Leftovers
As the week draws to a close, I thought I'd wrap my guest blogging stint up with some assorted things I've learned over the years, that didn't quite fit into the other articles. Maybe you'll find them useful, too. Continue Reading
THE RETURN OF OLD SCHOOL WEBCOMIC DRAMA
The title of this post is slightly off. Webcomic drama as we used to know it never really went away. In fact, it’s been growing behind the walls, not daring to spread out. There may not be large message board battles like the time that one guy took on that other guy back in Ought Five, but the seething hatred in the community still thrives…at least for two well-know creators.
Tom Brazelton, the unassuming Iowan creator of Theater Hopper, and gentle Gordon McAlpin of Multiplex fame, have been battling behind the scenes for years. What? That’s impossible? NO. THAT IS AN INCORRECT ASSERTION.
Spreading the Word
Increasing your readership is a little like trying to find love. You can't force it to happen; the best you can hope for is to improve your odds a bit. And if anyone tells you otherwise, they're probably trying to sell you something.
Reminder: I’ll be at Intervention and SPX This Weekend
I would love to meet folks at Intervention and SPX this weekend. I'll be at Intervention all day Friday and later on Saturday; at SPX early on Saturday and all day Sunday. Feel free to email or tweet me if you're going to be at either one this weekend.
I'll be on a panel at Intervention on Saturday at 5 PM. My first and possibly only panel appearance ever!
The Outside Perspective: Webcomic Review/News Sites
As the webcomics phenomenon has grown it’s natural that a news/review sphere has developed around this art form. This panel will talk about the sites that are out there, the challenges of tracking a “scene” that is as infinite as the Internet itself, and what motivates the people who take up the challenge of talking about webcomics.
Panelists: Xaviar Xerexes, Kara Dennison, Mike Rhodes
I'll also be doing some interviews but mostly looking at comics and catching up with as many people as possible.
Putting It Out There
Once you've finished toiling away on your first few comics, and you've produced a work of staggering greatness (or, at least, a couple of pretty good fart jokes), your next step is to create a home for them. Now, there are places that will offer to do all the work for you; Webcomics Nation is one respectable example. But, if you're in it for the long haul, eventually you'll want to set up your own web site. And the first step is selecting a domain name.
Guest Bloggery!
Hey there! My name is Brandon J. Carr and I'll be guest blogging a few times this week. I've been doing and studying comics and cartooning since I was young enough to hold a crayon. I've been doing online comics off and on since 2001, such as Between the Panels, Quantum, Crater City, Life's a Bluff, The Kenmore, Weird Adventures in Unemployment and a bunch of guest comics for my buddies in the cartooning world.
Comic Explains Collateral Debt Obligaton
Freewriting Re: Writing
There's a well-known (in certain circles …) doodle by Bill Watterson wherein he shares his writing process, which pretty much consists of staring blankly into space, waiting for inspiration. I imagine this holds true for a lot of cartoonists – it does for me, at least. Which makes writing about Writing a bit of a challenge, as I can't give a simple set of directions and send you on your merry way. I think the most I can manage is some random observations, which I'll try to tie together as best I can.
Things I’m Reading
Beyond catching up on The Walking Dead series, I got a few more books in the mail I thought I'd mention. First I got a review copy of a comic adaptation of The Little Prince by Joann Sfar, which is the classic tale by Antoine De Saint-Exupery (due for release October 18th). It's not exactly the imagery I had in my head, but it's whimsical and expressive work. I'm about halfway through my read. Once I finish the whole book I'll be sure to put it on the pile of books to review (working my way through that!)
A bit more odd I guess (interesting in a different way) is I, Superhero, which is a book by Mike McMullen, published by Citadel Press. It looks fantastically amateurish — the cover is a picture of McMullen stuffed into a white long-john suit with a word bubble of "We wear tights so you won't have to" — it is just… odd. The subtitle is "My journey into the world of real-life superheroes, spandex, and sex (okay no sex, that was just to get your attention)." I decided to flip through it convinced it would be rubbish but now I'm not so sure. The chapter with the "real life superhero" — "Geist" was a bit endearing. I can't say McMullen in interviewing him for the book really painted a full picture of him but for the most part he presented him sympathetically. Not entirely though — McMullen throws in snark at Geist's expense from time to time. Really McMullen seems to have some issues with his own love of superheroes and geek-fu, his sarcasm seems to unintentionally sneak up on himself in his writing sometimes. I'm much less interested so far in the chapters that focus on McMullen's own purported desire to become a real life superhero himself. Right now though is another chapter about someone else – the "real life superhero" known as Master Legend. I'm going to see if I stick with the whole book before mentally committing to giving it a review.
Kurtz-Krahulik Webcomic?
Scott Kurtz posted a short bit about The Trenches, a new webcomic coming that's a collaboration between him and Mike "Gabe" Krahulik [UPDATE] AND Jerry Holkins.
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