Edit
Maybe this sounds self depriciating, but to me the unfiltered mental health mirror is what makes this arc work. I handed the web draft off to peers asking what I should edit and what i should cut- it was too long for my tastes if going to print. I didn't much like the guy i was back in 2005, so i wasn't the greatest fan of some of my own narrative choices. To my surprise, even in its edgy, crunchy, mspaint text styled draft version, those people told me it was just a good arc. Even though the art and writing was almost 20 years old. Even though it was done in the depths of an ongoing mental health problem.
The character relationships are the core of this arc, and set an important narrative tone for the comic going forward. Dysphoria (a major theme in this arc) left me feeling deeply asexual in '05, but in spite of that we have a very openly queer cast. The two central relationship of course is that between Grey (the humany boy) and Kyo (the yellow alien) and how the two of them are sort of bumbling forward trying to survive together. Very early gay transmasc energy, in my opinion.
l've also alluded this is the arc that embodied a very weird, dark time in my life. Not to go into extensive detail, but the depression I'd been fighting unaided since I was a teenager was very severe. My most supportive family member, my grandmother, passed away from stage 4 cancer in 05. I was attempting to build a life on the other side of the Earth to escape my demons - a plan that started to fall apart when my friend was deported and my very 4chan-y American "friends" started to attack me for talking about depression and dysphoria etc.
I poured all the darkness and pain out onto the page and into my narrative. I did it because sometimes it felt like the only way to unload those feelings without being shut down.
Look at those bricks. Those bricks are not the bricks of a sane man!!
There's also the matter that several pages seemed to be unaware that the right inch and a half of the paper could be used, while i pushed completely to and even off the page on the left hand side. During my rescan process, I noticed this was especially prominent on pages where there's a major mental breakdown for the characters happening. It brings to mind the clock face cognition tests.
This is all to say : The place I was in when I created these comics is not the place I am in now, but I feel like the story I told then is still a story worth telling now. I was, and am, a very mentally ill guy - but these days I'm doing better. Drawing this comic did help. Finding readers who understood what I was putting down because they too have spicy brains also helped. Knowing you're not in some way less than other people for having your brain function differently is immensely important, is the thing.
People loved this arc when it debuted, and I was not gracious enough in the aughts to understand how to respond to that. I was even kind of a jerk (sorry if you remember that) because I still craved the support and attention of those toxic nasty not-really-friends-friends back in the USA. I don't feel like its popularity as a story was in any way tied to its debut year, and I think people today will appreciate it the same as back then. People began asking for printed copies of the comic in 2005 and I honestly just did not want to think about it until the entire story line (800 pages of Inhuman!) was finished.
I set about the daunting task of scanning each of its 99 pages again in 2023, then stitching the pages together in photoshop, fiddling with the levels, cleaning up any hand written text and then adding new text with some edits. This task took 8 months. The comic retains its 2005 edginess, because that is the spirit at the center of this thing, but I think it's much nicer now. I'm really proud of it. Reception has been good so far from folks who've read the digital updated version.
so... even though it is a small and modest goal and there is a niche ass following for this comic that may not even include the person reading this (YET!) i beseech you to help me get a couple copies of this printed out, to leave a little footprint of my time on the earth.
let's make some comics shall we?
The Origins
              I put this online as a webcomic in 2005. It's a 99 page comic arc.
This is chapter 5 of inhuman, and in spite of that this is probably a really good arc to just JUMP IN on even if you didn't read the first four. This one is really the core of what the whole 20 year webcomic saga was about - a strange mentally ill boy with dark hair and a ton of scars and bad vision and the weird conspiracy of medical abuse he's still dealing with, telling you a story that isn't even in linear order. Maybe being vulnerable and a little gay. Maybe losing his shit a little and splashing shades of red around wantonly, only to regret it later. Â
AND: I was totally unaware of how much I was telling on myself back then.Â
This is chapter 5 of inhuman, and in spite of that this is probably a really good arc to just JUMP IN on even if you didn't read the first four. This one is really the core of what the whole 20 year webcomic saga was about - a strange mentally ill boy with dark hair and a ton of scars and bad vision and the weird conspiracy of medical abuse he's still dealing with, telling you a story that isn't even in linear order. Maybe being vulnerable and a little gay. Maybe losing his shit a little and splashing shades of red around wantonly, only to regret it later. Â
AND: I was totally unaware of how much I was telling on myself back then.Â
Maybe this sounds self depriciating, but to me the unfiltered mental health mirror is what makes this arc work. I handed the web draft off to peers asking what I should edit and what i should cut- it was too long for my tastes if going to print. I didn't much like the guy i was back in 2005, so i wasn't the greatest fan of some of my own narrative choices. To my surprise, even in its edgy, crunchy, mspaint text styled draft version, those people told me it was just a good arc. Even though the art and writing was almost 20 years old. Even though it was done in the depths of an ongoing mental health problem.
The character relationships are the core of this arc, and set an important narrative tone for the comic going forward. Dysphoria (a major theme in this arc) left me feeling deeply asexual in '05, but in spite of that we have a very openly queer cast. The two central relationship of course is that between Grey (the humany boy) and Kyo (the yellow alien) and how the two of them are sort of bumbling forward trying to survive together. Very early gay transmasc energy, in my opinion.
l've also alluded this is the arc that embodied a very weird, dark time in my life. Not to go into extensive detail, but the depression I'd been fighting unaided since I was a teenager was very severe. My most supportive family member, my grandmother, passed away from stage 4 cancer in 05. I was attempting to build a life on the other side of the Earth to escape my demons - a plan that started to fall apart when my friend was deported and my very 4chan-y American "friends" started to attack me for talking about depression and dysphoria etc.
I poured all the darkness and pain out onto the page and into my narrative. I did it because sometimes it felt like the only way to unload those feelings without being shut down.
Look at those bricks. Those bricks are not the bricks of a sane man!!
There's also the matter that several pages seemed to be unaware that the right inch and a half of the paper could be used, while i pushed completely to and even off the page on the left hand side. During my rescan process, I noticed this was especially prominent on pages where there's a major mental breakdown for the characters happening. It brings to mind the clock face cognition tests.
This is all to say : The place I was in when I created these comics is not the place I am in now, but I feel like the story I told then is still a story worth telling now. I was, and am, a very mentally ill guy - but these days I'm doing better. Drawing this comic did help. Finding readers who understood what I was putting down because they too have spicy brains also helped. Knowing you're not in some way less than other people for having your brain function differently is immensely important, is the thing.
People loved this arc when it debuted, and I was not gracious enough in the aughts to understand how to respond to that. I was even kind of a jerk (sorry if you remember that) because I still craved the support and attention of those toxic nasty not-really-friends-friends back in the USA. I don't feel like its popularity as a story was in any way tied to its debut year, and I think people today will appreciate it the same as back then. People began asking for printed copies of the comic in 2005 and I honestly just did not want to think about it until the entire story line (800 pages of Inhuman!) was finished.
I set about the daunting task of scanning each of its 99 pages again in 2023, then stitching the pages together in photoshop, fiddling with the levels, cleaning up any hand written text and then adding new text with some edits. This task took 8 months. The comic retains its 2005 edginess, because that is the spirit at the center of this thing, but I think it's much nicer now. I'm really proud of it. Reception has been good so far from folks who've read the digital updated version.
so... even though it is a small and modest goal and there is a niche ass following for this comic that may not even include the person reading this (YET!) i beseech you to help me get a couple copies of this printed out, to leave a little footprint of my time on the earth.
let's make some comics shall we?
Edit
The Story
My comic Inhuman is dystopia consumer-grade space travel scifi. Light scifi, if you will. Psychics and aliens, some planets very high tech and some are very 1970s. Much about the sinister conspiracies of medical institutions. The action is very character driven. It's heavily inspired by shonen manga and my own weird, traumatized, jewish-american transmasc experience.
This arc in particular takes place on a 1970s-tech level alien planet and flashes back and forth between Grey's spotty memories and the current military orchestrated man-hunt to find him.
You can read the entire comic for free on my website at Inhuman.Space
-or- you can download the PDF archives and name your own price on my itchio
This arc in particular takes place on a 1970s-tech level alien planet and flashes back and forth between Grey's spotty memories and the current military orchestrated man-hunt to find him.
You can read the entire comic for free on my website at Inhuman.Space
-or- you can download the PDF archives and name your own price on my itchio
Edit
Initially i had printed my comics with a florida based company. I was happy enough to stick with them for a few years running, until the boss scared off everyone under him. He seemed to believe he could run the company entirely on his own, as many bad bosses do. He clearly could not run his printing company on his own.
The current and very nice printings are being done by PrintNinja, which was highly reccomended to me by a one of the members of the cartoonist's coop!
you can check the progress on my full rescanning journey here. my ultimate goal is to do five copies of the whole fucking thing bound together - five 800 page books. but that's something for a few years from now.
you can purchase older issues either with your pledge or individually on my kofi as well as read the comic on my site or via my itchio. paying me to read my comic is entirely voluntary cuz i'd rather have a reader than a retirement fund, you feel me?
The Printings So Far...
Initially i had printed my comics with a florida based company. I was happy enough to stick with them for a few years running, until the boss scared off everyone under him. He seemed to believe he could run the company entirely on his own, as many bad bosses do. He clearly could not run his printing company on his own.
The current and very nice printings are being done by PrintNinja, which was highly reccomended to me by a one of the members of the cartoonist's coop!
you can check the progress on my full rescanning journey here. my ultimate goal is to do five copies of the whole fucking thing bound together - five 800 page books. but that's something for a few years from now.
you can purchase older issues either with your pledge or individually on my kofi as well as read the comic on my site or via my itchio. paying me to read my comic is entirely voluntary cuz i'd rather have a reader than a retirement fund, you feel me?
Edit
Both prints are on 8.5x14 inch paper and everyone who purchases a comic book (or pack) gets a set of the two.
Are you ready for the next stretch goal?! cuz i am!! Let's get there!!!
The Stretch Goals
having learned a little from my prior backer project, this time stretch goals should be a little easier to prep for. i don't have a ton in mind, tho, cuz i struggle always to envision a future where i have more money than required lmao
-
first goal at 300UNLOCKED! all orders get an art print with them (your choice of 2) -
next goal at 450UNLOCKED! all orders are getting a set of six little pins! - next goal at 600
- next goal at 750
- next goal ??????
Both prints are on 8.5x14 inch paper and everyone who purchases a comic book (or pack) gets a set of the two.
Are you ready for the next stretch goal?! cuz i am!! Let's get there!!!
Edit
The Guy
you have continued to scroll.
at this point there's nothing else but to ask you if you'd give me a follow on some crap social network that gives
us both anxiety disorders. have at you
bsky | mastodon | devart | furaffinity
i'm not really active most other places. but i love making my own websites. like this one and this one and this one. a good website imo is one you can fall down a rabbit hole on. that i do provide...
at this point there's nothing else but to ask you if you'd give me a follow on some crap social network that gives
us both anxiety disorders. have at you
bsky | mastodon | devart | furaffinity
i'm not really active most other places. but i love making my own websites. like this one and this one and this one. a good website imo is one you can fall down a rabbit hole on. that i do provide...
Edit
timeline & shipping
I'm looking to complete fundraising for this by the end of October, and it usually takes about a month for all the pledges and everything to fully clear on a finished backerkit campaign.Â
As such I'm looking to start shipping in late november. I'll be shipping via USPS.Â
Single comics will be shipped in a manilla envelope and a plastic sleeve. Bundles of comics will ship in either plastic envelopes or boxes depending on how many are in your bundle!Â
Shipping will be calculated and collected in the Pledge Manager survey.Â
International shipping is an option, but will be 20-40$ extra because that's the state of USPS under trump appointee postmaster lewis dejoy. fuck that guy. but yeah, just be aware if you're outside North America!!
As such I'm looking to start shipping in late november. I'll be shipping via USPS.Â
Single comics will be shipped in a manilla envelope and a plastic sleeve. Bundles of comics will ship in either plastic envelopes or boxes depending on how many are in your bundle!Â
Shipping will be calculated and collected in the Pledge Manager survey.Â
International shipping is an option, but will be 20-40$ extra because that's the state of USPS under trump appointee postmaster lewis dejoy. fuck that guy. but yeah, just be aware if you're outside North America!!
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