Th3rd World Stuff!

I was lucky enough to get an early preview of this comic and I felt I really needed to share it.

Thanatos Diver is a brand new series from Th3rd World Studios (the people behind The Stuff of Legend, Finding Gossamyr)

Written by Nick Tapalansky and illustrated by Alex Eckman-Lawn 

It revolves around a female protagonist, Samantha a life-long island dweller and deep sea diver. After a contest with a fellow diver she finds an entrance to another world in the sunken city’s forbidden zone that takes her on an adventure to uncharted lands, mysterious creatures, and the mythical Thanatos Diver who, depending on the teller, is rumored to either save both worlds or destroy them.

It’s sort of like The Legend of Zelda (I got serious Wind Waker vibes while reading this) and Bone got together to hang out, and Studio Ghibli filmed the whole thing from a majestic secret forest where Dragon Ball tends to spend most of its time. It owes a ton to the video games, comics, and anime we grew up with, especially classic JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Final Fantasy VII.

The first issue will be out in November. To pre-order download a pre-order form and bring it in to your local comic shop. Or visit online shops like TFAW.com. The pre-order cutoff date is September 18th, so get to it.

You can go behind the scenes at thanatosdiver and check out the interview with the creators on newsarama.com.

Speaking of the creators, you can connect with writer nicktapalansky, illustrator dudenukem or the publisher th3rdworldstudios on Tumblr.

I’ve done a variant cover for nicktapalansky's Thanatos Diver! Be sure to check it out when it’s available :)

Thanatos Diver alt cover Ink and watercolor

I just got the clear to share the alt. cover I did for a new all ages book that Nick Tapalansky and Alex Eckman-Lawn are putting out.

You can read more about the project HERE

thelarsenproject captured such a sweet, quiet moment here on her cover - there aren’t a lot of those in the first issue, which is all GO GO GO, but she makes me wish there were more. And did you catch that secret skull in the clouds? So cool.

You know Christine’s work because it’s been in all sorts of places: IDW covers and anthologies, Dark Horse Presents, Kung-Fu Panda from Ape/Dreamworks. I’m sure I’m forgetting some, but go check out her blog for yourself. You’ll thank me later.

I was lucky enough to get an early preview of this comic and I felt I really needed to share it.

Thanatos Diver is a brand new series from Th3rd World Studios (the people behind The Stuff of Legend, Finding Gossamyr)

Written by Nick Tapalansky and illustrated by Alex Eckman-Lawn 

It revolves around a female protagonist, Samantha a life-long island dweller and deep sea diver. After a contest with a fellow diver she finds an entrance to another world in the sunken city’s forbidden zone that takes her on an adventure to uncharted lands, mysterious creatures, and the mythical Thanatos Diver who, depending on the teller, is rumored to either save both worlds or destroy them.

It’s sort of like The Legend of Zelda (I got serious Wind Waker vibes while reading this) and Bone got together to hang out, and Studio Ghibli filmed the whole thing from a majestic secret forest where Dragon Ball tends to spend most of its time. It owes a ton to the video games, comics, and anime we grew up with, especially classic JRPGs like Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, and Final Fantasy VII.

The first issue will be out in November. To pre-order download a pre-order form and bring it in to your local comic shop. Or visit online shops like TFAW.com. The pre-order cutoff date is September 18th, so get to it.

You can go behind the scenes at thanatosdiver and check out the interview with the creators on newsarama.com.

Speaking of the creators, you can connect with writer nicktapalansky, illustrator dudenukem or the publisher th3rdworldstudios on Tumblr.

PINCHUK PLUG POST :: The PPP goes a step farther today as I conduct a full-blown interview with the gruesome twosome, dudenukem and nicktapalansky, about their new, manga-esque th3rdworldstudios comic, THANATOS DIVER.

I’ve been following the development of this book since the first sketches, and the final product reads like a perfect distillation of LEGEND OF ZELDA and GARGANTIA ON THE VERDUROUS PLANET, by way of Studio Ghibli. An exciting read for anybody who’s wanted to see Japanese-style fantasia coming out from this side of the Pacific.

The Glorious Gutter Life

005 - Preorders, and the Life and Death of Your Favorite Comic

Last week on The Glorious Gutter Life: 004 - From Pitch to Page

You have a finished book.

Let that sink in for a second.

You finished a book. And whether it’s an issue or a whole OGN, it’s a finished thing for you to be proud of. Take a moment and relish in it.

Because now we’re up to the hard part:

(Yes, another THE hard part, because each one is the hardest bit while you’re in it.)

Getting people to order your book. 

I don’t think we as creators can ever stress strongly enough just how important a reader preordering a title is to the survival of that book. 

The survival of your book.

And, as of this week, my book, too.

The Glorious Gutter Life - 001

You’ve Never Heard of Me

Hello, Comic Readers. My name’s Nick Tapalansky (nicktapalansky here on the Tumblr). I’ve been writing comics professionally for about seven years now. I’m here to talk about the ancient and arcane art of making “indie comics,” which I think just means “anything that you make up that isn’t owned by somebody else” these days. 

You’ve never heard of me. That’s okay. In fact, that’s the point of our first installment. And just why is that, precisely?

Because nobody’s heard of you, either. And that isn’t going to stop you from making your own awesome comics. Read More →

Some of Sam’s adventures don’t involve diving, or water, at all. Sometimes she finds herself lost in the mysterious and shifting sands of seemingly endless deserts, with nothing to light her way and mark her progress but strangely shining moon beacons. 

We here at the Comics Tumblr are going to be hosting a column in the coming weeks, also written by yours truly, about creating “indie” comics. We’ll be focussing on everything from creating a pitch to putting a final book in front of readers. If you’ve got questions about any of that, I want ‘em. Hit me up over here: