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Underground > Creation >

Feel the fear... and go back to bed?

  
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
11:26 / 31.10.03
http://www.queergranny.com/109feelthefear.shtml

So yeah, I hope you like it.
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
11:38 / 31.10.03
*ahem*

good link, eh?

http://www.queergranny.com/109feelthefear.shtml
 
 
Tamayyurt
12:21 / 31.10.03
I said how much I liked this over on another thread but I going to say it here (I've also sent this to people not on Barbelith and they also like it.)

The only gripe I've gotten and I think I agree, even though I didn't really notice at first, is that the first page should've had art. Maybe a splash page or a paneled page or something... but it would've sucked us in faster than strictly prose.

What are your plans for this? Trying to get it published?
 
 
Saveloy
14:30 / 31.10.03
Fantastic! Lovely stuff indeed, well done, that man. Do more, quickly.
 
 
Persephone
16:29 / 31.10.03
Re: imp's comment, I had planned to do more design work/typography on the prose bits & I think that would have helped to draw in the reader, too. That standard QG text is made for captions & blurbs & it's a bit daunting in larger quantities. So I may go back to this, Suede. Because I do like the surprise when you first realize that there's pictures, and then later when there's color... there's a whole rhythm to the piece working on all these levels. Like, another example, when Johnny is depressed & then when he's hungover, you get that repeat image of him in his t-shirt & plaid boxers & hairy legs --which I love-- but the meaning of the image is different the second time.

There's so many parts of this that I love. I have my own t-shirt (nyah nyah) of the "And I'm coiled like a spring" panel ...for sleeping in, natch. And I love clicking through to that page with the GENIUS headline, it totally makes me laugh out loud.
 
 
Matthew Fluxington
17:19 / 31.10.03
Wow. I'm very impressed by this, Johnny! It's a very emotional and funny piece, but also extremely formally challenging/experimental, and you really should be proud of it. There are bits that can be improved upon, but for your age and considering that this is your first full length work, this is just astounding.

My personal favorite page:



Because, like, you know, it's kinda true!


I relate to your story soooooo much, by the way.
 
 
Persephone
17:55 / 31.10.03
LOL! <-- see?
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
14:51 / 02.11.03
Wow! Thanks everyone, it really means a lot to me that you all like it. And also that people are actually reading it; it's just been under my bed for months. (Even though you should have read it ages ago, Flux. Ha!)

Imp: this is actually a rough draft I put together for a publisher after going to see them. In the end, I never heard back from them. But I'm quite happy to have got a big chunk of work done.

And in fact, that's where the first page comes from, it was just meant to be an introduction. I completely agree with your gripe though: that page feels like a bit of a chore (I always ignore introductions anyway). I had plans to integrate a lot of the text more for the "finished" thing, but for now, all the work I'm doing on this project is complete.

Also: the ending is completely different to the one I had in mind. Well, not completely, but it only offers two viewpoints, and what I had originally intended was a big splash page of my desk (kind of zooming out of the page where Johnny walks away) - with all the writing, sketches and notes for the last page.. kind of every different view I could think of. But the page I did was too big to scan, and because of money and time restrictions, I had to kind of condense it in to the last two pages on here.

I learnt a lot doing this project, and it was great fun. I was very enthused about it. It's shown me a lot of areas to improve on (ie, drawing) that I'm not entirely happy with here (A lot of the pages are very lazy in here, but my excuse was it's meant to be sketchy. I always have an excuse for myself, and when I'm not happy with something, I just keep going back and looking at it until I convince myself it's ok).

But thanks again everyone, this is making me very enthusiastic about the new projects I'm working on.

Also: I'm the kid in the ghostbusters t-shirt. If I ever get anything published, ever, that has to be the photo of me on the sleeve.
 
 
Tamayyurt
15:55 / 02.11.03
Don't give up on this just because you haven't heard back from one publisher...

By the way since we're talking about favorite pages... i'd have to go with the blue ones with the broken glass those were gorgeous.
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
15:10 / 03.11.03
Imp: it's not so much that I gave up on getting it published - I sent it around to quite a few places. But at the moment, I don't really see it as an option. I don't think my work is really strong enough right now, although, obviously, I'm willing to be proved wrong. By someone with a pot of gold (A cheque would suffice, though). I'm working on getting better, I think I've still got a lot to learn. Hopefully, I'll be going to do a course at uni soon, which I'm looking foward to.

Right now I'm working on a new comic, which I'm hoping I'll be able to print proper copies of... but that's some way off. At present I'm struggling with finding somewhere in the house where I can get enough light to draw...
 
 
Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!
11:09 / 04.11.03
I thought I'd just liven this up, by adding in some more critical thoughts. These are responses I got from the messageboard at theaoi.com.

Stephen J
posted 04 November, 2003 09:24
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I thought they were badly drawn and the whole thing had the feel of a moral story for young people.
"Coming to a Jehovah's Witness tent near you!"

Good to see you've got off your arse at last to do something, what do you want...a medal?


Dave Heulun
posted 04 November, 2003 11:32
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OK. I've taken the time to read the thing (except for the long bits of text as I hate reading loads of text off screen) Here's my thoughts (seeing as you asked!) I liked the toucans, the colour bits (which show you're developing a pretty darned nice style for illustration) and the fact you actually did an online comic. Here comes the science bit: The rest of the drawing seemed like poorly drawn roughs with little charm or character. There's little experimentation with interesting angles and framing to help with the narrative.
Ah yes ,the narrative. 'Autobiographical' and 'confessional' comics are notorious for their tedium. You've really got to have a good story to tell if you're going to mess with that particular black art. The stuff that happens in this piece is pretty inane. So the main character thinks he's an artist but rather than spending his days drawing and painting he sits around musing on his cosy, uneventful life and 'boredom'. Uninspiring navel gazing stuff really. If he doesn't already, he should read The Idler magazine to help conquer his guilt complex over being lazy. He should also take more exercise as it would help with his flagging energy levels and minor depression.

Sorry about all that negativity. Keep workin' at it and make lots more comics- you definitely show promise. Just exercise some quality control and maybe some of the personal work should stay personal?

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On the one hand, I agree with a lot of what's said here. The only thing I have to take issue with is all the "uninspired navel gazing" stuff. Hard to say, really. I always knew this thing wouldn't appeal to everyone, and it seems/or is quite self indulgent. But it also seems the kind of thinking of someone who wouldn't believe depression to be anything to worry about and that "they should just get off their arse and do something". And I never like it when these things are dismissed like that. And I quite like my work, in the respect that that's basically what it's about; trying to deal with stuff. Which isn't so simple for everybody.

Hmmmm... Definitely interesting, and nice to hear another point of view. Don't be shy now, I'm trying to improve dammit!
 
  
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