Tony Harris may not be a dick, but he plays one on the internet.

After more than a year of not-blogging- I break my long silence with a reaction to the sad nonsense raging over the internets because of a blog.

A little background

Open Letter to Mr. Harris:
You’re feeling attacked- and I can understand why you would feel that way. A lot of people lashed out at you because of that post you wrote- but now that I read your update- I suspect you can’t see why it bothered people. You don’t hate women- but you also can’t get your head around why what you said might be offensive. I’m just going to break it down here for you.

"I am so sick and tired of the whole COSPLAY-Chiks. I know a few who are actually pretty cool-and BIG Shocker, love and read Comics.So as in all things, they are the exception to the rule. Heres the statement I wanna make, based on THE RULE:"

The way this reads is that you are talking to “most” female cosplayers. In your update, you say that the only think you would change is that you should have mentioned the fake male fans as well- but you spent most of your original post talking about the Cosplay womens looks and their effect on male REAL Nerds. It seems like you are suggesting that your original complaint could directed at either sex- but that's not really accurate. You're talking about one particular subset of "fake fans," and your anger is directed at "posers" who are there to be preditory.

“...the REAL Nerds.. the ONE thing they all have in common...[is that] They are being preyed on by YOU.”

I assume that you don't think that MOST male cosplayers are there to prey on poor, awkward female fans (or poor, awkward gay male fans). I am also not quite sure what you mean by poser in the first place. If you just started reading comics last year- or maybe you only read them once a year- or maybe you read them as a kid but now you just like the movies-or maybe only your girlfriend reads comics, but you're not really into it- does that mean you shouldn't come to conventions?

I really don’t think you realize that you just said that you think that "MOST cosplay “chiks” are out there 'preying' on REAL NERDS." It also seems to say that you believe that "[MOST Cosplay chiks] secretly think that Real Nerds are REALLY PATHETIC." As you can imagine- that is a lot of women to accuse of having really slimy intentions.

You also seem to think that Most Cosplay chiks are "promising [Real Nerds] the Moon and the Stars of pleasure" by hanging on them or being almost naked. I don’t think you realize this- but you’re calling those women cockteases. It sounds like- whether it’s intentional or not- that you think that it’s particularly bad that these women talk to and pay attention to men but won’t give it up. It also sounds as though you think that if they talk to men and flirt with men, they should be obligated to sleep with at least some of them. I’m sure that’s not really what you meant- but you can see how it might be read that way- especially when you also make a point of talking about how Most Cosplay girls aren’t even Hot. They are just “Con-Hot”- which I assume means that at conventions the Looks Bar is lowered and any woman’s hotness value is inflated due to a gender imbalance. I know you don’t see why that could be seen as incredibly insulting- but look at what you are really getting into. There are tons and tons and tons of women who cosplay. It’s not exactly cheap. You are suggesting that “MOST” of these women spend hundreds of dollars on costumes and then even more money to get into the convention- because they are vapid, attention seeking cockteases- and then you claim that their worst offense is that they don’t even bother to learn the material.

It is incredibly unlikely that Most of the women you see in Costumes just randomly pick comic cons as the place to be flushing money down the drain all willy-nilly just so they can be vapid attention whores who don’t even bother to let the nerds stick it in after all those sexy silent promises.

I’ve been to many-a-comic-con. I’ve met many Cosplayers- and all of them have had at least a cursory knowledge of who they were playing. I also met a few women in costume at shows who had no idea what the hell was going on or why the costume they were wearing had a boob window. Those women were all booth babes- performers who were being paid to be there- and suddenly the comic con is THEIR office, too. - And really? Those Paid Performers? They aren't cosplayers. They don't even know what "Cosplaying is" unless someone told them they were doing it.

You say that the 'real' fans who cosplay shouldn't be offended- this isn't about them- but if it's MOST of the females- then it must be about some of them, right? How can they know they aren't being lumped in when they walk by your table at shows? Isn't it likly that you've mistaken more than a few women who can pass your nerd test if you interviewed them- but since you weren't given the opertunity to check their street cred, you just went ahead and assumed that they were the same as all those other preditory poser attention whore cockteases?

Just sit back and think for one second- is it really likely that more than half of the women in costume who walk by your both are really uninformed, evil succubi intent on eating the souls of the poor virginal Real comic Nerds? I think it’s more likely that you might be feeling empathetic to a lot of dudes that you see who are obviously awkward- and end up projecting a malicious intent on the women. You know logically that there is no way you could know how much they actually know about comics.

Even still- Say you are right about like (very generously) 10% of the women in costume- that they really DONT KNOW SHIT ABOUT COMICS. I don’t really understand why that means they shouldn’t be allowed to dress up and come to conventions. Should we all study at home in secret until we know enough to walk through the hallowed aisles of Artist Alley? I bought my first comic when I was 9- because my brothers and I liked to play Spiderman. I would have done anything to go to a comic book convention when I was ten- and I had NO IDEA about anything comic related- except that Jubilation Lee was only a little older than me and that I wanted to BE HER.

I suspect that you see these women as being “in the way” of what comics should be. I don’t think that’s true. They aren’t there to make trouble or to hurt the industry. Most of them- the real vast majority of these women are just wearing costumes because they love the material, are excited by fun of dressing up, and want to get in on the energy of a convention. Why they make you so mad- why you really believe that they must have a nefarious purpose might be something you want to examine.

Tula

Monday drawing game!

Start! Twitter says batgirl- so let's go!

Layout!

Pencils!
basic inks!
whoop.

signing at Hanleys!

come see me and Ben McCool at Jim Hanley's Universe!
Wednesday, January 19 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm!

death!

punk rock batgirl!

the results are in!
you voted for bat girl, you got her.

results of the tweet-draw today

a good scan of what i finished up with!

Today i tweeted as i drew a pretty pretty picture. This is the kind of wild and crazy times you can expect here in the big apple! now i go to get ready for NYCC!

This and a slew of other original art and junk will be avalable from me this weekend at comic con! I'll be at the Comic News Insiders booth on friday from 4-5 and then on sunday from 12-1. See you guys there!

Comic Con Faux Pas

I love me some nerds-but Our People tend to have some basic social issues that need to be addressed. Before all you people poop yourselves over how much you totally don't do these things- I'd like to remind you that while YOU don't do these things... you can't say that all members of the comic-making tribe are equally as smooth. Bad behavior both exists and can be changed.

I did a pet-peeve list for art students back in March, and but older nerds need a little pep-talk, too. The hardest part is knowing you are doin' wrong.


Don't be a douche at the Con
1. Don't yell at passers-by from your booth. I can't believe I need to say this- but seriously- you look an asshole and you're only selling books to people too timid to say no. That is a shitty target audience.

2. If you don't know someone personally- don't just drop by to awkwardly say hello and stand there for 15 agonizing minutes. You want to meet someone? Awesome- decide what you are going to say before you get up there, and make it short and to the point. Do it and get the fuck out.

3. Editors are goddamned busy. If there is a particular one you want to talk to about a particular thing- check their website for instructions and availability BEFORE the show and before you email/tweet/call them.

4. Everyone is busier thann you- at least you need to assume that. Plan ahead if you need to talk to someone and always always always thank people for their time.

4. Dress appropriately. I know this is insulting- but if it wasn't such a fucking problem we could all never talk about it again, amirite? Quick rule of thumb- stains, smells and skin- we shouldn't be seeing much of any of those things. And good god don't wear sweatpants.

5. Keep your hands clean- make sure your nails are trimmed and you've got as much of the ink off of them as you can. And wash them throughout the day. You'll be asking a gazillion people to touch your hands- don't abuse their trust with a germfest.

6. Don't bitch about the show while AT the show. Somebody worked really hard to put it together. It's like saying a party is lame while you drink the host's beer.


After Party etiquette:

1. Respect the civilians. All you need to do is acknowledge the Significant Other (that hates all things comic related) and make a little small talk. Don't worry- muggles know how and will guide you through if you get stuck. It's common courtesy... AND the happier the muggle girlfriend- the longer you can dissect the inferno crossover with the nerd boyfriend.

2. Check your hygiene before you head out. You've been in a convention hall all day, do you really think you should fore go a quick sniff test here?

3. Remember it's still business. Don't get shitfaced. People talk about who-puked-where for years and no one wants to be the puker in the story.

4. Remember it's still business, part two: Keep the trash talk and offensive speech to yourself. It doesn't matter if you are speaking the truth- it makes you look like an asshole.

5. Don't bring your portfolio to the party to show it to people. I've said this before- but really:

It's like showing up naked to a party, people might like what they see but you're such an asshole that they just don't give a shit.

6. Bring your business cards along. you don't want to have to scribble your contact info somewhere stupid.


I think the general rule is pretty much be polite, but feel free to pipe in and add some more bad convention behavior to this.

NYCC do or die list!

Last week a friend of mine was asked for her do-or-die traveling to a convention list-what a brilliant idea to make public? I'm going to put this together to send out to my friends heading to New york for the show next week.

My DO or Die comic con travel list!

plus some others' suggestions:

Bandaids/painkillers/first aide kit gear

"Sleepwear. you can't sleep naked when you're sharing a hotel room" (via ms. shy)

Physical list of people you need to see for meetings. Things get crazy. You will miss someone.

signage or display gear for your table

"extra underwear and socks, no im serious put that on the list."

simple foods and booze for the room

an inventory of all the products you plan to bring to sell or give away.

Lists of amenities that you may need near the hotel. It's best to have this before you go in case an emergancy goes down and you don't have time to waste looking.

nicer clothes for after parties.

more business cards then you think you'll need

hygene products

a good pair of walking shoes. Ladies, don't be clever.

What else should be on the list? comment and i'll put it up.

Not being a dick or a Kiss Ass: a How To Crit

How to productively and critically talk about comic art.

You and your buddies are sitting around and talking about each others' work. Or maybe you're sitting behind a table at artist alley and some cutie high school artstar toddles up. Or you get an email from a friend about their unbelievably good new book. Ok kids- this can be uncomfortable as it can get. Each artist in the world can be a special snowflake kind of sensitive and you have no idea where their minefields are, but you don't want insult them with a shallow complement.

The idea here is to partner with the creator to help them see the good parts as well as possible solutions for weak areas. Unless you are a reviewer (who has an obligation to their readers to be blunt and entertaining) or and editor (who has an obligation to their readers and employers to quickly identify usable talent) the one and only goal is to help them make better comics.

An easy, non-confrontational formula for a critique:
1. Take a moment and really review what you are looking at as a whole. Make mental or written notes of anything that you like or that may have common root issues- like strange perspective or drawing goofy hands. Be able to back up everything you see with unemotional facts. Be ready to continue the conversation. Each point you bring up should begin a dialogue where the artist can feel free to process these points.
2. Say one general thing that you like about it and give a clear example. Such as, "I can see you are really studying anatomy. On the third panel, the tendons of the neck look very well observed."
3. Say one thing that you think could be improved. Once again, be very specific, explain why, and offer a possible solution: "In some parts the page construction feels a little rushed. Panels 3 and 4 have a strong tangent running between them. Tangents can be confusing to the reader. Some people find it helpful to use a mirror to catch these kinds of hard-to-see composition issues".
4. End on a positive note. Talk about another general good thing that you see. Talk about what direction they want to move in, who you think they maybe influenced by or who they might benefit from looking at. "I really like how much texture you give all the planes in this page. Have you ever had a chance to look at Ted McKeever? I think you might like his work."

Think of it as a sandwich- Two Positive things wrapped around something you are not so hot about.

You don't want to shut down a useful conversation and put the artist on the defensive. Negatively charged SUBJECTIVE descriptors like "hate", "crap", or "lazy" are pretty much ego fire, and also kind of dickish things to say anyway (even being right doesn't make you less of a dick). Tearing some kid a new asshole for their shitty art doesn't do anyone any good. The same goes for people who are much more advanced then yourself. Just because they are better doesn't mean you should ruin a useful critique by saying "oh but what do I know, I'm barely out of college."

We all want to see more great comics- part of that is lifting up artists to the next level- making ok artists good and good artist great. We can encourage better work by accepting that the comics medium is really a collection of fairly complicated, learnable skills. Things we can talk about. "Talent" at best is a jumping point and at worst used as a crutch when we don't want to move forward in our learned skills.

OK! Now if i could just figure out how to nicely tell people their script is totally not working for me.

the cover, inside and out.

Thanks everyone for your opinions this weekend. here is what you can expect at the comic con in a couple weeks.

decision time!

version 1

version 2

I need to print the cover of my ashcan for NYCC. It has to be one of the following- please help me make a decision because i am clearly useless. Please let me know which one you guys like!

so here is the black and white version, which is just the line art love.

in progress

Elektra!

daredevil!

callisto

boom boom

abe, oh abe

...