We’re not dead! It was touch and go with the flu for a bit, but I’m coming out of it and Roland has a stack of artwork that I need to letter and post — but I’m on it! Page 11 will show on Thursday! The comic must go on!
Speaking of which, I want to have a frank talk with all of you, our readers. It comes down to whether we continue to post The Guard as a free webcomic or convert fully to paid digital downloads. Here’s the deal:
Neither Roland or I do comics full time, so we aren’t reliant on this webcomic for income (thank God). We make comics because we like to make comics — it’s something we both enjoy and it’s a great creative outlet. Webcomics became a viable method because of the slow production rate and the fact that, as little as a year ago, publishers controlled the marketplace. Webcomics was a way to sidestep the publishing embargo, build an audience, and prime for a print offering.
Now print is going away, publishers are going away, and people pay better for digital downloads than advertisers do for ad space. The game has changed, my friends.
Some artists have found unexpected success through a donate/download model. Some through download only, and others still rule the printed trade paperback market. It’s hard to tell where The Guard will fall in the midst of these options, but one thing I know for sure: page a week long form webcomics do not do well on the advertising front. As for the rest, only you, our readers, can decide what type of market you are.
So, let’s shake things up and figure it out.
First, I’m going to take down the ads on the sidebar — I think they’re ugly and they (really) don’t make any money for us. Next, we’re going to continue to post the rest of the first issue for free on the site. You’ve stuck with us this far, you deserve to see the end. But, we’re also going to post a “Donate” button on the site and I hope you all chip in a bit. It makes a difference.
When the first issue is finished, I’m going to post it for sale in every place I can, including this site. I’ll make it available for ePUB, PDF, CBZ, and Kindle. There should be some format in there that can please everyone.
I’ll also put up a storefront with some cool merch, as well as a bunch of free wallpapers. I think that art prints will also be an option, so stay tuned for that.
Sounds like business as usual, I know. But depending on feedback from you guys, donations, and sales all tune out, we may change how we do things at The Guard. Options include staying as a free webcomic, going download only, and limiting the number of free pages available on the site for complete issues (sort of like a pay wall of old).
Regardless of how you get to read The Guard, I promise you it will continue to be a premium comic book experience. Roland and I are committed to ensuring this comic is like nothing else seen on the web, and we guarantee you will enjoy the stories we’ve got coming for you.
Saw TRON: Legacy this past weekend. I liked it and I recommend seeing it in the theatre vice the old flat screen at home.
Critics and fans alike are all over the web about TRON, some love it, some hate it, some just liked it. Its been called “awesome”, “thrilling”, “slick”, “stunning” as well as “unimaginative”, “typical” and “dated.” That’s a huge range. It seems to me that the movie suffers from massive over-expectation. Geeks world wide are totally geeking out about it, critics are attacking it’s storyline (and holes within), and non-sci-fi moviegoers are trying to figure out why a 28 year old movie is being remade in the first place.
It’s hard to make a movie these days!
The immediate impact of this movie is that it is absolutely, amazingly beautiful. I’m serious, the cinematography and effects of this movie are amazing and I defy anyone to say different. It is indeed a stunning display of modern sci-fi, one I would put on par with Cameron’s Avatar. But I will give a nod to several critics, as they are right, and say that despite it’s beauty it doesn’t have the richness of the original. Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of Cameron’s Avatar is the film’s willingness to dig deep and create a richly textured and detailed world — a world you could believe was real, from the flora and fauna to the alien language and religions of the characters. The original TRON was very much like that, but TRON: Legacy is not. Sad but true. And this, I think, is what most of us geeks are bothered by. We have come to expect our blockbuster sci-fi to be that detailed, and this movie just doesn’t do that.
Is this a bad thing? I don’t know. I noticed it, but it didn’t bother me. Others may not feel this way. Is the movie good? Yeah, it’s good. A little shallow in the story department, but not horribly so. Definitely designed for a sequel and several multi-media tie ins, but, hey, what isn’t these days? Is the movie an attempt to launch a franchise? Yeah, it totally is. But, there are much worse franchises that could be launched. TRON is an idea that has long had it’s due and I, for one, and glad to see it getting some spotlight.
I hope that there is another sequel, as I’d like to see the story continue. Maybe even a cartoon a’la Clone Wars. I could get into that. While I would definitely enjoy seeing more of the story, I would also love to see more of the world of TRON and the Grid. What was it, exactly? What was Flynn really making and why, exactly, was CLU so dangerous? What answers can the ISO’s provide? How did CLU make a call to Alan’s pager and for God sake, what is the fate of Tron (the guy, not the movie) and Flynn? I’m on the edge of my seat, here!
As a parting shot, there has been a lot of chatter about Comic Con movies, fans, and box office. The basis being that catering to fans means no one (including fans, oddly enough) will come to see your movie and it will suck at the box office. I think this is kind of a bunch of crap. The recent Batman flicks definitely catered to Comic Con and fans, and they did pretty darn good. So did Spiderman and Iron Man. But, those were great movies. Watchmen, Superman Returns, Scott Pilgrim, Iron Man 2 — not so great movies. They weren’t terrible, but they weren’t great and their box office showed it. The key here is that fans are just as discriminating as any other movie goer, maybe even more so. If the studio short changes the content and takes the fans for granted they won’t help the movie succeed. And, quite frankly, we listen to critics a lot more than most. If a comic site, say CBR or Newsarama, doesn’t like the movie, chances are fans aren’t going to go see it and sit back and wait for the DVD. I do that to a lot of movies — when the ticket to a matinee is $12, I get selective. If it’s worth seeing on the big screen (and TRON: Legacy is), I’ll go see it. If not, then I’ll wait a couple months and Netflix it.
So, to sum up, TRON: Legacy is worth seeing on the big screen and deserves your entertainment dollar. True, it’s not going to win a best screenplay award or anything, but it’s beautiful, energetic, and very entertaining. Not to mention the amazing soundtrack by Daft Punk truly deserves to be heard through the big speakers — check out the video below of a taste of what I’m talking about. I saw it in 3D, not sure if that’s necessary — up to you. Watching this bit of slick cyberpunk is an afternoon well spent.
My inlaws are visiting, so things are a bit hectic at the house. Good, though, they’re great people.
We spent a lot of time around here in the web talking about digital: digital formats, digital content, extra content, audio/video, and all the rest of that junk. Well, yesterday, my father-in-law brought my eldest son a book. Yes, a real, live, actual book made out of paper. And it was a big, beautiful thing. Hardbound with magnificent illustrations, thick paper, elaborate border work — it’s awesome! OK, since you insist… It is A Kingdom Far and Clear: The Complete Swan Lake Trilogy by Mark Helprin and illustrated by award winner Chris Van Allsburg (he did the Polar Express).
This book is really something. I mean, I thought my deluxe illustrated version of the Chronicles of Narnia (that you can’t even get anymore) was cool, but this… It’s impressive.
Anyway, holding the thing last night and flipping through the pages, it hit me. People are so worried about digital content — but digital is growing by leaps and bounds (700% year over year growth!) with no extras whatsoever. People want digital – it’s neat, organized, cheap, and easy. I don’t think anyone needs to put much extra bells and whistles into digital for it to sell. Paper on the other hand…
You can’t add much to a paper book except for quality. As the content becomes digital, what you’re selling with paper is the ideal of the printed book. Cheap trade paperbacks won’t cut it. How much longer before all books are like this beautiful tome next to me? Because I’ve got to tell you, I don’t buy paper books anymore, but I would buy this book as well as others like it. And I would pay a premium to do so (this one has a cover price of $40 –on Amazon for $26 — and worth every penny). Because I’m not paying for content — I’m buying the experience of reading. Like getting a Ferrari, I suppose. A Yugo will get you there, but a Ferrari makes it an extra pleasure.
I think that digital will bring back the best of print — the romance of it all. Special stitching and binding, illustrations, solid paper, and that awesome book smell. It has to. When you can get the content at the push of a button, why else get a book if not for the pure pleasure of reading it?
Quick Review this week, as I’ve got some other surprises I’m working on for you guys. Today, I wanted to mix it up a little and give a shout out to a fellow webcomic: TERRA.
TERRA is a sci-fi webcomic written by Holly Laing and Drew Dailey, with Holly also handling the art chores. It updates twice a week, Wednesday and Friday. I’m 67 pages into the 133 pages they have up so far and I’m really enjoying it. The art and story are very well crafted, the site is gorgeous, and they’re very thorough in their approach (just check out their Cast Page).
TERRA is a hard sci-fi adventure drama centering around the human expansion into space and the conflicts that arise from it. As Humanity continues to expand and enforce its dominance, a resistance comprised of several races (mainly the Azatoth). The story is a complex one, rife with personal and political intrigue. It’s good stuff, you should check it out — I’m sure that if you enjoy The Guard, you’ll like TERRA.
To all of our readers, we at The Guard wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving!
As we’ve got a lot of family, turkey, pumpkin pie, and all kinds of other goodness going on, we won’t be updating this week. But, to make it up to you, we’ll do two pages next week!
Enjoy the holiday and we’ll have some great stuff for you next week!
by Mark Helprin and illustrated by award winner Chris Van Allsburg (he did the Polar Express).
