Get On The Good Foot

Hi gang,

Here's a new chapter. Chapter six! We're blowing through these faster than anticipated; I need to kick up my production rate if I want to be able to run these weekly through the end of the series. Luckily, Richard just gave me an awesome gift: a "non-photo" blue pencil! Now I won't have to waste precious time erasing!

This is the first episode to feature a lot of dialogue. It was an experiment in trying out some actual storytelling, with characterization and jokes and conflict and so forth. It's also the first time we get all four heroes interacting together.

On the visual side of things, this also pushes things a bit further than before. I really like the gradient on the cover; you'll see that technique a lot more as we go forward. We're at the point now where nearly every panel has a background, and I'm starting to use the computer to fill in black spaces, which I find pleasing on the eye.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one as much as I do. Tell all yer friends!

The Comeback

Good evening, gang!

Welcome to Chapter Five. I'm extremely proud of this one. Last week the comic started to kick into high gear; this week, it arrives.

I'm especially happy with how the artwork for the new characters came out here. One of the most fun parts of putting together this comic was actually learning how to draw faces and bodies and stuff. Not that I'm a great artist, by any means, but it's a big improvement from where I was when I started.

I drew this issue while on vacation in Maine; the pencil sketches for the early pages were done in the hotel we stayed at when we spent two days in Acadia National Park. The rest was finished in a marathon session next to the river in Solon, Maine, one of my favorite places. Naturally, then, this issue brings back a lot of good memories for me. I think that was the last time I was in Maine! It's been too long.

Anyway, enjoy the comic! As always, tell your friends!

The Awesome Escape

Hi everyone,

Here's chapter four! By my estimation, this is where the adventure really takes off. It was during this comic that I realized that this project was actually turning out to be something kind of cool, and that I would probably finish it. As such, I started paying a little bit of attention to the plot, making sure that it was fulfilling and devoid of holes.

Also notable: from this point on, the artwork is all done by me. Prior to this, Emily had helped out with under-sketches every once in a while. I'm proud of the art, because I've never excelled at drawing... prior to this project, my experience was pretty much limited to stick figures. I think these comic strips are actually cool looking. Hooray?

Trapped in the Prison

Hi gang,

Another week, another chapter of MIME HUNTERS, for your enjoyment. This week's chapter is more transitional than many of the others, but (I hope!) still awesome. We were trying out a new, more loose drawing style here, which shows up in the early pages. I think the stylistic shift is pretty exciting!

This chapter introduces a mysterious new character. There's no blood in this one, for the first time. There is an explosion though. So don't worry!

As usual, stay tuned for next week and tell your friends!

The Saga Continues!

Hi gang,

Here's the newest issue of Mime Hunters. Thanks for all the positive comments after Chapter One, readers! It only gets better from here. Chapter two develops Herbert and Pablo a little more, uses black and white more creatively, and has some good action sequences. I hope you enjoy it.

Not much to write about this week, except for that I sure do love the front cover of this chapter. I think it's a big step up, visually. Other than that, stay tuned for next week! And tell all your friends!

The Saga Begins!

Hello gang,

Welcome to Mime Hunters - - a brand-new adventure comic by me, Beau Alessi, with much much much help from Emily du Houx. Every Thursday night I intend to post a link to the next 8-page chapter of this story. Here's where it all begins. Click the picture to see the comic!


First, to clear up some early confusion, Pablo (the goat) is part robot, and those are flames from his turbo-engine shooting out of his ass. I assumed it would be obvious but many were baffled.

Beyond that, if you want to hear some meandering thoughts on why I spent the last 9 months drawing these, read further...

A few words: I'm not really a comic aficionado, more of an enthusiast. Which is to say, this is a very amateurish piece of work from someone who's not extremely familiar with the medium. I'm hoping that I managed to bring some kind of "outsider's perspective" to the world of superhero comics, maybe.

I also know that there's a thriving internet webcomic community, but from what I can tell, those mostly deal with comedy-oriented 3-panel strips, or some variation on that formula. They also have a lot to do with videogames, computers, or indie rock. This is different, in that it's a more long-form serialized "superhero" comic. Although I shun that label as well, because most superhero comics seem to have some kind of "enormous breast quotient," and I'm not talented enough to draw enormous breasts. Again, like I said, when it comes to comics, I don't really know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, maybe, I thought the world could use a crudely-drawn, amateurish adventure story about some dudes who fight mimes. Maybe with some comedy? And some violence? And maybe, just maybe, a message of some sort? Or not?

I am actually proud of the final product. As the weeks go on, if you choose to follow this, you'll see the art improve drastically, and an actual plot develop. It might be worth watching, just so you can see a running document of the creative process at work, or some such thing. And I think it has a good ending. Maybe in another year, Mime Hunters: Volume 2 will be ready to go online? We'll see...

So, yeah, add this to your bookmarks, or RSS feed, or whatever, and spend a minute reading it each week! And tell all your friends! I think it might be a worthwhile investment of your time. At the very least, keep it in mind when it's a slow Friday at work and you need any kind of minor stimulation to ease the pain.

One last thought: COMMENTS are appreciated! I want to know what people think, both in regards to the comic, but also (this is important!) in regards to the site I've built to display it. Since this doesn't follow the usual 3-panel format, I had to think up my own way of displaying it on the web, and I'm not sure how it's gonna look on all of the different computers out there. If you try to read the comic, but your web browser isn't handling it correctly, let me know!

And with that, I'll shut up! Thanks for checking this out!

New Header!

Well, I put together a pretty cool (I hope!) image for the main banner of the site. In a few days, I'm going to post the first chapter, and then continue once a week from there.

The comic is 120 pages, and I'm very proud of it. It turned out to be a lot less stupid than I thought it would be when I started, although it's still pretty stupid. It's going to be fun to watch the art improve from chapter to chapter. I'm excited about the whole thing.

Friday, September 24th: this is the place to be!