Tag: techwarrior

Techwarrior #6 is complete!

Techwarrior #6 is complete! The rendering is finished! There’s still some things to do before it can be released, but production is complete. That’s something, right? While normally, it would be just about immediately released in digital form here in the shop, we’re planning to step up and make the release more timely and also include the printed version in the party.

What’s that mean? Well, it means the e-book files and shop page will be prepared, but not posted until the printed proof has arrived and the book is ready for simultaneous digital and print release, possibly with a real party attached.

Again, what’s that mean? Well, it means you’ll have to keep watching for more news and be ready when the book is released! Should be a lot of fun when it is!

The train of thought now that Techwarrior #6 is complete might be to just binge render and see how many renders for the next book can be done before this one is even released. The fun might be rapid-fire releasing books to finish off this series.

Yes, (spoiler!) it’s meant to end with Techwarrior #12. Now, before you start yelling that it can’t end there, there’s an “unless” attached to that statement. The “unless”? Unless there’s enough popular demand for more books in the series.

There’s even been a couple ideas for names of new villains. Now, hold on. If you’re a fan of the series already, you might be wondering why it’d need new villains since Cryptolock is such a cool one to start with? Ummm… how many superheroes have just one villain to fight? Well, Techwarrior ought to be no exception if his series should keep going, right?

Even He-man has more than just Skeletor. So, Techwarrior ought to have more than just Cryptolock, his Cryptobots, snakes and spiders, right? So, will Techwarrior go beyond Techwarrior #12? That remains to be seen, but it doesn’t hurt to be ready, right?

Techwarrior #6 coming soon!

Techwarrior #6 is coming soon! It’s more than half done and fans of this series will find this long-awaited book worth the wait. With 11 renders to go (as of the writing of this article) a release date isn’t formally set, but a safe bet could be later this month!

If the cover is any hint, you can also bet the art inside is knockout quality with an impressive story to match as the quality of both has only improved with each book.

So, with this book on the verge of release, which series gets the next in line? Usually, Dream Angel has the next book in line and this one would be #25. Yet, it takes longer in production for its 24 page count. Techwarrior has 12 pages and takes less time. So, perhaps Techwarrior #7 could be next in line? Let’s explore the art more in depth to explore why it takes so long.

Taking a good look at how the art is created, you’ll find that characters look like you could reach out and touch them. This is largely because of the render engine called “Iray.” With the right materials applied to the surfaces in the scene, it renders in a photo realistic way. This makes it appear as if someone really is in the scene with a camera. So that reach out and touch feeling adds to the engrossing reading experience.

You’ll also notice the lighting in the cover scene for Techwarrior #6. It uses what’s called “light emitting surfaces.” While these tend to slow down rendering speeds, they provide breathtaking light that adds very impressive effects to the scene. Look carefully at that cover.

You’ll see that’s Sensei attacking the girl (I can’t say who she is without spoiling the story for those who haven’t read it!) and his attack casts a subtle light on her face. It’s a light emitting surface. You’ll see things like this that help add to the quality and beauty of the books found on this site.

You’ll also notice as you look through the shop and see the different book covers, not all of them seem to share this quality. Well, that comes from learning over time. There’s an artistic evolution to be seen with all the books with the latest one always having the top of the line skill being put to the best use possible at the time.

No, not knocking the older books. Just noting that at the time of their creation and release, they were top of the artistic skill line and more has been learned since. That said, you’ll get greater enjoyment out of these books – artistically – by enjoying the evolution.

So, which series do you think should get the next book in line? Dream Angel #25? Techwarrior #7? Cast your vote in the comments below!

Techwarrior #6 is in production!

Techwarrior #6 has been long anticipated and it’s finally started production. 2017 was pretty quiet book-wise, wasn’t it? Well, there were a lot of other things going on, starting with the wedding and cross country move. Though it’s taken a little longer than anticipated, 2018 is time to hit the ground running and get books moving more regularly than 2017. Not that last year was lax for learning new techniques or getting things done, it wasn’t! Learning to make custom HDRI (High Dynamic Range Image) backgrounds has proven a valuable asset to production! These serve 3 purposes:

  1. Background that’s not really there
  2. Light source
  3. Speeding up render time

That’s definitely 3 points in favor of these special images, but there’s one heavy-duty downer: they take days to render! That’s right: days! Up to 4 days so far, to be exact. Once they’re rendered, they can be used repeatedly from any camera angle, so there’s ups and downs. In the long run, they’re worth the wait.

If you missed the party and fun, Dream Angel #24 came out in early December with its beautiful art. Just like Techwarrior #6, it was a long time in coming out. With its wonderful art and story, it was worth the wait and it’ll be the same for Techwarrior. Happily, the latter takes less time in production due to being 12 pages instead of 24. So, care to join the voting for the cover of Techwarrior #6?

First, we get this one:

Impressive, is it not? So far, it’s also the more popular choice, but voting’s still open for the time being.

The other choice is this one:

Really does a nice job of emphasizing her, doesn’t it? Then there’s the subtle glow of Sensei’s attack on her face showing just how close it is to hitting her. Even her expression is impressive in creating the mood. So, which do you think looks better? The long shot with all 3 characters or the close up? Cast your vote (politely!) in the comments below!

Dream Angel #24 released!

Dream Angel #24 is finally here! Years in pre-production and it’s finally here! This book is downright breathtaking artistically!

Well, now you don’t have to take my word for it! You’re able to get the book and decide for yourself just how beautiful it is!

Why’d it take years in pre-production? Well, see all those extra names on the cover credit? Those are fellow creators whose characters visit in this book! They also helped contribute to the story, so it took longer to write as a result.

Not only are we partying here in our own activity stream, but we’re celebrating in an all-day online event on Facebook! And, as a special treat, there’s a 25% off coupon available that’s good until Sunday, December 12th!! It can be used once per customer for 25% off your entire purchase. So, if you’ve been looking at getting those collection books and this new one, this is a good chance to grab them! The code is:

24releasecelebration

You’ll need to use a social media site to login to this site (this helps with security). Then, add the items you want to the cart from the shop (share them to social sites for an extra 10% off!!). Finally, put the coupon code in just as you see it here during the checkout process. There will be a box asking for coupons. Paypal handles all the credit/debit card information for added security.

Well, now that Dream Angel #24 is released, what’s next? That’s easy! It’s Techwarrior’s turn! Techwarrior #6 will soon be ready to enter production. The script is prepared. The plan book (which helps with rendering) needs to be completed. After that, the Comic Life file can be prepared and rendering can begin. So, keep your eyes peeled for Techwarrior #6! We’ll be seeing that one soon!

Dream Angel #24!

Dream Angel #24! Hard to believe, isn’t it? Well, there’s some exciting news to go with the awesome cover… wanna hear it?

You sure?

Wait for it…

Wait for it……

You’re positive you want to know?

Okay, just teasing a little. This fabulous book is going to be released December 5th 2017! As some might know, in Dream Angel #23, we left our heroes in quite the situation as Dream Angel and some new friends battled to rescue her friends and family. This book is part of a group that feature several visiting characters from fellow creators.

A note for new readers is that it’s best to start from Dream Angel #1. Well, that’s certainly not bad news, fortunately. See, you’ll find collection books to help you catch up fast.

Okay, they’ll add up, but they’re worth it! For comic addicts (much like myself!) getting a whole bunch of books to read is always fun. Each of the books in the bulleted list goes to the corresponding shop page.

Okay, with Dream Angel #24 complete and soon to be released, what next? Dream Angel #25? Techwarrior #6? Well, since Dream Angel #24 was so long in production, Techwarrior needs some attention. As some might recall, even Techwarrior was left in a tight spot. His friend and colleague, Aishi Teruu (Ai for short) has been kidnapped by Cryptolock and Techwarrior’s been attacked by another that looks just like her!

So, the excitement continues as Techwarrior #6 is prepared for production and Dream Angel #24 gears up for release! Both of these fascinating all-ages friendly comic book series are worth enjoying. These engrossing stories feature photo realistic art that draws readers deep into the worlds of Dream Angel and Techwarrior.

Warrior of mystery: Techwarrior

techwarriorTechwarrior is a warrior of mystery, but then, what ninja isn’t? History shows that real ninja were highly skilled specialized assassins. Well, Techwarrior might not keep the assassin aspect of his real-world counterparts, but he is a highly skilled warrior.

Not too much is known about his background except that he’s a strong anti-virus living inside computers to defend them from attack. As the books quickly establish, he’s a strong fighter. Along the way, he enjoys making little jokes to help lighten the mood as well.

An important counterpart to him is Sensei the dragon, who is his mentor and trainer. Very fast and extremely agile, this dragon provides a great deal of guidance when things go wrong for our hero. Luckily, he also knows when to stand back and let Techwarrior do what needs to be done, as well.

Techwarrior’s other important counterpart, could also be part love interest… maybe. Aishi Teru is almost as skilled as Techwarrior himself, but what she lacks in skill she makes up for in cleverness. Her key weakness is snakes, though. Being scared to death of snakes (to the point of jumping into Techwarrior’s arms!) makes her very vulnerable. Her reason for this fear is quite tragic, though.

As Techwarrior might explain it, his counterparts are his heart and soul. Take away even one and he’s terribly restless and uneasy. Injure one and the injuring party had better be extremely careful.

There’s a hint of magic in Techwarrior’s world, but most of it is technology. Most of it is very sleek and polished, as well.

What do you think? Is he pretty cool? His plush action figure (both of them) is available in the shop. You’ll also find he’s got 5 books and a 5 book collection in the shop as well.

Calling all Techwarrior fans!

Calling all Techwarrior fans! The printed proof copies of Techwarrior #1-5 collection have been shipped! You know what that means, right? It means they’ll arrive in a couple days and if they look as good as they always have in the past, the book will go live on indyplanet soon after. Won’t that be exciting?

So, for printed book lovers, especially Techwarrior fans, that’s great news. Now, what about Dream Angel? That new version of Dream Angel #1? Well, that one’s coming along. Much slower than usual. As they say, “Good things come to those who wait!” right? This one’s going to be worth the wait.

It features all-new art and some strong story improvements. Of the three versions of the book, it’s definitely going to look the best. Now, that certainly doesn’t mean Dream Angel #1 and Dream Angel #1 2nd edition extended cut are no good. Quite the opposite. There might even be talk of a Dream Angel #1 collection for fans to be able to see the evolution in art and story between the three versions.

Now for the harder questions. “What about Techwarrior #6 and Dream Angel #24? Both books before were cliffhangers!” And you want to know what happens next, right? As I’ve announced on Facebook, I’m getting married at the end of June this year and moving across the country. Most of my focus is on that. While Techwarrior #6 and Dream Angel #24 are basically ready for production, finding the time to do so is harder than normal.

Yes, I could put the new Dream Angel #1 on hold and do Techwarrior #6 as quickly as I did Techwarrior #5, but what then? You’d want Techwarrior #7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 the same way. You will anyway, but right now that’s beside the point.

The point is that the new Dream Angel #1 is slower to render. Each panel has been taking a good amount of time to render. This means I can setup a render and walk away to pack boxes or organize things for packing or something else.

True, Techwarrior had his slow renders, but that book was also done much faster despite that. Dream Angel’s had a lot more slow renders, which have left me able to get other things done while it’s rendering. It’s in production, just slow production, so it makes progress despite the other things going on.

Hopefully, that made sense. The short of it is that there’s still a book in production even though I’m preparing for a wedding and a cross-country move. So, looking forward to the new book when it is finally finished?

Techwarrior fans will be delighted to hear things will return to normal after the wedding and move are done. Dream Angel and even Hillbilly Hoot fans should be equally delighted.

Expect bugs and glitches…

This site’s had something – nobody knows exactly what – go wrong recently and while it’s being fixed, expect some bugs and glitches. No, there’s no problems with security and the store still works, the problem has been largely related to updating things on the management side and uploading images.

Explains why Techwarrior #5 and Techwarrior #1-5 don’t have product images yet, doesn’t it? Not to worry, Techwarrior and Dream Angel are teamed up to squash the bugs and glitches as quickly as possible, but if you should find yourself having trouble with the site – i.e. error messages appear instead of the page you want, simply wait a minute or so and refresh the page. It simply means something’s not quite working just yet.

On to better news now! Techwarrior #1-5 will soon be in print! The proof copies are expected to arrive April 7th. So, for fans of printed books, you’ll be happy when the link to this one’s announced. It’s a 60 page full color collection of all 5 books together. The price? Well, preliminary estimates seem to put it at about $5-6. Not bad, huh?

Even Dream Angel might be getting some collection books. Early price estimates there are higher, but that goes with the higher page count, too. Hers would be trade paperback size and much thicker. However, first her artwork and story need… updating.

There’s nothing wrong with the currently released Dream Angel books, so don’t get me wrong there at all. The simple fact is that Techwarrior #5 was greeted with more interest for its Iray rendering style. It’s also been mentioned that there’s some holes in the early parts of Dream Angel’s story that could be filled. Nothing too major, but some additional details would be beneficial. So, the script is seeing some updating and the artwork is soon to follow.

What’s that mean for newer books? Well, it means the series is getting a light reboot. Not a complete one, just enough to fill in those holes. So, 23 books are going to see new art, giving books that are still being written plenty of time to be completed.

The most difficult books to update might be Dream Angel #1-6, as these were initially done in Poser with a lot more Photoshop work than recent books. Dream Angel #1 2nd edition has some complete DAZ Studio scenes, but only some as it, too, had more Photoshop work as well. For some scenes, also, starting from scratch might also be better.

First thing’s first, however, will be bringing this site back to 100% and that means manually uploading necessary files. So, be patient and look forward to more excitement once it’s back to normal.

Techwarrior #5 released!

Techwarrior #5 released! Let’s start the party with the link to Techwarrior #5! To keep it company, here’s the link to Techwarrior #1-5 collection!

Hard to believe how amazing this book turned out. It’s just as amazing how quickly it could still be rendered. Undoubtedly, you’ll agree it’s a real eye-popper artistically and that the story’s quite a good one.

At this point, the idea of re-rendering Techwarrior #1-4 isn’t a bad one, but Dream Angel would benefit more from the updated art style. Techwarrior has consistent and good art to begin with. Dream Angel has gone through a number of artistic changes that would look much better updated to a consistent style. It’s also been pointed out there are some minor story anomalies that could be corrected along the way. So, Dream Angel is more likely to see new books in the photo realistic style.

Of course, today’s about Techwarrior. The book and the collection are quite an accomplishment. Response to scenes posted on Facebook have been amazing. This book, as I’ve said repeatedly, is phenomenal! Artistically, it’s a big leap forward and the story does a wonderful job of continuing where Techwarrior #4 left off.

With the new photo realistic art style, our villain CryptoLock looks creepier than ever. Don’t let that scare you away, though! It just adds to the awesomeness of the book by giving scenes with him in them just the right mood!

Haven’t read any Techwarrior? Go grab the collection book! It puts all 5 books together in one so it’s easy to binge-read this wonderful and quickly growing series. These books are all wonderful. You won’t be disappointed by how engrossing and exciting they are. With Techwarrior #5 released, we’ll be seeing more books soon. Whether it’s Techwarrior #6 or an updated edition of Dream Angel #1, we’ll have to wait and see.

 

Continued countdown to Techwarrior #5!

The continued countdown to Techwarrior #5 is an exciting one! Hard to believe this amazing new book and an accompanying 5 book collection will be released just the day after tomorrow!

We’re talking about knockout photo realistic art with an awesome story to go with it.

Okay, Techwarrior #1-4 don’t have the photo realistic look, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t awesome. They still feature impressive custom lighting and the start to the awesome story. So, they’re worth enjoying anyway.
Once Techwarrior #5 is released, what next? Update Techwarrior #1-4? Truth be told, that hasn’t been formally decided yet. At this point, it’s a matter of seeing just how much of a reaction Techwarrior #5 gets and if you want #6, or to see #1-4 updated.

That means it’s entirely up to you what happens after this book release. The question will be what you want: #1-4 updated or #6. It’s a question best answered after Techwarrior #5 is released with its accompanying 5 book collection.

With the book released and votes counted, the next book in line will be the one fans choose. How fast it’s produced also depends on the chosen book. #1-4 have scenes already setup. With some mild adjusting, they could render quite quickly and be released rapidly, one after another. #6 has no scenes prepared because, well, let’s face it: it hasn’t started production!

Again, the choice is yours. What of Dream Angel, you might wonder. Progress is still slow, but it is still progress. This is why Techwarrior is now picking up the slack. Updating the Dream Angel books would take a good deal longer than the Techwarrior ones.

Dream Angel #2-6 were done in Poser and would need scenes totally rebuilt. Dream Angel #1 2nd edition has many scenes complete in DAZ Studio, but several were photoshop layered together and would need also to be rebuilt. Yet, while progress on the script for Dream Angel #24 on is slow, we might see some of these earlier books begin to appear in the photo realistic style.

It’s entirely up to you.