NYC2123

nyc2123 on the ZUNE

2007-07-11T16:33:00.000-07:00

Holy crap! I was looking for a one-line blurb we had written describing nyc2123 so I hopped on over to the wikipedia entry thinking it might be there and what did I find? Someone has converted the whole shebang into a ZUNE friendly format. Sweeeeeeet. Now this is why we made it Creative Commons and gave ya'll the source files. A big, big thanks to Rob Banagale at bittersweet being for hooking this up (way back in January, actually). Sorry we didn't notice it earlier.

Download the ZUNE version of nyc2123 over at bittersweet being.

NYC2123: język polski

2007-01-02T06:14:00.000-08:00

Greetings friends. We've been a little delayed in posting these, but
Mike Dziewonski has translated the first three issues of
NYC2123 into Polish. Enjoy the read (links on homepage), and thanks
again to Mike for all the hard work!

Source Files for Issue 6 Released

2006-12-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

I think our collective brains shut down for a while after we finished this series, but we finally got around to publishing the source files for issue 6. So have at it translators -- I think the crew working on the Polish translation might be close to issue 6 by now (we should have the issues already translated into Polish up in the next day or so). Sorry for the delay, thanks for your patience.

Achtung, Amigos: Issue 3 translated to Deutsch and Español

2006-07-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

Our German and Spanish speaking readers can now read Issue 3 in their native tongue. A big thanks to "Darkling" for the Deutsch translation and Adrian Galindo for Español. We got a bit bogged down working on issue 6 and forgot to post these, so our apologies to "Darking" and Adrian and also to our German and Spanish readers for the delay. Check out the home page for links to the PSP and web-based versions or follow the links below:

Deutsch PSP ZIP
Deutsch web-based

Español PSP ZIP
Español web-based

Also, if anyone is interested in translating NYC2123 into any other languages, or helping out with current translation projects, check out the translation message boards here or send us an email at: info@nyc2123.com.

NYC2123 Scores Hollywood Management Deal

2006-07-06T11:05:00.000-07:00

For everyone out there who has expressed interest in seeing NYC2123 on the big screen, we're happy to let you know that we're one step closer to that goal. NYC2123 is now being managed by Brillstein-Grey, a big-time Hollywood management agency with clients like Brad Pitt, John Malkovich, David Spade and numerous authors, directors and screenwriters. They're currently in the process of shopping around the movie rights to the graphic novel. So a big shout-out to everyone who has helped out with the project, and most of all to the fans who have kept us going and spread the word. Thanks, everyone! Cross your fingers! Stay tuned for updates...

Issue 6 Released

2006-06-19T22:33:00.000-07:00

Issue 6 is done. NYC2123: Dayender is done. You can view it online here, view the PSP formatted site here, or download the ZIP file for your PSP here.

We want to thank everyone who has supported us over the last 10 or 11 months. It's been quite a ride. I'm sure we'll be back here over the next few days to thank all those individuals that need individual thanking and to talk about some other stuff that's related to NYC2123 that we've been just to busy to comment on.

We hope you've enjoyed this as much as we have.

Issue 6 Will Be Released This Tuesday

2006-06-18T18:51:00.000-07:00

Issue 6, the final installment of NYC2123: Dayender will be released this coming Tuesday (June 20th, 2006). We want to thank everyone who has followed the series -- without the early support and amazingly positive feedback we may not have had it in us to finish this beast. We certainly wouldn't have been as inspired. It's been a lot of work and a lot of fun. Chad and I think this final issue is one of the best.

Issue 6 was originally the shortest in the series, but as we began working on it we realized the story deserved a more detailed finale. As a result, it's ballooned from roughly 30 frames to 75 -- the longest in the series.

So if you can, hang on one more day as we put the final coat of polish on this last issue. We hope you'll find the long wait worth it when you finally see how it all ends.

P.S. If you want to know exactly when issue 6 is online, subscribe to our RSS feed. We'll update the blog as soon as it hits the streets.

Source Files for Issue 5 Released

2006-05-11T09:39:00.000-07:00

We've had a few requests recently for the issue 5 source files, so I took a few hours off from illustrating issue 6 to format and package them up. Here they are -- translate and mash away.

We're still cranking away on issue 6 and we'll let everyone know the release date when we get close enough to accurate predict it.

Issue 6 Progress

2006-04-29T19:35:00.000-07:00

We just wanted to assure everyone that issue 6 is on its way. We're hard at work finishing the illustration as I write this. I know a lot of you were hoping it would be out earlier -- and honestly we were too. We took some extra time to re-write a few sections and since it's the last issue we want to take our time and make sure it's as good as it can be. It will be out before the end of June (hopefully sometime in May if things go really well).

So we're going to try to stay a bit more active on the blog ('cause we've sucked at that), keep everyone up-to-date, and give you some sneak peaks at finished artwork.

Thanks for your patience everyone. Here are a couple frames that won't give away too much but hopefully you'll enjoy.

More Mashup Action

2006-03-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

Mike Jones recently wrote in to let us know about a NYC2123 mashup he created as part of his research on digital media production and mobile content delivery. You can download the mashup in various formats from his site (it's called 'the network'). Check it out. Mike also manages theSoundhouseVectorlab at Australias largest musuem, The Powerhouse. SoundhouseVectorlab (www.shvl.org) runs a variety of low-cost workshops in video, 2d and 3d graphics, electronic music and sound, animation and imaging for a huge diversty of audiences (from people with a disability and youth at risk of dropping out of school; right through to professional development and masterclasses). Cool.

Capítulo 2 en Español

2006-03-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

Thanks once again to the work of Adrián Galindo and Augusto Hernández you can now read Issue 2 of NYC2123 en Español. Download it for your PSP or read it online.

Interview on semantikon

2006-02-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

If you just can't get enough of hearing us talk about NYC2123, you can check out semantikon's interview of me and Paco. They've also done some cool stuff like creating a broadside poster (perfect for hanging on your bedroom wall), and for you die-hard paper fans, a PDF version of Issue 1 that you can print out and read anywhere.

Issue 5 Released

2006-02-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks for everyone's patience. If you've been reading this blog you know the reasons why issues 4 and 5 have taken so long (holidays, work, baby, work). Anyway, issue 5 is finally done and we think its great. It's also the longest issue to date so hopefully you all find it worth the wait.

You know the drill, click here to read it on you computer, here to read it on your PSP browser or here to download the ZIP file of PSP formatted images.

You can also stop by the Outlaw Barge Store and pick up a t-shirt, hoodie or some other piece of apparel to support our cause. Or, if you prefer to give us cold, hard cash to show us how much you love NYC2123 you can donate to our PayPal account here.

Happy reading.

Issue 5 Coming Soon

2006-02-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

The new issue is coming soon. My first daughter was just born this week -- so that combined with the end of the year holidays has slowed us down a bit. Plus issue 5 is the longest issue to date. But it is coming soon. Maybe another week?

Video of Illustration Process

2006-01-06T17:25:00.000-08:00

Before the xmas break I did a quick video capture of my illustration process. This is an image from issue #1, though this is a recreation of that art since I didn't think to video capture it when I did it 6 months ago or whatever. I have no idea if anyone will find this interesting or not, but here it is (again on YouTube):

http://www.youtube.com/watch.php?v=mVgS33HE4Zk

Futurama NYC2123 mash-up

2006-01-05T14:25:00.000-08:00

My good friend Mark created the first mash-up (that we know of). It's a fantastic video that recaps the story of "NYC2123: Dayender" through issue 4 using Futurama music, dialog and sound effects. It's creatively titled: "nyc2123rama" and looks like it actually took him a decent amount of time hacking around in iMovie as well.

Thanks Mark. It made me laugh -- hopefully those familiar with both series will find it amusing. You can find it on YouTube.

Sneak Peak Art from Issue 5

2006-01-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

A few people have been asking about the timing of issue 5. It's coming -- for more details see my comments from the previous post (the post itself is about the Spanish translation -- read the comments below that). In the meantime, here's a frame of near final art from a fight scene in issue 5 that I'm having a blast illustrating.

Click on the image to view a larger version:

NYC2123 en Español

2005-12-20T15:16:00.000-08:00

Adrián Galindo and Augusto Hernández just released a Spanish translation of Issue 1 of NYC2123. Cool! Check it out on our homepage. ¡Que Bueno!

A Bit on Illustration Process

2005-12-19T13:23:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to do this for awhile but haven't had the time. Below you can see some images that go from storyboard to final art. Click on the images, or here, to see the complete series in a larger format. There are also a few comparisons of source character photography and the final illustration.

Issue 4 Source Files Posted

2005-12-19T12:11:00.000-08:00

Head on over to the source files page to grab the latest issue in Adobe Illustrator format. And for those of you new to NYC2123, the source files are published under a Creative Commons license, so have at it with the mash-ups, translations, wallpapers, etc. We didn't get a fan created Halloween or Thanksgiving mash-up, but maybe we'll put together a contest for Christmas/Hanukkah/New Year, etc to provide some incentive. NYC2123 t-shirt anyone? What do we gotta' give away to get some mash-up goodness?

Issue 4 Released

2005-12-12T08:09:00.000-08:00

Finally. We're a bit late with this issue, but our day jobs and the holiday season have been constant interruptions. Enough with the excuses though, head over to the freshly redesigned home page to read or download issue 4 -- get ready to have some serious plot busted out on your ass.

Who makes this comic? Why does it take so long?

2005-11-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

We get a lot of e-mails asking when the next issue is going to come out. We've been getting these e-mails since the day after Issue 1 was released. This is very flattering, and the amount of positive feedback we've gotten for producing NYC2123 is far beyond what we expected.

I just want to clarify a few things, so that our readers understand why the comic doesn't come out as often as some of them might like. This comic is made by two people. One person writes the comic and the other person draws it. That's it. There are no assistants or interns or caterers. These two people are brothers, who have full time jobs, one in advertising and one in marketing. These two people spend a lot of time at their jobs, and can only work on the comic when they are not at the office. These two people live at opposite ends of the U.S., so sometimes it is hard for them to talk to each other about the comic as often as they would like. These two people have certain expectations about the quality of the comic, and they do not want to release content that does not meet their expectations.

We have tried very hard to put out one issue a month, which has been our stated schedule all along, and so far we have hit those deadlines. But we can only do so much given that we have regular jobs, and we hope you'll understand and be patient as we work to put out the next three issues.

If you really love the comic a lot and have a big pile of money you would like to give us, we will quit our jobs and work on it full time. Just let us know via the "contact us" page.

Thanks again for reading and for all of your support.

Issue 3 Source Files Posted

2005-11-06T17:47:00.000-08:00

What more can I add that the title doesn't already say? You can get the Adobe Illustrator files here. Now git mashin' (or translatin').

Message Board for Translators

2005-11-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

There are a number of fan translation projects happening, and we thought it would be nice if people working on those projects had a place to talk to each other. If you're working on a translation or would like to, check out the translation message board.

Free Software for PSP Image Sequencing

2005-11-03T08:00:00.000-08:00

We've written a couple of posts (here and here) about the problems associated with properly ordering images for comics and other sequential image-based content on the PSP. A brief summary of these problems can be found below, but the upshot is that I decided to stop complaining and write some software to help solve the problem. Behold: PSPImageSequencer. If you are one of the three people on the planet creating comics for the PSP, this might just save you a lot of time and frustration (it saved us some of both on Issue 3 of NYC2123). I'm not really a programmer by trade, but this is very simple stuff. It's open source (GPL) and all that, but since it's written in VB.NET I guess most hackers will think I'm lame. Sorry.

Here is a longer description of the problems PSPImageSequencer was designed to solve:

Most PSP users are aware of the fact that when jpg images are transferred to the PSP, they are displayed in reverse chronological order (newest image first). To be more specific, the PSP looks at the "last modified" timestamp on each jpg, and displays them in reverse chronological order according to this timestamp. So when you flip through a folder of jpgs on your PSP, you are going to see the most recently modified file first, and so on down the line.

One problem for publishers of comics and other sequential image-based content for the PSP is that it makes sense for them to name their files in a machine- and human-readable sequential manner, such as 01.jpg, 02.jpg, 03.jpg, etc. However, if you name your images in this fashion, and then need to go back and make a change to 02.jpg, then 02.jpg will be the first image a user sees when she starts flipping through the images on her PSP. Unless, that is, you go back and save out all of the files again in the correct order from whatever application you are using to create your work. And that is a pain in the arse.

A second problem for publishers of sequential image-based content for the PSP is that not all archiving tools play nice with one another. We have seen numerous cases of jpg sequences that have been properly time stamped when they go into a zip archive, but come out the other end with incorrect timestamps. This has to do with lots of arcane stuff about how files are sorted within the archive itself, and how certain inflation (unzipping) tools (such as the Windows XP inflation tool) feel free to modify the timestamps on files as they are pulled out of the archive. So, for example, a zip archive created by WinZip, will, under certain circumstances, be inflated by the XP inflation tool in a manner that causes the files to have improper timestamps, thus causing them to appear in the wrong order when viewed on the PSP.

In summary, we thought it would be nice to have a tool that (a) looked at all of the jpg files in a directory and re-timestamped them according to their names and (b) zipped these files into an archive that could be reliably inflated by any inflation tool.

The PSPImageSequencer does this. If you use it, let us know what you think.