Hi Everyone, sorry I've been quiet, but I'm working on a pretty major project that's going to take all of my comics in a dramatic and exciting new direction. Definitely stay tuned.

However, the work is daunting and stressful, so it's more important than ever to take time to blow off a little steam. And what better way is there than to blow some pirates out of the starry night sky! Star Pirates to the rescue! I thought it might be fun to share with you some of my role playing excitement.

With time short, I've been focusing on development for the last few weeks; research, picking through space debris and slot machines. Gambling and extraterrestrial trash picking is a great way to build revenue which is perfect for adding the best in ships and ship systems. Although the game is completely free, a couple of bucks can buy some extra points that can be used for additional trash runs to really rake in the dough.

But more important is the careful and strategic use of research. With the use of the right kind of cybernetic artificial intelligence, your attempts at research can really take off and make you faster and stronger than anyone else at your level. This is where my team mates make the difference. Joining a fleet as supportive and helpful as Zoie's Roughnecks can really help by allowing you to borrow the equipment that will make your research the most profitable. I've been replacing all of my ship equipment with the best cybernetic ai as possible and running my research that way; keeping a careful balance of speed, defense and offense. When possible I also use my points to get some AI Cycle bursts to allow me to run even more research runs and build my stats even more.

I'm hoping to have a bit more free time next month, so I'm planning on using my built up stats to do some real role playing with some Asteroid Belt runs, Salvage Forays and maybe even a few missions. I'll be sure to let you know how that goes.

Well, I suppose you may have noticed the lack of Keenspot stuff on my site. After many long years we have finally parted ways. It was a scary decision, but I finally realized I was only clinging to them out of a lazy fear of change. What initially drew me to Keenspot were the comics that were there, but I realized that all of the artists that I loved and admired had already gone their separate ways. So it was time I did the same.

As I said, it's a scary transition. I've been a part of that gang for a long time. And Keenspot certainly did help with some decent boosts in traffic. But the good news is that this is going to open some exciting new directions and looks that are going to add a lot to all of my comics and projects. Not least of which is the continuing development of Quark Comics. It's the beginning of some great things. So keep an eye out for changes in the sites and urls, I'll be sure to forward things and keep you all informed.

But in the meantime, don't let me regret this decision. Please help me by spreading the word tell your friends and spread the love through your favorite social network. Help me keep my readership strong and growing. The stronger the community we can build, the more content and fun I'll be able to bring you.

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about Star Pirates, but with Zortic and the gang battling Star Pirates it seemed like a good excuse to update you on the game. There have been some great additions to the game since it started and it’s given players a lot more opportunity for customization, creativity and immersion.

The main theme of the game continues to be a fast and streamlined approach that can be played quickly and cleanly anywhere. With more small scale web interfaces making their appearance, this kind of text based gaming has a whole new world of potential. Admit it, have you even tried playing World of Warcraft on that fancy new iPad you just bought? Or iPhone? Or Droid? Basically you can play Star Pirates on anything that has internet access.

In my opinion, one of the nicest changes is the addition of some nice graphics to many of the game elements; nothing too big and fancy, but just a little something to give your imagination a kick start. For example, each class of ship now has a basic, distinctive design. That alone gives the game a little more character, but then there’s the ability to customize the paint job on your ship to give it a unique look, if you and your friends want to unify your fleet with some team colors, you can do that. You can make this game your own!

The game has also deepened the role playing aspect by creating missions that you can take some time going through. These text based missions maintain the simplicity of a “choose your own adventure” story, but they’re a great addition to the normal raids and expeditions that make up the rest of the game. But the best part of the missions is that you can exercise your own creativity and imagination by creating them yourself. Sure, that means that everyone else has been creating them to, so there’s a pretty wide range of quality in these missions. However, there’s also a rating system that allows you to endorse good missions and warn others away from the not so good ones. But if you stick to the 5 star missions, they can really be a fantastic way to further immerse yourself in the universe.

But really the best reason for getting into a game like this is the people. And this game has some of the best operators and players of any game I’ve ever met; both support staff and fellow players. It really is a great experience and well worth taking the time to enjoy… And it’s free!!!

So jump in and give it a try. Look me up, I’m Zortic in the game (big surprise) and join the Fleet Zoie’s Roughnecks, it’s a great team run by Zortic fans for Zortic fans (contact Hogan or Star Gazer for lots of great help and info).

I was able to work a "Wrong Way" Feldman reference into a conversation this weekend! I consider that a sign of a good week. Any time you can work a "Wrong Way Feldman reference into your day it's a good thing.

I don't usually talk about to many personal things in this blog, but I had a dream a couple of weeks ago that has really stuck with me. The fact that it was so memorable combined with it's obscure but workable element combinations continues to intrigue me the more I think about it. So I have to share it with you... Besides, it's a slow news day.

I dreamed that I finally got to see the obscure, panned and typically discarded sequel to the original Willy Wonka movie. Historically it had been pretty much hidden in a vault since its release in 1974. It turns out that the movie did so badly because of how drastically it deviated from the original beloved film. There was no music, no Oompa Loompas and no chocolate factory. Instead, Willy Wonka was a private investigator and he was working with the police to solve grisly murders. When the lead police detective was stumped he would turn and say something along the lines of "what do you make of it, Wonka?" And Willy would turn away from the yellow tapped crime scene, twirl his cane, tap his purple top hat and make some obscurely cryptic, but appropriately Zen riddle that would instantly solve the case.

Ironically, it kind of worked; in a strange Charlie Chan sort of way. And the reason it worked was because it was Gene Wilder's Willy Wonka, that whimsical and wise twinkle in his eye brought it all together. Johnny Depp's Wonka was more innocent and never would have been able to have what it takes in the dark gritty world of a film noire detective story. A real testimony to the genius of Gene Wilder.... Or maybe it was just because I saw that "Pure Imagination" commercial during an episode of CSI....

So things have slowed down a little in the big news department. But there is still stuff in development, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile I want to take the opportunity to do something that I haven't done in way too long, help a new comic gain some recognition. Today's discovery is Arkham Polytech a fun look at some classic monsters that just started in December. It's a simple straightforward comic that reminds us all that we were all some kind of monster in college... weren't we? Be sure to get hooked now before the comic becomes too big to handle.

It's the beginning of convention season. This weekend I'll be at Megacon. This is the big one for me, the one I've put the most effort into, my home town convention. I'll be hanging with the fine folks over at Nightgig Studios. If you can make it, I strongly recommend joining the fun. And be sure to come see me in the Artists Alley at table Brown #1.