The Hunter Black Mailer Is Changing!
IT USED TO BE THE…
…BUT FROM NOW ON, IT’S…
(I made that myself so maybe this is a good time to reassure you that I am NOT the graphic designer of the team!)
Things are changing. We have news to share. Let’s get into it.
First off, if you’re getting this newsletter, you’re either a reader of Hunter Black who was already subscribed OR you’re an acquaintance of one of the five of us (Tony Chavira, Ang Chen, William Orr, Axel Ortiz, or Justin Peniston) with an interest in animation or comics.
(Second, if you want off of this mailing list — and we promise you’ll only get one of these once a month or so — just scroll down to the bottom and hit UNSUBSCRIBE. We love you, so we’ll set you free.)
Big & Tall Tales, the company that Will and Justin founded to control all of our independent creations, is no more. It has served its purpose…and more than that, it’s not big enough (despite the name), to contain all that we’ve become.
You might recall that, a few years back, we joined a creative collective to work on animation development…a collective called MASSIVE CHAOS. At the time, it was just something for animation development, but as we’ve grown closer and formalized our relationship, we’ve come to realize it’s the perfect home for whatever we do creatively. That includes Hunter Black.
So we’re not gonna call this the “Hunter Black Mailer” or “Hunter Black Bounty Bulletin” anymore…because we’re gonna be featuring more stuff than just Hunter Black stuff. (Well…it might still be MOSTLY Hunter Black for a while.) Going forward, we’ll be leaning into the Massive Chaos bomb motif and…BLOWING UP YOUR INBOX!
We will use this newsletter to keep you abreast of all things Massive Chaos, which means all things Hunter Black…but also all things Justin, Will, Ang, Axel, and Tony! All of us are working professionals with stuff in the works…and stuff you can currently check out, so we should have plenty to fill you in on as time goes by.
But for all you Hunter Black fans — your favorite hard-boiled fantasy webcomic is still the only project we have that is coming out currently and regularly. We’ll ALWAYS be talking about Hunter Black!
SO, WHO IS…?
Ang Chen
Ang is a visual dreamer who currently designs characters for games and TV. She is on an eternal hunt for the thickest of noodles and loves doing nothing at the park.
Tony Chavira
Tony is a builder of ideas working as a writer and creative consultant. He likes leaning into a strong breeze on a warm day, and has probably spent a total of 3 years of his life playing video games. (For research, obviously.)
William Orr
Will is a freelance artist and co-creator of Hunter Black. He is a big fan of Dungeons and Dragons, miniature gaming, and he loves fostering puppies — feel free to ask about them so he can bombard you with photos!
Justin Peniston
I am a writer that focuses especially on world-building, character development, and exploring theme. (Which is kinda the whole enchilada, I guess.) These [RECACTED] cats need to stop sleeping on my [REDACTED] pillow!
Axel Ortiz
Axel was born and raised in the Golden State. A creative daydreamer that did his schooling (time) at the Art Center College of Design in the pleasant town of Pasadena…to work on perfecting his design work (doodling). Axel has worked professionally in the entertainment industry for more than 20 years, on projects from animation to live action. He and his little nephew are on a quest to visit all the comic books stores in and around Los Angeles County.
SO, WHAT DOES…
…HAVE COMING UP?
Sonic Prime is on its way back!
You may recall that I (Justin) wrote for Sonic Prime, the first eight episodes of which dropped on Netflix last December. Well, The next batch of episodes, probably another eight, will be released this summer, on July 13th, 2023.
The only episode that I personally wrote of the first batch just happened to be the cliffhanger end to the “season,” so this means I get to make up for any distress I may have caused anyone who watched!
Axel has been laying down the backgrounds on several shows for Fox, shows that you need either to watch or to plan for.
First up, there’s a new show coming down the pike (WGA strike permitting, that is) in the fall — GRIMSBURG. Not much has been released about it; according to Wikipedia, “The series takes place in the fictional town of Grimsburg, where detective Marvin Flute may be the greatest detective, but can't figure out his own family.” Judging from the characters in the promo image above, it’s not your typical family drama! It’s already been picked up for a second season, so you know it’s gonna be good.
Next…or rather, currently, Axel’s the background guy on HouseBroken, now airing its second season on Fox and Hulu! Make sure you’re tuning in so it gets picked up for a third season. (We need the money!)
New episodes come out every Sunday!
Remember this? Hunter Black Volume Two: Five of Thirteen is done! It’s so done that Will and I are gonna be able to hold the proof in our hands in just a few days! (We might actually have already done it by the time I send this — hard to tell at the moment.)
We are now at the very earliest stages of planning a Kickstarter, so we can print enough copies to meet the demand. We’re going to do a very short printing run funded out of our pockets, because we owe these books to some of our Patrons (hint-hint), not to mention the awesome artists who contributed original Hunter Black art to the book.
Volume Two is by far the biggest story in the series — and it introduces many of our favorite characters: Jasoom Badrali, Tzetzem’Tze’Tzemoze, and of course, Zezem the Cruel. (Will has an annoying fascination with the letter Z.) This book will be a must-buy for any fan of the webcomic.
That has been a long time coming — and it’s finally here!
Shelved Books Podcast
I (Justin) appeared on the April 20th and April 27th episodes of this uniquely fun podcast, talking about the projects that I just haven’t been able to get off the ground (for whatever reason).
POPSKL!
I (still Justin) remain a partner in POPSKL, a podcasting group dedicated to having Big Conversations about Big Stories! Most recently, we did a one-shot episode about The Diplomat, the latest awesomeness from Netflix!
This is definitely worth a listen!
Look, if you ask me to come on to your YouTube channel to rank the Star Wars movies…I’m gonna do that. William-Patrick Coleman, the Filmbuff, and I (yes, it’s Justin — I get around) talk Star Wars…both quality and trivia for almost two very entertaining hours — and there’s an excellent chance if you’re reading this, you’re into Star Wars. Let me offend you with my opinions on The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker!
IS THIS ALL THAT…
…DOES?
Pitching Is HARD
So…like, the ultimate expression of what we do at Massive Chaos, at least at the moment, is presenting pitches for new shows and new IP.
Of late, we’ve been putting a lot of energy into developing and delivering great pitches. We’re fortunate to have great representation that helps to get us opportunities to pitch to some BIG companies…and we’ve been doing our best to make the most of those opportunities. Whatever one might think of our ideas, our pitches are professional as hell.
The bad news is, as of this writing, no one has yet offered us a deal, although there are still studios that haven’t passed — that are still reading over our materials…and even asking for more stuff. The GOOD news is, our swings have been creating more opportunities for us. Our pitches might be acting as specs that get us jobs on Work For Hire gigs.
This is our year. Keep your ear to the ground for more stuff coming from Massive Chaos! (And keep reading Hunter Black!)
