Getting it Started in the Windy City

Heya Snack Kings and Queens,

After a rocky move from Providence out to Chicago, we’re finally getting into the motions of a day-to-day. Which, really, means we’ve figured out a weekly work schedule that ends in comic pages getting made and rents getting paid. As some Milwaukee boys, we’re more than happy to be back out in the Midwest (custard, cheese curds, and cheap beer - how we missed you) and be in a bigger city, but the daily life-costs here sure have been a rude awakening.

Lance and I only recently got our day job schedules locked down enough that we can afford 3 full days off (in a row, no less) to work on Snack King Comics. I’m writing scripts and approving Matt Young’s designs for Wei Station Diner, while Lance continues to plug away at the pages to the final issue of Man Boy: Second Helping. Progress isn’t as quick as we’d like, but at least it’s… progressing. We had an SKC year-in-review meeting where we made deadlines for the next year-and-a-half and we’re kinda-sorta on track to meet them!

I converted the 2nd room in my apartment into an office for us to work in. I only own one desk, so we popped up my cheapo Wal-Mart folding desk and chair and take turns in the used ergonomic office chair. (Thank the gods for back rollers). There’s nothing on the walls yet and boxes of my music gear and my bike alongside SKC supplies and boxes of Man Boy books. If this was Guitar Hero, our office would be that first DIY backyard space you start off playing at as a bottom b---- before you play clubs and eventually big a-- rock venues. I remember thinking that backyard space would probably be the more fun experience, albeit not as surreal, playing for 10,000 person arenas or whatever. But even though the pre-ground coffee I buy us isn’t as nice as the americanos I’d get at the coffee shops we once frequented when we were flush with small-city living cash (and I find myself switching from tea/coffee to Whisky/PBR earlier and earlier), I’m trying to take this time in as what might someday be a fond memory of humble beginnings. We’re putting in 10-12 hour days most of the time, but every so often squeeze in a Smash Ultimate break or make a run to the Mexican bakery nearby. And last week Lance and I read the MB issue, “It’s Your Party, I’ll Play If I Want To,” along with some of the comic strips at a big comic open mic for City Lit Books. The pages were on a projector screen while we voiced all the characters and made sound effects like the excited 12-year-olds we are. See, now that’s some big-city type of shenanigans we weren’t getting into Providence, RI way!

So thanks to everyone who’s stayed tune for more Man Boy and the other series we have cooking up for all your patience. And ESPECIALLY thank you to anyone who backed our first Kickstarter for Man Boy. We’ve learned a lot from that experience going forward towards future crowdfunding campaigns: rule number 1 now being that we don’t start a new one without having EVERYTHING done first. It was my mistake thinking we’d have the final issue done before we moved AND for starting a Kickstarter right before we schlepped across the country in the first place. The next Kickstarter we do, you can be sure it’ll be noted that we’re ready to hit PRINT as soon as the campaign finishes. There’ll be a KS message from us soon, but expect the books and all rewards to go out around mid-late March.

And on the up – the new Man Boy’s looking AMAZING and I’ve become very excited by Wei Station Diner: between the scripts I’m finishing and the new designs coming in from Young, it’s gonna be the most awesome sci-fi workplace comedy the comics medium’s ever seen. (Has it ever seen one, I wonder?) 2020’ll gonna be a good year for SKC.

Keep Snackin’

-Dan | SKC

The SKC Lab circa 02/2020