Hi, Folks!

Over the years, as I have continued working on my art and webcartooning, I have been asked one question again and again: Why do you do long-form comics? Why not do a gag-a-day strip? Gag strips are easier to promote, and they are generally more popular, are they not?

Yes, gag strips are more popular, by many magnitudes, than long-form webcomics. There are a few exceptions, but none I can really think of. Girl Genius is long-form, but it usually has humor and often includes humor. The Dreamland Chronicles? Maybe.

Here are my reasons for doing a long-form webcomic.

• This is the story I want to tell. It’s tragic, dramatic, and edgy, but it’s rarely funny.
• I don’t know how to write jokes. In person I can be funny and I’m good at getting the laughs, but I have no clue how to communicate that in a comic.
• I grew up reading titanic tales of adventure, both in prose and comics. I didn’t read funny animal comics, or humor comics, so I don’t have much history with that.

Back when I read monthly comics, my favorites were usually team books, such as JSA, JLA, the Avengers, the Defenders, and the like. As far as the individual characters go, Batman, Captain America, Daredevil, Thor, Conan, these are what I dug. Later on, it was books like Planetary, the Authority, and Hellblazer. You can probably see elements of these teams and characters in Johnny Saturn.

Those are the kind of stories I loved. This is why I produce long-form adventures. I loved Calvin & Hobbes, Far Side, and Bloom County too, but I just didn’t feel the call to follow that path.

I’m still reading the Dave Gibbons book “Watching the Watchmen,” and what an excellent book it is.  Reading this book really makes me marvel at the commitment it took to make comics in pre-computer days.

For example, Gibbons did all the lettering by hand, as well as the logos.  If he was going to reuse a prop, like a framed picture, he would section it off so that he could accurately redraw it again and again.  If he drew a set that he might need to reuse, he did it on tracing paper and reapplied it as needed.  The colors had to work as flats, and they all had hard edges and no gradients.  To make a four-color comic, the colors had to be labeled, and then distributed among twelve layers of acetate for printing purposes.

As you may see, the computer made the overall process very much easier and more streamlined.  Did that make for better comics?  Not necessarily.  While there was a revolution in comic coloring and production values, the content and quality of storytelling in comics of 1990’s suffered.  But, that’s another story.

When Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns were published in the 1980’s, it revolutionized the comic industry and changed it forever.  Searching through my mental catalogue of comics, I wonder if there have been any other really far-reaching and influential comics published in then.  The first twelve issue run of the “Authority” comes to mind, by Ellis and Hitch.  The first series of the Ultimates, by Millar and Hitch, also rank, I believe.  But, what else?

Heroes Reborn?  Nope.  Hush?  No.  Brand New Day?  No no no.  Infinite Crisis?  No.  Identity Crisis?  Close, but no.  Planetary?  Really close, but no.

I don’t want to come off as negative.  There are some truly spectacular books that have come out since the 1980’s.  The Killing Joke.  Alan Moore’s Supreme.  Alan Moore’s Promethea.  The Invisibles.  Seven Solders.  Batman & Son.  World War Hulk.  Planet Hulk.

Well, in memory of 2008, I’d like to mention my favorite graphic novels of the year:

• Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus
• World War Hulk
• Salvation Run
• Umbrella Academy
• Batman & Son

As for what webcomics I’m still reading:

• Girl Genius
• Wayfarer’s Moon
• PVP
• Sheldon
• Evil Inc.
• Sinfest
• Frazz
• 9 Chickweed Lane
• Dilbert
• Nodwick
• Classic Bloom County

I’ve got lots of stuff on my mind.

First up, we received our ISSN numbers from the Library of Congress today. That means we can make barcodes and get our comics back into brick & mortar comic shops. I’m quite happy about this.

Benita and I have been working really hard at reclaiming our house. We’ve always been clutter bugs, but in the wake of fixing up rooms and moving stuff around the situation got worse. Now, the den and the laundry room are both painted, and we have to order new floors. Then, everything can go back into place. If a cluttered environment is a reflection of a cluttered mind, then Benita and I are out to change our minds. You can see more about this at Basically Benita.

Bill Nicholls, Editor of Sketch Magazine, has a new website called Comics Mentor. He’s been quite prolific so far in writing inspirational blog posts for artists and life, and his words have spurred even an old cynic like me to try harder. Check it out.

I’ve spent the last two days writing the next scene in “Johnny Saturn,” and I’m still not done. I think it’s safe to say I’m not the fastest writer in town. Still, this part of the script covers ten pages, aka twenty episodes, so it’s a pretty sizable chunk of writing. After I’m done with it, it goes to Benita for editing.

As I understand it, Warren Ellis’ “Nextwave: Agents of Hate” is coming out in an ultimate edition. Clearly, I’m thrilled with this news. Ellis has long been among my top favorite writers,* up there with Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Grant Morrison. It should also be noted that I am waiting for the fourth and final volume of “Planetary” to come out.

Scott.

*If you don’t know, the first twelve issues of the “Authority” had a huge impact on me.

Item: Mark Millar is all right. When “Civil War” ended, I was upset with what I perceived as a mishandling of Captain America. Later, when I reread the trade, I still felt uncomfortable about Captain America, but I was quite moved by the whole piece. I must also say that I really enjoyed the “Ultimates” vol. 1 and 2. That was eye-opening stuff! And…

Item: today I picked up “Wanted.” I have never seen the movie, and I am unlikely to, but the story looked diverting, so now I’ll read it.

Item: Today I turned 45, and I’m cool with that. 45 seems like a good, solid sounding year. I’ve still got my health and my wits and most of my hair, so I’ve got big publishing plans for this year of my life. I’ve enjoyed my 40’s more than any time in my life, but then almost anything would be better than my 30’s!

Item: Today, as it was my birthday, Benita and I went to the Indianapolis Museum of Art, a world-class museum, and visited the “Sacred Spain” exhibit. To be honest, I didn’t expect to find it as moving as I did: some of those paintings and sculptures incited deep stirrings within, and many of these 17th century pieces held powerful energies.

Item: I also picked up “Batman: Battle For The Cowl” today, written and drawn by Tony Daniels. The first chapter read well, and I look forward to reading it several times. In my experience, most graphic novels require multiple readings to really get the full scope. Sure, some graphic novels are terribly disappointing, and don’t warrant revisiting, but many do. Over the years, I’ve read “Watchmen,” “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns,” “Authority,” “The Invisibles,” and others, again and again. I once read “The Invisibles” and marked everything that I had questions on with post-it notes for further study. This is what really introduced me to the work of Grant Morrison, and my life has been much richer for it.

Item: “The Mindscape of Alan Moore.” My admiration for this man is unbounded.

Item: And, let us not forget my other favorite British writer/magician, Grant Morrison. This is going to rock!

Remember how I used to do reviews of superhero movies on this site?  I stopped after “The Watchmen,” because to me that movie sort of cleared the decks and made anything else seem redundant. I loved Iron Man, but it is very unlikely I’ll see it while it’s in the theater, and I’ll probably wait and get it on Netflix.  I am very hyped about Kick-Ass, however. This just all goes to show that what I look for in a superhero movie is different from what others want.  For example, here are a few comparisons:

• Mystery Men vs. Bryan Singer’s Superman = Mystery men
• Iron Man vs. Spiderman I or II = Iron Man
• The Incredibles against the Fantastic Four movies = The Incredibles

Keep in mind, I have not yet seen (and may never see) Wolverine or Spider-Man III.  Yet, I wonder how cool a television show based on Planetary could be, or a big-assed movie based on the Authority?  I suspect I’ll be left wondering forever, though.

So, having said all this, here is my wholly subjective and probably irrelevant views on some of the movies I’ve seen in recent times:

• 50 Watt Fuse: The G.E. Smith story is interesting, but not a blockbuster.
• A Quantum of Solace: A+
• Aeon Flux: Not as bad you would expect.
• Almost Famous: Outstanding movie! Deserves all the praise it got.
• Black Snake Moan—Outstanding, provocative, just a damn good movie
• Boogie Nights: A+
• Casino Royale: A+
• Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young–Living with War: It’s hard seeing your heroes get old.
• Hancock: Meh… The cum scene was funnier back in the Pro.
• Inside Man: Universe, please give this misspent time back to me!
• It Might Get Loud—Yes! Yes! Yes! Let guitar geeks rejoice!
• Journey to the Center of the Earth: This stretched suspension of disbelief to beyond breaking!
• Lord of War: I was moved. A+
• My Super X-Girlfriend: Even the wonderful Uma Thurman can make a real stinker, it seems.
• Natural Born Killers: Well, this was an eye opener.
• Pan’s Labyrinth: I hated this movie.  Maybe it was brilliant, but I don’t care.
• Thank You For Smoking: I was educated. A+
• The Bourne movies: Excellent, excellent.
• The Illusionist: Very good movie.
• The Last Samurai: Very moving.  With Tom Cruise, I expected less.
• The Mothman Prophecies: I liked it a lot.
• The Prestige: There were some very enjoyable elements in this movie.
• The Secretary—Talk about provocative! Yikes!  But a great movie in any case.
• Ultraviolet: Unrealized, as if they ran out of money and had amateurs edit it.
• Windtalkers: Incredibly bleak.  Watch at your own risk.

Why should it matter what I think about these movies?  Well, if you dig Johnny Saturn, my movie preferences should go a long way in explaining what I like in making comics.  Beyond that, my opinions are no more or less valid that yours.

Scott.