The 10th (last) page of the story is up now. New Arc starts in July.

Quote from: invisifan on June 21, 2016, 03:20:53 PM
The 10th (last) page of the story is up now. New Arc starts in July.

I'm going to read it now.

Quote from: invisifan on June 21, 2016, 03:20:53 PM
The 10th (last) page of the story is up now. New Arc starts in July.

Read it, loved it! As an aside, that makes TWO homages to I Dream of Jeannie for Dan Parent in a single month (the other was in the new story in this month's BETTY AND VERONICA SUMMER ANNUAL #244). Not sure if Dave Lumsden wrote that scene in there specifically for Dan, or that's just the way it turned out. Technically, in this story there's no genie... but a magical girl in an Arabian harem outfit is close enough.

I question why they're calling this a "soft reboot", though. If it's NOT a reboot (and it isn't) then the word "reboot" shouldn't even be in there anywhere. That just causes a small twinge of panic for readers who've been following the series regularly up to that point -- like the Red Alert signs start flashing and the "AAAOOOOOHGAH! AAAOOOOOHGAH!" klaxons start going off.

I don't even know that there's any consensus on what the term "soft reboot" means, or what people might think it means. It seems to imply some kind of "minor" reboot, like a slight adjustment where there's a continuity implant and/or some sort of vague "selective amnesia" by which they're agreeing to forget about certain overly-complex recent events, like "We shall never speak of this again." The only real thing that comes to mind that might fit that description is something like Spider-Man's "Brand New Day", after Mephisto selectively tinkered with Peter Parker's past history (or memories -- I'm still a little vague on that).

I've seen it used in a couple of instances to indicate what's known as a "jump-on point" -- i.e., a point in an otherwise complex storyline that's kind of a "lull" between major arcs where it's designed to be accessible to new readers... the perfect place to start reading, if you haven't been following up to this point. And obviously, by using classic Archie artists like Fernando Ruiz and Dan Parent, you might hope to lure fans of classic Archie stories. As it turns out, Fernando's story functioned pretty well at that, but I don't know about this one. While I loved it, and understood everything happening with no problem, I wonder if someone reading Magick Chicks for the first time would. It just seems like this little story casts the focus on what might be construed as the most complicated parts of Melissa's backstory, but doesn't go a long way to explaining how things got that way for new readers.

At any rate, this story just seems like a "bonus story", like something you'd find in the back of an Annual that came out in-between story arcs in a series that had fairly complex continuity. Sort of just like a little "afterstory" or coda to the climactic events that just wrapped up, before launching into a whole new series of adventures.

I didn't really understand the story at all and I haven't read much of Magick Chicks. I liked Fernando's story better. The art is great in all of Pixie Trix's comics but I think I just don't get or like Dave Lumsden's writing style. Menage a Trois I thought was the funniest. When does the girl band part start?

Quote from: irishmoxie on June 23, 2016, 05:16:43 AM
I didn't really understand the story at all and I haven't read much of Magick Chicks. I liked Fernando's story better. The art is great in all of Pixie Trix's comics but I think I just don't get or like Dave Lumsden's writing style.

I guess that pretty well proves the point I was trying to make. If by "soft reboot" they meant "jump-on point", then this story isn't very accessible to new readers. You need to know too much backstory going into it to understand what's going on.

I have been a Menage A 3 reader but have not read Magick Chiks. I love the artwork of Gisele and the creative works of Gisele, Dan Parent, and Fernando Ruiz so this and Eerie Cuties will most likely be right up my alley. I will most certainly be taking a look see.

Quote from: Midge Klump on June 25, 2016, 01:49:21 PM
I have been a Menage A 3 reader but have not read Magick Chiks. I love the artwork of Gisele and the creative works of Gisele, Dan Parent, and Fernando Ruiz so this and Eerie Cuties will most likely be right up my alley. I will most certainly be taking a look see.

I've read all of Eerie Cuties, Magick Chicks and Dangerously Chloe, but have barely read any of MA3.

I think it's the single strip format that I find daunting, as a webcomic. Too much clicking for too little reading per click, and there are a LOT of back pages to get through, which is why I never got that far into it. I wish it were like a regular comic format page. I wonder what the print format looks like, if they rearrange the panels to fit on a comic format page or how they do it.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 12:35:27 AM

Quote from: Midge Klump on June 25, 2016, 01:49:21 PM
I have been a Menage A 3 reader but have not read Magick Chiks. I love the artwork of Gisele and the creative works of Gisele, Dan Parent, and Fernando Ruiz so this and Eerie Cuties will most likely be right up my alley. I will most certainly be taking a look see.

I've read all of Eerie Cuties, Magick Chicks and Dangerously Chloe, but have barely read any of MA3.

I think it's the single strip format that I find daunting, as a webcomic. Too much clicking for too little reading per click, and there are a LOT of back pages to get through, which is why I never got that far into it. I wish it were like a regular comic format page. I wonder what the print format looks like, if they rearrange the panels to fit on a comic format page or how they do it.

I would imagine they would rearrange the panels so it would fit on a full single page.

Quote from: Midge Klump on June 26, 2016, 12:54:30 AM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 12:35:27 AM

Quote from: Midge Klump on June 25, 2016, 01:49:21 PM
I have been a Menage A 3 reader but have not read Magick Chiks. I love the artwork of Gisele and the creative works of Gisele, Dan Parent, and Fernando Ruiz so this and Eerie Cuties will most likely be right up my alley. I will most certainly be taking a look see.

I've read all of Eerie Cuties, Magick Chicks and Dangerously Chloe, but have barely read any of MA3.

I think it's the single strip format that I find daunting, as a webcomic. Too much clicking for too little reading per click, and there are a LOT of back pages to get through, which is why I never got that far into it. I wish it were like a regular comic format page. I wonder what the print format looks like, if they rearrange the panels to fit on a comic format page or how they do it.

I would imagine they would rearrange the panels so it would fit on a full single page.

Okay, I just did a search for a digital copy of the print edition and found it on ComiXology, along with a few preview pages. They do rearrange the panels into a 4-panel 2x2 grid for each page (so I assume that the 4 same-sized panel format is an unbreakable rule for each strip).

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 01:43:02 AM
They do rearrange the panels into a 4-panel 2x2 grid for each page (so I assume that the 4 same-sized panel format is an unbreakable rule for each strip).

The only rule we have is that the comic needs to split in half. We can do as many panels as we want in each half. PDFs are also available here https://gumroad.com/pixietrixcomix/ but you won't get the panel to panel guided view like comixology. I'm behind in sending stuff to comixology for them to add but all books will eventually be there.

Quote from: Gisele on June 26, 2016, 03:34:18 AM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 01:43:02 AM
They do rearrange the panels into a 4-panel 2x2 grid for each page (so I assume that the 4 same-sized panel format is an unbreakable rule for each strip).

The only rule we have is that the comic needs to split in half. We can do as many panels as we want in each half. PDFs are also available here https://gumroad.com/pixietrixcomix/ but you won't get the panel to panel guided view like comixology. I'm behind in sending stuff to comixology for them to add but all books will eventually be there.

Here's a question. Was the format for the strip decided upon with an eye towards its potential as a feature for inclusion in various alternative newspapers? And has that actually happened?

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 06:15:09 AM
Here's a question. Was the format for the strip decided upon with an eye towards its potential as a feature for inclusion in various alternative newspapers? And has that actually happened?

I've always loved the newspaper strip format. If you look at all my projects, that's how they all started: Cool Cat Studio, Penny & Aggie, Menage a 3, even Eerie Cuties. Penny & Aggie was the only one that I REALLY tried to get in the newspapers, and we almost did with the Washington Post. Once that didn't happen, T Campbell and I decided to switch the comic to a full page format to do more complex storylines. Plus, it's what the readers wanted. After a while of that, I felt the need to draw gags again, and Menage a 3 was born. I knew going in that it would never be in newspapers, and I didn't care. I wanted to do something fun, and something where I didn't have to take myself seriously. Doing more absurd humor was something I had never really done, and here was my chance. I honestly didn't think it would catch on either but it did, and boy did it ever. It surpassed anything I had ever done in terms of readership and support from readers. I guess many were looking for something like Ma3 when it came out back in 2008. So to answer your question, no, we never thought Ma3 would be in newspapers, and we never tried to either. I did make a conscious decision at the very beginning that the strip would split in half so it would be easier to collect in a more standard format. I honestly fell in love with the format as it's very flexible.

Quote from: Gisele on June 26, 2016, 06:53:52 PM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 26, 2016, 06:15:09 AM
Here's a question. Was the format for the strip decided upon with an eye towards its potential as a feature for inclusion in various alternative newspapers? And has that actually happened?

I've always loved the newspaper strip format. If you look at all my projects, that's how they all started: Cool Cat Studio, Penny & Aggie, Menage a 3, even Eerie Cuties. Penny & Aggie was the only one that I REALLY tried to get in the newspapers, and we almost did with the Washington Post. Once that didn't happen, T Campbell and I decided to switch the comic to a full page format to do more complex storylines. Plus, it's what the readers wanted. After a while of that, I felt the need to draw gags again, and Menage a 3 was born. I knew going in that it would never be in newspapers, and I didn't care. I wanted to do something fun, and something where I didn't have to take myself seriously. Doing more absurd humor was something I had never really done, and here was my chance. I honestly didn't think it would catch on either but it did, and boy did it ever. It surpassed anything I had ever done in terms of readership and support from readers. I guess many were looking for something like Ma3 when it came out back in 2008. So to answer your question, no, we never thought Ma3 would be in newspapers, and we never tried to either. I did make a conscious decision at the very beginning that the strip would split in half so it would be easier to collect in a more standard format. I honestly fell in love with the format as it's very flexible.

Maybe it's time for you to reconsider shopping it around to various alternative press newspapers or magazines. According to Wikipedia:

QuoteMénage à 3 is consistently rated in the top 50 webcomics on the internet and is one of the top 25 most read.

Surely those kind of statistics might cause an alternative press editor to give it some serious consideration for inclusion in their comix section? Congratulations are in order in any case -- it seems you really tapped into the current cultural zeitgeist with MA3.

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 27, 2016, 01:53:21 AM
Maybe it's time for you to reconsider shopping it around to various alternative press newspapers or magazines. According to Wikipedia:
Ménage à 3 is consistently rated in the top 50 webcomics on the internet and is one of the top 25 most read.

Surely those kind of statistics might cause an alternative press editor to give it some serious consideration for inclusion in their comix section? Congratulations are in order in any case -- it seems you really tapped into the current cultural zeitgeist with MA3.

We've had interest from a few publishers to publish Ma3 but we do pretty well self-publishing it, and we get to keep all profits. Maybe we'll go the traditional route for omnibus editions.

Quote from: Gisele on June 27, 2016, 03:03:32 PM

Quote from: DeCarlo Rules on June 27, 2016, 01:53:21 AM
Maybe it's time for you to reconsider shopping it around to various alternative press newspapers or magazines. According to Wikipedia:
Ménage à 3 is consistently rated in the top 50 webcomics on the internet and is one of the top 25 most read.

Surely those kind of statistics might cause an alternative press editor to give it some serious consideration for inclusion in their comix section? Congratulations are in order in any case -- it seems you really tapped into the current cultural zeitgeist with MA3.

We've had interest from a few publishers to publish Ma3 but we do pretty well self-publishing it, and we get to keep all profits. Maybe we'll go the traditional route for omnibus editions.

Wouldn't it just be an additional revenue stream? Something like self-syndication? I'd assume the the readership of these alternative papers or magazines has pretty much zero overlap with the people currently reading the webcomic or buying digital or print compilations. Not to say that some of those alternative paper or magazine readers couldn't then JOIN the existing group of webcomic/compilation readers. I just thought it would be another way of getting exposure to an audience that would like it, but wouldn't have necessarily gone looking for it in the first place, because they may never have heard of it yet.