 As you may or may not know, myself and a few other creators embarked on our first Kickstarter adventure with The Avandrus Theory. The Avandrus Theory is a universe jumping, multiverse shattering sci-fi anthology based on all new original characters created by C.L.Zeno, Bryan Lacy and myself, but here's the kicker; we'll be adding these characters either to the Public Domain or Creative Commons which is basically another form of public domain. Our goal is to create a library of character and universes vast enough that anyone can utilize to create their own adventures without the worry of being issued a lawsuit.
We still need your support to reach the next Stretch Goals which include: Drunk Mom mini-comic signed by the creator C.L. Zeno, digital copies of Project: New Wave created by Manuel A. Carmona (Me!), Concept Art, The Avandrus Theory #2 Automatically Pre-Ordered and so much more! To pledge your allegiance to the Avandrus Legion visit: The Avandrus Theory Kickstater today! Onward, forward and into the future!
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 It's been a minute since I've posted anything here so I thought I'd bring you all up to speed on everything that's been going on in my life. Let's start with health shall we? Since you last heard from me I've had Covid, I've had recurring shoulder pains due to surgery and I'm currently going through what seems to be Influenza or the cold from hell! Man I feel like a train ran over me and... getting old sucks! My family has been through the ringer as well. My eight year old was suffering from a serious blood desease that forced us to take him out of school for a few weeks until his body could heal, my youngest and my wife both had Covid, my oldest son has had esophagus issues and is scheduled to have surgery next month. So yeah... quite a bit. As if that wasn't enough I've been struggling for months with my mental health (depression, anxiety, mood swings, anger issues), thankfully I'm getting back to being my normal self again; but it definitely has taken it's toll on me, my family and my work. Now, when it comes to art I completely lost my desire to keep making comic books or continue to push the Buy Indie Comics Day initiative. From the way my printer treated me and basically screwed me over, to fans, shops and creators not supporting Buy Indie Comics Day like I feel they should've; 2022 was very deflating morally and I seriously considered quitting art and comics altogether... but quitting isn't in my DNA. So, I'm starting 2023 by holding the bull by it's horns and taking control of the only thing I CAN control; my own effort and my art output. Here's how I'm doing that...  On January 31st, 2023 me and a few other creators are launching our first Kickstarter together in the form of a sci-fi anthology titles The Avandrus Theory. And that's just the beginning, while that Kickstarter is happening I'll be working on Project: New Wave #4, I'll be putting out two short stories done for the 24 Hour Comics Day and I'm strongly debating if I'll be rounding the year with our first ever Truthful Comics Kickstarter campaign! We'll keep you all up to date on everything we'll be working on and I'll try not to go dark like I did again.
Last but not least I want to thank the people in my life who've kept encouraging me, supporting me and motivating me in more than ways than one. People like Alvaro Cortes Ortiz Jr, Francisco J. Rivera, Chauncey Dickens, Al Mega, Shane Tydeman, C.L. Zeno, Kris Mehaffie, the 757 Cartoonists Collective and last but not least my family. Sorry for allowing life to bring me down, I'll try to not let it happen again. Now, with that said... LET'S MAKE SOME ART!!! Join The Thinkers! Hosted by Dodgy, Paul Gomez and myself. We offer guidance and knowledge for aspiring comic book creators and talk about comics from IndieGoGo, Webtoons, Kickstarter and beyond! Enjoy!  First of all I want to thank anyone who takes the time to read this, it really means a lot. It's been a minute since I've posted... anything really and there's no excuse other than I was feeling burned out. As indie comics creators we understand that any small win comes with a few losses, but lately I've felt like I've gotten very few wins. Let's start with my printer, Kablam! I always knew that "Print On Demand" wasn't the best way to publish my comics but it was the only way I had, so I bit my tongue and "took it" cause it was the only option I had... or so I thought. As of today it's been more six months since I uploaded the third issue of my creator owned series Project: New Wave to IndyPlanet.com so I could sell the book online and it still isn't available for purchase. I've reached out to them on multiple occasions and in my last email I was firm. I explained to them that their incompetence is costing me money. Their response? They blamed it on the Pandemic, they blamed it on other indie creators uploading their books wrong; they blamed everyone except for themselves and they finished the email with this: So. There ya go. Sorry, I know it's frustrating for you and sorry you find it "ridiculous". You've been in queue for a while (obviously) and at the time we gave you the best information available. There are lots of books to get live (some that have been in queue more than you) and we are trying to list as fast as we can. I am happy to remove your books from the listing queue and IndyPlanet. You are also more than welcome to wait for your book to go live. I am no longer giving estimates when books will go live other than you'll get a bot notification when it's live. Yeah... this is why I still haven't been able to sell my book online, because it's been in the IndyPlanet queue since JANUARY!!! The craziest part is that they won't even give me a timeframe for when my book will be available. So yeah, because of this I kind of lost my will to create more comics because what's the point of making them if the fans can't buy them and/or read them? So that whole situation killed any desire I had to make comics until I stumbled upon a video on YouTube. Shocker I know! In this video a comic book creator talks all about mini comics! How to make them, how many different types of mini comics there are, his experience with selling them at conventions, the whole nine; and it made me realize something. Maybe I'm doing myself a disservice by trying to follow mainstream comics, maybe I should fully embrace the indie part of making comics and just do whatever the heck I want to do, if I want to print comics from my home studio then so be it, if I want to put out a crazy sketch version of my comic, so be it; the point is to do whatever I feel is best for me and my vision without having to fit in anyone's vision of what a comic book should look like or be. With that said, here's my first attempt at a mini comic printed from my home studio! This is Project: New Wave #3 and I only printed around twenty five copies just to test the waters at a small indie comics event I was invited to and I have to say... the reception was fantastic!
So, what I'm trying to say is that from now on I'm going to print my own comics, from my home studio and I won't be using Kablam or IndyPlanet anymore. I don't need them to reach my audience especially since it takes them six months to upload a single issue in their database! If I have to sell each book and ship each one myself, so be it! I hope you all keep supporting me and Truthful Comics like you've done in the past.
As always... keep it Truthful! -Manuel  Tune in to a NEW The Sunder Katz, Ep. #7: IDW Comics!!! Hosted by Dodgy, Reno & Manny, they discuss some truly amazing titles from IDW Publishing! Book Reviews: 30 Days of Night - The story of an isolated Alaskan town that is plunged into darkness for a month each year when the sun sinks below the horizon. As the last rays of light fade, the town is attacked by a bloodthirsty gang of vampires bent on an uninterrupted orgy of destruction. Only the small town's husband-and-wife Sheriff team stand between the survivors and certain destruction Snake Eyes: Deadgame #1 - Snake Eyes has long been the most mysterious member of the Joes, but how long can he keep his past classified when he's forced to play his hand? Will he get a lucky roll? Or will the Deadgame finally catch up to him? TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 - Springing from the minds of TMNT co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird comes an epic like you've never seen before! In a future NYC far different than the one we know today, a lone surviving Turtle goes on a seemingly hopeless mission to obtain justice for his fallen family and friends. This is a perennial TMNT tale that can't be missed! Canto #1 - Canto's adventure begins! Enslaved for generations, Canto's people once had hearts. Now they have clocks. When slavers damage a little tin girl's clock beyond repair, Canto must brave his strange and fantastic world to bring back her heart. Can he overcome the dangers that await to save the one he loves? Their range of titles can be found in your Local Comic Book Store, Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/search?searc... Their trades & graphic novels can be found in Good Book Stores and also check out their official website: https://www.idwpublishing.com/ Listen to the Podcast Here:  On this episode of The Sunder Katz, the "Katz" discuss Dynamite Entertainment! Their range of titles can be found in your local comic book shop as well as Comixology: , trade paperbacks can be found in any good book shop and make sure to check out: www.dynamite.com Books Covered: DIE!namite 1- Put yourself in the mood for love...of delicious human flesh! Peter Cannon Thunderbolt has spent his entire life on a Himalayan mountain and his best friend Tabu is convinced to help him find a special someone, which is hard enough even in ideal conditions, but in the middle of a zombie apocalypse affecting all of Dynamite's heroes, it may be impossible! Or...is it? Red Sonja: Black, White, Red- Dynamite proudly presents a prestige project by the world’s greatest storytellers! Red Sonja, like you’ve NEVER seen before…all presented in beautiful black, white, and red! KURT BUSIEK (Astro City, Marvels) and BENJAMIN DEWEY (King In Black: Namor) take you to The Mountains Of Night, a foreboding haunt where the She-Devil With A Sword seeks a precious, priceless item… AMANDA DEIBERT (Wonder Woman) and CAT STAGGS (Smallville) wind you through a mysterious adventure of crimson and ebony… MARK RUSSELL (Red Sonja) and BOB Q (Red Sonja) return to put their final stamp on their classic Red Sonja series, with a coda that will leave you breathless… Bettie Page: Curse of the Banshee #1- The pin-up queen… of adventure is back! Dynamite Entertainment proudly presents: Bettie Page in “The Curse of the Banshee!” An all-new Bettie Page series under the guidance of writer Stephen Mooney, ably assisted by artist Jethro “Jet” Morales and a host of incredible covers artists, cosplay goddesses and the queen of the pin-up herself – Bettie Page! Utilizing several clues found at the ancient Key Artifact site in the Middle Americas, McKnight and Bettie surmise that the Key Artefact has been relocated to an ancient burial site in rural Ireland. They give chase! Sheena: Queen of the Jungle #1- In this riveting relaunch, the guardian of the jungle, SHEENA, pursues a mysterious invader that has come to spy on the Amazon's most ancient secrets... Following the path of the trespasser, she encounters a forbidden ruin in which even more deadly dangers lie in wait -- and begins an adventure that will take her beyond her wildest imaginings! Let them know what you think? Leave a comment below! Thanks for listening / watching!  Sunder-Sunder-Sunder Katz, YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Join the Mad Katz know as the Sunder Katz explore the some of the amazing titles of the young publisher, Mad Cave Studios! Books Covered: Bountiful Garden #1, Wolvenheart #1, Honor and Curse #1 and Nottingham #1 Listen or watch to the episode HERE: The Sunder Katz Ep.4 PRCC Round Table: Una Conversacion Sobre PRCC 2022 Ayer Miercoles, 20 de Abril del 2022 nos sentamos varios colegas a dialogar y discutir los eventos que transcurrieron durante el fin de semana del Puerto Rico Comic Con 2022. Alvaro Cortes Jr (Mighty Warlord, Cannon Girl, Matatan), Chago Rodriguez (Chago Aproves!), Ernesto E. Cruz (Educador de Arte), Yesen Zilsux (Tranquility Bay) y este servidor compartimos por alrededor de dos horas y hablamos de todo un poco relacionado al PRCC, la escena de comics locales y mucho mas. Aqui esta el video de dicha conversacion. Esperamos que sea del agrado de todos y si tienen algo que agregar a la conversacion no duden en comentar debajo del video. Un abrazo!  Reno and Dodgy are Valiant fans... maybe Valiant-Heads if there is such a thing!? Join them as they share their love for the publisher bringing fans the third largest library of super-hero in all of comics! Titles covered: Harbinger #1(1992) - By legendary creator Jim Shooter and the first book that introduced Valiant original characters. Omega-powered psionic, Peter Stanchek, and his girlfriend, Kris Hathaway, are on the run. Only by recruiting Pete's fellow Harbingers -- Torque, Flamingo, and Zephyr-- can they hope to stay one step ahead of the Harbinger Foundation. Ninjak #1- Out of the shadows and into the spotlight... the world's greatest superspy has been exposed! Colin King is Ninjak and he has a target on his back like never before. With enemies lurking around every corner, how will Ninjak survive when there's nowhere left to hide and the world is gunning for him? Hang onto your hats, folks! Jeff Parker and Javier Puildo are about to take you on a non-stop thrill ride. Shadowman #4- Masters of Horror Cullen Bunn and Jon Davis-Hunt bring Shadowman’s descent into the darkness of London. What’s your darkest secret worth? Danger is a drug and it’s deep in the veins of mankind. Shadowman’s on a quest to find the source of his hallucinations and Jack has less control than he once thought. The worst has happened…Deadside has arrived! Bloodshot #10- He only has “One Last Shot” as the brand-new story arc starts now! Superstar artist Brett Booth and Pedro Andreo join best-selling scribe Tim Seeley for Bloodshot’s road to retribution. Who can one a one-man army trust when everyone’s trying to kill him? Enjoy and don't forget to Like and Subscribe!  Think Indie Podcast Episode 5 is HERE!!!
Hosted by Dodgy and his esteemed panel of creators of Tracy, Manuel and Paul, they give out some guidance and knowledge for the aspiring creator with a vision. This show covers what’s out there in independent comics from publishers to the upstarts and to the future of comics via Indiegogo or Kickstarter! They also unravel the World from the amazing talents of Webtoon! Strap yourself in and Think Indie! Creator's question: “Do you have a go-to creator which you look to for inspiration? And why?” Webtoon Review: God, Please Make Me a Demon By Bulsa @sarang_amor https://www.webtoons.com/en/comedy/go... Book Review: Old Game Plus #1 By various @lb_comic http://limitbreakcomics.com/old-game-... Indie Gogo Spotlight: Titan: Might of Mouse #2 By Garry Shipman https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/ti... Kickstarter Spotlight: Tyrant Fall #1 By C. Brennan Knight https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ The hosts also ask the question: What's up with Death Watch 2000? Continuity Comics was an Indie Publisher created by Neal Adams back in the late 80s - early 90s. Continuity Comics was a publisher that enjoyed a decade of success from 1984 to 1994. What happened? Was Deathwatch 2000 the cause of their downfall? Thanks for listening / watching! |
THINK INDIE PODCAST EP. 2
Hang out with the @ThinkIndiePod team for a brand new episode sharing the love of ALL things #IndieComics and more! Join hosts:
@Dodgy86inthemix @truthfulcomics @reikiwithtracy @paulgomez790 as they discuss and review King Spawn #1, Gunslinger Spawn #1, The Scorched #1 and the Spawn Universe as a whole. What did they expect when it was announced? Did it meet their expectations? Did it surpassed them? Join in the conversation by leaving your comment on their YouTube channel. Also, they also discuss and review two more indie titles: first is the fantastic web comic Those Who Sleep by Kelley Leanne Harris, the second title the cover is Megatomic Battle Rabbit by Stu Perrins and Israel Huertas. Those Who Sleep is available on Webtoons and Megatomic Battle Rabbit is published by Fair Spark Books. You can find the episode HERE! PRAYER VIGIL FOR UKRAINE
Tonight a group of random people from different Nationalities gathered together in support for the people of Ukraine. I have no friends or family in or from Ukraine and neither does my wife, but our hearts are breaking just the same because of what's happening to the people of Ukraine. Innocent people being hurt, killed even for no reason other than the ambition of a twisted man.
As a father, as a brother, as a son and as a Christian I stand in support of Ukraine, my wife and my family do as well. Earlier this week we sat down with our boys and explained the situation the people of Ukraine are having to deal with, how kids their age are having to flee their Country and why we must not only stand with them, but we must ALWAYS stand against tyranny. This was a night of prayer but know that we'll be supporting Ukraine with a lot more than prayer. BUY INDIE COMICS DAY 22'
The most important day of the year for independent publishers like ours is back! On Saturday, October 1st, 2022 indie creators and fans Worldwide will join in unison, both in person and online as well; to celebrate independent comics and their creators.
Buy Indie Comics Day was created so that independent comic book, zines, mini-comics, graphic novels and comics strip creators around the World could synergize on a single day designed exclusively to celebrate their work. It is our hope that all comic book retailers across the Globe will take this as an opportunity to stock up on indie comics, that consumers will take a chance on new titles and creators they've probably never heard of and that creators have an event created specifically to showcase their work to a much larger audience than a normal comic book convention ever could. If you're a comic book shop owner/manager or if you're an indie comics creator and you're wondering how you can be a part of this global event, here are some easy to follow graphics that show what you can do on such a glorious occasion as Buy Indie Comics Day! The guys over at Buy Indie Comics Day want this year top be their biggest ever and we feel it might just be if we all join forces and start early, hence us pushing it in February! 
THE SUNDER KATZ EP.13
On this episode "The Katz" explore the range of comics from Albatross Funnybooks! And why you should check out their amazing books. Their range of titles can be found in your Local Comic Book Store, Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=albatross+... Their trades & graphic novels can be found in Good Book Stores and also check out their official website: https://shop.albatrossfunnybooks.com/ Thanks for listening / watching!
The Sunder Katz is hosted by: Dodgy: @Dodgy86inthemix / @tyda1wave / @ComicCrusaders Manny: @truthfulcomics / truthfulcomics.com / theartofmanuelcarmona.com Tracy: @reikiwithtracy Paul G: @paulgomez790 Make sure to Like/Share/Subscribe if you haven’t yet. https://www.youtube.com/c/comiccrusad… Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/comiccrusaders Visit the official Comic Crusaders Comics Shop! Get all your new comics by going to comiccrusaders.shop Visit the OFFICIAL CC Swag Shop at: comiccrusaders.us Watch Ep.13 of The Sunder Katz HERE!
PROJECT: NEW WAVE #3 IS HERE!!!
Today, after months waiting for them; my copies of Project: New Wave # 3 finally arrived! I could tell they rushed them to me because they were sent via USPS Priority Mail which they never do, which tells me they took the books hot of the press and sent them immediately to me.
There had been a communication problem between PayPal and Kablam and they didn't received notification that I had paid the full amount back in December 2021, so I kept waiting for my books and they kept waiting for a notification from PayPal; and this went on for more than a month! Thankfully I got my books today and they look fantastic! As soon as the books are available for purchase through indyplanet.com I'll inform all of you so stay tuned. NOICE 2022!!!
First was how the organizers handled everything. On point, not stressing the vendors OR the fans, always checking on the vendors to see if they needed anything; gave clear instructions on what to do and everything went smooth as a result. The Smartmouth Brewing Company's staff was also on point, going around making sure there wasn't any trash laying around like half empty glasses of beer for example, and they were very courteous; even though I'm sure it must've been stressful to have a couple hundred people at any particular moment in a location that usually hosts a dozen or so clients at a time. They deserve some praise as well as the organizers who kicked it out of the park. Noice 2022 is amongst the best events I've been a part of. Great job guys!
The attendance was exceeded what I expected and more importantly, they weren't there because they wanted to showoff their newest Cosplay or because they wanted an autograph from their favorite actor; they were there because they loved comic books! Granted, the location was perfect in the sense that it was spacious enough for people to look around without bumping into one another, the vendors had plenty of space to put their things, everything was well organized and they sold booze, yet nobody got drunk or belligerent; everyone had a great time from what I saw and heard from other vendors. 
For me specifically, it went great! Made a bunch of sales, made some great contacts, had a chance to chat with some amazing creators and colleagues, finally met a few creators I only knew from social media and interacted with the fans after such a long time; this was truly a great event for me. Some people came to our table and told me "I follow you on Instagram and wanted to buy your book in person and have you sign it", others said "I follow you on Instagram and saw that you were here so I wanted to meet you"; it felt great to know that there are people who really love your work and are interested in what we do; it makes the long hours behind a drawing board and a computer worthwhile.
Sometimes as creators we feel like we're just talking to ourselves on the internet because maybe we don't get a bunch of interactions, we don't get a thousand Likes or comments but what days like yesterday tell me is that there are people looking at what we do and are genuinely interested in our work; so we must keep on doing what we love and trust that your fans will show up like they did for me at NOICE. I have to say, I was a bit hesitant about my decision to print Project: New Wave No.3 as a Mini-Comic although I loved how they turned out, but after seeing the fans reactions and even casual people who stopped by our table out of curiosity; I know I made the right choice! So, I'll be changing the format of my comics to Mini-Comics size and they'll be printed on newsprint paper like in the old days; if I'm going to stay indie then I'm not going to contrive our product to the rules of mainstream comics. We'll pave our own way and whatever happens, happens. I'd like to give a huge shoutout to my table mate Miguel Dominado for not only being extremely professional in his approach, but also for being a genuinely good person, being aware of the fact that I was handicapped since I couldn't use my left arm, making sure I wasn't having anxiety or was in too much pain; that means a lot and I'll never forget that. I'll share a table with you anytime my friend! I also want to send a huge shoutout to the amazing @yokaniii @saberdog.art @micah_myers and @lionbyrd for showing love and being awesome, you made the day even better for me by just showing up; it meant a lot. So what can I say, amazing show and I can't wait for NOICE 2023! 
My Thoughts & Ramblings
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