eeTeed just published a second issue of "The Henbanes" and was generous enough to send me a copy. This one is 24 pages long plus "cover" which equals 27 pages of story the way eeTeeD packages a book, which is kinda unique and weird, just like eeTeeD and "The Henbanes". The story becomes more sophisticated and layered in issue two. There's still a lot of cutesy silliness, but also some surprising story twists. I really don't know what to make of eeTeeD or his comics, and it's one of those cases where that's a good thing. Always interesting, always leaves me thinking "What was HE thinking?" What is going on in the well that this bucket of water came from? Or, as Leif Henbane would say "from whence came this bucket of water?"
I'll leave it up to eeT to post his email address here for enquiries. He's such a hermit I'm scared to post it without asking him.
NOTE TO YOU, eeTeeD: If your experience is like every other experience I have had with selling stuff through the mail, DON'T BE DISCOURAGED! Less than half of the people who praised your first free issue will not actually buy one. But I believe their compliments were genuine and heartfelt. People just will not make the effort to buy comics! Especially through the mail!
Of course, if you are sticking with your old strategy of not selling them and just giving them away to deserving people, everything I just said is moot.
mark, many thanks for your kind words. i won't be selling copies of the henbanes. i am going to let some friends try selling copies at a convention coming up in a few months (am having major reservations about the idea). am indeed sticking to my old strategy of giving them away. the reason i only sent you one copy this time is because there were no comments on the last comic i made (excepts for jed's, of course). i can only assume that the recipients of my last comic (poppa's tales) weren't that interested in my work, so i'm trying a new batch of readers. thanks again. ps- no comics will be made in 2009.
Once again, I apologize for regrettable, bee in my bonnet remarks about your quite well drawn and professionally put together comic (aside from comments made earlier about the coloring that I still stand by).
I also assure you that just because people aren't commenting or writing doesn't mean they don't like what you're doing. I've had people at conventions comment positively about my work after receiving no reactions whatsoever via e-mail. Not everybody knows what to say, or how to express why and how much they like something. There are a lot of very talented folks and even pros who get very little correspondence. So don't be discouraged if you don't get an immediate reaction! Also sometimes this stuff is cumulative. When someone's read a number of your books, they will be more likely to express their enthusiasm than if they've only read one.
It's always hard to get people interested in your work when there's not a lot of it out there. Having had a publication with a 3000 print run, I only got a handful of e-mails, mostly from people that I knew. Also, not making your e-mail or identity available makes it all the harder. Using Mark Martin's blog as a forum for comment about your comics may not be the most effective way to get feedback. Not that it isn't appropriate or welcome-- just not very effective. The conversational style of the blog, and the fact that many people are interested in what you have to say is more than enough justification to share what you've been up to here, especially as it relates to comics, but visitors tend to be silent enough about Mark's own comics.
And Mark: the alleged suckiness of this drawing is not apparent, but only you know how it's supposed to look, so go for it! My only problem here is setting--I just barely gather (though it's not really that hard to figure out) that the baby has been fished out of some sort of dumpster. An establishing shot might be in order. I'm a fan of zooming out every once in a while to give the thing room to breathe and to get a better sense of setting in general, avoiding too much talking head stuff.
I'm aware of it, but I have not actually seen it. Which proves what I was telling eeT: Even if somebody wants to read something, getting them to get off their ass and actually ORDER it is next to impossible. I only ordered that Seth book because I have an amazon account with E-Z one-click ordering, and there I was, and there it was....
They do an exclusively online and convention business with no resale whatsoever.
They also sell a lot of brick-a-brack and gifty stuff. The key to their success (from what I gather) seems to be to post material regularly and reliably, have an easily accessible archive, recurring characters and to work in a popular genre. They cater to their fan base in a big way, giving their fans a consistent reason to visit the site.
So if Crazy Boss had more of Renaissance fair feel with lots of jokey pop culture references and you had a better website, you'd be able to sell books like gangbusters!
It's basically the same rules that apply to every other market, be it television or QVC. People LOVE to buy stuff online if you've got the right stuff to sell and you know and cater to your audience. You can even sell comic books!
But these guys love the genre, and are having a great time. You can't really fake it.
It's just very very rare for a lot of people to be interested in something that's not done in a popular genre using a genre formula, whether it's Star Wars or the Titanic, and you're setting yourself up if you expect the audience to come to you when no audience exists for what you're doing.
But I'm sure you already know that.
It's not that people don't buy comics, or buy things online, it's that people don't buy things that aren't familiar to them.
That's been my plan all along. I've been feverishly practicing my big eyes, motion lines, and knowledge of World of Warcraft ephemera. There's only room for one of us at the top, Pumpie! You're just going to have to settle for second best.
"and you're setting yourself up if you expect the audience to come to you when no audience exists for what you're doing."
Good god, that sounds so brutal. It can't really be all that bad, can it? Somebody's reading this stuff, aren't they? What's wrong with a small but loyal audience? I mean, how many people read Jim Woodring's Frank? Or Dave Cooper? Or Rick Grimes? Ah, to be awesome in a sea of indifference...
I suppose sometimes I lose heart, and it's unfair to burden other's with needless pessimism. You're doing good work Pumpie! Let that be reason enough.
re Obama: not even Tickle Me Obama? I thought that was right up your alley. Are you not just a little entertained by these endless piles of Obama nick nacks and geegaws?
-->> ..Hoo Ho hum Hum Humm goshen b' golly, feller !!
The cut Oh' my "Jibb ".. ?!
Wells, the screzie doc jes' cut the ore lil' dangly thing in m' jugularz en there when i was wee and screamins. Then darn't shur nuff' i twasn't talkin rite good like i was hit inta hed wit' a a fist fulla holly knockers.
Hm ..mebeh summ day the big fet cet will givven me a job wit' "mah JIBB". Ayes be makin' th' meaty nikel !!
Fet chence !!
"AINT NO MONEY IN ART NO MORE PEOPLE ON'Y WANTS FRAMES NOW A DAYS - .. "
17 comments:
eeTeed just published a second issue of "The Henbanes" and was generous enough to send me a copy. This one is 24 pages long plus "cover" which equals 27 pages of story the way eeTeeD packages a book, which is kinda unique and weird, just like eeTeeD and "The Henbanes". The story becomes more sophisticated and layered in issue two. There's still a lot of cutesy silliness, but also some surprising story twists. I really don't know what to make of eeTeeD or his comics, and it's one of those cases where that's a good thing. Always interesting, always leaves me thinking "What was HE thinking?" What is going on in the well that this bucket of water came from? Or, as Leif Henbane would say "from whence came this bucket of water?"
I'll leave it up to eeT to post his email address here for enquiries. He's such a hermit I'm scared to post it without asking him.
NOTE TO YOU, eeTeeD: If your experience is like every other experience I have had with selling stuff through the mail, DON'T BE DISCOURAGED! Less than half of the people who praised your first free issue will not actually buy one. But I believe their compliments were genuine and heartfelt. People just will not make the effort to buy comics! Especially through the mail!
Of course, if you are sticking with your old strategy of not selling them and just giving them away to deserving people, everything I just said is moot.
THANKS for the comic!
mark,
many thanks for your kind words.
i won't be selling copies of the henbanes. i am going to let some friends try selling copies at a convention coming up in a few months (am having major reservations about the idea).
am indeed sticking to my old strategy of giving them away. the reason i only sent you one copy this time is because there were no comments on the last comic i made (excepts for jed's, of course).
i can only assume that the recipients of my last comic (poppa's tales) weren't that interested in my work, so i'm trying a new batch of readers.
thanks again.
ps- no comics will be made in 2009.
Odd - I thought I remembered Benny and Bonzogal commenting on your comic here.
Oh well.
if they did, i'm sorry to say i somehow missed them.
i DO recall that they both commented on henbanes chapter 1, though.
Once again, I apologize for regrettable, bee in my bonnet remarks about your quite well drawn and professionally put together comic (aside from comments made earlier about the coloring that I still stand by).
I also assure you that just because people aren't commenting or writing doesn't mean they don't like what you're doing. I've had people at conventions comment positively about my work after receiving no reactions whatsoever via e-mail. Not everybody knows what to say, or how to express why and how much they like something. There are a lot of very talented folks and even pros who get very little correspondence. So don't be discouraged if you don't get an immediate reaction! Also sometimes this stuff is cumulative. When someone's read a number of your books, they will be more likely to express their enthusiasm than if they've only read one.
It's always hard to get people interested in your work when there's not a lot of it out there. Having had a publication with a 3000 print run, I only got a handful of e-mails, mostly from people that I knew. Also, not making your e-mail or identity available makes it all the harder. Using Mark Martin's blog as a forum for comment about your comics may not be the most effective way to get feedback. Not that it isn't appropriate or welcome-- just not very effective. The conversational style of the blog, and the fact that many people are interested in what you have to say is more than enough justification to share what you've been up to here, especially as it relates to comics, but visitors tend to be silent enough about Mark's own comics.
And Mark: the alleged suckiness of this drawing is not apparent, but only you know how it's supposed to look, so go for it! My only problem here is setting--I just barely gather (though it's not really that hard to figure out) that the baby has been fished out of some sort of dumpster. An establishing shot might be in order. I'm a fan of zooming out every once in a while to give the thing room to breathe and to get a better sense of setting in general, avoiding too much talking head stuff.
And Gabby sucks because he's so flat?
Like you just paint bucketed his color?
Whattayoo crankin' backwards...meetin' quota?
What if those colored expletives were too close to the crop edge? Then what would you do?
Gabby does not suck any more. The sucking Gabby is gone.
this is great, but so was the original!
-->> ..ah the the joys & curses of lack of direct feedback.
It sux and it's been happening to me for years and years and years.. hoo boi, i'm fine one to say anything.
**
This illustration of sparks and sparkles smells very good.
>v<
~tOkKa - your comments always sound like they are written on The Yellow Kid's shirt!
Are you aware of this semi-recent Human Lard Dog development?
http://www.drippytown.com/dp/index.php?id=19
I'm aware of it, but I have not actually seen it. Which proves what I was telling eeT: Even if somebody wants to read something, getting them to get off their ass and actually ORDER it is next to impossible. I only ordered that Seth book because I have an amazon account with E-Z one-click ordering, and there I was, and there it was....
These guys do incredibly well:
http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/
They do an exclusively online and convention business with no resale whatsoever.
They also sell a lot of brick-a-brack and gifty stuff. The key to their success (from what I gather) seems to be to post material regularly and reliably, have an easily accessible archive, recurring characters and to work in a popular genre. They cater to their fan base in a big way, giving their fans a consistent reason to visit the site.
So if Crazy Boss had more of Renaissance fair feel with lots of jokey pop culture references and you had a better website, you'd be able to sell books like gangbusters!
It's basically the same rules that apply to every other market, be it television or QVC. People LOVE to buy stuff online if you've got the right stuff to sell and you know and cater to your audience. You can even sell comic books!
But these guys love the genre, and are having a great time. You can't really fake it.
It's just very very rare for a lot of people to be interested in something that's not done in a popular genre using a genre formula, whether it's Star Wars or the Titanic, and you're setting yourself up if you expect the audience to come to you when no audience exists for what you're doing.
But I'm sure you already know that.
It's not that people don't buy comics, or buy things online, it's that people don't buy things that aren't familiar to them.
And the rest of us are just lazy...
And now for your daily Obama:
http://timesonline.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/2008/07/01/obama_sweets.jpg
More delicious Obama goodness in this tasty candy pack!
re sales: I stand corrected. I shall go manga and improve my website immediately!
re Obama: No more please.
That's been my plan all along. I've been feverishly practicing my big eyes, motion lines, and knowledge of World of Warcraft ephemera. There's only room for one of us at the top, Pumpie! You're just going to have to settle for second best.
"and you're setting yourself up if you expect the audience to come to you when no audience exists for what you're doing."
Good god, that sounds so brutal. It can't really be all that bad, can it? Somebody's reading this stuff, aren't they? What's wrong with a small but loyal audience? I mean, how many people read Jim Woodring's Frank? Or Dave Cooper? Or Rick Grimes? Ah, to be awesome in a sea of indifference...
I suppose sometimes I lose heart, and it's unfair to burden other's with needless pessimism. You're doing good work Pumpie! Let that be reason enough.
re Obama: not even Tickle Me Obama? I thought that was right up your alley. Are you not just a little entertained by these endless piles of Obama nick nacks and geegaws?
-->> ..Hoo Ho hum Hum Humm goshen b' golly, feller !!
The cut Oh' my "Jibb ".. ?!
Wells, the screzie doc jes' cut the ore lil' dangly thing in m' jugularz en there when i was wee and screamins. Then darn't shur nuff' i twasn't talkin rite good like i was hit inta hed wit' a a fist fulla holly knockers.
Hm ..mebeh summ day the big fet cet will givven me a job wit' "mah JIBB". Ayes be makin' th' meaty nikel !!
Fet chence !!
"AINT NO MONEY IN ART NO MORE PEOPLE ON'Y WANTS FRAMES NOW A DAYS - .. "
>;p
>v<
it's great to see this place so active!
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