This year felt like a huge advancement in the things I’ve learned about making comics; from writing and art, all the way down to promotion and running advertising on the site. 2010 has been the first time I’ve truly had a chance to sit down and work through an entire chapter of the comic at once instead of working on it when I can, and I feel that the quality of it has improved overall as a result. This is kind of a bittersweet thing, since I’ve spent most of the year aggressively job-hunting – but I’ve also learned a lot about advertising, and have managed to make enough of a profit via advertising to pay (at least) for groceries in addition to the upkeep of comic-making supplies. I may be a broke artist, but at least I’m not starving! While I know that I’ll never be able to turn this comic into a full-time job, it’s an exciting and satisfying feeling to know that I’ve been able to do as much as I have just in the span of this past year and it feels worthwhile to have spent all this (unfortunate) free time I’ve had working on it.

Statistics-wise, 2010 has brought a huge jump in readership – up 66% on average, with about 200-300 more views daily over the same time last year. I’ve put a little bit of effort into finding new readers and getting the comic out there this year, so it’s really cool to see this pay off. That said, if you’re reading this out there (and I know you are) don’t be afraid to chime in on the comments or on the forum! I don’t bite, and your feedback is a huge motivating factor for me. My fanart section has almost tripled in size from what it used to be, and it’s still super humbling every time I get a piece of art from a reader. Knowing that I’ve produced something that people enjoy enough to say so or even to draw or write something based on it is such a cool feeling, and I don’t think it will ever get old. :)

All things considered, 2010 was fantastic. For once I really feel like I’ve made massive steps from where I started when I first put the comic online in 2004. If all goes according to plan, 2011 will be even better. My next steps include starting work on book 3 as soon as possible, getting through the rest of Part 1 of the main comic, and possibly doing some side stories from the Messenger universe.

But most of all, none of this would be possible without you – the readers. So, a huge thanks to you for all your support! I hope you’ll stick with me for whatever is to come. Happy 2011! ♥

These pages have been updated this week:

• Cast
• Q&A
• Story Guide
• Links

Additionally, you can also check out the new wiki for more in-depth information!

Thanks for reading, and check back Monday for the next comic page! (Did you know that you can have comic updates delivered straight to your email inbox?)

If by chance you do find something that just isn’t working right, please don’t hesitate to let me know in a comment or in this forum thread. I was pretty thorough about bughunting, but there’s always something that slips by.

There’s also a new vote incentive up for now, just a drawing from the 100 themes meme I have not been keeping up with at all.

Please also consider voting for other Hive Comics!

The Halloween wallpaper is still available by voting this week, though I will probably change the incentive sometime soon, so if you haven’t downloaded it yet you still have a chance to!

That’s basically it for now. New page Friday!

There’s a new vote incentive this week featuring some doodles from my sketchbook explaining Kenakobe armor. It’s not terribly complex stuff, but you work with what you’ve got when you’re out there trying to survive!

(Remember to Vote for Hive! Hive Votes now has a fancy Twitter widget so you can check up on what the latest updates are!)

On the forum, there’s a new thread for Chapter Nine stuff I might post while working. Right now there’s a preview for page 2. You need a forum account to view it, but it’s free and easy to join!

I think I’m going to continue the twice a week updates for now because I like the pace the comic is moving at, and it’s really not that much more challenging to do two updates a week. If I had tried this a few years back it never would have worked, but I’ve hit a point where it comes pretty easily now. I might reinstate the donations/shop option for extra pages on top of the regular two, but we’ll see how it goes.

Check back Friday for the next page! (Or check the forum and be spoiled.)

Over the past few days I’ve been doing a live stream of work on pages for one of the minicomics I’m making for book 2. This is easier than streaming work on regular comic pages, because I’m doing it entirely digitally! I’ve usually been doing about one stream a day with at least one complete page, sometimes more, so if you tune in to watch you can see some of the print-exclusive stuff! You’ll have to pick up a copy of the book to see the whole thing, but I thought it could be fun to let you guys in on things as they happen. You can view streams live at Radio Chio on Ustream, and you can follow @Radio_Chio for updates on when they’re happening! They’re generally pretty spontaneous as far as schedule goes, but I’ve been doing them in the afternoons and late nights EST. Hopefully I’ll see you there!

I’m also planning on posting previews and other bits from the book as I work on it, and have already started a thread here on the forum. The one caveat is that you have to be a registered member to view it! Registering is quick and easy, and will allow you to view other extra content as well!

The book is falling together pretty nicely, although it’s taking me longer to complete than I had originally planned. At this rate, I’ll probably finish sometime around mid-July and submit it for print shortly after. I’m not sure how long it will take for the printers to do their thing, so I’d guess mid to late August. I’ve submitted the reformat of book 1 to the printer as well, and haven’t heard back yet, so I guess we’ll see how it goes. I’ve also added a poll to the right-hand sidebar looking for input on preorders! Once book 2 is closer to completion, I am considering doing a preorder deal where you order a copy in advance from me, and I’ll sign it and draw something for you, as well as include some extra goodies. :3 But first, I need to gauge the interest level, so if you could spare me two seconds with your opinion, I’d really appreciate it!

As a rough estimate, I’d guess that the preorder bundle would be about $20 including shipping in the US, possibly a tiny bit more or less. (And a bit more for international shipping.) I plan to include both books with custom sketches in the front, two stickers, and possibly a bookmark or something similar. This could change at any time, but this is what the numbers are telling me at the moment. :v

That’s about all for now. The vote incentive updates on Tuesday with the final page of Gears, so stay tuned!

If you’re feeling kind, I’d really appreciate a vote this week! Messenger has been consistently stuck at the 252 spot on TWC for ALL OF MAY. My goal for June is to get anywhere above 200, so I’m hoping you guys will stick with me! Make a bookmark to the vote page and vote every day! Since it’s the last day of May, we’ll have a head start to gain some ground over the course of this week while TWC resets and everyone settles back into their places. Also, remember that for the next 3 weeks the vote incentive will be a new minicomic featuring Luke and Aki. Click on Luke below to go vote! ♥

I had a ton of fun working on this week’s page. I don’t often get to add in extra sound effects and stuff like that, so I really enjoy coming up with them when I do. In this case, trying to figure out what ancient speakers broadcasting a digitized voice would look like. :B

So, there’s just one page left for Chapter Seven, and the debate from a few weeks ago about whether Eldora survives will be settled at last! Meanwhile, there’s a poll about this on the forums. “Eldora lives!” is currently winning with 80% of the votes. But what do you think?

Been working away on book pages, as well. After I get a more decently-sized chunk of them completed, I plan to scan and post rough versions on the forums. I’m really happy with the way they’re turning out so far. My next plan is to set a deadline for myself to have everything completed. In my head, this is the end of June, but knowing myself I’m not sure how well I’ll stick to that. I think it’s definitely do-able, if I keep a decent pace. We’ll see how that goes.

In other miscellaneous notes, I’ve been tweaking the site a bit to make the ads more streamlined. They’re useful in that they help to fund the site and comic supplies (and groceries) but I have a hard time actually making them “fit” in. I decluttered things a bit and stuck them in their own neat boxes, and so far I’m pretty happy with the result. I also added a big vote link that’s at the top of every page now, in hopes of getting Messenger a bit further up the list at TWC. :B

That’s all I’ve got for this update. Thanks for reading!

During this session, for the first hour I plan on working on some of the refreshed pages I’m doing for Chapter Two which will be part of the Chapter Two book I’m planning on releasing this summer, like the first book I did last year. During the second hour (and longer, if it goes that way) I’m going to take reader questions live in the chat and via Twitter. If you can’t make the live session, you can also ask questions now through comments here or on Formspring and I’ll answer them during the stream session! I am planning on recording the whole session so it can be watched later, so you’ll still get to see an answer to your question. :)

There’s a new forum thread available if you want to ask comic questions or have other questions/chat about the stream session. You might also want to try visiting Messenger’s ustream.tv channel in advance to see if it works on your computer. Chances are, if you can watch Youtube videos, you’ll be able to tune in for the stream session. Try it out!

**Edit! As an aside, you shouldn’t NEED a ustream.tv account to participate in the chat/stream session, but it might be a good thing as you’ll have a unique username. You can also participate by commenting @radio_chio on Twitter!

There’s also a new vote incentive up tonight! The third installment of Terrible Minicomic Theatre! You can catch up on the past two episodes by registering on the forums. There’s only one left to go!

Hope everyone’s having a great week, and I hope to see you on the first! :D