Not-so-wise Teeth

I just wanted to come out of my pain-induced coma to mention that I'm really pleased with this week's comic. I think I really nailed Amelia in most of the panels and I have a lot of fun drawing the "surfing" shot.

Our guest artists are starting up next Saturday. I've seen a few of the comics and you all are in for a real treat. Be sure to visit their sites as a thank you for their help. They are all linked over in our Links section.

Shade & Sweet Water,

The Masked Lioness

PS- Things I learned this week. Laughing gas has a really bad effect on me. I think I'll be happier without my wisdom teeth in the long run though.

Net Neutrality

I've been trying to get educated about Net Neutrality and I would really suggest you do too. Basically, some big name internet providers want to make website creators pay to get their content to you the user. If one webpage pays more, than it will be faster to get to that webpage than one that isn't paying off the provider. Some sites will be completely inaccessible if the creator isn't paying the provider. What does this mean to you? Censorship. Restrictions on small internet webpages. Control of ideas by the moneyed elite. Think non-profits and libraries will be able to maintain the same kind of net presence? Think again.

On a personal note, losing Net Neutrality means we won't be able to get Duchess Mew to you the reader. We like you all a lot, but it's not a business and
we don't have much to put into the project. If providers started charging us to get our content out to you we'd probably be forced off the net/be difficult to find. I'm sure there are a lot of webcomics out there that are in the same position.

So do yourselves a favor and get educated and write/call your Congressional representatives. It's their job to protect your rights. One site to check out for more information and to sign a petition is Save the Internet. Please take the time to understand this issue. It's very important.

E3 is distracting me from the real world

I may not draw a gaming comic, but my husband and I are still gamers and we've been following the news coming out of E3. In fact, I think E3 coverage is at fault for me walking out into the rain today in sandals and without an umbrella. I'm a little distracted.

I'm not terribly knowledgeable, but here are my impressions so far. I get my news from IGN and from G4.

- Sony is doing themselves a disservice pricing the PS3 at $600 for the full package. Sure there is a $500 option, but I doubt the majority of gamers who are willing for fork over the cash will want a nerfed box. I suppose parents will buy the cheaper one for their kids, but that combined with the lackluster controller (which at least is not a boomerang) and the headstart the 360 has is going to make it really tough for Sony to win this round. I'm disappointed since I like my PS2 a lot. I'm just not made of money. (I feel really bad for the people in Europe who are going to pay that amount in Euros. Yikes!)
- X-Box 360 games...Yeah, not my thing. Pretty though. Their focus is really on shooters and driving games. Of course with the cost and game line up of the PS3, I may have to reconsider which will be my secondary console (if any). It'll come down to "spare" income (or a windfall) and what the games are available between the 360 and the PS3. The first to drop their price will get some points too.
- The Wii is looking good and I am looking forward to that. I'm a Nintendo fan to begin with so I'd probably buy it no matter what. Am excited about the new controller. I'm not convinced that it is as intuitive as we're being told though and I won't be convinced until I've had a chance to use one. I wish they'd announce a firm ship date and price. They can't do any worse than Sony.
- Silly name, "Wii".
- I'm such a sucker for Zelda games. I'm thrilled about Twilight Princess becoming a Wii title. I'm going to start eating my controllers if they don't get it out this year.
- Sucker for Mario Brother's games too. DS games are sounding good. We might become a two DS household as soon as the Lites come out in the States.
- Hm...going to watch the new Metal Gear Solid trailer when I get home just because it's going to be damn pretty.

Right, more thoughts as they occur to me. Rejoice. I've already drawn the comic for this Saturday. :)

Another Delay

Expect the comic tonight or early tomorrow. The comic has just been rough to do lately. Hopefully it will pass soon.

Comic for March 11

Hello all,

I'm feeling pretty good about this week's comic and I hope you all like it too. I'm getting to the point where drawing on the computer screen is almost more natural than drawing by hand. The special second page will be up on Sunday so don't miss it! I started that one by hand, and got very frustrated when I couldn't find the "undo" button on my drawing pad. *blush*

While I don't really care to bring up politics here much, I did want to make sure everyone had heard that the Patriot Act has been renewed. Here's what the American Library Association had to say about it. I am extremely disappointed, angry, pissed, scared, etc. Its not that I object to the government trying to protect my life and freedom, its that I don't want to lose my right to privacy on the say so of Gwub. Frankly, he's lied to us before, and this Act ensures that we cannot hold him and his cronies accountable for future mis-use of power. Fortunately the gag rule on libraries and bookstores was loosened a little, but it's still a Year people. Libraries have a duty to protect your privacy rights and this Act prevents them from doing so. Thank you Republican Party for making my democracy a little more like a dictatorship.

Delay in Comic

GIMP has abandoned me and crashed after I finished coloring, but before I saved. Expect the comic sometime this weekend.

*grumble*

Digital Comics & Voting Buttons

Good Morning,

As you may have noticed (or not), the quality of the art in this comic is down a bit. That is because it is my first ever fully digital piece of art. I drew this baby in GIMP from its base structure on up. All in all I liked drawing on the computer, however it is definitely not easy. I think that in the long run my art will be improved, but in the short run it may be a little lower in quality. Wish me luck and if you have suggestions or tips on making drawing with a Wacom, please drop me a line.

In other news, you'll see we've finally got some voting buttons. :-) Click them to improve our rating. We'll start with baby steps and try to get into the top 1000 first. ;-)

Shade & Sweet Water,

The Masked Lioness