The End of Chapter 8…
Today ends another chapter….wow.
I’m working on chapter 10 right now. So hopefully we’re still good for a few more months of daily updates.
In the meanwhile…a couple of things.
1) I found a really cute and funny (and I love the art) comic calle No Pink Ponies.
You should really check it out.
It’s a fun comedy about a young girl who has a crush on a guy at a comic shop…so she hatches a plan to open her OWN comic shop to lure him in.
Somehow it works too…huh.
http://nopinkponies.com/d/20060207.html
Enjoy.
2) I made some new banners.
If you remember I did a dancing paddington banner that wasn’t very well received.
The consensus was to try Nastajia.
So…here she is….
Click on them for FULL SIZE VIEWS…
That’s the nice one.
Here’s the 100k version I have to use…
Let me know your thoughts.
Thanks again for sticking around for 500+ pages and hope you like issue 9.
🙂
It’s much better Scott! I love the words for this ad… “the girl of his dreams… literally.” It’s a cute phrase that is also intriguing for new readers.
I do have some concerns with it… I’m worried that new readers will ask “Who is Alex Carter?” and “What does it mean ‘literally?'” You want to inform the audience before they arrive and with something instantly appealing.
Consider this potential ad: Same words, but different animation. You can use images from your actual comic… Alex moves in to kiss Nastajia on the castle balcony and he fades into his “real” existance in the experimental lab. It perfectly illustrates who Alex and The Girl are… and how he is living in a dream. And once they see that kiss, they’ll be so fascinated and intrigued. They will definitely follow through the link!
You should animate that kiss and your website will be flooded with new readers!
This is comming along very nice. Though there is ONE thing that has been really bugging me about the comic. Why is every other word put in bold text? It makes reading weird. Bold text is normally used when someone is putting more emphasize into a word. And people don’t tend to do that in every sentence they say.
When I read I ‘imagine’ them speaking these lines, and their voices. And it just sounds weird to be emphasizing words all the time. It also seems to break the flow of reading for me. Even trying to talk like that myself is hard to do and sounds really off.
Your’s is the only one I’ve seen do this, and just wondering why?
The Nastajia banner rules. I would totally click on that! Great job, Scott 🙂
Nice ad. You could probably get the under 100k version to look quite a bit more like the nice version by going with a simpler background (ideally made up of a single flat color) GIFs don’t like blurred backgrounds, so a good chunk of your size limitation is because of that soft backdrop.
You might end up deciding that what you gain in Nastajia’s smother rendering is not worth what’s lost in the background, but you won’t know until you try it out.
If you stick with the current background, I’d suggest altering the way the purple “The Dreamland Chronicles” logo works with the backdrop. A slightly different color or a thicker stroke will probably help it pop out more.
Hope his was helpful 🙂
I love that ad! I think it’s great the way it is. The whole POINT of an ad is to make people ask themselves questions like “Who is Alex Carter?” and “What does it mean ‘literally’?” It makes them want to read and find OUT the answers to those questions. The ad SHOULDN’T explain so much about what the comic is because then what’s the point of coming to check it out? So yeah, leave it as it is, man. I mean, that whole background thing to make the 100k look nicer is probably a good idea, but the *concept* is solid.
P.S. – I love that I get to read a NEW COMIC tomorrow! Did you change this page from what’s in the preview copy of Volume 2? I didn’t go and check yet, but I seem to remember it looking different in the book I have.
I love the little smile Nastajia gives at “literally.” The only critique I have on the lower res version is Nastajia’s face gets “muddy” by the end of the sequence and then when the loop restarts her face snaps “clear” again. Just a tiny distraction but the banners look great.
I like it! Especially with the bit of animation…
I bet Nastajia could rapid-shot the pirates from Ashendel.
Pllooott deviiiciceee.
Oh wow. I love the way she looks so serious (as per usual) and then goes into that cheeky smile, only to go back to being her usual austere self again. I’ve read the whole comic until now and even I was intriuged by that smile. Very nicely done. 🙂
A.C.
Heyhey. Just picked up on your comic about a month ago now and I sat and read the whole thing in one sitting. The style is AMAZING and the story line is shweet. (^_^)b I love it!!!
Anyway, I was wondering if I could possibly post the “newer” Nastajia banner on my myspace and/or deviantart page. Something this good shouldn’t be left undiscovered!
Hello! First, I’d like to say that I’ve really enjoyed the Dreamland Chronicles so far and keep up the good work!
I love the concept of the Nastajia banner, but I must say that on the small-file version, I wouldn’t click through because the pixelation looks so sloppy – it just doesn’t do your comic justice. So if there’s any way to tone that down, it would be wonderful. Other than that, it’s really good.
I think the banners are fine- the intrigue of “literally” is enough to allude to where the girl of his dreams _is_, and nothing more is necessary. Many people, like me, will surf in merely from seeing the astonishing art of the banners offered– and mystery is great in advertising, as you well know. I’ve read a great deal of different web comics, some much better than others. Some have beautiful art and terrible stories. Some have great stories but dismal to decent artistic qualities. Dreamland offers both gorgeous artwork and engaging storylines. Its only flaw–besides the occassional grammatical error:) — is that it’s so addictive that I can’t be patient enough to wait for the next chapter!
I found Dreamland Chronicles three days ago, and finished the latest pages today. I am honored to experience it– such brilliant authorship, coupled with magnificent, glowing, and perfectly scaled characters and scenery, is very hard to find in a webcomic– making it a particular delight to read and enjoy. I am thrilled that not only is it engaging to myself and my adult peers, but that I can read it aloud to my children without shame, as it is clean and there is no cursing or nudity. (An added thanks for that, by the way. I’m very grateful- as a editor of a literary journal and mom of small ones.) We will be linking to Dreamland from the online version of our literary journal, and I will be personally reccommending it to others as well.
I only hope there is much, much more to come– I can’t wait to see what happens next!
well i like the banner! i think it’s really great, and alot better than paddington’s!
I really like that banner, it was very nicely animated. I’ll probably use it.
And I didn’t really like the link you put up, all I did was look at the first few pages though… but it seems slightly above PG rated.
Thank you all…
Tryiing to get to some of your comments/questions…
Saeru:
It’s been asked many times…but the reason why I do it is that is how and where I want it emphasized. Those are the words that carry emphasis when I speak them out.
Every sentence has a word that is emphasized when we speak.
Sam:
Absolutely…thanks.
Everyone else. Thank you for your advice and encouragment.
As always…I wish I could respond to each comment. But I hope you understand how much I appreciate you reading and posting.
I read each and every one with a smile.
🙂
I love your comic, I check back everyday and I’m never disappointed. About No Pink Ponies, the artist (Eisu) draws another comic as well called Marry Me. It’s at marrymemovie.com (weird url I know but that’s what it is). All three comics: your’s, NPP, and MM are some of my favorites. I downloaded all of your issues off of Wowio just so that I can read them in class. Make more please!
I too read NPP and MM, both fun, as is this one. So when do we get a new page?
Wanted: Alex Carter. If seen, contact Nicodemus at 1-800-RED-DRGN.
I saw the banner above one of regularly read websites and was intrigued. My curiosity has paid off big as this rapidly became one of my favorites. The story is amazing and you become attached to the character quite quickly. Thank you for making the banner and I can assure you that I will be downloading all the comic on WOWIO as fast as I can.
I went to No Pink Ponies, and instantly recognized the artwork. Have you read Marry Me? I know that the aforementioned Nastajia banner is on the site, but that doesn’t mean that you’ve read it.
It’s about a popstar who decides to marry one of the people in the audience and what happens afterwards.
Here’s the link!: Marry Me
I love No Pink Ponies , it’s soooo funnyXD
And the banner looks really really cool, I wish I could do that^^
You could always try rendering rendering Nastajia celshaded to cut down on colors (I suppose you’d have to modify the shaders/materials though).
The banner is awesome! 😀 It grabbed my attention immediatly!
I love the little smile and the flick of her hair!
Could I post this on my Facebook page?
I know its just a typo, but instead of “called” you typed “calle” and that’s my name, so I’m all like “Scott is talking to me!”
HA! : )
Hmm .. Can you Use APNG? Much smaller and helluva better animation for the size.
Link-y to Firefox Beta thing explaining: http://labs.mozilla.com/2007/08/better-animations-in-firefox-3/
Emma…
Yes of course.
Bob C….
I’d love to once it’s more widely accepted like with IE.
Thanks
Lepas…
Who says I WASN’T thinking of you?
🙂
Sean…
Thank you so much for reading and thanks for the support.
woww, this comic is really rolling!
It’s good, and I like it . . . the only thing is that the lower resolution one you’d have to use doesn’t quite properly represent the tone of your art.
The dithering on the “have to use this” version is pretty distracting. Maybe cutting down on colors and turning it off would help? It’d probably compress better, too.
I see lots of people talking about the ad here and I just wanted to say it drew me in and I read the entire archive in one night. An ad doesn’t have to tell me whats going to happen in a story just be able to catch my attention, which this one did.
I agree that something needs to be changed on the low-res banner to get it to look better. A solid-colored background could definitely help. As for the animation itself, people usually blink when they turn their heads like that, especially since her eyes are shifting to look at something else entirely. It’s fine as-is, but I think that could make it better. 🙂
By the way, I never comment but I’ve enjoyed reading this comic of yours over the past several months. Great work and I hope to continue to see awesome things. 🙂
Hey, dunno if it was said before, but the animation in the banner is in reverse i think. you notice it because the hair of the elf move in the wrong direction like when she turns her head to the right the hairs already are in the right and then move left, while it should be the other way round.
meh actually if the hair is behind her head it makes sense ^^
martinobri ha com.mntato:.e.I gatti selvatici non sono gatti.Hai ragione. Basti notare i tentacoli, le ali e le pinne.Comunque nella Bibbia i gatti sono nominati. Che sia selvatico o domestico o che sia una gatta che aveva una macchia nera sul muso in una vecchia soffitta vicino al mare con una finestra a un passo dal cielo blu, non ha importanza.E lascia perdere gli specchi. Il free-climbing è meglio farlo altrove.
Great work Nick, very good info anytime you feel the need to paint out side just call.Big fan of your work since the eighties!!!! Remember? the dark per32do30;Ri0;
I think it's because you have a very friendly face. 🙂 But seurlisoy who else besides a crazy lady is going to ask a 7 year old how they get their hair so blonde? What a weirdo!
Me and a few friends are taking a Peter Pan bus from Boston to Six Flags in springfield next Monday (the 10th) for that exact reason. lol. My hubby is so jealous, but oh well.
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