Aftershock: Artists Respond to Disaster in Japan

Quimby's

2012-02-04T18:05:00.001-08:00

Folks in the Chicago area can go pick-up a copy of Aftershock at Quimby's. Or save the trip and order it from their webshop here

More Reviews

2012-01-29T06:16:00.000-08:00

A not so favorable review of the book by Metropolis Magazine in Tokyo.

Japan Times book review

2011-12-17T18:51:00.000-08:00

A nice write-up in the Japan Times book review today!

If you live in Japan, go pick-up a copy.

Launch Party

2011-12-15T05:24:00.000-08:00

Aftershock in stores

2011-12-15T05:12:00.000-08:00

I forgot to mention this before, but copies of Aftershock can be purchased at the following retail outlets (and hoping to add more)

Chicago Comics
Chicago

Forbidden Planet
NYC

Jim Hanley's Universe
NYC

Traders of Babylon
Hoboken NJ

Fantastic Comics
Berkeley CA

Maverick Cards & Comics
Kettering, OH

Review in the Japan Times

2011-12-05T20:38:00.001-08:00

Aftershock received some wonderful press today in the Japan Times newspaper. This is a pretty big deal as their circulation is somewhere in the 50,000 range. If you have a chance go and pick-up a paper today, or check out the article online here:

The Comic Cast

2011-11-27T07:32:00.001-08:00

This cool Irish blog does a great interview with my fellow expat comix creator and Aftershock contributor Sean Michael Wilson, talking about his various projects as well as a nice shout-out for "Aftershock."Thanks Sean!

http://thecomiccast.com/2011/11/22/alternative-manga-an-interview-with-sean-michael-wilson/

My Aching fingers (and poor brush pen)

2011-11-13T08:04:00.001-08:00

As most of the contributors know, the first batch of books have already been shipped and the majority have already been delivered. I apologize that there were notes included - they were shipped directly from America by my loving mother.

I have been busily preparing all the shipments for the second batch, and it has been a nightmare of a project indeed. Nonstop drawing and writing little messages on the packages. And rather than do a simple mail-merge on open office, I decided it would be nice to hand letter the address on each package...that got old somewhere after number 70 or so. Here are some pictures to immortalize the moment. Hopefully by the end of the week all contributor copies, preorders and kickstarter backer copies will be out.

More photos

2011-11-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

By popular demand, here are some photos of the inside of the box. Also a cute little picture of my father posing. Thanks pops!

The Eagle has Landed!

2011-11-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

All our waiting has finally paid-off. I am happy to announce that the book has arrived from the printer and advanced copies will begin shipping right away to contributors, Kickstarter backers, and preorders. All kickstarter rewards should be fulfilled in the next couple weeks. Once again, thank you everybody for your continued patience! Please keep your dial tuned to this blog with updates regarding the launch party, and donation reports. Here are some pictures of the books being unloaded from the truck.

Aftershock related interview

2011-10-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

Here is another interview I did about the book, with local magazine Axiom. Check it out - its a concise and well crafted interview I think.

Click here for interview

Reviews

2011-10-11T07:54:00.000-07:00

Aftershock was reviewed by the JET Alumni's JQ Magazine, read about it here.
Jetwit is the de facto alumni magazine, career center, publicist and communication channel for the JET alumni community of over 55,000 worldwide.

You can also check-out this link to read an interview where I explain a little about the back story of Aftershock at Examiner.com

Aftershock previews: checking proofs

2011-10-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

I just got the proofs back from the printers yesterday and they look fantastic! Having spent the last three weeks tweaking the ebook versions for each format, I was getting pretty sick of staring at the book through a computer monitor, but seeing the print version almost brought a tear to my eye! The book looks so beautiful, I think everybody will be proud to hold it in their hands. But a picture paints a thousand words, so let me show you instead of telling you:

Aftershock Updates

2011-09-28T05:40:00.000-07:00

Exciting news:
Aftershock:Artists Respond to Disaster in Japan
I have received the report from the printers that the book is in their system and the proofs are on their way to me now for approval. The printer has estimated that the book will be out by October 20th. The first copies will be sent immediately to contributors and Kickstarter backers. (approximately 80 copies). I will post pictures of the proofs once they come in.

In the meantime, please take a moment to check out the Kindle version, available through Amazon in Europe and America. A PDF of the book is also available on my homepage. If you like the book, please consider making a donation. Of course donations will be passed along to various relief agencies working in Tohoku.

Aftershock for Amazon Kindle

2011-09-28T05:32:00.000-07:00

For Kindle users out there, Aftershock is now available for purchase in North America, the UK and Germany! Please have a look!

Amazon North America
Amazon in the United Kingdom
Amazon in Germany

Feedback from the contributors

2011-09-21T06:43:00.000-07:00

I am floored with the great response the ebook is getting from the contributors. Of course I care what the general public thinks, but I really value the opinions of the contributors who put so much work into this. Each person on the project is somebody I really admire, and I want the contributors to have something that they feel proud of. Here are just a few of the responses we got so far:

Wow! What a comic. This turned out way better than I had imagined... Every piece in it is solid. Both in terms of art and story. I downloaded it this morning anxious to see how my piece fit in (I'm self centered like that). I was also vaguely curious to see what Lars did with his piece, but... I started reading from page 1 and couldn't put it down. Sam Spina's piece is the perfect opening, eloquently illustrating how I imagine most of the contributors felt... (I know he certainly captured how I felt about things... kind of disconnected, hard to relate to, but general bad feeling). Simon Taylor's piece was nice too. If he ever puts out a book of his "living in Japan stories" I would definitely buy it. Peter Conrad's story was haunting... Tod C. Parkhill's story was clever and brilliantly executed. Ben Hutchings story was dynamic. There were just so many different styles and stories...

You've preserved a moment in time. Something I'll be able to look back on and read again and remember how everyone came together in the face of a disaster. You should definitely be proud of yourself. I know I certainly feel honored and proud to be a part of this.

Sam Mooney

Looks great! What a collection! Pleased and proud to be a part of this.

Peter Conrad

This is a GREAT piece of work - and one I'm proud to have contributed to. We should all take a huge pat on our collective back for this. Now - what do we do for an encore???!!!

Glenn Flemming

Read the book last night, it's really solid. It's got a really good lineup too, both people I've heard of and people I'm not familiar with. and just the right mix of styles - not too much manga, not too much indie

Jeffrey Brown

We funded!!

2011-09-18T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone! This post is a little bit late, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows that WE FUNDED. Not only that, but we met 150% of our funding goal!! Thanks everyone for spreading the word, and thanks even more to the people who pledged to support the project. The money has already hit the bank, and with that I have ordered ISBNs for the book and put in a print order with a printer. Thanks everybody so much - this is really happening!!

Kickstarter

2011-07-15T21:09:00.000-07:00

List of contributors

2011-07-15T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sam Spina
Noah Van Sciver
Ben Snakepit
Sean Michael Wilson/Michiru Morikawa
Simon Taylor
Michiru Morikawa
Jeffrey Brown
Adam Pasion
Chad Edwards
Lars Martinson
Jason Young
Samuel Mooney
Neale Blanden
Jon Garza
Dirk Schweiger
SCAR Studios (Steve Carter/Antoinette Ryder)
Jessica Cantlope
Jethro Wall Ganbare Japan
Carrie McNinch
Marie Condenzio
Abby Denson
Eric Shonborn
Peter Conrad
Mark Campos
Alison Wilgus
Tod C Parkhill
Chris MacKenzie
Jim Giar
Topher MacDonald
Sara Lindo
Barry Lancet/ Akiko Shimojima
Jonathan Baylis/ Eric Kim

Peter Conrad - Honmono no Hanashi

2011-07-15T20:48:00.000-07:00

Lars Martinson - I Was a Teenage Otaku

2011-07-15T20:42:00.000-07:00

previews

2011-04-06T06:30:00.000-07:00

Here is a little preview of the book. This will be part of the art I am personally submitting. There are already 20 pages of art submitted which are much better than this piece, but here it is nonetheless. Enjoy!

news

2011-03-29T19:14:00.001-07:00

Word is spreading about the project all over the blogosphere - thanks artists and writers for posting and reposting this info. Due to your efforts we are not up to about 35 contributors who have actually officially contacted me and said they would contribute. There are a lot more out there who have joined the facebook community or evite that appear interested. My network is not nearly so expansive, so all the help spreading the word has been invaluable to me!!

Already some of the submissions have started coming in. They look fantastic - I cannot wait to show everyone. I will send a digital preview when all the submissions come in. That is all, I know everyone is busy, including me. Pick up those pencils and keep up the good work!!

How to submit artwork

2011-03-25T04:03:00.000-07:00

When you are ready to submit, you can do so in several ways. You can always email the artwork directly to me at this email address.

biguglyrobot(at)gmail.com

If your files are too big, you may also post them to a file storage site and send me a download link. For your convenience I have created an FTP directory for people to upload their files directly to my server. Here is the FTP login information.

FTP Username: aftershock@biguglyrobot.net
Password: HelpJapan2011
FTP Server: ftp.biguglyrobot.net
FTP Server Port: 21

Submission Guidelines

2011-03-25T04:02:00.001-07:00

This project is open to everyone, but please take a look at the following guidelines:

Artwork should have something to do with Japan, preferably something personal. The idea is to express what Japan means to you via memories, direct or indirect experience, feelings, thoughts or abstractions. You can write about how you played a lot of nintendo as a kid, how you studied karate, a Japanese person who had a lot of influence on you, or even write about this recent disaster and how it has affected you. Ideally these pieces should mean a lot to you, so that they can have an impact on the reader.

length: submissions should be anywhere from 1-5 pages, but there is no real upper limit. Due to time constraints I imagine most submissions will be around 1-2 pages. Single drawings are also acceptable if you have any trouble creating a longer strip.

submission limits: Artists can and are encouraged to submit as many pieces as you like.

format: The format has not been finalized but it will likely be digest size, or about A5 (half A4 - 5.5'x8.5' in American paper sizes) Art should be oriented vertically. Art can be any size but should conform to these basic proportions.

File specs: Art should be black and white or gray scale with a resolution of at least 300dpi and no larger than 600dpi. I would prefer the file type to be TIFF, PSD, EPS or PDF. High resolution JPEG scans are also acceptable but this type of compression will result in a loss of quality. Please contact me if you have any questions about format or specs.

deadline: I understand we all have busy schedules, some of us more than others. However in the interest of making this have the best reception possible, time will be the largest factor working against us. I would like to receive all artwork by April 20th, 2011. This gives everyone exactly one month. Again, I realize this deadline may put quite a strain on everyone and I value your time, but I would like this book released while Japan is still in the limelight and I anticipate that Japan's rebuilding process will be revisited about a month after the disaster. A timely release is key for this projects success. This will also allow some time for editing and layout.

Preliminary Cover Art

2011-03-23T22:12:00.000-07:00

Here is the first look at the cover art, created by the very talented illustrator Skye Ogden, from Australia. When I first saw this image I was so taken with it, the stark two color contrast, the incorporation of the "rising sun" - the image shows both the desperation and hope in this situation. Thanks Skye for contributing this incredible piece! I hope it motivates everyone to create great entries.