This past October, Nick and I were at a transitional period in our creative careers. We had just completed Dead of Summer, and we were ready to embark on a brand new adventure with the launch of our second webcomic, Art Fight High School. In the background, we were just testing a new live event, something that was done as a lark with good friends of ours, called Super Art Fight.

We thought then that Super Art Fight was just something that would slowly build, while we embarked on writing our “next great tale.”  It seems history has had a much different outcome, as I now announce to you that Art Fight High School will be going on indefinite hiatus, effective immediately, while we focus on making Super Art Fight the best it can be.

I know, you’re probably pretty confused, and maybe a little worried about what this means, so allow me to elaborate on the what and the why on this decision.

• First, this does not mean that Nick and I are no longer working together as a cohesive unit.  Infact, it means, we’re probably working together more than ever, as we move our focus toward building Super Art Fight as a live event throughout the United States into 2010 and beyond.
• This is not the end of our output in the world of webcomics.  With Art Fight High School, you have a lengthy, difficult to balance extended tale that our current schedules (between real life and Super Art Fight) cannot properly do justice.  However, Nick and I have a project, launching very shortly, which will allow us to continue to get content out there.  If you’re familiar with our history, you may know what it’s going to be, but if not, don’t worry, we’ll be publicizing it on here ASAP.
• ArtFightHighSchool.com is not closing.  Much like Dead of Summer, we will keep the archive open indefinately, so that you can read it, and we intend to, one day, hopefully continue where we left off.
• We aren’t leaving the world of conventions. If anything, we’re doubling or trippling them.

This past summer of conventions was a tough one, but it allowed us to realize where our future lies, and we cannot wait to take everything to the next level.

Nick and I greatly appreciate the outpouring of support and respect we’ve received over the years here on the web, and we also cannot wait to grow Super Art Fight to where we can meet you all in person one day.

We appreciate your understanding in this transitional period in our careers, and look forward to seeing you at the many cons and shows where Super Art Fight makes it’s appearances, plus on our new site launching very soon.

Any thoughts, questions, or concerns, please leave them in the comments section.

-Marty Day

Writer, Art Fight High School, Dead of Summer

Stay tuned for an important announcement on Tuesday.

Sorry for the delayed upload, I goofed this morning!

Don’t worry folks, this grim arc is leading somewhere…

It’s Always Darkest Before The Dawn…

Holy hannah, didn’t we just do this?!

Another weekend, another con, as we bring the Summer 2009 Art Fight High School Tour wayyyy up north to beautiful Hartford, Connecticut for Connecticon 2009.

This is our 3rd year as guests to the great CTCon, and our first under the Super Art Fight/Art Fight High School banner.  And my god, what a lineup of webcomickers! Check it out!

Where can you find us? We’ll be in the Artist’s Colony, with the same great new merch we featured at Otakon, and we’ll be doing not one, but TWO Super Art Fight events over the weekend. Details on those are over at SuperArtFight.com.

In the meantime, if you’re in the New England area, come to the place where it’s worth partying this weekend, and join us and a few thousand nerds for Connecticon! High fives are free!

A defining moment in our heroes’ pasts.

Gotta hate when a solid Caruso moment gets ruined.

And given the size of our past show, Otakon, it should come as no surprise that we spent most of Sunday and Monday recovering.  Add the fact that we threw Super Art Fight 4 in front of it, and you’d think we were freaking crazy.

Luckily, so are a lot of you.

First, Super Art Fight 4 was, I think it’s safe to say, a resounding success.  Both we the performers and you the audience seemed to have the time of our lives, and we can’t wait to do it again for Super Art Fight 5.

As for Otakon…well, Day One was full of snags, issues with registration, and generally poor table layout hurt the beginning of what it usually the biggest and the best show for us, but that’s been covered elsewhere by people far more articulate than I.

What’s important?  The people who in times of need, show you that all you need are good friends. I’m happy to say that we have some of the greatest friends in webcomics, and in the interest of kindness, I’ll link a slue of them. Check them all out, seriously.

• First, our brother from another mother, Ross Nover of The System.
• Who can forget his great table buddies, our best buds in Connecticut, Kevin & Blondie of Caf Fiends?
• Darren Gendron -  A Man with many a plan, and someone who I was proud to share a panel with. See his stuff at Dernwerks.
• Jim, Nelly, Jackson and the whole crew at Morlock Enterprises. Yes, I know, not a webcomic, but great folks as is.
• Brian was holding it down from Amu’s World, and while she didn’t have a table, it was good to see Jamie of Sudden Valley.
• Like surfing comics? Great! Go see Chris “Kilika” Malone over at Blue & Blond for the best.
• While it always seems like I get pulled away during conversation, it was a pleasure to see Steve Naperski of Dueling Analogs.
• Like he needs another link, but Ananth of Applegeeks and Johnny Wander is a cool ass dude, and it was a pleasure to geek out about print quality with him.
• While they’re wrapping up Fragile Gravity, it was great to see Chris & Barb, who might have something new under wraps…
• Crazy man Brian Wilson and relatively sane man Garth Graham are always great to see, and this past weekend was no exception.
• Shout out to some new friends: Kelsey Wailes, who was tabling for the first time, and apparently did VERY well, and our new friends at Outlawed, who kinda got screwed by the man, but did the best they could for the weekend. Onward and upward, gang!

I’m sure there are others who I am forgetting, but seriously folks, this is an amazing community to be a part of, and I thank the fates every day that Nick and I get to be a part of it.

Up next - CONNECTICON, where we do it all again, even farther away from home! SEE YOU THERE!

Thanks again to everyone who came out and said hi to us at Otakon this past weekend!

For you that are new to the comic, I highly advise you start at the first page and get goin’ from there!

It all starts tomorrow night with Super Art Fight 4, live at the Ottobar in Downtown Baltimore.

Doors open at 8pm, show kicks off at 9pm, with me (Marty, your dear writer) serving as emcee along with Ross Nover, and Nick (your trusty artist) appearing in the main event of the card.  Click here for full details.

Then, on Friday, the 3-day extravaganza known as Otakon 2009 kicks off.  We’ll be in Artist Alley all weekend at table V04.

See these comics above? That’s AFHS issues #1 and 2!  Issue #1 will be available for $3, and the DOUBLE-SIZED issue #2 will be just $5.

See those sweet prints?  All 3 of them will be available at our table, for just $5 each.

In addition, thanks to our new working relationship with Artscream, we will have Alfredo t-shirts (just $20) and for you Dead of Summer die-hards, ZOMBelieve Mugs for just $10! Unfortunately, we’re getting them in hand VERY last minute tomorrow, so I do not have any pics of them. Yet.

However, for those of you who want up to the minute updates on our Otakon experience, follow us on Twitter!  Here’s my Twitter, and here’s Nick’s.

Want to hear our take on the comics world?  This weekend you’re in luck: on Saturday morning, from 11:30am-12:30pm in Panel Room #2, we, along with moderator Darren Gendron, will be discussing the art of Colaboration In Comics.

All and all, it’s going to be one heck of a weekend, and I’ll do my best to give you a full update come Monday morning.

Unfortunately, due to all of this prep, we’re missing tomorrow’s comic, but we’ll be back atcha on Tuesday with some brand new Art Fight High School action!