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- Darkspeeds Latest Blog -
Advertising TGAF!
05-07-2008 20:49 darkspeeds

05th July 2008:

Hi again everyone! I've been rather busy with a few things lately. ;)

To keep things short I'll share with you my updates.

i) Exposure of TGAF

Recently I've purchased a month's worth of advertising on CAMP SONIC. The statistics page indicated 8021 Unique Visits and 41638 Pageviews on the TGAF website!! Awesome! ^^

Also I've expanded my comic series to other comic archive hosting sites. This includes The Webcomic List and Smack Jeeves.

This banner here links you to the official Smack Jeeves comic hosting site. It's free to use so if you're into making comics go right ahead and use it's simple yet effective facility. ;)


Smack Jeeves


The button here The Webcomic List indicates the rank of my web-manga series on the Webcomic List site! I would love to see this on the top of the list one day! ;)


ii) Chapter 6: The Early Days

Yes I'm finishing off the next 4 pages to this chapter! ^^ The preview pages are available in the GALLERY section of the official TGAF website. ;)

Behind the Scenes with Darkspeeds 01

Behind the Scenes with Darkspeeds 02


iii) TGAF Fanart (JUNE 2008)

Dedicated fans of my cartoon series have yet again brought you another set of brilliant fan art for your viewing pleasure. I enjoyed this month's collection and shall encourage you all to continue to deliver for this month of July! :hug: Huge thanks once again to all who have contributed! You should be proud! ;) *thumbs up*

Be sure to check out :iconcountchocola: amazing new mini side-story of your favourite mountain horse called Dragon Wind! Also in addition to Fei fans be sure to check out the Fan Fei Club section of the GALLERY to review their latest pieces! Mainly updated by the lovely :iconknux-the-killer:...! ^^ Alternatively you can view all of this on the Fei Fan Club @ deviantART


iv) Finally there's the mention of new sections to be added on the official TGAF website. I realise that what the website is missing are:

FAQ and LINKS sections. I will be adding those in when I come back from my trip to London and Singapore at the end of August 2008. *thumbs up*

In the mean time YOU can help gather a whole bunch of questions for me to answer - just to give me ideas and on questions that I have missed out myself (don't worry I got my own list. ;)...)

So yeah please contribute your questions on a special forum that I will be creating in half an hours time. *thumbs up* Click either here - DARKSPEEDS REQUESTS HELP ON F.A.Q. SECTION! or the silly photo of me below. :giggle:


DARKSPEEDS REQUESTS HELP ON F.A.Q. SECTION!


24th June 2008:

TGAF/Darkspeeds Advertise!

:iconhappyaggro: came up with a great suggestion. Why not advertise my stuff on Camp Sonic (a Sonic fansite dedicated to publishing quality news on Sonic Unleashed).

I checked out the stats:

* 100,000 Pageviews / month
* 200+ Subscribers via Feedburner
* Primarily US Audience
* Primarily Wii & 360 Owners


This information seems most attractive in my opinion for the target audience I'm aiming for. TGAF site at this point of time I believe should have enough content that is attractive enough to engage new people to check out my stuff. And for only 5USD? I reckon it's a steal. Thanks HappyAggro! :)

Guys, please do not hesitate to give me suggestions on how to advertise TGAF! I'd love to here your ideas! ^_~

I shall be getting the banner up and running shortly - as soon as I make the transaction which is in a couple of minutes time. Let's hope it'll all go well. :D

TGAF/Darkspeeds Animated Banner!


21st June 2008:

TGAF Website Update

Hey guys! Just been busy completing a dedicated section to the TGAF comic that is now technically considered as a web-manga. Free to download and share! My main aim is to gain as much exposure of this series as possible. ;) Please do your bit to share this with your friend at school and at home. :)

The website's got a new section dedicated to purely reading the web-manga at your own pace. It is created for viewing pleasure and navigation of the TGAF story has never been easier. Much thanks goes to :iconchemb0t: once again for his technical support and for helping me set up a template that was workable and efficient. *thumbs up*


The TGAF Web-Manga Archives!


In addition to the update I've improved the splash page as pictured below. There is an animated gif that is dedicated to the wonderful friends and fans of TGAF who have contributed their artwork! The archive continues to grow and it's all thanks to you guys. :hug:


New and improved splash page! ^^


Now then with that done and dusted I'll explain what plans I have with TGAF Project.

In the following months to come I'll be exploring other ways to publish the TGAF content on different sites to gain maximum exposure. I want to make sure that the sites that I have the web-manga published will be relevant to the target audience whom I aiming for (i.e. teens to young adults of 14 and over) I'll most probably be looking into a demographic that is interested in shonen manga and anime but is also open to anthromorphic characters from a design perspective (Sonic fans will be a main target her).

In future I may be self-publishing the web-manga via print media through self publishing initiatives. After reading those reference books I bought from Sydney it seems that comics nowadays can become commercial property if the idea sells well. All of this can be done via the internet. Despite it sounding 'all too easy' and too 'good to true' there is a downside to it, and that is, immense competition in the digital comics market.

In my case it's the most relevant way to go in publishing my material during it's early stages since this 'global digital publishing strategy' is cost efficient and doesn't require any significant start-up costs hence risks are reduced. I will have more control in what I do too including the website content and the artwork/comic content in general. Australia at this point of time has very little publishing opportunities/initiatives in the field of comics/manga. Even in America they're finding it hard to compete for a top spot in the original manga publications field - but at least they have a starting point (check out SevenSeas Entertainment and Toykopop for examples of publishers of original manga from local manga artists).

Anyway to wrap this up I'll be doing self publishing my web manga content online and eventually through print media via Lulu.com when complete volumes are finalised by your truly. :) I'll need all the support I can get on this! XD *thumbs up*


In addition to TGAF updates I'll be making sure that I have more pages available soon. You can find out when they will be coming by looking at the allocated dates on the archives (i.e. the missing pages to Chapter 06: The Early Days). ^_~

Below are some behind-the-scenes photos of some of the latest artwork to the TGAF series. If you're interested the most recent PIN-UPS were drawn with a half folded A4 piece of paper! XD Saves a lot more time doing a full page the usual way! X3


Behind-the-scenes with Darkspeeds on TGAF artwork ^^

Bottom right-hand corner pic for Ana and Fei Fan Club fans!! XD


Sonic The Hedgehog Week

Yup this week I'll be dedicating myself to Sonic the Hedgehog cuz it's birthday on the 23rd June 2008!!! XD


Sonic's Birthday this year of 2008!!!

(17th Anniversary logo created by Professor-J from The Sonic Show)


I'll be in full gear to make promotional images for the upcoming and promising Sonic convention (one of the biggest Sonic-fan community meet-ups yet) coming this August 2008 in London, U.K!

I've already made the logo and am now in the process of completing character standalone s and group pics of Sonic and his chums. I hope to do my very best! ;)


The Summer of Sonic promo artwork - behind the scenes with Darkspeeds XD

Sonic and gang are lookin' pretty sharp with their suits and gowns! X3


Be sure to get all the news from the sexy revamp of The Sonic Stadium (blog style! XD)


Brand New The Sonic Stadium!! = )


TSS staff will also be announcing plenty of exciting news on the latest Sonic game releases (such as Sonic Chronicles and Sonic Unleashed) and activities dedicating to his birthday (like the SEGA Sonic Radio Show Marathon that is being hosted by several familiar faces and celebrities of the Sonic fan community ;))

Do make sure you check out the latest from the Summer of Sonic in a spankin' brand new website (also most sexual in it's presentation XD). Click on the images below to find out more!!!


The Summer of Sonic!! To be held in London, U.K. on the 09th August 2008!! = )


Well that's it from me! Thanks a bunch for the continued love and support on my The Grand ASHWORTH Fortune series and also my life in general! :hug: There is much to look forward to in the coming months. ^_~ *thumbs up*
 
Sydney Revisited
02-06-2008 22:29 darkspeeds

02nd June 2008:

Revisiting Sydney

Sydney, the prime location for hustle and bustle in Australia, it is my third visit by now.

The latest trends in fashion, technology and lifestyle are ever present in the heart of the city. Most of these elements (based on observation) are derived from the Asian culture and influences of South East Asia (including Singaporeans, Chinese, Philippinos, Japanese and surprisingly a huge amount of Koreans). People chillin' at an Internet cafe's watching YouTube movies with a Bubble Tea in hand (comes in over 40 flavours including Honey Melon, Chocolate Malt and Rose Petal), mobile phones ringing away in a close by train station with an unusual ring tone that is only familiar to Chinese Pop listeners, Japanese Conveyor Belt Sushi stations in nearly every block of the street... I feel like I'm living in the fast lane here, almost like Tokyo (but not Sydney's not that crazy, yet).

So yeah it's exciting to be strollin' around in the city as a tourist. For those who live there it is almost a joy for them to have a lifestyle filled with conveniences just about anywhere within two feet of their apartment, but then again it isn't a city without it's faults either. People are generally more rough, rude or threatening (though they are not as bad as in the more Southern parts of America) and especially when it comes to driving in Sydney's traffic you better not be the 'slow driver type' or be prepared to get honked or get a nasty threat from the driver behind or beside you. It's almost like you're in a GTA4 scenario and you have to a Belic cousin to survive (okay just exaggerating there.. XD).

Still Sydney is an awesome place to visit especially when it has some world class attractions that are easily reachable by the convenient transit system (train, bus, and ferry being their prime, though it's bloody expensive nowadays to use either one - almost $2.20, non-concession bus fare for just one way - 2-4 zones!! The 5-7 zones is almost double that!) In addition to that Sydney has a rich and diverse geographic including country hills, beautiful coastlines, wonderful mountains and a bloody good wine country region.

I'm going to stop there let the photos speak of my trip. I had an extremely brilliant time with my sister Eleanor (the travel guru, she's a cool sister) and her wonderful friend, since high school times, Jacqueline. Even though it's been 5 days (2 days in the city and 3 days at Hunter Valley, wine region) we did so much and made full use of our time.

We've eaten some of the most amazing food there especially when it came to dinner at some of the finest (and casual) restaurants both in the city and in the country area. I thoroughly enjoyed every cuisine I had in Sydney, thanks to my sis and her friends for their treat and to the staff at the restaurants (including manager, wait staff and chefs) for preparing the excellent and tasty experience.

It is interesting to note that of all my travels this is the first time I've ever spent so much of my money during a visit to one city (I only took out $300 but spent only $120 on research and reference material for my cartooning business, the rest was on transport, accommodation and other expenses covered in the trip). I will speak a little more about the books later but for now enjoy the happy snaps below! = )

Please Note: On the first photo, my sister is the one on the right standing, her friend Jacqueline is in the middle. The others are friends of Jacqueline (as seen in Sydney's best Thai restaurant and the Chinese Dim Sum restaurant at the Fish Markets).

Sydney-Hunter Valley Trip_MAY2008_01
Sydney-Hunter Valley Trip_MAY2008_02
Sydney-Hunter Valley Trip_MAY2008_03
Sydney-Hunter Valley Trip_MAY2008_04
Sydney-Hunter Valley Trip_MAY2008_05


Comics! Comics! And Books!

It is once said that 'a wise investment is the smart thing to do' and spending $120 worth of reference books, manga and western comics was something I feel was fulfilling and satisfying.

Here is a snapshot of my book collection from Kinokoniya, Comic Kingdom and Kings Comics in Sydney (excluding the Spider-man comics that were bought for entertainment reading):

book collection from Kinokoniya, Comics Kingdom and Kings Comics in Sydney 01
book collection from Kinokoniya, Comics Kingdom and Kings Comics in Sydney 02
book collection from Kinokoniya, Comics Kingdom and Kings Comics in Sydney 03

By the way the book and comic book stores were exceptional. I enjoyed browsing through the diversity of products and unique services it provided, the style and decor of the store, and friendly staff accompanying the needs of their customers.


Book Reference Recommendations for Comic/Manga Artists

For those who are really serious about their business in making and selling comics or manga (on the web or by print), and understanding the wide range of issues on how to best market your work in the ever growing industry of comics and manga try the following books:

book collection from Kinokoniya, Comics Kingdom and Kings Comics in Sydney 04
book collection from Kinokoniya, Comics Kingdom and Kings Comics in Sydney 05


  • MAKING COMICS by Scott McCloud:
    I bought this one when I was in Sydney the last time I visited the amazing and massive Kinokoniya bookstore. I remember skim reading it through the highly attractive and simple to follow comic style lessons on how to create an awe-inspiring comic. Scott's a genius, in fact his dad was an inventor, you can say that he is a theorist/inventor/analyst on how to 'do it, to it' on comics. I've read the book and find it extremely entertaining and useful. Very handy for those who want to understand how comics work for you and your readers. He's got some comic techniques that will knock you socks off - for beginners to advanced comic/cartoon artists. Thanks Scott for the handy tips!

  • The Complete Guide to MANGA by Jason Thompson:
    I've only just started reading this one. It is a book not to be missed by manga fans and for those who would like to make their own one day and find the right genre that suits your style and needs. I've enjoyed their easy referencing system where it gives the reader a synopsis of the most recently published manga titles in America (updated till 2007, the top 200 or so in each respective area i.e. action/adventure, sci-fi, thriller/horror, mystery, shonen, cooking, romance, sports, business, pachinko (wait business and pachinko manga??)) and etc...). The author also includes a 4 star ranking of each title he has written about (based on various reviews and his own to keep it unbiased).

    For those interested manga such as Astro Boy, Ranma 1/2, ONE PIECE, Full Metal Alchemist, Naruto, Eyeshield 21 and Death note got 4 stars, whilst Love Hina, Initial D, Rave Master and Bleach got 3 stars, and Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Raxaphon and Pokemon Adventures got 1-1.5 stars. :D I've still hundreds to go in reading his reviews and synopsis! XXD

    Not only does this book tell you about what's good and bad out there in today's Westernised manga market but Jason also speaks about the demographics, art styles and the publishers of manga. He also provided detailed descriptions on the genre types as already mentioned above (we've still got ninja, occult and religion, comedy and gag, children and family etc...) As a bonus he notes the profile of the comic artists, a brief history on manga and also other useful information that will surely assist in the manga artist/reader connoisseur (e.g. extra reviews, links to topic discussions on manga and much much more!)

    So if you think you've seen it all you ain't seen nothing yet without the book. Use it to your advantage my dear manga artist or the reader (i.e. the otaku, hate using the word! XXD)

  • Watching ANIME, Reading MANGA by Fred Patten:
    I have yet to read this book in full but I strongly believe that there is something in this +370 page book that will hold the key to my knowledge about the American manga/anime market. The author, Fred Patten, is an acknowledged authority on manga and anime in the United States. He has been a pro-active member of the fandom for decades even before manga and anime became mainstream. He has been compiling information on the subject based off a twenty-five year overview. Now that is impressive.

    I really think that this guy who has an abundance of experience and knowledge on the anime and manga scene in America will teach me something invaluable and I hope that I will use that knowledge to my advantage and apply it with my current projects such as The Grand ASHWORTH Fortune and GYROSHOES.

    Just to give you an idea he explains in 63 articles on:

    ANIME FANDOM

    - The first ads in America
    - Japanese recognition on American anime fans
    - Anime Conventions

    THE BUSINESS OF ANIME

    - Soundtracks
    - Licensing
    - Home Video
    - Theatrical features
    - Simba vs Kimba
    - Nadia vs Atlantis

    ARTISTS

    - Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy)
    - Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away)
    - Fred Ladd

    JAPANESE CULTURE IN ANIME

    - Anime Business in Japan
    - Manga
    - Refighting WWII

    and much more...


  • And finally...!

  • A HISTORY ON WEB-COMICS by T Campbell:
    THIS was what gotten me into coming up with the concept of GYROSHOES. I was really excited about the possibilities of the internet and how it can be best used to the advantage of a proactive comic artist. The web has unlimited possibilities people, it is only a matter of how your use your time and resource on the technologies of the Internet available to today.

    What I've learnt from this book is that the inevitable of the Internet has brought significant influences on the comics market and industry today (manga included). Campbell has provided successful examples such as VG Cats, MegaTokyo, Penny Arcade and Scott McCloud (to name a few) to be pioneers and entrepreneurs to the web comic business and today's fortunate technological era.

    I wanted to make something like those mentioned by the author, you know 'start out early and see how it goes' approach. GYROSHOES will be ON HOLD for the moment. It is a project I'm very interested in pursuing when I have the time and motivation to do it. Right at the moment my ideas are too sketchy and early for anything mind blowing to deliver. Probably in the next month or even a year or so you will see GYROSHOES come to life in a new form that is learnt from the applications of this book.

    I won't hesitate to recommend those who are serious about making comics to get this book. It will teach you about how web comics history has significantly influenced the industry and market of print comics and how web comics can be used to make yourself enough money to do the things you really enjoy doing - i.e. coming up with stories and drawing them!



  • The Science Behind the concepts of 'Sonic The Hedgehog'

    Ever wanted to go a little deeper in knowing what makes people tick when it comes to our beloved game/cartoon character 'Sonic The Hedgehog'? Ever wondered why thousands and thousands of people around the world have been at one point in their have been significantly influenced by the fastest thing alive? What is the science behind this notion? What are the answers? Are there any concrete answers to this?

    Well seek no further my friends, for there is an old website that is soon to be (revived and) launched that talks about these concepts called Concept Mobius. This community and website is powered by the creative members, resource and knowledgeable staff of TechnoGuild). Be sure to check it out!

    For more details be sure to read up on Chemb0t's latest journal entry about the website's exciting prospects from the team!

    I had an interesting chat with Jason (aka :iconchemb0t: - humble genius and kind friend who also helped me built the TGAF website) about the concepts on how Sonic influenced the way we are today. I was attracted to his composure in the Sonic games, the style, design and presentation of the character and the values taught by the character. Because of those elements (fueled by compassion to re-create my own kind of character and story one day - which eventually became I've been able to become the pro-active, enthusiastic, innovating and globtrotting Elson 'Darkspeeds' Wong that I am today. :) I couldn't be more proud and happier to be who I am right now. ^^

    Thanks to my family and relatives, my special friends and all of those who have supported me over the years, I couldn't have done it without your benevolence and support! Here's to another generation of inspired fans of the Sonic series! *thumbs up*

    TechnoGuild and Concept Mobius!!


    TGAF Chapter 6: A Secret Location - SNEAK PEEK! Aaaand... Congratulations!

    Wonder what happened to our beloved unlucky fortune hunter after the rather unfortunate events that took place at Cape Locke with T.R.A.P. looking for the traitor Stream the Hawk? Well just ask Ruby! :D

    RUN RUBY! RUN!!!
    RUN RUBY! RUN!!!


    And also congratulations on unlocking the rest of the lost archives of Darkspeeds concept sketches of TGAF during his world tour! Thanks for all the visits! It's reached 7,000 hits and I can't thank you guys enough for your show of support! :hug: See you guys on the next tour of sketches! *thumbs up* ;)

    Congratulations on unlocking the lost archives of TGAF early concept sketches! See you on the next tour!! = )


    21st May 2008:

    Getting Shoed Up For This One...


    The new splash page!


    What do you guys think of the new logo? :)

    Any suggestions as to what this whole new concept is about? I'm actually curious to know what you think. :giggle:

    I hope to create something that is somewhat different from TGAF. Cartoon design is slightly different in terms of character design but the style of the comic is very different (i.e. the genre or nature of the series). I will let you know that they do share the same universe... Probably a spin-off? O.O

    One can only find out when the website is open in which the next 10 web comic strips are too completed by yours truly first. After reading those through web comic strips you should get a clearer picture on what GYROSHOES is all about. ;)

    Once again I'm working with the talented :iconchemb0t: on the website. It will be more simpler and easy to navigate (because essentially I want readers to focus on reading the comic ;)). I'm sure I will have a great time working with him again! Here's to bringing a successful result in the coming weeks! *thumbs up*


    Also, a full update on my Sydney trip and projects to come for the month of June will be available during the end of Sunday. See you then! *thumbs up*

     
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    The Grand ASHWORTH Fortune © Elson ‘Darkspeeds’ Wong 2007. All rights reserved.

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    Shout Box

    Latest Message: 1 day, 14 hours ago
    • [GUEST]GreenFire : Oh. Aww man! I miss the old shading style. But hey, if it helps you get further, I'm all for it! ^_^ Have fun  on your trip!
    • [GUEST]CCG : Can't wait to see more!^^ Also, I demand a full report of your trip to London! XD Sounds like it's going to be a blast! ^__^ I hope you have a safe and wonderful trip when the time comes!
    • [GUEST]Darkspeeds : Next page will come this Wednesday! Smile I'll do my very best to finish off the next 8 pages to stock up and submit on schedule when I'm away on holidays this August! wink
    • [GUEST]Darkspeeds : Thanks for the comments guys! GreenFire I have stopped the shading technique because I've learnt from experience and from knowledge of others in the manga industry that using that style won't sell very well. Ink and tones is the industry standard and the way to go forward. ^^ And Ana thanks for the report! I've fixed the page now! wink
    • [GUEST]Ana : Heya again!
      Was to say that the previous pages before to the new one are unable to view. I found that when I was trying to upload my file that was all your comic pages wink
    • [GUEST]GreenFire : [Whoops, typing in the dark. Pressed enter by accident XD] But yeah, as I was saying, I miss the old style you used in the early comics, with the shading and everything. What happened to that? =/
    • [GUEST]guest_5235 : Great comic, Darkspeeds. It's really awesome/
    • [GUEST]Darkspeeds : Yeah Ruby's looking upbeat as ever Ana! = ) Thanks for the feedback! Also.... Thanks Ryu for your feedback too! I shall keep up with the hard work don't you worry. wink Thanks for the suggestions too! I have listend to the GG OST's before, I have an idea of what's expected from that fantastic fighting game series. Smile
    • [GUEST]Ryu : Hey Darkspeeds. I was just browsing some music. And if you wanted to listen to some nice rock music, check out some soundtracks to Guilty Gear. They're awesome!
    • [GUEST]Darkspeeds : Thanks Ana. ^^ Ruby is having a wonderful time sharing with us memories of her past! Your comics are great, come on. Keep up the good work!

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