After a few days (and three tries), we got all the old comments imported! Hurray!

Hey folks! This evening, we've updated the comment system on Namesake to use Disqus comments, which is in line now with other Hiveworks comics. This will do a lot to keep spam away from the comments.

The older comments are syncing with the new system, so if the comments look like they've disappeared, don't worry! They're all still there. Enjoy playing with the new toy!

I apologize! I delivered an update on the Kickstarter page last week and forgot to copy it over here.

I finally found a tracking number from the printing company, and the advanced copies of the books will arrive Monday. The last I heard from the printer itself was on July 18. They had forgotten the endpapers on the hardcovers, so they had to go back and insert them, even though they had the instructions for them all along. This added to the delay, as I had to approve the plates. The endpapers are important, because all the information originally on the back of the softcovers had to be moved inside for the hardcovers. They also accidentally snipped off a bit of the copyright of book 1 on the hardcover edition, but that one we're going to live with.

It's disappointing that after two books, we're going to be going with a different printer for book 3. There's a Chicago-based printer (Print Ninja) that several other Kickstarters have used. Hiveworks is testing the printer with Sister Claire. If everything goes smoothly, we'll shift the Namesake printing to them for book 3. I apologize that I don't have anything more, but I wanted to make sure you guys are in the loop.

The books are on track to be delivered in mid-to-late September. All I need to do is sign off on the advanced copies once they reach my greedy little hands on Monday!

We are still accepting pre-orders and still have some of the hardcover allotment left! You can pre-order on the Namesake store. Note that if you order a physical copy of the book, it does include the ebook, so you don't need to order that separately.

We're already planning ahead and discussing the cover and associated short story for book 3 when it comes out next year since chapter 15 is the final chapter of book 3. Book 3 is the first of the books that was laid out from start-to-finish in InDesign, which cuts down on production time significantly. I've also explored the book-specific features of InDesign more, which is helping as well.

Since I read a LOT of comics in all forms, I figured it would be interesting to start writing a couple of recommendation posts for you guys. Sharing the love for comics and all that. Here are a few webcomics i've been checking out lately. I haven't read all the archives for all of them, but I like what I see so far, so i'm recommending these bad boys.

TROLL TOOTH

Troll Tooth is a fantasy/fairytale story based very, very loosely off the story East of the Sun and West of the Moon. The comic follows the young princess Sfen as she journeys to save her abducted brother from an arranged marriage with a troll. Now, it's pretty obvious a fairy tale based plot is kinda my thing. But East of the sun is one of my favorites, and I love seeing awesome retellings of it. And this is an awesome retelling of it.

Link / Tumblr

JUPITER PALLADIUM

For many years, Port Jupiter, Florida has housed one of America’s largest and most concentrated superhuman populations, with a long history of civil warfare and gang violence. But when the city is faced with a sudden increase in missing persons, someone finally takes matters into their own hands. And that someone is obviously a rag-tag band of misfits with superpowers. I always love stories that try to spin their own tale based on existing superhero stereotypes and tropes. This comic truly has fun with tropes, and is an intriguing coming of age story. Definitely a read for all you masked hero fans.

Link / Tumblr

The Weave

A story about mystery and magic in 1920’s New York, about a girl who’s luck suddenly takes a strange turn after she starts a new job working as a secretary for a house-bound businessman on a small secluded island in the Hudson Bay. I love the use of the 1920's, and I love that the creator is most likely going to play a lot with good old fairy lore. So yay! Also, loving the art.

Link / Tumblr

Heart of Roeses

An interesting take on Wonderland, where the people of the Hearts province no longer bear their own hearts. Instead, mechanisms resembling wind-up clocks have been inserted into their chests by their feared Queen, who holds the only key to wind their lives longer. Yeah. Missing hearts, fairy tale worlds, I know, I know. It's obvious where my loyalty lies. But it is a really good use of Wonderland. It's a place that is half-distressing, half-enchanting, as it should be. I recommend it to fans all over.

Link / Tumblr

Interesting find while cleaning out a box of papers: The original draft of the prologue and first chapter of Namesake. This is from late 2009. It’s handwritten because I wrote it during a couple of shifts at Bank of America, where all computer activity was logged so I didn’t want them to see what I was doing between phone calls, but now I do a good bit of the initial draft of Namesake material by hand.

I posted up the typed version of the prologue last year, but I’d forgotten about the first draft of chapter 1. The prologue was one of those rare instances where it was nailed on the first try, but Isa and I went through four or five radically different revisions of chapter 1 before we settled on the plot there, and then there was another revision (adding in Jack) while writing it.

Hey folks! So, our store had been in limbo for awhile as we were trying to make the transition to the Hiveworks' store. That store is still in development, so for the forseeable future, our old store is alive and well! You can reach it here, and we have copies of Namesake vol. 1 in stock. I'm going to be updating with our new prints over the next few days as well. I'm sorry it's taken us so long to get back to you on that!

(Yaaay, puns!)

To all you artists out there : an anthology of Oz short stories is looking for some artists. Me and Megan are doing a story for it (a story about Jinjur, my all-time favorite Oz character), and you guys should too! Take it from me - it's pretty darn fun to draw Oz stories. Here's the link, check it out : http://newhaven.craigslist.org/med/3755616674.html

So, I saw the coolest thing on Tumblr last week -- Namesake fanfic. We've seen a lot of really awesome Namesake fanwork in the past year or so, ranging from beautiful pictures to exquisite clay figurines. We showcased some of them on the site during the Christmas holiday, and I got a surprise picture from one of our readers in the mail -- all the way from France!

Since our readership is growing, I wanted to go ahead and lay out our feelings on fanfic, fanart, and the like: Go on! Do it! Have fun. Isa and I met through the Slayers fandom, and we both still produce fanworks. Isa still makes great fanart, and you don't want to know the amount of Doctor/River Song fanfic I've written in nearly two years (let's just say more than 50). We do have a fanworks policy on site, which lays out the specific Creative Commons conditions. To quote from it, while Namesake is sketched out in its entirety, we wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes pretty close to where we’re headed, hence why I make it a policy not to read Namesake fanfic, even though I will reblog it when I see it. We don’t want you to feel like your work has been ripped off without credit.

So, have fun with fanart and fanfic! I think the best complement I've ever received is knowing that we've inspired someone else to create their own art.

Hey guys, just so you know, the site is going to be a bit wacky today, it's being redesigned.

So, in an effort to try to be better about our social media presence, I've made it a goal to beef up our Facebook page. I'm going to be posting some things over there that tend to get lost on the site here, such as the Calliope reference photos and more. Like social media? Here's a rundown of where you can find Namesake, Isa, or myself.

In Isa's post, she mentioned the neglected wallpapers. The old wallpapers are on my other computer, so as soon as I get them off there, I will make them available onsite for everyone. I can't wait to see the new ones!

• Facebook: Namesake page


• Twitter: Isa (@secondlina) and Meg (@MegsLeigh)


• Tumblr: Isa (secondlina) and Meg (savvyliterate)


• DeviantArt: Isa (secondlina) and Meg (DQBunny)


• LiveJournal: Isa (secondlina) and Meg (DQBunny)

So, the wallpaper download page has been neglected for a while. How about I draw some! Feel free to suggest some wallpaper ideas in the comments to this blog post. Which characters would you like? In costumes? Dynamic action? Being adorable? Drinking tea?

Also, I wanted to show you guys the covers I designed for the Namesake hardcovers. You can see book 1 HERE and book 2 HERE.

Book 2 took a couple of trials before I got ti right. Here's the rejected second version. Figured you Emma/Warrick fans might like that :

This comic by Lit Brick has awakened in me once again very strong opinions I have about the world of Oz. figured I could share them... perhaps start a fun discussion.

Ozma, from the “Oz” series, is what could be considered one of the classic “trans” characters. She spends a good deal of her childhood as a boy, transformed by a witch, and is turned back into a girl so she can rule Oz in her “true body”. But Ozma always kept certain elements from her previous form, including what seemed to be strong affection for her lady companions.

I strongly feel that Ozma, along with most of Oz, breaks the rules of heteronormativity. Because it’s a kid’s book, sexuality is never really explored, but gender roles are broken up. And some relationships can be seen as rather romantic bromances/companions. I think it’s natural to see most of Oz as "bisexual" or "asexual" in the sense that they don’t feel the need to stay in the normal heterosexual relationship unless they want to. Being an immortal means that you don’t have to spend your life doing what society tells you you have to do. You don't need to rush through life. You and your kids live forever! Eternity is too long to be unhappy. You spend it with whomever you want to, regardless of their physical characteristics. Everybody has preferences, but a lot of them seem to be based on personality and interests.

A true utopia has no gender or sexual roles. You stay with whomever makes you happy, kiss whomever you want, and kick Nome king ass.

That is truly the type of Oz that is found in Namesake. Which is why there's people in there like Renge and Anlise, and the Tin Man and Aimee. They want to be with each other  even if it would be seen as "strange" in certain parts of a world like ours. When love happens in Oz, it's an intriguing concept. Jinjur is a fun example too... Really to kick collective butts to get her husband back... She's a firecracker, that one.

Younger folks (like Selva and Warrick) would have a different attitude then the older folks, like the Scarecrow. While they are young, they might want things that the older immortals don’t want anymore (like having children). So the younger Ozites have a different motivation when they choose their companions then the older Ozites. Basically, it’s kindoff the difference between what a teenager wants, and a 40 year old wants from a relationship. So you might find more young Ozites in more classical gender roles then the older Ozites.

But I guess generally - my point is folks in Oz prioritize happiness.

(Edited for clarity).

As I'm doing the re-lettering/edit on book 2, I am trying to see if we can fix the issue with some pages of chapter 8 that folks keep having. I'm trying to do it without having to rebuild those pages entirely, which means we'd lose all the comments on the affected pages.

For those of you who have had an issue with some of the chapter 8 pages in the past, could you please check the following link to see if you're still having problems with the image on that page?

• The last orb (chapter 8, page 18)

Thank you for the help! If this worked, then we know replacing the image will fix it. If not, then we'll rebuild those pages.

Hey folks! Quick note about Namesake vol. 1. We are taking it out of the store until the end of the Kickstarter to ensure there are enough copies for our Kickstarter backers. We'll be relisting it in both places -- Hivemill and Storenvy -- once the Kickstarter is finished and we do a final inventory count on them. The orders placed in the last couple of weeks will be shipped within the next two days. Thanks!

Hey folks! As we're doing our art/editing passes for book 2, we're re-uploading some of the pages to match the book versions. Right now, we're working on chapter 6, and I still need to finish uploading chapters 4 and 5 from book 1. This doesn't contain any plot changes, just cleaning up art and giving the prose a good edit, as well as upsizing pages to our current style. If there's any questions or concerns, feel free to leave a comment!