Hello!

A friend asked me last week if making my newsletter every Friday was time well spent. Dear reader, it is a joy for me to share the things I find cool with you. These take me a couple hours to do and I love every minute. It's my time to just processing things, write my perspective on things, get a handle on what’s influencing me that week. It clears my head from the week and gets me settled for the weekend. I’d probably still do it if I didn’t even send it out.

On the business side, it's also way more effective at getting the word out for things I'm working on than social media. I don't know why or how, but sales from my newsletter eclipse sales from my instagram account.

Lastly, I'm contractually obligated by the executive board at JP Creative International Corp to write this thing, and I don't want to get fired as CEO.

Soooo, here we are.

Ok, got some cool stuff to share with you this weekend. Hope it finds you safe and sound.

Enjoy!

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1) Sukova Gang Members

From the Drawings Unit

I paused making comic pages for a day to design some characters for the Sukova gang. They're a group of bandits and outlaws who terrorize small asteroid mining communities in the Red Shift Territories. I'm making a short 10 page comic where the Renegades are all trying to snag one of these guys.

This short comic is something my agent needs to get a book deal, so I have to do it asap because she's waiting on me. I thought I'd release it as a freebie for you guys once it's finished as well. I should be able to wrap that up next week, then get grinding on Issue 2 of RSR right after that.

Posting work in progress on the patreon: LINK​

Watch this weeks livestream of comic making: LINK​

DOWNLOAD MY NEW COMIC HERE: LINK​

​💥Download it and read it TODAY!💥​

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2) A History of American Flight Helmets

From the Air and Space Division

Not sure how I ended up on this 90s era website devoted to military aviation, but I'm glad I found it. I thought this page of military flight helmets was fascinating. It starts with WWII era gear and ends with late 90s gear.

Amazing to see the advancements in 50 years, and hilarious how it seems like the helmet was the last thought on the aeroengineer's minds for about the first 20 years.

Looks like it was a "we provide the jet, you provide your own helmet" kind of a situation.

See all of them here: LINK​

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3) Page Ones

From the Comics Division

Found a nice collection of "Page Ones" of comics. The first page is supposed to grab you by the eyeballs and shove you into the story. Tradition is to make them bold, splashy, and informative. They carry a lot of weight, and are probably the most important part of the comic...besides the cover.

Common tropes are:

• The main character is very large in a cool pose
• The title of the story is s a part of the environment, or taking up a prominent spot somewhere on the page
• Characters are often caught in the middle of the action
• There's a lot of exposition, either spoken or narrated
• Credits for the creators are found somewhere on the page

Here's a nice twitter thread where I found this link. Lots of examples of compelling first pages posted here: LINK​

Page Ones Pinterest Collection: LINK​

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4) Calum Alexander Watt's Gyrobikes

From the Illustrators Division

Calem Alexander Watts has been one of my favorite concept artists for over a decade. He's got a great style. I'd describe his style as French ligne claire meets American concept realism. I was really excited to see his designs the recent Star Wars films.

These gyrobikes are just killer. Love the look and style of these. Would absolutely want to cruise around the desert on one of these beasts. though... I'd hate to fix a flat tire on that thing.

Website: LINK​

Twitter: LINK​

Instagram: LINK​

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5) On Investing

From the Inspirational Thought Unit

My typical day planning stems from what I want to get done that week. When I plan my week, I based it on what I want to get done that quarter. My quarter planning is based on a year plan. Planning for the year is informed by a 5 year projection of what I'd like to have accomplished.

It has taken me YEARS to figure this out. And I still fall into the habit of thinking what I want this day, instead of thinking about the future.

I think this applies in every scene in your life. Take a moment this weekend and think about where you want to be in the spring of 2027 with:

• Your relationships
• Your projects
• Your health
• Your finances

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Plan your days accordingly.

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That's all for this week. Thank you for reading this newsletter and hope you have a great weekend!

-Jake

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