I won’t delay the inevitable; yes, the Webcomic Idol is the first and last thing on my mind this week (right after my impending nuptials, of course) and yes, I will be talking about it for the next few weeks. However, I will be talking about the process that I, as a contestant, am going through and, should I feel the need to talk about the quality of each strip, I will offer thoughts on ALL strips, not just one.
Why the clarification of how I want to feature the contestants? Well, it’s the opinion of some other pundits of the biz that the critiques of the strips involved in the contest should come in weekly, one-strip doses, leaving out the good/bad of the other strips and tossing a clear biased wrench into the works of the whole system. Nowhere in the rules does it state that anyone, even the judges, is denied the freedom to say what they want about any of the contestants. However, outside of pointing fingers before I know where to lay blame, all I can do is do what I feel is right and let others worry about their own motivations.
Disparaging outlooks aside, there have been some other things going down lately that are worth mentioning:
- Wiz Rollins, of Bad Shape and Sophisticated Pig fame, has been named as the co-writer for DJ Coffman’s Yirmumah!. With Coffman working more and more on pet project, Hero By Night, the need for a helping hand has arisen and was quickly filled by Rollins. The first strip of this new comedy team was posted on Monday and featured the same off-color, un-PC humor we’ve come to know and love from the strip.
- Speaking of new things from established creators, Ryan Sohmer and Lar DeSouza of Least I Could Do have started a new gaming comic titled Looking For Group. The strip follows a clan (or whatever they’re called in MMORPGs) of online fighters, magicians, and the like as they humorously make their way through a fantastical land. Yep, the genre has been done to death, but with the superb team behind LICD on this iteration, something tells me this one will be something special.
- Ever read Sam and Max? I’ve never played any of the PC games featuring the mystery-solving duo, but judging by what I see from this awesome strip, I certainly want to. Word is that the series might be making a stop on the Nintendo Wii as well, a partnership I would think to be fruitful for both parties involved. However you find the way to connect with this cartoon, do it. Highly, highly recommended.
That’s all I can muster at the moment; time to get back to my Twilight Princess. Go donate some toys to children, play some Wii, and stop by the Idol contest and vote for anything but The Amazing Superzeroes! Plug ends… now.
When I was invited to be a guest judge, we were told to do as much as we could but to do at least one critique per week. That’s what I’ve had time for so far (although I’ve read almost the entire archives for every entrant and the more recent strips of all of them) and I’d rather focus on saying something positive then negative.
So given the directions to the guest judges, what is your point in writing the above? (Also, since I’m the only one linked to in your “critique” of the judging process you should have had the honesty to say Xaviar Xerexes other then the “other pundits” dodge.)
I figured I would avoid the webcomic stereotype of name-calling and avoid your actual name, but yes, you are correct. It is you, Xaviar Xerexes, guest judge for Webcomic Idol and blogger for Comixpedia that I have the problem with.
I don’t know you at all and that always makes these Internet things even more difficult to navigate. It’s the method which you’ve employed in critiquing the contestants that rubs me the wrong way. To me, it is unfair to do one strip a week as it cuts a clear line between that strip and the rest of the unspoken contenders.
Given that these were the instructions the judges received, I would say that these rules need to be changed for this competition in the future. Of course, this discourse is coming about largely because I am on the verge of being sent packing, but even if I were in the clear for week two, I would still feel the need to let my displeasure be known with this practice.
I apologize for making this seem like a personal attack. I will never attack the integrity or ability of someone I have not met in person (get that in writing if you wish). However, as a contestant of a contest that didn’t seem to give all participants a fair shake, positively or negatively, I want someone, other than myself, to point a finger at.
God, this turned into an emo blog post REAL quick. Good luck to the rest of the Webcomic Idol contestants!
Apology accepted.
Guys, I’ll just come out and say it – this is the first time we’ve ever tried something like this, and I think it’s the first time anyone’s tried a contest with this with webcomics. The net and the various media accesible to both judges and contestants is going to create problems the first time around – we just can’t plan on every little thing that could happen.
I know that for some people, it sucks, and it sucks hard. We just have to learn from it and try to get it right next time. Given that, the overall goal of this contest is to give some underappreciated webcomics some well deserved attention. We at least feel we accomplished that.
All that being said, next time, we’ll probably have to nail down the rules more, and probably restricts things a bit more. We just wanted this to be open, easy, and non-threatening for the applicants/contestants; it was supposed to be in the spirit of fun, and I’m sorry that part may not have been accomplished. As one of the masterminds behind Webcomic Idol, I’ll take full responsibility for that one. Don’t take it out on Xerexes – that goes for everybody – if you want to vent/criticize/make suggestions, take them to me. I’ll listen to every word; I won’t dismiss anyone’s opinion.
Oh, can’t believe I forgot this – Congrats on your upcoming nuptials, Jason.