I suppose it’s finally time to address a question that keeps coming up at both conventions and online: What’s going on with Tea Club?
My hope was to get back to it later this year, as I got back into the swing of drawing comics with Unemployed Pandas. I will be honest, though; the last storyline of Resident Tea-vil will most likely never get finished. It’s simply a case of losing steam, and as it’s sat for quite a few years now it’s really hard to get back into it. The story actually was supposed to go on for another 10-12 pages and then end, and I had already storyboarded it.
Regarding Volume 2 of the Tea Club manga, such a project may not happen anytime soon. If you look at any graphic novel, it is a significant amount of work. The first volume alone represents 6 solid months of intense writing, storyboarding, pencilling, inking, Photoshop-toning, and Illustrator-lettering that was 95% completed by my own hand. It was a heart-wrenching, stressful, and mind-boggling experience that my body and mind are strongly advising me not to go through again. I have no regrets about having completed it, but I definitely need to re-think my work structure when it comes to putting volume 2 together.
So those are my initial thoughts about Tea Club. I also miss it dearly. The characters are still a joy to draw, but at the moment I feel a bit out of touch with where the whole universe left off. I have been brainstorming on how the next Tea Club arc will begin, though, so please know that the entire story has not been abandoned.
Right now, I’m really enjoying the chance to finally tell the story about Ninja Panda and Samurai Panda. Ninja Panda, Samurai Panda, and the myriad of panda characters that have graced my t-shirt line over the past few years have been patiently waiting to have their story told, and their presence has increased so much over the years that many anime/comic convention attendees often wonder what the heck a “random generic catgirl” is doing in their midst. (Don’t worry, it saddens me to hear them think that Hana Neko is a random generic catgirl too.) This year has been interesting in testing out the waters with Unemployed Pandas, and it is strange to hear an outcry from old Tea Club fans wondering about Tea Club Volume 2.
It’s finally gotten to the point where I decided to leave it open to discussion. What do you guys think? Would you be interested in seeing more Tea Club sooner than later? Leave a comment and let me and Mervyn know, so we can figure out the next step…
- PMBQ
