Folks, WE HAZ MOVED to:

WWW.QuickDraw.ME – join us there!

Done for, inspired by Clint Q-Ray.

I’ve been reading John Allison’s insightful (and incisive) “Manifesto for UK Indie comics in 2010”

This is targeted at professional comics artists, who are working in print, or on the web.

By definition a manifesto should be provocative. This one was blogged up and twittered out, something that would have been unthinkable just a few short years ago.  There is some great food for thought here, especially if you want to actually *make money* off your art. John A has been down in the trenches for some time, fighting the good fight for webcomics, and creating attractive narrative comics in his own voice with a diverse cast of characters that have been with him since childhood.

This is well thought out, and also calls into question my role. I sporadically do comics/webcomics, and also spend a substantial amount of time running a nonprofit for Cambodian comics, and write research on the side.  Putting on my professional hat for the moment (I have no hesitation to make money from comics) I’d like to respond to some of the points raised.

1. Maybe living in the most expensive place in the country is not the best idea anyone ever had

Point. Eddie Campbell moved to rural Queensland and still kept up the pace.

2. Small press: it is not 1994 any more

Do the obvious: get a web site and payment systems in place. Look at how successful folks are doing it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_self-sufficient_webcomics

3. Make comics for people who don’t make comics

The story’s the thing. In the old days we used to call them ‘civilians’.  Me, I simply can’t imagine people NOT READING COMICS. It’s like saying you don’t listen to music. And yes, I’ve met people who explicitly state they don’t listen to music, or read comics.

As Athonk once said to me, ‘You guys just make comics for each other.’ That’s fun to do. But it is not the only thing we should do.
When Maximum Rock and Roll panned a selection of Melbourne comics, Clint Q-Ray reflected on the (sadly departed) Comics Australia message board that this was a good reminder there’s a world outside the comics ghetto.
(Though I should note, Webcomics folks do guest strips for each other all the time.)

What you want to shoot for is the getting your audience to ‘One Thousand True Fans‘. At least.

4. Forget what you learned at art school and read some business books

LOL. Many of my Cambodian artist friends never had the CHANCE to go to art school. The career path for comics in the States/UK/Oz  is still pretty lame, though options are improving thanks to folks like Matt Madden and Jessica Abel.  I’m all for there being more choices. But art school is not a prerequisite.

Yep, looking at business models is a good thing if you want to eat from your work. As per point three: look at the successful people in your field. What did they do? How do they make rent? What online payment tools do they use?

5. Making money from art is not vulgar

We are the sons and heirs of shyness (about money) that is criminally vulgar. I like James Kochalka‘s approach (cross-platform artist) though his distancing from his readership as ‘fans’ is a bit off-putting. At San Diego Con, year 2000: Keith Knight: ‘Buy my book. It’ll make you laugh.’ Now that’s SELLING.

It’s not vulgar to make money. But it is a crime against yourself to make comics that do not fulfill you personally. If you begin by making comics for yourself, there are bound to be more like minded-people out there. Just as EBay has identified countless affinity groups for collectibles, the web allows for more specific and unique audiences.

6. Making pamphlets is ridiculous

(John, you sell pamphlets online. :0 But to be fair that’s in addition to your books and other goodies.) Thanks to the Anglophone comics world’s acclimatization to manga, we now live in a world of comics in book format. King-Cat has been compiled into lovely hardcover volumes. We should shoot for books.  DIY comicker output is ridiculously small. If you want to make money in any area of comics, you should be aiming for ONE PAGE A DAY. If comics is your hobby? Keep on with the pamphlets and handmade comics.

7. Diary comics: stop it

LOL. Just stop it! Stop it right now!

You should write what you know. It’s no crime to START with diary comics. And conversely, those with the most dramatic lives usually cloak it in symbolism due to trauma.  Take your diary comic and plop it into a different culture and you’ve got an exotic memoir. I’m thinking of Nicholas Wild, Pangolin in Afghanistan. Your memoirs in your own neighborhood are dirty laundry. But to an overseas reader they’re a fascinating peek into another culture. If you’re gonna share your daily doings, go global if you want any chance of success.

Secondly, you can use your journal comics to evolve and move outward into other stories and characters. Heck, Tatsuya Ishida is moving inward from fantasy to his personal life, after many years. Everything is a diary comic, when you get down to it, reflecting your mood and interests at the time you create it.

Just to play with this and distance myself from omnipresent default autobio: by January I will come up with 100 characters / settings / scenarios for my readers to vote on.

I love how Robert Crumb could create the most outrageous characters just at the drop of a hat. (My character SlugDog was an attempt to riff on that and also create a completely unsellable property, in a mockery of how eager people were to pander to mass media.)

8. Read some actual books
Hee hee.  Some of my favorite tips on training up to fighting trim for creativity: Bruce Sterling, Warren Ellis.

What John is saying here also regards constructing narratives. I could write a dozen blog posts on this topic, both pro and con. (I’ll reserve the right to at a later date.) You’re not obliged to write narrative comics. But that is what I keep coming back to as a reader. (Short gags are fun. Contextualized into a larger setting, even better.)

9. A scene that celebrates itself has nothing to celebrate
Disagree.

Hey look! Here’s Evan Dahm (Rice Boy) connecting with his scene! Drawing live for his readers and friends.

The physical scene is being replaced by the virtual scene. John A. may not have a regular pub night with local comic folks, but he’s regularly twittering & blogging on the web with other artists.

We shouldn’t be involuted. But the ‘scene’ is what’s kept me and so many other people going. If you are an amateur or dabbler, it’s a great place to refresh yourself and regroup. Some examples are places like Comic Rehab and Chugnut collective.

Webcomickers pretty much rely on each other – and their audiences, creating or ‘crowdsourcing’ a personal audience. If that ain’t a community, I don’t know what is.  I like my community and miss my pals who are overseas. But it ain’t the only thing in my life.

10. Being ambitious doesn’t equate to being unpleasant
My ambition is to keep doing what I’m doing and actually afford things like health care and saving for retirement. Whether that entails being a full – time comicist – or alternating between research and other interests? We’ll see.

————

Cheers for that playful provocation. We’re living in an interesting time for comics. The economy ain’t so hot, but comics as BOOKS are doing *great*. And as regards web comics, there is no established canon. It’s a very fluid moment, I’m curious to see what will coalesce.

More Manifesto Fun:
Shaenon Garrity: http://www.comixology.com/articles/412/-Ten-Things-to-Know-About-the-Future-of-Comics
El Santo: http://webcomicoverlook.com/2010/10/26/ten-things-to-know-about-the-future-of-webcomics/
Commentary on the above: http://www.stormingthetower.com/2010/11/why-machine-of-death-is-important-for.html
‘The Old Bastard’s Manifesto’ http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=13272

Right. 100 Characters. Off I go. Cheers for the nudge, John.

I only managed to take a few:

Right after we finished setting up.

Steve checks out ‘Music From and Inspired by QuickDraw‘

The only crowd shot I managed to take!

Long Beach connection at the signing table…

The Adventures of Super Pief

Quick Link-a-links:

Free online safety comics for YOU!

‘The Adventures of Super Pief’
http://kalinovskys.com/index_en.html

‘Under Surveillance’ – from the European Union.
http://www.edri.org/campaigns/comic-book-under-surveillance (background)

Under Surveillance

Go, read, download!

>Book launch and exhibition opening: 6-9pm Wednesday, August 18, 2010
>Artist talk: “50 Years of Cambodian Comics,” 6:30pm Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Java Café & Gallery – 56 Sihanouk Blvd, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Java Arts’ new exhibition ‘QuickDraw’ is exactly that: a collection of short comic art vignettes by ‘Jinja’ (AKA John Weeks) in English and Khmer. You’ll see observations on daily life as well as musings on larger issues of living in the Kingdom, garnered over a period of 10 years.  Copies of a 30 page color comic (also bilingual) will be available for sale and signing by the author. The opening is Wednesday the 18th, 6:30 pm.

In addition to the exhibition, an artist talk on Cambodian comics history (‘50 Years of Cambodian Comics‘) will take place on the 24th (in English) with emcee John Berkavitch. All are welcome to learn about this little known chapter of Cambodian art history.

Postscript: a few launch pictures. More to come!

@andrewfulton: @comicslifestyle represent

—–
Old School Melbs used to diss The Avalanches / We came armed with pens we don’t take chances

Musos claim ‘underground’ is what they present / we ‘toonists’ so far deeper than Cave Clan in descent http://bit.ly/a5kOST

Some might call cartooning ‘spurious’ / Chugnut don’t give a f**k ’cause they’ve barely heard of us

Comin’in low fast and mean / Than busting out a ‘Tango‘ all over your scene [insert Argentinian music break]

Obscure ignored and poor / if you don’t like comix my boot will show U the door

@andrewfulton draws whatever he cogitates / ordering an Ipad cause that s**t can’t wait

Jo Waite with the goggles, lush with the brush / castigates teahouses that don’t understand much http://bit.ly/ar7IYu

Fikaris rocks the stencils / all his drivebys be done with pencils

Formidable ORD to be feared / cold rockin’ gobs of fuzzy beards

Kinokofry / draw what she espy / damn site is Fly

The haters be saying comics stinks / they get rubbed out erased by@inkwinks

And while we sticks your review in the toilet and makes it swirl / your head is held down by them hardass Pox Girls

You be running from the rutheless brush as fast as you can / She’s a Mother all right that Amber Carvan

He’s ‘review proof’ gives critcs a world of hurt / step back for the motherf**in Gerard Ashworth

Some might assert their blandishments / Neale‘s ‘Beautiful Artform’ knocks down dem establishments

Wallop you wid a sketchbook like Gregory MacKay / David Blumenstein‘s renderings got you runnin away

Anthony Woodward updating like there’s no tomorrow / Clint Q-Ray blasts detractors into a world of sorrow

Can’t forget that Ben Hutchings wit da fart jokes / mock him and he’ll diss you so fast his pencil smokes

Got no need for wack ass ‘Hammertime’ / get your earhole ’round that David Bumenstein

You may say Chugnut blisters in the sun / Try to match Chris Downes and you’ll be fried and done

‘Comic Book Virus‘ cold gave you a clot, now you coughing up all ‘a ‘The ComicSpot‘

‘Comic Book Funny’? Damn right that’s true / smack you up wit da bristol board hey I’m talking to you

Samples? Don’t be absurd son / we got a million like Tim Danko‘s ‘Soiled’ fun

‘Cause the Chugnut Crew making comics like beats / lining up to buy ‘em yr stampin yr feet

[peace out]

———————

@andrewfulton: @comicslifestyle I am beatboxing like a mofo over here

@azzamckazza:@comicslifestyle This needs to be recorded. Get TootlegBoy and D-Rock Blumenshtein on to it.

@andrewfulton:@azzamckazza @comicslifestyle yes!

@andrewfulton: @comicslifestyle the comics! the lifestyle! the isle! downunder! (we draw like thunder) #orsomething

Super old archival Athonk page. http://fade.to/pureblack This is the last one online;  I used to have numerous comics profile pages for my pals but everyone’s got a blog or site of some sort now – most are in the sidebar on ComicsLifestyle.com.

[Comic]

Aom’s smiling because NUMBERS is out! (Her colleague? Reading Singapore comic DREWSCAPE.)

Below is a video from Titus about the making & format of this little tidbit: “A comic collaboration of 4 artists from Singapore, Rumania, Japan and Germany. The theme is the current economic crises, the stories deal with the feelings of the individuals that are affected by the crises worldwide.”

OK I am off to cogitate on Singapore travel comic! #socialmediadiet

Tags: economopocalypse,singapore,economics,comics

Did an informal presentation @ Hackerspace.sg today on Cambodian comics and web comics.

I ran through some basics on Khmer comics (primarily using the powerpoint presentation from my talk at BICOF) and am starting to develop some notes for a general presentation on webcomics: how I use ‘em, what they’re good for, where they are going. Possibly for the next BarCamp I attend.

For your amusement and my future reference, some notes:

One of the first and best ever web comics: http://slowwave.com/

Early web comics portal with mixed success: http://www.serializer.net/

Successful ‘mainstream’ web comics, mainly making money off merchandise:
http://www.scarygoround.com/
http://www.questionablecontent.net/
http://www.americanelf.com

Migrating from zines/printed comics to the web – last printed comic
http://www.qdcomic.com/index/cover4.htm

Web comics in English/Khmer/translation – my early strategy – 3 interlinked blogs (ouch)
http://web.archive.org/web/20030612004236/http://www.qdcomic.com/

Current strategy – using WordPress tags to manage language and content more efficiently
http://www.qdcomic.com/ (still revising!) Including ‘value added media’ / i.e.  Fast Food – June 12, 2003 [English] [French] [Indonesian] [Note] [Song]

History of WebComics discussion:
http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue050912/history1.html
http://webcomicsreview.com/examiner/issue051212/historypart2a.html

WebComics opportunities:
‘Infinite Canvas’ approach: http://www.dresdencodak.com/

Value added strategy: Rice Boy has a wiki! http://www.rice-boy.com/see/

Current portal: http://www.comicslifestyle.com

From discussion:

Collab comics: http://comicsrehab.wordpress.com

A classic: http://www.xkcd.com

Comic Book Reader programs (one example)
http://sourceforge.net/projects/cdisplayex/reviews/

What’s appropriate for sexuality/sensuality in comics? Dylan Horrocks’ ‘Secret’ blog exploring these issues: http://thepornographyofeverydaylife.blogspot.com

What I’m researching (more ASEAN comics): http://comics.storykitchen.com/

A surprise: Burmese Comics – English and online! http://www.buddhistmythology.net/ (Thanks @yanoak !)

Cheers to @yanoak @preetamrai @cerventus @stephanfeb + artists-in-residence for showing up and letting me road-test both presentations. From the queries and discussion I can see there’s a lot more ground to cover, and a lot of good comics to share. (I’d enjoy doing something for BarCamp SG but I simply can’t fly out every weekend. Maybe Bangkok?)

It was great to see a functional and friendly ‘hackerspace‘. (Hope to check out BangSpace next.) Kudos to Preetam for making landing and presenting so easy, and thanks to the Hackerspace crew for making me feel so welcome! (Dang, we need something like this for Penhville!)

OK, here’s a short video tour around the venue now that everyone has left.

Postscript: Preetam's writeup of the talk.

Tags: webcomics,singapore,hackerspace,hackerspacesg,comics