Dale Johnson Productions

The following are news updates for the year 2002:

TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2002
Happy New Year! Those of you who've kept your resolutions just this far should be awarded a medal and a two million dollar grand prize! Don't expect me to give you either one, though. By the way, I wonder how many people are still hiding in the hills thinking Y2K is still wrecking havoc?
Anyhow, Lizy Comic #3 is past the drafting stage and is ready for inking. This time you'll get to see a neat little confrontation between Lizy and Rex. This will probably be the last comic I'll make for this site, sadly. Sigh. I simply don't have the time to keep all this up. Oh, well.
Block Drop is nearing release, and should be out next month. I'm also starting up production on another game. I'd think it would be coming out mid-fall, but that depends on if I get a good start on it. Otherwise, it won't come out at all, sadly.
Oh, and if you're looking for a good movie, go see The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring! Even if you haven't read the books (you ought to read them), see it anyway! I've only gotten to see it twice so far. Too bad it's going to be another year before part two comes out, and another year after that before the conclusion!
Well, that's about it for now. Hope you like new streamlined Navbar. I won't have so much junk to deal with anymore! See you all later!

MONDAY, JANURARY 28, 2002
Hello again! Well, the wait is over, and Block Drop is here! I think you'll agree that the wait was... Um... Not worth it. Well, at least I finished it and can move on to better, more interesting things.
In other news, issue #3 of the Lizy Comics is still being held up, but should be done by mid-February. Unless I get some kind of reader response on them, this WILL be the last Lizy On-Line Comic. I hope that was understandable enough.
Depending on how things go, you should get some info on my new game soon. Also, I'm thinking about going back to the old BeSeen.com message board system. EZBoard is too much for my needs, and I don't like some of the ads they've been putting up. Oh, well, no one goes there anyhow! :)
Well, that's another update in the can! Have a nice day, and go see Lord of the Rings. It'll be good for you!

SATURDAY, MARCH 9, 2002
Hurray! At last, the inking process for Issue #3 has began! Not much to say right now, besides the fact I put a new biography page up for Lizy the Lizard. I'll improve it later, I guess. It needs it. Well, that's all for now. See you around!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2002
Finally! After months of hard work, Comic #3 is up! The site has had many little fixes and updates, so feel free to explore. So, what's next for MJPro? It's hard to say, really. I'm still working on my new game off and on, so there's always that.
I'd also like to set up the "beginning" of the Lizy the Lizard saga. I was going to do this as part of the comic series, but because I've discontinued that for now, I'll probably do it as a series of short stories.
By the way, what do you think about the Lizy comic series? Do you like them? Hate them? Want me to make more? E-mail me, or even better, sound off on the forums! I really need some input! Thanks for stopping by, and have a nice day! :)

SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2002
HAPPY FIRST ANNIVERSARY, MJPRO! Exactly one year ago tomorrow, I uploaded the LizVenture to this site. This past year has been very fruitful. I've completed a total of five projects, in addition to the other two which are now still in the works.
Well, you're probably wondering what those other two are? Maybe not, but I'm going to tell you anyway! The first project is "The Adventures of Lizy the Lizard" which tells the story of Lizy and how he became the Guardian of Lizard Valley. It is divided into 24 "pages," which will be uploaded on a weekly basis starting sometime later this month, if all goes well.
The second project is "The Pickles." That's all I'm going to tell you for now. You'll find out more about it in the coming weeks. It should be released sometime late summer/early fall if all goes as planned.
Please keep coming to visit me here at MJPro, enjoy all the stuff I have up, and please invite a friend! Have a nice day! AND DON'T FORGET TO SET YOUR CLOCKS FORWARD AN HOUR TOMARROW!

SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 2002
Hello again, everyone! Not much in the way of updates, but I've got a few announcements.
First off, the Pickles Teaser Page is up. Check it out to get a glimpse of what the project is about. There'll be more information to come.
Second, the Adventures of Lizy the Lizard debutes next week with Chapter 1. I think it will be rather enjoyable, really.
Well, 'till next time, see you around!

SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2002
Amazing! I've updated for three Saturdays in a row now! :) This has actually been a pretty good week for me. Lots of updates today. First off, I updated the front page (it's been needing work for some time now).
Next up, the Adventures of Lizy the Lizard has made it's arrival with Chapter 1 up. Only 23 more chapters to go! The next chapter will be up here next week. I really hope you enjoy it! Give me some feedback on it at the forums, I want to hear what you think of the design thus far.
No more pickle updates today, sorry, but you'll get some more screen shots next week if all goes well. Enjoy yourselves this week!

SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2002
Well, for those of you interested, I've put in my application to the Art Institute of Houston in... um... Houston. In any case, I'm looking to achieve an Associate of Applied Science in Animation Art and Degien. The recruiter-guy (I forgot his title, sorry) liked my artwork and my interest in the field, so he recommended me. I don't know for sure if I'm going to go yet. It's a lot of work to keep up with, for one, and I'm not totally sure I have what it takes to be accepted.
Like any good animation school, they'll want me to put together a portfolio. I don't know what all they want me to put in it, but I'll be nice and put it up here for all of you to see. Aren't I a great guy? :) (That is a rhetorical question, thank you very much!)
Enough about me. Chapter two of the Adventures of Lizy the Lizard is up. Enjoy it. Considering I might be starting college in July, I don't know what to do about finishing the series, which would normally come to a close around september. Whoops! How'd something about me sneak in there like that? :O
As for the Pickles, screen shots go up next week. I've got company over the weekend, so I'm pretty busy, and there probably won't be much to look at. I also don't know if I'll finish this game, either. I'll have to really gun it if I want to get done by July. Oops! There I go again. Well, this is really going to strain the news archive page, so I better cut off now. Until next time!

SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2002
Besides putting up Page 3 of Lizy, not much else to say. Something came up, so the Pickles screenshots will have to wait. They should be up next week.

SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2002
Hello again, everybody! This time I finally got the Pickles screenshots up. Go look at them now. Also Chapter 4 of Lizy is finally online. Tell me what you think about it.
I took the ASSET test last week, and I've got my scores now. I scored a 3.5 (out of 4), which can get me some extra scholarships. Nothing major, but every little bit helps.
Another game has been planned to come out after The Pickles. I know, I know, I'll be busy starting July. But hopefully I can get the major stuff done before then. And the first month or so, it's just going to be mainly easy stuff anyhow. I'll get more details about the game up later, if I decide to go through with it. It's going to be very simplified, especially compared to The Pickles, which I programmed very poorly to begin with. The Adventures of Lizy the Lizard will go on even after I start college. I am sure of that now.
Well, just thought you would like to know. Good-bye for now, everyone.

SATURDAY, MAY 18, 2002
Wow! Work on my new game has gone surprisingly swift. The engine looks promising, and it might turn out to be a pretty neat game if it's finished in time. As for The Pickles, pretty much all I need to do is finish the rest of the levels, which is a task in itself! In any case, Chapter 5 of Lizy is up, so go read it! See you later!

SATURDAY, MAY 25, 2002
Not much news. I should have some more info on the pickles up next week, but besides that, nothing today.

SATURDAY, JUNE 1, 2002
Happy Birthday to me! Well, tomorrow anyways.
Lots of good things today! To begin with, I've given you your weekly dose of Lizy. Chapter 7 is now up. Next, The Pickles has a main page. It's not much now, but as time goes on, I'll fix it. I have no idea what to do about that teaser... I spelled some things wrong on it! :) I'll just sweep it under the rug next week, I guess.
Speaking of The Pickles, the first Beta Version is scheduled for June 15. It will not be a public release. However, if you are interested in beta testing the game, please e-mail me, or contact me via the forums.
Well, that's all for today. Hopefully I'll have the downloads page up next week. See you all around!

MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2002
Sorry for the lack of updates, folks! I was out of town the weekend before last, and last week I was busy transferring my computer to a new case and hard drive. The next page of Lizy is up, though. If you are really nice and drop me an e-mail, I may give you two Lizy chapters next week to make up for it! :)
In other news, The Pickles Beta Version has been cancelled because nobody signed up. Boo-hoo. :( The game should come out late next month, though, so keep your eyes open! My other game was going well until I tried to add too much to it, so I decided to start all over from just about scratch, and it should be released mid-August if I'm quick about it. It's a real easy one to program, because, unlike The Pickles, I don't have to come up with a bunch of puzzles for it. :) I'll tell you more about it next week, I think.
Also, I start college July 8th, so after that, don't be surprised to see me miss some more weeks. Have a good week, and visit me on the forums! :) See you later!

SATURDAY, JUNE 22, 2002
Another chapter of Lizy is up. Go enjoy it!
By the way, I have The Pickles Beta Version if anybody is in Beta Testing. E-Mail me about it, please! :)

SUNDAY, JULY 21, 2002
Been awhile, hasn't it? College is going well so far, though, as you can see, it does tend to take up a good deal of my free time.
In any case, I have put up another chapter of Lizy. Also, The Pickles has pretty much finished the beta testing stage. I expect it's release early/mid fall this year. Don't hold your breath, though. It's just barely escaped being canceled all together.
Well, see you soon, and have a nice day!

SATURDAY, JULY 27, 2002
Another update for The Adventures of Lizy the Lizard done today. There probably won't be another chapter up next week, though.
Speaking of updates, I REALLY need to do something about the downloads page. It hasn't had anything done to it in ages... Sad, really.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2002
Been awhile, hasn't it?
Well, it's official. I'm half-way done with The Adventures of Lizy the Lizard. Only 24 more chapters left to go. College has been a real vacuum of my time, so it may be awhile before the next chapter.
But, there is more good news. The release date for The Pickles has been set for November 2. That's this year, by the way. Things have been progressing nicely, and I've almost completed all the levels. I'm not sure what to do about the story, though, because putting it in will take forever, and I don't want to have to settle for a lame ending. We'll see in time, though.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2002
At last! One quarter down, seven to go! No, I'm not talking about an extra-long football game, I'm talking about college. I've completed one quarter of classes, so now I get a two week break, and I start all over again. At least I'm getting somewhere. And, no, I don't know my grades yet. I don't get my final grades until the 27th. Not that you care. Why am I even wasting space on my site for this paragraph? I don't know...
Anyhow, Chapter 13 of Lizy is up. What an unlucky chapter number. It actually turned out okay, though. Surprised me, for sure. Hmm. I've got a lot of news today. And I'm still not done yet. :P
Speaking of unlucky, that would pretty much sum up my day. My internet connection has been lousy, after working in the yard most of the morning, and I got overheated and had to... well... let's just say I didn't enjoy lunch the first time around, either. And to top it all off, Internet Explorer decided to lock up on me. Sure, it might be the fact I just installed Netscape on my computer, but I personally think it happened because I was browsing around ABCNews.com. I had just spotted a picture of Barbara Walters when it happened, so that seems to explain it.
In case you haven't noticed, I've added a poll to the front page. Do you like it? :) I'll try to change it every month or so.
This is my longest news update ever! But it's over now. Are you glad? :( (What is it with me and these happy faces today. Hey! Why are you reading my thoughts? Got to remember to stop typing them down...) :P

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 5, 2002
Got my grades back at last. Got a GPA of 3.6 now. Aren't I a genius? (Go ahead, I can hand the truth.)
In any case, chapter 14 is up now. Not sure what I'm going to do about things after chapter 15. Even though the entire plot was planned out on paper from the beginning, it's not coming together as well as I had planned. Oh, well, so far things are going pretty well.
Next week sometime expect the site to be down for awhile. I plan to do a major update. Although you won't notice much of a difference, the site itself will be much easier to handle. We'll see, though.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2002
The day we've all been waiting for has arrived! After nearly ten months in production, The Pickles has finally been released! Please download it and tell me what you think about it.
In addition, The Adventures of Lizy the Lizard has been updated and Chapter 15 is now up. Read it, and enjoy! Lizy's also got a new online javascript game up. Check it out under Fun Stuff on the NavBar!
Oh, and one more thing, my next game is already in production. I should have information up on it soon, but it'll be awhile before it comes out. I've got a lot of schoolwork to catch up on!

HOW DO YOU LIKE THE NEW HEADLINES?
Sunday, November 24, 2002
Why didn't I have headlines before? Other than the fact that I'm lazy and hiding under fifty feet of college work that must get down? Do you really need another reason?
Anyhow, the next chapter of Lizy is up. From here on out, I should be able to get the chapters up weekly again. Also, to make up for the failed Lizy comic series, I'm going to try and start a new one, but with non-Lizy characters. It'll be designed to be easier to do, so it shouldn't take forever between episodes. It's just an idea, though.
For all of you out there stuck on The Pickles, you'll be happy to know that a strategy guide with a walkthrough is in the works. Stay tuned!

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!
Saturday, December 7, 2002
Now that you've gained those seventeen pounds of pure turkey and pumpkin pie over Thanksgiving, it's time to start working it all off with that joyous holiday tradition we like to call "Christmas Shopping." And as an early present, Chapter 17 of Lizy is up. We're almost to the end now, aren't we? Don't worry if the next chapter or two are slow, believe me, it'll pick up soon as the final battle draws near.
The first version of The Pickles official strategy guide should be up by early next year. Over the holidays, I'll also have free time from school to get a start on my new online comic book series. Hopefully, this one will last longer. :)
Well, that be all for now me mateys. Arr! (What did that had do with Christmas???). So get out all your Christmas music, sit back, and enjoy a sip of hot chocolate. Tell everyone I said to.