E-merl.com 6.0

My name is Daniel Merlin Goodbrey and everything you see here is my fault. I’m a comic creator and new media lecturer based out of St Albans, England. E-merl.com is where I catalogue my experiments in fiction and the comics form. If that all sounds a little dry, don’t worry - I’m sure something horribly violent and amusing will happen if you stick around long enough.

Current Projects

All Knowledge Is Strange - Every Tuesday & Thursday

A pictorial almanac of necessary facts. All Knowledge Is Strange is E-merl’s new regular weekly strip, updating with a new instalment every Tuesday and Thursday. The series has its own RSS feed right here and is also available to be read or tooncast via Modern Tales.

The Rule Of Death - Every Friday

Pete Colby doesn’t want to die. So he doesn’t. And that’s where the problems begin. Illustrated by Douglas Noble, this new kitchen-sink zombie western updates every Friday at Serializer (or right here via the wonders of tooncasting).

The Last Sane Cowboy & Other Stories - Order Now!

Earth has unfolded. Reality has stretched out into its truer and more terrible shape. Now an insane cowgirl stalks the prairie in search of her missing brother. A heartbroken lover confronts the creature masquerading as his lost house. And a refugee from a lost dimension ponders the very existence of cheese. 112 pages, Colour cover. Available now from AiT/Planetlar.

Brain Fist - 9/6/2005 to 7/8/2007

The wet sound a brain makes when it punches you in the face. An abandoned TV set crying in the rain because Nobody Understands and Times Change and Who Really Cares Now Anyway? What kind of person brings an exploding nun to a knife fight? Brain Fist. Comics you hold in your head.

Unfrequently Asked Questions

Q. What was you name again?
A. Daniel Merlin Goodbrey

Q. Is that your real name?
A. Yeah.

Q. You’re not just making that ‘Merlin’ bit up are you?
A. Nope. It’s inherited from my great-grandfather or some such. And I was born on Halloween, so I guess my folks figured it would be a good fit.

Q. What’s this site all about then?
A. It’s a place for me to tell my stories and show off my work. That’s it really.

Q. Do you make a living from doing this sort of stuff?
A. Much to my surprise, yes. I’m currently employed by The University of Hertfordshire as a part time lecturer in new media design. The rest of the time I spend working on comics. After several long years of toiling in the online and small press comic mines, I’m just starting to see the first hints of turning a real profit.

Q. So you’re available for hire?
A. Most definitely. Anyone interested should drop me an e-mail.

Q. Where are you based anyway?
A. I live in St Albans, just a little bit above London.

Q. Been there long?
A. Getting on towards six years now. I’m originally from Suffolk but I moved to the area for my degree and then decided to stay on once I was done.

Q. You’ve got a degree?
A. I’m the proud owner of a first class honours degree in Software Systems for the Arts and Media and a distinction level master’s degree in the Digital Practices of Hyperfiction.

Q. Wow, that was a modest answer.
A. Is that sarcasm I’m detecting?

Q. I shouldn’t think so.
A. You’re just a voice in my head, you know. You can easily be replaced.

Q. Ahem. So, anyway, how long has E-merl.com been going?
A. E-merl.com has been around for seven years, but I’ve had a presence on the web going back a good eleven years now. Before E-merl there was Triple Distilled and before that there was Merl-Net. The design and focus of the site has really changed a lot over the years - the current version of E-merl is the sixth major redesign since I purchased the domain.

Q. So maybe it’s passed time to write a new FAQ rather than just repeatedly re-editing this conversation?
A. Clearly if I thought that I wouldn’t be typing this response.

Q. Good point.
A. …

Q. …
A. Well?

Q. Sorry. It’s just, um, I’ve kind of run out of things to ask.
A. Really?

Q. Yeah.
A. Fair enough. Fancy going for a drink then?

Q. Sure.
A. You can get the first round in.

Q. But I’m just a voice in your head.
A. We’ll explain that to the barman.

Q. You think he’ll understand?
A. If he knows what’s good for him.

Old News

Before I started a proper blog I kept an irregularly updating news page. Interested parties (probably just me to be honest) can read an archive of that material here. Real E-merl news complete-ists may also want to check out Brain Fist as each episode of the strip was accompanied by a weekly news post during it’s two year run.