a²alien

There will be a bit of a delay for the comic post today. But, hopefully the next installment will be up this evening. Remember, you can always sign up for the a2alien RSS feed so you’ll always know when a new comic is up and ready for viewing!

Happy Wednesday! :)

EDIT :: Sad news. XL Comics is no longer available due to funding issues. Anyone with extra cash should get in touch with Tim (see the comments) Maybe we can bring them back!

I’m not sure when or how I stumbled upon XL Comics, but I immediately subscribed to the RSS feed and have been happily enjoying it ever since. Despite Tim’s assertion that he can’t draw, the magic marker drawings are wonderful and inspired. Also, it’s funny as heck.

XL Comics is based on Extra Large, a radio show, with Andy and Tim on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Tony is my favourite character so far. Forget “Danger,” deranged is the new middle initial .. D is for deranged!

I’ll keep it short and sweet. Today is the donation drive day for CREATE South, a conference being held in SC this April. From their site:

Saturday, April 25th, 2009 we will be holding the second annual CREATE South conference. It will be held at the Horry Georgetown Technical College, Grand Strand Campus in lovely Myrtle Beach. It is a meeting for those interested in blogging, podcasting, video, social networking or any other form of self-expression. Serving the residents of the Grand Strand and beyond, it is a venue to bring together like minded people to network, to teach and to learn. If you would like to get involved in these arenas but don’t know how to start, this is the place to be. With introductory presentations and hands-on detailed demos, the beginners and the experts alike will have plenty to learn.

Check out the CREATE South site and donate a buck or two. The first year was a great time with lots of learning and networking opportunities.

Hope to see y’all there! :)

Since starting a2alien, I’ve begun to appreciate more and more the hard work that goes into consistently creating comics, web or otherwise. There are quite a few comic artists whose hard work inspired me to begin a2alien in the first place. So, I’ve decided to share some of my favourites with you over the next several weeks. First up, Squarecat!

I have been following Squarecat Comics for several years now. Sometimes I swear I’ve been living the same week as Jennifer O. Witness the yen for chocolate milk, the ice cream in winter, or the Red Sox in action! I am really hoping that she decides to return to SPX one of these years. I was lucky enough to buy vol. 1 & 2 of Squarecat in 2006 and hope to see vol. 3 sometime soon.

As if comics weren’t enough, she and her oft featured boyfriend, Matt, are creating 52 songs in 52 weeks. Check out the Honorable Mentions for more. I am completely amazed by this project. Seriously, when do they find the time?! :)

One of my favourite web comics is being re-published in blog form and I am so excited! Death and the Maiden was one happy piece of solace I had during a rather stressful time a year or so ago. I hope you will all enjoy it as much as I did and still do! Waiting for the next update always tries my patience; but, to me, that is a sign of good storytelling. I higly recommend starting from this beginning with The Prologue.