The Adventures of Simone & Ajax

Simone & Ajax nominated for TWO Inkwell Awards!
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Apr 26, 2023 at 09:46:05 AM

I am very honored to have been nominated for two Inkwell Awards, both for my work inking my own pencils on "The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: Lemmings and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!"  The Inkwells recognize the skill of the inker, whether inking their own pencils or those of another artist. One nomination is for the S.P.A.M.I. Award: Favorite Small Press And Mainstream/Independent ink work and the other for the All-In-One Award: Favorite artist known for inking his/her own pencil work. These are the first award nominations for this book you helped make happen! Anyone at all can vote, so please click the link and cast your vote by May 10th. I'm nominated alongside some great artists, some of them friends, so whether you vote for me or someone else, please help recognize the role of inking in comics. Thanks!

https://inkwellawards.com/2023-inkwell-awards/

Yours in Adventure, Andrew

Simone & Ajax cross the finish line! Final digital reward! And a special announcement!
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Mar 25, 2023 at 10:24:45 AM

Hi, Everyone!

This extra-long update is the last update for this Simone & Ajax Kickstarter.... because, finally, IT'S DONE! Yes, all the packages have been shipped. If you were supposed to get anything physical, it should be in your hands by now (though the last packages to Italy and Australia might not yet be there). If you haven't received your book/mystery box/commission/etc., please contact me. There are a few of you who never completed the survey or your credit cards didn't go through, and I've tried contacting you directly, so hopefully I hear from you soon, so this campaign can truly be wrapped up. I want you to get your books!

And speaking of wrapping up, please check your Kickstarter messages, because there you'll find a link to download the final digital reward, the stretch goal of a PDF of the unfinished Simone & Ajax newspaper comic strip, which led to two of the stories in "Lemmings and Tigers and Bears." I wanted to wait to send it out until all of you had a chance to read the finished pirate and western stories in the book before seeing the origins of those in the PDF. I hope you enjoy it!

A HUGE Thank You to you all for your your support of this project I'd wanted to to do for so long and for your patience. I could not have done this without you. It means a lot to me that you all stuck with me through the pandemic, Covid and other illnesses, eye surgery, and my learning the hard way how to self-publish a book. No one cancelled their pledge, despite the delays, and I so appreciate that. I've loved your encouraging messages along the way and your comments after your read it. When I was going through cancer treatments a few years ago (now in remission, thankfully), this book was what I promised myself I would do when I got better, so not only have I fulfilled my promise to you, but I have to myself, as well. 

And now some special news I wanted you all to hear first! I'm going to use all those hard-learned publishing lessons... and do another Kickstarter for another Simone & Ajax book! But this time it'll be pretty much ready to go when I run the campaign! This will be a collection of all the 1990's black & white S&A comics, so it's already written and drawn! I just need to do a new cover and clean up some the art. These stories appeared in a number of different anthologies and can be very hard to find, so now they'll all be in one place, including the "secret origin" of our fun friends, plus all sorts of extras that most people have never seen before. I'll let you know when it's ready to launch later this year, and, being ready to go, this time it will be a short wait from campaign to you having it in your hands.

Some of you have asked what cons I'm doing this year. I'd love to meet you, so please come by and say HI at MegaCon in Orlando (March 30-April 2), Three Rivers Comic-Con in Pittsburgh (June 3-4), HeroesCon in Charlotte, NC (June 16-18), Wyoming Pop Culture Con in Casper (July 7-9), San Diego Comic-Con (July 19-23), Terrificon in Mohegan, CT (July 28-30), FanExpo Chicago (August 10-13), Baltimore Comic-Con (September 8-10), Retro Expo Dallas (September 16-17), New York Comic-Con (October 12-15), and Grand Rapids Comic-Con (November 3-5). A few of these are not 100% confirmed yet, and a few cons may be added, so please keep checking my website at www.pepoy.com and follow me on social media on Facebook (both me and Simone & Ajax) and Instagram (again, both me and S&A). I'll also be sending out updates via my occasional newsletter. I'm still working on adding all of you who signed up for it through the backer survey, but please go sign up for it through my website if you want to be sure you're on the list.

Also, there's still time to nominate Simone & Ajax for the Ringo Awards. Please click HERE to go to the previous update to see all the different categories it can be nominated in. I'd really appreciate your help getting this book noticed by a wider audience. Thanks!

And please remember more copies of the book are still available through me via my Indiegogo page. Please share the link https://bit.ly/simoneandajaxgogo to help share the fun. I'd also love it if you'd post a rating or review on Goodreads.

I want to recommend two other current Kickstarters that I've backed and I hope you will check out. First up, fellow inker-turned-Kickstarter-publisher, Karl Kesel, has been doing a great series of Impossible Jones one-shots. The latest one is live now! You can also get all the past Imp books through it, too. Please click HERE to check it out. I'm also supporting Pinupocalypse, a fun, retro, pin-up inspired comic about two 1950's women battling zombies and aliens. It could use your help. Please click HERE for more info.

Before I go, another big Thank You to you all! This is the book I'm most proud of in my 34-year career in comics. Thank you for helping make it a reality. I hope you'll be back for the next Simone & Ajax Kickstarter for the collection of their early adventures. I'll let you know when that happens. I'll leave you now with a few of the last commissions.

Yours in Adventure, and with so many thanks, Andrew

Simone & Ajax need YOUR help!
almost 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 08, 2023 at 08:32:42 AM

Hi, Everyone!

Simone & Ajax need YOUR help! It's time to nominate comics for the prestigious Ringo Awards, named after my late friend, Mike Wieringo, given each year at the Baltimore Comic-Con. Anyone, including YOU, can nominate a comic for the awards, and I'm asking for your help by doing that for Simone & Ajax and me. If you enjoyed the colorful adventures of our intrepid twosome, I hope you will go to https://ringoawards.survey.fm/ringo-awards-2023-nominations and make the following nominations:

-Best Cartoonist (Writer/Artist): Andrew Pepoy for “The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: Lemmings and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!”
-Best Colorist: Jason Millet for “The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: Lemmings and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!”
-Best Cover Artist: Andrew Pepoy for “The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: Lemmings and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!”
-Best Original Graphic Novel: “The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: Lemmings and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!” by Andrew Pepoy
-Best Kids Comic or Graphic Novel: “The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: Lemmings and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!” by Andrew Pepoy
-Best Humor Comic: “The Adventures of Simone & Ajax: Lemmings and Tigers and Bears! Oh, My!” by Andrew Pepoy

You don't have to submit a nomination to other categories, so don't worry about that, but, hey, if there are some other comics you like that came out in 2022, go for it! Support the comics! You can do this until May 11th, but the sooner the better, so you don't wake up on May 12th and wish you'd remembered. I'll be very grateful for your help. Getting a nomination is very helpful for getting the book some exposure.

In other news, I'll be doing my first convention of the year, MegaCon, at the end of the month, March 30-April 2, in Orlando, Florida. It's my first con in Florida in nearly 15 years. I'll have art, comics, prints, and more, plus signing comics and doing commissions. I'm only doing commissions through Kickstarter campaigns and at cons these days, so if you missed out here, try me there. Please message me if you'd like to pre-book. Or just stop by and say HI, so I can say thanks for your support in person!

Speaking of commissions, I'm getting closer to being done with the ones for this campaign. Another batch went out yesterday. Before I get to giving you a peek at a few, Simone & Ajax doing a retro sci-fi look has been a popular request. Did you know the last black & white S&A story I did, in 2004, was full of bubble helmets and jetpacks? Watch this space for an announcement for how you can get your hands on that story and more. In the meantime, here are a few of the latest commissions, some Simone & Ajax, some not.

I'll be back soon with (hopefully!) the final commissions, as well as a last something for all of you!

Yours in Adventure, Andrew

More Simone & Ajax Commissions Mailed!
almost 2 years ago – Sat, Feb 25, 2023 at 10:54:44 AM

Hi, Everyone!

Sorry for the delayed update, but I've been sick much of the past 2+ weeks. Unfortunately, that means I've not made the progress I'd wanted to on wrapping up the commission/book combos, but another batch went out yesterday, so some of you will see packages in the coming days. More going out a few at a time until done, but I'm getting closer. Thanks for your patience! Here are a few that went out this week:

 If you're waiting for anything other than the book/commission combo, please let me know, as you should have received everything else by now. 

Before I go, there's a great Kickstarter campaign happening right now for Kelly Yates' "Amber Atoms." It's a fun, sci-fi comic that you might remember from Image Comics a number of years back. Kelly is doing a collection of the series, plus a new story some bonus material. I loved the series and have backed his book. I hope you'll please take a look. https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1278188118/amber-atoms-blast-off

Back soon with another update and soon some news about the next Simone & Ajax project!

Yours in Adventure, Andrew

Simone & Ajax Update! More Commissions sent!
about 2 years ago – Thu, Feb 02, 2023 at 10:02:33 AM

Hi! A short update today to let those of you waiting on your book/commission combos that a bunch more went out yesterday. I do have some more to do, and I am sorry they're taking so long. I'm bouncing back and forth between my Phantastes work and commissions, knocking out a few at a time, but they are getting there. I did one a couple days ago, looked at it, said it wasn't good enough, and redrew it. I'm trying very hard to make them things you'll feel were worth waiting for. Please see below for a few that have now gone out. 

As for everyone else other than the commission backers, please let me know if you haven't gotten your book yet, as all should have been received by now. 

Thanks, as always, for your support and patience!

Yours in Adventure, Andrew