Squidi's "Webcomic Manual"
 

(I'd like to point out, right off, that I couldn't find any non-dead threads pertaining to this guy so I made it here in the hopes of not getting banned or anything. I certainly mean to bring up logical discussion)

I'm kinda sorry to bring this up, as I guess the guy has been flamed to the point of beating a severely, ridiculously dead horse... But did anyone else see this and get angry to the point of wanting to find some nuts to kick? I saw it yesterday, so I'm of the impression that I've cooled down enough to speak logically about it.

The guy just can't seem to get it right, I think. I may not be totally understanding of just what it is he's trying to say, but being an artist myself (if nothing else, I consider my writing art) I'm insulted. I get the impression that he feels I, along with all the other lesser or unknown artists of the world should simply not bother as it's not going to get us anywhere.

"The first is to convince you not to make a webcomic."

Is perhaps the best example of the guy's attitude towards the whole thing. Why tell someone not to do something, which has no effect towards yourself in the least? He's not being hurt by the "random sprite comic of randomnity" or "noobity" out there, and it's not like we're running out of hard drive space on the internet.

He says that the reason he doesn't think people should do comics, is because they're not driven enough to succeed at them. Webcomickry, for the most part, is a hobby, very rarely does anyone get into a hobby because they're driven to collect stamps. They do it because it's a fun and enjoyable little excursion away from the mundane. Sure some people collect insects and have 6 hours a day they can devote to the topic, but the vast majority of people don't, and they'll only spend an hour or so every now and then working on something, and they'll be proud when they've created, whether it be entirely of their own doing or based on something that somebody else had done. I guarantee that no stamp collection is any different in essence than someone else's, they're all stamps, all being collected, why should we demand difference from our webcomickers?

"Creation is not fun. It is the hardest fucking work you will EVER undertake. Following instructions is about a billion times simpler than deciding those instructions in the first place. Creation is the act of taking something that doesn't exist and make sure that it does - kicking and screaming, most likely. If you create because you have fun, you will quit the SECOND you stop having fun, or two seconds after you find something more fun. And I'm here to tell you that creation is only fun when it is easy, and when it is easy, it is because you are copying someone else."

He says. Sure, creation isn't easy, look at the 9 months of hell women go through for a child, but that's no reason to not give it a shot. So you may not like it, big friggin deal. You end up abandoning a website that will only get deleted when it's not in use anymore, and you wont have that single fan you had before. It's not a loss to anyone but the person who was doing it. They don't like creating, they don't like making a webcomic, they don't have to do it, it's their loss, and most likely one that they have no problem losing.

"The problem is, a lot of people want to start webcomics now. They specifically choose webcomics because they think it will be easy. They don't want to wait and grow stronger. They want to jump right into it - even though they are just a hair away from plagiarism. Or worse. Some people create webcomics with the complete and total intention of stealing work from others because they JUST. DON'T. CARE. And why should they? They are only doing this because it's fun, right? I call shenanigans."

He goes on about something that's been quite dead and all problems forgiven by seemingly all but him and Gabe. I made comics for 8-bit before, I used the same basic sprites that Brian uses, I did it in photoshop, I attempted to make it funny. By making these comics I honed some of my photoshop skills and some of my comedy writing skills to something that I thought was good enough to get out into the public, so then I created my own stuff. I never passed the comics off as my own style, I only once told someone that I was the guy that did 8-bit theater (brian was standing to the direct left of me and I had no idea at the time) and I did it all as a fan. I think this is the main draw of what he would kick and scream about being plagiarism.

My point here is not to piss people off, or make everybody despise squidi or myself anew, but rather to get everybody else's opinion on creation and what people without a ridiculous drive/amount of experience should do about the situation. Do you agree? should we quit? Or do you think it's something worth doing? Do you think that the slim chance that something ridiculously hilarious comes out of the deal is worth it? I've been privately campaigning for a couple years to do something amazing, something that would get little known webcomics out there to the masses, something that would bring webcomickry to the forefront of all comickry, side by side with the print comics of our youth, and I wanted to know if it was worth it. Should someone like me, without a horrible amount of drive, but a great desire even bother?

If nobody ever tried there would be no PA, VGCats, 8BT. Squidi author guy is a fucking idiot. He always has been. Why do you think that after a good 35 submissions for his loser of a comic I still haven't featured him? He is cancerous.

The best policy is to ignore him. Especially when he talks about webcomics. Squidi has this idea that only he knows how to make them and he seems terrified that anyone else tries to because -- somehow -- all other webcomics directly or indirectly contribute to his lack of success.

This is exactly the process I describe at conventions when people ask me what I think about sprite comics. I hate them, mine included. But they are an excellent way to practice form and technique. If they are to be used, they should be used as a stepping stone to more complete creative endeavors. 8BT began as an experiment to learn about comics page layout (while getting handy with Photoshop on the side). It was never my intention to get any kind of notice for doing it -- I only put it online so my professor and friends would have easy access to the material without having to bother with e-mail. I've been doing it for five years now and I'm finally at the point where I feel ready to take on more "complete" comics projects in print.

It's your time, you decide. If making your webcomic, after all the hard work and stress and hassles, has a positive impact on your life, why should you stop?

Kurosen= Brian?????

woah, that's awesome if he is, also, since we're apparently talking about web-comics, I've been trying to make one but I'm having trouble getting the layout the way I want it. Can you guys give me any suggestions? I'd appreciate it.

Firstly: Yes, Kurosen is Brian.

Secondly: This is a discussion topic about Squidi's little, stupid, "Don't do webcomics!" rant thing, not a random discussion on webcomics. If you need help figuring out how to do one make a thread in either arts and crafts or comics and books.

Thirdly: I have nothing to say that Shiney and Kuro haven't already, but these lists never look right without a third item.

Hey, can someon post al ink to Squidi's thingy.. I actually have no clue waht all this is about or who/waht a Squidi is...

I know I shouldn't read it, but I must. Where on squidi.net is this "webcomic manual?" I've had fun reading through some of the links on the other two squidi threads, but now I'd like to read his rant about how he's the only one who knows how to draw things in boxes with word baloons and post them on the internet. Could I get a link?

Squidi = Batman.

Despite the somewhat silly-sounding comparision, I acually do have a point.

Why, you ask? Why would I compare one of the coolest fictional charecters of our era to, of all people, Squidi?

1: He tortures & 'sacrafices' himself with, for, and because of his 'passion'
For Squidi, its the maintaining of his webcomic. For Batman, it's avenging his parents murder. For both, it seems to be maintaining their sanity... and day job (if any)

2: He fights a battle that can never be won.
With Squidi, its teh sprite comics. With Batman, its anything from thug to mutated maniac.

3: No one likes him.
Really, think about it. Do any of the other justice league members really like Batman? Do they enjoy his company? No. He's dark and depressing, and half of the time he doesn't even want to be there. Plus he's got no super-powers. And Squidi, well... Its almost the same. He cancels and reboots his webcomic constantly (or at least enough to loose readers), and writes up irritatingly negative stuff like the 'webcomic guide' showing that more often than not, he hates being online with the rest of tha' 'crew'...

And he's got no super powers. Unless you count ranting. He's really good at that.

My point though, is that no matter how many times he digged himself in and out of holes with the online community, he always starts digging again. I've witnessed or reaserched at least three 'events' myself. Its weird, and irritating, and interesting to talk about (as I have) but ultimatly you just learn to leave him alone... He'll typically do the same. From my viewpoint, he's got almost nothing to complain about. He makes a pixel comic that, I belive, at the very least, supports itself, if not providing some suplimental income. He (usually) seems to enjoy doing it, (at least until he says something out of line and everyone under the sun starts to rip him a proverbial 'new one') He's got a wife that both supports his art, & provides their primary income... And they've got a baby on the way if I'm not mistaken! (Congradulations are in order, btw, just in case you happen to be mucking through the forums, squidmeister) I fail to see how he get's so angry... Maybe its the red hair. I dunno.

So, in closing, I hope I ruined 'Batman' for you! Goodnight everybody!

EDIT: Squidi linkage. Also, just so I cover my back, squidi isn't all that bad ALL of the time. He learned enough to coexsist with everyone again, even if you don't agree with the conclusion(s) he came to...

'EDIT part duex! II! This time its not part I!': Check out his 'humor vs story' blog posted on 4/4/05. Its interesting, aside from plugging himself at the end there.

Nothing can ruin Batman for me.

Here's the Link:
http://www.squidi.net/blog/2005/blog05.04.php#04.06

For the most part no single writer/artist/poet/musician (whatever) ever picked up their instrument for the first time and automatically banged out their first successful peice. You have to build on the basics, you have to develop useful skills in school, at home, wherever you pick them up, and imitation truly is a good way to do this. It could be learning what canvas to buy, how to pluck chords on a guitar, basic grammer and sentence structure, poetic form or whatever else the art form calls for. Then, when someone has a particular hold over the foundation, they can either build something great, or decide that "Hey, I don't need that piece of my foundation" and knock it out, putting something else in its place, or even leaving that hole empty. I know the first poems I ever wrote were crappy little pieces of writing, but as I kept going, because I enjoyed it and enjoyed learning about it, now, years later I'm making stuff that I can feel is my own style, and maybe even publishable with a little bit of extra effort. This isn't work, I'm not going to quit my day job (yet), I might never even publish a poem in my entire life, but I have fun doing it. I have fun rambling on and on, in paragraph after paragraph, stanza afte stanza trying to understand what I'm writing about, how I do it, and how I can make myself better.

That might be work to some, but it isn't to me. I don't know much else I enjoy doing more then writing, and if this post is a little awkward, then that's fine, I'll do a bit better the next time I write something.

But, he says earlier that you shouldn't even start because it's not worth it, that learning isn't fun, that it takes so much hard work that unless you want to devote your whole essence to it, it will just end up making a crappy piece of dung. Furthermore, he doesn't allow anyone to base their beginnings off his style. Did Hemingway run around when authors copied his works longhand to learn the style and demand that they stop? No, he didn't, and we got many good authors out of that. Ralph Waldo Ellison taught himself in that way, and he went on to write a very very good book.

Art isn't just about creation, it's about gaining a greater understanding of yourself and the world. This isn't always the visible intention (often it is other things, "I'm doing this because I love to" "I need the money and this pays the bills" "I feel like making something" "I'm bored") but it is an intimate part of art.

Anyone can create art, everyone knows how to make some sort of art, but I don't think anyone at all is fully equipped to judge what art is and isn't for everyone, or what is worth making or trying and what isn't for everyone. This is all completely subjective, one of the most completely subjective things there.

But, should never make an attempt? No can decide that but yourself. I say there's nothing to lose in trying. If it's not fun, give it up, find something else and try that, if you enjoy it but you're not very good, try again. If something happens that turns you off to it, give it up for a while, but come back to it later when that bad experience has cleared up.

The entire last paragraph of that 4/4/5 thing is everything you need to know about Squidi's talents and how he loves to tell everyone about them.

He's a programmer/semi-artist who decided to write a story. He's very proud about little things like foreshadowing and "tricking" readers. About as proud as I'd be if I programmed the simplest little tetris clone game. The difference is that I know my little tetris clone game doesn't represent the shining pinnacle of human achievement in programming.