This is a fun one, and a little different than our typical Famous. For one, someone other then the Lone Wolf (or Rosenstein) is happy, though he is also happy. It also contains more “action” and movement than the majority of our strips, with Nicole’s enthusiasm for quitting the job. Observant readers may have caught that the million dollars line is a reference to an earlier strip where the Lone Wolf tried to entice Eric to sign on, a particular favorite strip of Alex.
I also went for a bit more exaggerated emotions, especially with Daniel. Another fun thing is the last panel, which features no real characters, just Beverly Hills stereotype customers not knowing what to do without a barista and standing around. I thought it would be funny to emphasize that there are just normal people trying to go about their lives amongst the Lone Wolf’s chaos.
In Two Drink Minimum news, we are moving forward well with the writing. We have the first 10 scenes outlined, the first 3 scenes written, and the entire plot generally mapped out. My plan is to work some more on coming up with updated character designs and tweaking the new style (which will black and white and pay homage to the genre of noir, which is what I think Black Snow really is). We are also going to try to tighten up the first scene so I can start drawing it.
While all this is going on I still plan to draw at least one Famous a week.
So listen up, good now, the general masses, You ain’t gotta note it in your high school classes, Cause it ain’t written down if you know that its true, There’s a lotta famous people with the sound of the new, Well fame they say can be a serious under, So would you put the helmet on the afterburner, Story so far is one hell of a mess, So come on let me lead you through the wilderness, I’m a Man with a Plan – Your Hero
A lot of people might look at yesterday’s post and think “What the hell is wrong with them? They aren’t jumping all over a publishing deal?” Point taken. After nearly 10 years of toiling in relative obscurity you’d think we’d take whatever scraps were thrown are way.
I understand your concern, but guess what…I have a little more knowledge of the situation than any person reading this. Our deal isn’t going to evaporate overnight. Interest in our work isn’t going to disappear. This isn’t our one shot at glory.
Alex and I aren’t dumb guys. We do our research and carefully consider our options. And we do have options. Brash and cocky? Maybe. Though I prefer to think that we are being calculated and cautious. We’ve invested a lot of time and energy into this, and we’re not just going to give it up the first person who shows some interest. It is going to have to be the right deal to meet our needs.
I’m not going to go into intricate details, as I find that sort of thing to be rather uncouth, but I’ll just say that we have a vision and we’re not going to jeopardize that. Certainly not for something we aren’t sure of. So don’t you worry about your old friends at Black Snow Comics. We’ll be just fine. Now lets get back to, oh, I don’t know…MAKING COMICS!
Hopefully my plan is better than his turned out to be…
Oh, hey there Bighead, Bighead, you’re alright. Wasted, feeling, feeling alright. Well he walks with his head up high, Flips a wink and wonders why, He never gets his wool – Our Inflated Egos?
So what exactly is going on around here? There’s been a lot of talk, hype and activity lately. So much so that I really had to step back and take stock of things.
Sometimes things come at you very quickly, and it’s very easy to get caught up in the moment. Well, as the kids say (kids say the dumbest things), sometimes you have to “slow your roll.” Alex and I had quite a talk yesterday, and I’ve been doing a lot of thinking myself (dangerous as that may be), and many things have become clear.
Firstly, and I write this knowing it sounds arrogant, but it is quite true..we find ourselves in high demand. We have publishers interested in our projects, publishers that want us to work on their existing projects, writers and artists who want to work on our titles or team up on new projects, budding talents that want us to help them publish and promote their work under our brand, high quality and quantity of visitor traffic to our site, our social media accounts consistently have good activity, we’re regularly winning contests…there’s just a general buzz about us lately that you really can’t deny.
You can see how one might get caught up in all that. Especially after many years of, and lets be brutally honest here, unpopularity and general audience/industry disinterest. Remember recently when I said we were going to force people to take notice of us? I didn’t think it would happen this quickly.
So what does it all mean? Have we accepted a publisher deal? Are we expanding our staff (which wouldn’t take much, if you’re keeping score at home)? Are we starting new titles? Are we letting others take over our existing titles? Are we becoming a publisher ourselves?
Good questions. I have a tendency to become overzealous and tip my hand, so to speak, but I’m not going to do that here. I’m guarding these cards more closely. I will clear up a few things though.
1. We have not accepted any publishing deal (though it is still open). We are not in a rush to take any offer thrown at us, and it has become apparent that we our actually positioned much better than many small publishers out there (who don’t even come up when you search their names). If the right deal is offered we will likely accept.
2. We are not actively seeking out new titles or projects at this time, though they are being brought to us. We are open minded about these things, but will keep Black Snow and I’m Famous! our main focus.
3. In the same vein, we are not seeking out new talent, but remain open to all possibilities. There is a good chance you’ll be at least seeing some collaborations soon.
4. We no longer have any intention of letting anyone else take over our titles, as writer or artist. We will be proceeding with the team as it has always been, Alex as the writer and myself as the artist, and doing things the way we see fit (and not being told what to do by others).
5. Black Snow will be fully relaunched as a totally rewritten graphic novel, the first in the series being titled Black Snow: Two Drink Minimum. It will be a mixture of what you have seen from Black Snow in the past, where we planned on taking it in the future, and some exciting brand new ideas. It will feature a new and improved art style and overall tone. And yes, sadly it will cancel out the original 6 issues, which will now be referenced as “source material.” (Trust me, it is very much for the best.)
6. I’m Famous! will continue in normal fashion.
7. We are seriously considering self publication in the not too distant future.
So there you have it. Perhaps a bit more than I meant to reveal. Just know this, if you only take away one thing away from this: Black Snow Comics has more definitive vision of who we are, where we are headed, and how we’re going to get there than ever before…and you can expect great things from us.
Watch my awkward attempt at presenting myself well on camera, so you, my insipid fans, cans feel a stronger connection…If you jaded monsters can indeed feel anything at all.
What’s that metronome I hear, perhaps the end is drawing near, You never hear the shot that takes you down, Out of time, so say goodbye, what is yours, Now is mine, and I dream broken dreams, I make them come true, I make them for you – dedicated to all my fans
Look what I drew this morning. A re-imagining of the Black Snow character design, in what I think is an awesome, gritty update. I’m very happy with the way this one turned out.
I used the same muted color scheme as the last drawing, because I think it’s pretty dead on. This is a pretty different style then usual, and I’m really happy how easily it came to me. What are some of the new things here? For one, it’s the first time we’ve EVER seen Black Snow’s eyes. It really does make a surprising difference in the overall look of the character. Adds a element of realism that simply isn’t there with the white slit eyes. It makes it feel like this is really a guy just wearing a mask. And it allows me to add more detail and expression to his eyes.
Another big difference, a restyling of Black Snow formerly slicked back widow’s peak. I like this messy, wild hair. It makes more sense really, as I don’t picture him as a man who cares about style or hygiene.
Of course a big part of that muted color scheme was to make his costume gray and his hair dark grey, versus the solid black previously used for both. This is actually quite a significant difference, as it allows me to add darker tones for shading and black lines for details and shadows, no longer restricting me to the use of white lines for such things.
Oh, btw, the blood splatter is supposed to be from someone else that he has beaten, not his own wounds.
It is a strange thing to jump from the comedy of I’m Famous! yesterday to this new intense Black Snow today. It required a bit of a different mindset, as I pumped myself up with some intense music and tried to think dark and gritty. It’s been said that artists are really actors performing through their characters on paper, and I subscribe fully to that belief. Your mood and attitude often shines through in your work. And if you’re like me you pose yourself as the characters to act as your own model. So mindset is fairly important to me.
Honestly, I think this single drawing has taken my work to a whole new level. What do you think?
