Mr. Snotty Sock lives!! The count-down begins… but unlike NASA this comic strip will meet it’s launch time!
A little warm-up comic for you all. The gang is sitting around waiting on their return and they bug me everyday to get back into action. Once your comic characters start talking to you, then you’ve been on “vacation” too long or that last joint was some real killer shit…
1979’s “Dream Police” was Cheap Trick’s fourth studio album, two of which were released in 1977! I’m kinda linked to Cheap Trick as one of my employees went to high school with Rick Nielsen’s daughter. What? No autograph for the boss? Damnit… But it was the “Cheap Trick at Budokan” album that really made them superstars. Who doesn’t know “I Want You To Want Me”? Well, the STUDIO version of the song is anemic at best and really throws you for a loop when it’s played on some odd FM station now and then.
Me and Snotty are more alike than pleases me to admit… The sensual scent of some nicely rolled, gory green glory was the only way that guaranteed my return from the endless fields of nightly fiction (…and perhaps it still is).
It seems you get more done during your time off than a lot of web comic artists out there manage during regular times… This hardly seems a reason to complain. However, I am a bit worried you won’t be able to regenerate enough and create the right environment for a smooth (and humane) ride after your return.
Man, Byron, it’s good to have some more 1977. The summer just ain’t the same without it. Thanks for giving us this tease.
Great strip! I just discovered it, but I’ve got you added to my blogroll, sir!
I rather like the studio version. (Pauses while improvised missile-fire is directed thissaway).
Maybe you should work to a reduced production schedule when you come back? We can’t all be “Irregular Webcomic”s and shooting for quality over quantity is never a bad thing.
Is it?
Not that I want *less* 1977 of course. But no-one wins if you burn out in 18 months or so, retire to a UFO cult, quit drawing and start listening to Lite FM.
I can think of something else randomly popping up when you’re sleeping that might be worse. Just sayin’.
P.S. hoping to work on some fanart for you Thursday. I hope I hope.
Yeah Roxy, quality will get the return visitors, quantity just gets a bit website.
“Irregular” was such a smart idea for producing a comic… I hate that guy…
T’weren’t an “opinion”, just a suggestion.
I wasn’t comparing the content of either comic either. As far as I am aware, IW and ’77 shoot for different results. I was merely pointing out that from MY viewpoint, regular updates beat irregular ones forced on the producer by unrealistic schedules that fail to account for out-of-webcomic-production workloads. I’d rather read an episodic comic that is well drawn, conveys a theme consistently and can deliver humour I am in tune with reliably than one which updates often, sacrificing content and “mission” (can’t think of a better term) for deadline.
This is “feedback”, not “opinion”. I only posted it because the latest recommendation you gave vis-a-vis high-quality webcomics was a thrice-a-week-and-no-weekends affair. I agree that Willow’s Grove is wonderful, by the way. Thanks for the tip-off.
As for sales from the website, I buy what the British call “tat” all the time (light perjorative term for “stuff”. Can indicate poorly made as in “I bought a T-Shirt but it was tat” or just a collective term for stuff we buy that we don’t need to survive. The US term “sh*t” is interchangeable in most cases). Whether I buy webcomic products depends on mood, cash-flow status and the nature of the items in question.
I would certainly buy (and have in the past bought) webcomic-supporting T-Shirts that feature iconic artwork that clearly defines what I am supporting. Examples of this rather slippery term include the fraternity of Zeeba Zeeba Eeta, The Linear Guild, “Die, Fatbeard!” and the like.
I generally don’t consider buying actual strips printed on shirts, cups, mousepads and so forth because I don’t want to be some sort of sandwich-board when I take the air.
I prefer understated rather than in-your-face. Putting your iconic artwork on a Golf Shirt in the same way that stupid little alligator threatened my nipple in the 1980s is more likely to prise $$ from my mousetrap-riddled wallet than a chest-covering billboard in XXL (my actual size for T-Shirts). Havard Lampoon did this with their legless frog, and it was perfect. A sick, sick joke that you had to be up close and personal to even see. Much better for me than 76-point type declaring “Sh*t Happens”.
Please feel free to remove either of my comments from the board if you feel they are problematical. I merely wanted to tell you that I would rather be able to read this strip two years from now than have it go the way of “Chainmail Bikini”, because I appreciate quality product when I find it.
Steve.
I used to do something like that sock thing when I was tired and laying about. Put my hand up like a snake and threw my voice, freaked people out, but was on purpose to get more sleep and as a gag.
Man, talk about cho macho nacho men!
Look at these Bon Jovis! Wow!
After our conversation earlier, I became enthused and very desirous of obtaining a set of mugs featuring each of the characters in glorious color. After struggling to comprehend that the webstore sign-in *wasn’t* the same as the 1977 site sign-in (pre-syndicated business model brain at work) I finally entered the last detail in the purchase order and triumphantly clicked “submit order”.
I was rewarded withthe following message in white on red:
10501 Invalid Configuration – This transaction cannot be processed due to an invalid merchant configuration.
You have a small problem with the merchandising gnomes it would seem, Byron.
Nope. Bored in the USA. Lon GY-lund Nooyawk to be precise (Brooklyn during “working” hours)
Well, the studio version of “I Want You to Want Me” that appeared on In Color was tame and kinda boring. However, the original studio version – which was unreleased until Cheap Trick’s debut was remastered – was even better than the live version, at least in my opinion.
Love Cheap Tricks the dream police “They’re driving me insane.”