First Wednesday update!! Woohoo! I hope you all like this change, a few folks have expressed that this will be cool since not as many comics update on Wednesday. I hope you can all remember this and check back each week. I’m hoping to reinstate the ‘donate for extra updates’ incentive once I get rolling on the next chapter.
So today’s update shows that our heroes friends may have a little professional rivalry thing happening? Or just an annoying animal thing. Anyway, I think Claude is going to have his hands full with some squabbling now and again…How about you?
EDIT: In case you haven’t noticed, we have a totally sweet ANIMATED Xylia in the Keenspot Newsbox! Thanks to Julia and Josh(Canterrain) for putting that together for me! Hopefully there will be more animated ads in the future!
———————–XYLIATALES NEWS!!————————
Still plugging away on Book I! About halfway done setting it up. I’m also looking at negotiating some other cool Xylia content, so stay tuned for that!
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In case you missed this announcement and opportunity to get involved in this very worthwhile charity, please read:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
-Margaret Mead
Monday, January 11th is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. To participate, we formed the Comic Creator’s Alliance–a group of over eighty comic book creators (both web and print) who volunteered our artistic talents to raise money and awareness for this cause. You may not know it, but there are currently 27 million enslaved people worldwide- more than double the number of enslaved Africans during the trans-Atlantic slave trade. UNICEF estimates that 1.2 million children every year are sold into slavery, most of it sexual. The US Department of Justice estimates 16,000 victims of human trafficking are brought into the United States every year. Unlike slavery in the 19th century, what is happening today is happening in secret. So it won’t end until awareness is raised, and people like you and me take a stand.
So here’s what we did: each creator contributed an original drawing of one of our own female characters, and combined them into a single wallpaper image. The wallpaper features characters from The Phoenix Requiem, Girls with Slingshots, Earthsong, Looking for Group, Shadowgirls, The Uniques and three IDW Publishing titles: Fallen Angel, The Dreamland Chronicles and The Dreamer, and lots, lots more (LIKE XYLIATALES)! Donate today to download this unique, once-in-a-lifetime wallpaper. The Donations Drive will last for two weeks, from January 11th – 24th. All proceeds will be split evenly between Love146 and Gracehaven House- two organizations working on rehabilitation of victims and prevention of this crime.
To learn more about the Comic Creator’s Alliance visit www.comicalliance.weebly.com. To learn more about the problem, visit http://love146.org/slavery. (Note: contains adult themes and actual accounts of sex slavery.)
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Xyliatales On Air will be broadcasting on Sundays. I’m going to try for a regular time- like 7PM CST. I know some of you will find that an inconvenient time in other parts of the world- hopefully it will work for some of you! XYLIATALES ON AIR TALK SHOW SITE
Remember, you can follow my announcements on Twitter
Or consider friending me on Facebook- just make sure to let me know that you are a Xyliac when you send the request.
——————BARB NEWS & NOTES—————–
One of the groups I belong to, Tall Tale Features, is getting set up for a reboot! The site is going to feature lots of awesome content, including webcomic reviews, Tall Tale feature artists giving tips of the trade, and last but not least, Tom Racine’s regular Tall Tale Radio show, where he does outstanding informative interviews of some of the top creators in the comics industry.
——————–XYLIA GOODY BAG——————
Please consider donating for the cause! I plan on adding new things in the coming weeks- first I will be creating a series of hi resolution downloadable character cards, with profile images and bio information! In the meantime, browse our existing wallpapers and other things. As always if you don’t receive your download, please email me directly at bji2001(at)mchsi.com.
Most of the other incentives are still available for $2.00 – $10.00 amounts, including the nude faeiries (if you are 18+)! Get em while they’re hot (always)! ^_^
As we head towards three years of Xyliatales, I want to thank all of you for coming along for the ride, and I hope you continue to stay with us in the coming year!
Hugs,
~B
January 12th, 2010 at 10:41 pm
Mine does! LOL! And get some pretty good results…
Another great page, I can see that the characters in this little impromptu grouping are going to get along splendidly *read saracasm*
January 13th, 2010 at 3:16 am
Who’s the blue speech bubble?
January 13th, 2010 at 6:11 am
^_^
I’m glad Livy is toeing up to Libros, and keeping him from getting up on his.. high… horse… Okay, I didn’t think that through ahead of time. Keeping him humble – that sounds better. Anyway, I think I will like the interaction between the two. Livy’s dry wit FTW! :-] (Almost as good as Evil Bunny Slippers FTW! ^_^)
Good on ya and the rest of the creators involved in the Comic Creator’s Alliance, regarding y’alls’ support of the fight against human trafficking. To most of us, it is shocking and almost unthinkable that such things can still exist in this day and age – but human nature is what it is, and the only way to stop this sort of thing is to fight it, not to look the other way and just “hope it goes away.” Good Form, getting involved in the fight!!
Already digging the Wednesday updates, and also like the new Donate Button!!
Keep up the great work, B!
January 13th, 2010 at 6:26 am
@Anonymous – The blue thought bubble is from Livy, the rather special Pembroke Welsh Corgi to whom Claude belongs. Sort of like Obi Wan Kenobi, in a smaller, somewhat snarkier package.
January 13th, 2010 at 8:19 am
Tigershark- it will be an interesting dynamic between the horse and dog, won’t it? Claude may feel less like a hero and more like a babysitter…If it weren’t for the fact that they are always saving his butt! ^_^
Anon- like Octodude said, the blue bubble is Livy’s which you may know from previous pages, but may not if you are new to Xylia. I will try to make that more clear.
Octodude- truthfully the credit for organizing CCA goes squarely to Lora Innes of Dreamer, I was just honored to be approached and given the opportunity to be invovled. Lora very quickly put this project together organized the comic artists and made it happen in just a couple months. At this writing, CCA has raised almost $4000.00 in just 2.5 days for the cause!
Thank you for reading all!
January 13th, 2010 at 10:50 am
I like the horse but Livy will win, hands down.
January 13th, 2010 at 3:03 pm
if Livy is Obi-Wan, does that make Libros Han (comin along cause he has to, even though he has his own thing to do [ie, pay off Jabba])?
Anyway, this is probably my favorite ending, with Claude sighing as the other two bicker. It’s like an ending to a clasic road trip movie, and in point of fact kinda makes me think that “Sweet Home Alabama” could be playing on the soundtrack right as they fly off…..especially if we cut to Tychia’s crew planning something in a bar next (I know she’s dead or discorporated or whatever, but they can still plan, right?).
January 13th, 2010 at 10:17 pm
BTW Barb, what is the city in the background? It looks familiar…and if you’ve said already I apologize, I missed it!
January 15th, 2010 at 8:54 am
Hee hee…
Tinkerwrks, I tend to agree with you. Livy is Fierce. In an intellectual as well as physical way.
BRent- Han Libros! I love it. I’m glad you liked the comical twist to the ending. I’ve been looking forward to the
point where the story could lighten up and become more fun- and we’re heading that way. No worries, Tychia has ‘returned’.
Tigershark- They are flying over London. ^_^ And they are leaving…. just where they are going…you will have to see. Sláinte!
January 16th, 2010 at 10:08 pm
Beautiful page as always! I can see the nattering between Livy and Libros is going to drive Claudius insane while the rest of us get to chuckle.
Regarding Wednesday update – Any work you do on Xylia whenever you do it makes me happy. I would find it difficult to keep track if you were only updating once every leap year on Feb 29th. Since you plan to update more frequently than that, I’m all good with it! I hope the change makes things easier for your schedule.
I like the new green background. The black background was very classy, but the green feels more cheerful to me.
Thank you for your work (and that of the other webcomic artists) in the antislavery cause. Even just the number of people the Comic Creators Alliance have raised awareness with will assist.
Best wishes for a happy and successful new year!