Comic

Do You Even Comic: Sweet Tooth

untitled-1-1310012438.jpg

Prepare your heartstrings to be pulled in this month's Do You Even Comic with Jeff Lemire's "Sweet Tooth."

The History

In 2009 Vertigo, a branch of DC Comics, published a book by the Canadian writer/artist, Jeff Lemire. The book was given a logline of "Mad Max meets Bambi." This is of course, Sweet Tooth I am referering too. The book ran for for 40 issues from 2009-2013. 

Lemire only set out with plans for 20-30 issues, but the book became so much more. The story was influenced from other creators such as Garth Ennis (The Punisher: The End) and writer Harlan Ellison ( A boy and his dog). 

The Story

Starting in the fictional post-apocalyptic future of a rural Nebraska, Sweet Tooth is a story that follows Gus and other human/animal hybrid creatures.

Gus, a young boy/deer hybrid, has humble beginnings, taking after his ill father who rambles about religion and prophecy. Gus lives within his small farm like home until his father passes and men come to capture him.

The journey Gus embarks on truly begins when the men come, luring Gus out with candy (aka sweet tooth). Jeppard, a older rugged man comes to rescue Gus from these redneck captors. Jeppard offers to take Gus to "The Sanctuary" but it is not all that it seems. Once there, Jeppard is revealed to be operating for selfish means and dumps poor Gus into the hands of a strange and cruel scientist.

Jeppard does find out what is going to happen and his conscience cannot allow poor Gus or any other hybrid beings to be hurt like this.

From here the story is an escape on the road adventure with tragedy and triumph (it's cliche to say but its true). The book is an adventure with twists and turns that tug at your heart the whole time. I wont spoil anymore but you'l.  see what prophecy and science have in common with this grand story.

Why this book?

Why? Hmm, because I am a lover of all things Jeff Lemire. And, a book he was doing about human/animal hybrids? sign me up! I am always excited to see what Jeff Lemire will bring to each new original story he works on.

This is a man who writes emotional journeys with fantastical situations, It is both entertaining and inspiring.

Book:

PHXCCC: X-Philes Live On

PHXCC_XPhiles.jpg

Topic: 

On Friday, June 3rd 2016 at 1:30 pm, those who still want to believe descended on Phoenix Comic Con. The conspiracy theorists, and FBI's most unwanted met up to discuss their favorite episodes, the relevance of X-files in the current age, and answer some fun trivia questions.

Panelists:

Discussion:

Being that this was a fandom panel, where the main focus of the panel was discussing favorite episodes, and answering trivia, I figured I would approach this article in a different way. I do not think that transcribing the discussion would do this panel justice. I feel like the best way to capture the true spirit of this panel would be to act as an additional panelist and discuss my favorite episodes.

  • Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose
    This is an episode that shows up on every top 10 list and there is a reason. The main focus of the story is around Clyde Bruckman, an insurance salesman who can see how people die. The interesting twist is that the monster of the week in this episode is also a psychic, so you end up with some interesting interactions that would otherwise be impossible. However, the x-file in this episode is not what won an emmy; the excellent writing and believable nature of Bruckman's misery is what won it that award. The loneliness of Clyde is undeniable in the script and is then cemented by Peter Boyle's performance. One of the highlights is when you see the witty back and forth that Bruckman shares with Scully while sitting together in a motel room. The story is a near perfect portrayal of a lonely man looking for any connection with another human. There is some light at the end of the tunnel though because I like to think that he found that connection, however briefly it might have lasted.

  • Sleepless
    In this episode, we follow a group of Vietnam veterans who have been experimented on by the government. The experiment was conducted in order to create a group of soldiers that would never have to sleep. The procedure consisted of removing part of the brain which tells the body that it needs rest. While in Vietnam, this group of modified special ops soldiers were some of the deadliest in the war. However, twenty four years after the war has ended, without one hour of sleep, a single soldier decides to take revenge on those responsible for his pain. Although this may not be the most plausible of x-files, it is one of the most interesting to think about. We know that the government has the scientists to carry out experiments like this. We also know that if certain experimentation provided a tactical advantage, it would be difficult for the military to ignore. That just leaves the one question; is the government conducting horrifying experiments on their soldiers? 
     
  • Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man
    The reason this episode is in my top list is because we get some really interesting backstory about The CSM (cigarette smoking man). Throughout the episode we see how the CSM shaped the modern day world, whether it be the JFK assassination or the MLK assassination. To me, this was very fun to see, but the most interesting part about this episode was the discovery of CSM's passion. He wanted to be a writer. The moment that sold me on this episode is when after years of submitting stories, and years of rejection letters, he finally gets accepted to a magazine. He types up a resignation letter (to whoever CSM's boss could be) and goes to the newstand to pick up a copy of the magazine that contains the story. Once he realizes the magazine altered his story, turning it to crap, he is heart broken. He ends up tearing up his resignation letter and leaving the magazine on a bus stop bench. I believe that this is a pivotal moment for the character. This was the death of his last bit of hope and humanity. Without this rejection letter, I do not think that the X-files would have ever come to be. 

Conclusion

I think that this panel is a perfect example of why comic-cons are such special events. In the real world, I only have one friend who is interested in the x-files. The remainder of my friends simply do not understand or appreciate the masterpiece created by Chris Carter. But for this one hour, on one day, I was surrounded by 100 people who share the same passion as me. A group of new friends. A group of fellow X-philes who I can chat with about my favorite episodes, or deconstruct the subtext of Mulder & Skully Meet the Weremonster, without having to worry about a confused look coming across their face.

This was hands down my favorite panel of the entire weekend, and I hope to see these folks revisit their panel at Tucson Comic Con in November.

BSP-020: Let's Talk Guitars & Music

For timestamps, check the Video Description on YouTube

On today's episode, we don't really have a main topic, but we do discuss a lot. First, I talk about why I was not fully prepared for this episode of the podcast. Then I share my thoughts and ideas on Freebooting. 

For news, I discuss a new X-Files comic and then discuss Outcast (Robert Kirkman), A New Wave of Violence (by Head Wound City), and briefly discuss Fidlar & Die Antwoord. I have been testing out the G-Board for iOS, and I briefly share my thoughts about that, and then finally we get into questions from AdrianL, GWLEdits, Παναγιώτης Συσκάκης, ST Graves, Sticky_Keys, Flaws23, and Mika K.

X-Files Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ABKzr5L-lk
Rick & Morty Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u13NrlpfAeM

Follow BSP on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bandrewsayspodcast
Follow BSP on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bandrewsays

Superhero Sunday: The Rocketeer

Strap on your jetpacks, dawn your helmets and lets take to the skies in this month's Superhero Sunday with The Rocketeer.

The History

Created in 1982 by writer-illustrator Dave Stevens, who first got work penciling for Tarzan (newspaper comic 1975) then getting recognized for is pin up work and later went on to storyboard for Hanna-Barera.

The Rocketeer is a fun adventure book that was birthed out of paying homageage to the old serials from the 1930s through 50s.  The story first appeared as a backup issue in Starslayer for Pacific Comics. The four issue was released by Eclipse comics under the title Rocketeer.

The Character

The story takes place in a fiction 1938 Los Angeles, but who is this helmeted hero? Cliff Secord a racing stunt pilot (barnstormer) discovers a mysterious package hidden in his hanger. Gangsters fleeing the scene leave left a prototype jetpack that kickstarts Cliff's adventures and lead him on a jet fueled dream.

The 1980's comic contnued its fun for years as Cliff went on one-shot journeys and adventures as The Rocketeer. He would fight crime and rescue his main squeeze Betty (Dave Stevens modeled off of Bettie Page the Queen of Pin-Up). Cliff the lunkhead with the heart iof gold went on to fight Nazi's and the mobsters but every comic was great fun.

Rocketeer 1.jpg

Why this hero?

As always I did not read the comic until well after its creation. I probably like most didnt dicsover The Rocketeer as a comic at all but instead as the 1991 Disney film. Yes, in the 90s Stevens approved Disney to adapt the comic into film. This movie is where I found the Rocketeer and was instantly in love with the character. The costume is this amazing suit that lets you fly around with an awesome helmet and you become this hero who saves the day, it was everything I wanted to be as a kid (maybe now too). After the movie I wanted to be The Rockteer and I was inspired to find those 80s comics.

The Rocketeer comic rights changed hands and went from Dark Horse to IDW. Dave Stevens passed in 2008 but the comic series was revived in 2011 by IDW with the talented writer Mark Waid, the book would recieve trades of collected new adventures. The Rocketeer is not the dense heavy work of Alan Moore nor is it Garfield. No, The Rocketeer is high flying fun and a real treat for anyone who wasn't wax nostalgic about 1930s-50s.

Recommended Reading:

Do You Even Comic: Daytripper

Hello and welcome to another edition of Do You Even Comic. This month we are looking at the wonderful title, "Daytripper" by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba. The Vertigo title was printed in 2010 then hit #1 on New York Times Charts and won the Eisner Award for "Best Story Arc" in 2011.   

The Story

Enough awards and praise, lets get into the story of "Daytripper." The story follows Bras de Oliva Domingos, the child of a world famous Brazilian author, who wants to be an acclaimed writer himself. The story is beautiful as each chapter follows a different part of his life, but at the end of each chapter he dies. 

Daytripper is all about quiet moments and the journey of life, the reflections we take and the paths we go down, it looks at each path and says "what if that was it"? Its these quiet moments, these little moments that I love in stories. The story of a man living life, but told so magically. The book has rhythm and words like lyrics. The art is surreal at times and always amazing. 

Why this book?

This book was my first exposure to the twin brothers that created this story and my first time really seeing non american art. It would be a few years after reading this book that I could see the influence of Brazilian art style like Daytripper seep into American comics and I am so delighted it has. This art help capture the emotions and moods of a story like nothing I had seen before. Daytripper is for those of us that day dream and get lost in emotional journeys. Its for storytellers and all of us that think about the "what if."

Check out more by http://fabioandgabriel.blogspot.com/ 

If this sounded like a book for you then get it here:

Book: Daytripper

,

TCCC: Podcast Advice from Tucson Comic Con

,
During our Panel(Left to Right): Zach, Micah, Bandrew, & Logan

During our Panel
(Left to Right): Zach, Micah, Bandrew, & Logan

As you can probably tell by the coverage over the last few days, Tucson Comic Con happened this past weekend. At this convention Logan & I did our first Podcast Panel. The panelists from left to right are: Zack from Culture Popped Podcast, Micah from The Paper Robots Podcast, Myself, & Logan from The Paper Robots Podcast.

We initially had planned on this panel being nothing more than a discussion of what a podcast is, why we do it, the statistics behind podcast growth and where we see it going. However, after about 10 minutes of background, Logan (who was moderating) decided to go to the crowd for questions. We had a few very active audience members who asked great questions. I will go ahead and share that information with you now. I do want to note that these are all opinion based answers and are not absolutes. 

What's a Good Starting Setup?

There are lots of different setups you can start with, and it's hard to summarize into a single starting set up. First, I will say: you can use your iPhone or iPad to podcast. Just use the voice memos app and record. If you want slightly better sound, here's what I would recommend for a single person format:

You could have more than one person talking into this microphone, but you will lose some audio fidelity as each person will need to be further away from the microphone, allowing more ambient noise to be picked up. For software, you can use Audacity, a free music recording/editing software. It will not provide the most powerful production options, but it will be a good starting point.

Do You Set a Recording Schedule

Hanging out With the Awesome Panel Staff after our Panel.(Left to Right): Bandrew, OB, Jenny, Logan

Hanging out With the Awesome Panel Staff after our Panel.(Left to Right): Bandrew, OB, Jenny, Logan

For a single person podcast, like mine, it is very easy to schedule a podcast, which is what I do. I know that each week, I have videos to produce, articles to write, and a podcast to record, so I set aside a few hours each week to research and prepare the episode. Then I make sure that on Tuesday (a day before release) that I have about an hour to record the episode. I take another hour or two editing & doing post work on the episode, and finally about 30 minutes to an hour writing the supplemental article/show notes, and scheduling the release in Libsyn.

For a multi-person podcast, setting a weekly schedule for recording & editing gets a lot more difficult. Logan & Micah can attest to this. The way to compensate for the difficulty of scheduling multiple people is to create a back log of episodes. Prior to launching your podcast, record a few extra episodes so you have an episode ready if you have a week where not everyone can record. Or if you have an easy week where everyone can record multiple times, do that, create a back log and store those episodes. The key here is to not miss an episode. Once you miss a single episode, it gets a lot easier to justify skipping future episodes. Don't give yourself an excuse to give up.

How Do You Stick Out Among the Noise?

The first thing that is necessary as a podcaster is to develop and understand your voice. When there are 100 people talking about the same thing, you need to let your listener know who you are as a person and why they should care what you have to say. This is very difficult to do. The way that I did this was by recording a LOT before releasing anything. You shouldn't be afraid to talk into a microphone and record, listen back to it, and critique yourself. Ask yourself, "Do I want to listen to this?", "Is this interesting?" "Would I tell my friends to listen to this?". This technique will not only get you comfortable on microphone, but it can also help find your voice.

Backing up a bit, when you want to talk about something that has been discussed 100 times, you need to come up with a unique take on the topic. Rather than talking about how Empire Strikes Back is the best Star Wars movie, maybe try something along the lines of "Parallels between Star Wars and the Ballets of Stravinsky", or something like that. Mix your knowledge, and bring your own personality and views to the podcast.

When it comes down to it, the most important thing is having your own voice and to not just repeat what everyone else says. However, don't let this discourage you from getting started, it is sometimes cool to hear a podcast from the beginning and witness them grow as an artist as they become more comfortable and confident on the microphone.

I hope the answers to these questions help you get your podcast started. Thanks to Logan for moderating the panel, and the other awesome panelists, Zack & Micah. Also thanks to the Audience who asked such AMAZING questions, and finally thanks to Tucson Comic Con for Having us. Hope to see y'all next year. 

TCCC: Cosplay at Tucson Comic Con

The 2015 Tucson Comic Con just happened November 6th - 8th, 2015 and the Cosplay was great. I have included a few photographs of cosplayers that I saw at the convention. 

If you are any of the cosplayers in this slide show, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me if you would like high quality versions of the images. For everyone else, make sure you make it out to next years Tucson Comic Con for awesome cosplay, panels, and artists!

SFCCC: How to Publish Comics w/ Brian Pulido

One of the most common questions among comic book creators is: "how do I get my comic book published?". I sat in on Brian Pulido's panel at the Santa Fe Comic Con to try and get those answers for you.

If you don't know who Brian Pulido is, he is a comic book creator who has been in the game since 1991. Over his nearly 2 and a half decades as a professional comic creator, he has published books for Megadeth, WWF, ICP, Halloween, The Mummy and Static X.

The ideas from his panel, "How to Publish Comics", can be summarized into three categories.

Be Realistic

When you're starting to write a story, it is essential that you understand the marketplace that you are entering. You don't necessarily need to allow the market place to alter your course, but you should enter into it with realistic expectations.

It is definitely more fun to write about something that you are completely passionate about. However, if what you are passionate about is a very specific and unique story, before entering the marketplace, know how your book will fit into the grand scheme of things. Basically just have realistic expectations.

It should also be noted that it is impossible to forecast the marketplace. If you see that one year vampires are really popular, and you decide to write a vampire book to cash in on the trend, by the time you get to market with the story, the trend will have passed. That is no way to succeed in the comic industry. What it comes down to is: be true to yourself, be realistic about your books place in the market, and don't try to cash in on trends. 

Finding the Right Team

Another hugely important aspect of publishing your first book is finding the right team. If you are just starting out in comics, chances are you will not be working with well established writers or authors right off the bat. Therefore, it's incredibly important to vet the potential partners. One of the hardest parts of starting out will be finding artists that are true to their word who will produce work in a timely fashion. You should not be afraid to try multiple people.

Make sure that you understand your Writer's/Artist's personality, commitments, hobbies, etc. Do they have a full time job? Are they a full time student? How committed will this person be to the project? All of these are important questions to ask prior to entering into a comic with someone. Let me share a story of Brian's with you.

For Brian's first book "Evil Ernie", he received submissions from 71 artists. He ended up trying out 12 of those artists, and ultimately all 12 failed in regards to quality or professionalism. When Brian says professionalism, he means (1) doing what you say you will do in the time that is agreed upon, (2) being honest about the time you will be available to work on the material, and (3) being in communication when things change. To simplify, it is finding like minded people to work with. 

Publishing Methodology

It is now completely doable to publish your own book. The way that Brian does this is by hosting the world premier on Kickstarter, and going directly to the readers. After the close of the kickstarter project, Pulido & Team are able to deliver the product within 5-6 weeks. The way that this team accomplishes this is by completing all the creative work prior to the launch, meaning they are only going to kickstarter to cover printing costs.

Currently Brian has a kickstarter for a book Zack the Zombie Exterminator, and will be launching another Kickstarter on November 2nd for a book titled La Muerta. Make sure to check out Brian Pulido's work.

Follow Brian Pulido on Twitter @TheBrianPulido
Check out SFCC: www.santafecomiccon.com

SFCCC: Michael Welch

If you are not familiar with the name Mike Welch, that doesn't matter. Chances are you have seen him acting in something; I can almost guarantee it. He has been acting for nearly 20 years on shows ranging from Star Trek, to Frasier, to Walker, Texas Ranger, to Stargate, to The X-Files. This guy is all over the place. 

Some of his work may not be for you, but I don't think anyone can deny that this guy's got talent. After all, he's been working for 20 years and that's something you can't accomplish if you're bad at your job. 

However, his work is not what I want to talk about. I want to talk about rejection. Michael Welch is a talented actor. But all actors, no matter how talented, will face rejection...a lot of it. At the recent Santa Fe Comic Con, I sat in on his Panel and asked how he dealt with the rejection, and here is what he said:

I realize that this is an actor talking about rejection during the audition process. However, think about how many times you have been rejected from something that you love to do. How often does that push you into a state of depression, or self doubt? Probably quite often. It's easy, it's familiar, and every single artist that I know, myself included, has gone down this road.

I have a challenge for you. Next time you are rejected, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, try to apply Mike's approach to your situation. Look at that rejection as just another opportunity to showcase your work to a new person. Another opportunity to hone your craft. Another opportunity to do what you love. Take pride in the fact that you did the absolute best that you could, and know that what you're doing is worth doing. Now go kick some ass!

Follow Michael Welch on Twitter @MichaelWelchAct
Check out SFCC: www.santafecomiccon.com/

Do You Even Comic: WE 3

Here we are on Thursday and it is time for Do You Even Comic with Logan Naugle. This month's book is We3 by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. The Vertigo miniseries initially came out in 2004 and since its release has been optioned for a movie adaptation (but has yet to be produced). 

The Story

We3  takes place in a not too distant future by which the military is working to weaponize animals in robotic armor. The story follows 3 stray animals (dog,cat,rabbit) that get captured and encased in the armor. They then try to FLEA to freedom. Explaining anymore would spoil the short but impactful story. Plus who doesn't want to see animals in robotic armor.

Why this book?

The team that is Grant and Frank is a powerful one. When you look up the titles they have worked on together you see All-Star Superman, Batman and Robin and New X-men. It would seem that every time these guys work together they create something amazing and We3 was my first look into that amazing portfolio.

Grant Morrison is now a writer I can't get away from. He is constantly and consistently evolving his work, and every original book he works on strikes the emotional core of the readers and makes you think about what you're reading. Then there is Frank Quietly who self describes his art as "western manga". I'm not sure what that is but I like his style. There is this realistic but organic softness to his work.

Of course  I didn't realize I would love the work of this team when I picked up We3, nor did I think a short story like this would be so emotional for me. The book tugs at your heart and those are the stories I want to read. That is what makes discovery fun when someone else (my brother) shows you a story you haven't heard of and you are amazed but how much it affects you or how much you love it. 

If this sounded like a book for you then get it here:

Book: We3

RCCCC: Image Comics at Rose City

Over the course of the weekend at Rose City Image Comics had several panels, each looked at different angles and sides of Image. We wanted to cover all of the panels and present them here for you now.

Actually, before we get into the panels it must be noted that David Brothers the moderator for all the Image panels was amazing. He had charisma and brought everyone in the room together and gave its panel tons of energy. When he isn't moderating panels, he provides front page content to the Image Comics site, and hosts a podcast called The I Word.

  • Adventuring

The first panel of the con we attended was the adventure side of Image and it ran September 19th 10:30 am. The panel featured the creative team of both The Autumnlands (Kurt Busiek & Ben Dewey) and Shutter (Joe Keatinge & Leila Del Duca).  I think the first thing that amazed me was that Image had high fantasy comics in their line up. The second thing that impressed me, I was fascinated and interested in both of them.

The Autumnlands is a magical world with anthropomorphic  animals and a human. It follows the journey of several characters as they set out to try and stop the once happy and beautiful world they knew from coming to an end. Writer Kurt Busiek speaks of the book with such passion and love for fantasy that you can tell he wants to explore the world he has created just as much as the readers. Ben Dewey on the other hand loves creating all the anthropomorphic creatures that Kurt can think up.

Shutter follows Kate Kristopher as she is forced back into adventuring when a family secret threatens everything she has worked towards her entire life. The story is an urban fantasy that also has some anthropomorphic creatures, dinosaurs, spacemen and a living cat clock.  Joe and Leila have made a book they both love to write and draw. This team laughs and looks forward to each page that they do. Seeing them up on stage smile at each other as they talk about their book was nothing short of encouraging for a writer just starting out.

*There was another Thrills of Image comics which included both the team of Bitch Planet and Nailbiter. But you can scroll down and read the spotlight of Nailbiter and a spotlight on Bitch Planet later this week.  

  • Owning it

The last Image Panel from Image, focused on the principals behind the company and featured: Justin Greenwood (The Fuse), Emi Lennox (Plutona), Jeremy Haun (The Beauty) and Image Co-Founder Jim Valentino. The focus at this panel was on creators as whole and what is means to work with Image.

Let us first point out the fact that we got to see Jim Valentino, a man who started in alternative comics and worked for Marvel. He then decided to help carve out what is now arguably the largest comic company after the "big two." The lineup of artists and writers on the panel was a mix of experience in the industry and a mix of genres offered at image. The purpose was the show the vastness and diversity of the company's creators and books

Jim spoke about something that struck me and motivated me. He spoke of working on the book you (creators) want to make. Not the IP of a company that has final say on what the story is that you are trying to tell. At Image the artists and the writers all own their work and have the final say.

It is official. I (Logan) want to have a book published by Image. Why? Because you get to own your work, you find your team (editor,artist, letter etc.) But also because at every Image panel at the convention we saw teams of creators speaking passionately about the books they make and the work they will continue to do. I made a conscious decision to keep using the word team in the post for the simple fact that as a writer and artist you work as a team and collaborate. All the people we saw on stage acted like a team who want to be working with each other and push each other for the best stories they can tell. That is why they are at Image Comics, and that is why I want to be at Image Comics.

Books

RCCCC: Imposter Syndrome and You

RCCCC time again and today I am going to be talking to you about Wil Wheaton's Panel from Sunday, September 20th @ 11:00 am.

There are quite a few things that I could talk about from his panel, but I think that one aspect of the panel was most important. His discussion of Anxiety & Imposter Syndrome. If you don't know what imposter syndrome is, it is the feeling that you are inadequate even when there is information that proves that feeling to be wrong. It can also be a feeling of chronic self doubt. Wil Wheaton defines it as "The mom's voice from Carrie screaming They're All Going To Laugh At You". 

First I'm going to share with you Cal Tech's breakdown of three ways Imposter Syndrome can be experienced.

  1. Feeling Like a Fake
    Before even reading past the title, I'm sure a lot of you can already empathize with this feeling. This is when you feel like you have somehow deceived your way into a position or a job that you really don't deserve. I know that when I got accepted into graduate school, I legitimately said "It's only a matter of time before they realize the mistake they made". 
     
  2. Attributing Success to Luck
    Once again, the title really defines this experience. Cal Tech really knows how to title this syndrome's parts. This is when you succeed at something and say something like "I just got lucky." or "This other person deserved it." which could be used as a sort of safety net in case you don't succeed next time.
     
  3. Discounting Success
    And again, title is self explanatory. This is when you achieve something, but you automatically try to downplay it and say "No big deal." or give excuses as to why you don't deserve the praise. Once again, in school, when I got my Master's Degree, I said "Yeah but it was only a 3.0, I barely got it. It shouldn't count." 

Now I want to share some of Wil Wheaton's thoughts about how to overcome perpetual self doubt and actually go out and create.

Let's get this out of the way. No matter what you're doing, and no matter how good it is, people online are going to shit on it. Do you want to know why? Because there are so many people online, and those people who leave hateful comments about your stuff are fuck sticks. You need to learn to ignore those people because it simply is not important what they think. Do you like what you made? Good! That's all that matters.

That leads into the first piece of Wil's advice that I want to impart on you: "Make something that you love and accept that it's not for everyone." This is the perfect way to find happiness in art. The moment you find your voice, or find your story, or find your instrument, and realize that you love what you're making and want to make it forever, that's happiness. Now, realize that not ever single person out there is going to like it. Chances are the majority of people will not like it because there are 7 billion people out there. You can't appeal to even half of them, so don't try, and don't take it personal when some dick mouth decides to shit on your creation. Joel Watson once said "You make [things], they make comments".

And that is one of the most important things to remember. The people who are online spewing their hate online are typically not creators, they are people who hide behind a screen and talk shit. What they say is not important. When it comes down to it, Dub Dub said "make whatever it is for yourself and hope others come along for the ride" 

Now go out, realize that you kick ass, and make some amazing art! Do it for yourself, and most importantly have some fun while you're doing it! 

 

RCCCC: How to Start Your Own Nerd Rock Band in 5 Steps!

RCCCC stands for Rose City Comic Con Coverage, and the first panel that we are covering here will be the Saturday 2:30PM panel entitled: Set List to Stage - Realize Your Nerdrock Dream. The panel covered a large range of information but the main focus was on creating the band, writing songs, and the progression of the music business. Before I share any of my thoughts or information garnered from the panel, I want to go ahead and plug all the artists and panelists: 

Kyle Stevens of Kirby Krackle, Irene Rea of 2Rivers, DJ Jeff "Switch" Sorenson, Christine Mooney, & Chris Waffle of Going Viral

I will note that the titles that are italicized were not from the panel, they are just steps that I think are important to know/do when starting a band.

  1. Write What You Love
    If you want to start a nerd rock band, chances are, you are a nerd. There is also a chance that you love doing awesome things like playing magic the gathering, or playing zelda, or going to comic conventions.

    What is important to take note of here is that your audience, or potential audience, can sniff out bullshit. If they think that you are writing a song about something because it's popular (and not because you love it) best case scenario, they will call you on your shit, worst case scenario, they will bail on you because they think you're a fraud. Basically what I am saying is just write about what you love if it's video games, or comics, or cos playing. Do it and have fun with it.
     
  2. Find Your Instrument
    This one is pretty self explanatory, and it wasn't in the Panel, I just wanted to make this a 5-step process to starting your nerd rock band. So pick your instrument. This has become a lot easier recently. You can get a guitar for $80, or you can just use free software on your computer to make electronic music and sing over that...or if you don't have a good voice (like me), you can just make electronic music like Anamanaguchi.

    Find your musical strengths and play off of those. Are you really good with computers? Maybe get a midi keyboard and learn to play it so you can screw around with a Soft Synth and create all those crazy noises that you hear in electronic songs! The options are limitless because everything is so easy to get now.
     
  3. Find Your Band
    This is another self explanatory step that wasn't in the panel. If you want to start a full rock band, there are so many options on how to find people. You can do it the old school way, and find some fellow band nerds that can put up with you long enough to write songs and tour with. You can hang fliers at guitar center or a local comic shop. You can find them online through facebook, or any site that you frequent. With the internet, you can even create music with people in completely different countries. You can record an idea, send the stems via drop box or e-mail and then get something back from them the next day. It's AMAZING!

    Maybe you want to go solo on this endeavor! That is perfectly fine as well. You can make everything in a program like GarageBand that is free. They have free drum loops (that I believe are royalty free), they have free software synths, and you can get a microphone for $30 that sounds pretty dang good if it's your first demo! Technology has pushed us to the point where you legitimately can be a one (wo)man band!
     
  4. Don't Be A Dick
    This is probably the most pertinent piece of information offered during the panel. Be nice to everyone you run into, whether it be the neighbor who asks you to shut up and stop practicing before 8pm, or the band that opened for you, or the promoter who couldn't people you on a show. There is absolutely no reason to be a dick to anyone. You don't know what their day has been like, and there's no reason to take your bad day out on them. It will only burn bridges and make succeeding in an already difficult industry that much more difficult. Also, we all know that adage "You attract more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. Follow this one like it is in your bible.
     
  5. Learn to Take Criticism/Compromise
    This is a mix of some tips from the panel as well as personal advice. Just do it. Learn to take criticism and learn how to compromise. When you are in a band, you are not the only member. There are X amount of other people in the band who care about the band as much as you. You will all have to compromise at certain points in the band and you will need to learn when to go along with another persons Idea.

    Learning to take Criticism is even more important, and there are two aspects to this. First you need to learn to decipher the constructive criticism from the people online who are being dick trolls. Once you have mastered that, and developed thick skin that repels all the internet's trollage, you can find the group of people you trust to be honest, and ask them for their honest opinions about the bands music, how to improve, etc. etc. There is no doubt that at some point, someone will say "What you're doing is wrong because of this." or "Have you tried it out like this?" ... don't take offense to them making suggestions or recommendations. Give their ideas a try (unless it's crack. Don't try it if it's crack) and move on. The ideas may work, or they may not, but trying out a different lyric, chord, key, tempo, melody, screen printer, etc never killed anyone.

The most important thing to do when starting your Nerd Rock Band is to have as much fun as you can because that's what it's all about. It's about writing songs about stuff that you love because you want to hear a song about it! Chances are, someone else wants to hear it to. 

Coverage of: rosecitycomiccon.com

Rose City Comic Con Announcement

Logan Naugle & Kelly Sue Deconnick

Logan Naugle & Kelly Sue Deconnick

Greetings Earthlings. Bandrew Here. Tomorrow will be the first true write up for Rose City Comic Con. In the mean time, I just wanted to give y'all a quick update as to what's been going on, and why the podcast is going to be late today. 

Bandrew & Ryan Ottley

Bandrew & Ryan Ottley

Logan and I have been lurking about in Portland, attending panel after panel at the Rose City CC. There will be plenty of coverage over the coming week including a VLOG documenting the experience, a podcast discussing the first day (which will hopefully be coming out a a little bit later today), and then quite a few discussions from Monday - Friday covering panels as well as our overall experience here at the Rose City Comic Con. In the panel discussions, we will be including a lot of information from the panels as well as links to the creators who were involved in the panel.

If you are from Portland or have been looking to go to a con outside of your home state, this is a great option. It seems to be a con focused on what Comic Con was created to celebrate. Comics. Check out http://rosecitycomiccon.com/ to pick up a ticket for today or to get prepared for next years con!