#avanianews

[worldofavania]

Avaniacomic blog sudden disappearance

Still haven't got beyond the initial acceptance email for my support ticket, but after doing some reading on r/tumblrhelp, I'm assuming that @avaniacomic got nuked by automatic spam filtering for some reason after I made some updates to the pages.

I've used the same custom webcomic theme for almost 8 years, and I don't think it contains any redirects, but it seems like side blogs getting nuked after saving edits is unfortunately fairly commonplace... Good news is that it seems like it should be recoverable, just a matter of time for support @staff to look into it.

Even if I can't get @avaniacomic / worldofavania.com restored soon, I'll post the new pages here on @worldofavania and also on my DA and FA pages.

[tristikovart]

Avania Issue No.1 has been processed and will be available for purchase on ComiXology December 30th 2020! 

I’ll post a link to it when its page goes live on that date, so stay tuned. The first issue costs only $.99, and features not only the full-resolution remastered comic pages, but also bonus art not available anywhere else!

I have submitted Issues 2-5 for approval, and I hope to have them up soon after. Subsequent issues will be $1.99 and feature both the full-res pages, and special issue-only artwork in gorgeous high-resolution detail!

If you’ve read the Avania webcomic and would like to enjoy the detailed artwork in a format it was designed for, or would just like to support my work, consider buying a digital copy when it comes out. The print copies will be coming soon too, and I think both formats offer unique benefits to the reading experience!

[worldofavania]

Avania's 8th Anniversary!

Another year done, and at least a few pages more added to the comic... Issue 8 concluded, and Issue 9 is underway! Still feels crazy to have come this far, since I planned out so much of the comic before it was even published, and had at least a general idea of what was going to happen and when.

One thing outside of the story that I always knew was a possibility, but still wound up surprising me was the World of Avania site going down--and suddenly! Tumblr nuked the comic's blog due to some overactive spam filter or something that could be triggered by editing custom themes, and tumblr support is completely backlogged with responding to tickets. Fortunately, this was a widespread issue, and inside the month the comic blog was down, I tried submitting another ticket and actually got through within a day. So the comic returned...

As Avania Classic! Because, when it became apparent that I may not get the comic's blog back up quickly (or possibly ever), I quickly started looking for alternatives to host the main site on. Though I also host the comic on DA, FA, Weasyl, and even Tapas and Webtoon too, this is more for ease of access and exposure (as well as redundancy), and I like the de facto reading experience to be on its own site.

And so, I ended up giving ComicFury a try. Not sure why I didn't try it sooner, honestly. Perhaps tumblr just had more going for it back in 2018 and I was used to that... It didn't take me long at all though to stand up a basic facsimile of World of Avania on CF, and in a couple of weeks I had not only recreated 95% of the site, but had improved upon several things vs. the old tumblr site! And best of all, the site got a big boost in traffic with many new readers checking it out. The whole thing turned into a blessing in disguise, and with the original site back, the only thing really lost in the end are some old links which now go to an intermediary page. Though ideally I would have preferred not to have all this happen right when I was finally posting NEW pages!

Since Avania the comic now has 199 pages (including covers), I figured I'd post one per day until the new site was caught up to the old site so as to hopefully gain more readers on CF and not overwhelm them by dumping the whole comic at once. I'm really enjoying seeing the comic update daily too--if only I could make new pages to keep that rate up past the end of Issue 8!

Another statistic of note is that taking Avania Mail as its own comic series, it alone has at least 114 strips! (given the variety of Avania Mail comics, it isn't quite the same as the main comic, but going by the index, anyway, it's 114). Given that the first Avania Mail comic was posted in January 2017, it is also about 1.5 years older than Avania proper! In light of it being a substantial amount of content in its own right, I decided to expand on the two blogs (AvaniaComic and WorldofAvania) setup I had on tumblr, and make two full comic CMSs on ComicFury: Avania and AvaniaMail so that they could both utilize their own archive and navigation, but be seamlessly joined together to function as one unified website.

I think the new approach is working great, and makes both desktop and mobile viewing better than ever! As CF includes is own comment system (with guests able to post too--no account required) I haven't implemented Disqus on the new site (though it has been updated to keep working, and keep all the old comments on the classic site). I'm always open to feedback though, so please do let me know what you like and what could still be improved!

As for what's next, I have all the page layouts done for the remainder of Chapter 18, which is 7 pages--the better part of the chapter, and first half of Issue No. 9! I've just started drawing it, so it will still be a while, but I would love to have it ready by the end of the year! Life is very busy these days, so no promises... It would be a nice treat for the holidays though!

In any case, thank you for your support. Whether you're a long time reader, or just discovering Avania now, I'm glad you're here. Stay tuned, there's more Avania on the horizon!

[worldofavania]

Chapter 18 Begins April 5th!

After looking at the cover for Avania #9 for months, it's finally time to crack into this issue! As with the last few updates, this update will be about one half of the chapter (with this installment being shorter and the next one being longer).

I'd love to be posting full chapters again, but time is still not quite so abundant that it is feasible to do so in anything approaching regularity. Progress is progress though, so I am glad to be moving the story forward in any case!

[worldofavania]

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

@avaniacomic blog (the comic itself, and what worldofavania.com points to) disappeared at some point after midnight tonight, and I have no idea why or what is going on. Sent a support ticket in. Hopefully it can just be restored, but I'll update when I hear anything back. Thanks!

[worldofavania]

Happy New Year! / Update

Whew, 2025 is done. My days always feel long now but the last few years have felt as though they've gone by so quickly. A lot of life happened in that short span of time, and this period of change is still ongoing. In spite of how busy I've been, and how glacial progress on Avania has been, I'm still glad to be moving it forward--however slowly.

I'm half way done with the next update, which, when including the already posted Issue 9 cover, will constitute half of the first chapter. I'm really looking forward to the second half of this upcoming chapter too, as it packs more action and drama than has typically been seen up to this point! (The issue's cover should give you some idea of context.)

As usual, I thank everyone for their support, comments, and questions, as it is all encouraging to see, read, and answer. I will continue with Avania Mail comics and side art as time and inspiration allow, and of course I also hope to increase the pace of comic production as much as is possible.

Thank you for following Avania, and watch out for more updates as we get into this new year!

[worldofavania]

The Obligatory Anniversary Post:

Avania officially turns 7 this year, and stands just shy of 200 updates on @avaniacomic (191 to be exact, counting both comic pages and front/back covers). The artwork above is intended for the inside back cover of Issue No.8, as a sort of wrap-up to the events of that issue and the preceding one, but you can enjoy it here just as well.

I don't have much to add here since I just recently posted a long-ish status update following the completion of Issue No.8, but I encourage you to read that if you haven't already. To summarize, it has been a very busy, difficult last few years, but I am working hard and am exciting to draw the next chapter of Avania!

As a side activity, I also started filling in some character profiles and art collections on my ToyHou.se page, so check that out too if you enjoy any or all Avania's wide cast of characters.

And of course, thank you to everyone for all your support!

[worldofavania]

The New Years Update (2025)

What a year 2024 was... Here at the end of January, it has now been one year since my father passed. I have had so much to do since that cold winter night, and the loss still weighs heavily on me. Though not all last year's changes have been sad, the last 12 months have been the most exhausting of my life. Time is precious, and though it is ultimately a finite resource, I look forward to a time where I can spend more of it on enjoyable hard work, instead of having to juggle so many competing--often emotionally draining--obligations.

Much as it pained me to forgo working on art projects, Avania in particular, in 2024 I was just not in a state to devote myself to it as I have in the past. I am feeling more hopeful now though, and while my free time is still in desperately short supply, I have the motivation to chip away at the few remaining pages of Issue No.8 and see it through. (When I do post these pages, you may also see how their content was a motivating factor as well!)

Owing to the ongoing obligations of fatherhood, my day job, moving, and managing my late father's estate, I cannot say when the next comic update will happen. I am about halfway through drawing the next page though, so if I can maintain momentum, I hope to be able to finish off the chapter / Issue this Spring. For the next issue, I may choose to carry on with a sporadic but more frequent update schedule based on scenes rather than the 10-page chapters I traditionally ran with.

Once again, I must thank everyone for your support. It is very encouraging to read so many comments across the platforms I post Avania to, and I'm glad that the comic, setting, and characters are meaningful to other people too.

Until the next update, stay tuned!