Overview
If there’s one thing I want to accomplish on my first day back, it’s to showcase just how much has been put into 365 Infantry.
We opened our doors April 8th, one year ago, and once our fifth issue debuts in June, we will have been running the magazine for a full year, with nearly 50 stories having been told across the site and print media. And we really are just getting started.
What you are about to experience is the most comprehensive pitch for the volume of this series’ output. What is being made NOW, what YOU can do to help support us, and of course, our weekly story, the first in a run of 9 short stories. This installment of Red Light Bytes will be the largest, most expansive itemizing of the franchise’s output to date.
Let’s get into the news.
Updates
WRITING! - Work on the Summer 2023 Issue begins THIS WEEK! Story outlines for all five series have been made. I don’t normally theme issues, but No. 5 has naturally lent itself to exploring leadership and team-building as:
Gibson works to maintain command with his newfound recruits in the face of battle in THE WAR
Val and company face off against a dastardly horde of creatures while learning more about their mutual friend and aid Eric in THE HUNT
Lita contends with a pack of drag racers with an axe to grind and a treasure to hunt in THE URBAN AVENGER
Nic’s band Metröpolis tries to bury the hatchet with a rival group when Hell Patrol gets into an all-out chase in THE SPEEDFREAK FILES
FOR THE SUBS! - Work also begins on many exciting exclusives!
Episode 3 of Alan Firedale has been outlined, with scripting set to begin alongside production of Issue 5. Previews for Episodes 1 and 2 have been added to their respective pages, so all potential listeners can get a better taste of what’s in store.
The first three installments of monthly serial Steeled Spies have been plotted out, with Part 1 set to debut on April 28th.
A special comic, tentatively titled “The Avenger’s Creed,” is in production. The short mood piece centers on the work of Lita and her prized VW Bug, the Red Devil, as she hunts her favorite game: autocops. Release Date: TBD
MERCH! - 2/3 new merch designs are ready and raring to go on TeePublic and Redbubble but have not been released yet. All will be released once the third is completed, but in the meantime, let’s take a look at what’s in store!
Design #1 is an adapted version of the cover to THE HUNT story “Facing the Pack.” Now colorized, this stylish design highlights the white wolf Valentina, her gray lover Brennus, and the skillful red wolves Marcus and Sabina, backed by Val’s trusty Mars pistol.
Design #2 is a fun piece for the dynamic duo of the Wasteland airwaves: Alan Firedale and his faithful hot-rodding companion Golden Cloud. The lone wolf and his friendly high-tech Fireflite do all they can for the innocent desert dwellers caught in the way General Langdon and his wicked schemes to expand the empire of San Ciprés. This special design by Kevin John Jacob highlights the bond between hound and ride.
WHAT’S TO COME! - We have something incredibly special being cooked up with Iron Age metal maestro JVP Music. We’ll tell all when it’s near completion, but just know that this collab has horns!
Support the Force!
Here are the ways you can help keep us cruising along:
The 365 Infantry 2022 Annual Collection - Out now on Amazon & Lulu in both paperback and eBook form. $10 USD for physical, $5 USD for digital. Enjoy all 24 stories from last year, edited for publication, plus the exciting print exclusive “Lions Among the Lambs,” the thrilling spy yarn starring Agent Roger Steele!
Alan Firedale: Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 - Out now on Bandcamp for $5 USD. Contains all 30 MINUTES worth of the electronica/orchestral music written for the series, including demos, alternate mixes, and stock cues. Buyers will be treated to THREE FREE MONTHS of our paid subscription service! This includes access to Alan Firedale on top of the many exclusive stories, comics, serials, and more in store.
TODAY IS BANDCAMP FRIDAY! Buying Today means all of Bandcamp’s fees are waived, putting more money towards our hard work.
Our Merch Stores - As previously mentioned, we’re hard at work filling our stores on Teepublic and Redbubble with quality designs you can rock in the real world. We currently have 10 designs in stock, with more on the way. These services produce shirts, mugs, pins, posters, and other awesome regalia that help us and our artists stay afloat. Don’t delay, but today!
Ko-fi Fundraiser - Lastly, we are running a fundraiser for basic production costs. This covers all art for Issues 5-7, a total of $900 USD. This series is being produced OUT OF POCKET, which means no investors, no middlemen. Just us and our audience, and if all else fails, we rely on donations to keep going. We’ve dropped the minimum price down to $1 on Ko-fi, and any donations made via PayPal.Me will be counted towards the goal. If you can spare anything, but can’t commit to our subscription service or buying merchandise, make like the button says, and
Final Thoughts
This series means a lot to me, and its success relies on two things:
Knowing that there are people out there who love what’s being made, which I’m pleased to say has been proven true.
Knowing I can keep making it the way I envision.
I committed to making the core of 365 Infantry free-to-all because I remember growing up poor, but growing up happy. Part of that joy was seeing the creations of fans and craftsman on the internet. Be they fan videos of franchises or original sendups to favorite shows, I was treated to the passion projects of hundreds of wonderful, budding young creators.
I want 365 Infantry to be that project. That web comic you pop in on, the show you’re always wondering about, thumbing through your subscription feed for.
And at the same time, I want it to be a profitable enterprise where the answer isn’t withdrawing content behind a paywall, but making more content on top of what’s free. It’s a win-win; those who want more can get more, and those who can’t afford still have the core of the series.
Whatever happens, however many curveballs get thrown our way, please help me keep that dream alive. Thank you.
The Byte of the Week
This week’s story, our freebie of the month, embraces the cyberpunk edge of the series to its fullest.
Deighton’s Code is the story of a hacker and his connections to Agent Steele’s exploits in Haven, as relayed via taped transcript. Mr. Glenn Deighton uses a special cybernetic augmentation to make internal recordings of speech. It isn’t a microphone, but a hard-copy of one’s verbalized thoughts. And in an instant, those thoughts come to a grinding halt.
This fun bout of spycraft was a nice breather as I return to work on the series. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating it.