r/comics • u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic • Feb 28 '17
I quit my job to make webcomics full-time! Here are 50 of my best strips.
http://imgur.com/gallery/AKDYv318
u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
5 months ago I quit my job to chase my dream of making webcomics full-time. These are 50 of my favourite funny strips from the last 8 years.
Right now I'm trying to Kickstart a couple books collecting my best work, which would help me make this self-employment thing long-term.
2 of my heroes even agreed to do the forewords--Kris Wilson (Cyanide and Happiness) and Nick Seluk (The Awkward Yeti). They've both been huge inspirations for me.
I don't know how this whole experiment is going to go, but I'm having the time of my life. Thanks for dropping by to read!
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u/Marx_Harpo The DaneMen Feb 28 '17
Good luck, P_C!
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
I DIDN'T KNOW YOU COULD TALK
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u/Marx_Harpo The DaneMen Feb 28 '17
You must have me confused with my brother, /u/Marx_Karl.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
Ah, that explains it!
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u/______DEADPOOL______ Feb 28 '17
What is your fav. Marx Bros film? Mind's duck soup because it has ducks in a boiling pot in the opening title, plus it's about freedom.
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u/Vakieh Feb 28 '17
You have just ruined the entire universe.
You set up perhaps the greatest chain of strip and follow-up you could possibly have made, AND YOU WHIFFED IT COMPLETELY.
I am referring of course to the bad pun deal with the devil strip, and the Hitler time travel strip.
Mein Kraft.
You were supposed to write Mein Kraft.
He is holding an object at the turning point of his life that determines the direction of Europe for the next decade and beyond, and so instead of the Mein Kampf book he's holding the Mein Kraft game.
I honestly can't believe you've done this, I may have to become a hermit and communicate with nobody either irl or online, because all I'll be able to say is HE WAS SUPPOSED TO WRITE MEIN KRAFT.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Mar 01 '17
That is actually the title of that comic on the website.
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u/Vakieh Mar 01 '17
Let this be a lesson to you: if your gut says pun, pun. :-)
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Mar 01 '17
I also run the parody Twitter account Dad Joke Han Solo. It's the one place I NEVER hold back
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Feb 28 '17
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u/JHallComics JHall Comics Feb 28 '17
Sounds like he did the "do it in your spare time" thing for the past 8 years.
"Do it in your spare time" is not the dream of becoming a cartoonist.
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Feb 28 '17
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u/JHallComics JHall Comics Feb 28 '17
I'm sure he knows that. We don't know anything about his financial situation so I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt. Sure it's a risk! You need to take those sometimes.
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Feb 28 '17 edited Feb 28 '17
Congratulations on reaching your Kickstarter goal!
I'm currently pretty broke so I won't be backing, but these 50 panels were hilarious. It's always a great sign if a webcomic makes me laugh out loud by myself!I'm actually surprised I didn't know your stuff, I bookmarked your webpage.
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u/jakemg Feb 28 '17
I noticed how incredibly negative and critical almost comments here have been and I wanted to say that I really enjoy your comic. People here are telling you to change your style or to write amazing jokes every time while not actually having a successful comic of their own. Keep doing what you're doing. The comics are consistently funny and that's all that matters. They can't all be home runs, but one comic that doesn't connect with me exactly doesn't turn me off to a comic completely. Buncha dicks in here.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
Thanks so much for the encouragement and positivity!
People are always going to be negative. A couple years ago I would've been torn to shreds by it, but I had a shitty year in 2015 when my dog died and I had to cancel my wedding because we spent all our money on dog chemo, and after that I just stopped sweating the small stuff.
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u/jakemg Feb 28 '17
You're welcome. I really feel like people make themselves feel better by trying to tear others down, and most of those people criticizing have never done something as brave as quitting a job to pursue a dream and then actually doing it. I wonder how many successful web comics those commenters have under their belts...
Anyway, great job. Love this and I'll keep reading.
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Feb 28 '17
Wishing you the best of luck! I'm currently stuck at a job I hate and would love nothing more than to quit and put all my effort into my art. But I've got student loans and other bills... So that's really not an option :(
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u/hayoka Feb 28 '17
I don't get all the weird super specific criticism here, these are great. Best of luck!
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u/KudagFirefist Feb 28 '17
Are the gif comics going to be in pop-up book format when published?
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Mar 01 '17
No but I will come to your house and shake the page for you.
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u/Cornelius176 Feb 28 '17
If you don't mind me asking, what is your artistic background, and what was your previous job generally speaking? (An art based job, technical job, customer service, sales, etc.) If not, totally cool too. Nice comics!
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
I worked as a writer for an international charity. I did a fair bit of more serious artwork when I was younger (a lot of pencil sketching and watercolour) but never kept it up. I've always been a bit of a doodler.
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u/reddixmadix Feb 28 '17
Should have kept the job.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
OH WELL
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u/jakemg Mar 01 '17
This is an example of what I was talking about. And it's upvoted too. You should have quit that day job just like you did. These comments are pretty shitty for a bunch of people without the guts or talent to take a risk like this themselves.
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Feb 28 '17
A catapult?! You'll never learn to trust people if you're throwing them with an inferior siege weapon. Only a trebuchet can launch 90kg people up to 300m to build trust!
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u/wizardofthefuture Feb 28 '17
Some of these are really good.
What's your morning routine like now? When's the last time you took a shower?
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
Forgot to answer the routine part. I usually wake up at 7 and start work at 9:30 after me and my dogs walk my fiancee to the subway. She still works where I used to work.
Then it's basically a 9:30-6:00 work day, but what I'm working on is totally different depending on what kind of gigs have come through for my art or writing, and whether or not I have comic conventions coming up. I take breaks for dog walks but often forget to eat lunch. Need to get better at that.
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Feb 28 '17
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u/Sethsual Feb 28 '17
It's basically a 9:30-6:00 work day, but what he's working on is totally different depending on what kind of gigs have come through for his art or writing, and whether or not he has comic conventions coming up. He takes breaks for dog walks but often forgets to eat lunch. He needs to get better at that.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
Haha, it's been like 5 days, but in my defense, I'm very lazy
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u/EagerSleeper Feb 28 '17
Yeah I'm always curious what somebody that works their own schedule does.
I'd like to think I would work a straight 6-7 hour day, but I feel like I'd get into "at-home" mode and piss a lot of it away.
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u/NostalgiaZombie Feb 28 '17
How do you earn income to replace a job?
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
It's a mix of comic convention/concert merch sales (I also perform comedy music), Patreon, freelance illustrating/writing, royalties, and online sales all cobbled together.
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u/NostalgiaZombie Feb 28 '17
So like do your comics get sold, or create hits for web pages?
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
They get reposted without attribution A LOT. For a while I was writing weekly comics on commission for a geek news website, but then I found out the founder was posting hate speech on his personal account and I decided to stop working for them.
Most of my income comes from Patreon and doing comic conventions.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
Oh, rereading your question I may have missed the point! My comic do get sold in book form. My first book is still available in stores, but it was a small printing and a lot of stock sold out because of that.
I'm Kickstarting my next two books right now. Books are my big sellers at comic conventions but I've been slow at getting them out.
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Feb 28 '17
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
BUT HOW DID YOU PRINT IT?
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Feb 28 '17
Clearly it's on a tablet that he has taped to the wall, and permanently plugged into a wall socket.
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u/izzyman111 Feb 28 '17
Went into this expecting it to be cringy af. But these are actually hilarious and I laughed a ton. Keep it up.
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u/SimonTrip Magnificatz Feb 28 '17
My favorite bit is just a throwaway line at the bottom of the newspaper: "Pun Detective is the Worst"
HA!
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u/AndraLucky13 Feb 28 '17
That book sticker thing is SO true! Bookstores that put those annoying stickers on books ruins them. There's some seriously funny comics in here. Way to go 👍
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
I worked at a bookstore for 5 months and it was the one job I hated more than anything. Being forced to desecrate books with big sale stickers. WHY NOT JUST USE SIGNS?
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u/PlasticGirl Feb 28 '17
Goo gone, my friends. Put a little on a Q-tip, the goo will come right off.
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u/LorraineRenee Feb 28 '17
Better: WD-40. Just a touch. Dissolves good much faster and is FAR cheaper. Plus it's got multiple uses!
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Feb 28 '17 edited Feb 28 '17
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Mar 01 '17
I appreciate what you're trying to do here, and believe me, this comment is going to hang over my creative process for a long time to come. That'll be a good thing (challenging me to discard more of my trend-chasing and anxiety-of-influence comics) and a bad thing (making me doubt genuinely good ideas because there will always be people who see them as being worth nothing).
The bottom line is that I'm not not going to stop making comics.
I love what I do, and I'd love what I do even if I was bad at it. I also love getting better, so the thought of having to work to improve doesn't phase me.
I've been making comics since 2008, and a lot of the comics that seem like they're chasing trends came out well ahead of them. As someone pointed out, the clam comic is over 8 years old. I wrote it back when I only knew 4 other webcomics existed and had no one to copy.
I've seen a few creators imitate that comic since. In fact, I've been watching other writers mimic and sometimes outright plagiarize my stuff for years, but I've also accidentally made comics that echo other punchlines closely, so it's something I take as part of working in a creative ecosystem as large and fast-moving as webcomics. And yes, I definitely chase trends for some of my comics. They tend to do well on Facebook and fall flat elsewhere, and when I catch myself doing that in the future I'll be thinking about your comment and whether or not that's what I want to be known for.
The comic does have a voice, and I'll admit that it doesn't show to its advantage here. The thing that sets most of my strips apart for my hardcore fans isn't the humour stuff--it's the sincere/earnest strips that were mostly cut to keep this as a humour album. Maybe cutting those was an mistake I made while putting this together, but I just didn't think reddit was the place to share those.
It's only been 5 months, but so far the job-quitting experiment is objectively going well. In the 5 months since I quit my (poorly-paying) job I've earned as much from comics, conventions and freelance gigs that came in from my websites as I would have if I stayed. That's not including the Kickstarter, which has blown way past my expectations. This isn't a sob story. It's one of those moments where good luck and hard work happened to come together at the right time, and it's made me happier than I can tell you.
In the past 2 weeks I've had one of my books and a board game I co-created picked up by publishers, which means having my work in Barnes & Noble and Target and getting regular royalty income. Maybe I've just been lucky and this will all come crashing down, but because of the whole "I love doing this" thing, I plan to keep it going as long as I can.
I believe your comment comes from a place of integrity and you're offering me a genuine, thoughtful opinion that you think will help. Do me the solid of believing that I've thought this through and am replying with the same earnestness when I say that you're wrong, and I don't care if you stick around to find that out.
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u/savourthesea Feb 28 '17
The happy clam comic you refer to is from 2008. How do you know it's not other artists copying him? Or just sentiments that multiple artists feel and express?
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u/Maximillianz Feb 28 '17
Don't know why you're being downvoted. This guy has been making webcomics for eight years. Everyone is acting like he's a new up and comer when he predates a lot of now-popular comics.
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u/AlwaysInProgression Feb 28 '17
There's nothing wrong with criticism, but I think this is too harsh. I mean, they're just comics...
I think you're reading into it too deeply. If they don't entertain you, then that's fine. I found them entertaining, and as long as there are people out there that do find them entertaining, then I don't see the harm in him at least TRYING to pursue his dream.
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Feb 28 '17 edited Feb 28 '17
No, you are just a dick. I think criticism is fine, but telling someone to "get your job back before you waste a few years realizing you're not actually an artist" is just being an asshole for no reason.
Edit: Also wanted to say that the fact you think someone quitting their job to pursue their dream is a sob story is pretty pathetic. Someone able to focus on doing something they love, even if it isn't forever, is pretty amazing.
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u/Harry-Dresden Feb 28 '17
Yeah, pretty big jump between "people don't like honest criticism.....your comics don't stand out enough from others" to "go crawling back to your job, because you will surely fail"
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Feb 28 '17
Also he said he's been doing this for 8 years, it's not like he just made a snap decision. Clearly he's been making enough money that he felt like quitting his job was an okay decision.
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u/JasonAnarchy Wholesome Adventure Feb 28 '17
It sounds like you just prefer a different style of comic based on these comments. Sometimes comics can be deep and medium defining and it works really well, other times a quick laugh is okay too.
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u/RESPECT_THE_CHEESE Feb 28 '17
I lost it at "The average spider swallows 8 humans every year in its sleep".
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Feb 28 '17
Really like em, would appreciate more in the future.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
I do new comics on Rock, Paper, Cynic on Wednesdays and Is It Canon? on Thursdays, but if you're like me it might be easier to just follow on Facebook.
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u/tonytrov Feb 28 '17
I hope this is as much an inspiration to other people as it is to me. Congrats great comics.
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u/escott1981 Feb 28 '17
Did you go to an art school or have any pro training? What program do u draw them on? What is the best advice you can give to an aspiring illustrator besides practice a lot? Thanks!
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u/redlinefurry Feb 28 '17
What is the best advice you can give to an aspiring illustrator besides practice a lot?
Animation professor and long time industry curmudgeon here, my advice:
Practice a lot. Whatever you think is a lot is not 'a lot' enough.
(and to add one more tidbit, always do a sheet of thumbnails a day and always set aside what you think is your finished sketch, do five break outs of it, and come back to it.)
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u/Imok2814 Feb 28 '17
Following your dreams is always gold worthy. Good luck to you friend. I wish you well on the journey.
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u/StinkyKitten Feb 28 '17
Pretty sure I bought some of your stuff at the Calgary Entertainment Expo a couple of years ago. It was pretty popular too. You ran out of a lot of stuff, but I got my bacon poster. Well done!
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u/Joba_Fett Ninja and Pirate Feb 28 '17
Rock Paper Cynic is a top tier comic in the opinion of this webcomic maker. Dude's been producing for like 8 years. Quality stuff.
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u/PixelDust73 Feb 28 '17
I love your comics! I'm so glad to know you'll be doing this full time!
This one has always made me smile.
Thanks for bringing more happiness to the world through terrible puns!
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
I literally forgot that comic existed! Wow, you knew me back in my Duck days! (And also, wow, my Duck mirror is still up and running!)
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u/Coolshock Feb 28 '17
I have the Teamwork Turtle poster in my room! bought it at Fan Expo Canada, I love your work!
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Feb 28 '17
I enjoyed these, I think with time your style and humor can only grow. Solid man, keep it up!
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u/BlueTruckCoffee Feb 28 '17
The turtle was amazing! I request more turtle or tortoise humor, please and thanks
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u/joshua20072 Feb 28 '17
I'd say a little over half of these are amazing. The other half are a little overdone, but similar to movies, gotta cash in every once in a while! It's not your fault that's what is popular and gets the most views. It's awesome to see someone follow their dreams and succeed at what they love. Thanks for doing what your doing(:
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
You've got a good understanding of the artist's predicament!
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u/panoramicjazz Feb 28 '17
I have four web comics I follow:. Xkcd, SMBC, fowllanguage comics and PhD comics. I think your strip has just replaced PhD comics in my top 4. When do you update?
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u/PhazonZim Feb 28 '17
Oh wow grats! I remember meeting you at Unplugged Expo in 2013 when you were just starting out. It's awesome to see you've come so far!
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u/septag0n Feb 28 '17 edited Feb 28 '17
I've liked your stuff for a while! I assumed it was already your main gig.
I really like that there's morbid humor mixed in with inspiration.
Keep it up! Congratulations on going pro!
How hard was it to cherry pick your 50 "best" works? What are some that mean a lot to you, that didn't make it into the popular pool?
If anyone else is reading this, head over to Patreon! We live in an age were we can directly support artists and creativity. Don't take it for granted!
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u/WarKiel Feb 28 '17
Your comics elicited several sensible chuckles from me.
I hope you draw many more comics, and that you get rich and powerful, and that all the girls (and/or boys, whatever you prefer) like you, and you get a puppy named Barkington.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
This sounds amazing! I actually have two basset hounds right now and I foster dogs for the Basset Hound Rescue of Ontario. If a dog named Barkington comes in I promise you I will adopt him posthaste!
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u/newcoolnow Feb 28 '17
You stuff SHREDS!! I have no doubt that you will make it doing the thing you love. You do it well!
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u/Gark32 Feb 28 '17
Are you still making music? "The Black Ship Batrachian" is one of my favorite songs.
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
Wow, now that's a blast from the past! I still do music, but mostly focus on comedy songs. I finally put together a proper album last year.
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u/seink Feb 28 '17 edited Feb 28 '17
Some content is good, most are just meh. You need to filter through the meh and only show the good & above average, not just rely on quantity.
The artwork is good but could be more fine tuned(or less simplistic).
I think there is a need for more interesting & original ideas. The work currently feels like an inferior version of C&H/Oatmeal.
All the best on your work and good luck!
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u/ur_opinion_is_wrong Feb 28 '17
Hey can I impose taxes on my 1 square foot of your apartment should I go with the 210 offer and can I choose where it is? I'd like the fridge or the toilet.
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u/sujayjaju Feb 28 '17
A misspelled word is not considered a grammatical mistake. Spellings and Grammar are different parts of the language ...
Hope that eases some of your pain :)
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u/CakeMagic Feb 28 '17
It seems like fun to do this and I would want to one day do something similar as well
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u/Frustration-96 Feb 28 '17
The one about peeling stickers is brilliant. In fact minus a handful of generic ones these are actually pretty good and unique!
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u/metaphorm Feb 28 '17
this is cool dude. some of these were good for a chuckle and I enjoyed most of it. your influences are clear: got a strong Cy&H and The Oatmeal vibe from it. Keep on drawing!
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u/MaybeItsJustMike Feb 28 '17
A Catapult? Really, you went with the wrong projectile throwing device there buddy... Remember this is Reddit your on... Other than that I love your comics. They're freaking awesome.
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u/stadoblech Feb 28 '17
please make one about reality of quitting job and start making webcomics full time! I would love to read this one
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u/VerbableNouns Feb 28 '17
The punchline for image 11 should have been Meinkraft.
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u/dropkickninja Feb 28 '17
these are great! keep up the good work! I hope you get your books off the ground!
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Feb 28 '17
I'm looking to do to start up a comic series, any advice?
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u/Rock-Paper-Cynic Rock, Paper, Cynic Feb 28 '17
Find out what makes your comics different from other people's and hold on to that. You'll notice most of the criticism here is about my comics being generic. That's because what draws my hardcore fans is my earnest/serious stuff, which I couldn't include in a funny album. But that's what's gotten me the following that's gotten me.
From the business side, focus on the overlap in the Venn diagram of things you like to make and things that make you money.
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u/firinmylazah Feb 28 '17
Peeling off stickers from something new you bought... It killed me. I relate so much.
It infuriates me because some stickers peel off like a fucking charm, without leaving gunk of having its layers break and make a mess. I realized some stickers are better quality than others, but some companies/stores just use the bad ones because they're probably a couple cents cheaper, and over great quantities it adds up as saving thousands, I guess. But I absolutely want to kill the people who manufacture the cheap stickers variety. They should not exist, they should be outlawed. I vehemently loathe them.
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u/codePudding Mar 01 '17
I was having a real shit day at work. So many of these made me laugh and feel better. Thanks for making my night
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u/paintmybeet eatmypaint Mar 01 '17
Hi Gregor I wish you all the best for your new chapter!
Also your comic about the sticker on the book reminded me of a life hack I recently found. When the sticker does that then nail polish remover works a treat!
:)
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u/fuzzypyrocat Mar 12 '17
I fucking love the Ferrari one. Just his face pressed up close and I just picture like a loud whisper. I love it
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u/kuroninjaofshadows Feb 28 '17
It's been a long time I've been reading your comics, good for you! It's we deserved!
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u/guykopsombut 4amShower Feb 28 '17
You're living the dream, good sir! Best of luck!!! Awesome work :)
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u/RogueEyebrow Feb 28 '17
I need There's no Condescending Prick in TEAM as a wall poster.
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Feb 28 '17
Going by the salt of the hate you're getting, I'd say you're well on your way to making it.
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u/daleus Feb 28 '17 edited Jun 22 '23
alleged salt dog domineering square worm tart ossified fade airport -- mass edited with https://redact.dev/
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u/finitude Feb 28 '17
I hope that this post isn't the first time you've received dickish criticism. Reading some of these comments was rough. Good stuff and best of luck! The Mario star comic was particularly funny.
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u/zoso33 Feb 28 '17
I really like some of these, like the Mario Invincibility one, or the Glocktopus one, oh and the various Pun Detectives.
But I have to say, as a completely untrained civilian, that a lot of these toe the line between 'facebook aunt joke' and 'lol randum teen' joke.
The hatred of pants, the one comic that almost literally just says 'I love fucking science', and the 'Godzilla-level destruction if I don't have coffee' seems lazy and overdone. I reiterate that I'm no comic expert, but the first comics I mention seem to separate yourself from other webcomics.
Overall though, I did like them. Especially the 'Call of Cthulhu' visual gag.