This opinion piece in the Times states my main thesis well: free speech above all.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/23/opinion/will-the-left-survive-the-millennials.html?action=click&contentCollection=U.S.&module=Trending&version=Full®ion=Marginalia&pgtype=article
As an author of comix about gender and racial stereotypes/cultural phenotypes, the current trend toward greater political correctness and identity policing is extremely alarming.
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For a year now, or so, I’ve been selling modestly three titles on ComiXology, and two on DriveThruComics. “Modestly” is modestly overselling the idea. The reason being that personal marketing is non-existent. All the sites I might post to build a readership frown on what the general notion is of “SPAM.” Many sites expect you to post others’ content and not your own. And even if one responds to the letter of the law, the spirit of enough gatekeepers is base enough to prevent potential dissemination.
Behind this practice is a modern, digital-age notion: you want your content free. Even the likes of Louis CK who makes it simple and reasonable to get his shows still gets 99% pirated (sue me for making up stats to make a point – you know the sentiment is true enough). Well, fine. I want free content too, and the easy ability to drop change, or a recurrent donation, set to my needs/abilities, on my schedule, as a reward for things I like.
SO. I HEARBY MAKE ALL MY CONTENT FREE (actually, TPG #4 will be the last one submitted to ComiXology, THEN it will all be hosted free elsewhere). I have been serializing a graphic novel, The Pizza Guy, in 30 page installments on ComiXology, and from here on out, I will publish the pages, probably one or two per week, ON THIS WEBSITE, maybe Tumblr and DeviantArt. If you like, please share. If you care to, please donate at PAYPAL (see widget) If you want paper copies, that can still be done, minicomic sized, for 10$ each postage included to the lower 48 states.
So, since I am giving my stuff away totally free, I will feel free to post myself far and wide. It isn’t SPAM if I am not selling anything. Not by any reasonable standard. I wonder if I shall fall afoul of the dangerous notion that SPAM is any unwanted content/interaction (like being asked for directions on the street) which I note with disdain many of those younger than I seem to think is one of their Rights. Kids, it’s not. There is nothing in our federal or state systems that make it illegal for you to be talked at. Panhandling, in some places (most questionably), is struck off. But I’m not doing that. I’m GIVING MY HARD MADE CONTENT TO ANYONE WHO WANTS. And I’ve left a plate for you to throw me spare coin if you feel it’s worth it. But I am going to sit here and make puppy eyes at you while you consider.
Thanks for reading!
Tap Tap Tap. Yeah, the internet is always on.
So, a couple of things. Firstly, I love the band wEEn. The BEST band I’ve ever known. So, somehow without looking, I came across this lovely, plaintive, wrong-in-good-way cover on the TUBE.
Cosmicspaz does covers of Ween songs and originals. And, crazily, this young lady looks a lot like the character Casey Crowe whom I’ve been drawing for decades!
I’ve been reading a lot of Freud of late and he calls bullshit on the value of synchronicity. I’ma too lazy to cite the reference partly because I heard it on the podcast, Partially Examined Life, their first episode on Freud (I am a PEL citizen). Yes, I know I said “reading” — I am doing that too, but the note above came from something I heard. I highly recommend PEL, too, BTW, if you are interested in learning about the history of philosophy in an entertaining and potentially rigorous way (what do I know of argumentative rigor? I’m a BFA!) I know that Jung made a big deal of synchronicity but I doubt this had much to do with the big split between him and Freud. My mad money’s on Freud as the one with the most profound effect on how we talk about mind, culture, art, etc. Of course, I am a dude, a dude’s dude, so of course Freud speaks to me. The voices in your head are probably different.
Also, my latest The Pizza Guy is here at Comixology. I do have stuff on DriveThruComics too, exclusively in pdf format, but, honestly, their layout requirements make it harder on me than Comixology’s do, so my attitudinal lassitude frequently delays. The most recent issues of TPG and Fort Dudak’s Six Pack are not up on DriveThru yet, but there’s plenty of stuff there.
By the way, if you want print copies, email me at apostatemansion at the g mail, and pay me ten bucks via paypal, and I will happily USPS you paper copies. I know that most comics nerds like paper. Me too. But I’d be a fool not to make use of digital distribution despite not caring as much for it myself.
I’m going to start essaying/journaling more on this site because why the hell not?
Also, keep an eye on my brother-site, comics-for-grownups.com. My associates over there are brewing interesting content too!