The Underground Machine

Posts here have been a little more sporadic than I would like, due to the amount of work we've been putting into the Twisted Studio site. It's amazing how much has been involved in developing that site on all levels. There is a constant buzz of activity between the three of us Twisted members. Whether its bios or artwork, structuring or functionality, the Underground machine is in peak production right now, and the outcome is stunning!

As a team we are finding our groove, and the resulting work being produced is some of the best that this project has seen. This, of course, is only the beginning. We've got many plans for where we are going to take this project, and what we'd like to bring to our readers. There is a facebook contest coming up, we've started looking into a forum for the site, and other considerations for expanding our product line.

I was even approached by another artist who would like to offer his free time to the project. So be on the look out for some additional Character Image Galleries, which will feature additional artwork, some of which produced by various artists. We've expanded our reach as a project, we have readers worldwide, and the site has surpassed 4000 views in just over 3 months of activity.

You know that infestation we keep talking about? Well this is it! Thank you all for your support

http://www.twistedstudio.ca/

A Blast From The Past

Today at the Twisted Studio homepage, we uploaded the beginnings of our image gallery. Many thanks once again to Dave Rocha for making this possible. To kick off the gallery, I wanted to show some pictures from the original series which correspond with where the story is at right now. As a team we've been putting alot of work into ironing out the story and flushing out the characters, the end result I believe is evident in the new pages being posted, but also the amazing support material being released in conjunction. Ofcourse, in order to truly appreciate where we are today, we must completely understand where we were before. Below I've taken a few moments to give my thoughts on the older images released today, and how they relate to the story now.

The Decimation of The Amicable Plains
In The Underground: TOS, The Amicable Plains were completely annihilated by the Hive. Doesn't sound too different does it? In the original storyline, there was literally an armada of bees and wasps laying seige to the Ladybug home. Baron Tarq himself was present. Given the pitifully defenseless nature of the Ladybugs, this did not make sense. So in the present story we've taken the opportunity to introduce the Shock Troops, and bring the 'battle' to a more appropriately personal level.

Cyrus Meets Gretta
In issue #0 (Unearthed), Cyrus is visited in a dream by the mystical Silkmoth, Gretta. It's an eerie and ethereal sequence in which Cyrus is released from his captive bonds. In the original series, Cyrus is visited in 'person' by Gretta and she instructs him most directly to travel to Coryn. The biggest problem I found when reviewing this section of the story/artwork was the relative size of Gretta when compared to Cyrus. Gretta should be a giant compared to a ladybug! In order to emphasize this, and her mystical nature we use a dream sequence which was originally used in issue #3 of the original series, but this time we also made Gretta speak in a more whimsical, and mysterious way.

Cyrus Versus The Hive Scout
As if having his home destroyed, and being left for dead wasn't enough for a ladybug! After dusting himself off and heading out for Coryn, Cyrus is attacked by a patrolling Hive Scout. The scout battered Cyrus around a bit before being taken out by Styx and the Zealots Elite. Kind of an bland entrance for our heroes. This time around we planned a monster size enemy for the Elite to lock mandibles with! Enter the Mole Cricket! In issue #0 (Harvest), Cyrus found himself in a Mole Cricket egg chamber before being rescued by our valiant ants.

Cyrus Meets The Elite
In the original series, Cyrus didn't pass out infront of our heroes like he does in the present story. In fact he kind of bickers with them, even sticks his finger in Lor's face! Looking at the big picture, and what our plans are for Cyrus we really couldn't have him being so self-confidant and full of bravado so early in the story. So we've made him a little more wimpy, and less secure in himself. I think we're going to have plenty of opportunity for some comic relief, and a much more satisfying journey for our unlikely hero.

Well that's it for today's history lesson! I hope you`ve enjoyed it. Be sure to keep checking back for more insights into the creative world of The Underground! And be sure to check out the Twisted Studio homepage for the latest content and updates!
www.twistedstudio.ca

The Power of a "Like"

So we just finished our first official calendar month over at www.twistedstudio.ca, and the results have been staggering. When we first looked into Wordpress, and I agreed to start releasing The Underground as a webcomic, I just thought that this would be a one site answer for all of my buggy rantings, inspirations, and images. Well, with the highly appreciated help of my good friends Chris Walker, and Dave Rocha it has turned into so much more! We are actually developing a consistent internet following, and our reach is expanding. We can track our views, our referrals, and more!
It's becoming a project in itself to maintain the site, but one which I feel we are handling admirably.
For over a year now, we've been trying to find some sort of system or routine to bring new exciting content to fans, and would-be readers. Many of these plans have fallen apart, due to insufficient planning, inconsistent maintenance, and less man power. Wordpress has given us a great tool to reach our potential audience, Chris and I sat down and discussed our visions and plans, and decided it necessary to bring in another body to help. Enter Dave. The three of us have fell rather comfortably into a great work ethic, and schedule, and have been able to pool our ideas and efforts in a much more efficient way.
And that's where we are now. Over a 1000 unique views in one month's time, and we're far from slowing down. From here our intention continues to be reacher a larger audience, and getting The Underground into the right person's hands to bring us to our next level of success. So what can you do? Well if you are an Underground enthusiast, it's easier than you may think. We are constantly updating our Facebook posts, and Twitter...tweets...to reflect the happenings of our new mega-site. Everytime someone shares our post, likes our comments, or retweets our...tweets, our site views jump by 20 to 30! Awesome and easy. Everytime someone does this it cycles the information into the new news, and brings it to the attention of a completely different audience than we would have reached on our own. So what do you say? You wanna like us? Comment on us? Or retweet us? Believe me, we can't wait to hear from you.

The New Home of The Underground!

Howdy, howdy, howdy.
As mentioned last month we were re-evaluating our business stance, looking at our priorities, and trying to find the best ways to reach our desired readers. We've made the decision to produce The Underground as a webcomic, and we've put our nose to the grindstone to make this a reality. It's been a busy...an insanely busy month for all of us, on a personal level, and when it comes to the new site; www.twistedstudio.ca
By now many people have checked out the new site, and yesterday we posted the very first completed page from The Underground #2: Bad Seeds. While this is still a work in progress, I've got to say how happy I am with the project so far. We've decided to utilize Wordpress and Comicpress for producing the site, and it has allowed us the opportunity to put together a portal for our readers, unlike any other we've had before.
Now at one location you can read about your favourite characters, you can join in group discussions, check out key locations in The Underground, not to mention read the current releases! We've got plans for ordering previous issues, for incorporating the Sponsorship program in order to work towards printing the next book, and so much more. We are merely scratching the surface, and I couldn't be happier.
As I said, yesterday we posted the first page from Bad Seeds, and we saw the site take over 100 unique hits! And today, we are on track for the same total. Is it a sign of things to come? I sure hope and honestly believe so. The positive energy that the team has managed to capture, is bound to attract more and more positive energy, and The Underground will only continue to gain momentum! Next week we'll be posting preliminary sketches for page 2, along with more supporting content.
So check it out if you haven't already. And if you have checked it out let someone else know! Spread the word, join the infestation. And if you see Dave or Chris let them know what a phenomenal job they are doing with the site, with the content, and with their energy. Thanks guys.

Let's Get Viral

The last month or two has been very busy for The Underground crew. We've taken a few steps back and tried to pay closer attention to what we are actually doing. Both physically with the book, but also digitally I guess, with promotion. We've evaluated Twisted Studio, what it does...what it's meant to do. And we've looked into all other aspects of our current structure, and begun to ask some very tough questions. We've forced ourselves to give some tough, but honest and unbiased answers. This has been an exciting process because I can see that we've begun to handle ourselves more responsibly and realistically. Looking at veiwer traffic, listening for feedback, evaluating time spent. Twisted Studio has begun to take shape finally after more than a decade of fanboy dreaming, the studio is forming. As exciting as this is it has left a surprising question on our plate. What is to come of The Underground?
The Underground is my brainchild. There has been no project which I have been as passionate about, and Twisted Studio excluded, I doubt there will be another. The downside is the workload. It takes so much time, and indeed time-management to complete all of the artwork myself. Not to mention trying to work on promoting, finding printers, trying to build the studio, and so many other related projects. I've been wearing so many hats, I"m bordering on schizophrenia! Even so, I'm not ready to throw in the towel. Merely, re-evaluate our plan of execution.
Our goal is exposure for The Underground. And work load aside, when the costs of printing is considered for such a small run project, something just doesn't add up anymore. Right now at our current juncture we've decided that the best way to get the most exposure for The Underground, is to release it as a web comic! What does this mean for you? Well let me tell ya!
More new content! Free uploaded comic pages every two weeks! Supporting material released weekly! And an easy way to pass on The Underground to your friends and family. We will still work towards releasing the next and subsequent books in print, but for now, we're going to give our readers something to follow much much more often. And if that's the case...
...I call it a win.
Stay tuned. We're working hard to have our first page posted on a newly revamped website in two weeks! That's Monday, December 20th for anyone who's counting!
Thank you all for your continued support, of this beloved project.

The Filth of the Fly Federation

The completed concept for the Fly Federation, to be used in T... on Twitpic

So despite spilling coffee on the sketch, it is complete! Alot of thought actually went into this one, but it was really enjoyable. This is a part of a three or four panel page, this being the last panel. I was intrigued by this panel, and the opportunity to show what the culture here feels like, what the living conditions are, the filth, the grime. This ofcourse is only the beginning, we haven't even put the actual flies in there! So far, we're just looking at the backdrop.
It should be quite interesting to see how the residents live here, how they view their surroundings, eachother...
I think the flies will be a shifty bunch, just like the Skaven in Warhammer, or the Ferengi from Star Trek. Time will tell.

Next step. Midground drawn. on Twitpic

Next step. Midground drawn. on Twitpic
Here's the next step in the Fly Federation's design. With the midground complete, all that remains is the filth in the far background!