Weekly Comic Writing Contest WINNER!

I finally choose a writer who filled the empty balloons for my comic. It's Luke Surl. His idea was something that I just felt fit the absurdity and feel of the comic.

When I drew the comic, I had no idea what was going to happen or what I was going to draw. I just came out this way.

This comic was actually done in reaction to some writer who posted an ad on the Seattle area Craigslist.org asking a comic artist to draw his novel. There would be no pay involved until the project was published and then there would be compensation. I personally felt this guy had a lot of nerve, seeing as how he wasn't asking for someone to collaborate with him on a graphic novel, he was asking someone to be his visual tool. That sort of mentality irks me to no end. And this particular occasion just got me pissed.

Firstly, what artist has the time to just draw some guy's novel for fun? It would have to be a completely self-satisfying thing to do because there's no guarantee that you'd ever see something come of it.

Secondly - what artist has just shit tons of blank paper sitting around waiting for a project like this to just give him the inspiration to create something?

And thirdly - in my opinion, a great comic by two people doesn't happen when a guy writing something hands it to an artist to interpret however he sees fit. It's a collaboration! It takes two or more people working together to get it done.

I can't imagine that drawing this guys novel would be like a job. He's your boss, because it's his writing and he's very proud of it and your the instrument that will envision it the way he wants it. Even if you were to get paid it would probably suck, but at least payment would make it somewhat worth it.

Anyway, I got irate and wanted to do something similarly absurd and ask writers to fill in the words to a comic that already had pictures. I'd offer no pay and see how many people would respond. I wanted to piss off some writers. I wanted to insult some jerks who thought they were just so great and too good to take on a writing assignment that didn't offer pay.

I didn't get a bad reaction and that's good I guess. What I got was some really funny submissions from a bunch of people who seemed to have fun.

I want thank everyone who put something up on The Comics Journal forum (Dan Lester, Cory Fuka, Andrei Molotiu, Ed Gauthier, Kletz, Stephen Burrell, and William Wray) As well as Chris Paul, Jonathan Baylis, and Luke Surl.

There's no more contest, but I'm still taking submissions if you want to give it a shot. In the near future, I'm going to put together a small zine featuring everyone's submissions as thanks.