A Moment of Clarity Mailing List

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message - 5/11/2008

Hi, everyone! I apologize for being silent these past few months. There's been a lot going on, and I'm only now catching my breath long enough to send out a quick note.
First of all, for anyone who subscribed to the comic feed on Webcomic Nation, you'll need to switch to the new feed at claritycomic.com. I've switch to using WordPress + ComicPress for my hosting, so be sure to remove the old feed and subscribe to the new one over at claritycomic.com. I've decided to roll the clock back a bit on the comic for the new feed, to work out any bugs in the new site.
Second, I'm hard at work on Chapter 3 of "Candynomics." Once the rolled-back Chapter 2 is done, Chapter 3 will start up right away on the Website.
Third, I took an entire weekend and figured out just how many pages the second volume will have, and it's a staggering 243 pages. That means that I'm going to be splitting the second volume into two books, and I'll be aiming for SPX 2008 for the release of the first of the two books.
Fourth, I'm going to be attending a lot more conventions next year. I'm starting to plan my schedule, and I'll be sending out updates when I know about other shows. As of now, I"ll be at Baltimore Comic-Con and Small Press Expo this year, and I'l be up visiting at MoCCA.
That's it! Thanks and have a great day.
John

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message

Hi, everyone. Just a quick note that, over this weekend, I converted the A Moment of Clarity website over to WordPress. I've also moved away from using Webcomic Nation to host the comic. That means that, if you've subscribed to the RSS feed on either site, you'll need to subscribe to the new one. Just click on the "Subscribe" link on the home page:
http://claritycomic.com/
and you'll be able to start using the new feed. Additionally, the link above is the link to the newest comic. And, you'll be able to comment on the individual comics now. I've also turned back the clock slightly on the comic so that we all can see how the new site performs.
Thanks! And take care,
John

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message - 11/03/2007

Hi, everyone! How are y'all doing? It's getting pretty cold here in Maryland. Luckily, there's a lot of activity on the "Clarity" front that's been keeping me and my computer nice and warm...
First off, I just attended two comic conventions this year, Baltimore Comic-con and Small Press Expo. It was my first time at BCC, and it was a fantastic show! I'm already signed up to do it next year. Small Press Expo was incredible, as well. If you want to read more about SPX, I have my con report up on my blog:
http://www.coswellproductions.org/wordpress/2007/10/14/small-press-expo-2007/
Second, Alex Haas over at Indy Comic Review just finished reviewing chapter 1 of the next book, "Candynomics" and it's a 4-star review! Check it out here:
http://www.indycomicreview.com/AllReviews/AMomentofClarity21/tabid/820/Default.aspx
Third, I'll be exhibiting at this year's DC Conspiracy Counter Culture Festival. That's going to be a fun event, but a sad one as well, since the bar it's being held at is being torn down shortly thereafter. You can learn more at the DC Conspiracy website:
http://www.dcconspiracy.com/
Fourth, I have about a dozen copies of the "A Moment of Clarity Mini-Collection 1" which I printed for SPX 2005 and I need to move outta here. It collects the first five minis I did, or one-half of Volume 1. So, for you and your friends & family, I'm making this offer: If you ask nicely, I will mail you up to two copies of this book, free of charge and signed to whoever you want it signed to. It's first come, first served, so be quick!
Remember, you can read the current book, "Candynomics," on Webcomics Nation:
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/johncoswell/clarity_v2/series.php
And, while I've been bad at updating the main site at:
http://www.claritycomic.com/
I promise that I'll be getting much better at it soon.
Later,
John

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message - 05/19/2007

Hi, everyone! I hope your spring has been going very well. I have a few updates that I'd like to share with you, and then I promise to leave you alone for a while. ;)
First. I'll be teaching some minicomics classes in the next two weeks in the Baltimore area. One of them is free, the others you gotta pay for. If you have any friends or family ages 10 and up who would be interested in learning the craft of making minicomics, head on over to the events page at the A Moment of Clarity Website for more information:
http://www.claritycomic.com/conventions.php
Second, I just returned from my first Open Source-related conference, Libre Graphics Meeting. This second meeting was held in Montreal, and friend and fellow comic creator Tim Daniels (aka MenTaLguY) and I gave a presentation on how we use Open Source software to create our comics. We videotaped the presentation and just got it up on the Internet. There are downloadable versions on my site, as well as videos up on YouTube to watch. You can get at all the goodies on the Coswell Productions Website:
http://www.coswellproductions.org/computers/lgm_2007/libre_graphics_meeting_2007_presentation.html
Finally, the comic itself is cranking along. I've been involved in so many other events lately that I've had to put off any production work until tonight, but I promise to keep this book going until the end. It's gonna be a good one!
Thanks, and take care,
John Bintz
http://www.claritycomic.com/

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message - 03/05/2007

Hello, everyone! I hope 2007 has been treating you well. It's been a very busy year for me, and I'm only now just catching my breath long enough to give some brief updates on "A Moment of Clarity."
This morning, I uploaded the 20th page of the second volume, "Candynomics," to Webcomics Nation. That's around 1/8th of the total story. I'll be taking a two week break to work on marketing and promotion, and then I'll be right back in the thick of things, working on the next batch of 20 pages. These next ones are going to be good ones, that's for sure.
Coming up in May: Myself and Tim Daniels of "The Last Bus" will be presenting a talk on creating our comics using open-source software. The conference is called Libre Graphics Meeting and it will be help up in Montreal on May 4-6th. This will primarily be a technical talk, but we hope to have lots of fun while we're at it. :)
That's all for now. Stay tuned for other upcoming events and information regarding "A Moment of Clarity." And stay warm this winter!
John Bintz
http://www.claritycomic.com/

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message

Hello, everyone! This is John Bintz, and I would just like to thank everyone who stopped by at this year's Small Press Expo. It was a fantastic show, and I met a lot of fantastic people during that weekend in Bethesda. If you're interested in seeing some photos from the event, take a trip over to my personal website, Coswell Productions:
http://coswellproductions.org/cartoons/spx_2006.html
Hopefully there will be some very exciting things happening in the next few months, least of which is my work on the second graphic novel. It's going to be a real exciting one, and it's going to take quite a while to finish. Starting in 2007, the book will be serialized online at Webcomic Nation, so be sure to check it out! You can get to it from the A Moment of Clarity website at:
http://www.claritycomic.com/
That's all. Have a great day!
John

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message - 10/06/2006

So sorry for the long bout of silence everyone. It's been a very busy couple of months, and I still haven't caught up to all the things I've needed to do! Anyway, I wanted to send youall a reminder that Small Press Expo is coming up next weekend -- October 13 and 14 -- in Bethesda, Maryland. It's in a new location this year, and you can get all of the details at the SPX website:
http://www.spxpo.com/
I will be at tables E14-15b with my good friend Tim Daniels, and I will have plenty of copies of "A Moment of Clarity Volume 1" for sale. And, if you've been following the webcomic at Webcomics Nation, you'll find a fun surprise at my table if you stop by. What? You haven't been reading the comic? Then go here and check it out:
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/johncoswell/clarity_v2/series.php
I'm working on getting the book into a few more stores here in Baltimore, as well as booking some shows and appearances, enough to keep me busy through the rest of 2006.
That's all. Be sure to come down to Bethesda next weekend! You won't regret it!
John Bintz
http://www.claritycomic.com/

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message

Hello, everyone. Just a small reminder that the next book, Volume 2, is being published online right now as a Webcomic. It started last Thursday, and a new page will go live each and every Thursday until the book is complete. First, however, is a short story to get myself back into the color Webcomic groove. Check it out at:
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/johncoswell/clarity_v2/series.php
Thanks! Let me know what you think, and remember that I'll be at SPX on October 13th and 14th, so be sure to stop by!
Take care,
John

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message

Hello, everyone! I apologize for the very long delay in sending out a message, but it's been a turbulent couple of months. I just started a new job which has been taking up a lot of time, and I'm only now getting back into the swing of things with A Moment of Clarity. I have a couple of announcements to make, so here we go...
The first announcement is that I have received from my printer 150 copies of Volume 1: The Big Boss on Level 10. I've added the book to the Store section of the Website. It's $11 plus $3.50 shipping & handling. Now that I have my own copies in, I'll be able to sign and customize the book however you wish.
The second announcement is that the Website has gotten a big facelift. I redesigned the site to fit in more with the release of the new book, to take advantage of more modern Web technologies, and to make it even easier on myself to update on a regular basis. Take a look at:
http://www.claritycomic.com/
and tell me what you think!
The third announcement is about Volume 2. This next book will be released as a weekly Webcomic startling in late summer. It's going to be quite a huge project -- the script weighs in at 79 pages! -- but it's going to be a good one, that's for sure. Stay tuned for updates on this. I'll be kicking it off soon with a short story so that I can get back in the swing of Webcomicking.
The forth and final announcement is that my attendance at this year's Small Press Expo has been confirmed. I'll be there on October 13th and 14th with three other really great artists in a brand new location in Bethesda, MD. This show's going to be cool as always, and I look forward to seeing you there!
Until next time,
John

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message - 03/05/2006

Hello, everyone! I hope your winter have been going well for you. I just got back from a great trip to San Diego, and I'm already missing the warm weather. ;)
Before I left for the trip, however, I managed to finished the final issue of the first story of A Moment of Clarity -- Issue 10, with features the final conflict between Johnny and Tyler. You can order a copy for $1.75 plus shipping and handling, and you can read a few pages from the story on the A Moment of Clarity Website at:
http://www.claritycomic.com/
And now that Issue 10 is finished, the next step is to prepare for the printing of the 180 page graphic novel edition of the first ten issues of A Moment of Clarity! This will be just like the Mini-Collection, with a beautiful glossy color cover and bright white interior pages. The final price of the book is $11, and you can pre-order it from the Website today! Once it's back from the printer, which will be sometime towards the end of April, I'll ship you a copy of the book, as well as a personalized sketch. If you add an extra dollar to your pre-order, I'll send you a copy of Mini-Collection 1 while it lasts!
If you're in the Baltimore area, be sure to come by one of my two upcoming appearances. The first is at the Creative Alliance and High Grounds Books on March 11th. The second will be at the CityLit Festival at the Enoch Pratt Free Library Central Branch on April 8th. You can find out more about both events at this page:
http://www.claritycomic.com/conventions.php
That's it for now. Stay tuned for more exciting news!
John Bintz
clarity@coswellproductions.org
http://www.claritycomic.com/

A Moment of Clarity Mailing List Message

Welcome to 2006, everybody! This is John, and I'm happy to report that 2006 is off to a great start! I just got back from a very relaxing vacation with my family, and now I'm ready to tackle the next big task in the adventure that is A Moment of Clarity -- preparing for the finished graphic novel. See, I have this weird plan to take the first ten issues of the minicomic and put them together into another one of those very nicely bound softcover books like I had done for the Mini-Collection, except this book would be an entire story arc within the Clarity universe. Pending no major disturbances in my life, Issue 10 should be finished sometime in March, with the book going to the printer sometime in April or May.
Of course, I can't get to Issue 10 without finishing Issue 9 first, which just happened to be completed just a few days ago. It's a very nice issue about Sarah, and you can read two pages of the comic at the A Moment of Clarity Website:
http://www.claritycomic.com/freebies.php
You can pick it up for $1.25 plus $0.50 S&H from the PayPal store on the site:
http://www.claritycomic.com/comic.php
I'll also be making my way to several Baltimore-area events before my annual trip to SPX. The first one I'd like to mention is a class at the Creative Alliance on making minicomics. It's taking place on March 11th, and right afterwards is a book signing across the street at High Grounds. Space is limited so sign up today. More info can be found here:
http://www.claritycomic.com/conventions.php
I'll have more appearance information coming soon. Until then, thanks and take care,
John