So why comics, anyway?

MinekaC. · Post by **MinekaC.** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 11:45 am

For me, comics have always been a part of my life, curtosy of my dad. He has stashed away an entire childhood of comics, ranging from Batman, Superman, Spiderman, some punishers, the original TinTin prints, and he hoodwinked some of his sister romance comic (I dunno, this is 40 or so years ago, it was stories of a set of three models, I just assume if it was a comic he took it) He passed this love of comics onto all of his kids, so even though early on I only looked at the pictures, I still read it.
Then I got the Elfquest and Catwoman (original Catwoman series, the new stuff sucks, no offense) and actually starting reading.
I've been doing comics since aprox. 4th-5th grade, mostly cause no one liked me (yea, emo moment), so I made comics, on looseleaf, and horribly drawn, and it countinued from there. I've been drawing and coming up with storylines ever since. Though, obviously, my love for anime/manga has had a profound impact on what drawing style I use.

Uncaringmachine · Post by **Uncaringmachine** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 12:27 pm

I've ALWAYS drawn comics, starting with sheets of paper folded in half. I even made fifty issues of The Blob when I was a kid. I self published two issues of a comic called, simply enough, Superheroes in 1996, but it was too expensive to continue. I ran across this site in 2005 and HAD to do one.

Snail · Post by **Snail** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 2:53 pm

I started because my school had a space in school newspaper they had to fill up

... And after that my Brother just kept bugging me about comic-ing his erm - book I guess

and I finally got around to doing it. It's been fun

[geoduck] · Post by **[geoduck]** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 3:44 pm

I really can't say why. I'm a much better author than I am a cartoonist, but the latter is what I've always enjoyed doing.

Biev · Post by **Biev** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:31 pm

I didn't decide to do a comic. I wanted to draw a picture book. Except it's not intended for children, so...

v(' ')v

DAJB · Post by **DAJB** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 2:16 am

I've just always wanted to tell stories. Not necessarily in comic form (although I did make a few at school to be passed furtively around the classroom!) I wanted to write big, epic stories with serious themes and complex characters but which were also fun to read.

It was only when I discovered Watchmen and DKR (relatively late in life!) that I realised that comics could be an ideal medium to do exactly that.

Jackhass · Post by **Jackhass** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 3:30 am

I dunno'...it's been the thing I've pretty much always wanted to do.

I guess what first got me into it was my dad's friend (who was a huge nerd and comics fan) suscribing me to a bunch of Disney comics. This was when I was still under 5 years old and couldn't read yet. Each month I'd get Mickey Mouse, Disney Comics and Stories (which was a mix of Mickey, Donald and other stuff), Donald Duck, Donald Duck Adventures and the best of all...Uncle Scrooge Adventures!

Since I couldn't read them I just looked at the pictures and make up my own stories. Once I learned to read I went back and re-read them all...oddly enough the stories I had made up in my head were actually pretty close to the real ones (that's the power of good cartooning).

So since then comic books, cartoons, the comics in the paper...loved 'em all. I would say I really got it in my head that it would be cool to be a cartoonist for a living in late elementary school (say, grade 4 or 5).

So anyways, when I found out there was a place that would host webcomics for free...a way to get some practice at actually doing it on a schedule and a way to get some feedback, I went for it.

Jkandra · Post by **Jkandra** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 7:09 am

I grew up with artwork all around. My mom is a watercolor painter and teacher. I grew up with a fully stocked studio; everything from etchings to photography to oils to stop motion clay animation was available. There were always adult and teen students coming to class in the in-home studio. Drawing was a normal activity. She always told my siblings and me that if we wanted to color, we had to draw the picture first.

I always read the funny pages on Sunday and drew my favorite characters. I remember a full-page illustration of Tumbleweeds riding his horse Epic one Sunday. I did cartoons in Junior High and High School, but it really became a life goal one day back in the late 70's when I got a copy of "Backstage at the Strips" by Mort Walker. It was an interesting look into his life in cartoons and I became fascinated with the idea of drawing cartoons for a living. I did a strip in college and even got some interest from a new start-up (and now defunct) syndicate. I made the usual submissions and got the usual rejections. I did get some interest from the guy who originally bought “Garfield” but that petered out.

Life intervened after college, and I eventually became a graphic designer in the corporate world. I did cartoons for my employers and some freelance work on occasion. I wanted to do a strip but could never come up with an idea I felt was original enough to attempt. Last year someone who wanted a cartoonist to draw his strip for a syndicate submission contacted me. We worked up the strips and sent them off but there was no interest and we parted ways. That got my juices flowing and I dug out all my old sketches and strips. I found some old ideas that meshed with some new ones and my current strip began to take form. I’ve been doing computer graphics since the mid 80’s, so the web seemed a natural place to start.

I feel I’m still just getting the rust off and I don’t know where this will all lead, but it feels good to be drawing on paper again. Cartoons are changing. The old models are fading. It’s going to be interesting to see what’s next.

Brigid · Post by **Brigid** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 12:34 pm

I just grew up with comics. A lot of comics. I wanted to do that sort of thing for*ever* I think. I tried a lot of stuff but it just didn't work out.

As for what specifically inspired me, I guess it was Calvin and Hobbs. Especially when we got the anthologies that included articles by Mr. Waterson on the trials and tribulations of being a comic writer.

I just didn't think I could make it. I wanted to draw, I just didn't think I could sell any of my ideas to a sydicate.

So then I was in college and discovered webcomics. Coolness.

That's when I realized I could come up with a cool idea and be hanged with what the syndicates thought.

And the long hours didn't bug me because I spend most of my time drawing anyway.

Robin Pierce · Post by **Robin Pierce** » Mon Apr 30, 2007 1:37 pm

Lecture lecture please don't revive threads older than say.. three pages back is generally a good rule of thumb, unless you made them and there's a specific reason and even then watch it.

You're new and probably didn't know, so don't worry about it, but please try not to do so.

Thanks!

Friendly neighbourhood moderator.