Title: GUEST STRIP – BRANDON J. CARR
Print Status: Available
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Comic ID #3678
Title: GUEST STRIP – BRANDON J. CARR
Print Status: Available
Title: GUEST STRIP – BRANDON J. CARR
Print Status: Available
Discussion (15) ¬
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I think you made a good case with well thought out points. If I hadn’t pledged already you sure would have convinced me. Ever thought about going into politics? lol
Probably less drama in politics than web comics… 😉
Kurtz going off on something he doesn’t understand? I am *shocked*. Except, you know, the other thing.
So last year’s hard-drive failure donation drive was really a pledge drive? In all reality though, I still haven’t received anything for that $175 I ‘pledged’ over a year ago… 😉
I know, Andre! I know! I’m sorry!
:: runs crying into the wilderness ::
😉
Ha! The Smurfs rule! Nice twist in there, Mr. Carr. Nice twist, indeed.
I asked a friend recently if he was excited about Avatar and his response was, “Why would I go see Ferngully ThunderSmurfs?” So, when I read the comic, I think I shot something out my nose trying to supress LOLing too loud at work.
As for KickStart, if it is something that is working for your business & not hurting anyone, it is none of Scott’s concern. It’s not like you are receiving TARP funds, raising the cost of the book, & then paying yourself a huge bonus. Geesh!
I’m loving this send up of Avatar… especially since most of the reviewers I’ve read seem agreed that Mr. Cameron has produced another technological tour-de-force….. and turned it into an anti-war, anti-US screed.
Um…it’s ‘weak’, not ‘week’. And I tend to agree with Kurtz. Sorry.
Okay, typos fixed.
That’s fine if you agree with Kurtz, Monkey Dharma – but can you at least explain why or at least articulate what points you agree with him on?
What is weak about using Kickstarter to help organize a fund-raising effort? In what way is it worse than doing a pre-order through Theater Hopper? Is it your expectation that web comics apply for small business loans and be handicapped by interest payments? How is my involvement in Kickstarter tarnishing the reputation of web comics as a whole?
What is your ideal solution?
My whole issue with the debate was that Kurtz was arguing market forces should dictate whether you get another book (this I agree with) but what I fail to see is how using Kickstarter somehow takes market forces out of it. You still need an audience to support your funding project or you get nothing.
Sadly, the “Avatar = Smurfs” angle was taken by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for South Park nearly a month ago. They called it “Dances with Smurfs.”
Hmmm what does Scott Kurtz stand to gain from shooting down kickstarter?
It sounds like a case of “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything”
Kurtz has nothing to gain from shooting down Kickstarter except that I think he’s branding himself as a “web comics expert” (see the ‘How To Make Webcomics’) book and anything that he thinks cheapens the medium is a threat to him in the long-term.
On the one hand, I value what Kurtz has done to build up the medium. On the other hand, I find it frustrating how stubborn he can be when someone else finds a new way to skin a cat.
Anon – Sadly the Comedy Police currently aren’t recruiting, or else you’d have a bright future in pun enforcement.
As for Kurtz, the guy has one hell of a knack for sticking his foot in his mouth. For a guy who throws around an anecdote about how important it was for his personal success to have Jeff Smith to dress him down when he asked for help back in the day, he sure likes to act like the guardian angel of webcomics (see How to Make Wencomics, and as if there was such a position that needed filling anyway.) If an idea like Kickstarter had the potential to tarnish the image of webcomics as a medium, then the medium would have larger problems of sustainability that needed addressing. The bottom line is that there’s no reputation to protect with the medium. Take the film industry for example. Currently the “Hollywood” output has a terrible reputation for quality and interesting content, but does that stop anyone for enjoying the film medium? No. Film as a medium will weather the storms of image tarnishing ballyhoo whether it’s bloated mindless product clogging the theaters or films backed mob-funded money laundering schemes (like the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre.)
Webcomics is a medium, and as long as people enjoying reading comics in a digital format it doesn’t matter if 90% of artist/writers subsist on tip jars.
I think the root of the issue Kurtz has is that he’s uncomfortable with the tiers of success and the steps a lot of people take to climb the ladder. He’s ashamed of the lower rungs now that he’s high enough to look down. The thing is that the higher he climbs the more and more he’ll stop caring about the lower rungs, but he’s close enough that mixed with his sense that he’s the caretaker of webcomics he’s just annoying.