A Direct Hit for us Indies (ouch?) (4.20.10)
So I got this email from Jin with the subject (roughly translated to) "Get ready to be pissed". What he did was send me a link of a blog: http://pinoy-comics-tv-movies.blogspot.com/2010/02/whats-wrong-with-current-rp-indie-comic.html
I was reading the entry with all the pictures of comic stands in Canada and wondered where is the part about becoming annoyed-- that is, until I got to the paragraph where the author was saying that he (she, have no idea), would be posting anonymous comments regarding indies. So that's us I think. I searched for our group, Salimpusa and there it was, reviewed alongside Mark 9 verse 47 (Meganon).
Well, obviously it SHOULD hurt. Jin was annoyed afterall. I should be too but I can't find myself to be. I don't really know why is that but I have points I would like to share here:
1. My whole name is plastered there. How cool! Even the spelling is right! I didn't know how that guy/gal ever found my name on the net but kudos! He/She should have atleast researched further to find Jin and Mark's name. Or probably he/she doesn't have the time...
2. Since the author of the comment knew my name, he/she should have found out that AFD1 really won the Komikon Indie Award 2006 (that was when we were in college and celebrated by eating out) and wouldn't question if this really happened. If we are making it up, don't you think the Komikon organizers would have told us to pull that tag off? Here's a link to prove that this is really true:
search for Indie Comic Contest in this forum http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=75566&p=3&topicID=8930888 . This is posted by Ms. Syeri (if she's who I think she was, she is the one responsible for the Carpool series)
Or by Komikon search for Indie Comic Contest
http://komikon.blogspot.com/2006_10_01_archive.html
3. Given #2 another commented something like that as well. It's as if we are faking the fact that that particular issue, won. I don't think the readers of that blog bothered to search it on Google. Not even the author of the blog. And yes, it won based on a panel, Taga-Ilog was one of them.
4. The premise of the blog was to give some space for local indies and those who don't believe us to have their say on why that is. Assuming this is true, the entire thing had only 3 indies, us, Mark and Kalayaan. More or less much of the readers didn't really bought nor have they read other local indies at all nor was there out of all the scrollable comments made any other review. There wasn't even any indie creator who took part in that blog.
5. Someone said that Vergara's Zsa Zsa is a ripoff of Ravelo's Darna. Actually my opinion on this may sound weird, but isn't Darna a ripoff of Wonderwoman like most of Ravelos' characters? I would sound bold but, I do think Zsa Zsa Zaturnah is a much more original concept in terms of being the only character I know of that is a homosexual champion. And personally, I don't even consider it as a spoof. Plus, Zaturnah has a publisher already. It is definitely not indie.
And so the comments were harsh. I imagine when me and Wilvic release our work it would follow the same fate as well. I may not be as calm as I am now when that happens but this is a reminder I think. That I, we, all of us local indies can prove we can improve.
Someone said in that blog that we are doing this all for the love of just making comics. For most of us, it just is. Imagine all the expenditures but none so much in return. The market is still slim and well, we may grow old and not see some comic revolution coming nor our works published mainstream. Ask me and I don't really care if that ever happens. Less people read everyday anyway.
Okay, so you are saying that we should atleast consider the money you've traded us for a comic you bought. I don't think I know where to start to convince you guys that that though partially it is, it's not entirely our fault.
You see, I buy books. Some of them I buy with no real reason that I did and I go for those that are still intact in plastic (a bit OC, especially when the cover looked slightly misused, I'd never buy them). The only thing I can know about that book is well, at the preview at the back. A lot of times, you can read that in my reviews, that I fail in choosing those books. That it was boring and a waste of money and time even with the promising teaser. But was it the author's fault? No. It never was. It was my fault I bought it in the first place. In other words, don't blame us if it suck in your standards of what is good. I mean, you guys can even browse our works! If you didn't like it then don't buy it in the first place! Don't put the blame on us if it doesn't satisfy you. And cliche as it is, whatever you find to abhor in our work does not mean that the whole indie industry (if we can call it like that) sucks.
Look. I've spent so much cash in purchasing indies in all the cons I've been into and some of them I think was well... not worth of my hard earned cash, so I know what you guys feel. But it's a risk you see? Same with all purchases you make. It's not an issue on whether it was worth YOUR money. It's your decision to make not ours. But to say that everything, all the hardwork that's been put on every work is crap and make a generalization out of the whole indie thing is so wrong.
And as for not being what you guys say "original", "exceptional" or whatever positive reviews you can ever come up with that we don't have (oohh I wanted to add "yet"), well, that is when we us indies should realize. Our part is to entertain you and if we don't deliver, well, we should practice all the more. Saying that, I really am excited when a work of mine gets out and be reviewed so I'd know if I can take the heat. It is a learning process between us creators and you audiences and I think I understand that. I mean, I can imagine sharing the same view points with you guys on our local tv!
I'd wrap this up with this quote I forgot where I've heard:
"You deserve better, so I will make myself better"
Note: I am genuinely flattered that I am recognized in the group although I wasn't really a part of the VERY first issue of AFD WHEN IT WON nor was I really involved NOT UNTIL Salimpusa did the comeback and made me do the write-up. (Now that I think of it, that person must have seen my name at the back in acknowledgements since that part wasn't revised haha)
I was reading the entry with all the pictures of comic stands in Canada and wondered where is the part about becoming annoyed-- that is, until I got to the paragraph where the author was saying that he (she, have no idea), would be posting anonymous comments regarding indies. So that's us I think. I searched for our group, Salimpusa and there it was, reviewed alongside Mark 9 verse 47 (Meganon).
Well, obviously it SHOULD hurt. Jin was annoyed afterall. I should be too but I can't find myself to be. I don't really know why is that but I have points I would like to share here:
1. My whole name is plastered there. How cool! Even the spelling is right! I didn't know how that guy/gal ever found my name on the net but kudos! He/She should have atleast researched further to find Jin and Mark's name. Or probably he/she doesn't have the time...
2. Since the author of the comment knew my name, he/she should have found out that AFD1 really won the Komikon Indie Award 2006 (that was when we were in college and celebrated by eating out) and wouldn't question if this really happened. If we are making it up, don't you think the Komikon organizers would have told us to pull that tag off? Here's a link to prove that this is really true:
search for Indie Comic Contest in this forum http://www.activeboard.com/
Or by Komikon search for Indie Comic Contest
http://komikon.blogspot.com/
3. Given #2 another commented something like that as well. It's as if we are faking the fact that that particular issue, won. I don't think the readers of that blog bothered to search it on Google. Not even the author of the blog. And yes, it won based on a panel, Taga-Ilog was one of them.
4. The premise of the blog was to give some space for local indies and those who don't believe us to have their say on why that is. Assuming this is true, the entire thing had only 3 indies, us, Mark and Kalayaan. More or less much of the readers didn't really bought nor have they read other local indies at all nor was there out of all the scrollable comments made any other review. There wasn't even any indie creator who took part in that blog.
5. Someone said that Vergara's Zsa Zsa is a ripoff of Ravelo's Darna. Actually my opinion on this may sound weird, but isn't Darna a ripoff of Wonderwoman like most of Ravelos' characters? I would sound bold but, I do think Zsa Zsa Zaturnah is a much more original concept in terms of being the only character I know of that is a homosexual champion. And personally, I don't even consider it as a spoof. Plus, Zaturnah has a publisher already. It is definitely not indie.
And so the comments were harsh. I imagine when me and Wilvic release our work it would follow the same fate as well. I may not be as calm as I am now when that happens but this is a reminder I think. That I, we, all of us local indies can prove we can improve.
Someone said in that blog that we are doing this all for the love of just making comics. For most of us, it just is. Imagine all the expenditures but none so much in return. The market is still slim and well, we may grow old and not see some comic revolution coming nor our works published mainstream. Ask me and I don't really care if that ever happens. Less people read everyday anyway.
Okay, so you are saying that we should atleast consider the money you've traded us for a comic you bought. I don't think I know where to start to convince you guys that that though partially it is, it's not entirely our fault.
You see, I buy books. Some of them I buy with no real reason that I did and I go for those that are still intact in plastic (a bit OC, especially when the cover looked slightly misused, I'd never buy them). The only thing I can know about that book is well, at the preview at the back. A lot of times, you can read that in my reviews, that I fail in choosing those books. That it was boring and a waste of money and time even with the promising teaser. But was it the author's fault? No. It never was. It was my fault I bought it in the first place. In other words, don't blame us if it suck in your standards of what is good. I mean, you guys can even browse our works! If you didn't like it then don't buy it in the first place! Don't put the blame on us if it doesn't satisfy you. And cliche as it is, whatever you find to abhor in our work does not mean that the whole indie industry (if we can call it like that) sucks.
Look. I've spent so much cash in purchasing indies in all the cons I've been into and some of them I think was well... not worth of my hard earned cash, so I know what you guys feel. But it's a risk you see? Same with all purchases you make. It's not an issue on whether it was worth YOUR money. It's your decision to make not ours. But to say that everything, all the hardwork that's been put on every work is crap and make a generalization out of the whole indie thing is so wrong.
And as for not being what you guys say "original", "exceptional" or whatever positive reviews you can ever come up with that we don't have (oohh I wanted to add "yet"), well, that is when we us indies should realize. Our part is to entertain you and if we don't deliver, well, we should practice all the more. Saying that, I really am excited when a work of mine gets out and be reviewed so I'd know if I can take the heat. It is a learning process between us creators and you audiences and I think I understand that. I mean, I can imagine sharing the same view points with you guys on our local tv!
I'd wrap this up with this quote I forgot where I've heard:
"You deserve better, so I will make myself better"
Note: I am genuinely flattered that I am recognized in the group although I wasn't really a part of the VERY first issue of AFD WHEN IT WON nor was I really involved NOT UNTIL Salimpusa did the comeback and made me do the write-up. (Now that I think of it, that person must have seen my name at the back in acknowledgements since that part wasn't revised haha)
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