4 posts tagged “webcomics nation”

Everything is alright...  even for a monday... although it's early yet.

WebcomicsNation is back up and running. There's a kajillion relieved webtooners breathing a lot easier. I found some noise about it on the web... but alas... all is well. Whew! Keep staying tooned! But.... follow www.squidrowcomics.com for a daily blog and cartoon elaboration... (dawg-on-it, there's just more fun at squidrowcomics.com! come see!)

Squidad

Where's Webcomics Nation?  Um, it was there a minute ago...

So I go to upload some toons... and my link takes me to this website expiration page... What? What do you mean? Squid Row lives there! (as well as www.squidrowcomics.com).... The full Squid archive lives (or used to live) at WCN.

Okay, okay... I KNOW that the technical peeps over there are scrambling to get this fixed! (They must be... because I didn't get any notice that this was going to happen!) and I know that the ComicSpace site and Webcomicsnation site were to merge all together at some point... my fingers are crossed... and I will keep you posted.

So, if you're a Squid fan... you can find the comic here and there is a blog and it's regular-like... in fact, it's the official site! And I'm not just squirting ink!

May 18, 2009

Ya just can't keep a good squid down!

Squid Row just found a new home... www.squidrowcomics.com ! You can still find Squid over at webcomicsnation.com to be sure... but homebase (the underwater lair) is now on the aforementioned site.

The site went up yesterday, and it includes a blog for the strip... and soon, it will offer merchandise. You can expect to see the site change as I get more comfortable with Wordpress. But for right now I am focused on getting a strip archive up and putting tags on each toon so it can be found if with a bit more ease. This means renaming files... oh my!

So keep your head underwater (I mean keep reading squid)!

January 26 2009.

In January of 2002, I went on a visit that changed my life. I was dropping in on my sister who was attending Ohio State. She had told me about their Cartoon Research Library... and that Bill Watterson's exhibition: "Calvin and Hobbes" Sunday Pages 1985-1995" was about to end... and that we should go.
ONE: I was amazed that OSU even had a Cartoon Research Library.
TWO... Bill Watterson's original artwork was there?!!!

There they were, nicely framed originals, waiting for adoring eyes to see. Every pencil mark needed studying... every blotch of white out to be recognized... I was amazed... entranced and bewildered. The work flowed... Calvin and his stuffed tiger were alive!

But something else happened. I found that seeing "the behind the scenes" work, made Watterson human... Seeing all the screw ups and mis-inks made him a cartoonist and not entirely divine.

What happened is.... I thought to myself... I WANT TO DO THIS! I CAN do this (not as well as he, but I could do it). I was so energized and excited that I threw my hat in the ring!

Squid Row has been my baby... I started it when I returned from that trip.... almost 6 years ago. I was bent on syndication... I did the homework, I read all the "How to" books on the subject matter. I sent out the submissions and got my rejection notices. It was disheartening at first. I felt so sure that I was going to get in the papers. Now that I look back at those first submissions, I thank the editors for being so kind.

Like many things I have done, I started Squid and then put it down. It was partly over discouragement, partly "life got in the way." I would play with it a bit... then do the submissions and... then put it down.

But then came the internet. It was suggested to me by one of my peoples, Katie, that I should go webcomic. Brilliant! So.... I have had Squid Row up on Webcomics Nation for over a year now. I committed (or have I been committed?) to doing it daily. I threw my entire self into it... ignoring cramping fingers and long hours toiling over the drawing table. I have had so much encouragement from my loved ones... (and hand rubs!)

Today Squid has made it up to #17 on the WCN's Top 25 webcomics. The list fluctuates during the day... but this past week was the first I have seen it even on the list! Needless to say, I am friggin' ecstatic!!!

I just want to thank everyone who has been reading the strip, and those who have encouraged me along the way. As the strip keeps growing, so does my gratitude. (And Thanks, God!) 

And Esther: thank you for taking me to the Cartoon Research Library. It changed my life.