| Keep This Under Your Hats. |
[Jul. 30th, 2006|06:49 pm] |
So I've been busy. Very very busy working on a new project with Ali.
Not much is allowed to be said as of yet. But its big.
I've been at a photoshoot all day for some promo stuff.
I'm not going to say anything directly about the project. Just visit its Myspace.
I've probably said too much.
... No questions. |
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| ... I'm Still Not Laughing |
[Apr. 2nd, 2006|11:41 am] |
Yeah. So everyone knew it was April Fools yesterday. But at least I made the effort dammit.
For those who suffer from stupidity. Yesterday's post is a big fat lie.
My name is not Samuel S. Titch. If you knew about HOUSD you'd know that our last names are never revealed (with the obvious exceptions of Ali and Mr. Chimpy).
I do not think that my "look" was good or that death looked hilarious or loveable. It was merely another low brow jab at those more successful than me. But hey, its got to be done.
So anyway. I kinda took a liking to the concept of Squiggly Piggly. So who knows, another thing to ad to my infinite list of intentions. |
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| Past The Point of Caring, I'm A Dying Breed |
[Mar. 4th, 2006|10:18 am] |
Today it’s about all the hooha to do with the upcoming “The History of Webcomics” book. Basically from what I can gather from vaguely reading a number of rants (mainly because the only rants I enjoy reading are my own), is that a number of the “revolutionists” either feel credit is being misplaced or is not there at all.
Let me break it down for you. Whenever an “official resource” is created unless all parties included are dead, there is going to be a conflict of opinion. Hell get a room of 3 people, throw a ball in the air and drop it, you’re going to get 3 different reports of what happened.
To be fair this book looks about at subjective as The O’Reilly Factor, and if those involved were responsible they might consider revising the title to “A History of Webcomics” as “The” implies the sense of all there is to know, but that’s like telling the BBC to rename “the news at 10”, to “some news at 10.”
But let’s be honest. This book is going to be just like Comixpedia. The only people who read it are webcomic creators just in case they’re mentioned. This isn’t going to suddenly open the world to webcomics by showing how Scott McCloud used to scrawl primitive comics on cave walls.
This all goes back to that documentary that no one’s heard a thing about in ages. The only people who are gonna buy into this thing is probably people who already know the facts already. I doubt you’ll get the 15 year old exclusive Penny Arcade reader disputing the fact that some guy he’s never heard of did something before another guy.
Here’s the low down. Anything new comes along, its not the inventor who gets the credit, it’s the 4th or 5th adaptation, and even then credit isn’t given where credit is due, as every slightly popular webcomic creator thinks they started their own strand of history
I'd be pretty pissed if someone was to leave me out of the history of HOUSD, even though I've just arrived, I feel I've got more sway over a Traumatised Razor at the beginning. Same thing applies in this. There have been bigger advances in webcomic "history" in the last 2 years than in all the time previously, and this trend is most likely to continue.
Truth is, you can’t write a definitive history of something that is so progressive, until all webcomic creators have died out from being consumed by their own ego; you won’t have all the pieces in the puzzle.
Anyway, tip for the kids. Don’t write a “history” of something until its actually over, and ideally until there is no one left to argue with you. |
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| Guide. |
[Feb. 26th, 2006|12:57 pm] |
So yeah I've been thinking, and you know there's all these articles and places telling you how to be a good webcomic creator. But why is no guide to being a good webcomic fan. I think this needs to addressed.
I think if fans knew more about the background workings of a webcomic a lot of redundent emailing would be saved and everyone would get along just fine.
So here are a few facts I have managed to pick up on my travels which may be helpful to the naive new readers in the webcomic world.
The Basics
- Only email a creator if you are praising there work (and never expect a response)
- Visit the site everyday regardless of the update scheduale just in case the newspost has been modified.
- Follow every link in the newspost and advert banner.
- If Google Ads are used click on them every time you visit the site.
Merchandise
- The way merchandise works is that the creator must order a bulk amount of said item.
- T-shirts cannot be ordered individually and are limited to 4 colours.
- Preorders mean "before orders" when you preorder anything, don't expect it for at least 6 months.
- Never email a creator about the status of your order - they have your money now, and that's all that matters
Boost The Ego
- Find everything to do with the creator - livejournal, Myspace, LastFM and befriend it
- Donate money for no particular reason
- Draw fanart which is either really good, or so bad the creator finds it "cute"
The Outside World
- Some webcomic creators have lives away from the internet.
- Webcomic creators look nothing like their alter egos, they just wish they did.
- When meeting a creator, do not expect them to know who you are. Regardless of you emailing, IMing them on a daily basis.
- The best way to get there attention is throwing money at them
- Creators think they are as famous in real life as they are on the internet
Little Known Facts
- Most webcomic are made in sweatshops in the far east and then bought back at a fraction of the price by the "creator"
- There are more webcomics in the world than boys named Pablo
- Creators don't in fact eat food. They are sustained by their hit counts.
- The term "webcomic" originates from the yokel term "we be comical" again emphasising the egotistical nature of the industry
There we have it folks. Go out with this new knowledge and be the best darn fan you can. |
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| Musings Of A Tired Soul |
[Feb. 4th, 2006|09:15 pm] |
Now i had every intention of commenting on the CAD Animation which I managed to see via Ali the other day. But I'm quite tired and i think my stomach is digesting itself.
Let's just say that it was ok. Bit formulaic, bit predictable etc etc. But its certainly a step in the right direction for webcomics. I'll be interested to see where it goes, although it is somewhat restricted by the shortness of the ... shorts.
So anyhoo. Nice to see Death back on our screens, we haven't been hanging out so much these days, which is sad. But its always great to do a bit of screen time with the guy. He has the perplexed look down, let me tell ya.
Oh and I've been told to tell you all to go pick up a copy of the brand new Issue #5 and Issue #6. I've actually seen these myself and the look really swish.
I can't wait until I grace the covers of the print issues, but that probably won't be for a while ... unless I make my own spin off. I was thinking of calling it "A Stitch In Time" where i have a time machine and everyone wears denim. I think its gonna be big. Now to find the time. |
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| (no subject) |
[Feb. 1st, 2006|07:20 pm] |
So not a whole lot going down recently. Bits and bobs
I do love the fact its Cadbury's Creme Egg season, i seriously cant get enough of those bad boys. Just wish they weren't so damn pricey.
Anything strike you are familiar here?. I guess I am just a hero to people.
Oh and I am really struggling to resist |
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| Yawn |
[Jan. 28th, 2006|11:05 am] |
So on my daily webcomic travels I often mosey on down to the likes of Websnark or Fleen. They have the guise of having their finger in the pie of webcomics, but usually just end up talking about Questionable Content.
Anyhoo, as Websnark loaded, my heart sank a touch, not that Eric Burns is rambling cos he’s drunk, but that he’s been had once again.
Webcomics are stories, and a lot are just cartoon soap operas, come on people the red herring is perhaps the oldest trick in the book. Build up for something then switch it on over to a “surprise” twist.
Now I don’t read Something Positive. I’ve never felt the need or desire to add it to my repertoire. But stuff like this doesn’t inspire me to do so. I like stuff that is new and a bit different. Not the burn victim who’s family are all eaten by vampire cows on their way to their son's birth. This isn’t powerful storytelling. It’s Scooby Doo – the last person we would expect. And he would have gotten away with it if it wasn’t for this pesky kid.
Maybe I’m being over critical. Everything is a fabrication of everything else. Nothing is original, so I guess maybe a little respect should go SPs way for engaging its readers so.
Though this brings us full circle in my bitch’s … good webcomic creators know how to push their readers’ buttons. They might feel that they’re lagging a bit, so why not throw a grenade under their feet and watch them jump.
Pretty similar to the old father suicide storyline in Questionable Content … that pushed the boundaries or webcomic storylines, apparently. But that’s like saying splicing porn into Sesame Street breaks the boundaries of children’s television.
I’m probably being insensitive and ignorant towards this subject. Just watch out for the barrage of “sudden” deaths to the most unlikely of characters.
Its gonna be like the Somme out there once people realise it gets them attention |
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| I Got The Whole World In My Hands |
[Jan. 25th, 2006|01:18 pm] |
What with anarchy status being flung at me by Theater Hopper, I figured it was time for me to answer the Bitch Signal
Now today’s Bill and Humphrey is not about the webcomic creator that murdered a man for exposure … because that hasn’t happened … yet. Instead it is about publicity stunts.
These come in many forms, and are often great. Prime example Ryan Estrada’s masochistic 175 hour comic. Great concept, great achievement great result.
Although many occur with not such a sweet aftertaste. Something for me is the “rivalry” between Sam Logan and MerchJeph Jaques. Yeah, started out quite amusing, but I feel it has been milked dry (much like the running jokes in Little Britain ... "yes we know you are the only gay in the village.") Though it still gets plenty of exposure when it does rear its slightly tired and overplayed head.
There are many more situations of more high profile publicity stunts which have been talked about to death. So I shall not bother to delve back into those dark chasms.
Webcomic creators do what they do because of attention. They may say – “I do it for myself” but they’re lying. If they were doing it for themselves they would create it, then lock it in a box rather than expose it to the globe, and if the opportunity arises for more attention, they will dive right in front of that bullet.
My thinking is that if you have done something newsworthy, then you are more than entitled to submit away to whichever news source you like and maybe get a bit of attention, but the problem is that webcomic creators are fabricating news just for attention.
But too be honest, this is a short path to go down. As to be honest the only people that follow webcomic news sources are the creators themselves (usually in the hope they’ll get mentioned). So unless you want to do something so incredibly fantastic that the likes of Penny Arcade will talk about you (as a link from Penny Arcade is the proverbial webcomic creators Holy Grail), its not really that fruitful a mission. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jan. 21st, 2006|11:17 am] |
So bit a bit loose on the bitching / blogging. But I am rather busy in other sides to my young life. I am currently studying in a BA of procrastination, as well as top in my "Sit On Your Ass All Day Doing Nothing" class. Basically this comic sums it all up (although replace comics with bitching / blogging and getting emails replaced with ... not).
On that note you may email me if you so desire. stitch@housd.net is the address.
So anyhoo, I watched Blow last night, no its not some back alley vieo I picked up in Soho. Instead its a pretty rad film about the (true) life story of this internationally reknown drug dealer, and how he's set up by the people closest to him. May not sound like much, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. So yeah - Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, a kicking soundtrack and a good story. Check it out if you haven't already |
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| To The Bandwagon Cave |
[Jan. 18th, 2006|11:56 am] |
So I know I said I wasn’t going to do a Batgirl picture, but this is for bitching purposes, so it doesn’t count.
Arguably the best thing about the internet is the speed of things. Email crosses the globe instantaneously, news updates the second it happens. But perhaps fastest of all are bandwagons.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve got nothing against the Batgirl thing. Like every webcomic fan I enjoy bonus content, if its in the form of a hot comic book character, then its just grand in my book. But the problem with nice innocent fun is the ones that think.
These are the people who preorder Xbox 360s to sell on eBay at hideous marked up prices, they just jump on the bandwagon to see how far it can take them, whether it be in search of exposure or gained number of hits. They understand that if enough people are talking about it, they might be able to get a little slice of that cake.
From what I’ve seen of the Batgirl things, the quality varies immensely, so it leaves somewhat of a sour taste in my mouth. It’s kinda like the charity bracelets in a way. The original, high quality ones for a good cause were quickly consumed by the poor quality, low grade profit making ones.
Anyway, that’s my thoughts on the whole thing. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jan. 11th, 2006|07:01 pm] |
Now don't get me wrong. I am not against charity in webcomics. Hell I donated to Childs Play, Webcomic Hurrican Relief Telethon and Save Connecticon, and I'm also thoroughly for artists selling original artwork to fans for highly appropriate prices and for good causes. But i think people expecting money back for pretty substandard stuff isn't so great.
Arguably you could say I;m having a go at Ali for this kinda thing, and in a way I am. Although my main beef is with generic things like charging for wallpapers.
Actual artists may feel hard done by for this. Creating a comic is hard and time consuming and a bit of monetary kick back is probably deserved, although I figure just asking for money or offering stuff for far more than they're actually worth isn't all that good.
Although i guess if webcomic fans have money to chuck arounf for this kinda stuff, you'd hope they're also helping out the more needy causes |
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| Lazy |
[Jan. 8th, 2006|11:30 am] |
I don't feel like bitching today. What with rehearsals for today's comic and the need to relax, i'm not in the mood for tearing a chunk from the carcass of webcomics.
Oh and put me on your iPods. |
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| Sex Sells |
[Jan. 7th, 2006|09:52 am] |
Now I'm not going to point any fingers today, basically because you all know what comics Bill and Humphrey are talking about.
Fact of life for you people. Men like to look at pretty ladies, whether they be real or not. Fact is that these comics are visited to be subconciously perved over with perhaps a slight glance at an inuendo showered script.
Most of these comics wouldn't have a leg to stand on if it wasn't for the hormonally challenged teenagers and the lonely unfulfilled office workers. To test this theory out, merely rewrite a script from one of these popular comics and in your minds eye replace the hot little ladies with stickmen.
Same effect? I doubt it.
But you know, that's life. Just like the sleazy tabloids will always out sell actual newspapers. |
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| iPod Comics and Such |
[Jan. 6th, 2006|10:51 am] |
So apparently the big news in the land of webcomics is that you can now get them on your iPod. This is pretty cool. Unfortunately i don't have the pleasure of owning an iPod Nano or Video.
Its certainly a step in the right direction. Anything that makes webcomics more accessable and portable has to be a good thing.
Ali wants me to tell you all about the fact you can download all the latest episodes or HOUSD, as well as the complete Sin City Saga storyline, which apparently looks great on screen.
The system's a bit clunky at the moment, but i hear there are intentions to have a system kinda like Podcasts on iTunes, where it searcbes downloads the comics you haven't got yet or something like that.
So now you can show, share and ... sh-love all your favourite comics ... especially HOUSD, because then you can show a little version of me around.
(Oh and here's a tip for saving time. click on the Name title bar at the top, to get the latest comics first). |
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| Security. We Have A Thunder Thief |
[Jan. 6th, 2006|09:58 am] |
So we may well have a bit more exposure these days down here because of
a generous linkage from the totally awesome Pascalle of the ZAP! fame, although Ali is credited as the "genius." We all know this is my brain
child. Though unfortunately I don't have the contacts Ali does, so I'll let this one slide
Speaking of linkage. If you guys ever feel the need to link this LJ
from your sites I would be very appreciative. Or even just link ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) stitch100 in your LJs. Let's share the love
As you can probably tell today's bitch took me hours to produce.
Not a huge amount of stuff to say about it, other that take it along to your favourite webcomics and check it off.
Did I miss anything? |
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| Going Back To Miami |
[Jan. 5th, 2006|08:04 am] |
Now there are lots of different kinds of webcomic creators out there. Some feel the need to have a certain personna whether it be charming chap, cool indie know it all, man of the people or fool. Sometimes these are genuine character traits, sometimes slightly exagerrated for dramatic effect.
The most interesting kind of creator is the rebel. Now everyone has their own definitions on things, so here's mine. The tricky thing about holding aloft the title of rebel, is that it has a fine line between that and being a complete jackass.
Now, many might disagree but DJ Coffman pulls off rebel, without being a jackass. People like a rebel, but not a jackass, and Yirmumah's got that blend of "if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen" humour. Some things go too far, but most of his jests are well balanced enough to make it a very popular and enjoyable comic.
But of course in this life there are many an emulator. Let me warn all budding creators out there that the DJ Coffman route of creating is probably not worth undertaking until someone knows you enough to get it. DJ's a smart guy who knows (most of the time) what buttons to press to get a positive reaction, but he's a success because of his comic and then his personality.
On the contrary Scott Kurtz's unjustified snipe at CTRL ALT DEL a while back really put me off reading his comic. Not because I'm a diehard CAD fan, but because of the confliction between comic and creator.
Unlike other forms of media, webcomics have everything to do with the creators. Its not a corporate funded deal, its someone putting their time and effort into something (usually for no gain). So there is a piece of that creator in that comic, and when the creator goes against what the comic stands for (in my opinion) the magic is lost.
So anyway. Rebels Status. Risky business, which rarely reaps the right kind of rewards. |
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| Let's Take It Back To The Concrete Streets |
[Jan. 4th, 2006|08:51 am] |
So today's bitch isn't really a bitch, its more of a backhanded appreciation.
Eric Burns is one of the smartest guys in webcomics, I mean he must be to go from pseudo critic to one of the most important guys in webcomics.
Now I can't say I'm an avid reader of Websnark, but looking back through the Webcomic Archives you do start to see a certain trend of the same comics talked about continually in rotation. There's nothing risky about introducing people to comics they're already aware of.
Now this is totally great, cos there's nothing like a big ego massage for the big guns, so through mutual mention Websnark has become the place to go for "webcomic opinion."
Although what baffles me is that he is basically saying exactly what people are thinking, of course in more depth, as no one thinks that hard about a comic ... or so it would seem.
Webcomics are a lot like movies. When they first came out we sat down, ate our popcorn and left. Now we want the extended directors cut, with commentary, and as opposed to creators of webcomics saying "Its just a comic!" They've embraced this concept and are even consciously trying to "get Snarked" in the vain hope it will make them loved by all.
Eric is now the critic to get on the side of. He's like the health inspector. Get his seal of approval and your set.
So now not only do people think that its an easy buck to make a webcomic, but its now even easier to comment on webcomics (a slight irony coming from someone who is currently commenting on webcomics.)
So kudos to Websnark for celebrating something so much, that he is celebrated himself. |
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| And The Beat Goes On |
[Jan. 3rd, 2006|09:23 am] |
Now I'm not completely dead set in my ways, I like to link hop around sites and check out what I'm missing, but I really don't enjoy coming across promo posts in forums. Often not as extreme as posting under all categories, but sometimes posting ridiculous amounts of sample work, or posting every time they update.
This comics also delves into the concept "rebel status."
Something that Bill and Humphrey shall explore in more depth. |
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| Yes. Yes. |
[Jan. 2nd, 2006|08:26 am] |
Well it would seem Mr. John Allison its taking a nice satirical swipe at a certain someone today. So time for me to earn my satire stripes as I give you today's
Bill and Humphrey have the surprising talent to fit into just about any comic
Now this isn't a snipe at Penny Arcade specifically. Its more for those comics that you read, but don't read.
Its almost a robotic motion, you have no control over it.
I personally haven't found Penny Arcade enjoyable for quite some time (mainly because I didn't know that there was better stuff out there when I did enjoy it) yet I still continue to visit every M W F. I don't know if its in search of some nugget of comic genius, or that its habit so engraved into my mind I just can't stop.
Unconscious reading people. You know you've got one. |
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