Studio Plug’n Play
Once upon a time I made printed fan doujinshi with some very talented people; my first circle was called Studio Plug’n Play [which eventually became Elegant Madness]. Between 2002 and 2006, we produced about 16 print titles. I’m proud of the fan works that I wrote and produced [yes, I wrote, edited, and printed these titles--though I didn't draw them, they're still my stories. ^_-]
I’ve gone back to producing my own novels and comics recently, my latest, a novel called Gadarene, is currently on sale at Amazon.com [see sidebar], however, if you want the special hardcover edition–that’s a doujinshi project [self-produced manga or novel] then it can be found at my own release station, located at LuLu.
STUDIO PLUG’N PLAY [2003-2005]
INJURY [2002]
Illustrator: Minako [Julia Styrzga]
Made for the Samurai X-revival, Kyoto.
Bound on the right, reads right to left.
Size: A5 [manga size] Rate: ADULT
Specs: 28 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind
Series: Ruroni Kenshin/English
Pairing: Soujiro/Yahiko [grown]
OUT OF PRINT.
TRIGUN WINTER FANBOOK [2003]
Illustrator: Minako [Julia Styrzga]
Made for sale in states.
Bound on the Right, reads right to left.
Size: Magazine size. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 26 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind
Series: Trigun anime [English]
Pairing: WxV, KxL
OUT OF PRINT.
FANG POND [2003]
Illustrator: DarkZel [Zel Harris]
Made for Sale at Otakon
Bound on the Right, reads right to left.
Size: Magazine size [untrimmed]. Rate: ALL AUDIENCE
Specs: 28 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Inuyasha [English]
Pairing: n/a
OUT OF PRINT.
Around this time, a schism formed in the circle. I no longer wanted to make books that ‘looked and felt Japanese’, but Minako did-because that’s what all the fans wanted. :/ Minako and I attempted to work through it – Minako decided to make her own book, and I drifted into the talented arms of Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]. Poor Darkzel was sort of left out in the cold; but I wrote for him anyway, despite my new and improved dislike of Inuyasha [sorry, the fans drove me to hate this show, seriously].
At the end of the year, Minako and I decided to make a book together 1 more time–while Viz decided they didn’t like Darkzel and I making Inuyasha pr0n [because someone decided they were going to make a 1000 plus copies of an FMA English doujinshi--and got caught! Yep, ruined it for the rest of us!] Idiots. There’s no way to justify over 100 copies of any fan-doujinshi, not in the US, where spot-sale events are not the norm, and fandom gatherings are few and far-between. (6.6)
BLACKPOINT [2003] Sponsored release.
I didn’t write it, I just produced it.
Writer/Illustrator: Minako [Julia Styrzga]
Bound on the Right, reads right to left.
Size: Doujinshi size. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 72 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Rurouni Kenshin [English]
Pairing: SaiSa.
OUT OF PRINT.
EMPIRE OF DIRT [2003/4]
Illustrator: Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
Made for Sale at Let’s Stampede, Tokyo
Bound on the Left, reads left to right
Size: Magazine size. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 63 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Trigun manga [English]
Pairing: KxV, KxL/WxV
OUT OF PRINT.
Digiket [PDF] Free
SURPRISE [2004]
Illustrator: DarkZel [Zel Harris]
Bound on the Left, reads left to right.
Size: A5 Manga size. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 28 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Inuyasha [English]
Pairing: Inu-Kouga/Human-Inu/Miroku
*Last work with Darkzel*
OUT OF PRINT.
HERE COMES YOUR MAN [2004]
Illustrator: Minako [Julia Styrzga]
Bound on the left. Reads Left to Right.
Size: Magazine size. Rate: Adult.
Specs: 32 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Wolf’s Rain [English]
Pairing: Tsuboe
*Last work with Minako*
OUT OF PRINT.
Digital Edition [LuLu $2.50]
FUTZ #1 [2004]
Illustrator: Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
Made for Sale at Ushicon, Austin
Bound on the Left, reads left to right
Size: Magazine size. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 32 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Trigun manga [English/AU]
Pairing: MidV/W
OUT OF PRINT.
Around this time, Caroline and I become engrossed in another Nightow work called Gungrave. Obsessed isn’t the right word for it…but unlike the Trigun fandom, Gungrave fans ranged from very immature [not behavior but age], to extremely mature. So fans creating Gungrave work in Japan were making mostly ‘text doujinshi’ [short fiction chapbooks with cover art] or they were making what I call, ‘yaoi-crap’. Either way, no one was making mass doses of perfect bound books for Gungrave, as they were for Trigun. Our Trigun friends in Japan were still trading with us, and they connected us to Gungrave fen making books for Nightow-related spot sale events. When it was clear to us that many Trigun fen in Japan, just did not like Gungrave, we were bummed. Japanese doujinshika can be real bitches when they want to be–to this day, there’s still many spot-sale events that actively black ‘Gungrave stuffs’ by calling their events ‘Trigun Only’, and you have to ensure that this is what you’re making, or you don’t get your circle certificate to participate [to get your table]. 
Kheelan and I changed our name to Elegant-Madness, in order to produce our Gungrave fan works AND in order to trade with other Gungrave doujinshika fairly, we had to set our production values a little lower. I mean, trading perfect bound books for staple-copy just didn’t seem right. :/ It wasn’t that bad, except for Kheelan–because most doujinshika [the cool ones] were making text doujinshi, and weren’t interested in trading for comic-style doujinshi. -most of our trades were fiction books, and it was interesting to see how many Gungrave fan authors were willing to trade with me, despite the language barrier. (^_^) Our brush with minor-greatness? We sponsored a Gungrave English language doujinshi, and sent it to Japan-it was picked up and mentioned in an issue of ComicBox Jr. {haha}
Also at this time? Kheelan and I began taking pro work. First for Class Comics, then I did some work for Yaoi Press, and then we scored a GN deal with Iris Print. Caroline [Kheelan] and I called it quits, and both circles were dead by the end of 2007.
EGAD #1: QUIET STORM [2005]
Illustrations: Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
Made for Sale at Staple Expo, Austin
Size: 5.5×8. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 22 p./text w. illustrations/copybook
Series: Gungrave [English]
Pairing: Kugashira/Lee
OUT OF PRINT.
EGAD #2: The Sentence Rule [2005]
Made for Trade to Japan
Cover by Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
Size: 5.5×8. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 24 p./text/copybook
Series: Gungrave [English]
Pairing: Kugashira/Lee
OUT OF PRINT.
FUTZ #2 [2005]
Illustrator: Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
Made for Sale at Onicon, Houston
Bound on the Left, reads left to right
Size: Magazine size. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 32 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Trigun manga [English/AU]
Pairing: K/L
OUT OF PRINT.
ENGLISH GUNGRAVE ANTHOLOGY
Sponsored and participated [2005]
Creators: Lara Yokoshima, Dr. Hojo, Kheelan,
Dori A.N., Lady Losstarot, Minako, and Jexia6
Bound on the Left, reads left to right
Size: Doujinshi size. Rate: ADULT/General
Specs: 74 p./comic and text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Gungrave [English]
Pairing: Various to n/a
OUT OF PRINT.
3 TIMES
Color Illustrations: Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
Made for Sale at Comiket 69
Bound on the Left, reads left to right
Size: A5 [manga size]. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 72 p./text w. color illustrations/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Gungrave [English]
Pairing: Kugashira/Lee
OUT OF PRINT.
FUTZ COLLECTED [2006]
Contains FUTZ 1 & 2
Bound on the Left, reads left to right
Size: Magazine size. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 68 p./comic, not text/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Trigun manga [English/AU]
OUT OF PRINT.
Digital Edition [LuLu $3.75]
COLLECTED: EGAD FICTION. [2007]
My own collection of Gungrave fiction.
Cover by Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
Size: 6×9. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 108 p./text/offset/perfect bind
Series: Gungrave [English]
Pairing: Kugashira/Lee
AVAILABLE [print $10] [digital $1.50].
3 TIMES: REISSUE [2007]
American Reissue.
Color Illustrations: Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
Size: Magazine size. Rate: ADULT
Specs: 32 p./text w. color illustrations/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Gungrave [English]
Pairing: Kugashira/Lee
Available: [print $15.00]
BONEDRIVEN [2007]
1 Comic story by Kheelan [Caroline Monaco]
1 Short story by Gynocrat [Tina Anderson]
Size: Magazine size. Rate: GENERAL
Specs: 28 p./1-comic & 1-story/offset/perfect bind.
Series: Gungrave [English]
Pairing: n/a
Available: [print $8.00]
And that’s the end. If someone ever tells you that making fan-doujinshi is a waste of time, tell them to go stick it–because it taught me how to make comics…for better, for worse. (^_^v)
