Winding down
It's been a very, very long year and with three or so weeks left I am beginning to wind down my work for 2023. I have one page of Steeple left to draw, though not the final one, as I did that today. And this Saturday I have a signing at Gosh Comics in London, coinciding with a rail strike at my local "provider". When will I know peace? Apparently never.
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The older I get, the less brave I am about making changes. The other day, looking for the old Scareodeleria comic as a PDF, I found a 2008 blog post where someone broke down every art style change I made early on as a webcomic. The very notion that this was important enough for someone to write an essay about! I tore apart how I drew over and over again because I was learning my trade as a cartoonist - and of course I still am. And I have to get worse to get better - sometimes a lot worse. As much as I am an artist, the comics are a product. That is a hard line to toe to the satisfaction of everybody when your livelihood depends on it.
Chiefly I am here to entertain and any woodshedding is in service of that. I think next year is going to be a rebuilding year, I've got a real sense of a creative cycle coming to an end. Sometimes I can feel change around the corner, but I can't quite see what shape it will take so I walk around with a dull headache until things resolve. The seven-week cycle with PDFs and "issues" has been great but I think it's time for me to get baggier and more experimental. That rigid 22-page structure has been helpful during a chaotic period, but it's become a bit of a straitjacket. It dictates a certain pace of storytelling, if you can imagine that.
I'll have a few more posts before the traditional end of year shut-down. Fingers crossed they'll be less solipsistic than this! If there are any questions you want answered or (non-labour intensive) general requests, just let me know in the comments. People keep asking me if there will be Dr Ladysounds-style album reviews this year. The last ones were in 2015! God bless you. I am never doing any more of them. I'm glad you liked them. They took FOREVER to do.
Comments (19)
xxx!
All the links in that 2008 blog post are dead. The internet is not a place to keep your memories. But there's good news, too: All of SGR is on archive.org, which is how I recently went on the journey from start to finish one more time.
Your work growing and changing over the years is one of my favorite things about your work!! It's always so interesting to see how my favorite artists grow and evolve over time, even if I don't love every single change. And I usually do end up loving it, I think we as humans can just be very resistant to change. I'm looking forward to what 2024 looks like for you and your art. Your work has been an incredible influence on me and I will always appreciate it.
also I remember when Bad Machinery was ending and you described the process of reaching that decision as being like driving your art vehicle off the road through the woods and perhaps to a remote quarry, which was one of the funniest lines I'd ever seen. I'm glad you've come to recognize when you need a change without getting quite so far to the end of your rope
yes John I have a question: in this time of reflection, what in your career are you the most proud of?
Is 2024 the year to finally turn the Lizard vs Wizard t-shirt into a fully realised comic universe? Here's hoping 'yes'.
Woodshedding is practicing on your own. I looked it up and learned a thing. I was thinking of Cold Comfort Farm and 'something nasty in the woodshed', but this is better.
I'm worried that I simply missed it, but whatever happened with having print copies of Giant Days x Batman for sale through Topatoco? Were they made available when I was distracted at some point, or did something else happen there? I was looking forward to completing my physical collection if possible, but if it doesn't work out, I will soldier on!
Dangit, phone update screwed up my keyboard. Meant to end by thanking you again for everything you've done so far, and I will be sticking around to see whatever comes next! As long as Gareth sticks around, of course.
I am most certainly here for a "baggier & more experimental" phase of the Johnny A Experience! In the meantime, have a Happy Christmas & a Prosperous New Year! May Krampus bring you a new drawing-stick.
I look forward to witnessing the impending experimental rebuilding period. I'll remain here in the patreon.
Also, shameful confession: I loved the concept of Dr. Ladysounds, but my goodness they took so long to *read* that I secretly stopped doing so probably in 2012. So I don't blame you for retiring her.
John, I love everything about this update so very much. If I had to pick a single thing that really cemented my love for your work it was the constant reinvention of your drawing style early in your career. I'm pretty sure I didn't write the 2008 essay (actually I'm sure it wasn't me) but I'm sure I had essay length opinions about it (all good, mostly). Moving back to a more open format for your storytelling sounds exciting and I'm looking forward to seeing where that freedom takes you (and us vicariously). And I'm sorry that Dr. Ladysounds won't make a reappearance. Over the years you've introduced me to a bunch of great music and musicians I might not have heard of otherwise (Beirut comes immediately to mind but there are many more). Do you have a Spotify or Deezer account I can snoop? Thanks for another year of entertainment, great stories, and wonderful art. Wishing you, Des, et al a brilliant 2024.
There's still a top 40 list and a Spotify playlist each year, this year's will be up soon as it is all compiled.
Desmond Fishman! The only guy Donald Trump looks up to!
Des deserves a kiss
You are totally right that you have to keep learning, keep breaking things to remake them (often enough better to be worth the pain). I just started as an academic ("mature") and absolutely have to be open to doing things badly until I learn new ways. And today I had a really good meeting with my supervisor and I am fairly close to getting my first journal paper published. I am having to unlearn some stuff to get there! (And I envy all your skilzz, FWIW!)
Take all the time you need John! We'll still be here.
That blog post! "phpBB needs a way to sort topics by creation date, rather than last modified date." I don't think any statement could help me timestamp the date of its own creation anymore than this.