I just want to thank the readers of Bearmageddon for two things. First… we are at the beginning of the story, the set up, and I know that you came here for Bears attacking people, but the story has to get there and at my two page a week rate that is a slow set up. So thanks for coming around even though I know it might drag. Some web comics don’t have to apologize for this because they market themselves as already being about nothing in particular. My comic has a giant banner with a space-helmet bear, some octo bears, a bearadactyl and a few other bears looking you right in the face. For you to come here and not get all out bear war is false advertising. Just imagine you are watching a movie in super high definition on dial up. We’ll get there. This site needs traffic to have a reason to be, for the ads to generate money, and for me to keep doing this… so by coming here on a regular basis and sharing the comic with friends you are really helping me out. I have never paid for advertising for my comics, this stuff is all organic thanks to people like you.
The other thing I want to thank you for is all your responses to Wednesday’s blog about my Mom. I had some very touching replies, and though I haven’t been able to get to all of them, it was pretty heartwarming stuff. I did feel bad because some people with well-off parents, or parents who are readers and happen to be making good money, seemed to take my story as saying there is something wrong with that. I did not mean for that to be the point at all. I am very happy to see people prosper, and I know that my mother’s inability to provide for us as she had wished she could has been a burden ever since the days I talked about. I don’t wish that on anyone. But I do think that no matter how much money you have as a family, you can still teach your kids they have to earn what they get. One guy emailed me and said he will match what his kids earn on their own, and I think that is pretty cool incentive. At the end of the day , it was just a story and I am in no way trying to claim to be any authority on parenting in the least. I believe in common sense, but I know my place. I have a lot of respect for anyone who becomes a parent and embraces it.
So, here we meet a new character named Burton who is directly based on my old room mate who was known as “Patty K”. He was a white stoner rapper who always wore a hoody over a beanie with dreadlocks. He is still a close friend, and he no longer dresses like that, but I am going to do my best to make Burton talk like him. He had his own sort of small town white ebonics thing going on.
Alright, I managed to get an illness somewhere between the zillion hand shakes and 5 airports I experienced in the last 5 days, so I am going to end here. Thanks again for reading!
Ethan
I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying this comic. I too rock the mustache-less beard, so Joel is my hero.
Me and you, both! Stache-less beards are the way to go.
That second panel is gorgeous. I just stopped and looked at it for a bit before moving on.
And congrats on surviving the Northlands! May you survive their illnesses too. For they are a mighty and fierce people, and even their colds have chest hair.
many thanks to Google Sketch up on that crazy angle.
You’re doing great.
If anything, this setup makes me more interested in the comic. I’m intrigued to see how you will tie Joel’s coming-of-age story in with the coming action.
Maybe the bears are just a metaphor 🙁
Maybe the whole thing is a dream?
You know, even with all the bears everywhere, I kind of keep on forgetting about them. I’m really just enjoying the characters. A lot!
The pacing is great, don’t apologize for it!
Don’t apologize for the lack of bears. We know they’re coming. Keep the story stretched out. Give me something to anticipate every Wednesday and Friday when I’m bored at work. Just a little taste, not too much. But, since I’m on the page and I’ve already read the comic, I’m going to read the blog, too. That’s been really entertaining. I spend less than a minute reading each page of the comic and about 3 – 5 minutes on the blog section.
In 14 total panels, you have bears of some description in six of them, and wild animals of some type in 8. (If you include the bunnies, turtles, cobra, etc. in the video game.) So far, almost half your comic, Bearmageddon, features bears. Slow pace, indeed.
I should hire you to be my Bearmageddon press secretary.
One thing I like about reading graphic novels/comics is how it is just like watching a movie, but very slowly, so you can savor it. What with instant watch, and stuff I tend to cram the things I love as fast as I can, which then makes it end sooner. So it’s nice to drag this out. Good things can’t be rushed. And as always, I love your dialogue with the readers, it tickles me pink!
I think I am so apologetic because I personally don’t read many web comics because I like to read a whole book in one sitting, so every person who comes regularly to read impresses me and I’m thankful because even though I have never been a big web comics reader I am totally dependent on them.
Did the alt-text cut off? It says “the man who proudly called himself” and then just stops.
yeah it did! Woops! fixed it. Now you can be disgusted.
Hi Ethan, I come here for good stories and interesting characters. You have not disappointed! also maiming by bears, but I understand I have to wait for that. -S
nobody pointed out that that word balloon tail was totally laid across Joel’s face so maybe nobody noticed. It was pretty embarrassing, but I fixed it.
Thank you for the phrase “Straight Outta G-burg”. I now wait with baited breath for any opportunity to use it in real life.
Maybe make a rap album based off of Lincoln’s best speeches and title it that? You would have to dress like him when you rap. I really want to buy that album now, and I hate rap.
So you caught a cold after shaking a zillion hands in the Northern Wastes? I don’t know how politicians do it. It must be a requirement to have a super immune system to run for office. Or they’re all Reptilian Overlords. Yeah Reptilian Overlords, that’s it. Still lovin this.
Man i wish I weren’t in the hospital, otherwise I would’ve seen the last two pages when they came out. I seriously can’t wait until the next page.
I think the pace is just right. For we early adopters, we get the pacing, the blog, and feedback from the author. For the masses, they’ll come in and get to read a lot more of the story at once (or the entire thing later) and they’ll love it.
Love the story behind the story. This is like the VH1 of webcomics. 🙂
A day late and more than a dollar short, but thanks for the support of parents, Ethan. My son is not yet diagnosed, but we’re fairly sure he’s on the autism spectrum. So you made my day, man.
Don’t worry about taking your time. Tolkien didn’t write Lord of the Rings in a week. Most creative pieces, regardless of medium, have to simmer slowly or they will never reach tender, delicious perfection.
…goddamnit, now I’m hungry.
Yeah Joels beard really suits him. I continue to be amazed at the quality of your artwork. I have a in a sewer storyline drafted up for future posting but being a raw amateur I still haven’t figured out how to create that dark look in GIMP yet like you have for the Scrotto’s Grotto scene.
Hey I have been reading axecop and Bearmageddon for awhile and I love both.
Please, don’t apologize for taking your time and actually telling a story. Please don’t try to rush anything getting to the good stuff. take your time, I love these pages, and it is important to have real characters. If it gets rushed the only thing that suffers are the characters, and in the end the story will be shallow. Take your time…don’t rush things. (That’s what happened to LOST and it began to suck.)
I appreciate everyones support of the pace of the story. I was mainly apologizing that i could only release two pages a week, so it is going to move slow and take extra long to get through the set up.
Hey, take all the time you need. In fact, the longer you make it the more there will be to reread in a couple of months/years/whatever.
(Unfortunately this is not the case with the stuff I’m trying to write, namely my homework…)
… I know a “Patty K” who fits your exact description. Except he still acts like that.
Also he’s Australian.
Miss ya Ethan, come visit us in Portland soon! I love the comic so far!
I can wait for it. All the bear catastrophe thing wouldn’t work if they were to be butchering shallow cardboard characters anyway.
Interesting that you keep refering to BEARds and so on. 😉
Anyway, writing speech bubbles so that a character “sounds” in a centain way is always pretty hard. At least for me when I write stuff that are not in my native language. Any tips/suggestions on how to “test” that your character don’t “sound” like all the other characters?
Do you know Scrotto means scrotum in portuguese/spanish?
That’s funny… I was kind of going for that anyway. I imagine the guy who owns this place is an old wrinkled hippy alcoholic and his head resembles a scrotum.
keep on – at any time you need
there’s so much more to like (or love) about your creation and this page than bearsome action. we know what we come for – and that sharing is caring
Not every comic has to be paced like Axe Cop. I’m a little worried that you seem to be under the illusion that you have to write like your younger brother. You don’t. In fact, it may be better if we take some time and get get to know the characters.