I’ve got your new pages here, pages 21 & 22!

There are only two more weeks in issue #6!  How exciting.  The first six issues make up the first Graphic Novel which will be in stores this July.  I’m actually working on a brand new cover for the Graphic Novel as we speak.  I think it’s going to be a lot of fun!  I’m planning on taking a week or two off from updating after Issue #6 ends.  I’m not sure how long it will take me to put together everything for the graphic novel, but I want it to look great, so I’m planning to leave my schedule open until everything is finished.  You all are always so supportive that I figured that you’d be okay with no updates for a week or two in between issues.  And as always, I’ll try to post some new stuff during that time.  (Such as… the new cover when it’s finished!)

Anyway, weren’t this week’s pages fun?  I loved writing them and drawing them.  So… who do you agree with?  Bea or Yvette?  Is Bea kidding herself or is Yvette too skeptical?  Let the debate begin!  :)

And I did something a little different this week for the voting incentive.  This Sunday is Mike and I’s SIXTH anniversary!  So you can VOTE this week to see a picture from our wedding.  Yes, Mike wore a kilt.  That is the official Innes tartan he’s wearing, no less.  :)  

See you next Friday!!

Bea finally tells Yvette what’s been going on but I’m not sure who is having the harder time believing it, Yvette or herself.  New Pages 19 & 20!

Bea’s tee shirt was designed by Dreamer Cover Artist, Chris Oatley.  If you’re a newer reader, and don’t recognize the name, Chris painted the issue #4 cover, and he also hosted the live podcast we did last year.

Anyway, because Oats loves the Wizard of Oz I asked him to design a flying monkey tee shirt for Bea to wear in this issue.  He did not disappoint!  And, if you like it, you can order one for yourself from Chris’s Zazzle store:

(The shirts that you see on the models match Bea’s shirt, but you can customize the shirt type to fit your taste!)

Anyways, since we haven’t gotten official Dreamer Tees on the site yet  (I swear, it’s coming!) you can at least dress like Bea for now.  :)

In other news, I keep forgetting to mention that I’ll be at SPACE (Small Press Alternative Comics Expo) on April 18 & 19th, right here in Columbus, Ohio!  Stop by to buy a comic, a print, a sketchbook or just to say hello.  If you’ve ever wanted to meet me, this is the show.  I think it only costs like 5$ to get in…

And don’t forget to VOTE this week to see some costume designs I’ve been working on for Issue #7.  So cute!

Sure, everyone knows today is St. Patrick’s Day, but did you know that it’s also Evacuation Day in Boston?  

In 1775, after the famous battles of Lexington & Concord, the Americans surrounded Boston and laid siege on it, trapping the British army inside.  With the exception of the Battle of Bunker Hill in June, and minor skirmishes all around the city that amounted to not much more than the two armies annoying each other, things were relatively quiet for nearly a year.  But in March of ‘76, General Henry Knox returned victorious from Fort Ticonderoga, where he had captured 55 cannons and drug them through ice and snow back to Boston from New York in the dead of winter.  When Washington learned of this, he and his army–in one night–fortified a hill outside of Boston (Dorchester Heights) with their new cannons and prepared for battle.  But when the sun rose and the British saw the Americans’ advantageous position, they finally surrendered.  (The thing was that both the Brits & the Americans knew that whoever held Dorchester Heights could hold the city.  But neither side made a play for it until then.  Washington had lacked the cannons… Howe had lacked…?  Yeah, I don’t know why he never did.)

General William Howe took all 10,000 of his troops and agreed to leave the city peaceably, without burning it.  The British boats sailed out to the harbor, yet bad winds kept them there for several days while everyone watched anxiously.  But on March 17th, 1776, they set sail for Nova Scotia, leaving Boston for good to General George Washington and his troops.  

Hip, Hip, Huzzah!   Hip, Hip, Huzzah!   Hip, Hip, Huzzah!

With the British army gone, George Washington removed his own army from Boston and marched south to New York City, where he was sure that Howe would eventually go.  (Which he did.)  The fight didn’t start, however, until the end of August, over on Long Island, not Manhattan.  But, if you’re a Dreamer fan, you know all about that by now.   :)

So… we’re finally here.  Pages 17 & 18 bring us (and Bea) back to the 21st Century.  It seems like her friends have been wondering where she’s been…

So back when I was writing the scripts for Issues 3, 4 and 5, I realized that Bea would be in the past, in webcomic time, for a year.  Yup.  The last time you guys saw Bea in the 21st Century was April of last year.  Thanks for bearing with us!  I remember wrestling with the decision, because even though I had hopes for print, I firmly believe that this should read well as a webcomic if I’m going to market it to you as a webcomic.  So since I was asking you all to read it two pages at a time I knew it had to read well two pages at a time and keep your interest two pages at a time.  Mike worked through it with me and we finally decided the story was worth it to prolong the Battle of Long Island into what eventually became two and a half issues.  He reminded me that every time Bea wakes up you all want her to fall asleep again, so he didn’t think anyone would mind if our 18th Century boys stuck around for a little while longer.  

That being said, Bea’s little adventure is over for now, and I hope you enjoy the shift back to our other set of characters who have been sorely neglected as of late.

In other news…

So many of you enjoyed the update last week that I decided to make a wallpaper out of the image of Bea & Alan on either side of the door.  

So… if you donate now, you’ll get a link to where you can download the wallpaper, in three different sizes.  If you haven’t done it before, here’s how it works:  Click on the “Donate” button on the sidebar.  After you’ve fully finished the transaction with Paypal, it will give you an option to “Return to Donations Manager.”  Click on that link, and it will take you to a thank you page that features the links to the wallpapers.

Thanks everyone!  If you VOTE this week, you’ll get a sneak peek of what Bea wanted to tell Yvette…!