New Email Service, Who Dis?
My first actual Substack Post!
Hi there! Don’t freak out - it’s just me, Matt Schofield, the creator of your favorite comedy superhero comic, Steamroller Man!
This is my first official Substack post (well, the first of substance, anyway)!
I’m trying Substack out as an alternative email service, to see how you and I both like it for sending and receiving updates on all things Steamroller Man.
As is usual for me, I’m not really sure exactly how to use Substack yet. I’m just diving in to try and figure it out on the fly, so please think of this as an awkward growth-spurt phase of a teenager trying to get used to his newly-enlarged limbs.
So… what is Substack, exactly, and why have I decided to try it out?
As I’ve experienced it so far, Substack is an email newsletter subscription service with both free and paid subscription options, but it also has a range of other cool features that seem to promote and foster growth of a subscriber base. I’ve been a subscriber to a number of creators’ Substacks for a while now. As an independent creator myself, I’m always trying to get more eyes on my work, and spread the word about Steamroller Man, so I thought it was time to give it a try, as a Substack creator!
If you’re already on my mailing list, you’ll be receiving the usual bi-weekly updates from this Substack address, at least for the next two or three times, while I test out the service. There’s actually a Comment function and a Like function here, so if you have opinions on the change, I would LOVE to hear from you!
You can leave a comment by clicking the little word balloon button at the top or bottom of this update!
I haven’t quite worked out what I want to do for paid subscriptions yet, but the bi-weekly updates will remain the same, and will always be free.
So, let’s get to the actual “Update” part of this update…
I have decided to try a new time-management method this year, as I work on comic pages, artwork for convention paraphernalia, the storyboard for the new Kickstarter video, and whatever other Steamroller Man-related things make their way onto my To-Do List. Rather than working on one thing until it’s done, and then moving onto the next thing, I’m working on a different task each morning, so that I can make incremental but steady progress on all things at once.
It seemed to be going great, but then Nature threw a spanner in the works!
As you have probably seen or heard on the news, Los Angeles is in the grip of devastating wildfires at the moment. The scale of this disaster seems unprecedented, to me, as a resident of the US for the last 28 years. Last Tuesday my family and I woke up to an evacuation warning on our phones, so we frantically packed up as much as we could into our cars and spent the next few nights with family who lived outside the danger zone.
Thankfully the winds that were feeding and spreading the fires died down, and the fire crews were able to make some headway against the blaze near our home. We were fortunate to be able to return home. I personally know three people who have lost their homes, which in a city of almost 4 million people, gives you some idea of the scale of the devastation.
So, with jangled nerves, I’m getting back to work, and the next page of Steamroller Man #3 has been presenting some compositional challenges. I’m trying a more unconventional layout with this one and it’s definitely outside my comfort zone. Nothing much to show you on that yet.
I’ve also completed a first pass on a storyboard for the new animated scenes for the next Kickstarter video, but again, nothing yet worth sharing just yet.
What I CAN share is that one of the variant cover artists for the issue #2 Kickstarter is none other than…
MIKE KUNKEL, creator of the beloved, Eisner award-winning, all-ages indie comic sensation Herobear and the Kid!
He has sent me a rough initial design sketch for his cover and it’s as awesome as I’d hoped it would be!
As with the previous campaign, this cover will be printed in very limited quantities, only during this campaign, making it a true collector’s item! Sign up at the Pre-Launch link below to make sure you don’t miss the chance to get a copy with Mike’s cover!
Well, that’s all for now! Please add the address you received this email from to your contacts list, so you don’t miss further updates! Now it’s time to see if I can work out how to send this thing properly!
Stay safe, hug your loved ones, and Keep Rolling!
Matt
Fantastic! I've loved Mike Kunkel's art for decades!
Welcome aboard!