And for folks who liked this strip about Fantasy Football and Dungeons & Dragons, there’s this print…
Dave,
How tall is Arthur? Many times you said 14 inches, but on Sept 27, 2003 he was 8 inches.
And then this e-mail:
Dave
On October 31, 2003 Arthur is now 10 inches.
You’re doing this on purpose.”
I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT, PHILIP. IT ALL LOOKS CONSISTENT TO ME. la la la la la *fingers in ears*
If you are coming, I need to ask you two things:
1.) At the show, Sheldon original art will be available for $25 off the normal price, but I need you to E-MAIL ME with the date or description of the strip you’d like. I can’t bring all 3,000 original strips to the show, so I really need you to e-mail me before I fly out.
2.) If you’re coming, we’ve put together this handy-dandy Sheldon Guide to Emerald City Comicon. Just click here for the big version that’s ready to print.
This, to me, is a dream invitation. You see, I’ve known I’ve wanted to be a cartoonist ever since I was a little, little boy. And more than that, I’ve always known I wanted to study the flip side of cartooning, as well: The history and the theory and the philosophy and the potential of cartooning. And one of the things that got all that started for me — that really got my dreams fired up for that holistic take on comic strips — was this incredible, insightful talk given by Bill Watterson in 1989 at, of all places, this very same event.
At the 1989 Festival, Watterson spoke of the incredible potency in comic strip cartooning: This rarest of arts that let one artist, one voice, speak to millions. This artform that lets the personal outlook shine through, where so many other mass media arts do so by committee.
So to be invited, some twenty one years later, to speak at the very same gathering of professionals and academics, is magical to me. (It’s humbling beyond words, too, in a stomach-churning way…but let’s focus on the magical aspect of it.)
Because, the funny thing? The thing I want to talk about? Is actually that very same Watterson speech from 1989. Or rather, to offer a loving and respectful rebuttal to it, from 21 years on. I want to speak to his concerns about the space allotted comic strips in newspapers; about zombie comic strips still being drawn long after their original creator had died; about why so many features have stale, interchangeable voices; or why so many are merely advertisements for dolls and greeting cards; or why comic strips in general have been on this slow, downward trend of diminishment in American life for the past 20-30 years
Because basically, I’m going to talk about this incredible change of fortune for the comic strip. I’m going to talk about Webcomics.
I’m going to talk about how this process of removing the middle men — the disintermediation from syndicates, editors, newspapers, distributors, publishers and their ilk…and the resulting freedom it allows — has given comic strips this amazing new lease on life. A renaissance that will produce some of the most personal, powerful work that comics have ever seen. It’s already happening: And with features and cartoonists who do not have to homogenize their unique voices; who do not have to give up their copyrights, trademarks, or any semblance of decision-making in torturous syndicate contracts; who speak with pure, unfiltered voices, writing comics that never would’ve been possible under previous methods of distributing art. And who, most importantly, are producing amazing, amazing work.
The short of it is: The medium of newspapers may be dying, but the artform of comic strips is not dying with it. In fact, the future for comic strips has never been brighter.
——
I know Watterson lives a very private, quiet life, now, and I respect that choice to the nth-degree. But I know he lives in the neighborhood of the Festival, and I’m kinda hoping he comes: Both because I’d like to shake his hand and thank him for that speech in 1989…and because I want him to know that the generation that came after him was listening.
And then, within four hours of them ripening, it’s like all of God’s creation has swooped into that dang tree and stolen every peach off of it. I literally had a squirrel look me square in the eye and hiss at me, one year, when I tried to shoo them all off.
My peach tree is forever the 1985 Christmas rush on Cabbage Patch Dolls.
Hey! It’s Saturday! That means it’s time for our sci-fi series, “Drive”.
Here are the full archives in order:
#1, #2, Text Entry: Continuum, #3, Text Entry: Secrets, #4, Text Entry: Veetans, #5, #6, #7, #8, #9, #10, #11, #12, #13, #14, #15, #16, #17, Text Entry: Memos, #18, #19, #20, #21, #22, #23, #24, #25, #26, #27.
By the way: I have *really* appreciated all the e-mail feedback on Drive. It means a lot — thank you!
Even after a year or two of being on Facebook, I’m pretty new to its possibilities, and I’m still learning my way about it. So please feel free to offer any suggestions on how to make the page better.
(And I know for a fact there are a few Facebook employees among the Sheldonista readership: Feel free to chime in on features I should add, guys!)
Dear Dave —
I am 52 today.
Came downstairs this morning to find this next to the coffee machine, courtesy of my son John.
Made my day. Happy birthday to me!
Happy B-day, Bob!
SEATTLE: Emerald City Comicon!
Emerald City is pretty much my favorite convention all year. And Seattle — and Seattlites — are a special kind of awesome. Looking at my server logs, there’s an inordinately huge “Sheldon” readership in that part of the world, so this convention is like coming home, for me. I love it: You gotta come.
When: March 13-14
Where: Wash. State Conv. Center
Booth: 102
Exhibiting With: Halfpixel! Kris, Brad, and Scott.
Link: ECCC show site
CALGARY: Calgary Comic Expo!
Anytime I talk to someone about the Calgary show, they have nothing but awesome things to say about it. And it’s growing and growing every year. But, the SINGLE GREATEST THING about this show? It’ll be my first appearance in Canada ever! Ever! And who knows how often I’ll be able to get up there..so you best come out and say “hi”!
When: April 24-25
Where: Roundup Centre
Booth: (Don’t know yet!)
Exhibiting With: Halfpixel! Kris, and Brad
Link: Calgary show site
Note: With huge apologies, I had to cancel my San Francisco Wondercon appearance due to two family-schedule conflicts! I’m incredibly sorry about that: Next year, I’ll be there! Promise!
My sister insisted that I email you and tell you we had a “spontaneous awesome-off” in her kitchen the other night and my ankle “popped”…..into place! I had had a limp for a few days and I’ve been HEALED by the awesome-off!
I love it — thanks, Mindy!
