The Otherwalls is going on Hiatus.

I am currently not in a position to give The Otherwalls the time and attention that it deserves and needs. In order to get through even the first 10 chapters of the story will take me years (or decades, at this pace), and I am not sure the story as it is currently written is the best use of that time.

As a creator, I am unhappy with about 80-90% of what I’ve published so far. I was hoping that with time and regular updates this feeling would dissipate, but it hasn’t. I still feel like it’s awkward and clumsy and a bit of a mess. This isn’t what it’s supposed to feel like.

I have learned a lot from working on The Otherwalls and I have loved and enjoyed it immensely. The flipside is that what I’ve learned while working on it pretty much makes me want to start again. I know so much more about story structure, panel flow, and the importance of doing decent amounts of research in order to make sure the story has the right kind of impact.

I feel like The Otherwalls is a story world for someone who has a bit more experience writing stories than I currently do. I love the world and the idea, but I feel I’m not currently executing it in a way that it deserves to be told.

So, for at least 2012, The Otherwalls will be on Hiatus. I will miss my characters, especially the ones that never got to have their stories told. It isn’t lost on me the irony of abandoning a story about abandoned stories, but it’s just the way it has to be. I do still hope to return to this idea someday, when I am a better artist and writer and able to actually articulate it the way it is in my head, or at least much closer than it is currently.

2012 may not have any more Otherwalls updates, but it will have a million other projects, including short comics, stories, and lots of amazing things. Keep an eye on jemshed.com, my flickr and twitter accounts for updates on what will be happening there.

Thank you for your support of The Otherwalls by reading it, it’s been so great to know you’re real people out there reading my comic. I hope you will continue to follow my future projects, there’s only more awesomeness to come.

Jem Yoshioka

Sorry for the delay in updates folks! Life keeps getting away on me. I’m in full time work at the moment, and have a few other projects on, like preparing things to sell at craft fairs. I’ve had a bit of an art block too, which hasn’t helped with things. Anyways, the next update shall be in the not-too-distant future. Thanks for reading!

Page 03 is here!

Hope you guys are having a good September! It’s Spring here in the Southern Hemisphere, and I’m pretty happy about that.

I made an Otherwalls facebook page! Please go and like The Otherwalls on Facebook, it will make me happy. It’s also a great way to keep up with updates and extra sketches and things.

Also, if you’re a Kiwi, you can enter Mix and Mash NZ. There’s still a bit of time left to enter! Because The Otherwalls is all Creative Commons, you’re welcome to remix it however you want and enter it. I entered last year and I had amazing fun with my entry, and ended up winning, too!

Page 02 is up. On this page we meet Jasper, who is one of my favourites. Looking quite different from early sketches, I’m quite happy with his current redesign. Also moustaches are really fun to draw. Who knew?

Onwards to page 03!

Page one of Chapter 5! It feels good to be updating again. I don’t have a page buffer like I usually do, so you’re getting everything the minute it’s finished.

Here’s the shiny new cover page for chapter 5! This one was fun. In fact, this whole chapter is looking fun.

In other awesome news, The Otherwalls has had a change of licensing. It is now CC-BY-SA. Which means you can use any part of The Otherwalls – character, story, art, whatever strikes your fancy, and reuse it however you feel like it. You can even sell it for money. As long as you tell folks it was me who originally made it, and license anything you make with the same license. The Otherwalls is all about abandoned ideas and characters, I’m interested in seeing what you might do with mine!

I’m settling comfortably into 2011 now, which is good because it’s almost half over. I’m managing to find some time for comics again, too, which is awesome. Expect more updates in the not-too-distant-at-all-no-really-this time future.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 New Zealand License.

The update schedule has been stolen by a horde of real-life responsibilities. I’ve currently got two little jobs and a bunch of small projects that have chipped away on Otherwalls time.

But, The Otherwalls always wins in the end. I’m currently working on scripting the next two chapters and trying to decide which one comes next.

Meanwhile, for general life and sketch updates, the best place to follow me is on my flickr or twitter accounts.

Thanks for reading The Otherwalls! Updating again really soon!

Chapter 4, page 13. Sorry it’s a day late! This is the last page of Chapter 4!

The Otherwalls is taking a two week break. I’ve got to storyboard up Chapter 5 and recharge my batteries a little bit. I’ve got some real life stuff to deal with too. I’m moving house and working on making crafty things for my stall at Craft 2.0 at The New Dowse next month.

Thanks for reading The Otherwalls! I hope you’re enjoying the story. Updates shall resume on the 28th of March, all things willing! (I hope you like Film Noir…)

Chapter 4, page 12. Sorry it’s a bit late, it’s been a crazy week!

Chapter 4, Page 11!