Now Available - The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 3

After a few unexpected delays, "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit, Vol. 3" is now live.  From the book's description:

"The third time's the charm!  Or so hopes our hero, Bruno the Bandit, in this issue, as he turns on the charm in an attempt to win the lovely Lydia away from the wizard Maledict.  Meanwhile, the demonic Numth'kul sees his troubles increase a thousandfold, and we learn that Elder Gods need love too!  Plus, we're not sure if it serves a purpose clear when Fiona serves up some "Free Will"!

All this and much more, including the Charles Schulz memorial story, "When a God Retires" and several new pages of Bruno pinups from Ian McDonald.  Presenting nine more stories from the archives of Bruno the Bandit (www.brunothebandit.com), this third swing of the Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit continues the tradition of turning some of the best comics on the web into some of the funniest comics in self-publishing. "

This volume has a cover by Sandy Carruthers of "Men in Black" and "Captain Canuck" fame, and aside from the wealth of stories within, contains several new illustrations by Bruno's creator Ian McDonald, as well as guest contributions from Michael DeStasio (whose work was featured in volume 2) and Raven Dominic (who is, only coincidentally, related to the publisher.  Honest.)

Fans of Bruno will be delighted by the stories in this volume, and fans of comics in general should check out Ian's loving tribute to Charles Schulz in "When a God Retires".  As always, there's something for everyone in this book, and at this price, it's a steal even Bruno couldn't pass up.

"The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 3" is now available through these online stores:

Print:
Createspace

Digital:
DriveThruComics
Wowio

Coming soon, versions for Kindle and Graphicly.

And don't forget that our other books, Brutal Blade vols. 1 & 2, and our free comic "Why Comics" are all still available.  Collect the whole set!
If you do buy a copy of any of our books, please take the time to leave us a review on any of our storefronts, or drop me a line to let me know what you think.  As always, I'd love to hear from you!

Now Available - The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 2

The second volume of "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" is up and running!  From the book's description:

"Bruno the Bandit is at it again! Within these pages is another dozen stories from the long-running webcomic (www.brunothebandit.com) by Ian McDonald. What happens when the outcome of every situation truly depends on the roll of the die? What if Bruno went legit and joined the Rothland Imperial Guard? Who is Sour Ron and what connection does he have to Bruno's past? Most importantly, what is the senses-shattering secret of "The Babe" and what will Bruno do to find out? The answers to these questions and more lie in wait inside! Read on as once again, some of the best comics on the web become some of the funniest comics in self-publishing!

Featuring a fantastic cover by classic Conan artist Geof Isherwood and pinups by a talented roster of independent artists, this second volume is sure to amuse and delight you!"

This volume collects some of my personal favorites of the early stories, including the Bill Watterson inspired "Sour Ron" and "Clonin" in which Bruno meets Rothland's version of a certain fur diaper wearing wilderness-enhanced individual.  In addition, it's got some great new art, not least of which is our cover by legendary Conan artist Geof Isherwood, a new Table of Contents illustration by Ian McDonald himself, and pinups by Mike DeStasio, Mike LeGan, Danos Philopolous and John McDowell, as well as a few spot illustrations by my own industrious self.  It's packed cover to cover with bandit-y goodness and I think Bruno fans old and new will really enjoy it.

"The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit, Vol. 2" is available through these stores right NOW!

Print: 
Createspace

Digital:
DriveThruComics
Wowio Comics

Coming soon:
MyDigitalComics
Kindle

While you're at it, don't forget our other books that are still available, including "The Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit Vol. 1" and "Why Comics?" (a free comic at our Wowio store).

Run out and grab a copy of Brutal Blade Vol. 2 right now, then come back here and tell me what you think of it.  We'd love to hear from you!

Distributor Profile: Wowio

I hope our other distributors won't take offense when I say that Wowio Books has the slickest website of all the stores we're using.  As far as style and branding goes, Wowio really does it right. 
I remember when Wowio first opened its doors, it was available for U.S. members only.  Since you could read pretty much their entire catalog of books for free online, I was chomping at the bit waiting for them to open up to Canadian subscribers, and when they did, I was hot out of the gate to sign up.
Since then, I've read quite a few books via their service, and even though most of their books are now limited to previews instead of full online readability, I still find them one of the best distribution services for digital comics. 
Not that they're limited to comics, mind you; they have quite a selection of ebooks as well.  However, I think that because they use the pdf format, which I find awkward for prose reading, I have never taken as strong a liking to their ebook offerings.  As I understand it, they are soon to be offering books in epub format, making them readable on iOS devices, so my opinion on that may change.
But to get back to style...Go take a look at the AIM Comics page on Wowio.  Even if you're not planning on buying anything, go take a look at it.  Not only do we have our own publisher page there in a visual style that's compatible with the main AIM Comics page, a one stop shop for what will be a growing catalog of books, with slots for Featured books and New Releases, but they've also got a very snazzy animated image of the cover of our current book.  This really has the kind of professional look I'm aiming for with AIM Comics.
Like any good digital distributor, your purchases with Wowio are also stored online for you to download at any time, on any device.  You also have the option to read online in a very user-friendly reader that is also compatible with iOS devices.  The reader is great at bookmarking the last page you've read and can display in multiple sizes, giving you the option of a full-page display or a zoomed page.  With built in keyboard navigation, it's one of the best online readers I've tried. 
Another interesting feature of Wowio is the ability to gift ebooks.  As a publisher, you can allow your book to be gifted at a discounted rate.  This is often used by businesses and charities as promotion, and the site will notify you on your library page when you have a new gift waiting.  This is a great way to add some of the more expensive books to your library at no cost, and also a great way to get your book promoted.
And believe me, there's plenty of books you'll want to add to your library.  While Wowio does not have books from the "big boys" of comics, there's plenty of offerings from independent publishers, and some very tempting books from name publishers like AAM Markosia, Bluewater and Moonstone (and leave us not forget AIM Comics!).  I was especially pleased to find that they have Richard Moore's "Boneyard" series, which has been a guilty pleasure of mine for some time.
So once again, let me urge you to go on over to Wowio and take a look.  There's plenty of free books for your to try out, and it's worth doing so to sample their online reader.  Watch for free gifts in your library, and check out the previews of their impressive lineup of publishers.  Oh, and while you're there, how about snagging a copy of "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit"?

AIM Comics on Wowio!

As of today, AIM Comics is live on Wowio!  I've just signed the publisher agreement that lets us distribute through their digital platform.

I know they've had their problems, but since its inception, Wowio has been one of my favorite sites for buying comics online.  I really like their site design and business model, and I'm thrilled to be a member of their roster of publishers.
"Why Comics" won't be available there, just because the quality of the scans for that book are not up to their requirements, which means that "Brutal Blade of Bruno the Bandit" will be our first book on Wowio.  I'll put a link to our publisher page in the sidebar as soon as it's available.
Now, I'm just waiting for my proof copy from our POD publisher and for one more digital piece to fall into place, and then we're good to go....