I should simply draw more simply and come up with lists of all sorts of outrageous sounding things. If I were to come up with a top ten list of, let’s say, “Reasons Why I Would Prefer To Live With Raccoons,” I would experience a considerable jolt in traffic. It might even mean that my WordPress blog would get “Freshly Pressed” and I’d get my fiteen minutes of pure WordPress fame. Not that I wouldn’t enjoy it. Who wouldn’t enjoy that, right? And it’s not like I don’t, from time to time, create a doodle or make a wry observation here at Comics Grinder.
This is the thing, Comics Grinder is all about a lot things: finding truth in comics, a witty chuckle, a thoughtful look at our world, all covered in comics and movies and various pop culture. I am an artist, writer and cartoonist. That order swithces around depending upon what I’m doing. You may experience a lull in activity here at CG and that could be due to any number of things. Hey, maybe I decided to take some time to focus on some painting or comics or a novel that I’m writing. I’d do more if I could. I’m figuring that out as I write to you right now! One thing that I’m considering is bringing in guest writers from time to time. And I am also considering showcasing the art of my fellow artists. As usual, I have a long list of things I’d like to review. Sometimes it’s a matter of waiting for the right moment to comment. Other times, it comes to me in fairly short order: there’s something I need to share and I’m going to do it right away. For instance, that’s how I’m feeling about “Action Comics.” I just read the latest issue and went back and reread the other two. It is really exciting stuff. So, I’ll be posting a review in the next day or so.
Don’t think I’m not aware of the cute and quirky and fuzzy comics that a lot of you like and post on your cubicle walls at work. I’m thinking about incorporating that into Comics Grinder, if and when the time is right. I’m just not quite feeling it at the moment. I have a number of projects I work on, not to meniton my own life and all its facets and unexpected challenges. But, who knows, I could wake up next morning, or the morning after next, and have a terrific inspiration that leads to “Souped Up Micro-Bunnies” or “When Birds Had Teeth, You Never Knew What Might Happen” or, well, something, something really simple and provocative and catchy, just the sort of sound-bite entertainment that makes money, right? I sound bitter, don’t I? No, I’m just scheming a little, just like the next person. I think we’d all like a little side project that brought in some extra cash. But it never works if you force it.
Okay, the trick is that you really need to feel it, whatever it is. So, right now, we’re discussing the potential of embarking on a goal of making wacky humor–for profit. It’s like you got to get all Zen-like and become one with the joke and not expect any money, even shun the thought of money. Look, I love wacky humor and often, if not always, the simpler, the better. The dumber, the better. I get that. But it’s not my prime focus.
Comics Grinder humor unrolls at its own natural pace here and that’s that. I’m doing it right now, without even trying, byway of complaining a little about what seems like the lowest common denominator humor that I see all around me and my own desire to add to it. Truth is, this humor is clever, or can be clever, even brilliant. There are a few practitioners of this humor who have undeniably hit a sweet spot in the current mood of the times. One fine example, perhaps the epitome of this wacko/droll humor is The Oatmeal. There are a number of other comics sites with their own cult following–that actually make money for their creators. Scary Go Round comes to mind. It’s not nearly as popular as The Oatmeal but it’s in a totally other world, which is where it should be. Come to think of it, the daddy of all these hip and silly humor sites is probably The Perry Bible Fellowship. Is this better, byway of popularlity, than, say, Tony Millionaire’s excellent but perhaps more low-key and cerebral, Maakies? Well, I’d like to think it’s all apples and oranges.
Anyway, I’ll keep trying, or not trying too hard, and someday, someday soon, I will get Freshly Pressed and you’ll print out my essay and tack it onto your cubicle wall, at least for a little while, and who could ask for more?
Glad you zeroed in on this post, Su. I’m feeling much better since then!