The Big Crystal Meth Man Controversy - Blog Entry # 27

So I posted a comic strip on this one online gallery website and they took it down. They informed me that it was taken down because it was one that involved a controversial subject that I had given my opinion on. Apparently, one is not suppose to offer an opinion or take a side on a controversial subject. I have included the comic strip with this post just so that you can see what I am referring to. You can just click on the image to view it at its full size.

I guess implying that people who take crystal meth or get addicted to it often look like total crap is taking a side on a controversial issue. Personally, I don't see how many people could take the other side and say that using it is good for your health and that people who are addicted to crystal meth are generally as fit as a fiddle or the perfect example of good health. Just look at some of the before and after pictures you can find online of people who use crystal meth.

Now, I understand how some may think it may be distasteful or insensitive to create a superhero character that is a crystal meth addict. But the idea here is to show how messed up our culture is becoming and to take some of those things that are now becoming more commonplace and kind of poke fun at the fact that they are becoming too acceptable. Don't get me wrong, I believe that drug abuse is a serious matter but some things in our culture are becoming more commonplace because the acceptance of those things have increased. Sure, I may be offering an opinion in the sense that I believe it is becoming too common but does anyone who is sane really recommend using crystal meth?

I just find it interesting that offering an opinion that something like the use of crystal meth may be hazardous to your health would be considered taking a side on a controversial issue, when nobody in their right mind should be advocating that it is not. It seems more like common sense to me and that it should be no more controversial than telling a kid not to put his finger in a light socket. Oh well, whatcha gonna do?

Bob Craypoe, also known as R. L. Crepeau

Please visit: Punksters.net

Meet Crystal Meth Man - Blog Entry # 26

Just when you thought that things could not get any worse or that we could not sink any lower, we have introduced yet another character inspired by tasteless humor. Meet our new superhero, Crystal Meth Man.

Hey, I've said on a number of occasions that this comic strip is not meant for kids and this just downright proves it.

Crystal Meth Man is a superhero that is the sidekick of Super Crack Ho. His secret identity is that of your friendly neighborhood grub named, coincidentally enough, Michael Grubbinson.

He is kind of down on his luck primarily due to the fact that he has totally screwed up his life with drug abuse and addiction. Often, he will be seen grubbing something off of someone like money or a cigarette. Of course, when he "borrows" something from someone, he never actually pays it back. I guess it kind of goes with being a grub.

Occasionally, we will add a new superhero character to assemble and amazing team of superheroes yet to be named. well, I already know the name but I'm just not going to tell right now. I don't want to ruin the surprise.

I have decided to be gracious enough to include the strip that features his first appearance.Just click on the image to view it at its full size.

Bob Craypoe, also known as R. L. Crepeau

Meet Mr Evil Thug Guy - Blog Entry # 25

That's right, I just introduced yet another new character this week. I call him Mr Evil Thug Guy. As you can plainly see, he is a rather menacing looking individual. Not only is he nasty looking, but he has also devoted his entire life to crime. Let's just say that he is a real meanie pants.

Nobody really knows why he turned out the way he did. Maybe his mother did not hug him enough. Regardless, he will be quite the evil nemesis for super Crack Ho.

 

This brings the Punksters.net character count even higher. I can also promise you that more new characters are on the way. I will try to mix things up a bit to try to keep things from going stale. However, if you feel that things have already gone stale, all I can say is: sorry.

The latest Punksters.net comic Strip has Mr Evil Thug guy holding our hero, Super Crack Ho, captive. Click on the image to view it at its full size.

To read about more of the characters, CLICK HERE.

Bob Craypoe, also known as R. L. Crepeau

Punksters from the Beginning, to Now and Beyond - Blog Entry # 24

I started the Punksters.net Comic Strip in January 2015. It all started with one character, the guitar player named Gerry Bangston, also known as Bang, for short. Not only was he the first character to be created but he also appeared in the first comic strip. I have that first strip displayed to the left.

As of this date, I have officially released 31 comic strips in the series. I have also done a compilation e-book of the first 50 strips, so that e-book currently contains some strips that have not yet been officially released.

I registered the domain name on January 14th 2015. On January 25th, I released the first strip. Before the release of the first comic strip, the website was already up and running and had some free desktop wallpapers available for download and some merchandise ready for sale.

Initially, I was only releasing one strip per week. I went to two strips per week in May of 2015. In August, I will begin releasing three strips per week. I started out slow because I was not sure as to what I would be able to commit myself to.

Not only do I do the comic strip but I have updates on the site and this blog to do as well. So it keeps me busy. I don't release the blog posts at regularly scheduled intervals like I do the comic strips but I try to do at least one or two a week. I don't really see the need to do any more than that, at this time.

Once I complete 100 comic strips, I will compile another e-book that will have strips 51-100. I will also have a specially priced e-book with strips 1-100. The compilation e-books will contain some strips not yet officially released. so the e-books will be somewhat ahead, which is great for those who are anxious to see where things are going.

As far as where things will be going is concerned:

More new characters will be introduced

More strange and new scenarios will be added

Three strips per week, starting in August 2015

A team of elite superheroes will be formed

So those are just some of the things you have to look forward to in Punkster land. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoy creating them. Oh, if you want to start reading the the comic strips from the beginning, here is a link to the first ten strips: CLICK HERE. If you want to know more about the characters, CLICK HERE. More characters will be added that are not yet posted on that page. I don't want to give too much away and spoil too many of the surprises. Well, until next time, bye.

Bob Craypoe, also known as R. l. Crepeau

How to Get a New Site Up and Running - Blog Entry # 23

The Punksters.net website has been up and running for five months now. Things are going well but it took a bit of work and thought for it to get where it is at today. So I thought I'd give some advice to anyone hoping to do something similar or at least try to get a website up and running. There are a lot of things to consider.

The first item of consideration is content. Your site needs it. I have seen a number of websites that did not have much for content. The sites are loaded with images and they look very nice but, unfortunately for them, search engines really look more for text and if you don't have any text in your site, it just won't be search engine friendly. so I basically offer a commentary on each comic strip, even if it is a couple of sentences, it is at least something. I also have a Characters page where the characters from the comic strip are introduced and their is quite a bit of detailed text there.

Another thing to think about is Google Analytics. I add that to every website. I like to know the stats like the number of visitors, where they come from, what pages they visit and how many pages per visit. there are so many stats that you can get by using Google Analytics. it's good to know the facts. then you can make decisions on what to promote, what parts of the website you might want to add more pages to and so on.

Social media promotion is important. I do a lot of that for all of my websites but I have gone all out for the Punksters.net website. Every time I add a new feature or comic strip, I post it on the pages of my social media accounts. I use Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Google Plus. I use others but those are the main ones. I spend a lot of time posting on those sites.

I also do the blog for the comic strip as well, as you can tell by reading this post. in the early stages, I actually got more visits to the blog for the website than I did to the website. the website has since surpassed the blog but it is safe the say that the blog does work well for promoting the site.

My point here is that just building a site and waiting for people to show up is simply not enough. There are so many other things to think about and do. I listed just a few but they are some pretty important points of consideration. It should give you something to think about if you are getting ready to put a site together yourself.

Bob Craypoe, also known as R. L. Crepeau

For the latest Punksters.net Comic Strip, CLICK HERE!

It's a Punkster's World - Blog Entry # 22

I was looking over the Google Analytics statistics for the Punksters.net website and it is interesting to see what's going on. I get stats like how many visitors I get and where I get them from. the image to the left is a map that shows where I am getting my traffic from, globally. the darker a country is on the map, the more traffic.

Obviously, since it is an American site that is in English, the United States is the darkest. that means that the site gets more traffic from the United States than anywhere else.But the second darkest is actually Russia, which is the country that comes in at second place.

As you can see, I still have not received traffic from some countries yet. they are the ones that are totally white. But since the website is only just short of 5 months old, I suspect that I will eventually get traffic from those other countries.

Google Analytics is great for obtaining all sorts of information. You can see how many pages per visit you get overall as well as how many per country. That gives you sort of an indication as to how well your site or content is being received in various parts of the world. The country that gets the most pages per visit is the united States but that's to be expected.

If you click on the United States, you can actually see a US map with the states that I get visitors from highlighted in the same manner as the global map. The states that get the most visits are darker than the others. The top ten states that I get the most visits from are: California, Texas, New York,Virginia, Florida, Oregon, New Jersey, Illinois, Arizona and Georgia. However, the states that get the most page views per visit aren't even in the top ten. Maine gets more page views per visit than any of the other states besides New Jersey, my home state, but is in 46th place as far as the amount of traffic.

New Jersey gets more page views per visit but I promote the website on my social media accounts and I have more followers from Jersey than anywhere else.

Anyway, things are looking pretty good. I get a lot of traffic from all over the world. I think it will get even beter over time. so, while you are here, check out the latest strip:

Bob Craypoe, also known as R. L. Crepeau

The Punksters.net Site Vs the Blog - Blog Entry # 21

I check the Google Analytics statistics for my various websites and blogs on a regular basis just to see how things are going. I am very happy to report that the Punksters.net website is doing well and this blog is doing well too.

I do a lot of things to promote the blog as well a the website. I have a number of social media accounts on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Google Plus and others. I post links to the blog and the website on the social media sites regularly.

The blog actually took off before the website. I am not entirely sure as to why that is but I do have pages on the blog site that have 10 strips each. It is easier to scroll through a number of comic strips on the blog site, I admit.

However, the website has a number of features that the blog site does not. One feature is the Free Desktop Wallpapers section of the website. There is also a Merchandise Page and a page where you can read up on the characters, if you want to get to know them better.

The two sites are actually meant to complement one another. The two sites also link to each other. On the main page of the Punksters.net Website, thee is an RSS feed for this blog. On this blog site, we have links to various features on the Punksters.net website. The two sites were basically created for the purpose of working together.

I have to admit that maintaining both sites, writing the blogs and creating the comic strip makes for a good amount of work but I do enjoy much of what I do. I hope the rest of you get some enjoyment out of viewing my work. thanks for visiting both sites.

Bob Craypoe, also known as R. L. Crepeau