Egads, I’ve been dissected! Well, not literally, but my comic strip syndicate submission, K is for KRICK, has been put under the microscope by Jim Tierney of The Panel Mammals ...
SCREENSHOT: The Panel Mammals - Comic Strip Dissection: K is for KRICK
Not long ago, I received an e-mail from Jim in which he asked if I’d be interested in having my comic strip dissected by him on The Panel Mammals blog. For those not familiar with the Panel Mammals, they’re a group of five very talented and enthusiastic comic strip cartoonists. Their membership includes:
- Jarrett Osborne (The Pursuit of Mandy)
- Mike Witmer (Pinkerton)
- Scott Metzger (Stewart)
- Worth Gowell (Small Wonder)
- and Jim Tierney (Jetpacks and Time Machines)
According to their Mammal Manifesto, they hope to “cultivate an environment of open discussion on anything and everything comic related.”
Needless to say, I was quite happy to participate in this voluntary examination!
Here are a few snippets from Jim’s review:
“When I look at this strip, the first thing that jumps out at me the artwork. The art of K is for Krick has a very classic comic strip feel, and does a good job of balancing detail with narrative clarity ...”“My only issue with the writing is that I find it a little too sweet for my taste, but that might be more personal preference than true criticism ...”
Although I’m still waiting to hear back from 99% of the syndicates, Jim’s review echoes the feedback that I’ve received from several others who have seen my comic strip samples.
As a cartoonist seeking syndication, it’s encouraging to hear that people enjoy looking at my artwork. After all, the drawings are what first attract readers to a comic strip, so it’s good to know that I’m using the right kind of bait.
Regarding the writing ... This is where you just have to accept that you can’t please everyone. Some folks like the cute, sweet, and light stuff while others prefer the in-your-face edgy. As silly as this may sound, I’m sort of letting the characters decide what they’d like to say and how they’d like to react. I’m still getting to know them too, so who knows what they’ll say next!
Near the end of the dissection, Jim raises a few questions:
“Since Krick is a substitute teacher, does that mean after a couple of weeks of comics he’ll be moving on to a new class? Or will he spend his entire comic life within a single class?”
Excellent questions! In fact, I think I’ll save the answers for an upcoming post because I need to dig out a few sketches from months and months ago! For now, I’ll just say that to-date, I’ve only heard back from one syndicate regarding my submission, and while they like the artwork, they would like to see Krick teach a grade other than Kindergarten.
A special thanks to The Panel Mammals (especially Jim) for their gracious hospitality. Best of luck to all of you in your own comic strip endeavours!
Stay TOONed!
- Mike Cope
Mike,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed looking at your stuff. I think it's REALLY well-done. Keep me posted as to the responses you get from the syndicates. I'm always interested to see what sparks their interests. Obviously, it's not me...lol
Hey Mike, just wanted to drop a line to say I'm enjoying your website and this new comic. I really appreciate this whole syndication thing. Being a syndicated comic strip cartoonist has actually been a dream of mine since my childhood as well! I'm actually working on a batch to submit of my own here pretty soon. You can check out my comic here, if you like. I've been doing it since 1996, though obviously at a more amateur/personal level. My work is far less sophisticated artistically than yours though, that's for sure! Anyway, good luck on this, and I look forward to seeing an acceptance letter on your site soon!
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