Storycomic Weekly Newsletter: June 27th
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, Simki Kuznick, John Holland, Maureen Devline, Benjamin Hunting, Samantha Kolber, Frank Walk, Mark Bell, and Matt & Therese.
Explore their work:
Alan Barillaro returns to the world of Bunns Rabbit with a bigger, bolder sequel
In my newest interview, I’m joined by Alan Barillaro, author-illustrator and Academy Award–winning filmmaker, to talk about his upcoming book Bunns Rabbit II: The Return of the Spirit Rabbit, on sale October 6, 2026.
This sequel picks up after Bunns returns from her quest to find the Spirit Fox. She hopes to settle back into a quiet life with her family, but adventure is not done with her yet. Fox warns that a war is coming — the Spirits of the Sea and Wind against the Spirits of the Land and Fire — and only Bunns may be able to stop what’s coming.
What makes this story compelling is the contrast at its center: Bunns is small, vulnerable, and longing for home, but the world keeps asking more of her. In our conversation, Alan talks about building a sequel that expands the mythology while keeping the emotional focus on one brave character. We also discuss the mix of prose, illustration, and graphic panels that gives the series its cinematic energy.
If you love children’s fantasy with big stakes and real heart, this episode is worth a listen.
Rusty Austin on pelicans, young artists, and the joy of children’s books
In my newest interview, I’m joined by author Rusty Austin to talk about his children’s book An Awesome Bird: The Pelican.
Rusty has a fascinating creative path. After working as a Hollywood producer, he shifted into writing imaginative, heart-centered books for kids. That background gives him a strong sense of storytelling, pacing, and entertainment — but what makes this project stand out is the way he brings young creators directly into the process.
An Awesome Bird: The Pelican was illustrated by students from Nellie Coffman Middle School. That choice gives the book an energy you can’t fake. Kids reading it aren’t just learning about pelicans; they’re seeing artwork made by students close to their own age, which quietly sends a powerful message: your creativity counts too.
The book introduces pelicans through playful language, humor, and animal facts, making it a good fit for families, classrooms, and young readers who love nature. In our conversation, Rusty talks about why pelicans caught his attention, what inspired the student-illustration approach, and why books can be a place where kids learn, laugh, and imagine themselves as creators.
It’s a cheerful conversation about animals, art, and giving kids room to shine.
Project Update: Enjoying the Momentum
I didn't put quite as much time into Appliance this week as I would have liked, simply because life and work have been keeping me pretty busy. Even so, one thing I've really noticed is that my enthusiasm for the project has returned in a big way.
Sometimes creative projects go through seasons. There are times when you're pushing through them out of discipline, and there are other times when the excitement comes naturally. Right now, I'm definitely in that second phase. Ideas are flowing more freely, and I'm finding myself thinking about the story and its characters even when I'm not actively working on it.
The editing process is still moving forward, but more importantly, I'm genuinely enjoying it again. That renewed energy makes it much easier to sit down and tackle revisions, even when progress is happening a little at a time.
So while the word count didn't jump dramatically this week, the momentum is there, and that's a great place to be. I'm looking forward to continuing to chip away at Appliance and seeing where this fresh burst of creative energy leads.
Graphic Novel Review: Bound: Volume One (Remastered) – Watching an Indie Dream Come Together
One of the real joys of hosting a podcast is getting to meet creative people early in their journey and then watching their projects grow over time. That's exactly been the case with Bound from Hexapus Ink.
I've had the creators on my show several times over the years, so when they sent me a copy of the newly remastered Volume One, I was excited to finally sit down and experience the story in its collected form.
What impressed me most is how cohesive everything feels. Reading a complete volume allows the worldbuilding, characters, and story arcs to breathe in a way that individual issues sometimes can't. The fantasy setting is rich and imaginative, and it's clear that a tremendous amount of thought has gone into developing the world and the people who inhabit it.
The artwork is equally impressive. The remastered edition feels polished and confident, showcasing just how much work has gone into refining the series over the years. It's always rewarding to see creators continue to improve their craft while staying true to the vision that got them started in the first place.
Beyond the story itself, there's something satisfying about seeing an independent project reach this stage. As someone who has followed the creators' journey through podcast interviews and updates, I know this book represents years of dedication, persistence, convention appearances, and countless hours of creative work.
Most readers will come to Bound fresh, without that history. Fortunately, the graphic novel stands perfectly well on its own. It's an engaging fantasy adventure with strong artwork and a compelling world. For me, though, there was an added layer of appreciation in seeing how far the project has come.
Bound: Volume One (Remastered) is a testament to what can happen when talented creators stick with a vision and continue building it one step at a time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to seeing where the story goes next.read.
Personal Update: Planning Ahead and Building Momentum
This week brought some news that every newspaper publisher keeps an eye on: postage and newsprint costs are going up. That means it's time to put on the thinking cap and work through strategies for growing revenue without immediately passing those costs along to readers and advertisers. My goal is to continue finding ways to increase sales, create value, and expand what we're doing before even considering any price increases. Challenges like this are part of the business, and they often force you to think creatively.
It was also a pretty wet week. We certainly can't complain about the rain after some of the dry stretches we've had, but it definitely felt like one of those weeks where umbrellas became a daily accessory.
On the radio side, we're almost completely ready to launch the new broadcast software. We've been working toward this for quite a while, and it's exciting to see the finish line finally in sight.
eBay continues to be slow and steady. Nothing dramatic, but items are moving and the treasure-hunting side of the business remains as enjoyable as ever.
One thing I'm particularly excited about is the progress on the podcasting front. I'm delighted to say that I now have four podcasts uploading consistently. Building a reliable release schedule takes a lot of behind-the-scenes work, but it's rewarding to see everything running smoothly.
Even better, I've built up a healthy buffer of episodes for both my children's book podcast and Vermont author interviews. At the moment, I'm scheduled out through mid-October, which gives me a lot of flexibility and peace of mind. Having that kind of runway means I can focus more on creating great conversations and less on scrambling to meet deadlines.
All in all, it was a week of planning, preparation, and steady progress—exactly the kind of work that pays dividends down the road.
Doing the fatherly thing and teaching my kids pool.
Watching Masters of the Universe with my nerds-in-training.