BeHIGHed the Scenes and other ramblings...

I recently saw a comment on Instagram (what app do you use to make your art?) and when I replied to that comment I realized I had a lot more to say then I thought. And then I thought, I should write something to the Patrons, they've been waiting for a while for me to add another "Joe's Journal" or just a text post at all.

And I thought (after a trip to the garage and back)... "if I start writing, who knows what will come out..."

So let me start by answering the question from Instagram because it was a good one and I honestly rarely even answer questions or comments there (or anywhere really) because I'm really, really busy. But anyways:

What app do you use to make your art?

(Thanks to you Patrons...) I finally made enough money on the side where I could afford something nice so I bought an ipad (a newer version that uses the apple pencil) and the app I use to draw is called Procreate. And I've never bought anything extra (brush packs, etc...) I've only used the stock stuff. It's a limitation but I do believe that limitation is essential in creating art. It makes you think more cleverly as an artist.

But, interestingly enough, the first 40 or so chapters were done differently (as a poor mofo whose favorite store is the Salvation Army). I used the little trackpad on an old apple laptop and, with my index finger, I moved around the basic brush tool in the Adobe Photoshop.

So when I recently made this "Katie" chapter, I just switched from the ipad back to the trackpad/index finger combo and that instantly made it look like the older chapters.

Sometimes when I look back on the older chapters, I imagine re-doing the art but then I kind of appreciate where I was back then and would rather leave them the way they are. They are kind of like a time-capsule, not just in the story as a way to show when Joe was in Elan, but also in where I was as a person throwing together a long-form vertical-scrolling webcomic with absolutely no clue what I was doing. 

And by that I mean, I've weirdly never been into webcomics - I LOVE comic books - but I've just never really delved into the world of "long-form" webcomics so I was truly coming into it without any real frame of references from experiencing things other artists made. (If you have any good suggestions for long-form webcomics that you think are great, leave a name/link in the comments)

So yeah, it's crazy to believe I've been at this since 2018. But dear Patrons (and everyone else will surely hear about this soon enough), we are now at the last ten chapters.

I can't say that I planned to make 100 when I started (you'll find out later why I started this webcomic, it's a funny story actually), but probably around chapter 47  or 50 I mapped out a plan in my mind to make this webcomic one hundred chapters.

But it's bittersweet being so close to the end, it really is. Because folks, this is it. 

There will be no JVE 2 or prequel or "hey this guy Joe Nobody can tell a good story, maybe he has another webcomic in him!"...no, sorry, this isn't that.  

This story is all I have. So once it is over, I will have to say goodbye as a writer or webcomic maker. Those are two things I had genuinely never done before this and it's really a miracle (to me) that I even managed to pull this off. 

I've worked a full time job the entire time I made this, but... I just quit my job (as of about CH 88). I have a lot of work to do. Once I'm done at 100, the next task would be putting this thing together into a physical graphic novel that I can ship out to people (who are all over the world). 

I'm not going to have someone else move all of my art into a book layout for me, I'm very capable of doing that myself (Adobe Indesign), so that's what I'm busy with now in between making chapters. You can see in the photo where I'm hanging chapters on the wall. (I just need to see the whole story together in some kind of physical form, that's the way my brain works.)

I've also spent the last couple months looking up literary law and entertainment lawyers and researching contracts for television work, because I have a very... interesting... collection of emails. There are 1000's of emails, and many are about podcasts, or translating the comic, or adapting it, or um... *cough* Netflix/HBOMax, etc...  

And you know that's awesome! (But also overwhelming)

Anyways, KNOW THIS! The webcomic itself will stay up FOR FREE FOR FOREVER on the internet and, as a matter of fact, when I'm done putting this thing together into a book/eBook format, I am going to send them out to some hundreds of people (you Patrons) and you are free to share those with anyone and everyone, for free, because that was the point of this entire thing. If for some crazy reason in an unpredictable future my website ever goes down (or gets taken down), feel free to create a million Elan.School copies and make sure the story is never lost and never cost anyone money to read. It's a mo-effing PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT and should always be free for the public to read.

Of course if people want to buy it in physical form that will always be an option. If they want to buy it as a tip, or to have as a souvenir, or to give as a gift to someone else (or a parent considering sending their child to a TTI camp). 

I'll probably start a kickstarter after I figure out distributing the comic to all (or most of you) Patreon peeps. You guys will have the copy I made myself and it will become "The Patreon Edition" and when we reach Chapter 100, nobody who is not a Patron will be able to buy that version. (But that is certainly not to say that you need to remain a patron, you can leave this site and stop paying me and I still have a record of what you paid and will be contacting you and sending you your package.)

So yeah, I was right, I wrote a lot more than I though I would when I started typing. 

Again, I'm not purposely ignoring anyone or any messages/comments/emails I get, just understand that I get a lot and many are worth more than a sentence or two answer and some are incredibly heavy and moving (and here and there I can an angry/crazy email too).

I read everything you guys write and I appreciate your existence more than you could know. 

Peace and Love,
"Joe"