I know many of you don't realize it, but most of us think about Ranma 1/2 
( or AMG or UY or Tenchi...) on a daily basis every day of our lives.  
I've had ranma on my mind for three years now.  How many other books can 
claim so much braintime?

I bring this up for a reason.  I have two stories that play in my head.  
I think of Ranma 1/2 EVERY DAY, but there is another manga story that 
fills equal time in my head.  You prabobly never heard of it.  That's 
because it barely exists.  Yet.

Around 1995, I made my first ashcan comic.  It was quite impressive for a 
first try.  Forty five pages!  Black and white with a color cover.  Only 
25 color convered compies where made and basically given away or sold to 
friends.  Fifteen black and white copies where made and given sold after 
that.  Each was $2.50.  

The book was called "Ninja Troop".  I concerned the comic adventures of a 
boy scout troop who also happened to study martial arts.  For fear of 
getting sued, I altered the title from "Ninja Boy Scouts" to "Ninja 
Troop", as well as altering.

The art was bad, but it was funny and had an entertaining story.  I have 
ten unrealeased copies of it, but I won't release them.  It's too 
embaressing.  My art has improved a hunded fold since.

I have written the plot of that one comic out to one hundred and ten 
issues.  It is a carefully contrived manga peice that incorpurates 
original and classic anime themes.

I am working on the final inks for "Ninja Troop #1 revised".  This 16 
page comic is the first chapter of the original ashcan comic redone with 
its plot reworked and new art.  

I've been trying to get ANTARCTIC PRESS to publish it, with no luck.

After years of work, I finally have worked my way to a point where art 
worse than mine has been published.

[holds up "applause" sign]

[hears crickets]

Dang it.

"Ninja Troop" is the kind of comic you'd like if you like that sort of 
thing.  Which you do, because you're on this list.  The new "Ninja Troop" 
ashcan will be released this Holloween, provided I can't find a 
publisher.

ANYWAY, I have to leave my computer now.  My art board awaits.  I'm just 
an anime dreamer, like the rest of you, but my dream can be chased.

Thanks for the ear.

HAYES

{for more on how my life was changed forever by anime, and how this was 
incorpurated in my comic, ask for my 8page autobiography, "life of 
HAYES". <hayesman@webspan.net>}