Djinnborn Comics

Archive: Jan 2011

1. Small Design Updates!

   January 31, 2011 3:41 pm Leave a Comment

   Hello! I am getting back in the swing of things. I still have my update slotted for Thursday. However, over the weekend I spent time rummaging through some CSS and jQuery. I’ve made a couple small cosmetic changes to the site and may make a few more changes before the week’s up. Here’s what I’ve accomplished so far.

   - Check the main index page and scroll down, past the comic. All old news/blog posts that do not have a comic are now hidden by default, except for the most recent one. I know not many visitors scroll that far down but I feel it cleans up the mess for anyone that does. If you click the “Show Entry” text, it’ll reveal the entry for your reading enjoyment. And, of course, you can click “Hide Entry” to put it away when you’re done. It’s a small but useful trick to make the site a little more aesthetically pleasing. I may reuse this technique across other parts of the site where appropriate.*

   * NOTE: You will need to enable JavaScript for this function to work. It uses jQuery, which will not work if you have an add-on like NoScript running. You may have to enable both “psmetamorphosis.com” and “kaitoukage.net”

   - Check out the cast page. I made a handful of neat images for the main characters. Now, you can click on their picture to be taken to their profile. There isn’t anything on the profiles yet (working on that!), but you can see a list of every page that character has appeared on. In due time, I’ll add images and links for the side characters and villains like Pel, Scarlet, Dirk, the Mercykiller duo, and so on.

   I’m taking notes as I practice. There are several things I can do to smooth out the site look and make it just cooler to visit.

   I am also going to reskin the site again. However, this will not require a complete overhaul and re-upload like last time. It will be much more seamless. Inkblot, the theme I reskinned when I switched to the current webcomic management system, has given me a few problems. I have recently learned how to use my own theme while continuing to use my current management system. I am going to see if I can get the same amount of functionality (or close) as Inkblot had. This will give me much greater control over the site’s look and will help me deal with some of the nuisances Inkblot created (like that godforsaken white line at the top). This is a longer-term project, though, so I will complete it as I have the time.

   Thanks for reading! I’d really appreciate it if you’d head over and vote and then vote again tomorrow since voting resets tomorrow!

   Thanks again and I’ll see you all on Thursday!

   - M

2. All right!

   January 27, 2011 2:17 pm 2 Comments

   Okay, my ducks are a little more in a row and I’m in a position where this comic, which I do love so much, can be dusted off and restarted.

   Thank you to everyone that offered suggestions, encouragement, and support the past couple months and especially the past couple weeks as I tried to figure out what to do. I decided I’m going to have to dabble with my two options and see which one works best for my schedule.

   Metamorphosis is set to resume next week on Thursday. I will keep you all in the loop with my design plans so you won’t be as surprised if I decide to switch from color to black and white (or vice versa).

   Also, I have icons for the cast page vectored up. I plan to get them finished and posted by the next comic update. I’ve got something different from what I had before so stay tuned! I also have a couple kinks in the design that I’m trying to work out as I have time. I’ll keep you guys posted.

   Thanks again for all your support and I hope to see you again next week!

   - M

3. Sorry again…

   January 19, 2011 9:07 am 4 Comments

   Hullo, everyone. Hopefully you’re still checking this and reading it :)

   Life has taken several very busy turns lately and I am still trying to resettle. I just started classes back up and I have had several failed attempts at getting gainful employment that isn’t reliant on my being a student. I apologize for not keeping up with updates.

   This semester promises to be especially busy. While I’d love to do three updates a week (two comic and one side info), that may not be possible. In addition to classes (Chinese and Arabic), I have to really get cracking on my thesis, which will eat up a large portion of my free time.

   What I would like to know from you is this. Would you prefer one color update per week or two black and white/flat-colored updates per week? I believe I can make enough time to do either or consistently, but two fully-colored and shaded pages may be out of the question for the time being.

   There are a couple caveats here. First, if I do b&w/flat color, I’ll go back and finish the pages as time allows. Second, if I have time in a given week, I will definitely make updates with fully-colored pages more than once a week.

   I suppose what it comes down to is whether you’d prefer to see the story progress more quickly or whether you’d rather see more finished art.

   I’d appreciate any feedback.

   Thank you!

4. Apologies

   January 10, 2011 9:36 pm Leave a Comment

   Argh. I was planning to have a page up today but I’ve been fighting with my scanner. Apparently the move threw off the connection between it and my computers, so I’m trying to get that working again. I will get back on track here in the next few days, I promise.