Bottom of the Deck – 2025/06/19

The updates are flowing! The train is rolling! Now we just need some passengers…

Exemplar #1 is available for purchase! It’s up on my Patreon and my Ko-Fi store, $10 gets the full issue, with variant cover and 4-page backup story. I have been plugging this all week over on Bluesky, and because it’s marketing, I’m just going to have to keep doing it until people take notice (I’m even considering expanding back to less-preferred sites for maximum coverage, but haven’t taken the plunge yet). I’m okay with this, especially as I have scheduled the uploads for all the remaining page updates across the paid sites and here on this one, so that’s one less thing I need to worry about for the next couple of months. True, it took me the better part of an entire day to queue them up, but that’s neither here nor there…

With that issue out of the way, I’m already diving into the next Fifth Ace Comics issue that will (hopefully) be ready for launch by the end of August, provided I can keep my momentum up. I’ve already thumbnailed the entire layout, and I’m currently getting the lettering done; I’ve mentioned before how I’m doing it this way so that I can make quick changes to the layout if the script and thumbnails aren’t aligning the way I want before doing any intensive art. Show respect to professional letterers, people; this is every bit as important as any other part of the comic creation process and it is not as simple as just slapping some words onto a page. It’s an intensive process that is likely going to take all of my time and concentration tomorrow, and likely the rest of the weekend too.

Speaking of the weekend, I’m going to be attending SAE Intstitute’s Open Day on Saturday; while I have no desire to pursue any further higher education even if I could afford it, it’s a great networking opportunity as a bunch of artistically-minded organizations are going to be there. On top of that, I’m also in the top 10 finalists for a doodling competition they ran at ComicCon Cape Town, and there’s a chance I could be walking away with a swanky new screen tablet; I’m keeping my expectations low, but my hopes high, since I’ve wanted one for ages and I think it could really help my productivity that much more, so fingers crossed.

Additionally, on Sunday I’m going to be running my first game of Daggerheart, something I’ve been wanting to do ever since it was announced. I had fluctuating feelings about the game during its development cycle, but the final product looks really slick, and the example games I’ve seen make it look really fun to play. I don’t know how it will appeal to my regular group, but our resident power gamer has had to duck out for a bit, so hopefully the remaining players won’t mind a more narrative experience. If they like it, fantastic; if they don’t, then I can at least say I gave the game a try, instead of bashing it without even looking at the book like most of the internet.

So yes, a lot of things are going on, keeping super busy with both play and work, which is keeping my procrastination-inclined brain stimulated enough that I’m not coming to a complete stop yet. Keep the ball rolling, I’ll check in with you again next week.

Ciao for now.

Bottom of the Deck – 2025/06/12

Phew, good thing today is a blogging day, I’ve got some thoughts to pour out of my very buzzy head.

First and foremost: Exemplar #1 is in the final stages of production! The art is complete, the pages are lettered, the privacy captions are in place; the only thing left to do now is format the pages into the ideal size and resolution for web and pdf formats, and then the uploading can begin. This will happen on Monday 16th June; that’s right, next week is when it all kicks off proper!

Also to be launching on Monday, will be the Fifth Ace Comics Patreon! While I was initially drawn to Ko-Fi because it takes less of a cut, Patreon does come with the benefit of being a lot more integrated and customizable, meaning easier access for more people, and the point of making art is to have people see it, so… yeah. I’m still getting the page properly in order, so that when it launches, there will be stuff to see.

Said stuff will also be going live here on this site at the same time; the cover and first four pages of Exemplar #1 will be available for all to see on Ko-Fi, Patreon, and the main site on Monday. Thereafter, Ko-Fi and Patreon will update with new pages daily, while this site will follow a Mon/Wed/Fri update schedule, so if you want to see the other pages early, options are available. Of course, if you want to see this first issue in its entirety at once, the $10 tiers (as well as the stores) will have the full issue available for download, including the exclusive backup pages!

With all that said, I am really excited to finally be officially launching my comic universe; the Fifth Ace Showcase was always intended to be a testing ground for this setting and the characters within it, and now the real storyline can begin; I’ve mentioned before how I have an extensive timeline plotted out for a few dozen issues down the line. I had figured that this level of planning would help prevent me from having to resort to any retcons (retroactive continuity changes, for the layman out there) that comics are so prone to. Unfortunately, there is one big change that I’m going to have to make before it all goes down.

The main setting of my continuity is the sprawling settlement of Apex City, my equivalent to Gotham or Metropolis, a fictional playground that I can build out to my heart’s content without having to worry about any real-world inaccuracies. However, it came to my attention a while back that there is already another published continuity with an Apex City in it, one which has only grown in popularity since. Apex City is the home turf of Inferno Girl Red, part of what is known as the Massive-Verse; given that this universe is one I hold in high regard, I do not dare risk any comparisons being made to my own work (because I know I’ll lose), or any potential copyright infringement. As such, I will be retconning my version of Apex City, and it will now be known as “Capstone City” going forward. This doesn’t invalidate any previous stories that have taken place in it; we’ll all just have to mentally, retroactively (see how that works?) replace the word “Apex” with “Capstone” whenever we look back on those older works.

Think that’s all for this week; I’m going to go and finish up the last bit of formatting on those pages, and then probably crash out for a bit. I’ve been watching a few Let’s Plays of Blue Prince lately; it doesn’t count as looking up a guide for my own playthrough if I happen to see how other people solved the puzzles, right?

Ciao for now.

Bottom of the Deck – 2025/06/05

Two weeks in a row with blog posts? Is this an indication of things returning to a proper status quo? I should hope so, there’s going to be a lot of regular posting happening soon, because the Fifth Ace Comics Ko-Fi tiers are now live!

Yes, it’s happening, and you can see it for yourself by clicking that brand spanking new link that says “Ko-Fi” right up there in the header bar! The Ko-Fi account is the place where you can see early and exclusive uploads of upcoming Fifth Ace Comics stories by throwing a few bucks my way every month. As I said last week, this means WIPs, first looks at new pages, and full issues available on the Ko-Fi store, even if you aren’t subscribed!

It’s a little bare bones at the moment, as there’s only so much up there right now, but once Exemplar #1 is completed, there’s going to be a veritable deluge of stuff being uploaded. Pages will begin uploading on this site at the old schedule of Mon/Wed/Fri, while uploads to the Ko-Fi will be happening every single day until the issue is completed, so if you’re subscribed, you’ll see the full thing before anyone else. Unless of course, you’re a fourth tier aka Spades aka $10 subscriber, in which case you’ll be able to read the full issue in pdf form; that tier will go live when said issue is done. PLUS, that full issue will contain an exclusive 4-page backup story that will not be readable anywhere else, so if you want to see every nook and cranny of this superhero universe, be ready to sign up when that tier becomes available.

So, when will that issue be complete and all this stuff will be kicking off? Official answer is… soon. Yes, I know that’s vague, it all depends how quickly I can get the artwork done, but I will say this: barring any mishaps or unforeseen pitfalls, I will have the artwork finished within the next two weeks. Exemplar #1 WILL drop this month, come hell or high water. I’ve been going all out on getting the final colour rendering finished, which is why you may have noticed a lack of Magic Beans this past week. Such may be the case next week too, but I am determined to get this comic done so that I finally have some more stuff to show you all again.

However, I should probably clean up the house a bit too… Let me get that sorted and I’ll be right back to the grindstone. Keep your eyes open, it’s all coming together!

Ciao for now.