Sherena’s Chocolate Chip Cookie

Based on our tried and true cookie evaluation criteria, our qualitative research has proven these cookies are a more than adequate example of the classic American Chocolate Chip cookie.

Consistency:

Although this cookie failed to arrive at our testing facility straight out of the oven, it nevertheless maintained a sufficient level of central gooeyness. The caramelization of the outer sugars has created a nice brown glow and a crunchy exterior.

Chocolate Content:

We found that the ratio of dough to chocolate was well balanced. The consensus was that semi-sweet chips would have been preferable.

Salt and Sweet Balance:

The cookie was not over-saturated with sugar. The level of salt inherit in the cookie appears to have enhance the flavor of the cookie.

 

All the Small Things

When a writer writes or a painter paints they risk a lot. They put their emotions, personal history, and artistic integrity on the line. How? They are only writing or drawing, so how could they possibly be risking it all? Because art, true art, comes from within.

Something is never created from nothing. Our world, our experiences shape our craft. To what degree our experiences influence our art is the decision of each individual but it scares me at least.

I wonder as I write this blog how much of my self should I put on the line, on trail for the entertainment of others? How many personal stories should I share, and does anybody care? Am I just wasting my time? I mean really no cares that much about webcomics to read a blog about! 

These are all serious questions I ask my self every time I write this blog, and I ask similar questions every time I write. I am by far one of the left self-conscious of authors. I know some even dread the idea of twit working ever wing published. Think Franz Kafka or Emily Dickenson neither of them wanted heir stud published, but someone ignores them and published their stuff when they met the big man in the clouds.

So I have respect for webcomics artists who have the balls to publish more than once a week and have their art criticized and the do it for no other reason than they love to do it. They love to entertain. 

The Song That Never Ends

You know, I’m going to level with you. I’ve committed to writing at least two blog posts a week. Nothing drastic but it’s the commitment I’ve made to myself. I want to stretch my writing abilities and prove to those who peruse my blog that I can keep a schedule. Yet, there are always the days where I’m like, “Well what will I write next?” I could write a review, which I said I’d do but have done much of – mostly because I come of critical and I don’t like being critical – or I could comment on why I thought a particular comic was uproariously funny or I could do something entirely different. Even though I have all of these doors open to me none of the contents behind said gaping orifices appear appealing.

And I can’t help but feel that is the way with any serial writer, whether they write mangas, blogs, or webcomics. So who am I to blame if they go on hiatus because they no longer know how to continue a story or if their jokes taste like stale bread. All my work isn’t consistently my best, though I keep on trying. Learning to be better is not a checklist. It isn’t simply something that can be done. Goals must be set and measured. One foot in front of the other wins the race, not the cocky attitude to do so. I have learned today of the devotion that goes in to making webcomics and I love the artists so much more for doing so. I have learned of the dedication and the love and the trials that go into making such a project public.

Hit Me Baby, 1 More Time

Reading a webcomic requires a certain level of commitment, because – unless you are reading a gag-a-day webcomic – without reading ever day that a new comic is published a reader will get lost. It requires commitment because we, the readers, want to know how it ends and rarely ends in a cordial manner. Webcomics are like those teases a man wants to go out with, sure they’ll let him wine and dine them but it is always on their own terms and sometimes it’s a questions as to when they will go out next. I sometimes catch myself wondering if a webcomic is worth reading at all or if I should abandon my frustrations.

I get all excited when I find a new webcomic, a new hot lady to chase after. But after I’ve got all caught up and read the comics archive I realize that now I play the waiting game. Like some when after I’ve heard about their past and see how they act in the present I find my self thinking – this is not the person I want to be around.

I guess in a society where I can binge watch a whole TV series in a matter of day, in a society where instant gratification has become our drug, in a society where patience is as antiquated a device as pay phones I have learned to demand what I want now. Though, imagine starting to have sex and demanding the orgasm right at the beginning, their would be nothing left to enjoy. Sometimes life is more about the journey than the destination.

Here is a comic from a series that rarely disapoints so that y’all can get your dailly dose of laughs:

Complicated

So some apologies are in order. I guess. Life has a way of creeping up on people and I’ve been so busy lately that I really haven’t had time to write anything for my blog! I am a college student and we have these crazy things called finals! Who woulda thunk it, right? Well as an English major I don’t have to take too many tests, instead they have me write metric butt loads of papers. Last weekend I’ve written at least 3 twenty page papers plus a ten page paper. And writing them is only half the battle. The other harder half is editing. Editing papers seems to drain me so much! I normally like to have time to walk away from an essay to clear my mind that way I can whittle it down so much more effectively but college doesn’t give me time. They want it now!

I have had so little time that I haven’t even been able to catch up on some of my favorite webcomics! What a shame. That doesn’t mean I am sad just realizing how full life can be. I would rather have it full though than be bored out of my mind not knowing what to do next.  And that is life, I guess, in a nutshell. Never what we plan, but with a positive attitude it is what we need and a man will have fun adventures along the way. And life is such a beautiful masterpiece of art, even if there are occasional black brush strokes.

Money

Crowdfunding.

Crowdfunding is this new-fangled invention where people go directly to their fan-base, the people who are going to seek after their product, and asking for money to fund their projects. There are several sites in which to do this, and each has their own specific way of raising money. Here is a website with the top ten crowdfunding websites. Sites like kickstarter will help kick start your business endeavors while Patreon provides a platform for performers to receive monthly payments.

I want to speak today on Patreon.

Patreon has swept the webcomic scene by storm like a bees swarming an enemy. Everyone wants to find a way to make their dreams come true – to get paid for doing what they love most. They feel like they deserve payment for their sacrifices. This is a sentiment I can relate to. And Patreon allows them to do that. Artists who use Patreon offer rewards to their audience for every money milestone they reach. One webcomic artist might offer that when their fans agree to paying $2k a month then they will produce 3 comics a week, at $3k they will write 4 comics a week, etc. The milestone motivators are individual, each artists decides what they will offer. The artists will also offer individual patrons who support the artists endeavors.

If a patron pays $1 a month they will get a thank you. At $2 they might receive early access to webcomics, at $5 a commission, at $50 a thank you in the printed book and a cameo. It all depends on what the author wants to offer and what the patrons are willing to pay.

So if 500 Patrons pay $2 the artist will earn $1k. It may seem insignificant to pay just two bucks for your favorite author or artist to continue their valued work but all the little bricks will someday make a nice house.

If you are looking to get money for your webcomic, consider using Patreon, consider doing more research on the subject. Their is no middle man, and your audience can tell you how they really feel. I just hope this is a permanent program for these artists seeking patrons, not a temporary ripple in giant pond that is the internet.

The Saga Begins

Today I will be reviewing a comic I’ve had in my link section of this page but never have taken the time to tell anybody about it: Blue Milk Special. This comic is a parody of the first three Star Wars movies. It is a loving poke at a beloved franchise from people who are fans. If you know the Star Wars plot than you basically know the plot of this serious, if not than you need to watch Star Wars right now. First watch Star Wars IV-VI, than Star Wars I-III. Why? Just cuz.

Sample:

Art: 3.5/5

The art is clean and crisp and has improved a lot over the years. It does not wow me but it did not distract me either. Other than the fact that none of the character designs include noses, there are no immediately apparent flaws to the casual observer. The sample above is taken from the early years of this comics run.

Writing: 4/5

The comic is free of any apparent grammatical errors so that never distracts from the plot. However, I will not give this a 5/5 because it is a parody. Though their jokes are fresh, and often cause me to laugh, it is reliant on the genius of another man (George Lucas).

Updating: 3/5

Originally this comic updated pretty regularly. Now it updates twice a week, at least that is what the comic promises. The last few weeks they’ve updated once a week on unscheduled days. Yes life happens, I know it. But not updating on time and doing so without notifying the fan base is my one pet peeve in webcomics.

Overall Impression: 4.5/5

Despite what flaws this comic may have I can’t but help loving it. Star Wars is near and dear to my heart and feel this comic jokes around with the series without dishonoring it. The creators love their fans and give them what they want and they are in no way snide. I would recommend it to anyone who has a love for the Star Wars universe.

Final Score: 15/20 C+

School’s Out For Summer

Ok, so I think I’ve finally hashed out a grading rubric for webcomics, and I think I will base it off my criteria of the three things that make a webcomic successful (i.e. art, writing, and updating). I will rate each of these on a scale of 1-5 and then I will also add in my personal overall gut feel of the story on a 1-5 scale and then add them all up for the final tally.

This will be my grading sheet/ format –

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Summary of comic and plot along with any other pertinent information:

Art:

A score of 5 is a comic with outstanding jaw dropping art that has both a unique and interesting style. The style or tone of the art must also much the atmosphere of the comic. 4s and bellow will not meet that criteria by degrading degrees.

Writing:

A score of 5 signifies an artist who not only pays attention to the mechanics of writing (the grammar and spelling), but their story ideas and/ or jokes are original. This also means the characters voices (not just their appearance) and personalities must be unique. The plot must flow well together. It will use very few clichés.

Updating:

A score of 5 means a comic promises that it will stick to a certain update schedule and they keep their word. A five also means the update schedule is concurrent with the difficulty of the art style. Meaning a for panel comic will take less time to draw then a giant, sepia colored painting. I know life happens but promises are promises. Extra points for artists who let their audience know they will be missing an update or be tardy.

Overall impression:

This the most subjective of all the categories but being subjective isn’t a bad thing. I insist that being purely objective is impossible and webcomics aren’t about being subjective anyways. A score of 5 means I just loved the comic, it made me laugh, it made me want more.

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Why would I post this? Well I am going to start reviewing webcomics that way, you my dear friends, will know which ones are worth your time and are your type of webcomic. I will start organizing my “webcomic links” section of this site according to the score they receive. If you don’t agree with my critique of a certain webcomic please let me know!

When You Wish Upon a Star

I love webcomics, if you haven’t figured that out already then you need to read a little more between the lines… Anyways, I love discovering new webcomics. Discovering new and awesome comics is like finding a twenty dollar bill in your pocket – always appreciated, needed, and wanted. It is the same way about discovering a new series of anything for me, I love being a fan, and I love diving head first into the pool of immersion. I love series because they promise more content, more time to cuddle with their intimacies. As a writer I always try to convince my self that I too am creating art with words. I have to paint images with just the power of my brain, the sound of letters, and the feelings they elicit.

But visual art is so much more visceral. One doesn’t need to set and ponder on whether they like a painting or other work of art. It either pleases them, or it doesn’t. Art fills me with such awe and the talent and dedication of artists. Artists who had the courage to pursue the thing they loved above all else. It may be a romantic notion, but life is best lived by the dreamers. I wish that I could draw. If I could draw, then I could make my own webcomic and give back to a community that has given me so much.

What’s New Pussycat?

It has come to my attention that a comic I have long loved but had little hope of going anywhere has come out of hiatus. What a glorious day. The artist Tracy J. Butler has decided to take the plunge into becoming a full time webcomic artist, something that should be both applauded and lauded. It is interesting that this should happen right after my post about supporting artists, because now I have the opportunity to support her.

You see Ms Butler quit her day job as a graphic design artist in the video game world to pursue her dream. The world has so few dreamers, and if I can help one dreamer live the life, well then I can count my life a success. Life is too short to spend it doing stuff one doesn’t like doing. Let us all help her live her dream by vouching to be her patron on Patreon so that she might continue producing such vivid comics. She produces the highest quality webcomics I have ever seen. Her writing style is superb and the comic treats a time period that I have never seen treated in any webcomic ever.

Lackadaisy is a webcomic set in St. Louis Missouri during the Prohibition/ Great Depression. The comic is about a cast of criminal cats causing an endless array of catastrophes. Cats running a speak easy, yeah different, I know right?

Here is a sample of her work, so that you all may see the quality and effort she puts into each and every page:

The pages are just immense!

I hope you will read her comic and support her, and also share her work wit your friends!