Recent Comments

1. over 1 year ago on Now Recharging

   Hello everyone! I hope this story has been able to take you to a nice and fun place! Though, as Fairy (In-Training) Wren has pointed out, we’re not quite done, yet… In any case, it was delightful for me to get to imagine everyone’s fairy tale selves!

   You may recall that last year I posted a survey here asking for thoughts on self-published books. Thanks to the encouraging feedback from readers, I self-published Book 3 of Now Recharging and it’s debuting at TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) this month! This means Now Recharging Books 1-3 (covering Chapters 0-6 of Now Recharging, plus some bonus content) will be available in print together for the first time ever, and I’ll have other comics, zines, art and show specials as well!

   Mark your calendars for April 21 to May 7, 2023, the planned dates for TCAF’s Digital Marketplace, and keep an eye on TCAF’s site at TorontoComics.com – they’ll be showcasing works from amazing creators all over the world and you can explore and shop from all of them at once instead of dealing with separate stores/shipping. (This still blows me away – it’s such an impressive thing to coordinate, and so great for small indie creators and the readers who support them alike!) Please check it out if you can -I find it a very inspiring event!

   May spring bring you all wonderful things, and may you find joy and ease wherever you are!

2. over 2 years ago on Now Recharging

   Hello lovely readers! I hope the summer (or whatever season it may be for you when you read this) is being kind to you.

   This upcoming chapter, Story Time, is obviously about stories! I had a ton of fun dreaming it up, and in many ways it’s a love letter to many special people, things and memories in my life. OK, to be honest, so is the rest of Now Recharging basically… but I really wanted to say it here! Or at least type it. This chapter is also a little different from the others; you’ll see what I mean soon enough. I’m super excited and honoured to be able to finally share it with you all here, and I hope you enjoy it!

   In related excited sharing news – I finally got around to opening my online shop for physical items again. In addition to Now Recharging ebooks, there are also other very small run indie books, zines, prints, and other fun little things (including Now Recharging-related things!). You can check it out at store.humangray.com (which points to wherever my online shop is currently located, right now it’s ko-fi.com/maiji/shop).

   Wherever you are, please stay safe, and cool or warm (as appropriate and preferred for your situation)… and may you be able to spend much time with people you care about and activities that refresh you!

3. over 2 years ago on Now Recharging

   Hello everyone! I hope it’s a lovely day where you are, and that you’re enjoying Chapter 10! I don’t know about you, but I personally think it’s pretty impressive that the Shining Prince can compose original poetry on demand…

   Back in March I mentioned I’m part of a SpiderForest comic anthology, Threads: Creatures. The Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to print the book ends tomorrow, April 8, 2022. As I write this comment right now, we have 39 hours left to go! Every pledge and/or signal boost is greatly appreciated. I’ve been so lucky to get a preview of the entire thing, and it’s a wonderful collection of over 100 full colour pages and 19 fantastic tales of creatures of all kinds. The art and storytelling styles are very diverse and inspiring to me, and the whole thing is a real treat! If you love animals, stories, art, and books, please check it out and share with anyone you think would be interested. Rewards include even more print and digital comics, pins, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of many of the stories with concept art and creator commentary. There are also some stretch goal stickers that I think would be so charming to have (I’m crossing my fingers and toes for them!).

   You can see full details at spiderforest.com/kickstarter – the updates also include full page previews.

   Sending you all bright thoughts of freshness and spring, whether it may be visible around you or blooming in your heart. Please have a safe and refreshing rest of the week!

4. over 2 years ago on Now Recharging

   Good morning everyone, hope you’re all safe and doing well! Thank you all for your fun and thoughtful comments. I have to admit, getting Shiny to the laundromat is something I was really excited about, and this chapter has quite a few references to things I love… not to mention things that make me giggle. Please enjoy good times with robot friends <3

   I also wanted to share that the SpiderForest Webcomic Collective I’m a member of recently launched a crowdfunding campaign for our latest comic anthology! Threads: Creatures is a collection of 19 brand new standalone short comics featuring all sorts of creatures – majestic and mysterious, cute and tiny, domestic and wild! There are realms of magical deer, Buddhist snakes, Victorian lizards, space lobsters, and so much more. I have a story in it, and also some content in the Behind the Scenes bonus! The campaign runs until April 8, 2022. Please take a look, and it would be wonderful if you’re able to help spread the word to make it happen! You can check it out at spiderforest.com/kickstarter

   Wishing you all the best – may you all have a beautiful, restful weekend!

5. almost 3 years ago on Now Recharging

   Hi everyone! I hope your holidays were safe and wonderful, and that 2022 holds many good things in store for all of you. Thank you very much for making Now Recharging a part of your day and the beginnings of your new year :) It’s an honour to be able to share this story and these characters with you!

   One of the things I’m trying to figure out this year is what to do with self-published books. I would love your feedback! I’ve put together a quick little survey, and all questions are optional. You can fill it out by copying and pasting this address into your web browser address bar (it’s a Google form survey!): forms.gle/qcNHcd2rpEXM23Sz8

   Thank you so much for your time, and hope you have a lovely day!

6. about 3 years ago on Now Recharging

   Hi everyone! It’s been a while since I posted here. I meant to do so earlier, closer to the end of Chapter 7, but time and life did those things they like to do with your plans. I hope you’re all keeping well and in good health!

   The previous chapter was a pretty long and eventful one, and I very much appreciated the comments over its ups and downs. Thank you all so much for following this story, for sharing your thoughts and worries for the Prince, and for your heartfelt and amusing observations! In this chapter 8 and upcoming chapters, there’s tribute to a number of things that are very special to me. I hope you enjoy it, and the stories to come.

   I’m also particularly excited this week because Canzine starts tomorrow (Oct 22-25, 2021). It’s a really wonderful zine festival local to my neck of the woods – Toronto – and features creators from all over! Since the pandemic started, they’ve been operating in an online format, partnering with other events like TCAF (Toronto Comic Arts Festival) back in the spring. Once again, there’s a consolidated storefront to enable you to shop from multiple creators instead of dealing with separate stores and shipping. This will never cease to amaze me because of how much work it is to coordinate – and you’ll likely never see many of these self-published works all together in a big store, offline or online! They have a fun food theme this year, and I’ll be exhibiting in the “Fry Fest” section. There are so many awesome indie creators to check out; I think everyone can find something inspiring or engaging, and discover interesting artists and writers that you may not have heard about otherwise. Please take a look if you can! You can find it at canzine.ca.

   Sending you all positive thoughts as you go about your day. I hope you all find many things, both big and small, that bring you joy!

7. over 3 years ago on Now Recharging

   (Oops! I think this might be a more helpful link to let you see the programming and all the other events they’ve partnered with! torontocomics.com/tcaf-2021-schedule/ )

8. over 3 years ago on Now Recharging

   Hi everyone, hope you’re all doing well and staying safe! Thank you all so much for following this very long chapter, and I’m so excited that you are getting to see the Prince meeting the laundrybots :D It put a smile on my face to see some of the speculations on the previous page. I hope you have as much fun reading it as I did writing and drawing it!

   I also wanted to let you all know that the virtual Toronto Comic Arts Festival (TCAF) is taking place starting this weekend! It runs from May 8 to 15, 2021, full details at torontocomics.com/exhibitors-2021

   I’m one of the exhibitors, and will actually have some print copies of Now Recharging (Book 1 – covers chapters 0 and 1, and Book 2 which covers chapters 2 to 3 plus some cute stickers!) available, along with some of my other print projects, all self-published! There are lots of neat online events taking place, with many amazing creators from around the world showcasing their work. The festival is doing a unified online marketplace/storefront where you can explore and shop from many creators instead of dealing with separate stores/shipping etc. This is really ambitious and a lot of hard work to coordinate, but hopefully a much more convenient experience for attendees. I find it a really inspiring event for anyone who loves comics, books, stories, art, illustration, design… Please check it out if you have the chance! <3

   Hope you all have a wonderful rest of the day – and Mother’s Day weekend!

9. over 3 years ago on Now Recharging

   I’m so sorry, there is indeed supposed to be a new page today (Thurs March 25, 2021). GoComics is looking into this, so hopefully it will appear soon!

10. over 4 years ago on Now Recharging

    Hi everyone! Wow, I can’t believe it’s already been four years since Now Recharging started posting on GoComics. (Did I math that right?) Thank you all so much for following and reading. I’m sorry I’m not able to reply to individual comments, but I try to read as many as possible – they’re so funny, and also touching. I’m always moved by all of you taking the time to share your humour and reflections.

    Chapter 6 was, and is, a very personal one for many reasons. Now Recharging as a whole pays tribute to a lot of things I care about – including people who are no longer here. If at least one person is able to find something helpful or comforting in this chapter, that’s all I could hope for.

    Susan’s activity is based on a simple art therapy exercise I learned from staff at the Philip Aziz Centre/Emily’s House, a palliative care hospice in Toronto. Many thanks to the amazing Heather who did a demo I will always remember. The staff and volunteers there are a truly wonderful and inspiring group of people!

    The exercise was focused on helping children who are dealing with the death of a family member or friend, but I think it can be very helpful for adults too. Even though I had a sense of what was coming, I personally found it relaxing and powerful just to knead and to do something and then to see the results.

    Thank you all again for being part of this journey with Emmie :) I hope you enjoy Chapter 7!