David L. Riley - Writer

Dave was inspired in his formative years by such fine cinematic works as Bladerunner and Robocop. Throughout his primary education it seemed that the American mainstream media was absolutely obssessed with robots, especially the kind that aren't too friendly to their creators.

This, of course, inspired a long standing fear and hatred of all things mechanical in the young man, something that was only exacerbated when he came upon assorted works of Japanese animation such as Bubblegum Crisis and Ghost in the Shell. Now firmly convinced that the only good robot was a dead robot, Dave tromped his way out in the world to start a crusade against a foe that only exists in Isaac Asimov novels and movies by James Cameron.

Aside from a few (excessively lame) short stories, Dave had no real writing experience upon metriculating out of high school. But, during his year-long hiatus from college, the combination of a steady paycheck and some terribly bad (really, just awful) anime caused him to direct his fervor to the only outlet that might actually listen to him: the internet.

Unfortunately they haven't listened... in 1999 Dave founded a horrendously bad personal website that would eventually become the fan-service.org. Fan-service was (and still is!) around because anime and videogaming culture takes itself way too seriously. Originally just a repository for Dave's lackluster "reviews", it soon grew to encompass such silly things as cooking articles, drunk pictures, and columns about transsexual video game characters.

Jonathan Hugh Skabla - Artist

Jonathan Skabla has killed men for less. He is a no nonsense individual with a sturdy sense of justice that can not be trumped by any modern man's vices.

The artist is a graduate of Philadelphia's University of the Arts, majoring in 3D animation and design and hopes someday to participate in the backbreaking, grueling, high-risk low-reward gaming industry wherein his name might grace the pages of the next big survival horror hit and his outlandish monster designs might eventually be given the credit they deserve.

For now Jonathan is content to operate Front Beat as a hobby in his spare time, expending countless, thankless hours in the quest of the perfect product, a perfect balance of artistic quality and timely releases. The goal of perfection so narrowly eludes him every day, and it is a struggle that keeps him up at night. If there is one thing that describes Jon Skabla it is "dedicated to the cause".

Jonathan also operates a website, jonathanskabla.com, which hosts many of his artistic musings and will hopefully serve as a springboard into the wide world of (employed, paying) 3D design.

The Comic

Frontbeat is a collaborative effort between these ex-roommates. Dave, with his degree in criminal justice from one of the most acclaimed schools in the nation, felt like it would be wasted on his menial job of installing fiber optic jumpers for another one of the most acclaimed schools in the nation. Obviously, with his lackluster logic, the best way to use your degree is to put out little cartoon people on the internet.

Jon Skabla needed a way to practise his outstanding drawing skills and, with enough drunken 3 AM cajolings from Dave at the local after hours bar "The Pit" Skabs was convinced that it was in his best interest to draw little cartoon people on the internet.

Thus starts the storied history of Front Beat, which we hope will continue long into the near future and get us all kinds of accolades and money and sexy women who just want sex and no commiment and a giant pot of honey and ninja bodyguards. All the usual stuff that someone could hope for when drawing little cartoon people on the internet.

But if we could entertain you, that'd make us pretty happy too.