How I campaigned for Zuda.

At the beginning of the month, I employed the most obvious campaign techniques.

I posted a pleading letter on Deviant Art and on Myspace.

Emails were sent to everyone I know. Family and friends called, texted, emailed, blogged, and posted info about the competition on Facebook and Myspace, etc.

Fliers were printed and distributed at all my local comic-shops.

For the first week, Dual seemed to be well received, but Cursed Planet had received thousands of more views than Zuda’s other June titles.

On June 6, Ron made a post on the Zuda blog, drawing my attention to the fact that Wizard Universe had posted an interview with Caanan Grall. In the interview Caanan explained how he had used Project Wonderful to place advertisements on existing web-comics and comic-related sites. I did not notice this post or read the article until June 8.

I began to place ads using Project Wonderful, and I was amazed by how quickly Dual’s views increased.

Dual’s various ad designs are posted on this blog. Most of the ads were placed using:
https://www.projectwonderful.com/welcome.php
on these sites at varying times of the month.
http://www.sorethumbsonline.com/
http://talcomic.com/
http://www.secretworldchronicle.com/
http://www.abandoncomic.com/
http://www.thezombiehunters.com/
http://www.pvponline.com/
http://www.honeysyn.net/
http://www.thebastardswordsman.com/
http://www.flipsidecomics.com/
http://www.exiern.com/
http://www.uesutan.com/
http://yafgc.shipsinker.com/
http://www.starslip.com/
http://clanofthecats.com/
http://www.menagea3.net/
http://www.fanboys-online.com/
http://www.questionablecontent.net/
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/StanYan/revvvelations/series.php
http://www.heroicpub.com/default.php
http://zapinspace.com/
http://nn4b.com/
http://road-to-eden.com/
http://sodiumeyes.com/
http://www.secretsocietywars.com/
http://www.blanklabelcomics.com/
http://www.blastwavecomic.com/
http://drmcninja.com/
http://sorcery101.net/
http://www.postnukecomic.com/
http://www.gunbaby.com/
http://www.thebookofbiff.com/
http://truckbearingkibble.com/
http://www.jump-leads.com/
http://www.graphicsmash.com/comics/brathalla.php
http://www.domainoftheinfinite.com/
http://www.daybydaycartoon.com/
http://flakypastry.runningwithpencils.com/
http://www.dungeond.com/
http://requiem.seraph-inn.com/
http://www.legacycomic.com/
http://www.robandelliot.cycomics.com/
http://www.crossworlds.ws/
http://www.afblues.com/
http://www.drunkduck.com/Star_Crossed_Destiny/
http://www.seedsoftime.net/
http://www.sluggy.com/
http://www.comicspace.com/network/
http://www.yoshsaga.com/
http://rampagenetwork.com/
http://www.evil-comic.com/
http://www.hikousenenterprises.com/
http://joshreads.com/
http://www.multiplexcomic.com/
http://www.skyfallmanga.com/
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/optimumwound/
http://www.thenoobcomic.com
http://www.sinfest.net/
http://www.drowtales.com/mainarchive.php
http://nfccomic.com/blog.html
http://www.sage-comics.com/
http://www.drunkduck.com/Starship_Moonhawk/index.php
http://www.octavirate.com/
http://www.gunnerkrigg.com
http://aliendice.com/
http://www.blueskycomic.com/
http://www.fabricari.com/
http://www.webcomicsnation.com/dirktiede/ps/series.php
http://www.od.spiteshow.com/
http://www.pinkyta.com/
http://www.fallingdownproductions.com/

I also placed an ad here:
http://www.thewebcomiclist.com/

On June 21, a friend approached me with the idea of campaigning at local libraries, bookstores, coffee shops, internet cafes, and any places that might house internet users. So, friends and family began campaigning at these sorts of locations, armed with fliers. I was told this face-to-face method was very effective.

My brother, the infamous Jason, owns businesses across the United States. I approached him to ask for help with campaigning for Dual. He used his business contacts to organize a network of volunteers to spread the word about Dual and Zuda. As a result, the comic fans came out of the woodwork. I have been flooded with a plethora of emails and phone calls from his associates, asking me about where the story is headed, what comics I read, what I thought of Iron Man, and if I will be attending Comic-Con.

I do not have time to relate every story, but many people have contacted me, excited to tell me that they read Bayou or High Moon or some other Zuda title and that they loved it. I am sure many of the folks who participated in the competition will forget about Zuda in the days to come. But I also know our collective campaigning has exposed many fans to this exciting new media.

Hero Shot

This incredible illustration was done by:
http://zero-optix.deviantart.com/

I suggest you check out the rest of his work. I think we'll be seeing his webcomic on Zuda soon.

Sketch for page 2

Page 6 Process.

Page 7 Sketch.

Page 8 Sketch.

Corina.

This was a possible design for Corina, the witch, as referenced in the synopsis on the Zuda site. I wanted to avoid the witch clichés of a hippy or a goth look. Rather than having roots in a sort of Wicken faith, her magic training stems from Macumba, Vodun, Voodoo, and traces back to ancient Egyptian and Greek magic practices.
She appeared in the an earlier draft of the first 8 page script.

Title.

Obviously, I am not a graphic designer. This is my design of the Dual logo. I think it will have three stages of evolution.

Page 4 for Comparison.

I posted this as a comparison to the previous post regarding frame 1. This demonstrates how I work on the entire page simultaneously & sometimes work on the foreground and background separately.

for the finished page head over to: http://zudacomics.com/node/504

Frame one Process.

I have been working on vreating a streamlined process for quick turn-around time. First, my pencils are scanned into Photoshop. (Currently I am still using PS7, but It is on my to-do-list to order a newer version.) Once in Photoshop, I use my Wacom tablet to set the values then I begin to select areas to assign hues. Next, I do touch ups, details and add textures. I create the word balloons and do the lettering in Flash.

For the final version of this page go to:
http://zudacomics.com/node/504

Yasu Doodles.

I am not ready to reveal too much about the nature of Yasu. These doodles are collected from various scraps that were scribbled while Dual was on my mind, but prior to sitting down with the intent to design Yasu’s look.

The Beginning.

This sketch and a dream/ nightmare were the genesis for Dual. This drawing was originally created as a side for another totally unrelated project.

Zuda's Banner Design