Ive just heard the first real criticism of the comic that do for the Ann Arbor Paper. I kind of stumbled across it while perusing a page of comments at the Ypsidixit site. The discussion was about a piece of crappy artwork, something that Laura, the editor of the Ypsidixit, had seen while researching the upcoming Ann Arbor Art Fair. Heres the comment that was left on the Ypsidixit site:
Eric – 2004-06-18 18:58:30
I think it’s weird too. It looks a lot like the cartoon in that free Ann Arbor paper. Dull and boorish.
The comic hes referring to is, Im 99% sure, the one that I do, My Life in Ypsi. To her credit, Laura, after hearing this insult, quickly jumps in to my defense with the following:
Laura – 2004-06-18 19:30:06
I like the AA paper cartoon. The drawing style is pared-down (though not unappealing), but the thoughts are intriguing and appealingly moody and offbeat and dark. I always read it–in fact, it’s the main reason I pick up the AA paper. Kinda wish the cartoonist had a wider audience.
Then, just now, by some strange coincidence, I received word from another local MM.com reader that a few of the earlier comics that Id done for the Ann Arbor Paper were now online and linkable. So, if youd like to see them and decide for yourself whether theyre a) dull and boorish, or b) intriguing and appealingly moody, just click here, here, here, here, or here. As youll soon discover if you follow any of those links, the on-line quality isnt that good (the print size is a few times larger), but you should be able to get an idea of what Im doing. While Im admittedly not a professional cartoonist, I dont think that theyre dull or boorish. Sloppy, yes. Amateur, yes. Self-indulgent, certainly. Perhaps even boring. But not boorish. Boorish, I believe, requires a certain pomposity that I dont think these cartoons have. Anyway, you be the judge. Check them out and let me know what you think. I dont mind criticism either, so feel free to say what you think. As I mentioned earlier, this is the first negative thing Ive heard in the year Ive been doing these, and I have to think that theres someone else out there, other than Eric, who doesnt like them So, heres your chance.
One Comment
A few days ago, a reader of this site described it as being a bit “heady” when describing it to someone else in an internet discussion area. Perhaps he meant to say “headachey” For what its worth, I am sorry your felt ill after looking at my work I would say more, but I need to leave for work Thank you both for your comments though Believe it or not, and perhaps uncharacteristically, I wasnt just fishing for compliments though. I really was curious to know if anyone else disliked the comic. Im sure people do, but no one has ever shared that before and I am curious.