Blargs!, ARRRR!

[Caybo]

Blarg (4/29/2008):

Whew. Another semester's pretty much over, just one more final, and I'm done! Anyway, enough about me, and onto the comic stuffs.

We're about halfway into this current issue, and while it was written a long time ago, I've changed some of it. Mainly, I added some inner monologue, because like a dozen pages of yelling and sound effects would probably wear on ya. I'm semi-happy with it, and will probably work on making the main cast's inner thoughts more important as issues progress. Hopefully, developing the characters a bit more in the process, too.

The good chunk of this issue features some good old fashioned combat. I think I just really wanted to see what I could do in regards to telling a story with action, since I've avoided a big sword fight for several issues. I'm pretty happy and feel like I've really come along since my last foray into fighting in Quetros.

Another thing on my mind, when I was writing this part up like two years ago, was the nature of combat with swords. I took a Braveheart approach. The fighting is ugly and brutal. Limbs get lost, and people get fucked up otherwise. So, as the series progresses, definitely expect the main cast to get permanently scarred and maimed in a variety of ways.

Why not keep them all clean and pretty? I don't think if you spend your days swinging a sword at someone, that you'll look like a model after a few years. Anyway, that's my take on swordfighting in the fantasy genre.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (5/15/2008):

Summer's officially begun for me, and when I'm not out and looking for a summer job, I'll be making a big effort to get on top of the site. Working on some of the areas that I've neglected and wanted to get around to. Namely, I've already updated the Quetros cast past to reflect the last issue, and I'll be working to get the AA cast page done for the start of the next AA issue, which is looking to a be June 17th start date.

I'd also like to get some sort of timer or at least somewhere on the site where you can get an estimate for when the next issue is for the comic that's not currently updating on the front page. So, I'll be talking a bit to Rac about that, and hopefully that'll get done along with the AA cast page.

So, I'll be hammering out pages while I'm not busy with work (yet) or school and building up a buffer zone that was almost depleted during the last semester. I'd also like to encourage people to vote again. I know it's silly, but it does bring in some traffic, and I'm trying my best to avoid spending money on advertising the site to help it grow and expand. So, rather than annoy you for donations and the like, I'll ask you to give me an extra five seconds and click and few buttons (the buzz comix and topwebcomics links) below the comic. Buttons of love.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (6/4/2008 5:48 PM):

Well, it's finally happened. The Aberrant Affinity cast page has arrived! It will make things a lot easier for new readers to jump into the upcoming AA issue, and for the faithful, a quick way to refresh their memory.

I had a lot of fun sitting down and drawing out the little portraits, and I'm really happy with how they turned out. They seem to have a lot more of the characters personalities jumping out through the single images. Much more so than my Quetros ones... Which means I'll probably redo those ones, so I don't feel like AA is winning the drawing arms race. Afterall, since I'm drawing them both, they should be about the same in quality, right?

Anyway, not much else going on, but the stead drawing grind of getting pages done. I'm hoping to knock some socks off in the upcoming AA issue, and I'll have a new blarg up when the finale for the current Quetros issue ends. Share my thoughts, and tease the next issue.

Keep the voting strong my friends. The site's been steadily growing, and I hope that means I'm getting more and more regulars. So, spread the love, and I'll keep giving you pages in return!

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (6/30/2008 12:54 PM):

I'll cover the most important parts first. I went ahead and added the start to issue 4 of Aberrant Affinity to the dropdown. After some poking and prodding of Rac, I had him come up with storyarc titles for Aberrant Affinity, and thus, we're in the midst of the "Insomnia" arc, which is a great title. I've also changed the cast pages, as Katy pointed out, the black on red is an eye sore, so now it's white. Which I'll say is infinitely more legible. I also went ahead and updated the Quetros page as we've completed another issue.

Quetros' last issue is something of past mistake that I'm forcing myself to deal with, and as I'm typing this, I don't know why. The entire fight was drawn out, not terribly or unnecessarily so, but bad in terms of the means I'm displaying it (as a webcomic). I'm sure reading the whole issue in the archives, it works well, but pacing wise, it's a bit of a drag for people that are caught up, sitting there for two months and looking at the updates to find yet another fight page. So, if I'm ever going to do another fighting scene that'll last months, I'll be sure to do it against a villian that's of significant importance.

That's one area where I'd gladly inform Rac that he's my superior. His action scenes are brief, get to the point, and moves to onward with the story. Which gets me to the current issue of AA. I'm really putting the focus on tightening my art, improving, and pushing myself, which Rac is always get about doing. He has some sort of sick pleasure in writing out, "...steps out onto the balcony and leans on the rail. The building is high, but still towered over by larger skyscrapers around it", knowing that I'll spend hours on that panel. Drawing hundreds of windows. But, it helps me improve, so by God, I'll draw those windows a thousand times over, if I know that each time, I'm making a slight improvement.

I put up a more detailed post about my thoughts regarding that last Quetros issue in the forums, where I'm usually better about writing out my thoughts and updating on the latest site news. On the horizon is Aberrant Affinity's 100th page, which I can already tell you, will be a hell of a page. And, after AA 4 wraps up, Quetros next issue will march towards it's 200th page, which I've got something very special planned to celebrate.

That's it for me, so keep voting for the site. I'll keep updating in the meantime. Unto another page!

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg:(7/22/2008 2:43 PM)

So, I sat down recently and read through all of the webcomic Skyfall (I tend to bookmark a lot of webcomics that I think look brilliantly drawn and read the archives when I'm bored). I really like the evolution of the artwork over the comic's time, as it became more and more like reading something straight out of a published manga. The quality of the new pages is impressive and looks brilliant. About the only complaint I have is that Skyfall is the plot is confusing. I'm not a retard, I get the big picture, but I honestly had a difficult time deciphering the characters. The multitude of races and characters got cumbersome for me, where I few times I'd have to stop myself at some points and check back and figure out just who the hell they were talking about. Some characters just seemed tacked on for the sake of having a direct racial conflict with another character, but all in all, it's a good read and certainly worth the time to read. I believe it took about two hours to read through the entire archives.

Moving on from the mini-review, I've been using a lot of my spare brain power (seeing that I'm drawing AA these days) to work out a bunch of Quetros plot points. I've been doing a lot of the journey from point A to point B, where they learn X which sets up the next leg of the journey. So, rather than continuing on with that original format (my bad writing habit of three years ago), I've been brainstorming and outlining the next several arcs. Which leads me to my newer writing format of hitting the reader with something big and trying to one up it the next arc. Not saving up a "big hit" for multiple arcs for a payoff that may or may not live up to the wait.

So, I've shifted my original story outline drasticly over this summer, so when we start to get into new arcs of Quetros, starting with "Blood", you'll be getting a much faster paced story with more twists and turns. So, expect an expanding cast, deaths, and bigger reveals.

Keep voting for the site, and I'll keep working on pages. Share your thoughts on the forums or in the shoutbox, as I love getting feedback as I know Rac does, too. Rac and I have big plans for UI in the coming year, and we want you to stay on the ride with us. We'll make it well worth your while. I'll reveal more information as that time gets closer.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (8/19/2008 9:06 PM):

It's been awhile, but I've got some good news that leads into better news. Firstly, I've updated the buzzcomix link, so vote away! Also, the next update will be Aberrant Affinity's 100th page, which brings my total page count close to 300, not bad for half-assing my way through two years of the the five total that I've been working on the website. Special surprise for the 100th page is that it will be in color, and this lead me into the 5th anniversary of Insane Undertakings.

2008 has been a great year so far for myself and the website, as we've gone from being read by maybe a dozen people to being read by thousands. Updates have been flowing regularly at two pages a week, and I'm wanting to continue that trend for a long time to come. Either way, I've got a great present planned for you readers at the beginning of September when IU turns 5, so check in Friday sometime as I'll announce that surprise in addition to talking more in depth about AA hitting 100 pages.

Also, Rac is getting the internet within the next week, so expect him to really up his presence on the site, as I'm expecting him to make a grand return. Which is great timing, and I hope to hear some of his thoughts about AA hitting 100, as well as maybe some teases for the future.

That's about it for me now. Keep voting, keep spreading the word, and keep reading. Another Blarg is coming Friday.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (8/22/2008 12:41 PM):

100 pages of Aberrant Affinity is complete, and with that milestone, Insane Undertakings will be entering a new era. A combination of both regular updating throughout 2008 and the website hitting it's 5th anniversary in September is leading Quetros into the grey area. Yes, the grey area. More specificly, tones.

After this 100th page, which leaves us with a mortally wounded Vince, both Quetros and AA will be colored with a few shades of grey, here and there. Sorta like a manga and in the style of Bleach or One Piece to help accentuate the story and make things clearer and easier to follow.

Since this is a new thing, it'll add some addition workload to my end of the site, but hopefully, it shouldn't cost you any lost updates (school will more than likely be the reason as my semester could be brutal, instead of the extra time is takes to tone the pages). Also, there's going to be a learning curve, so some of the tones will look pretty lackluster or off, but as I continue to work with it, it should becomes better and better in helping both the story and art be more successful. Helpfully you readers approve, and I think it'll help bring in some new folks, too.

Also, there's the announcement for what's going to happen for the 5th anniversary of the website. To celebrate the Insane Undertakings's 5th anniversary, my gift to you is five updates. For the first week of September (1st-5th) you will be getting a new update for each day. This week will see the end of the current Aberrant Affinity issue as well as starting you out in the next Quetros chapter, the finale to "Fallen". I hope you enjoy it. Because a lot of work went into making this a possibility. And thank you for reading, it means a lot to me.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (9/1/2008 3:07 AM):

Insane Undertakings turns 5 years old today. It's still amazing to sit back and think that I started this site five years old, but I can't be much happier with how things are turning out (especially in the most recent year). For those of you that haven't been here for the whole ride, there were some bumps along the way. I started out on a tripod website, and just put up some random doodles and such. I never really had much enjoyment from drawing the random images, and always wanted to draw comics and tell a story mostly through pictures. So, after awhile, I figured what the hell, may as well start learning, and dove into drawing Quetros's first story arc, which I recently titled, appropriately on two levels: "Learning to Walk". I posted about a dozen or so pages on the tripod site with little to no viewers. Than, along came Rac with the idea to go ahead and get a free keenspace (now comicgenesis) site. I told him a knew little to no html, and Rac offered to cobble something together for me.

Five years ago, that keenspace site launched. I managed to regularly update for the first year or so. Then, along came college and moving out of my parent's house, losing scanner access, and the website fell into neglect. I'd update whenever I visited my parents out of state, scanning a multitude of pages at once. Then, I'd be away from the scanner for months, so things became sketchy. I lost interest and found other things to fill my time, video game addiction mostly. But, as I saw graduation within a stone's throw, I adjusted my priorities and refocused my energies on not only keeping the website updated, but trying to build an audience, too.

Now, we sit here at the fifth anniversary of the beginning, and I want to not only reflect on my learning experiences but to thank everyone out there that reads these comics. I put a lot of time, energy, and love into each page, and I hope you can see that. I can also speak a bit for Rac, and say that when we talk about Aberrant Affinity, I can tell there's a genuine passion for what he's doing on his end of the page.

I could go on and on and on, but I really just want to say this has been a pleasure and I hope that the next five years will blow these past five out of the water. What's on the horizon you may ask? I'll be posting a bit of a preview for Quetros in the forums sometime this week, probably a few images and a bit of a sneak peek at some new areas Quetros is heading in the upcoming arcs. Also, the bigger IU forecast is that a new site design will be coming along eventually. There's a lot of crazy ideas Rac and I are working on, so it should be interesting to see those results. Also, there's a huge announcement that should be seeing the light of day in the next year. I won't even mention it here or on the forums until it's about to happen, but expect something significant.

Enjoy the five updates this week to celebrate five years.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (10/9/2008 10:37 AM):

So, I'm runnig a little bit behind with the blarg for 200 Quetros pages, but hey, at least that didn't stop the updates from continuing, right? Alright, now that that's outta the way... 200 Quetros pages. Combining that with the 104 AA pages, I've gotten over 300 pages posted on the website which is a lot of reading and work on my end. But, it's been a lot of fun and gives me a good chance to look back and see where I've been.

This whole website and Quetros was basicly my attempt to make a comic book. It's not an easy task and I know a lot of people personally that have wanted to make their own book, but they just didn't put the time into making it an actuality. I've done roughly a dozen issues. That's pretty insane. It's also hilarious to look back at some of my early issues to see how bad I was, and I only hope that I can keep improving and learning later on how bad I was, even now.

I've even evolved technically over this time period, from drawing my word balloons by hand to using photoshop. From black and white to grey tones of the present. I've changed the tools that I use to draw as well, there's just so much that you learn by actually attempting something this intense and laborsome that you'll just never learn from a book, and I really need to pick a professional's brain someday to polish myself even more.

I've also really learned to love drawing, writing, and creating comics. I hope that one day I'll be able to do it for a living, and the main thing to making that happen is staying dedicated to the comic and keeping the pages coming. The story's advanced a lot in the 200 pages, and I'm really excited to see the next 200. What's in store for the future of Quetros? New characters, new villians, old faces returning, and even better storyarcs.

I hope you've enjoyed the past 200 pages, and will stick with me for the next 200. Keep reading, and thanks for enjoying my little comic. Hopefully, we'll all watch it continue to grow and evolve.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (11/3/2008 8:57 PM):

As this blarg goes up, you should be reading the final page to "Fallen". Which should be accompanied with a "Finally!" because that arc was started over three years ago! Anyway, I can promise you one thing, that the next arc "Blood" will not take nearly as long to reach it's conclusion. Anyway, yes, I wrote an evil cliffhanger for "Fallen", but you'll get all your answers and then some within "Blood" which will really work out a lot of the questions and long running plot points that has been neglected up until now. Like... what the hell is Quetros?

Also, "Blood" was written within the past year, so it's much fresher to me, and hopefully that will reflect in the pages, as I plan to try to really step up the art to match the writing. Expect some new characters and some new subplots, but trust me, everything will be answered and addressed whenever the series does end. Is the ending in sight? Not really, but I'd say we're nearing the halfway point of Quetros. I don't have it all mapped and outlined, but I've got the rough ideas for the next three arcs.

Also, I'm really going to be shifting the way I write Quetros and approach it as a comic. It's not going to be a radical shift, but you'll see it happening over time. Why am I making changes? I started this comic almost 6 years ago, and it's gotten old. A lot of the things I've wanted to draw and say within the writing has changed, too. So, instead of writing a comic I'm distant from, I'm going to steadily make Quetros into the comic that I want to write and draw for years to come. So, rejoice and look forward to the future!

In the meantime, Aberrant Affinity is starting up, and I just love the cover. I haven't started a page of the comic yet, so I'm really behind, but there's a lot of shit going on in my life as I'm preparing to graduate. I'll apolygize in advance, if I miss some updates, but BY GOD I've done amazingly better than I ever expected. That being said, I'm not making excuses, and come hell or high water, I'll keep these comics updated and progressing!

Anyway, keep voting, and showing the love. We're slowly growing, and I really appreciate every single person that takes the time to read this comic and especially those that are actively following the adventures of Max, Vince, and Nora as well as Larinth, Jaren, and Reea. Thank you all. Seriously.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (12/18/2008 2:48 PM):

Firstly, it's good to be back people. I was hoping to avoid a hiatus period during my final semester at college, but at the end, graduation, finals, and a gallery show really bogged me down with non-comic work. Then, the fates intervened even further by my computer getting a virus that managed to corrupt my hard drive, so without a computer, I took it as a sign to work on the other things for now, and return to the comic realm fresh and free of other tasks.

My computer is back now, though. As I spent a day wiping my computer and getting all the software reinstalled, so that I could begin the update flow again. Regular update schedule will be resuming: Tuesdays and Fridays. I also managed to make myself a tiny buffer during the computer's "break", so hopefully, I can get enough updates done so that when I go to visit family over the holidays, you won't miss out on an update or two.

Now that I'm a graduate with a silly art degree, I'll be putting a lot more of my free time into developing and taking this website and both the comics on them to a wider audience. So, stick around, Rac and I have a lot of plans for the future, and we hope you continue to stay on this ride with us.

<3 Caybo

[Caybo]

Blarg (2/3/2009 3:51 AM):

My friend and collaborator, Caleb T. Conley, or Rac to some, passed away recently which has honestly been without a doubt the most surreal thing to occur in my twenty-five years on this planet. I don't even think it feels real yet. I can't even fully put into words how much Caleb meant to me as a friend, collaborator, brother, and supporter. He believed in me as much as anyone, and he loved to see the new pages that I was drawing before I put them on the site for everyone's viewing. I always used him as my editor. He was giving me as much advice as he could, and really put a lot of effort into helping bring my writing to the next level, and now, he's gone.

We just always had this amazing chemisty when it came to brainstorming story ideas, and I really can feel that void without him around to bounce ideas off of. Aberrant Affinity was a project that we developed together, mostly because I really had a lot of fun working with Caleb. That was always our dream, to one day make a living doing something creative together, most likely comic books. But, that is still many years away for me, and now I get to make that journey on my own. Which is terrifying without that major support that Caleb always gave me.

I'm sad to say, but right now, I can't physically bring myself to work on Aberrant Affinity. I love the comic, the writing, the characters, the story and where everything was heading, but without Rac there to write it and finish the story, which became his as I passed on the full writing reigns to him (which he did amazingly better than I think the project would have done if I was still co-scripting). He was really talented, and I know he was only beginning to scratch the surface of the depths of his talent. I have the rough draft for the next arc after Insomnia as well as the beginning of the arc after that, but there's really no good stopping point.

Aberrant Affinity was planned to go to 50-60 issues, and it just stops. I know Caleb had a lot of plans and he hinted at a lot to me, but he also kept so much more hidden, as he wanted to surprise me when I got the script (And I wanted that surprise, too). But, I can't finish his story, as much as I want to. It was his story, not mine. I just illustrated it, but I will finish Insomnia for him (which has as good a stopping point as he wrote, without me writing something else entirely). I'll return to Aberrant Affinity once I can draw those characters and not cry like a baby cause I'll never know where Caleb was going to take them.

What does this mean for IU in the meantime? I'll be drawing Quetros and going into the next arc and issue. I'll begin new updates shortly. Next tuesday or the week after that. I love to draw, and I know Caleb wants me to keep updating. And I know, wherever he is, he understands what I'm doing.

Things will be changing around here. It'll be slow changes, but I'll do my best to keep moving IU forward like Caleb and I had planned.

-Caybo