Rod;

Surprise, Surprise..... Guess what I found in my stack of comics
yesterday.... CP2!!!!!!   I loved it... I can't wait for more....

Story continues to be great.. Art is amazing.....  WOW!

I was wondering if you ever sell any of your original art??  I would
love to get a nice piece if it is available and affordable....

Do you sill have plans to be at the WizardCon in August????  Hope to
see ya there!!!!

Thanks and keep up the good work....

Peace
Don

Hello Don,

You're very Welcome!
Thank you very much! I was really having doubts if the second one would hold up well in comparison to the first. I am glad the story came out well.

Yes, maybe someday, I will sell some original art. Be warned though, that most of it is fragmented. : )
I will try, but it is not yet a sure thing.

Rod

It in its in its in!!!
Its even funnier than the first one to!!
I loved the boar, and Mabelroses expression when he didnt turn into a
handsome prince.HAHAHAHAHAH!!
I want more----------please hurry!!!
This was a great book, cant wait till the next one.
Sincerely,
Chris Small

Hi Chris!
 

Well, the boar scene was one of the really funnier ones. Even when I wrote it in the original book before I made the GNovel...
I am glad you liked it!!!
Well, Chris, it will be next week when I begin preproduction of CP3. WE'll see how fast we can crank it out this time around. CP3 will be another challenging project -- and you will soon see why.

Dear Rod Espinosa,

     How shall I begin?  I've read the second installment of Mabelrose's
adventure and I can't wait for even more!  She's such a lovable person that
I can totally identify with.  She's not the prettiest lass in the land but
she's got an inner beauty that outshines all the other princesses!  I love
the little glimspes of her parents, her homesickness, her courage, and her
heart.  I've loved every minute that I've spent with her and I definitely
look forward to spending more time in her company.
     I love her various friends, such as Spikey.  He's really cute and
loyal.  The rope is very interesting and I absolutely loved the scene with
the "enchanted" boar!  When I found out along with Mabelrose that the boar
*was* just a boar, I got embarrassed too!  (At least I didn't have to kiss
his nose!  ~_^ )
     I loved how you got a touch of realism into this fairy tale fantasy
with the villagers, who were wonderful and welcoming but who were also
superstitous.  I got a real sense of their small village mentality and a
hint of the perils that could have befallen Mabelrose and her friends had
they not kept their heads and held their tongues.  It casted a serious note
into the story, which I think strengthens it all the more.
     And how could I NOT talk about your gorgeous artwork.  Each panel is
absolutely stunning, with beautiful colors.  << However, I wasn't quite sure
what was going on during Mabelrose's and Spikey's fall from the waterfall to
escape the dragon.  Was Mabelrose pulled further down into the river by the
ring?  I got a little confused. @_@ >>  Mabelrose has such vivid expressions
and I really loved her blush!  ^_^  I can't wait to see her guy!  He'll be
really cool, just like her!  The pictures are really, really beautiful and I
hope you don't mind if I do some fanart of "The Courageous Princess"?  ^_^
     I love how you hinted that you might be able to get another book done
this year!  I really want to know what'll happen to Mabelrose in the
cities!!!  This should be very...interesting!!!  ^_^

Sincerely yours,
Bernadette Joseco

P.S.  Thank you so much for doing such an awesome comic book series!!!
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hELLO Bernadette!
Thank you! : )
I am so glad you liked the story!
 The boar scene is one of my favorite scenes too!
 Ah, don't I know that best... I practically grew up visiting our home town which is like the Munken village. Kind people, but very superstitious. I found it to be a great inspiration to pattern the village after my home town.
>      And how could I NOT talk about your gorgeous artwork.  Each
> panel is
Ø absolutely stunning, with beautiful colors.  << However, I wasn't
Thank you!
As for the waterfall, if anyone was misled by that, it's just the suction of the water pulling her under because she has so many clothes on (not to mention the bag; although the bag actually went lighter and started to float as seen in those panels where she sees it rise past her...).
> and I really loved her blush!  ^_^  I can't wait to see her guy!
You might have to wait a while for that!
> He'll be
> really cool, just like her!  The pictures are really, really
> beautiful and I
> hope you don't mind if I do some fanart of "The Courageous
> Princess"?  ^_^

As for fan art, why go right ahead!
I will post it here on my website when it comes in and I will post it on one of my publications if there is space left…
> this year!  I really want to know what'll happen to Mabelrose in the
>
> cities!!!  This should be very...interesting!!!  ^_^
Ogh... I am getting dizzy with excitement just thinking about it myself.
> P.S.  Thank you so much for doing such an awesome comic book
> series!!!
You're very welcome!!!

Rod,

I just thought I'd drop you a line after having read the second issue of

Courageous Princess.  Although it was a little daunting to spend $13 on
a single book, I really glad I did.  I enjoyed the book very much, and
have already loaned it out to intrested friends, who have liked it as
well.

There were a lot of things I liked about your work.  First, I admired
and appreciated the effort to develop Mabelrose as a person.  I found
her endearing almost immediately, and wanted to know more about her
as I read.  It was nice to see her upbringing working into the sort of
young woman she has become as well.

Also, the attention to details was very good.  I had to go back and read

the book a second time before letting it out of my paws, just to pick up

on more of the details.  (It's sad, but I didn't notice the shift of
Mabelrose's
cloak to white until the second read.)  It was nice to watch things
happen
and notice it for myself without the characters within the story having
to
address them.

Third, the overall quality of the artwork was excellent.  In particular,
I
really did like the look of the dragon.  He must have taken up a lot of
your time, there's just so much to him.

Finally, I really appreciated your use of humor.  I like humor, but I
have
previously been left cold by inappropriate placing of humor in other
offerings.  I was impressed by the way you incorporated humor into
the story without making it slapstick or unnatural.  Watching Mabelrose
act out her childish fantasy as she kissed the boar was as amusing for
me as it was for Spikey.

Anyway, thank you for your efforts, I hope you'll keep on working with
this Princess Mabelrose.

Atros
 
 

00000000000000000000000000
Hello Atros,

Thank you for your nice letter! I certainly appreciate all your nice comments about my work. It is a wonderful feeling to know that so much effort was well worth it in the end when people like yourself are very much entertained by the story of The Courageous Princess.

As for future installments, trust that there will be more of The Courageous Princess! Even now, CP3 is already partially scripted. The adventures of Mabelrose and Spiky will continue and as always, the learning, the humor and the growth will not end.
I only ask for your patience again as producing that amount of pages is very time consuming when one is doing it all alone.
 

Thanks once again!

Have bought and enjoyed your work including The Courageous Princess, which is
enjoyed by my entire family (well, at least those over 4 months old).

First, dragons.

On pages 28 and 29 of the latest The Courageous Princess, you have a panel
that spans the book binding.  This makes it difficult to figure out what is
happening being that the focus of the action is in the binding (we think the
dragon hit the ledge).  Could you scan these two pages and post them on the
web site?

Also, could you scan the map (which also spans the book binding) and post it
on the web site?

Some months ago, you had scanned a few panels (sans dialog) from the first
chapter of The Courageous Princess and had them on your web site.  One was
the panel where Mabelrose receives the invitation to the ball.  I had printed
this panel for my daughter and she taped it to the wall in her room (she
feels she is a princess and seen Mabelrose as a kindred spirit and role
model).  I have looked for this panel again and found what looks like a
cropped version of it.  Could you post the full panel it again (or e-mail it)
so that I can replace her crumpled copy with a clean one?

I have been attempting to explore your web pages but have been having a few
difficulties.

I seem to be asking for a lot.

Again, enjoy your work and will be keeping my eye out for more (even though
the nearest comic book store to me seems to be in another country .. Canada).

Paul Schaper

0000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Hello Mr. Schaper,

Thank you for writing in! I am glad you enjoyed the story very much.
Here's the address of the new site:
http://www.oocities.org/mabelrose2001

Everything on that site is now running smoothly.
In the meantime, I hope you have fun with CP2 as you share it with your loved ones and friends.

> cropped version of it.  Could you post the full panel it again (or
> e-mail it)
> so that I can replace her crumpled copy with a clean one?

Oh... that is so cute! If it weren't for this part of your letter, honestly, I would have actually started rebuilding and transferring the site much later next week... As it was, I immediately went to work today and managed to upload the Invitation scene (hopefully it works).
The Invitation might be there already although I still have to do a final double check. Everything should be in place by the end of the week.

Cheers,

Here's a nice letter from a fellow writer and friend, Loran Gayton:
>
> I just got my copies of CP2 last night.  Everyone here loves the new
> episode.  One of my friends came by my cube and asked, "Do we find
> out what
> the magic ring does?"  Hee-hee!
>
Ø I like the "Is he an enchanted Prince?" kissing scene.

Loran Gayton
>

0000000000000000000

The boar scene was one of the more talked about parts of CP2 indeed! Almost everyone who wrote it has something unique to say about that scene. It's one of my favorite scenes... (Oh my, now I have to top that! Hm.....)

The question about the ring will be answered in CP3. This is where a lot about the ring gets revealed. I also plan to put in more "dragon scenes" and have him talk more about his motivations for recapturing Mabelrose and his plans with his new cohorts.

    Got my copy of CP2 last weekend and I enjoyed it quite a bit. Also
I was wobdering if Mabelrose has learned her lesson about kissing
strange boars?

Scott Brown

Thank you for writing in, Scott!
Ah, just one lesson learned among many not yet encountered...
I am glad you liked the story's ending. I always try to end with an upbeat mood.

what exactly is going on in the cave hibernation scene?  In one panel,
Mabelrose wakes up with a startled expression.  Is her little friend wetting
the bed?

Loran Gayton

HAHAHAHAHA!!!! That was the funniest question I have ever heard! this has gotta go on the website if you don't mind!
Actually, the reason is simple: Mabelrose rolled over in her sleep, but she rolled on Spiky's back and --- Ouchie!! only she could not shriek out, of course, because she will wake up the bear.

On another note, it is a fact that Bears never really sleep through the winter continuously. It is assumed that it gets up every now and then; only that it never has any nasty encounters with the adventuring pair; either because they are out foraging, or that they are bundled up peacefully in a non-threatening manner. (Animals sometimes share burrows and all that)

Even then, do not attempt to do what those two just did! One, because only Spiky can tell if they are old females just living out the rest of their years, and two, those two are paid professionals! (well, there was an animal expert on the set during the production of that scene...) heh!

Thank you for the reply.  I had never worked up the courage to
E-mail a comic book author, I really didn't know what to expect.

I look forward to your future work, even if the production
schedule is going to be slow.  I understand how it goes, we all
have lots to do and limited time.  :)  I also went out and bought
CP1, so now I have all the stuff in print.  My counciler liked
it so much when I showed it off that more sales are imminent.

Spread the joy!

Atros
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Hello Atros!

You're welcome!
Ah, that wasn't hard, wasn't it? Although you will get really snobbish people sometimes who never answer back because they think they are such "hot superstars", you will never get that treatment with me. I value everyone's letters and I always answer every one.

Thank you for sharing the book with your councilor! I sure hope more sales are imminent indeed! We are making a big push to releasing CP in real bookstores, so every bit of support from everyone will make this a reality. getting the story into bookstores will reach more people who usually don't go into comic book shops.
Onward to CP3 then...

Rod,
 I just got your book from Diamond on a gamble. I am REALLY glad I did.
This is wonderful!  I like how you do backgrounds,use color,...DRAW!
The non-glossy paper is easy on the eye, and your style draws the eye
right in. Mabelrose is SO cute and nice. But tough like Nausicaa. I have
'The Quest For Home" , & hope to find the first one . Gonna look on
E-Bay, but is there another source?  I'm a dealer in the process of
getting an online shop going. Would like to carry your little miniseries
as a set. Or at least get a set for myself. Keep up the good work! Randy
Craft

00000000000000000000000000000000000000000

Hello Randy,
I'm really glad YOU DID take that risk!
Thank you for supporting my publication!
The first one's a blast too. I had fun making that one as well.
Thank you very much!

Rod Espinosa

You're doing a wonderful job with Courageous Princess.  I think that
you're really doing what most folks in the comics industry can only dream
of in its present state: writing and illustrating a good story that
appeals to everybody.  Mabelrose is a charmer, and as a character is
admirable and a true delight.  Keep it up, and I'll keep buying it, and
tell my friends about it, too.
 

Sandra Ann Jacobs

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Dear Sandra,

Thank you very much for your kind and wonderful letter!
I most certainly hope that with every issue, you will like Mabelrose more and more.
I will definitely keep producing the stories as long as great readers like you appreciate them!

Sincerely,
Rod

000000000000000000000
 

Hey Randy,

You're very welcome. It is always a pleasure to read various responses to my work and I am happy that you found the story very entertaining and enlightening.
Thank you very much for all your kind compliments!

Rod,

Thank you for your E-mail messages, it was charming to chat
with you.  More importantly, thank you for showing you value
me.  The best I can do is send you my thanks (and money, I
hope you're not one of those poor 'starving artist' types!).  I
look forward to Courageous Princess #3, even if I have to wait
a while for it.

Take care,

Atros
Oooooooooooooooooooooo
Mr. Atros,

You're very welcome as always. I thank you for your patronage and your support and I hope to talk with you again when CP3 comes out next year.