New Chapter Day!

Three words:  Chapter 4 - Racecar!

Yes, chapter 4 of Don’t Fear the Joker is upon us, with both couples returning to the Wayne Manor and Ha-Hacienda after the events of Chapter 3.  There’s been all kinds of speculation, but as soon as I get this posted… well, you’ll see. 

Speaking of the chapter release, it was time for a new update of Cat-Tales news for the little SitePal widget, and I had a bit of a time recording it.  You might not think it if you open the window, but apparently it’s Springtime out there.  At least as far as the pollen index.  Just enough to give me some oddball congestion in my one ear over the weekend.  Honest to god, felt like I just took a long plane ride and forgot to swallow.  So I’m really not sure how bad my voice sounded.  I do know it’s not the best time for plants to be getting on my bad side.  I mean, there’s a chapter 5 that comes after 4, and a chapter 6 that comes after that.  The title of the story is Don’t Fear the Joker.  You hear what I’m sayin’, Pammy?

Okay, moving on.  It’s hard to imagine there could be something more besides coming back from a hiatus with a shiny new Joker chapter, but if you check your calendars, you’ll see April 1 is coming up.  And it seems that since the first year that Gotham After Dark became the Metropolis Tourist Bureau, there’s a small, deeply disturbed following wondering what will happen next.  Not to worry, SDDFs, I found a few minutes to whip up something appropriate for the message boards.

And finally *checking the time* work will resume on that pesky TBA just as soon as the chapter is launched.  Which is why I can’t dawdle making this morning’s entry more amusing.  Ciaomeow, everybody.

Chris Dee
www.catwoman-cattales.com
cattales.yuku.com
cattales.wikispaces.com

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Previously on Cat-Tales

Finished the book cover (MEOW!) and as promised, a normal Cat-Tales schedule has resumed. 

First, it’s quite true that a good editor is above rubies, and mine kept quietly working while I was running around calling down the wrath of the righteous on photoshop filters.  The result is that the proofing edits on Short Tales were ready just as soon as I came up for air.  And that means Cat-Tales #53, the shiny newly proofed trio of short tales which introduced The Z and Selina’s Lamborghini, is now available for kindle & mobi as well as the printable pdfs.   Again, I meow.

After that, work resumed on Don’t Fear the Joker, natch.  No ETA on Chapter 4 at the moment, but only because Joker and Harley are… well, you can probably guess. 

Twitterfeed HarlQuinn13
HarlQuinn13: Helping Puddin' test the Easy Bake Oven trap
HarlQuinn13: Test flopped.  Giving porcupine a decent burial
HarlQuinn13: Going out to White Castle

Work on the TBA is still on hold.  I want to get the next chapter in the can before I worry about any outside projects.  Happily the fan gallery artists and other extras folks are patient.  The folks I owe emails to, eh… well, I’ll get there.
So that’s it for now.  First major hurdle of the year, CLEARED!

Chris Dee
www.catwoman-cattales.com
cattales.yuku.com
cattales.wikispaces.com

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From the mailbag: Just trying to help

I don't think it's betraying any confidences to reveal that some of the fans who email me have a less-than-flattering opinion of today's comic reader.  The general consensus is that anyone who would part with actual money for /insert the atrocity of your choice/ needs to be told things that, in our day, were considered too obvious to mention.  To that end:

Do not...

Chris Dee
www.catwoman-cattales.com 
cattales.yuku.com
cattales.wikispaces.com

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Previously on Cat-Tales...

Originally, this week’s blog was going to be more of a heartbeat message.  As I mentioned, I’m currently working on a client’s book cover and it doesn’t allow for a normal CT-schedule at all.  Got a little writing done, but not much.  Luckily, what this passing situation does allow for is little bubbles of opportunity where I can catch up answering emails and even put in some work on the TBA.  Both are the kind of thing where I don’t have to get into a mode, and can drop it in an instant when the phone rings.  So, moral: downtime in one area (the writing) doesn’t have to be downtime across the board.

So does that make this a “When life gives you lemons” entry?  Not really.  I don’t consider the bookcover lemons, for one thing.  I guess it’s just an ordinary Monday entry, closing out the books on a slow week and opening a new one what should be a much more exciting one.
My friends who visited EmeraldCon and MegaCon this weekend also remind us that the first of those two DC Actually-gets-it-right Classic-Purple-Balent-Costume Naughty-Grin Figures comes out at the end of the month, so make sure your comic shop knows you want one.  Meow.

Chris Dee
www.catwoman-cattales.com 
cattales.yuku.com
cattales.wikispaces.com

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Oh, FWIW, the friend at EmeraldCon said he was amazed at the money being spent, which is the best economic news I've heard in 2 years. Here's hoping - for Balent-Naughty Grin-Kitty and her whopping $99 price tag, sure, but also for those comic shops that have managed to weather the storm this long.

From the mailbag: I CALLED IT!

In the history of fake news, no pundit has ever celebrated being right with the glorious abandon Stephen Colbert brings to the task.  A typical segment has a clip from the previous show when the prediction is made (often as not, made as a joke), then comes the news where the prediction comes true, followed by a shower of red, white, and blue balloons descending as music plays a rousing election night ditty while the words I CALLED IT flash on the screen and Stephen cries out the same, arms raised in victory.

 

I occasionally get a “you called it” clipping, the most recent being last year when some false rumors were circulating that Halle Berry was pregnant.  A rumor she laid to rest by appearing on Jay Leno in a skin tight dress and, as the Gotham New York Post put it, “posing sideways for laughably longer than necessary.”  Yes, just like Selina in The Gotham Post 3 years before.  (Although, I’m not so sure about that longer than necessary part.  Thing is, guys, some of you boys employed by journalistic Posts are pretty damn dumb, and we can never really tell how long it will take you to grasp simple things.)

Anyway, that was last year.  Yesterday, I received a new one. I know newer readers aren’t that well versed on the early Cat-Tales, so I’ll just remind you that in the Book 2 Tale What’s New Pussycat, the female rogues embark on a Girl’s Night Out which takes them to a male strip join, as Batman and Nightwing listen in from above. 

“I have a question,” Nocturna, who had been quiet, finally spoke up. “Do performers of this sort ever don the apparel of the true denizens of Gotham Night?”

“She means,” Selina translated for the waiter, “are there dancers that dress like Batman and Robin, or Joker, or Two-Face?”

“There used to be a club like that in the Village,” their waiter answered. “It kept getting blown up.”

Nightwing looked at Batman.
Batman looked at Nightwing.
Crickets chirped.

Now first, let me be absolutely clear that I do not advocate the blowing up of anything, and if I did, it would be a purple mushroom cloud enveloping the aforementioned Gotham Post offices and not this dog and pony show.  That said…

I CALLED IT!!!

Warning, link is not worksafe, and, uh, if you do follow it, some of you should really, really not view the slideshow.   

Chris Dee
www.catwoman-cattales.com 
cattales.yuku.com
cattales.wikispaces.com

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Happy Anniversary Cat-Tales

9 years ago today, Reputation hit the cyber stands.  So Happy Anniversary to our favorite feline, and long may she purr.

As followers of this blog know, there is no big rollout of a new feature to mark the day.  Something is in the pipe, but it won’t be ready for another month or two.  Real life rearing its ugly, which is why this wasn’t the most productive week for CT.  However, I did finish the proofing edits on Vault, which means CT 52 is now available for Kindle & mobi. 

(Incidentally, Kindle folks who still want to test the compilation docs, that project will resume in a few months also.  PM or email me to get on the list, but be aware that nothing is happening until May – same real life/real work reason as above.)

Corporate Sugardaddy Watch:  DC, it’s official: Spiderman’s dad can beat up your dad, big time.  New York viewers missed the red carpet and 13 minutes of the Oscars telecast last night because ABC didn’t blink in the negotiations with Cablevision as the 8 o’clock deadline came and went.  One of the great advantages to being a sentient lifeform with higher reasoning skills, you have the capacity to learn from other people’s mistakes.  There’s a lesson here:  do not get into a pissing contest with the alpha mouse. Seriously.  Just don’t.  
Have a good week, everybody.

Chris Dee
www.catwoman-cattales.com 
cattales.yuku.com
cattales.wikispaces.com

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From the mailbag: Museum of Beauty

We all know Selina has a weakness for art and Bruce has one for cutting edge, high tech wizardry, so this find from a CT reader certainly speaks to both of them:

The Konica Minolta
Museum of Beauty

It takes a while to load - and it is well worth the wait.  This 3-D rendering of the Venus de Milo is presented as an interactive film with clickable hotspots that take you to breakout data with more detail on that particular point. The breakouts are not all that detailed, but the technology would certainly support more exhaustive information.

Meow.  This is one link which is very, very meow.

Chris Dee
www.catwoman-cattales.com
cattales.yuku.com
cattales.wikispaces.com

Thank you for reading. If you are viewing this post anywhere other than The Catitat you are reading a mirror. Please visit the original posting in The Catitat to leave a comment.