 28 is the final day of the page drive! All purchases from the shop, book purchases from lulu, commissioned art, and donations (which will snag you a copy of the current donation wallpaper!) in before midnight EST on the 28th will count towards earning a new page. One bonus page has been earned so far, and there’s still hope for a second page before the week is out. No contribution is too small!

The Cast page has been updated to include better descriptions and information, as well as some side characters who are still critical to the story. Everything has also been condensed into one main page for easier reference.

I have changed the policy for comments here this week. From now on, comments on pages will automatically close after seven days. Further commentary can go on in the forum. Any comments or complaints about this change can be taken up on the forums.

As usual, there is a new vote incentive this week, featuring Finnegan! We haven’t seen much of the younger of the Chio duo yet in the story, so taking a suggestion from the forum, this week’s incentive features facts about Finnegan. (Yet another reason to join the forums if you haven’t already! I’m always interested to hear the kinds of things people want to see on the site.)

That’s about all for this week’s update. Get your shop orders/donations/commission orders in for extra pages soon! Have a great Monday, and a fantastic week!

Hope everyone had a Happy Valentine’s Day if you like that sort of thing, and a Very Pleasant February 14th if you don’t. Either way, there’s a brand-new vote incentive with Valentine’s art on TWC this week, so click to vote and check it out!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

COME JOIN THE FORUMS! The handful of users there have been pestering me to try and get more people to join, and I’m not sure how else to do that other than point out that they exist. Seriously, there are a handful of awesome people there and it would be more awesome with more awesome people. You’re an awesome person, right? There’s a place for comic discussion, talk about other stuff, and someone even PM-ed me asking about the possibility of adding an RP section. (I’m personally not into that kind of thing, but I don’t see how it’s so bad so long as everyone behaves themselves and it doesn’t get out of hand.) At any rate, if you’re reading and commenting here, there’s a lot more to be had in the forums. It’s a good time, and you should come join us.

Remember, the extra page drive is still on! We’re right on the halfway mark for the next extra page! Commissions, donations, and everything in the shop counts! If you’re tired of the one-page-a-week crawling pace the comic goes at, this is your opportunity to help push things along faster! I have 95% of this whole chapter stacked up and waiting to go, all that needs to happen is hitting the next $50 mark.

In other related notes, I have a discount code for purchasing the Chapter One book from Lulu this month. If you use the code “WINTERBOOK” at checkout, you’ll get 10% off Chapter One: Wake Up in print! It includes 20 pages of extra comics that will never see the web, along with author Q & A, concept art, and other bonus content. It’s kind of like getting the DVD of your favorite tv show, except in print form. I’ll even count February book sales towards the extra page drive!

So who exactly is stalking Eldora, anyway? You’ll have to wait till next week to find out, tee hee. (Or sign up for the forums! I usually post panels from upcoming pages in a secret members-only forum!)

Just a couple of news bits this week:

The first (and most awesome) is that the February page drive is a success so far! $54 was reached in the first week, and the first bonus page went up on Friday. The count currently stands at $74.50 – just about halfway to a second bonus page! You guys rock.

I’m not sure what the heck is going on, but I’ve getting HUGE numbers of new readers over the past few days. So, um, hi, and welcome if you’re new! Please drop in on the forums (which are eerily quiet) and make yourselves known! I haven’t even done anything special in the way of advertising lately. This is kind of cool!

The second new-ish thing is an article – About the Chios. I keep a planning notebook (basically a small-scale universe bible) full of ideas and details about the world of the comic that helps me keep the story on track. Sometimes my brain is full of swiss cheese, and I’m always afraid of leaving out a key point or not closing up a loop when I get to it, and this helps out massively. One of the most major parts of the notebook is the story of the Chios, so I thought it would be interesting to do a little writeup about Chio physiology and where they came from. It’s fairly non-spoilery as long as you’ve read through Chapter Two. I made a couple of little illustrations to go with it, and I have a few more on deck to add later. (Which are also sketchblog fodder…)

Votes have also been up for the past week! Messenger is at just about the highest it’s ever been on TWC, breaking into the low 300′s! Thank you all for your votes and your support, I really appreciate it! (Now if you could just do it again and keep voting, I’d be ecstatic!) There’s a new incentive image this week as well, featuring outtakes from the set of Messenger!

That’s all for this week… Remember the February page drive is going on all month! We’re still early in the month, so there’s plenty of time to get in on the action and tons of opportunity for extra pages!

I’ve decided to open up for commissions! I’ve been in the middle of moving house and a hundred other things that have sucked my bank account dry. I’m between jobs and the freelance work I’ve been doing has been awfully slow recently, so now seems as good a time as any to open up shop. :B

Right now, I’m available only for digital commissions, but you can read more about that by clicking here.

Taking a cue from a couple of other comics I read, I also plan to post an extra page in addition to the regular updates (and owed pages!) for every $50 collected in commissions/shop purchases/donations for the month of February! (I will post a tally in the sidebar to keep track of pages owed.)

If you are interested in commissioning me, or have any questions about the process, don’t hesitate to leave a comment or send me an email at bug [at] messenger-comic.com!