The Red Raider show!

Hey, gang, and welcome to the first of our I don't know, behind the scenes early access blog type update for patrons only. The plan is to generate original exclusive content for you guys to make the Patreon experience better. So if you are hearing this episode right now, then that means that you are a Red Raider tier who has access to a podcast newsletter type update every two weeks at least, because sometimes I can't help myself and I have to make more of these. Okay, so let me break down the tiers for you. So you know what we're looking at here. We've changed the names of all of our tiers to be more inside jokes, make a little bit more exclusive, make it more comic poppy. But we were hoping to change it. Apparently, Patreon doesn't let us change, like, the amount that tiers are. So we have 93 patrons right now in our $2 a month tier. I'd like to change that eventually to a $1 per month tier, but we'll get there eventually. But it's called Baristo, a character that Ben invented, I think, regarding being a super powered coffee attendant. I don't know. 

But in any case, when you're a Baristo, you have access to lens update. This is something that Tiffany looked up. Apparently Patreon calls like photo updates, lens updates. So if you're a Baristo tier, you're going to have access to exclusive photos that are going to be taken behind the scenes. Sometimes it's going to be when we're making off the rack or when I'm editing or when we're shooting back issues. Either way, those photos will be up for Baristo and up. So if you are a Baristo or any other tier, you will have access to lens updates. The next one up is the Red Raider. Another one where Ben, I think he thought that Silver Surfer's name was that at some point, but Red Raiders, the $5 a month tier. And at that tier, you're going to get this, which is the podcast newsletter update, plus the lens updates. So my plan is to try and make this into not just an auditory learning experience, but also a visual learning experience. So I want this particular show that you're listening to right now to also be available in text, but we'll see if that's actually feasible. The next one is the $10 a month here, and that's Torben Ray. You might notice that none of these have really changed, and that's by design, because we figured that this is the way we can distribute these tiers and get you these kind of benefits that Tiffany and I kind of behind the scenes cooked up. So Torbin Ray is the $10 a month. Torbin Ray, of course, is what Ben thought norrin Rad was. Again, these are fun names, and they're just sitting here not being used. So the Torbin Ray tier, you'll receive all the previous rewards and access to half hour live editing sessions once a month. So once a month when I'm editing, I'm going to make a kind of live stream that's unlisted, that's only accessible to the Torbin Ray and up reward, and you can hang out while I edit. I like to do that sometimes, but I figured rather than just be the entire editing session, this is more like an insight into what it's like to cut whatever it is I'm cutting and it'll be back issues or GBU. Those are the only shows that I usually edit anymore. But sometimes there's a let's talk show. But either way, once a month you'll have access to a half hour recording session where you can ask questions and we can chat. But also I'll be editing, so I'll be hyper focused on that, but also half focused on you. That's why we're doing the half hour. That way I can also hang out with you and make it worth your while. And then finally, at the $20 a month tier, that's Morty Fleischman, a character I invented who was a go getter sorcerer who attended the Vishante contest from Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange Triumph and Torment. At this tier, you're going to get access to early videos. All the early video access will be moved to Morty Fleischman level. But I think that if you're listening to this, you probably know that there are some pretty fun rewards that will make all the other tiers worth their weight. So, yeah, that's the breakdown. It's Baristo, Red Raider, Torbin Ray, Morty Fleischman. I got rid of the comic book stuff. I liked it. But at the same time, I also felt like I was kind of pretending because we don't own the comic book industry, we're more about a community than we are about speaking to the comic book industry. So I thought it would be more fun to make it more about comic pop because that's why you're here, right? So here we are. Those are the tiers. It was fun to chat with Tiffany and work on breaking down what rewards we can feasibly present right now to make the Patreon experience more rewarding and to make it more, I don't know, more fun to be a patron. That's the idea. We also finally, I just went ahead and deleted that other $50 one that I had for a little while. It was unlisted, but it always irked me because it was just sitting there, just being this thing that I didn't care for. But yeah. So I guess the next step outside of this is for the Barista tier. Post a couple of Lens updates, which I did take a few photos the other day and I'm excited to share those. The only thing I guess I should update you guys about is that, by the way, you save 16% if you pay the annual rate as opposed to if you do month to month. I'm only mentioning that because I'm learning about Patreon as much as you guys, and I don't follow a lot of Patreon. I have a Patreon, but I don't have a lot of Patreon creators that I follow. I follow, too. And I should do more, right? I feel like I should. Anyway, so that's the Patreon update. As far as what we're doing next, man, I have so many plans for Back Issues. 

Actually, I guess I'm leaving again. Benny wants to take me to Emerald City. Comic Con. And after San Diego? I'm kind of done going to Cons. Until New York. And that's enough, right? That's in October. But in order to plan for that, I need to have back issues like shot, cut, and uploaded and ready to go because Ethan is going on. Like Ethan is not available in September. That's just done. So we're going to have to shoot a bunch of stuff in August to try and make up for it. And I feel like because the Batman spawn third crossover is coming, we should do a full on Batman spawn extravaganza episode. So it's going to be one episode with both books where Ben's read and owned both of those. So I think it's going to be me, Tiffany and Ethan in that one. And that will be a lot of fun. We're doing the Smashtronaut from Donny. Kate's hulk, run. That's going to be one episode that we're shooting. And I got this in my craw the other day because I have random issues in my library. And there was one in particular. It was a detective comics issue about a clay face crossover called the Mud Pack. And I remember part four because that's what I had. I didn't have parts one, two, and three. But it was like they were so proud of this concept. You could see that they made a logo and they put it on their part four. But then I saw it the other day. I saw a poster that they produced to promote this four part clayface event. And I was like, all right, I'm going to read this damn crossover or story arc or event that DC put together in 1089. And so I picked up the Batman the detective trade paperback from Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle that DC has been printing. They're kind of like Marvel's epic collections, but just for Batman. And so I finally picked that up. And over the last week, I sat down and I read all four parts. So I would like to do that as a story, as a back issue because it's like, why did you go all in on all these clay faces? The story itself doesn't take itself anyway. So that's another one. 

So that's a little update about what we're doing for back issues coming up. There's more, but those are the ones that are like pressing. Those are the ones where those are probably going to be the next ones I shoot. Tiffany wants to shoot a Sandman episode. And so we've got a lot going on, not to mention the fact that we're going to be at Zapp comics. Rather Zappcon? Zapp Comics in Wayne, New Jersey has a convention in Wayne on September 10. Tiffany and I are going to be there. We're going to sell merch. We're going to have a panel, and we hope to see you there. If you are in the area, I wouldn't recommend just traveling across state lines, but if you want a poster or something, that's actually the way to do it because we're going to be in New York, comic con, but we're not going to have a booth or anything, so I don't think we're going to have, like, a signing. Although I should work out something with somebody because I want New York to actually be worthwhile. And when I say that, I don't mean, like financial. I mean, I would like to make it a coordinated effort to meet with people who want to hang out with us. So, yeah, that's the show. That's where we are. So I want to thank you all so much for not only being a patron, but also for listening to this ridiculous thing. And if you like it, hopefully we'll do more. Thanks for hanging out, and I'll see you guys next time. So long!