Yesterday I posted a blog on the Panel Mammals site in regards to the new book "Schulz and Peanuts" which is an unauthorized biography of Charles Schulz. It was supposed to be a generalized comment on how we've become a society of rubberneckers. Instead, as the replies rolled in, it turned into a rant on whether it was morally correct to publish the book in the first place.
I just want to go on record saying that I'm not against free speech. I am of the firm opinion that anyone should be allowed to say whatever they like in this country. After re-reading my post I realized I came off sounding like the book had no right to be published. I apologize. On the contrary...everyone has the right to be heard.
That being said, I also have the right to say the book smells like rotten tuna and cheese burritos and I really don't wanna read it.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Harry Potter and The Rotting Corpse
I have to admit, I'm a Harry Potter fan. Sorry. I said it. It's so ridiculous but those sort of films are right up my alley. I have read a couple of the books and they're just as entertaining as the movies. After typing this I can't help but feel like punching myself in the kidneys.
But it's TRUE. I like Harry.
And with the impending release of the final volume in the Harry Potter series, parents are up in arms due to a hint that our favorite bespectacled wizard (Sorry Gandolf...yer in second) might not be breathing when all is said and done. I would understand if parents were just upset cause they loved the character. I could get behind the argument that good should conquer evil, even if it's a far cry from reality.
But the fact of the matter is this: Parents are worried it will scar their kids.
SCAR THEIR KIDS?!?!
Look, this all leads me back to my old rants about the lack of real parenting. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and I hope that someone can come up with an argument about this. Not because I think I have an air-tight opinion, but because I think it deserves discussion. I truly believe we are raising our kids to fail. We're raising them to settle. We're raising them to accept mediocrity.
Good example: My kids played on a soccer league one summer. At the end of the league there was a little ceremony and EVERY team got a trophy. Twelve teams and they all got trophies. None of them said FIRST PLACE or THIRD or whatever. They all just said something to the affect of "Thanks for Playing."
Look, I know it's not fun to lose. And I know it's not fun to see your little kid upset because he/she isn't the next Pele' or Venus Williams. But if we award them across the board just for putting their shoes on walking onto the field, where is the incentive to get better? How do we teach sportsmanship without a lose or two?
Okay, I got off track...Harry Potter's possible death vs. Parents fear of emotional scarring. I don't know about you but I grew up watching lovable characters die. Bambi, Fox and the Hound, ET (okay he came back to life but it was still pretty upsetting). Hell, Disney cashed in on blasting characters!
So I say this to JK Rowling: KILL HARRY POTTER. Crash his broomstick into the ground. Light his dreamy hair on fire for all I care as long as THAT is what you planned to do. Don't bend to public opinion and don't assume the role of surrogate parent for these people
But it's TRUE. I like Harry.
And with the impending release of the final volume in the Harry Potter series, parents are up in arms due to a hint that our favorite bespectacled wizard (Sorry Gandolf...yer in second) might not be breathing when all is said and done. I would understand if parents were just upset cause they loved the character. I could get behind the argument that good should conquer evil, even if it's a far cry from reality.
But the fact of the matter is this: Parents are worried it will scar their kids.
SCAR THEIR KIDS?!?!
Look, this all leads me back to my old rants about the lack of real parenting. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and I hope that someone can come up with an argument about this. Not because I think I have an air-tight opinion, but because I think it deserves discussion. I truly believe we are raising our kids to fail. We're raising them to settle. We're raising them to accept mediocrity.
Good example: My kids played on a soccer league one summer. At the end of the league there was a little ceremony and EVERY team got a trophy. Twelve teams and they all got trophies. None of them said FIRST PLACE or THIRD or whatever. They all just said something to the affect of "Thanks for Playing."
Look, I know it's not fun to lose. And I know it's not fun to see your little kid upset because he/she isn't the next Pele' or Venus Williams. But if we award them across the board just for putting their shoes on walking onto the field, where is the incentive to get better? How do we teach sportsmanship without a lose or two?
Okay, I got off track...Harry Potter's possible death vs. Parents fear of emotional scarring. I don't know about you but I grew up watching lovable characters die. Bambi, Fox and the Hound, ET (okay he came back to life but it was still pretty upsetting). Hell, Disney cashed in on blasting characters!
So I say this to JK Rowling: KILL HARRY POTTER. Crash his broomstick into the ground. Light his dreamy hair on fire for all I care as long as THAT is what you planned to do. Don't bend to public opinion and don't assume the role of surrogate parent for these people
Monday, July 2, 2007
Struggle Of The Ink
Sounds like a Sci-Fi thriller or something, doesn't it? 44 Union Avenue has been running on GoComics now for what...seven months? I believe it's almost that long. And in that short (or long depending on which end of the pen you're on) time I've been on a quest to use the GoComics as a sort of jumping-off platform to bigger and better things. Namely, Print Syndication.
I've had the luck and privilege to talk one-on-one with the editors at most of the syndicates. I won't say ALL but most of the information I've received in my run-ins with them has been priceless.
What have I learned:
- The major syndicates have no clue how to handle comics on the internet. This isn't me taking a jab at them. This is the truth. I believe they're searching for a profit-making venture on the internet to continue where the waning sales of newspapers are leaving off. But the problem I see is this: You're not going to make money off something that folks can get for free. That's the simple condensed answer.
- Comic strips don't necessarily need to be funny to be picked up. Yeah, humor is subjective...we have all heard that before. But it's my opinion that syndicates are looking for unique before they are looking for true humor. As with any product placement, they have demos they're trying to fill and when something comes along that is in that market arena they jump on it...whether it's funny or not. With that being said, there are some very interesting strips coming down the pipe just might cure what ails me regarding the release of strips we've seen lately. Namely: Cul De Sac, Little Dog Lost, What The Duck...Keep your eye out for these strips. They might be the next big hit.
I think every artist comes to the point in their "career" where they have to sort've stand back and ask themselves why they're doing what they do. I sometimes feel like I'm sliding towards that crossroads. There are so many different types of cartoonists out there. I would say that I fall somewhere in between the webcomic and the nerd aspiring for printed syndication. But the more I think about that second venture, I wonder how realistic the odds are.
There's that old saying: Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it. And I wonder if that would be the case in my situation. More to come on this tomorrow. Tune in, kids.
I've had the luck and privilege to talk one-on-one with the editors at most of the syndicates. I won't say ALL but most of the information I've received in my run-ins with them has been priceless.
What have I learned:
- The major syndicates have no clue how to handle comics on the internet. This isn't me taking a jab at them. This is the truth. I believe they're searching for a profit-making venture on the internet to continue where the waning sales of newspapers are leaving off. But the problem I see is this: You're not going to make money off something that folks can get for free. That's the simple condensed answer.
- Comic strips don't necessarily need to be funny to be picked up. Yeah, humor is subjective...we have all heard that before. But it's my opinion that syndicates are looking for unique before they are looking for true humor. As with any product placement, they have demos they're trying to fill and when something comes along that is in that market arena they jump on it...whether it's funny or not. With that being said, there are some very interesting strips coming down the pipe just might cure what ails me regarding the release of strips we've seen lately. Namely: Cul De Sac, Little Dog Lost, What The Duck...Keep your eye out for these strips. They might be the next big hit.
I think every artist comes to the point in their "career" where they have to sort've stand back and ask themselves why they're doing what they do. I sometimes feel like I'm sliding towards that crossroads. There are so many different types of cartoonists out there. I would say that I fall somewhere in between the webcomic and the nerd aspiring for printed syndication. But the more I think about that second venture, I wonder how realistic the odds are.
There's that old saying: Be careful what you wish for...you just might get it. And I wonder if that would be the case in my situation. More to come on this tomorrow. Tune in, kids.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Undeniable Truth or Conspiracy Buffoonary?
Let me just start off by saying this: I'm not a Bush fan. I never really was. But that doesn't mean a hill of beans. For this post, it's irrelevant. It doesn't matter who's side you're on. And another thing: This post is not an anti-Bush or anti-Government rant. This is more of an approach to finding and/or discussing the truth.
We all know what happened on September 11th 2001. Anyone who was conscious that day felt the reverberation. The official story of the events on that day are, to be brief, a terrorist attack on Americans on American soil.
The other day a friend of mine pointed me to a documentary created by the folks over at Loose Change. This is a documentary that YOU need to check out. I am leaving my opinions at the door. I'm leaving it up to you to come to your own conclusion. But I urge you to take a look at the video on www.loosechange911.com. I can't stress it's importance, if for any other reason than to reinforce your faith in our government.
One side-note (and this is as far as I'll go into making my opinion known in this initial post): There are parts of this film that, to me, are hearsay and should be ignored. There are other parts that made my head throb with confusion and anger. Even if you only watch a few minutes, please don't ignore it.
Loose Change Official Website
Loose Change's 911 Documentary
We all know what happened on September 11th 2001. Anyone who was conscious that day felt the reverberation. The official story of the events on that day are, to be brief, a terrorist attack on Americans on American soil.
The other day a friend of mine pointed me to a documentary created by the folks over at Loose Change. This is a documentary that YOU need to check out. I am leaving my opinions at the door. I'm leaving it up to you to come to your own conclusion. But I urge you to take a look at the video on www.loosechange911.com. I can't stress it's importance, if for any other reason than to reinforce your faith in our government.
One side-note (and this is as far as I'll go into making my opinion known in this initial post): There are parts of this film that, to me, are hearsay and should be ignored. There are other parts that made my head throb with confusion and anger. Even if you only watch a few minutes, please don't ignore it.
Loose Change Official Website
Loose Change's 911 Documentary
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Summer
I have to say that summertime is the toughest time to be a cartoonist (in my opinion). In the winter it's easy to find time to sit down at your desk and whittle away at a character or two. I mean, it's cold and dark and usually very uninviting.
But Summer...oy! Summer is loaded with distractions. Granted, they're great distractions. But they ARE distractions none the less. Yesterday I took the girls to my mother's place on the Susquehanna river for the day. Great fun. Great weather. But the bad part is that I got home and was verging on physical exhaustion. So, as any old bum like myself would do, I sat down on the couch for a minute and didn't get off it til 2am. I suck.
Over the next couple weeks you'll see the return of an older character that seemed to disappear. Angus the Squirrel is coming back for his occasional follies with Jack and the rest of the group. I have to say, I really missed the little bugger. I'd been developing a new series in my head that reprises Jack's fantasy of being a pirate and it just wasn't the same without having Angus as his first mate. So you'll see him popping up from time to time. I'd really love to get your opinions on him at some point. Feel free to leave comments here or over on the forum
Hope you're all having a great week. Thanks for reading. And thanks to all of you who have been sending in e-mails of support and criticism. Keep 'em comin.
But Summer...oy! Summer is loaded with distractions. Granted, they're great distractions. But they ARE distractions none the less. Yesterday I took the girls to my mother's place on the Susquehanna river for the day. Great fun. Great weather. But the bad part is that I got home and was verging on physical exhaustion. So, as any old bum like myself would do, I sat down on the couch for a minute and didn't get off it til 2am. I suck.
Over the next couple weeks you'll see the return of an older character that seemed to disappear. Angus the Squirrel is coming back for his occasional follies with Jack and the rest of the group. I have to say, I really missed the little bugger. I'd been developing a new series in my head that reprises Jack's fantasy of being a pirate and it just wasn't the same without having Angus as his first mate. So you'll see him popping up from time to time. I'd really love to get your opinions on him at some point. Feel free to leave comments here or over on the forum
Hope you're all having a great week. Thanks for reading. And thanks to all of you who have been sending in e-mails of support and criticism. Keep 'em comin.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Mini-Vans and Crank Shafts
It's a dreary day here in Eastern PA. I actually sort've like these days. The heavy gray sky overhead. The constant light drizzle. It makes the world seem a little closer than usual. Last night we had some hellish thunder storms. And while they were spectacular to watch, the constant power interruptions did very little to help my artistic side out progress-wise. I did manage to get another few pages done on the 44UA collection. So far, I've only gone through the first three months and already I'm up to thirty pages. This book is either going to be roughly the size of War And Peace or someone is gonna have to do some editing.
I usually take a few minutes before work each day to read some bookmarked websites and blogs that are either amusing on a childish level that makes me giggle or informative from a professional level. What I learned today: Chuck Ayers (creator of Crank Shaft) does the penciling for Funky Winkerbean. I've always liked Crank Shaft's look and humor. I just never caught the artistic similarities between Crank and Funky.
My wife has a theory that all mini-van drivers are mad hatters behind the wheel. She believes that they fall into two categories.
1. Drive-Like-A-Bat-Out-Of-Hell Mini-Van Driver: These are the people (usually men in this case) who believe that they are behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 rather than a wood-paneled Chrysler Town and Country. I have a firm belief that the DLABOOH driver is yearning for his younger years and drives like he plans to time-warp back to them.
2. Perpetual-Turn-Signal-Slower-Than-Dirt Mini-Van Driver: These are the folks that drive 35 mph in the freeway's passing lane. THESE are the folks that make my wife see stars.
Personally, I have no problem with mini-vans or their crazed drivers. I hardly notice them (unless my wife is in the car...then ya can't miss them). I wonder what she'd do if I came home with a family truckster of our very own. I'm thinking either divorce or dismemberment.
I usually take a few minutes before work each day to read some bookmarked websites and blogs that are either amusing on a childish level that makes me giggle or informative from a professional level. What I learned today: Chuck Ayers (creator of Crank Shaft) does the penciling for Funky Winkerbean. I've always liked Crank Shaft's look and humor. I just never caught the artistic similarities between Crank and Funky.
My wife has a theory that all mini-van drivers are mad hatters behind the wheel. She believes that they fall into two categories.
1. Drive-Like-A-Bat-Out-Of-Hell Mini-Van Driver: These are the people (usually men in this case) who believe that they are behind the wheel of a Porsche 911 rather than a wood-paneled Chrysler Town and Country. I have a firm belief that the DLABOOH driver is yearning for his younger years and drives like he plans to time-warp back to them.
2. Perpetual-Turn-Signal-Slower-Than-Dirt Mini-Van Driver: These are the folks that drive 35 mph in the freeway's passing lane. THESE are the folks that make my wife see stars.
Personally, I have no problem with mini-vans or their crazed drivers. I hardly notice them (unless my wife is in the car...then ya can't miss them). I wonder what she'd do if I came home with a family truckster of our very own. I'm thinking either divorce or dismemberment.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Vacation Anxiety
Anyone else out there have this? My wife and I are getting ready to take a three day break in Ocean City, MD this weekend. I'm torn. Part of me can't wait to just sit my ass down in the sand, drink a beer, and just unwind. The other half...the sick half...is worried about keeping up with the strip.
That's one of the few curses of being a cartoonist: Keeping up with it (that and keeping it funny). It's one of those things where I almost feel guilty when I don't dedicate time everyday to it. It's this sinking feeling in my gut that I'm going to pay for my leisurely ways.
But that won't stop me from my cold beer and warm sand. No sir.
Book Update: I actually started working on the introduction of the book last night. I got two pages done. What can I say, I'm a whirlwind. So far I'm having fun with it. Once I wrap things up, I'll send it off to the Official 44 Union Avenue Editor (Thanks Teresa) so she can make sure I didn't misspell anything or stick my foot in my mouth.
I don't know how other cartoonists work but I usually have the TV on at my desk when I'm working on a strip. More for background noise than anything. But I was watching a very interesting show the other night while working.
Hells Kitchen.
It's basically a reality competition where cooks compete for the top prize of becoming owner and head chef of a brand new restaurant. Now, I'm not a thug by any extent. I don't claim to be a master of fisticuffs. But I would hammer that Chef Ramsey over the head with a 15" frying pan if he got up in my face like that. Great TV!
Funny Click
That's one of the few curses of being a cartoonist: Keeping up with it (that and keeping it funny). It's one of those things where I almost feel guilty when I don't dedicate time everyday to it. It's this sinking feeling in my gut that I'm going to pay for my leisurely ways.
But that won't stop me from my cold beer and warm sand. No sir.
Book Update: I actually started working on the introduction of the book last night. I got two pages done. What can I say, I'm a whirlwind. So far I'm having fun with it. Once I wrap things up, I'll send it off to the Official 44 Union Avenue Editor (Thanks Teresa) so she can make sure I didn't misspell anything or stick my foot in my mouth.
I don't know how other cartoonists work but I usually have the TV on at my desk when I'm working on a strip. More for background noise than anything. But I was watching a very interesting show the other night while working.
Hells Kitchen.
It's basically a reality competition where cooks compete for the top prize of becoming owner and head chef of a brand new restaurant. Now, I'm not a thug by any extent. I don't claim to be a master of fisticuffs. But I would hammer that Chef Ramsey over the head with a 15" frying pan if he got up in my face like that. Great TV!
Funny Click
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