Anti-Stepbrother - Chapter 2

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It’s time for Chapter 2 of ANTI-STEPBROTHER! Here’s another sneak peek at what’s in store for this one. We get to delve into how exactly this torrid blended family came to be - your dad marrying your crush’s mom - WHAAT? And all the awkwardness that can ensue. I had to draw a lot of college campus stuff for this comic, which if you know me, you know is a challenge. I feel like we could make a drinking game of all the objects that are in impossible perspective (but wait, don’t do that, you’ll die).

You can read chapter 2 on the Kiss Romance App - now full confession - I misunderstood that the whole comic was available to read right now, but turns out it’s just the first 3 chapters. Then it looks like there’s a “coin system” in which if you log in, you get coins to read further. Not a problem if you just open the app once a day or once a week to read each chapter - then you should be good to read along with me! But I’m still communicating with them to figure out how exactly this works, so I’ll update y’all when I learn more!

Here’s the rest of this chapter’s preview:




Anti-Stepbrother - Read along with me!

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Hello, friends!

My new comic ANTI-STEPBROTHER is now up to read on the Kiss Romance App! I’m going to be posting snippets from each chapter, every Friday, from now until it’s over. Along with my thoughts while making it, the characters, the story, etc! Wanna read and comment along with me? I’d love to hear y’all’s thoughts, and if you want to see MORE! To read, just download the Kiss App and head to comics. The whole comic is there, so if you want to read ahead, go for it! I just like doing a week to week thang where I have the excuse to chat with you guys.

Here’s the rest of the preview of Chapter One!


Oh I'm Making Resolutions, Damn It

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Everyone’s got their own opinion about the success/failure/point of making resolutions on January first, but I am always ALL IN. With reckless ideas that have no business coming true. This year I’m gonna fly! And morph into twins! And become immortal! Immortal flying twins, you just watch!

I think this year the most important thing I’m setting my sights on is focus and effort. You know that thing where when you’re in a crisis situation, you’re super efficient, and then when the immediate crisis ends and is transitioning back into “normality” again, you lose all direction and focus?

Yeah, it me.

I was GREAT during lockdown - I ate healthy, I stayed indoors by myself, I facetimed regularly with friends, I exercised, I created art, I cleaned, I read, I made plans. But when that period ended, and we all waded into the murky waters of What Year Is It What Do I Do Now, I sort of lost momentum. Like the hesitation of making decisions (which I struggle with) was now reflected in the atmosphere of every day.

During lockdown I lost my job. It was my dream job (making comics every week) and it was hugely fulfilling and validating for three years. But when it ended, I suddenly realized I had no back up plan. No skills to fall back on. Shit. After that I spent my time stringing together whatever projects I could find and wondering if I’d ever get back to a place where I wasn’t riddled with anxiety every day of what to do next. And, of course, I turned on the one person I could beat up the easiest - me.

I don’t want this to be just about complaining. EVERYONE is dealing with this shit post-lockdown. Isolation fucked us all up. What I want is to make this the year where I stop feeling sorry for myself and mourning past projects and focus on the here, the now, and the next. What am I made of now? How can I share that with people? What can I create that’s meaningful? Who do I want to be now? January can be a cold, desolate bitch but I always appreciate the opportunity it gives us to rethink and restart.

Here are some of my resolutions for this year (beyond the evergreen classics of more exercise, less booze):

  • Practice responding with kindness/curiosity

  • Be flexible in all areas

  • Vocalize my feelings

  • Give myself time/space to process

  • Be kind to myself

  • Learn something new

  • Ask for help

  • Reach out to friends

I’d love to hear how you all are managing your fresh starts too, or if you’re already KILLING IT and just maintaining awesomeness. Happy 2023, everyone!

Train Life

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We survived Prague! After spending our last day carefully packing our things and booking tickets for an early morning train, promising ourselves we’d be good and go to bed early … we promptly went and got drunk at an underground Irish Pub where we stopped when we first arrived.

That was where we got to witness a bar chock-full of mostly Brits singing along heartily to “Country Roads”. We exchanged awkward laughs with a dude from Chicago over the fact that we were in an Irish bar in Prague listening to non-Americans singing along passionately to a song about West Virginia. This is why I love traveling. All about the mish-mash, baby.

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Grumpy as fuck, we still managed to get up and make our train with plenty of time to spare. On our first leg, from Prague > Berlin Spandeau station, we got one of those tiny four seater apartments on the train, which is always fun. Or, it was until a dude wedged his rolly suitcase into our car and locked us into squished positions for the remainder of the ride.

Upon arriving at Spandeau Station, we discovered we had about 30 minutes to get food and get on the next train to Cologne. We split up to get food with hilariously slow results. I chose impractical ingredients for a French picnic - a FULL sized baguette, cheese slices, and fruit snacks from a tiny grocery store. James, for his part, picked the more reasonable to-go hot sandwiches but got stuck with the one worker who didn’t speak a word of English. I got stuck behind an elderly lady checking out who had a lot of questions. But at least she said “Entschuldigung” to me, which is one of the few German words I now recognize. Mental note to make a master list of how to say these phrases in different languages: Hello, Thank you, Please, Sorry.

That’ll get me far, right? I always attempt to speak the language where I am and either they respond to me in English because they’ve seen through my ruse, or worse - they respond to me in that language and then I have to admit I’m an asshat and don’t actually know anything beyond what I said.

Flustered and scrambling to make our train clutching our food, we ended up on the escalator behind an elderly woman moving comically slow. It reminded me of the series of events that immediately followed me renting my first U-Haul van on an icy day in Baltimore, when both an elderly man with a cane AND a woman with a stroller jumped out in front of me on the road. Have you ever been in such a rush that the universe collaborates to throw the slowest pokes in your route? Magical. (Oh — and no one died that moving day. I swear.)

We made the train, and James managed to eat his sandwiches on the platform before it showed up, all throwing his trash away and brushing away crumbs, all spic and span. My dumbass was still holding a full size baguette while winding my way through a hot, overcrowded train. But I was committed now — this was my choice and I was going to follow through with it, g’dammit! This bread is mine!! It’s too late to go back! I ended up squeezing myself in the seat next to an extremely neat, prim German woman. She was nibbling out of a tiny tupperware of carrots brought from home - I, on the other hand, was the monster ripping off pieces of crumbly baguette and horking down cheese before it melted. This monster - this is what I’ve become.

Finally after 8 1/2 hours of train travel, we made it to Cologne!







A Smarter House in Prague

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I’ll have a buncha thoughts about Prague (because Prague … FUCK YEAH!) Never been here before! Ignorant as fuck! All I knew about this place going in was “it’s gorgeous and wasn’t blow’d up in any wars”. Cool, I’m in.

BRB, googling the history of the astronomical clock and Franz Ferdinand and all about why this place is so fucking amazing.

One of my favorite initial impressions so far is the “smart house” AirBNB we’re staying in. Among its many fine features (lack of light switches, a leaking shower that results in a deluge of water in the bathroom, aka NOT where to dry your hair) there is a giant glass cube that houses the toilet and the shower. You get to CHOOSE (yes, it’s your choice) whether you want to be seen or not seen when you’re washing your private bits and/or taking a shits.

I don’t know about y’all but I was raised as a repressed Catholic who never, EVERRRR went to the bathroom with the door open and just dealing with dear friends who are cool with that has been a struggle. Plus I live with a man who’s fine with all open doors all the time all bodily fluids. And thank god for that because now, here, when the automatic smart house curtain sllloooowly rolls back as I’m pooping, I know my husband delights in the hilariousness of it, and not my deep ingrained shame.

Plus this happened:

We hit the button for “intimate bedroom lighting” on the smart panel because duh, and the bedroom lights dimmed, but yet somehow the bedroom curtains FLEW OPEN, which resulted in my husband, butt ass naked, jumping behind the totally transparent bathroom cube, hand over his junk, as I hit all the wrong buttons to reverse the situation. Maybe in Prague it’s all about the voyeurist in us? I’m not judging. We were just in Amsterdam.

I laughed about this for long enough that he laughed about it.

Reporting in from Berlin!

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I miss blogs! This is going to be some random stream of consciousness bullshit.

The hubs and I just got to the second leg of our wintry European tour - the crispy cold, foggy geometric landscape of Berlin! We arrived last night after a fun train ride from Amsterdam where the announcers changed which connecting trains we needed to take five times. All while telling us the corrections in Dutch, German, and English which was quite impressive and took a while. Luckily we skittered over to the right connecting train (along with everyone else who was going to Berlin) in the nick of time and managed not to knock over anything important with our backpacks in the stuffy, sleek train compartment. I wish I could say the same for the man putting on his coat and knocking the flower vase and coffee cups off his breakfast table in Amsterdam the morning we left - his wife and kids laughed at him out onto the street. The STREET. The indignity.

James disappeared to the cafe car and returned with a beautiful sight - tiny bottle of wine and focaccia with pears and cheese melted into it. All I’ve been eating here is some form of bread and cheese and I could not be happier (though my pants probably want a break). Does it balance out with all the walking? Yeahhhh … no.

Berlin experiences!

  • I can’t for the life of me retain or speak German, and when I try it’s with absolute fear

  • Gluhwein is mulled wine and it is fucking delicious

  • We have robot blinds in our AirBNB that don’t recognize us as their master

  • The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is one of the best art installations and experiences I’ve ever seen

  • Trying to navigate a washer/dryer in a foreign country is hilarious - and by hilarious I mean insanely frustrating

  • I was expecting to see a lot of epic winged black eyeliner and big black boots in Berlin, and I have not been disappointed

The Anti-Stepbrother - Coming Soon

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HOORAY I can finally talk about the secret comic project that I’ve been working away on! ANTI-STEPBROTHER by Tijan is a fun, flirty romance novel that I’ve been adapting into a comic for the Kiss Romance App! It’ll be released in 2022, on a weekly schedule (oh to be back on a weekly schedule again!), so GIRD YOUR LOINS for romance!

Here’s a peek at the main characters, more to come!

 
 

Virtual Book Signing!

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Tuesday, November 24th from 2-5:00 CT!

I've got 15 slots open that I'm free to chat - think of it like a typical comic con, when I'd be guaranteed to be sitting at my table for you to visit! (You're paying for time with me, which includes a signed copy of Assassin Roommate Book #1 mailed to you! ) Here's how it works:

  • Sign up for a 5-10 minute chat time slot - check the available times here, then email me your preference!

  • Paypal $20 to artemnis@gmail.com to confirm your slot

  • I will send you a Google Meet chat link

  • Sign in at your time, and ask me anything while I sign and sketch in your book!

If this goes well, I'll open up more slots soon! One of the things I miss most right now is getting to meet and chat with, and do sketches/signings for all of you, so this is my little way of still making that happen!

Black Owned Comic Book Shops

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Comic book stores have been a HUGELY important part of my life and have helped shape who I am today. I’ve always loved seeking out independent ones especially and seeing what they’re all about. So, here’s a list of black-owned comic book stores (shout-out to Tyler Crook for tweeting this list!) - I wanted to compile them in a place where I could easily reference them for future visiting (or bugging by sending them my stuff!).

If you’re in one of these states, consider calling/supporting/ordering from them - most are open for mail or pick up at the moment! And if you have any to add, please drop their names in the comments below!

CALIFORNIA

P Dot's Comics & Collectibles

1505 N Lake Ave (805.89 mi)

Pasadena, California 91104

(626) 798-1455

GEORGIA

Challenges Games & Comics

2050 Lawrenceville Hwy. Suite A-18 

Decatur, GA 30033

(678) 973-0410

Twitter: @ChallengesGA

Kool Comics

1515 N Ashley St, Ste M

Valdosta, Georgia

(229) 241-0404

ILLINOIS

Third Coast Comics & More

6443 N. Sheridan Rd 

Chicago, IL 60626

(847)863-7450

Twitter: @3rdcoastcomics

KENTUCKY

G’s Comics

605 South 12th Street, Suite B

Murray, KY 42071

(270) 293-4581

MASSACHUSETTS

Million Year Picnic

99 Mt. Auburn Street (downstairs) Cambridge, MA 02138

(617) 492-6763

Twitter: @myp_comics

MINNESOTA

Mind’s Eye

200 E Travelers Trail, SUITE 105

Burnsville, MN 55337

(952) 492-9350

Twitter: @MindsEyeComicMN

MISSISSIPPI

Off Beat Comics

151 Wesley Ave

Jackson, MS 39202

(601) 376-9404

Twitter: @OFFBEATjxn

MISSOURI

The Comix Strip

821 Broadway St 

Cape Girardeau, Missouri 63701

(573) 335-9908

NEW YORK

Megabrain Comics

15 East Market St. 

Rhinebeck, NY 12572

(845) 516-4168

Twitter: @MegabrainComics

NORTH CAROLINA

Acme Comics

2150 Lawndale Dr. 

Greensboro NC 27410

(336) 574-2263

Twitter: @acmecomics

Game Over Comics

911 S. Main St.

Burlington, NC 27215, US

(336) 270-0538

Twitter: @GameOverComics

OHIO

Krazzy Comics

5544 N. Hamilton Road

Gahanna, OH 43230

PENNSYLVANIA

Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse

2578 Frankford Ave

Philadelphia, PA, USA 19125

(215) 427-3300

Twitter: @AmalgamPhilly

Atomic City Comics

638 South St

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19147

(215) 625-9613

Twitter: @AtomicCity

VIRGINIA

Treasure Chest Comics

3255 Jefferson Davis Hwy

Stafford, Virginia 22554

(540) 659-5850

WASHINGTON

Destiny City Comics

218 Saint Helens Avenue

Tacoma, WA 98402

(253) 234-7112

Twitter: @DestinyCityComx






Pivot!

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As many of you may know, Emerald City Comic Con was cancelled last week (which I was planning to attend for the first time since 2017, booo) and we were all like "wow, that's crazy". But then SXSW was also cancelled (which in my new adopted home of Austin is SACRED), so now it seems like everything is madness. A lot of us creatives depend on these kinds of shows for income, and it's been a crazy journey to see so many of them throw themselves on their swords in the wake of the dreaded Coronavirus. So, what to do?

WELL a lot of creative folks are takin' to the interwebs to offer sales and livestreams and other goodies this week (from the safety of their own homes, of course) to keep the spirit of comics alive during a time when we should all be out chatting with y'all in person. Huzzah! You can find all the info and peeps participating via the #eccconline hashtag on Twitter.

So as for meeee, I've added a buncha new glossy 4" x 6" prints and some other things to my online shop (patron-specific coupons will follow this post, but all non-patrons can use the code ECCCBALLS to get 15% off everything!).

AND ALSO I'll be guesting on Jen Vaughn's QVC-style Shopping Network show this week (Thursday + Friday March 12th and 13th from 4-8pm Pacific Time, TBD when I'll be showing up) highlighting some things from my desk.

It sucks that so much is having to cancel right now, but I'm simultaneously heartened by all the creative efforts people are making to support one another during this absolute Bat-Shit Crazy Time. Stay safe & healthy out there, friends! Washing Your Hands is the new black!

Now Available: Diary Cancer Comics

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Cheery, right? Cancer Comics, woo!!

I’ve been wanting to do this for a while, so I’ve finally made all the comics I created when I was undergoing treatment for breast cancer free and available to read here! Originally these were all posted to my Patreon page, which was an ENORMOUS HELP in supporting me emotionally and financially at the time, and I couldn’t have done it without all of my lovely, generous patrons.

But now I want to make sure they’re easily accessible by anyone who might get some help from reading about my experience, so you can click here to read all 54 posts. Feel free to share, read, comment at will — I hope it provides some comfort to someone out there going through a similarly sucky time.

<3

SPX & Kickstarter Fun!

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It’s time for SPX again, yaaaaay! It’s a little strange for me this year, since moving to Austin this is no longer my hometown show I can drive to, BUT I know as soon as I see that patterned carpet, the reliable magic of SPX will welcome me back once more! I’ll be at table I-8 with things new (like my LATEST mini-comic, Death is a Mean Girl) and old, and OH YEAH to announce my Kickstarter that’s going on right now to get ASSASSIN ROOMMATE Season 1 published into a book!

Hope to see many of you lovelies there!

Get ready to meet THE BLACK GHOST!

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Just announced yesterday (oh by the New York Times, NBD!!!), I’ve got a NEW comic series I’m co-writing with my Lethal Lit collaborator Alex Segura called THE BLACK GHOST!

Starting September 18th, it’ll be readable on Comixology Originals. It features GORGEOUS art from George Kambadais, colors from Ellie Wright, letters/design from Taylor Esposito, and was alllll edited by my good friend Greg Lockard!

Cover by Greg Smallwood!

Cover by Greg Smallwood!

The Mother of All Original Art Sales!

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It’s heeeere! I’ve got LOADS of original art for sale to help me lighten the load (both physically & financially!) for our upcoming move to Austin, so take a gander and see if you wanna grab ‘em cheap while you can (free shipping included)!

OH and if there’s anything you don’t see that you might want, lemme know and I’ll track it down for ya!

And ALSO, for all you local yokels . . . 


I'll be at the next BMORE INTO COMICS at my neighborhood Atomic Books on Saturday, Feb. 23rd, which will be a PRIME opportunity to snag some originals! I'll bring as MUCH as I can with me, but if you have anything particular in mind, just lemme know beforehand!

Austin, here we come!