Blog

July 30, 2007

Oops

I knew I'd forget to mention somebody; I'm old and forgetful.

Teague Tysseling, creator of Mad About U., is an awesome artist. He was hanging out for a bit at the Keenspot booth, doing caricatures of anybody he saw who had an interesting enough face, and then giving the drawings away for free.

Teague, by the way, is A REALLY NICE GUY.

July 29, 2007

Memories of El Monte—er, San Diego

The Comic-Con closed its doors a for another year at 5:00 pm this evening; I was home by 8:00 pm, and have conmmenced writing this at 8:30 pm. That's not exciting or interesting to anybody but me. But by posting that information for all to see, I have officially become one of those "Today I went to Ralphs and bought some grapes" bloggers that I have mocked so heartily in the past.

Sorry, I just can't help myself. The Con was such a rewarding experience that I feel compelled to share. I hope you'll forgive my indulgence.

Before Friday evening I had never seen nor spoken to another webcartoonist in the flesh. Perhaps a younger and less cynical man would not have been as surprised as I was that webcartoonists are as nice as they are. I mean to say these people are uber-nice. If there are some cranky apples in the bunch they either sat this one out or just managed to avoid crossing my path for two full days. I'm amazed—I've read webcomics forums, I've heard the horror stories—where were all the prima donnas? Where was the pettiness? The attitudes, the jealousy, the vindictiveness? Nowhere to be found. It's as if they all had a secret meeting and decided they were going to impress upon yours truly that webcartoonists, as a group, are the nicest damn people on the planet.

At first I thought it might just be the Keenspotters. Yeah, that would make sense; all the jerks are in the other webcomics groups. John Troutman, who has created several webcomics (most of which have the name Flint in the title), is as personable a guy as you'll ever meet. He's friendly to an almost ridiculous level, at ease chatting with friends and strangers alike, and generally making all the strangers feel like friends. Troutman has an almost perpetual smile. He'd be a good guy to tell you you have an incurable disease or they've just foreclosed on your home; you'd invariably go away from it feeling like it could have been much worse.

The team behind the popular Zap!, Chris Layfield and Pascalle, might be just as nice. Maybe even nicer. Well, maybe just as nice. Chris is the quieter of the two, which is not to say he's particularly quiet. It's just that Pascalle is effervescent, bouncing about flagging down passersby and bringing far more traffic to the booth than one would have thought possible. They also brought along Chris' wife and Pascalle's brother and their friend who helps them with their web site. Oh, and guess how I'd best describe those people? That's right, nice. Chris' wife Kasey started reading my book and liked it enough to buy it on the spot, so I'd love her even if she wasn't nice. But she was.

Ryan Smith, creator of Funny Farm and writer of Banished!, is another incredibly affable guy. His charming Canadian accent would have won me over by itself if he hadn't also thrown being nice into the mix. But he did. So now I can't be objective about it anymore. In any event, Ryan Smith is nice.

Dan Shive (El Goonish Shive)? Nice. Darrin Bluel (Nukees)? Nice. Mark Mekkes (Zortic, Abby's Agency)? Nice. They all exhibited a quieter nice than some of the others, or maybe you just seem quieter when Troutman or Pascalle are around. No, Shive is actually quiet. But nice. He was ill Sunday from some unfortunate culinary experience the night before, but he dragged himself to the booth to the delight of some of his fans and whipped out some sketches like a trouper. A nice trouper.

Chris Daily (Striptease, Punch an' Pie) emceed the Keenspot panel on Saturday. I didn't get a chance to talk to him much, but he was (are you ready for this?) nice. And funny, and quick, and an excellent choice to head the panel. His roommate (and Punch an' Pie partner) Aerie (who also wrote and drew the now-complete Queen of Wands) may actually out-Pascalle Pascalle. If Calle is effervescent, Aerie is ebullient, dispensing smiles and hugs with an easy-going abandon. Around these people, you think can almost OD on nice. But you don't, because none of them seem phony or pretentious or duplicitous at all. They just seem nice.

Apparently, they're not alone. I spent almost the entire convention hanging out with these paragons of niceness, but I occasionally encountered some webcomic-ers from beyond the friendly sphere of Keenspot. You'd think some of the bigger names in webcomics might think they could check their niceness at the door, if indeed thay had any to begin with. Not the case. Howard Tayler, whose Schlock Mercenary is, I believe, the most popular comic on the all-popular-all-the-time collective Blank Label, didn't know me or my strip from Adam (and probably still doesn't), and had no reason to be nice to me, unless, of course, he actually is nice, which he apparently is.

Scott Kurtz (PvP), who may actually be the biggest name in webcomics (he's certainly in the top three or four), does not have a reputation for being a nice man, if you believe some of the scuttlebutt you hear bandied about in webcomic circles. And I don't know, maybe he isn't. I didn't talk to him, but I saw him a few times, and all I saw him do is smile and nod and wave and chat with people in a way that would convice an untrained eye that he is, you know, nice. Which, as far as I could tell, he is.

I wanted to talk to Rich Stevens, whose Diesel Sweeties is one of the biggest success stories in webcomics, what with it being syndicated and all for the past year or so. It also happens to be one of my favorite strips. I saw him a few times, but I didn't talk to him because he was always surrounded by starry-eyed fans, much as you'd expect a syndicated cartoonist to be. I didn't feel like interrrupting him to say "hey, I shore do lawk that strip of yers" but at one point while looking at some original Scarygoround art I inadvertently caught his eye and he smiled and said "hi." I returned the "hi" and let him resume holding court. Clearly, the guy was busy being nice. Speaking of Scarygoround, Stevens' Dumbrella colleague John Allison was at the Con too, but I missed him. Scarygoround is probably my favorite webcomic. It would have sucked to find out Allison isn't nice. But I've heard he is. And it would be tough to bet against it at this point.

T Campbell (Penny and Aggie, many others) is a webcomics writer whose work I admire a great deal, and is a highly well-respected name in the webcomics "biz." Campbell made a point of telling me how impressed he was by my writing. He didn't have to do that, and I don't think I effectively expressed how much I appreciated it and how much I enjoy his work. So I'm trying to do so now. Oh, do I need to mention that T Campbell struck me as a particularly nice guy?

I had really looked forward to this convention. I was really excited about seeing my book, and I had hoped I'd sell a bunch of them. Oh, and, I figured it might be kinda fun to meet some people, although that wasn't really the prime motivator at all.

I didn't sell very many books. And I'm not disappointed in the least. I can hardly wait for Comic-Con 2008.

(ADDENDUM: Just read the latest update of Scarygoround: "The Captain Beefheart Story." Now I don't even care if he's nice; Allison rules.)

I'm Outta Here—Tomorrow

The San Diego Comic-Con is underway; all the real cartoonists are already there, hobnobbing and whatnot. The fake ones like me—who still have their "day jobs"—have to wait until tommorow afternoon to head on out. Although I'll be away from my computer, the miracle of modern technology will continue updating the site; you won't miss a strip. So no need to lose any sleep over that.

I still haven't seen my book yet; apparently it's sitting in some box at the Keenspot booth. For all I know they've already sold a few copies. Maybe it'll sell out before I even get there. Uh huh. Anyway, after the Con is over you'll be able to order it here and here (it may be not be available immediately after the Con, but soon after).

The current poker series has brought in a favorable response and a few new readers, somewhat to my surprise. If you like a lot of poker with your comics I heartily recommend +EV by Bobby Crosby and Tiger Claw.

If you do happen to be at the Comic-Con this weekend, look me up. I'm told I have actual readers, but until I see you with my own eyes, I can't be sure someone's not playing an elaborate hoax on me.

July 14, 2007

WebComiCon (or WebComicCon; it's spelled both ways in the press release)…

Despite what I said on July 1 (see below), I've decided I am going to attempt to post more comments. Apparently some people are of the opinion that the more you connect with your readers, the more likely they are to stick around. We'll see if that still applies when the you in question is me.

Actually, today I'm just going to pass along some information rather than attempt to amuse you with my own thoughts. The ever-avuncular Chris Crosby has suggested that those of us who will be representing Keenspot at the Comic-Com post the following:

For the first time ever, Webcomics have unified their presence at Comic Con International. "WebComiCon," the heart of the webcomics action in San Diego, will be found in the middle of Aisle 1300, where some of the top names in webcomics -- Abismo/Nerve Bomb, Blank Label Comics, Dayfree Press, Dumbrella, Keenspot, Penny Arcade, PvP, Rooster Teeth and Studio Foglio -- will be assembled. With a combined readership best counted in millions, this will be a gathering to remember.

Located in a prime location in Aisle 1300, WebComiCon is a short walk away from DC and Sideshow Collectibles -- and just around the corner from the Small Press Pavilion. Download our handy map (PDF) and print it out to guide you along your way.

This centralized location is tailor-made for fans of webcomics who want to see many of their favorite creators in one area. Expect to see all your favorite artists joining up for group sketches, sketch mashups, practical jokes, and a sense of excitement that only comes once a year at the biggest webcomics meetup in the world.

Other webcomics creators can be found in Artist Alley and Small Press, making WebComicCon the center of the ultimate webcomics gathering in the world. Watch Fleen.com for an updated map of all of the webcomics creators in attendance.

Oh, there's also going to be a Keenspot panel on Saturday (July 28) at 5:30 pm in Room 3. What's a Keenspot panel, you ask? I dunno, but in one of my dizzier moments, I volunteered to be on it. My guess is a bunch of us cartoonists will sit all official-like at a long table and field questions from you kids. In my case, it's a chance to spotlight my embarrassing ignorance about the webcomics world. Maybe I should do some cramming before my appearance. Which comic is it that has the guys who like computer games?

July 1, 2007

A Review, and a Response…

Seems like ages since I’d had a review, but the one in Aarin’s blog more than made up for it. I won’t go on an on about the positive things he said, you can read it yourself if you’re interested. 

I did want to address a comment he made about the website (surprisingly, he did not mention the color orange):

As for the site, it’s super-functional, but I’d really enjoy more blogging and an in-depth ‘about’ page. It always feels self-indulgent, but some of us are honestly interested in the reasons and foundation behind top-tier storytelling.

Aarin pretty much answered the “Why don’t you blog more?” question almost as soon as he asked it. It is, indeed, because “it feels self-indulgent.” Actually, that’s not the only reason, but it’s a big one.

Some webcartoonists post a comment with each update, others with almost every update. Sometimes I find the comments interesting. Too often, I find myself wondering why they think I should care that their car broke down that day. Posting something when you have something to say is great; burdening your readership with the minutiae of your daily life is brutal.

I'm indulging myself enough by drawing a comic strip and putting it on the Internet. I could be working with children or feeding the poor. But I'm not, I'm drawing a comic strip. That's self-indulgent enough as it is.

Blogging takes too much time. I like to put all my creative energy into the strip. If I'm entertaining in my comments but the strip is lacking, then I have failed. The strip must take precedence.

Also, I kind of like the comic strip to stand on its own. It shouldn't need any outside explanation. I saw one webcomic where the author posts a fairly detailed description of what was going on in that day's strip. Every day, every strip. Basically explaining the strip to you. Dude. If I can't tell what's going on in your strip by, you know, reading the strip, maybe comics aren't your thing. Try some alternative means of expression.

Aarin again: 

Worst-case scenario: no one reads [the comments]. Best: you connect the reader into the conditions behind and purpose of the story.

Well, no, actually, in my case, nobody reading the comments is probably the best-case scenario. The worst-case scenario is that people do read them and decide I’m a bitter, antisocial creep, and maybe they'd be better off reading something created by a nice person. 

Well, see, now I've done it. Forgive me Father, for I have blogged.

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