We’re on hiatus! Still, thanks for reading. I’m trying to finish the graphic novel before considering when to start this webcomic back up. With apologies.

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

This political season was very difficult to get through… not because my guy lost, but because everyone lost. How did everyone lose? We completely lost the ability to have an average, every-day, normal debate without destroying the other person. For the record, as a member of this culture I at least include myself in part of that criticism. I generally didn’t post about politics because I didn’t have much nice to say, so I chose not to say anything at all.

Another problem I see is that we have been given one of the most powerful tools for communication: the internet. But the tool has gone into the hands of a largely illiterate, unskilled, uncharitable, petty culture. I can only dream of giving the web and Facebook to the debates of the 1850s. You’d have an exchange of ideals, and even with the presence of formal duels to the death you’d still have less of an overall loss of friendships.

Next week will be the last Nnewts comic before we go on hiatus!

A note from Katherine

Originally when I colored this page I thought it’d be fun to imagine the bed was made up out of old underwear and stuff.

We didn’t go with this detail in the finished page, because the tone of the comic is rather serious at this point…but here is a detail of that panel for fellow silly underwear lovers.

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

This page is one of my favorites when it comes to the art. It’s rare to get to devote half of a page to a panel, even more rare to have it filled with a character in a close up. It allows me to really cut loose with the ink and brush so the lines show off the strength of the medium.

And here’ something new! This is my first try at the scary stuff. Casey Wolfe is the producer of the movie version of my book Ghostopolis which got set up at Disney with Hugh Jackman, he started a kind of horror radio-show! Put on your ear phones, and get creeped out. I wrote this one, so give it a try and leave your comments on that website. Tell your friends about BENEATH THE BASEMENT if you dig it! Click here to check it out:

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

Real newts can regrow limbs that have been cut off… so scientists kept cutting larger and larger portions of newts off until they reached a threshold of what the animal could regenerate. Unfortunately, Odetto is well beyond that threshold of regrowth. Goodbye nobel warrior Odetto. These are sad times, and that’s part of life too I suppose.

In about a month or so we have to take a hiatus due to some other projects I’m working on… including the Nnewts graphic novel! I’m just firing the first warning shot!

Oh, and I’ll be at CTNX in Burbank this weekend! I’ll be selling books at table # T39, and here’s a list of my lectures and art demos:

Friday Nov. 16th:

DEVELOPING AND PITCHING YOUR IDEAS: from tip to tail.  1:30 – 2:15 room: Sunset A+B

LIVE DEMONSTRATION: COMIC DESIGN – 6-6:45pm Main Stage classic demo

Saturday Nov 17th, 2012

BREAKFAST WITH THE PROS at Daily Grille 9am-10am

DESIGNING CHARACTERS FOR GAMES: What makes them Tick! 2pm- 2:45 PM City Ballroom

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

Everyone needs a little sidekick buddy. Secret friends are useful in times of trouble.

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

This is kinda brutal. I didn’t really know how else to put it.

Last week we got 2,015 unique hits on Nnewts! Out of curiosity, I want to see how high we can get those numbers up today with your help. Use your social media to tell your friends about Nnewts all day today and I’ll post today’s numbers for you this weekend. Then you’ll see first hand what kind of effect you have on that 2,015 number, and I’ll benefit from your efforts by expanding the audience. Thanks!

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

We’re having a busy week, and the temptation is to let the comic slack because it’s so easy to put on the back burner. Everything else is a necessity, but just telling a story never feels like the biggest emergency in the room.

While Nnewts is destined for a hiatus at some point, it’s still a ways off. The Tyranny of the Urgent is what we occupy most of our lives with. Those are the tasks that have to be done right now: get milk, get eggs, write this phone number down so I don’t forget, pick up that dustball I’ve been staring at for 3 days… we occupy our day with urgencies and almost nothing we do will be remembered 100 years from now.

What will last, in general, are the things that lack urgency. “I’ll start a family some day.” or “I’ll get around to my Great American Novel at some point.” I’m relieved that The Beatles didn’t have Facebook or we probably wouldn’t have had Let It Be.

I put a lot of importance into telling stories. They aren’t as ultimate as having a family, or perhaps even having a job, but they rank pretty high up there with the kinds of extra curricular activities worth sacrificing for. Making beautiful music is worth it. Tending a garden is worth it. Are webcomics? Could be.

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

Brutal. I know. But this is a fairy tale, after all, and I have a long tradition of brutality to live up to.

This is why I hate to hear fairy tales being dismissed as mere children’s sugary stories. It’s a great insult when someone says of a lie, “That’s a fairy tale!” Like “wishful thinking” these aren’t false categories by fault.

When politicians try to convince you they’re telling the truth they’ll say, “This is math.” or “This is science!” and yet, math and science have gotten a lot more wrong in their past than fairy tales.

Look at how that mama protects her baby from danger that your average person would cower from. That’s a fact… just ask any mother you know.

Don’t forget about my Kickstarter thingy!

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel

It’s been a busy week. I’ve done some contracting with Disney, and pitching to Dreamworks. Those are normal interruptions to my comic life. The comic book work never ends, but studio work is on and off.

Then there are the real life adventures of selling our house. At some point this month we have to move… and the Nnewts story is strewn all over my studio, so I can relate to Sayer Nok. How can I keep all of those different manuscripts and versions of the comic straight?

In case you didn’t know, I’m having a big, honkin’ Kickstarter campaign for my sketchbooks collected down into one book. It’s a lot of work running a Kickstarter campaign, if for no other reason than I keep checking it every 20 minutes! If you haven’t got the book, you should right here:

Doug TenNapel Sketchbook Archives

Our story is coming to an interesting point. Poor Gullimar got the bite-of-bites and now Urch and Odetto have to fight that purple hairy beast without their magician! What will happen? Come back next week to find out!

Nnewts by Doug TenNapel