ADDANAC CITY News~ Guest-Strips pt. 2

I created a guest-strip a few weeks ago for another cartoonist friend of mine, Matt Stout of Big Sandy Gilmore. BSG is an hilarious series that features some of the funniest animal characters to come along in a while. I was glad to be able to help Matt out during crunch time.

Here’s my guest-strip.

You can catch Big Sandy Gilmore every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, I believe. Tell Matt I said “hi”.

Another webcomic series that I’ve been reading for a few months comes from a guy who started on the internet around the same time as I. Tommy Pritchard’s comic Relative Truths features a family who lives together, loves together, and sometimes gets on each other’s nerves. Sounds like a real family, huh?

Tommy needed a break to devote more time to his lovely wife and children, so I pitched in for an inning. This is my Relative Truths guest-strip. Check out Tommy’s comic series every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I would like to say “thank you” again to all of the wonderful webcomic people who have allowed me to crossover my characters with theirs and make an attempt to continue the fun and zaniness that drew me to this medium in the first place. My hat’s off to you!

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ADDANAC CITY News~ Guest-Strips

When I was a kid, I absolutely loooved comic strips and comic books. Being an only child, I could never get enough of them. I cared immensely for those iconic characters that graced those sweet-smelling pages of newsprint. I didn’t know who the artists were and I couldn’t have cared less at the time. I just wanted my comic fix.

As I got older and started developing my love of art, I began to take notice of the varying cartoonists in the field. I had my favorites in the different formats: Steve Ditko, John Romita, Jr., Ron Frenz, Charles Schulz, Mort Walker, Dik Browne (now, that’s a moniker), and many others.

These artists, with all of their various styles, helped make these characters come alive for me. They created a world where I could escape and enjoy a few hours of relaxation. They didn’t draw alike. They had their own unique vision and style. I once heard that, when it comes to art, the definition of style is: “The mistakes that an artist makes”. I think that’s true. If everyone drew perfectly, all art would look alike, wouldn’t it? It’s our slight errors that make our artwork our own. I don’t draw like anyone else, and they don’t draw like me. However, I can appreciate all styles of art.

One thing I have always loved about comics is The Crossover. I enjoyed watching characters from other companies and universes teaming up or duking it out. A few years ago, Image Comics had a switcheroo month where the creative of teams of certain books took over other titles under the company banner. It was so captivating for me to see Erik Larsen tackle Spawn, or to see Jim Lee penciling Savage Dragon. I love the original creators’ styles on their own respective books, but it was like a trip to another planet being able to see them draw other characters. That’s one thing I adore about making webcomics.

We web-cartoonists get to traipse around in each other’s playground sometimes. There are many reasons why there are guest-strips. Sometimes a webcomic’s creator needs to take a sabbatical. Updating can grow daunting, and a creator sometimes needs room to breathe, reassess, and come back fresh. Sometimes, %$# happens: illness, job duties, family necessities, etc. Oftentimes, if a comic isn’t seeing regular updates, the readers will move along to something else, thus resulting in a drastic drop in viewership. No cartoonist wants to build up a loyal audience just to lose them altogether due to “life” occurring.
That’s why it’s good that we can hit up our peers/friends and get a guest-strip from ’em. These gracious guys are saving our necks and giving us an opportunity to supply our readers with fresh product.

I haven’t hit the point (yet, knock on wood) where life has thrown me a curve ball, and I can’t get my comic updated, but I do have a good relationship with some amazing web-cartoonists. One guy in particular, Bearman, sent me a guest-strip the other evening featuring my Addanac City characters, Hank and Christie. I enjoyed seeing him “playing with my toys”. I draw Hank and the gang all the time, so it’s fascinating to see how other cartoonists view them. This is Bearman’s Addanac City comic:

Bearman creates an hilarious and thought-provoking editorial cartoon blog at Bearman Cartoons. Check out the rest of his amazing, poignant stuff. Thanks for the strip, Bearman! I’ll have to do something nice for you real soon.

I’ve created a number of guest-strips for other cartoonists also. I contributed an unsolicited strip for Mike Freed’s Unemployed Dad comic. Michael’s innovative take on the trials, tribulations, and even celebration of unemployed life is refreshing and original, especially with today’s turbulent times. Every now and then we need to be able to laugh before we pick up the pieces. Read my Unemployed Dad meets Addanac City guest-strip and check out the rest of what Michael does with his amusing creation.

In December, I contributed to The Guest Strip Project. That project was intended to gather a lot of web-cartoonists together to create a storyline for these pre-existing characters from a police force. For each installment, one cartoonist would pick up where the last one left off. That meant that the story could meander anywhere. No need to worry about quality in story and art, though, because these guys gave it their all. Each cartoonist was credited with a link to their own sites plus a chance to help the Make-A-Wish foundation which is a worthy cause in my opinion.

This was my contribution:

Be sure to go thru the archives of the Guest Strip Project to read the entire story.

I have a few other guest-strips finshed and a couple more to complete. I’ll let you all know when they come out. If any of you cartoonists out there want to take on Hank and/or the other characters in Addanac City, just drop me a line and let me know. My door is always open (I gotta get that thing fixed). 🙂

ADDANAC CITY~ Getting Reviewed

For most webcomickers, getting reviewed is exciting. Somebody outside of your little, insulated world has taken notice of your humble creation and has decided to broadcast their opinion of it throughout all of the internet world! You are so filled with glee that you can barely contain yourself.

That is, if you’re getting a favorable review.

I’ve been creating ADDANAC CITY off and on, in one form or another, since 1992. The strip started in my local paper, then expanded to a comic book line that lasted for seven issues and sparked a line of t-shirts and other product tie-ins. However, ADDANAC CITY has only been on the internet since August 2008.

When I first began AC it was strictly a regional sensation. My readership extended from Virginia(my home state) to North Carolina and Maryland. I had a few readers from places like New York and Florida, but that was only because someone from VA informed them of ADDANAC CITY’s existence and sent them a copy or so of the comic books (most likely an autographed edition. I try to stay accessible to my faithful readers. I’m not a snobbish celebrity. Yet.) 🙂

Anyway, I yearned to expand the lil’ world of ADDANAC CITY and share it with the rest of the world. The interent seemed like the perfect avenue to do so. The sad part is, I’m not that internet-savvy. I don’t know html from a .php. All I know how to do is make cute little drawings and place them where I want them to be. I don’t have an art staff nor someone to erase my many pencil lines (yes, I still draw on paper. Remember paper?). I also do not have a web-support staff. Everything you see on my official ADDANAC CITY website has been laid out by yours truly. I know my archive section is somewhat difficult to navigate, but it can be done. That’s the only way I know how to do it at this stage. Rest assured, I’ll find a way to make my lil’ slice of web-heaven resemble everyone else’s but, for now, it is what it is. I hope that all of you who check out Hank and his gang of misfits don’t hold it against me too badly. I will improve it one day when I devise a suitable solution.

Now back to getting reviewed….

Since I’ve only been doing this internet thing for about six months, I was so hyped to hear that I was getting reviewed. Now somebody will spread the word that Addanac City is da bomb!!!! Yay!!!

I’ve gotten a couple of positive reviews (some more positive than others). Delos from Art Patient.com reviewed AC in November and had some constructive criticism for me. Overall, I think he appreciated what I was trying to achieve. To read his review of Addanac City, click here

Another review AC received came from Web Comic Herald. You can read what he had to say here

My most recent review came from Julie at Online Comics. The review was short, but I was pleased to be noticed. Catch Julie’s review here

Everything seemed to be going lovely for this cartoonist. I was finally getting recognized for my endeavors. I was on a roll here, folks. Yeah, I had to email most of these reviewers to even make them aware of Addanac City’s existence, but drawing the strip is only half the battle. Garnering reader support is the hardest part. Webcomic artists can easily spend more time promoting their comics than actually creating them. The key is not to let your creativity suffer in pursuit of readership. You can advertise all you want, but if what you’re pushin’ is crap, then you’re still floating up that infamous fecal creek. I really try to balance good comics with good promotion.

So, lest I really digress, I contacted one reviewer to give her a heads-up about my comic. Admittedly, I had forgotten that I had already written her and proceeded to send her another email that was practically identical to the previous one. Her response was that AC would be slated to get reviewed on her next upcoming posting. My heart was fluttering with excitement! “I’m gonna get another fan!” I screamed inside of my head. Yippee!

At least, that’s what I thought. When I clicked on her review, this is what I read
Check it out, then come back here.

Needless to say, I was flabbergasted like my gast has never been flabbered before….

I paced my tiny drawing area, spouting terms that would have career sailors looking for a book of colorful expletives. After an hour (or so), I calmed down and tried to analyze the review diplomatically. Then I started cussin’ again.

The next day, I wrote the reviewer back (I didn’t flame. There’s no need for that. I requested what I got.) I simply thanked her for taking time out of her hectic schedule to give ADDANAC CITY a looksee. The day after THAT, I realized what she was basically trying to say and I went back to my site and began to make changes that would benefit me in the long run. If she felt the way she did, then perhaps others felt the same. I don’t want to alienate my readers nor distress them. So…I made a few changes. I haven’t heard whether people like them or not, but I kinda do. I hope the site looks better now.

Reviews are a two-edged sword. They’re magnificent when they’re positive, but they hurt like heck when they’re not. That’s par for the course, though, people. No matter what you do or how many hours you invest in crafting something, there’s always a chance(no matter how slight) that somebody somewhere will not like it. That shouldn’t cause you to give up. Criticism is necessary. Nothing is perfect no matter how much we wish it to be so. All we can do is listen to the opinion of others and take it for what is: an opinion. I don’t like every album or movie that comes out, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t good. Somebody may like it. Hopefully, my opinion won’t turn them against it.

With that being said, I hope to get more reviews for my ADDANAC CITY comic. Reviews can make potential readers discover AC when they may otherwise not have done so. I want to share my creation with everyone. Some of you will hate it, and some of you will be indifferent to it. But, some of you will absolutely love it! And those are the folks whom I toil day in and day out, jotting down ideas and inking narrow lines, and learning html. I do it because I love ADDANAC CITY. I’m not getting rich off this. I’m doing it for the “love of the game”. I hope you’ll continue to ride along with me.
Whew! I’m glad I got all of this off my chest! Thanks for letting me share. My name is George, and I’m an alcoholic a cartoonist.

And for your patient reading, here’s a free ADDANAC CITY comic strip for ya. Enjoy!

ADDANAC CITY Comics~ A Sucker Lost Every Minute

Well, as some of you can see, I’ve changed the look of the blog around a little bit. I know, I know….it took me forever to try to bring a bit of class to an otherwise uncouth collection of misguided ramblings, but sometimes I’m a slow learner. Especially when it comes to all things internet-related. I guess them’s the breaks for a Graphic Arts major who graduated in 1994 (right before that thingamajig they called a computer became all the rage). So, now, I have to learn all of the things that are currently mandatory in our higher institutions. I’ll get it. Trust me.

Now on to this ADDANAC CITY comic strip below.

I’ve always said that I love the dichotomy between Hank and Christie. When those two get together, the comedic possibilties are endless. This particular comic strip is about sharing. I suppose the moral would be:

“It’s better to give up a little than to lose everything.”

See? I got a little Confucius in me (get yer mind outta the gutter, please).

Well, I hope you enjoy the strip and I hope that Hank learned a little something about either
1) Sharing or
2) Suffering the wrath of a woman scorned.

ADDANAC CITY Comics~ Bubblehead Hank

Hank does a lot of things to impress his friends, but his plans usually blow up in his face (all puns intended). 🙂 He can’t seem to understand why everybody looks at him all weird.

(comic originally posted December 4, 2008 here)

ADDANAC CITY Comics~ Homework Sweet Homework

I actually tried this nifty lil’ stunt when I was in the 8th grade (sorry, Ms. Miller). I loved my art classes, but I was less than enthusiastic over the remainder of my course schedule. One day I was in art class trying to finish up my English homework which was due the next period. My art teacher was stalking the room, making it difficult for me to complete that dreaded English assignment. I was at an impasse. I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t allow getting a big, fat zero on my homework, but it didn’t seem likely that I was gonna be able to finish it. What does a hopeless, conniving art student do?

I decided to take this huge jar of india ink from the Art Supply closet and strategically pour it all over my English notebook. Beforehand, I scribbled a few obscure words in the blank spaces just in case my English teacher tried to use her X-ray vision to peer through the obsidian deluge (see? I did learn something in her class).
Anyway, I applied that ink for all I was worth, then I set the notebook in front of a fan to dry it.

When English class began, I humbly approached ol’ teach and gave her my best, straight-faced sob story about the unfortunate debacle that I suffered in art class when one of my inept peers spilled stuff all over my books. I pretended to be distraught because “Darnit, I worked hard on that assignment!”

My English teacher clucked her tongue softly, then gazed at me sympathetically. She advised me to be more careful with my belongings when I was in art class. She then proceeded to give me credit for the assignment as I solemnly pledged that it would never happen again. 🙂

I got away with that ploy but, later in life, while developing ADDANAC CITY, I wondered how far Hank would push the situation. I never tried that trick again, but I could see Hank attempting it continually, just pressing his luck. This comic is the result of that idea. I hope you all enjoyed it.

(comic originally posted September 5, 2008 at AC)

ADDANAC CITY Gets Reviewed By Web Comic Herald

Every dude, bloke, or lass gets a personal satisfaction out of working on their comic strip series. A lot of time is spent creating something that usually only takes the reader a few seconds to digest, but we enjoy the process. Most of us would do it for free (and a lot of us do). I love to write, pencil, ink, scan, color, and post Addanac City each night. If a strip brings a smile to my face, I’m satisfied. Sometimes it feels like I’m the only one reading the series because crafting a webcomic is a solitary process. I don’t have assistants or editors. I do what I wanna, when I wanna, and how I wanna. I sorta forget that there are others out there who read ADDANAC CITY almost as much as I do.

So, anyway, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that AC received a review from the one and only Web Comic Herald. Every now and then I like to Google myself. I recommend doing that to everyone, but be careful, you’ll get hairy palms. Nonetheless, my results showed that I had garnered a review. This is an excerpt of what it said:

Today’s webcomic is Addanac City, a daily comic strip by George Ford. Addanac City follows the everyday adventures of Hank Addanac, a seven-year-old boy with a bit of a behavioral problem. Of course, when I say “a bit”, I mean it in the same sense that Ebola Zaire is “a bit” deadly. If we knew him in real life, even the most hardened adult would find themselves at wit’s end, but since we don’t have to directly deal with that it’s comedy gold just waiting to happen.

To read the rest of the review, click here.

I’m really glad to know that there are people out there who enjoy my particular brand of humor. I’m not creating an epic story here. I’m just a guy who has a fondness towards old-school newspaper strips with a slight twist. If you’re an avid AC reader, let me know. It gets kinda lonely being chained here to the drawing board.

Now, back to work….. 🙂

Oh, and for those who don’t like ADDANAC CITY…



Click here for more Addanac-City-Comics Graphics!
🙂

ADDANAC CITY Comics~ What’s For Lunch?

(comic previously posted 9/16/08 on http://www.addanaccity.com)

I love creating the strips where Hank and Christie have a battle of wits. I think their whole relationship is quite interesting. In this strip, Christie attempts to gain the upper hand on him. In the end, it appears that Hank has won yet again.

ADDANAC CITY COMICS~ Hank’s Dad Sings The Greatest Hits

10/14/08 A lot of times strip ideas just come to me out of the blue or by ordinary means. In one particular instance, I was preparing for the day, showering, shaving, and whatever, when I turned on the old radio in my bathroom. It was one of those old-school radios with the dial knob that you had to use to tune with. For some reason the radio wasn’t set to my regular station, but I listened to what was on anyway. Pleasantly enough, “Benny and the Jets” was playing. I’ve always had mad respect for Elton John and his plethora of nifty songs.

Needless to say, I started singing along, getting more and more into the rhythm of the song. As the chorus was blaring and I was crooning to the ceiling, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror and just cracked up laughing! I thought it was so amusing that, here I was, a dude more comfortable belting out Lil’ Wayne lyrics was doing my best (or worst) Elton John impersonation. I was so glad that no one was around to catch me. I imagined Hank being there watching me with fascinated disgust and wondered what that little mischievous tyke would say. Then I took it just a tad bit further and envisioned Hank’s dad singing that song while in the shower. As with most of the ADDANAC CITY comic strips, the ideas just take on a life of their own. I could see Hank wielding a camcorder as he threatened to put Dad on YouTube.

So, yeah, that’s how this strip was born. It was one of my all-time favorites to create and I think it shows in the execution of the art and colors how much I enjoyed working on it.

Catch the latest ADDANAC CITY comic strip 7 days a week at:
http://www.addanaccity.com

ADDANAC CITY 2/01/09 Super Bowl Sunday Party

2-01-09~ This is it, sports fans! I know everybody’s gonna be busy Sunday afternoon running around trying to catch the Super Bowl. Whether you’re a die-hard Steelers fan or a red-blooded Cardinals-head, I hope you enjoy the game this year. I’m pulling for…well, now that would be telling (hee-hee). Either way, I hope it’ll be an exciting game for everybody. You may not be throwin’ a party like what the Addanacs seem to have goin’ on, but make yours a good one.
And be safe.