I should first say that my day job has nothing to do with art or writing or comics. When I was a kid, I loved comics and roleplaying games, and thought about being a comic book writer, but I figured that was about as realistic as trying to be a pro football player. I've tried learning to draw comic characters before, but I either didn't have the talent or the patience for it.

I've been writing stories for my own enjoyment for many years. It occured to me a few years ago that I waste so much time dreaming up stories that never leave my head or my hard drive, I should probably try to take all that time and effort and make it productive.

Having seen 3d comics on line, I downloaded and played around with DAZ Studio, then later downloaded a trial copy of Poser 7. Once I decided I was committed to really making use of the program, I bought Poser 7. At first, I only intended it for my own amusement. I first got the idea to make webcomics to post for an audience when I read Order of the Stick. I figured if a someone can make a compelling comic series using stick figures, I can make a passable comic using 3D renders. I did a lot of reading on how to start a webcomic, and eventually I had my Ishtar Comics website (Ishtar is the name of one of my main characters, although she hasn't appeared in any of my comics yet).

I was not yet aware of HIP Comix, but I was aware of the Superheroine Central website. I got motivated to submit a comic to them because I was really feeling the pressure to supplement my income. I was really surprised when their main dissatisfaction with the American Goddess comic was that American Goddess' costume is so revealing. Apparently at SHC it's important for the heroine to wear a full costume so that you can see it being ripped off, like a striptease I suppose. That makes sense, but it's not what I was going for with American Goddess.

Later on, I discovered HIP Comix, and quickly realized it was a better fit for me. I submitted the American Goddess comic to Jpeger, but unknown to me he didn't get my email. Since I thought Jpeger wasn't interested, I posted the American Goddess comic to the HIP Comix Guest Gallery, figuring I could attract attention to my own website.

To make a long story short, later on I found out that Jpeger liked my comic, and that he had not actually seen it until I posted it in the Guest Gallery. He asked if I'd like to be involved in either HIP Comix or MC Comix, and I enthusiastically said "Yes!" Soon after this, I realized that the storylines I had been developing and planning for my own website would actually fit a lot better at HIP Comix. At some point, I will retire www.ishtarcomics.com and Panthera Khan will appear at HIP Comix instead.

Timo has coached me on how to get my comics ready for posting as official HIP Comix features, and Dr. Robo has advised me as I've worked on finishing American Goddess: Ring of Domination. I hope people enjoy the conclusion of this series as it plays out over the next few months. I'm looking forward to starting my next comic series, which is tentatively titled "Victory City Chronicles." American Goddess will appear in this series, but I'll also be introducing a lot of new characters that I hope readers enjoy.

Thanks again to Jpeger and HIP Comix for giving me this opportunity!

Mr. Cryptic