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Pros and Cons

Okay, I'm going to ramble. Feel free to just not read. Go check out Omega Syndrome instead. Brian, the creator, sent us a really kick-ass piece of fanart that I'll try to post for next update.

For those of you that don't know, Wizard World East (the convention I was at this past weekend) is a comicbook con run by the people who put out "Wizard" magazine (they also put out Toyfare, Inquest, and anime Invasion I believe). Anyway, Wizard World is pretty much a con centered around the US Professional Comic scene (a la DC, Marvel, Image, etc.).

Overall, I had a good time, but it got me to thinking about exactly where I want to be and what I want to do. A part of me would love to do something more creative as a full-time job. However, looking at the "pro" scene, I feel really reluctant to become a part of it. There are tons of people who go to "pro" cons like Wizard World and SDCC who are desperately trying to get in. They carry their portfolios and show it to anyone who will spare them a minute. The thing is, the type of job that is usually availible is one where you work on someone else's project. For example, you become the writer, penciler, inker, colorer, etc for an existing title like X-men, Teen Titans, etc. I don't know if I would really find satisfaction working on someone else's creations.

The partial exception to the above was Tokyo Pop. Well, they were looking for those type too, but they also say that they're looking for original stories. However, when I actually got a chance to talk with the representative they had at the con looking for talent, I was extremely turned off. He interest wasn't in quality, instead, he was looking for a "style" that he thought would be sell-able. If you look at a lot of Tokyo Pop's current titles, you this theme is pretty pervasive. A lot of their titles aren't really top quality. Sure, they're nicely drawn, and they have twists on popular plots and themes, but they're not really top-tier titles.

This really got me to thinking about what becoming "pro" really means. I'm not exactly sure why, but after going to Wizard World, I just don't feel comfortable with it. Having to worry about things like popularity and marketability just don't sit well with me. I would like to believe that if something is good, then people will support it... but I'm not sure if this is really true anymore. I look at today's society and there isn't a shortage of artistic works (which, for me, encompases visual arts, audio arts, written arts, and any combination of them). People seem to be enjoying them too. However, I am a little skeptical exactly how many of those people actual appreciate those works. To me, there is a difference between liking a work and appreciating a work. I think this is really the root of the problem I have with the "pro" scene. It's understandable though. Companies are out to make money, so they seek to cater to the majority. If the majority of people are out to enjoy a work and not necessarily to appreciate a work, then that's what the companies are naturally going to shoot for. The result seems to be a large glut of work that is superficially entertaining, but devoid of depth once you go past the surface.

Hey hey. I haven't written a rant since late March. Time just seems to fly by.

Unfortunately I've been kind of scatterbrained lately, and it probably won't go away anytime soon. Just so people know, I'm trying to work on my portfolio. I haven't done anything for it since I graduated college which was over two years ago and I'm kind of having a hard time with it. It's just that recently it sort of hit me that I should be doing so much more with my life right now. It seems like the art world is littered with highly talented people years younger than myself who are getting all the jobs that I've always wanted. And here I am, sitting on my butt.......waiting. For what, I'm not even sure, but I'm kind of depressed over not having taken more initiative over the years. I feel like my talents have become a bit stagnant and that I haven't grown enough as an artist over the years. And so I guess I'm just trying to get myself back on my feet so to speak. Right now the two most important things to me are to get my portfolio presentation-ready again and to get my website back up to date before the end of the year (preferably before the end of the fall, but well...). So if I'm MIA these days, it's cause I'm a bit distracted. I wish I had more time for the comic, and I do try to get some extra stuff done once in a while, but right now this is the most important thing to me. My hope is that once I do get this stuff done, I'll be able to go back to devoting more time to Eidolic Fringe and do things like get more covers and art done, and some of the other stuff that I talked about a while ago. But I do promise to keep the comic going on schedule (though the updates are now basically Monday night :| ).