Storycomic Weekly Newsletter: April 4th
ALWAYS POSTED A WEEK EARLIER ON PATREON
🚨 Storycomic Patreon Update for Creators 🚨
If you're an author, indie comic creator, game designer, or storyteller looking for more visibility, the Storycomic Patreon is one of the easiest ways to get your work in front of a growing audience.
For just $5 a month (about the price of a cup of coffee), you get some real promotional benefits:
🎙 Front-of-the-Line Recording Access
I’m often booking podcast interviews three months in advance, but Patreon members jump to the front of the line. This is especially helpful if you have a time-sensitive launch, Kickstarter, or new release coming up.
🔗 Permanent Show Notes Promotion
Your website or project link will be included in the show notes of all interviews as long as you’re a member.
📣 Social Media Promotion
We’ll regularly help promote your projects across Storycomic’s social media channels.
And remember, the Storycomic podcast has over 30,000 downloads, so it’s a great way to get your work discovered by readers and fellow creators.
For the cost of a coffee each month, you get promotion, visibility, and priority booking.
If you’re a creative looking to grow your audience, it’s a pretty great deal.
👉 Join us on Patreon and let’s share your story with the world.
Founders Club patrons include amazing creators like:
Michael Winn, Higgins802, Von Allan, Stephanie Nina Pitsirilos, Marek Bennett, Donna Carr Roberts, Andrew Gronosky, Simki Kuznick, and Matt & Therese.
Explore their work:
Gary Hodges on DvsM, a sci-fi/horror series told like a documentary
In my newest interview, I’m joined by indie comic creator Gary Hodges, who’s been making comics for about eight years and is building an ambitious graphic novel series called DvsM.
What makes DvsM stand out right away is its structure: it’s a character-focused sci-fi/horror story told through eyewitness accounts of a highly classified war that allegedly stretched from the 1970s into the early 2000s. Each installment approaches the conflict from a different point of view — sometimes a soldier, sometimes a scientist, sometimes a “man in black” — which creates that eerie feeling that you’re piecing together the truth from testimony, fragments, and memory.
Gary describes the concept as “if Ken Burns made a documentary about War of the Worlds,” and in our conversation we dig into how that approach shapes pacing, tension, and worldbuilding. We talk about building a long-running series without losing clarity, keeping characters grounded inside huge lore, and what it’s like sustaining an indie project over years while still making it accessible for new readers.
If you like sci-fi horror that feels like it could be hiding in a declassified file cabinet somewhere, this episode is worth your time.
Project Update: Still Slow Going
Things are still slow going with Appliance. I haven’t had the chance to dive in as deeply as I’d like, but I’m continuing to stay connected to the project—reviewing sections, making notes, and thinking through the next round of edits.
It’s not fast progress right now, but it’s steady enough to keep things moving forward.
Book Review: Bathtime for Snow Monkeys – A Quiet, Cozy Rhythm Worth Returning To
Getting an early look at Bathtime for Snow Monkeys by Maggie Tokuda-Hall was a real treat, and even better was getting to share it with my 5-year-old.
Right away, this became one of those books that turns reading into a shared little ritual. My son had a great time counting the monkeys on each page, carefully scanning the illustrations and making sure he didn’t miss a single one. It turned the story into an interactive experience, which always makes bedtime reading that much more fun.
What stood out to me most, though, was the tone. There’s a calm, almost meditative rhythm to the book. It moves at a gentle pace, mirroring the quiet routine of the snow monkeys themselves. It’s the kind of story that naturally slows things down—perfect for winding down at the end of the day.
The illustrations are full of life but never overwhelming. They invite you to linger on each page, which pairs beautifully with the story’s steady, soothing cadence. It creates a cozy atmosphere that feels just right for bedtime.
For me, one of the true markers of a great children’s book is re-readability—and this one absolutely has it. It’s the kind of book you don’t mind reading again and again, and one that kids will happily return to night after night.
Bathtime for Snow Monkeys is warm, gentle, and thoughtfully crafted. A lovely addition to the bedtime rotation, and one that I can already tell we’ll be revisiting often.
Personal Update: Waiting on Spring and Finding the Rhythm
We’ve had another week of stubbornly cold weather, and spring just doesn’t seem ready to show up yet. It’s that time of year where you know it’s close, but winter keeps hanging on a little longer than you’d like.
On the work front, though, things are settling into a really good rhythm. The paper is feeling steady week to week, and we’re finally out of the winter slump when it comes to advertising. That alone feels like a big shift. We’re also starting to put plans together for launching a TBA show on the radio station, and we’re making solid progress on getting the new automation software installed, which will be a great upgrade once it’s fully in place.
eBay, on the other hand, is still pretty slow. It’s been a bit of a drag lately, but I’m sticking with it and hoping things pick up as we move further into the season. I’m also continuing to work on getting the new Bridge Weekly website up and running, which is coming along bit by bit.
In between everything, I’ve been able to carve out some time to hang out with the kids, which is always the best part of the week. Even with everything going on, those moments help keep things balanced.
Still waiting on spring, but everything else is moving in the right direction.
Found a funky mug while thrifting the other day
The joys of raising kids in the country with a mother from the city