Had something happen yesterday that has me pretty rattled. Thought I’d share and open up to comments.
Update 08.14.09, 3:50pm: Scott started up a Ustream today, and based on his tweet, I assumed he’d be discussing yesterday’s events. He explained what had transpired to the chat room and asked if I was in attendance, which I was. He then explained a little better what his comments were based on, and proceeded to give a more in-depth critique of my strips. And it wasn’t mean or snarky, but overall good comments. And I think he genuinely realized how his original “you’re fucked” statement must have sounded. I even recorded it, if anyone needs proof 
So yeah, at this point, I think I’m fairly satisfied, even though there are a lot of people out there now that think I’m a giant, thin-skinned douche. I’m just a guy trying to get better at his art on the side and just wanted some feedback. That’s all.
Look, I hope this doesn’t put you off doing your comic entirely. Kurtz is the biggest asshole I’ve ever seen and his opinion really does not matter. He believes his own inflated press. PvP Online has not been relevant in forever. His fame has come from Webcomics.com. If you want a mentor, try Greg Carter or Dave Kellett or someone who will be truthful but not purposely mean and hateful like Kurtz. He tries to “own” his asshole nature, but really, he’s just as insecure as any other artist and hides behind his bluster. I think your comic has potential. There are PLENTY of people who make a living off their work who are of mediocre talent (Kurtz for one) and/or one trick ponies. To make a living, you’ve got to get out there and go to cons. Jennie Breeden is a good example of someone who makes a living off her comics and it’s mostly because she is on the con circuit. For those who can’t traipse around the country all summer (like you and me) it’s more about having fun, cultivating the fans you can and taking it as far as you can with the time/resources you’ve got. There is NOTHING wrong with being a part time cartoonist. We’d all love to quit our day jobs, but even one of the webcomics.com guys still works full time. SO. Get back on that horse and ride it as far as you can. We are here for you! Hell, look at it this way, some freaky fans of Kurtz’s would be HONORED to have him trash talk them! At least you’re not a part of THAT game!
<3 Angela
Thanks! I’m definitely starting to feel better about it. I’ve been trying to “understand” why Scott is the way he is, or what would motivate him to discourage another artist. Maybe that’s not the thing to be focusing on. I still have lots of things I want to accomplish in my old age
I and my comic have been trashed hard. And I’m talking “pro” trash-talkers. Couldn’t care less what their opinions were/are. I took what little was actually helpful about the actual craft of making the comic (which I had to read between the lines to get) and ignored the rest. It’s the internet – I expect it.
In this case -
a) Scott’s an ass.
b) even if he wasn’t, he’s just another guy on the internet. just because his strip is popular it doesn’t mean he is right about ANYTHING.
c) I was 42 when I STARTED making comics.
d) Scott’s an ass.
All that matter is that you have fun making the comic. That is ALL that matters. And, for extra motivation, keep doing the comic just to spite Kurtz. :p
Welcome to the harsh world of asking for a critique. You get what you ask for whether its good or bad. It doesn’t make a bit of difference if Scott was an ass. YOU asked for a critique and were given what you asked for. Now you can take that critique and make something of it to better yourself or you can let it hold you back.
I have no intention of letting it hold me back. Especially now that I’ve gotten over the initial shock. But you say, “Now you can take that critique and make something of it to better yourself…”. All I can do about that particular critique is go back in time and start the strip when I was younger.
Like I’ve said, I asked for the review and I got one. He did make a couple valid points. But what good does it do to tell an aspiring cartoonist that they’re not good enough for their age, and they’re just “fucked”. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with that information.
The way I see it this is probably one of the first big tests for you as to whether or not you want to be in the cartooning game online. You are going to take from his statements what you want to. If there is something you don’t know what to do with then discard it for the time being and let your subconscious chew on it for a while. Eventually I’m sure you will find something to do with it even if that is discard it completely.
If his comments about your age bother you now what are you going to do if you start meeting fans and they comment about it?
And there is more that you can do besides “go back in time and start the strip when I was younger”. You can use that comment to light a fire under your own but for improvement. Nothing like wanting to prove somebody wrong to get you up and motivated in the morning. If you start flagging then think about that comment. See if it helps. If it doesn’t help then stop thinking about it and just get work done. The work is the most important thing. If you aren’t putting pencil to paper, stylus to screen, heck even stick to sand to create something you aren’t improving and we ALL need improvement.
Just keep rolling man, if you love it, don’t stop no matter what. Not that I get the feeling you were going to stop.
On the bright side, you probably got a nice little spike in traffic.
If it is any consolation, I discovered this site thanks to Scott Kurtz being a bit loudmouthed on Twitter. I wonder if you’ll get a boost to your traffic thanks to him.
I would say that your art is better than the following:
http://www.pvponline.com/1998/05/04/mon-may-04/
So I don’t think you’re in such dire straights as Kurtz may have implied.
As someone who just recently started throwing comics up online for fun, even though I have no talent, I wonder if Kurtz realizes that not everyone is out there to create the next PvP or Penny-Arcade and rake in tons of cash. Some people are in it for FUN. I wonder if he also remembers that he got grandfathered in, and if he launched PvP in 2008 rather than 1998 with the same quality it had back then, it is unlikely he would be as successful. Simply put, it’s hard to luck out and have your site noticed regardless of your talent level.
If you enjoy doing it, then that’s reason enough to do it, right?
I just kind of fell in here cause Greg told me to check out this thread. I don’t follow Kurtz so I don’t know what he said, but I don’t need to know what he said to know that he shouldn’t have said anything. And AGE?!? Imagine if someone told Raymond Chandler not to write since he was closer to retirement than the prom. The idea that a comic creator needs to be any certain age is ridiculous…let’s leave that mentality to the Paris Hilton crowd.
We all grow and get better. While my comic books continue to be produced, I personally stopped the webcomics while I work on them. No worries since I don’t live and die by the webcomics. We’re all different, does anyone really want to be a copy of another series? Does anyone want to read the copies?
We all don’t like the same thing, thank God! I follow many webcomics / comic books but not all are “popular”. Many popular series don’t interest me in the least. Not my thing. I love the variety we all produce. If you ever find me at a convention then I’ll give my opinions of any comic but I don’t spout off on the net. Comic creators do themselves a disservice trashing other creators. It’s not productive, so I won’t do it. Constructive crits I’m all for, trash talk went out of style with the Jerry Springer show.
Hey, for what it’s worth…I like your comics and think some just don’t get it. Who cares? Not everything is for everyone.
You’ve done a good job of shrugging it off. Just remember: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. :p
Others have said it already but I will just re-iterate that I think the problem with Kurtz’s critique was in assuming that your end goal was to “make it” and by that I mean that your goal is to amass a huge fanbase, become internet famous, and quite your boring day job so you can draw comics for the rest of your life. I don’t blame Kurtz for jumping to this conclusion because so much of his work and so much of his interactions with people over the past few years have revolved around the business of webcomics. That has sorta become the default setting for Scott I think.
What gets lost easily in the world of Webcomics.com is that there are alot of us out there who have little more than a passing interest in what it takes to be financially successful and most of us simply want to draw and write and talk with like minded individuals, and share this little project of ours with others who might find it entertaining. People like us are not concerned whether we are to old to “make it”
Don’t take what he said too hard (It sounds like your over it anyway.) Just take the parts of the criticism that directly relate to your strip itself and do with it what you will.
Thanks, Matt. And by the way, really liking your strip!
I made this comment last week in a Podcast I was participating in (The Lightbox – Illuminating webcomics on Talkshoe if anyone is interested).
So many people in the webcomics community are obsessed with $$$. That’s the start, beginning and end to their strip. But as many people have said here already, it doesn’t always have to be about money.
The point I brought up in the podcast was recreational sports. I play in a men’s 35 and over baseball league during the summer. Any delusions of my ever playing baseball and getting paid for it went out the window YEARS ago – but that doesn’t mean I never stopped wanting to play the game I love. You could make the same analogy with golf, softball or volleyball. For those of us that play those sports recreationally, we don’t get paid to play so why do we do it? We do it because we find enjoyment in it.
Now, it’s always great if you could take something you love and turn it into a money generated venture – such as coaching, for instance – or going to cons and selling your art.
I do believe that sometimes, when people ask Scott – or any other creator – for a critique or advice, that creator quite often comes from the point of view of “Well, if you want to be as successful as me, then blah, blah, blah…”. Heck, there are quite a few art instructors that teach their classes in exactly the same fashion. It takes a very special person that could look at someone’s art (or athletic talent) and not imprint themselves on that person. When I coach, I try to figure out what special attribute a kid might have instead of comparing and measuring him against myself.
Those of us who have gone to art school and have had to suffer through professor critiques will tell you, you have to take the good with the bad and then figure out what is important and what isn’t. Unfortunately, that’s something artists always have to deal with but the most important thing is keep producing as long as you enjoy it.
-Chris
Thanks, Chris for the great (and encouraging) response. Your analogy to playing baseball recreationally was spot on. It’s the same basic thing for me. Yeah, I’d love to make a living at this, and am working towards making a little more supplemental money doing it. But that’s not why I do it. And I’m getting more okay with the idea that I don’t have to post something every single week to feel like I’m doing good work or improving.