Treading Ground

Treading Ground may not be very Sci-Fi, but we’re all geeks here, so you may be interested in the other creative project I’m involved in. More animated Nick art awaits you!

As part of my ongoing efforts to legitimize this webcomic, Treading Ground will now be updating three times a week with regular updates!

When I first started updating twice weekly, I established the concept of Friday Extras as something I wouldn’t do every week, and even when I did, they wouldn’t be full comics. But half-assed updates really didn’t sit too well with me. Looking back on the 6 weeks since then, we’ve seen three full-fledged comics, two pieces of finished art, and just one sketch day. In other words, I was doing just about as much work as I would be updating M-W-F anyway, so it made sense to make it official. That’s not to say that I won’t ever post extra stuff again, of course; I just won’t be releasing it on a schedule.

Thanks to everyone who reads this comic, and special thanks to those of you who comment, “Like” the updates on Facebook, and interact with me on Twitter. A lot of webcomic artists out there say they would gladly still be doing their comic even if nobody was reading, but they’re either better people than me, or they’re lying!

When I started drawing again, I decided I was going to get serious about the whole “Draw Every Day” thing, so I developed a new habit. Now, every day on my lunch break I walk up to the Starbucks and pull out the sketchbook. Mostly it’s crap, but it gets me practicing, and occasionally doesn’t turn out so bad.

YES, I LIKE STARBUCKS, I AM (TOO HIPSTER/NOT HIPSTER ENOUGH) FOR YOU.

Today’s Friday Extra is fanart of the characters Aya Hibino and Suekichi Terayama from the manga Dance Till Tomorrow by Naoki Yamamoto. Lately I’ve tried out drawing characters from other comics first in the original style and then in my own to see what they would look like, and these two translated well.

Back in late 1998, I came across a manga that was unlike anything else on the shelf then, and to the detriment of all of us, that continues to be the case today. After initially cursing that they had taken the name “Aya,” (I had already developed the Aya that appears in TG,) I became hooked on it. 12 years later, I’ve finally finished collecting all seven volumes and have given it another full readthrough, even going as far as to forgive the “flipped” left-to-right reading format in the English version. Reading DTT over again has made me realize what a huge influence it was on the kind of comics I like to make.

Dance Till Tomorrow (Asatte Dance) involves very little dancing in the literal sense, but what it does contain is a great, realistic (mostly) story about an unconventional relationship. Although there is quite a bit of sex and nudity, I’m not sure it qualifies as hentai. The depiction of sex is refreshing in its matter-of-factness, and actually complements the story rather than distracting from it.

Some elements you’ll recognize from Treading Ground are there – the forward girl, the reluctant guy (though reluctant for a different reason,) and even the dual life between work and home (and the theater, in Suekichi’s case.) In fact I’d say it’s probably more like TG than any other comic out there (web or print,) but I’m satisfied now that my comic is different enough for me to admit I’ve read this. So if you like TG and you’re able to get your hands on a copy of Dance Till Tomorrow, it’s definitely worth your time.

TG has never particularly shied away from adult content, but I thought it would be a good idea to make things a little more clear. While I assure you this will not turn into a porn comic, the current party storyline will be the most NSFW (Not Safe For Work) to date.

Whether you follow on Facebook, Twitter, or via RSS) keep an eye on the subject lines for the new (NSFW) designation. I’ve already applied it to a few comics in the archive, but the upcoming comics kick it up a few notches nudity-wise.

You’ve been warned!