Strangebeard Vol. 1 on Kickstarter!

I've finished the first volume of Strangebeard! It's called The Ghost Pirate's Gift, and it'll be 114 pages of piratical awesomeness. I've launched a Kickstarter to cover the costs of printing the book, and I'm proud to report that the funding has already reached its minimum!

 The next challenge is secure stretch goals; we've already passed the $5000 mark which means everyone at the $25+ level gets a bookmark and a die-cut sticker... but at $6000, we can upgrade the book to nicer paper and better stock for the cover!

I've also got some pinup artists supplying me with amazing artwork for the book: so far, I've got Riley Rossmo, Mike Rooth, Tom Fowler, Fiona Staples, and Nick Bradshaw announced. I'll announce two more tomorrow (Friday) and a final artist on the weekend. Keep your peepers trained on my Twitter feed for more news.

Thanks so much to those of you who've pledged, and for those of you who are planning to. It's been a wild ride so far but I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Strangebeard

Today's the big day! I've launched Strangebeard, my sophomore webcomic, on its maiden voyage.

Strangebeard tells the story of Jenny Brigham, a servant girl living on bustling Crook Island. Although she loves her mother and works very hard at the Shivering Timbers Inn, Jenny has always dreamed of a life as a briny outlaw on the high seas. On her twelfth birthday, she'll get her wish.

Strangebeard is a project near and dear to my heart. I love all things pirate and Strangebeard has been the most professionally rewarding work of my career. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy working on it.

Popsicle Pirate

Sometime last year, my wife bought a little wooden pirate's face from Omer de Serres (the Quebec art supply store). The moment I laid eyes on his boring little face, I knew I'd have to take a whack at it.

So, he's done! I had my acrylic paint and hot glue out last weekend for another job. I thought he came out rather well, so here's the scoop: his face is my gift to you. Just print him off and slap him on your own face and you're a popsicle pirate too!

"What pirates? Nobody here but us Girl Guides!"

Warm-up sketches

For the last two weeks or so, I've been taking suggestions for warm-up sketches on Twitter. It's been fun, and I've gotten some really great suggestions. Here's a bunch of them.

Dave Matthews as Batman (this is what got me started)

 Ace Hart (from Dog City)

 Zombies crawling out of sunken voodoo cemetery with a ghost pirate ship in the background (my nephew is the best)

 Hulk vs. Ikea

 Black Canary (some artistic license taken here)

 Mary Poppins of the Borg

 A Frankenstein's monster made out of other monsters

If you have an idea, tweet at my (@kellytindall) with the hashtag #warmupsketch and I'll select my favorite.

Blackbeard's Treasure Map

I have a nephew. His name is Dane, and he is awesome. He and I both share a love of pirates, those scurvy crooks who lie and cheat their way across the Caribbean, and the last time I visited Saskatchewan I made Dane a little pirate map. I scribbled the map in ballpoint pen on a ragged piece of bond paper, and we scoured the house looking for treasure. Since Dane's mom Terri is also awesome, she drew an 'X' on the shower door and put some candy in a little cup for us to find... Dane's Lost Treasure!

It was Dane's birthday a few weeks ago, so I put a package in the mail with some things for him; some Marvel Megabloks, some Lego, a couple of Transformers and Batman toys... and an honest, for-real Blackbeard's Treasure Map.

This morning, Terri sent me a video of Dane's eyes lighting up as he opened the map for the first time, and it made my day. This is what Dane had to say: "A long time ago, there was a pirate ship and it sunk and they swam back to the pirate ship and found the treasure under the sea where no one would have been and they fighted and they fighted and they fighted and went back to their ship for grog."

Isn't he the best?

Your uncle loves you, Dane, and he's very proud of you. Go have some adventures.