I made a guest comic for Mike Maihack’s webcomic Cleopatra in Space! It is a super fun comic and you all should go read it (Cleopatra in Space, I mean – not necessarily my specific guest comic).

Mike is a super nice guy and Cleo is a top-notch comic. You all should go buy all his books right now.

Thanks Mike!

Download the FREE My Sister the Freak iBooks Preview Book! (approx. 50 MB)

I’m excited about the potential of iBooks Author for future MSTF books and other projects. Let me know what you think!

If you are interested in my thoughts and advice about iBooks Author, I have a full post on my main site here.

I am launching the comic again on February 3. I will be sharing the spinoff story "The Adventures of Captain Bacon" to fill in the time between now and Volume 2. (Read about my new schedule and plans here.)

During this time, I also want to do other fun contests and activities. First up: FAN ART CONTEST.

Winners will receive signed books, original artwork, and iTunes gift cards. Deadline is February 29.

Here's the rules and info:

1. Create any art featuring My Sister the Freak characters. It can be any medium. However, it must be all original, nothing derivative of the comic or other artist's work (for example, no photo collages, coloring pages, tracings, etc.).

2. Email entries in jpeg format to dani@danijones.com with the subject MSTF FAN ART CONTEST. Resize your images to no larger than 900×900 pixels.

3. Please include your name (or nickname, however you want to be credited), email address (to contact you if you win, will not be made public), website (if applicable), and age (if under 18).

4. Entries will be placed in two age categories – under 18, and 18 and above. If entrant is under 13, entry must be submitted by a parent or guardian.

5. Two winners will be chosen from each age group.

6. Deadline: Contest ends February 29. All entries must be received before midnight the morning of March 1, 2012.

7. PRIZES: First place in each age group will receive a signed copy of the Volume 1 paperback, an original watercolor sketch of a MSTF character, and a $20 iTunes gift card. Second place in each age group will receive signed copies of the Volume 1 paperback. All winning entries will also be featured prominently on the website with credits and links. Non-winning entries may also be featured on the website with credits and links.

My Sister the Freak will be back to regular updates on FEBRUARY 3, 2012. And with this return, I am implementing a few changes.

New Schedule, Two Times the Fun!

The comic will now update twice per week on TUESDAYS and FRIDAYS. Mark your calendars and subscribe to stay up to date.

Introducing "The Adventures of Captain Bacon"

On February 3, I will not start Volume 2. Instead, I'm going to launch a spinoff comic called "The Adventures of Captain Bacon" featuring crazy imaginary adventures of Mary and Captain Bacon. I am very excited about this idea and hope you'll enjoy it.

The spinoff comic will be a lot quicker, snappier, and black and white, which means it will be a whole lot easier for me to write and draw. This will be a fun way to fill in the time between volumes and chapters of the main comic.

So Where is Volume 2?

I have the story outlined and am fleshing out the full script. I was going to put a rush on it and get it done for February, but as I was working on it I really felt that I should give this every ounce of effort that I can and write the best story possible. So, I'm going to slow down, finish the script, then begin working on a buffer of pages.

As of now, I expect Volume 2 to go up around May. The time in between will allow me to draw and color the whole first chapter, and with that buffer in place, the comic can update uninterrupted on the new twice-a-week schedule for the duration of Volume 2.

Fan Art Contest

While I am working on the comic and posting the spinoff, I am going to take the opportunity to do other fun activities too. First up, I want to hold a fan art contest. I want to see what talented readers I have out there! There will be both adult and kid divisions, and winners will receive signed books, original art, and gift cards. All entries will also be posted to the website with credits and links. Look out for the full details in my next post, and start sketching up those ideas!

See you February 3!

Merry Christmas (or whatever holiday or season you are celebrating this time of year) to all you awesome MSTF fans out there!

I have the next MSTF story well underway and I hope to share it with you in the new year. Until then, I hope you and your family enjoy the rest of 2011. Thank you for all the support you have given me and my comic during this past year.

Cheers!
Dani

The comic will return once I have Volume 2 written and ready to go. I apologize for the wait – I know it’s been several months since any actual story updates. It is taking me longer than I expected to get Volume 2 going, as the last quarter of the year got bogged down with an especially heavy load of freelance work (not to mention exciting book deals!). I anticipate that the comic will be back to its regular weekly updates early next year.

Have a happy holiday and Merry Christmas!

This one is from Mike Martin. I like that the janitor is getting some love (and taking a stand against those alien baddies)! Mike has a webcomic Far From Home at mightymartinstudios.com.

And another one from Andre Costa shows Mary battling an alien. I love that the alien is holding a sword and shield. See Andre’s deviantART page here.

I have been making a bunch of these 5″x7″ watercolor sketches of MSTF characters for those who preordered the Volume 1 book. It’s been fun making them!

All of you who didn’t catch the preorder can now also have a full color original watercolor sketch. I’m making them available for purchase here.

They are 5″x7″, rendered with ink and watercolor on bristol paper. It features a headshot of one MSTF character of your choice.

ORDER HERE

The digital version of Volume 1 is now available for sale. It’s compatible with any PDF-capable software or electronic device.

The Volume 1 book includes the first four issues plus lots of bonus materials. It’s over 100 pages worth of stuff for a whole lot cheaper than the print version. Get it here.

I just posted a bunch of coloring pages and activities to the Downloads page. Feel free to print, play, and share.

If you’d like to send in any of your coloring/fan art/creative creations, email them to dani@danijones.com with your name (or nickname), age (if under 18), and website (if you have one) and I might feature it here on the site.

Enjoy!