Roaches: A Graphic Novel: gargantuan

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The Archers

Meet The Cavern Cops
What crawls unseen in the dank catacombs beneath the Tower?

These nefarious looking insects are milkweed beetles. They are diligent, militant and very aggressive to trespassers. These creatures act as fearsome guardians in the underground tunnels beneath the Tower. They owe their loyalty to Justice Reegen.

Their real life counterparts belong to the genus Tetraopes, a Latin classification meaning "four-eyes".

Disco: Part One

Rock 'n Roll Roach Versus Disco Roach
Why and How 1's And 2's Can't Deal With 3's And 4's

As soon as the turntables and the Cold Play hits your favorite rock 'n roll club - duck for cover. Things are about to take a sudden left turn.

Bars and clubs grow to a point where they book great regional and national acts that draw quality crowds. Alt-rock/punk/rock-a-billy road warriors drive in from all over the country to rock the house. A club at it's peak is something to experience.

Then, all of the sudden, that stops. The next thing you know: one guy is spinning records, terrible dance pop records that pose the existential question: "Do you believe in life after love?" On Friday and Saturday night. At the same club. The one that had all the good rock bands for years...

So, what happened to your rock club? Instead of talking with a wide range of people from all over the country you end up with a identical crowd of the drunk Cher lovin', Madonna boogeyin' yuppie tool bags from the "right" side of town packed in 300 deep. 220 of them have their phones out at all times like Star Trek tricorders being used to carefully navigate a class M planet.

Your favorite rock club is now a very large phone booth (remember them?) that is playing bland Muzak. Just like that.

Greatest Story Ever Mumbled

A Small Bug From The Burbs Makes A Big Splash
How He Was Squashed For Your Sins And Why

A 24 Hour Comic gone horribly wrong. Made in Speedway, Indiana outside east of Indianapolis, Indiana.

To make matters worse: this crazy poster idea will end here. Be glad that I didn't post any more of the crucified roach sketches at the bottom right side.

Bitchzilla/Chauvinism

New Comic Pages Released To A Stunned Internet Browsing World
Leading Critics: "This is clearly the work of a deranged mind."

These two pages are non-consecutive in the book and in the webcomic but they each deal with female roaches spazzing out. Spazzing out really hard, too. It's interesting that one character, Bitchzilla attacks unprovoked, while the Molecular Biologist bug in "Chauvinism" attacks for very good reason after she is jeered and nearly set upon by two guffawing morons.

These two pages are great examples of the art style being implemented for the second edition of the Roaches webcomic. Please continue to subscribe to the site with Blogger and Feedburner for more comics and cartoons. As long as you are viewing and subscribing I will be making 'em.


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The Second Coming of Roach(es)

Underground Comic Returns From The Grave In A Second Edition
Publisher to world: "If we don't fund this childish drivel - the competition will."
Roaches Schmitt Comic

It's hard to admit but I have learned many, many lessons since I first published this book as a webcomic. The first one was that not everyone is a fan of low brow, underground comics. Go figure.

To illustrate this point: there are 1,000 Sonic and Nintendo based webcomics and only one about cockroaches. This also supports the second thing I learned since 2010: people do not like originality.

All kidding aside, the most important thing I learned is that people will give you the benefit of the doubt in order to improve your craft. This includes all the good folks who have stopped by my table at cons, comic shop management who took a chance on my book, record store owners who gave me the time of day and other artists who talked shop about art and marketing. This last part helped me develop a crumby webcomic into a better book.

Please subscribe, "like" and "plus" the posts you see here so that I can continue to grow while showing you guys my current work. Your support has taken me this far - it's much appreciated!


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Ampulex In Vivid Gargo-Scope

The Most Important Comic Book Ever Published Just Got More Important-er
Artist to world: "I have been to the mountaintop. It is covered in bugs."

Announcing a new edition of my first book to be published this soon from my small press imprint Gargantuan Media. This book updates the art and story from the first edition and demonstrates how much I've learned in two years time. As for now, I'm planning on a full-color 50 to 70 page graphic novel.

Thank you to everyone who bought the first edition and stopped by my table at comic cons. I will have a new book for you guys really soon.


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Grand Roach

A new motion test made in Flash for the Grand Roach.

Do you want to know something? I need a new computer. The one I have renders Quicktime files from the Jurassic Era. How do I know this? Because the compressors are so badly out-dated that no matter how well I animate something (which is debatable) the compressors end up destroying the timing.

To clue you in on the "vintage" nature of my Apple G4 I bought it at the end of the 20th century. Since then it has been a print work-horse but is not cut out for more complex things like, say, rendering an 8-second clip in After Effects or Flash.

More good news. The one reliable guy I trusted to buy computers and parts from has either changed his business number or has gone out of business entirely. Un-flipping believable.

So a new Apple, an iMac I think, is in the cards for 2013. Which actually is probably the real good news here. Stick around...


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The Great War

A character sheet for retro-roach soldiers from the up-coming Roaches short.

The New Year is here and with it the anniversary of Roaches. It was just over two years ago this winter when I started this title. Way back in the winter of 2010. In the beginning it was just a few gags scratched out in a sketchbook. I remember being on a wicked caffeine high in this little coffee shop in Ohio and taking a break from fighting a mean infestation of real-life roaches that were in my apt. building.

I showed the bits to a few people who, much to my surprise, really enjoyed it. So, I took up my first webcomic right there and then.

Since then, the zany Roaches found an audience on-line, a book has gotten published, it's toured a few cons and now a short is in production. This little title has gotten all grown up!

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more mischief.


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ASH Con August



All photos by Paul Schmitt of Gargantuan Media 2012.

ASH Con August was another very well-attended event with nearly 700 attendees coming in during Sunday morning and early afternoon.

There were over a half a dozen indie title creators that I spoke with. All of them were even kind enough to let me get a quick photo and their web site information. Among the were Sterling Clark, who has worked with Sal Buscema, from Studio S in Kokomo, IN., Rodney Fyke from Hazzum in Cincinnati, OH., Marc Fishman and Matt Wright from Unshaven Comics in Chicago, IL., and Production Director at Panetheon Willie Peppers from Louisville, KY.

The guys from The Black Rose, Aaron Minier and Chris Anrnt were there as well as Mike Graves from BRIDGE Collective in Indianapolis, IN.

The show was a lot of fun. I managed to sign a few books and speak with a lot of comic people. There was even an extraordinary amount of cute chicks at this show. Probably the best show I've done all year.


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