Progress is seen from 50,00 feet:

• All pages are now with balloons
• All pages are now lettered
• All pages are now extra funny
• Two animations done
• Two animations close to being done
• I’m hiring someone full-time who’s time will be spent on this book.

The bear is suspicious.

A step back:

• I’ve decided to add 150 more pages, nearly doubling the size of the book to 300 pages.
• I’ve rewritten the intro over 40 times.
• Two new animations started.
• A nearly complete game was lost when my computer crashed.
• I can’t solve for x.

The benefits of any creative project is that you’re never sure where you’ll end up. Had the bear and I began with a map the journey wouldn’t have been as fun. So we float.

I want to bring my “A+” game to online Pixelton comic and I can’t while doing the book. I want to bring my “A+” game to the cartoon video series and I can’t either. So, for the moment, both are on hold. Bummer. But I will be back. And then the focus will be completely online.

We’ll smile. And then I’ll offer you a ride with the bear, in the bathtub, above a city that you helped make.

If you’d like to receive an email when the book is ready I also have an email list going. Please subscribe if you’re tired of sad RSS posts.

Thanks so much,
- Josh

Announcement #1: DAILY COMICS ARE DEAD. I tried. No deadline anymore. I can’t keep them here.

Announcement #2: I’m finishing this story and we’ll go back to BIG COLOR PICTURES. YEAH! (Josh Engle of Chicken Baby Ninjas fame wrote a great article that pushed me over the edge. Thanks Josh. He also gave Pixelton an 85% which is higher then I would!)

Announcement #3: Once I get iPhoto 09 (tomorrow!) I’ll start up the weekly cartoon podcast. It will melt your eyes with joy beams. Posted here so stay tuned.

Announcement #4: The second Pixelton animation wrapped up this week. I’m shocked at the high quality talent I’ve been able to work with, and it has inspired me beyond words.

I personally have two animations, one claymation movie, and one new game I have in the works. Stay tuned

Thank you for sticking around. I promise you’ll enjoy where we go over the next year. Do you want to see these projects now or later? Let me know in the comments and your vote will decide!

The sound of one hand clapping,
- Josh

A giant glass of hot cocoa wishing you the best holidays imaginable. No, no, no - BETTER then your imagination. May your holidays blow your friggin mind with chestnuts and presents. I hope you recover from such a bitchin’ celebration…just in time to see the first weekly cartoon podcast next week.

Any fun plans? Any cool toys? Please share away in the comments. I realized all of my presents were meant for 5-year-olds including Triops, Magic Fun Flyers, and a sled. Race you to Florida!

Your snowy interfriend,
- Josh

Friday morning I turned on my computer but it never woke up.

The hard drive died. If my back-up was corrupt I’d lose everything. All of these web comic files, my two business’ files, and worst of all my upcoming graphic novel files. After the 55 hour restore time I came back and found Time Machine had made my computer good as new. Amazing.

So the lesson here is back-up often, use different methods, and always plan for failure. Backup now - the comics will wait.

Pixelton Hero: Ryan of bluboycomics.blogspot.com! I’ve mentioned before that for the most part I hate comics. Reading them makes me angry for a great art form which is wasted. But even being the cold, heartless bastard I am, I love BluBoy. Ryan is one of the few people who give me hope. Go Ryan Go!

Plugs #1! The Guest Strip Project raises money for the Make-a-Wish foundation. You visit, kids get their dream realized. Mike Rouse-Dean the creator works tirelessly to help others using comics. He is another shining example of good in this industry. Go there and make the world a better place. (And hey, I did a strip too!)

Plugs #2! Kidjutsu is a comic site geared for younger readers. It focuses on interesting stories that are also mom and dad approved. Brian from Kidjutsu was kind enough to pass along an invite, so Welcome to Pixelton also lives here for your viewing pleasure. Thanks Brian and best of luck with this exciting site!

Plugs #3! I’m now up on IsItFunnyToday.com. This means you can vote to tell others how funny this (or other) comics are. Brilliant idea and perfectly executed. If online comics are your thing, you need to bookmark this site. Please help spread the 8-bit hero love!

Oiled in hope/anchored in doubt,
- Josh

Hey you guy/girl on the internet. Thanks for reading and not doing something important instead!

Pixelton Hero: Mamacita! Technically my mom’s full name is “Mommy-shegomy-bologny-ladyman-the-supreme-zombie-chicken”. I’m not even joking. I called her this name each day for about ten years. She passed the endurance test and lived to see the ripe age of [age redacted for fear of retaliation]. Happy birthday mom!

As a special treat I’ve included a picture of my mom from the 80’s. Since this is a humor comic after all I’ve included one subtle addition. Can you spot it?

You could be a hero: Comment or I’ll be forced to worship the blank space that surrounds us all.

Tumbleweeds of fury,
- Josh

New to town? Enjoy a few comics.
Want to become a citizen? Free corndogs inside.

Pixelton Hero: Kyt from Millvexations.com! She appeared through the mist of Mill Ave to praise Kirby and Fil and then quietly vanish into the darkness. Beware Pixeltiers - she may compliment again.

I have a new sea friend and his name is Turritopsis nutricula. Oddly, these little fellows are nearly immortal as they can revert back and forth from their early form into a mature state. Since immortality is high on my personal to-do list I believe I’ve found a fair solution for both parties:

My life will now be devoted to teaching all that I know to these jelly warriors. Once I pass on they will propagate and spread my teachings. Soon the oceans will be a teaming mass of conspiracy theories and ideas for augmented animals in cartoon form. As their immortal kind evolves, they will grow arms and legs of infinite understanding inspired by my angry knowledge. Eventually they will be eaten by bears. The time is nigh!

Eggshell white,
- Josh

New? Read some colorful comics!
Not a member of the Happy Action Squad? Join now or not!
Looking for motivation or creativity advice? From me to you!
Or in a dark mood? Boy have I got a daily comic for you!

Make a comment and win your name on the next comic! Why does everything have to be an exclamation! WHY!

HELP ME! STOP THE TRAIN I WANT TO GET OFF! STOP THE ——

Exclamatory-ing in your expository,
- Josh

While I haven’t talked about the choose your own adventure Pixelton book for a few weeks, I’m thankful to say I can see how it came together now. I spent three years trying to create the best CYOA possible and I now know what I have, and it surpasses my hopes. Perspective is a nice thing.

Gasping for air underneath a mountain of stuffing,
- Josh

P.S. I ate the cheebear with some gravy. Delish!

I’ve been thinking about wrestling bears lately. But my conclusion is: it wouldn’t be fair for me to wrestle a bear on its own. I think the bear would need to be armed.

So first, I’d need to fashion a system that would allow the bear to wield two sawed off-shotguns without needing to manually reload. Next I’d replace the bears natural bear legs with those of a better animal; possibly a cheetah. Finally, I’d augment the bears eyesight so he could see through time by-passing any possible mistakes. The new “time-shotgun-cheebear” would be a costly endeavor, but my plan is to make money on licensed merchandise. Who wouldn’t buy a “Cheebear” or a “mauled-by-cheebear” Halloween costume?

With these modifications I believe it would be a level playing field.

Also, have you heard that the economy is taking a dive or something vague along these lines? Any fun stories of soup lines or robbing the elderly yet? I’ve really been training hard to take on the cheebear. I see him in my dreams.

Hero of the comic: The idiots that would buy my cheebear collectables. I love thee.

Hugs and unstoppable vengeance,
- Josh

Thank you for your patience!

- Josh

Thanks for reading!

Though if you are not in fact reading this, then SCREW YOU. But to reiterate, if you are, I approve of your copious amounts of awesome. Unless you aren’t, I have my eyes on the people who aren’t.

Nerd rant: I’ve been thinking quite a bit about Dunbar’s Number lately and I’ve come to the conclusion that the only scalable resource of living organisms are their memory. The quicker people are able to parse this memory into experience-based action is known as intelligence. The more information we can hold is known as education. The ability to draw upon different threads and pull them together is known as perception. The ability to hit shuffle on your memory and collect the pieces is known as imagination. Even our social structures are infected with the limits of our memories limitations as seen in good ol’ Dunbar.

What if we took our ability to store and retrieve memory and scaled it 100 times? A being that could live its life without forgetting a moment, with infinite interest, and able to connect the bridges of information in a way we could only dream. For me, this is the closest I could imagine to a God.

By the way, does anyone know if there is a branch of science that compares the similarities of branches of science? I’ve been obsessed with a “Theory of Everything” since I was a kid and never saw anyone actively trying to look at the insane amount of common traits seen from atoms to galaxies. With all of the hyper specialization and competition between branches I can see why it may not exist…

Question: Would a geek or a nerd really label themselves as such? I know the definitions, but I happen to believe it is quite uncouth to anoint oneself to nerddom alone as it has intelligence implications.

Music: Like chiptunes? Check out 8 Bit Collective!

Hero of this comic: My toaster! Sorry I don’t make toast in you more often.

Also: In case I became too serious above - fart.

Holon hopper,
- Josh

Those that are successfully stalking me know that I have an unnatural love for Tim Schaffer. In honor of the ten year anniversary of Grim Fandango he is releasing the original design document! Stop by and enjoy this tome of beauty.

In other news, my soul ran away today. It eloped with a butterfly. I always knew I should hate nature but now I have a reason.

Pixelton Hero of this comic: SPIDERS!

Escaping on monarch wings,
- Josh