In a couple of weeks MYTHOI #2 will be hitting the digital shelves of Semantink.com — as well as a few other vendor sites.  I know there has been a bit of confusion as to the method of release for MYTHOI thus far, so I wanted to take this time to set some things straight.

When MYTHOI #1 came out last September (yes, I realize that was nearly 10 months ago) the plan was to release an issue every two months until we had put out all 60-issues.  Well, shit happens.  The biggest critique we got from the first issue was that it was to jolting — in other words, the audience was thrown into the middle of something they didn’t understand and therefore didn’t care about.  I can see where the critics were coming from and looking back I think there are a few things I as a writer could have done differently but hindsight’s 20/20 and I refuse to sit around sulking.

In response to this critique, Benjamin and I developed the Birth saga: a series of short comics, 12 pages in length, that gave the audience background so that they could be slightly more invested in the jumpoff point (MYTHOI #1).  Originally these origin tales were to come in each of the five arcs, revealing pasts with the present and while I still think that could’ve been awesome, it’s hard to get an audience to invest in a company, writer, artist and book who have absolutely no credibility to speak of.  So, Birth came to be.

Now the Birth series came out better than I could’ve hoped.  Jed knocked the art out of the park and I’m quite pleased with the stories themselves.  The trade paperback for the Birth series is available for pre-order now at Semantink.com.  However, as pleased as I am with it, it took a lot of time away from the series proper.  Issue #1 leaves us with a dead President, a handful of crazy slave-werewolves, a psychotic bishop, a child vampire, a purple-eyed body thief and a giant air dragon — for ten months now people have asked me, generally the same question, what happens next?

With the Birth series complete, I am very pleased to announce that we are back to the series proper and barreling forward full steam ahead!  MYTHOI #2 will continue the tale we began almost a year ago, adding a few more characters you may recognize from the Birth series while developing our first of five arcs.  Jed is, once again, doing a fantastic job with the art and we’ve got a few more people working on the book as well:  Gary Jonez has taken over as colorist and Semantink’s own Benjamin Glibert is now lettering our series!

So what does all this rambling mean?  It means that there will be no more breaks, pauses, inserts, deadlocks, breathers, letups or layoffs for MYTHOI.  Starting in July, you will be getting an issue every other month for the next 59 digital issues of this series, 12 more trade paperbacks, 5 story arcs and 1 epic adventure.

Thanks for the patience everyone.

James

PS: MYTHOI #1, as well as the entire (Free) Birth series can now be found at Drivethrucomics!

Happy Father’s Day folks!

I’m sorry to interrupt your usually scheduled Writer’s Block column, but since this month Semantink is officially one year old, I thought I would do a state of the union column. So, let’s take a look at what’s going on here at Semantink!

MYTHOI: I have a few pieces of news regarding our flagship title. First, if you were not aware, our first TPB, Birth, is now available for pre-order. This is collecting the entire MYTHOI Birth series, as well as an entirely original MYTHOI story featuring Heath and Catherine, the Werewolves that you met in MYTHOI #1.

While I am mentioning Birth, I would be remiss if I did not point out that MYTHOI writer James Ninness is letting his inner philanthropist out, and donating all money that he receives for the Birth TPB to charity! You can get all the details over at James’ Blog.

Finally, MYTHOI #2 will be out soon! Keep your eyes peeled, this issue is going to blow you away. Jed Soriano really knocked this one out of the park. If you are behind, don’t worry, you still have some time before issue #2 comes out to catch up, so go read the Birth series (they are free online), and then get your digital copy of issue #1!

THE UNDERGROUNDS: Our weekly web comic continues to get great readership, so thanks to all of you who make a point to check this out every week. If you haven’t gotten a chance to find out what happens when you mix monsters and coffee, or if you have just fallen behind in your reading, you an always check out our UNDERGROUNDS archive.

So what’s next? Well, we have three (!) new properties that will be coming out in the later half of this year, and they are going to blow you away. One is a comedy, one is a western, and one is a fantasy book with a good amount of steampunk, because who doesn’t love steampunk? More details as they become available.

Also, if you are in the San Diego area and want to rap comics, the fine folks of Semantink host a monthly meet up group in Mission Valley. Stop in, get some java, and rap comics. We are having one today! You can check out details here.

We will also be representing at San Diego Comic Con next month, and at Ape in October. If you are in the area give us a shout out!

So that’s it for today folks. Have a happy Father’s Day, and stay tuned for more big Semantink news in the next few months!

Happy Sunday folks!

If you are a regular follower of Semantink, then you know all about James Ninness. You know that James is the writer of MYTHOI (which is amazing!) and one of the writers behind THE UNDERGROUNDS (which is more fun then you should be allowed to have with coffee). James also does a fair amount of writing (though where he finds the time, I don’t know) on his own blog, The Word Ride, which is where I have plucked today’s gem from. Its a new take on a winter classic. Enjoy!

The Night Before Christmas – Zombie Edition

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
Some entrails were flung on the chimney with no care,
For some zombies had devoured my family living there.

The children were splayed all about their beds,
Only to the shoulder, a parent eating their heads.
Mamma dead on the stairs, and I on her lap,
Having just eaten her brains, ready now for a nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the feast to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew with her flesh,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the mesh.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen bodies
Gave the lustre of death to objects below.
When, what to my yellow-glazed eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a weighty old driver, so lively and sweet,
I knew that in a moment I would again eat.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

“Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!”

As screams that before the wild horde cry,
When they meet with the undead, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and suppertime too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my wife’s head, turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a pig, spinning on a rack.

His eyes-how they opened! his mouth how worried!
His eyes full of tears, his vision gone blurry!
My wide gaping mouth was ready to feast,
I tore the beard off his chin like a poor starving beast.

The stump of his neck held tight in my teeth,
His lips shouting “no,” opened up like a wreath.
I bit at his face and clawed at his belly,
That shook when he screamed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a scrumptious elf,
And he cried while I ate him, to nourish myself!
A break of his neck and I tore off his head,
To give me the brains I needed to be fed.

I spoke not a word, but went straight to my work,
And broke through his skull, getting brains with a jerk.
And laying my finger inside through his nose,
And giving a poke, out of his head the lovely brains rose!

Brains sprang through his head, and onto my tongue,
And after the brains, his stomach, his lungs.
But I heard his reindeer on the roof, all furry and smelly,
“Happy Christmas to me, and to me a full belly!”

That’s it for today folks! Thanks for stopping in, and I’ll see you tomorrow for a brand new UNDERGROUNDS!

Happy Mother’s Day folks!

This week we are taking a look at a selection by James Ninness. James is the writer of MYTHOI, and one of the writers on THE UNDERGROUNDS (he is the man responsible for the Wolfman). James also has a few other top secret projects in the works, but that is a topic of conversation for another day.

Unlike some writers, James strives to not get pinned into one writing style. He is constantly looking for new ways to tell a story. The piece that I am about to share with you is an example of that. The following is a story titled “Somebody” from James’ website, The Word Ride. Enjoy!

It takes some very large balls to keep me waiting.

I’m sorry.  There was an accident on the freeway, it was backed up into East County.

I know.

Yes.  Yes of course you do.  That’s what makes you, you, isn’t it?  So what can I do for–

I need you to stop writing your blog.

My blog?

Yes.  You’re confusing people.

Well, shouldn’t that flatter you?  The confusion, I mean.

No.  People are starting to lose respect for me.

Oh!  Wow.  Really?  I would have thought the opposite.

Thankfully, what you think is of no concern to me.  I’ve spent the better part of 2000 years building this reputation and I won’t have you–

Hello gentlemen!  My name is Kristy.  Can I start you off with anything to drink?

Oh.  Yes, of course.  I’ll take a water please.

Certainly.  And for you sir?

Gin and Tonic: 2 limes, squeezed at the bottom with more gin than tonic.  I mean that.  I want you to scare the gin with the threat of tonic – that’s all.

Okay.  I’ll get those right up.

You know it’s 9AM, right?

You know I live eternal, right?

Oh yeah.  Okay.  That’s nice, huh?

Meh.  It has its uses.  As I was saying:  I’ve spent the last 2000 years establishing a particular persona and you’re destroying it with your blog.  You need to stop.

I can understand that, but wouldn’t you rather people understand the truth?

Truth?  What do you know about truth?

Obviously I know a little something.  You’re here aren’t you?  Telling me to stop writing?  I’d say I hit a nerve with what I’m saying…

You can be annoying and simultaneously far from truth.

I guess that’s so.

I know it is.

Here you are gentlemen: one water and one gin and tonic.  Did you guys want to order anything?

No.

No, thank you.  This’ll be fine.

Okay, my name is–

Kristy.  You told us.

Oh.  Yes, I guess I did.  Let me know if I can get you anything else.

No need to be rude to her.

No.  No need.  Like I said, I’ve got a reputation to uphold.

But she doesn’t even know who, or what you are.  All you’ve done is discourage her.

I guess you’re right.  Perhaps I should reveal my true nature?  Horns.  Fire.  Brimstone.  I bet that would ruin her day a bit as well?

Yeah, I wanted to ask you about that.  Why do you care so much about my blog when you seem to have spent the majority of your time trying to fool people into thinking you don’t eve exist?

If I don’t exist, than neither does he, and that suits me.  But if I exist and I’m not such a bad guy, then I’m simply unimportant.

Hmm…  I see.  You’d rather sit on a throne of lies than walk aimlessly without power?

You could say that.  Wouldn’t you?

I don’t know.  I don’t envy you, if that’s what you’re asking.

Well I don’t need you to understand, I just need you to stop.  You’re destroying my reputation.

Then tell me I’m wrong.

About what?

People say you are the source of all evil in the world, right?

I’ve heard that.

But He created you, right?

Yes.

Then isn’t He the true source of all evil?

He is the source of all things.

Then what are you?

Exactly.

Exactly?

Exactly.  I’m a nobody.  I’m a scapegoat.

And you’re okay with that?

Refills?

Yes, Kristy.  That would be lovely.

Sure.

You’re okay with people blaming you for everything bad that happens?

Every time somebody gives me responsibility for their actions I get a bit more powerful.  Their faith in my own influence grows substantially, as does my power.

I see.

No you don’t.

Here you go, gentlemen.

Thanks.

Good job, Kristy.

What do you mean, I don’t?

You don’t.  You think you’ve got everything all figured out, but your mind can’t wrap itself around my very existence.  That’s why humans have always associated me with things – it makes it easier to contain me when you have an image or an idea to box me into.  The horns, the spike-tail, the pitch fork…

And if you can make that area of containment huge…

Then I gain respect, power and possibility.

Interesting.

So, I need you to stop writing all this nonsense about him as the origin of good and evil.  Stop giving him all the credit.

But isn’t it His?  You just said–

Maybe.  Maybe not.  I’m a liar, right?

I suppose.  But to be honest, you don’t seem like such a bad guy.  Just…power hungry.

We all want to be somebody.

Okay.  So say I stop writing, then what?

You’ll have my gratitude.

No offense, but your gratitude doesn’t inspire me to any action.

Well, he‘d probably appreciate it to.

Would He?  You think?

Yes, I do.  I don’t imagine he fancies being referenced as the origin of evil.  He needs me to be a scapegoat as much as I do.  It’s mutually beneficial.

Okay then.  But what if I said no.  What if I wrote anyways, despite the both of you?

That’s ill-advised.

Why?

The last time somebody challenged him they became me.

Oh.  Yes.  I see.

Well, I’m off.  You can get the tab, yes?

Uh, yeah.  Sure.  Can I ask you something?

Quickly.

Why not just smite me, or kill me, or whatever it is you do…

Who says I won’t?

Huh.  Kind of a bastard aren’t you?

That’s the truest thing you’ll ever say.

Just when you thought you were done reading my blogs, Ben asks me to report on Day One of WonderCon 2010!

On Thursday I drove up here with Benjamin, Sgt. Angle, Street Fece and Ash — the trip itself was fine.  Nothing exciting happened save the ramblings of five delusional and not-quite-matured men killing time with penis jokes and embellished stories of our youthful conquests.

We go to our hotel, the Marcone Marriott in San Francisco around 9:00ish and immediately made our way to the hotel bar where alcohol is expensive but desperately needed.  After a couple gin and tonics we decided to finish our prep for the weekend and continued working through the evening.

At around 6:00am this morning our room alarm clock went off with a fruious rigor that was answered by my fists.  Ben, Sgt. Angle and myself went to Starbucks in an attempt to restore our positive attitudes with coffee.  After the rest of the team was up it was onward to WonderCon!

This was Semantink’s first time at WonderCon and we were’nt too sure what to expect, but I’m pleased to say that it was, for the most part, awesome.

The Good

Panels had just enough star power and insight.  Whether you were going to hear Milla Jovovich and Ali Larter introduce their new Resident Evil trailer in 3D, wanted to hear Chiklas talk about his new comic, or just had the inkling to get some insight from one of your favorite comic producers — WonderCon had it all.

Layout was perfect.  We started at the end of the hall with the Artist’s Alley and Indie Publishers, then made our way across it all through the comic vendors, big-league booths and into vinyl toy-ville.  We got just enough of everything and spent little-to-know-time wondering where we were.  This may sound like a “meh” concern, but if you’ve ever been to San Diego Comic Con, then you know how detrimental poor planning can be during the larger conventions and how easy it is to get, literally, lost in the crowd.

The talent was spot on!  I saw some amazing up and coming artists, some soon-to-be-huge indie publishers, a few bigger names signing/sketching, just enough big-budget booths to satiate my palette and more than a few fantastic custom toy companies.  Sure, there were a few not-so-soon-to-be-famous folks as well, but it didn’t feel to heavily skewed in one direction or another.  There was success and there was hope for success and a good convention needs both ends of the spectrum.

The Bad

The staff was incredibly bad.  Upon our arrival we talked to three security guards who all told us that professional registration was at a different location.  In between talking to those three guards, we talked to four other guards who wouldn’t listen when we tried to ask where to go for professional registration.  When we finally got registered went downstairs where an incredibly rude guard told us that we couldn’t go in and told us that we had to wait in a special room — we said we’d just go back outside and were told that we’d “never get in.”  Snarky!

The organization was complete and utter shit.  Lines were formed haphazardly with tweens guiding us from one point to another (most of them texting while doing so), a writer/artist “speed dating” event that Sgt. Angle went to was very lopsided and he ended up talking to other writers most of the time, and none of the personnel seemed to know what was going on — I can’t remember how many times I received “I don’t know” as an answer to general queries…

Day One of WonderCon was, overall, a great time.  The entire Semantink team walked away exhausted, but satiated.  We got to see some old friends (Lord Mesa, Nathan Hamill and Dragatomy) and make a ton of new ones (Jackie Huang, John Giang, Westside Laserworks, Geek Chic and Lauren Venell).  We’re going to go through the TONS of cards/postcards we picked up today, check out everybody’s online resources and try to make even more new friends tomorrow!

I have to go now — Benjamin, Street Fece and I have a meeting, but stay tuned for some more from Ash and Sgt. Angle when they return from their TRON LEGACY shenanigans!!

James Ninness

Woohoo!  It’s WonderCon!

James Ninness here.  WonderCon starts today and Semantink is gonna be here, in San Francisco, covering all the gloriousness of the scene!  At the convention, we’ll be giving away some very pretty cards for all WonderCon attendees that give them not only the link to the MYTHOI Birth Series (which has, and always will be, free), but as a special treat, a secret link to a site where they can see issue #1 of MYTHOI proper — absolutely free!  To get the ball rolling, Semantink will be giving you a sneak peak at the character cards they’ve put together each day with a look into the characters themselves, written by your’s truly.  Our final card and charracter is the most deceptively abstract member of the MYTHOI crew: Touch.

Given that the FREE issue of MYTHOI Birth on Touch hasn’t dropped yet (coming out in a week or so…), I’m going to have to watch myself on this one and I promise to keep the following as spoiler-free as possible.

Mythos means “the underlying system of beliefs, esp. those dealing with supernatural forces, characteristic of a particular cultural group.”  Mythoi is the plural of Mythos.  So, it follows that this book deals with a variety of underlying beliefs with regard to supernatural forces of many cultural groups, right?  Of late, some of the greatest and most popular “supernatural forces” I’ve noticed are of the cybernetic variety.  Asimov wrote science fiction long ago and at the time it was just that: fiction.  Lately however, amongst the various robotic breakthroughs, science fiction like Asimov’s seems to have a very real effect on the direction of our non-fictional world.  Hundreds of stories foretelling the end of man at the hands of technology have been strewn about for our enjoyment and as a warning — The Matrix, I, Robot, Terminator and Minority Report to name a few.  In all of these foreboding tales, technology becomes more than natural or above explanation and rational thought, in other words, technology becomes supernatural.

Touch’s Mythos stems from an attempt to understand the system of beliefs that deal with these specific “supernatural forces.”  Touch is one of a group of five assassins known as The Senses, developed some time in the future to quell the rising force of New America’s global enemies.  Well, for one reason or another, Touch is never properly programmed and sent back in time.  Once there, he is picked up by Vito, Wiglaf, Taros and Yuki and joins them in an attempt to stop his past from ever happening.  As a genetic clone, grown from nanotechnology infused with organic cells, Touch is hardly human and as such learns to struggle with the idea that he has no “soul.”  This is the crux of Touch’s tale.  As he grows into a more “complete” person, the idea of the soul or the concept of spirit is examined, poked, prodded and ripped apart in an attempt to explain how something as mechanical as Touch could be so completely human.  To learn how his story begins, stay tuned to Semantink.com where MYTHOI Birth: Touch will be released very soon…

That’s it for the WonderCon build up y’all.  I hoped you enjoyed our time together!  If you’re at WonderCon, look for the team in Semantink garb to get your limited edition MYTHOI cards, only at WonderCon 2010!

James Ninness