October 20, 2005
Big News! Big, Big News!entry, October 20th, 2005
Big news, folks. As of today, October 20th, 2005, I'm officially joining up with the Dream Team over at Blank Label Comics. You can pun cleverly about firing blanks or drawing a blank, but these guys are more like a blank check. Joining this publishing co-op is as close as I'm going to be able to come to being able to print my own money.
The official announcement is here (or will be soon, if it's not already), worded in press-release-ese. Because it's formatted for the Mass Media, it lacks some of the enthusiasm, the exuberance, and the emphatic HUZZAH that cartoonists typically express with big block letters, splashy impact-stars, and (of course) pictures. It would be a little goofy to have a quote in a press release where I go all fan-boy and use grade-school grammar with lots of exclamation points.
(W00t!!!!11!1)
I've been watching the Blank Label team closely since its formation. These guys have consistently executed on their plans, and I don't just respect that -- I envy it. Within weeks of going independent they'd secured shared hosting, recruited some top talent, and made their presence felt throughout the industry.
I've always been a believer in the power of co-operative groups, which I feel must provide far more than just "safety in numbers." That sense of safety and security only serves to reinforce mediocrity. Blank Label Comics blasts mediocrity with dispatch. Case in point: it's the only co-op out there where I look forward to the update of EVERY STRIP ON THE LIST. Even just affiliating myself with that caliber of work has a benefit. I'm going to have to work hard if I'm going to raise the bar any further.
In recent months I have turned down invitations to join other co-ops, including invitations where they asked me to name my price. I would even have turned down a salaried position with King Features Syndicate, had they offered. I've got pretty high standards, and can't think of any group I'd rather be working with. By joining Blank Label Comics, I'm teaming up with some of the finest, most motivated, and best-connected professionals in this business.
Oh yeah, they're ALL that.