It’s been both an exciting and difficult week. On one hand, I was invited to a convention as a guest for the first time ever. On the other hand, the state of things in the United States is equal parts inspiring and frightening (frightening because of Trump’s actions; inspiring because of the actions of those standing up to him). As a result of the latter, I created some new Chadhiyana artwork over the weekend, and so today’s post is going to cover both the con and said artwork. Read more… ›

It’s been a long time since the last issue of Chadhiyana. Nine months by my count. That’s a terribly long time for a comic I was hoping to put out bi-monthly (that is, once every two months, not twice a month as the ambiguous term can be read). But Chadhiyana #5 is finally available to purchase on comiXology (comixology.com/Chadhiyana-5/digital-comic/464862) and Amazon (amazon.com/Chadhiyana-Company-Shadows-J-M-DeSantis-ebook/dp/B01N9OLX7D/), and it is the opinion of both myself and my publisher that this is the best issue in the series so far. Read more… ›

As I’ve been writing and hinting at for a couple of weeks now (or at least it feels so), Chadhiyana #5 is going to be released relatively soon. It has been a long wait between issues 4 and 5, and I’ve made some mention of why that has been in the past–not least that my publisher, Rosarium Publishing, was doing some work behind the scenes that delayed the issue’s release (Rosarium is still a very small operation, despite their growth over the years). That said, my publisher and I think the wait just may be worth it, because we both agree this is by far the best issue of Chadhiyana yet. Read more… ›

It’s Cyber Monday, and even though I had written about my online store last week, there really isn’t a better day of the year to promote an online store than today! Especially since Zazzle is offering even bigger discounts today with the code CYBERMONSAVE at checkout. So if you’re interested, checkout my store at zazzle.com/jmdesantis. But if you’re still not convinced, or if you’re a Chadhiyana fan, read on. I have a surprise for you.

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It was five years ago this month (July 2011) that I began preparing for my second New York Comic Con appearance. I had decided beforehand to dedicate the entire summer to getting new work ready. This included new prints, my first (and, to date, only) sketchbook (for sale, that is) and a collapsible banner to draw people to my table. Amongst the pieces I created that summer were an unused cover idea I had wanted to submit to Planet Lovecraft Magazine (before it closed its doors) of Cthulhu sitting in an armchair in Victorian attire, reading a copy of the magazine and an acrylic painting of a nameless Indian female warrior. Read more… ›

About a month ago I posted that I was running just a tad behind on a few things due to a dreadfully disheartening school year in the district where I teach (amongst other things) and that I was going to need a bit of time to catch up. Little did I know it was going to take about a month to do so; I thought a week, two at the most–but as the saying goes, “Even the best laid plans…” Read more… ›

We did it! Yesterday evening, Rosarium Publishing (the publisher for my comic, Chadhiyana) reached the goal for their IndieGoGo campaign, the funds of which are, in part, going toward print runs for a number of upcoming books, including the first Chadhiyana trade! Read more… ›

The end of the Rosarium Publishing IndieGoGo campaign approaches (http://bit.ly/rosariumpub), and with it your chance to pre-order Chadhiyana volume 1 (issues 1 – 6) which comes with an exclusive mini-comic containing a new Chadhiyana story (see last week’s post for more information on that comic). Chadhiyana has consistently been one of the top-claimed perks since the beginning of the campaign. More, just hours after I had written this post yesterday, Rick Riordan, author of the Percy Jackson series, announced that he would match up to $10,000 in donations through the end of the campaign during the day on Wednesday, May 4^th (rickriordan.blogspot.com/2016/05/support-great-publisher-who-values.html).

So, if you haven’t contributed yet, please do so soon. Simply click on the Chadhiyana perk, and it will bring you to a page to complete your pre-order. You’ll not only get the Chadhiyana trade and the comic, but you’ll be supporting diversity in publishing, which is the main mission of Rosarium, and help them reach the match-goal Mr. Riordan generously offered. Read more… ›

With just nine days remaining in the Rosarium Publishing IndieGoGo campaign (http://bit.ly/rosariumpub), I wanted to take the time today to write something about the Chadhiyana perk that’s being offered. As the campaign lists, with your $20 (Chadhiyana) contribution you will receive the first Chadhiyana collection (issues 1 – 6; already listed on Amazon for pre-order at $19.95: amazon.com/Chadhiyana-Company-Shadows-JM-DeSantis/dp/0996769269/) and a 4-page mini-comic. I’ve finally worked out the story for that mini-comic (which, essentially, you get for free with your pre-order), and convinced my publisher to give me more pages to tell it in.  Read more… ›

Today is a very special day for me and Chadhiyana (my medieval Indian assassin comic). Not only has Chadhiyana #4 been given a release date of April 27th, but Rosarium Publishing (Chadhiyana’s publisher) has launched a massive crowdfunding campaign in order to reach the next level in its growth as a publisher: indiegogo.com/projects/rosarium-publishing-the-next-level (appropriately named Rosarium Publishing: The Next Level). Read more… ›