Technically November 7, because it was a HUGE month!
In this newsletter, you’ll find out about everything I released over the past 30-31 days.
Anything not labeled “Patreon” or “paid” is free and publicly available.
October 5 to November 7, 2024
A big finish, a big early access launch, and lots of extras in between.
It’s been a rough week for a lot of us. I’m continuing on with work as usual because I want my art and writing to be something my readers can turn to when they need respite. We can’t hide from the realities of our world, but in between stretches of that hard work, you can count on my stories to be here.
Into the Smoke
Into the Smoke is my new free vertical-scroll webcomic, launched in May 2024. It updates every other Wednesday. “When gay medium Blaze binds himself to an evil spirit, he hopes solving the ghost’s murder will help bring him peace. But Alastor the Angel Killer has other plans…”
🎉 INTO THE SMOKE CHAPTER 1 IS NOW COMPLETE! 🎉
Read the full chapter from the beginning here!
New Episodes This Month:
We had our FINAL episode of chapter 1!
- Read Episode 12 at intothesmokecomic.com
- Read the Hiatus Schedule to see what’s coming during break
- MIRROR SITES: Subscribe and Read on Webtoon and Tapas (censored to PG-13)
Extras:
1. We had our first official hiatus bonus! Check out three detailed character portraits for Blaze, Judd, and Alastor!
2. Into the Smoke: The Clybourn House launched as early access for Secret Gallery patrons on Wednesday!
The Clybourn House is an 18+ prose short story that takes place one year before Into the Smoke. Secret Gallery patrons get early access to the serialized draft! The story will release to all patrons later in 2025 after the first few episodes of ITS chapter 2 have posted. Pledge on Patreon here!
“When the inhabitants of a notorious haunted house threaten vulnerable people in Chicago, Father Judd Abraham has no choice but to team up with spirit medium Evelyn Hong and her impulsive student Blaze Laurent to clear out the site’s dark entities. But after a tragic event jeopardizes their scheduled exorcism, Blaze turns to controversial methods to negotiate a truce with the Clybourn House’s eighteen angry ghosts.”
- The Clybourn House: Chapter 1 Pre-Game (spoiler warning: ITS ch2)(Patreon)
- The Clybourn House: Chapter 1 Early Access (Patreon)
- Live Laugh Love, a haunted house illustration inspired by The Clybourn House short story (tumblr)(bsky)
- Read the Clybourn House development blog on Tumblr to see the journey of how this 38K-word short story became a spontaneous reality (and the idea behind the Live Laugh Love illustration)
3. A new voting incentive is up for Into the Smoke on Top Webcomics! See one of my favorite early sketches of Blaze in his “exorcist” garb! Voting is a great free way to help Into the Smoke because more votes mean more new readers will discover the comic, and it’s especially helpful during hiatus. You can vote once per day per comic!
4. Throwback! See some sketches of kid vs adult Blaze, previously only available on Patreon!
Demon of the Underground
Demon of the Underground is my longest-running webcomic. It’s about Pogo, a half-demon with telekinetic powers who falls into a treacherous underground world beneath Chicago. The first 300+ pages can be read for free at demonoftheunderground.com. Current pages are being released on Patreon, with tentative plans for new free pages in the future.
DOTU: Chapter 5 Pages (Patreon)
Demon of the Underground continues with Merritt’s hacking scene, and pages 42 and 43 got a particularly big response! Page 43 has an absolutely brutal (and wonderful) line from Merritt.
- Chapter 5, Page 41 (Patreon)
- Chapter 5, Page 42 (Patreon)
- Chapter 5, Page 43 (Patreon)
Patreon Extras:
- In October’s Character Interview video, we find out everyone’s favorite drink! (Patreon)
Devoted: Merritt’s Story
Devoted: Merritt’s Story is a prose novel series that takes place a few years before Demon of the Underground. It tells the story of Merritt’s life as a soldier in the North Sphere before being captured and made an East Sphere citizen. Of all my projects, Merritt’s Story is the farthest along, with the most content available to readers. Book 1 is complete with 162K words, and Book 2 is complete with 179K words. All 341K words can be read with a single $2 Patreon pledge. Book 3 is in progress.
Extras:
- We could all use a bit of comfort. The Water Date, a super short Devoted fluff side story with illustrations, was posted as a free download for both free and paid Patreon members.
Cooking with Belmont
Cooking with Belmont is a future AU DOTU spin-off visual novel. It’s completed, and you can download it for free from itch.io! Throw a dinner party with your disaster chef boyfriend!
Collector’s Book Sale!
The Cooking with Belmont Collector’s Book is a 148-page art and development book showing how the game was made. It was on sale for 50% off last month as part of itch.io’s Halloween sale, but the sale ended just before the Monthly Roundup. So I’m extending the sale one more week, just for Monthly Roundup readers!
- Buy the Cooking With Belmont Collector’s Book for 50% off! Use coupon code: roundup11
Odds and Ends
- I’m working on a fun thread about original characters on Bluesky! (may contain mild spoilers)
- Peace and Love on Planet Honk (Tumblr)
- Me and my 4 WIPs (Bsky, just a meme)
- Be a Canada Goose (Tumblr)(CW: US politics)
Fan Stuff
- Someone got a tattoo of my bittern at the grocery store and I love it so much! Check it out! (and see the original comic here)
