Atomic-Robo.com - Latest Comments

Re: Free Comic Book Day 2012

BCarbaugh — Wed, 16 May 2012 02:41:01 -0000

Just finished Ghost of Station X.

(My store had the trade somehow? I thought it didn't come out until June? It was a nice surprise, at any rate.)

Pretty goddamn great. I mean, every volume of Robo is great, but there are certainly standouts -- Shadow From Beyond Time, in particular. And Ghosts of Station X is now right there with it. The end of the first issue / beginning of the second? Jeeze. Can't remember the last time I read an action sequence in a comic I could describe as "white knuckle". Scott deserves ten kinds of props for that whole sequence. And then just a fantastically engaging mystery moving things along throughout. And Brian's strangely adorable trucker-fetish rearing its head again.

One thing I found particularly interesting, without spoiling too much for anybody else, was Robo's choice of words in one panel towards the end of the book. He said, "You could have helped them."

THEM.

I found that really somber and poignant, coming from Robo. It sort of speaks to how he views himself, relative to "them". It's all that whiny existential angst you'd normally get in a book about a robot, but more subtle, and condensed down enough to be delivered in a single word.

The approach to Robo's characterization has been like that in general, and I really like it. We don't really see Robo relaxing at home or doing other mundane activities; we just sort of glom bits and pieces of information about who he is and how he thinks from the nooks and crannies, in the midst of nazi-punching adventures. It's fascinating. Police procedurals sort of approach characterization like that. The effect is that you get the essence of a character from the first time you see them, but the nuanced little details get more finely-articulated as you go.

And it's been way more interesting to see how other characters regard Robo, as a result. I thought of that scene in the truck-stop ("I wanted to BE a robot!") and how, in the hands of any other writer, that probably would have been some ham-fisted scene with Robo in his house, looking over a bunch of old comic books and action figures of himself.

Rambling.

Anyway, fucking stellar work. Robo deserves every single ounce of praise it gets.

Re: Free Comic Book Day 2012

Brandmeister — Wed, 16 May 2012 00:44:45 -0000

$2.50 25 oz micro nite. Behold. I am operating within all known safety protocols.

Unexpected good. Glad I hit $100 on the movie. I laughed a lot on time delay FCBD.

Re: Free Comic Book Day 2012

BeastieRunner — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:47:57 -0000

This is the single best comic I've read in ages and it was FREE! I've been a Robo fan since day one and I got to say, you guys brought your A game to FCBD 2012 ... there's no way you didn't get more fans. I can't remember the last time I laughed out loud so many times when reading a comic.

You guys are beasts! BEASTS!

Re: Fan Art

Raoul Duke — Tue, 15 May 2012 15:39:56 -0000

I think the author is missing the point....those who can...do..those who can't....find fault with those who can..and really, creator...do you really believe you've actually ever created anything...all art, literature, music is really a rehash of something that was done previously...we learn, we attempt, we try to recreate.....that's what we all do... Passing judgement on any discipline, not matter what you opinion, is just that...passing judgement..and what gives you that right... If you have an opinion and wish to voice said...more power to you...we all have them, they're a lot like noses.....but to say your's is more relevant because you say so...is arrogant in the least...and ignorant in the most... The term "holier than thou" comes to mind..so if it's fandom, pop music, romance novels, sitcom's or any other method of expression..it's all relevant...you take what you can..and use it to make what is yours......if it says something to someone...great..if it just entertains...wonderful...if it inspires fantastic..but it's all real, it's all relevant..and it's all right.....Remember what Einstein said "the secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources....."

Re: Fan Art

Jason Meador — Tue, 15 May 2012 07:49:06 -0000

I loves me some Scott Wegener, he's one of the most consistently fun artists in comics and really great guy in person, but hearing established comics professionals bagging on fanart and fanfiction as some kind of artistic dead end has always felt kinda like hearing a lottery winner bitch about waitresses and truck drivers not taking time to just mess around and enjoy life. It's uncomfortable for the only appropriate response to someone you like to be, "Must be nice". You don't hear a lot of this attitude from people who AREN'T established pros, and do you know why? Because nobody is LISTENING to those guys.

Most of the motivation behind putting art out in public is, y'know, to get people to see it. The unavoidable fact is that people would rather look at (and buy) something they're already familiar with, even if it's not quite the same quality as that utter genius over there in the corner by himself who's only sold two of his glorious-yet-dirt-cheap original prints all weekend. Fanart moves eyeballs. I for one would much rather spend all day watercoloring my steampunk picaresque characters or working on my realisticartoony alt-history pirate adventure comic or any of a dozen other of my own stories, and photoshop up an occasional My Little Pony or Korra picture as a lark, but unless I actually win the lottery that pirate comic is never getting made, because a full time job and lengthy commute don't leave TIME for it, and breaking into the business and getting popular is rare enough that I might as well just buy a lottery ticket and keep drawin' Applejack kicking trees. I'm an artist; it damages my calm to not be making SOMEthing, but it sucks a whole lot to spend what little time I have making something cool and no one sees it because it doesn't have an Autobot logo on it. Also, I can't afford to go to any conventions if I don't have a table selling stuff, and I couldn't afford the paper to paint it on if I was only selling my own characters, never mind that they're generally better work than most of my fanart.

I get that it's an opinion, and hey, everbody has one; it's just an opinion I disagree with, because it smacks of unacknowledged privilege. Must be nice. I guess I won't send in my fanart of Atomic Robo fighting a giant vaccuum tube powered radio robot and griping about Marconi riding Edison's coattails to steal seventeen of Tesla's radio patents.

Re: Free Comic Book Day 2012

Brian! — Mon, 14 May 2012 20:10:30 -0000

I haven't seen it and I think Scott liked the action well enough.

Re: Free Comic Book Day 2012

BCarbaugh — Mon, 14 May 2012 16:49:54 -0000

Totally unrelated: did you guys see The Avengers? What did you think?

Re: Free Comic Book Day 2012

Lars Sudmann — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:27:32 -0000

BTW you didn't mention the Atomic Lego Robo. http://brickjournal.blogspot.d...

Re: Fan Art

Matt B — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:50:13 -0000

Arg, why does txt formatting always expode on tumblr? it must really hate Ctrl+V or something.

Re: Fan Art

Matt B — Sun, 13 May 2012 00:48:28 -0000

Thanks for the thought out reply azurescorch.

I don't think anyone on the other side of the argument fence here is
"defining an artist as some one who ONLY makes original works." I see it
simply that folks like Scott are trying to ENCOURAGE young artists,
who're already heavily influenced by pop-culture and an area of branded character perptuation, marketing
& the sad fact that derivative work & Fan-Art garnders far more HITS
& noteriety more quickly because Fan-Art is already a part of a know
sphere of products or interest and is therefore less "underground" and
more likely to be found via searches due to its association to
something else that is already popular & in the public consciousness.

As a professional artist I doubt that anyone anywhere could survive only
drawing & creating solely what they wanted to without working another
job and getting their primary income from elsewhere. Art as a
service for a fee is where you get into the realm of doing commissions
& helping to visualise the ideas & wants of other people to sell their ideas and create their brand characters for their products. But
considering that if you are actually working as an artist this is what you are going to be doing with the majority of your time out of pure necessity to eke
out a living off of a relatively niche profession with limited clientele,
perhaps those doing this would be far less willing to spend their free time
creating fan art and perpetuating the images & ideas pertaining to someone else, and instead focus on doing stuff that is more self
invested & pertains mainly to them, their own ideas & their
interests. Perhaps, just perhaps this is where Scott & others are
coming from when they're trying to communicate these things.

But since words on the internet have no tone to them it is all too easy
for folks to read into them & extrapolate those words as being far more pushy, condescending or aggressive
than what they really are. And many people therefore take far greater offence to all this where
they need not to. Because it's just ADVICE & suggestion &
another point of view on something from somebody else. And such things
are almost always useful, even if you do not agree fully with them.

Once again, cheers azurescorch it's been lovely to read & talk to you.

Re: http://swegener.tumblr.com/post/22847404960

azurescorch — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:23:27 -0000

If possible you should edit a link to this in your other entry. I wouldn't of commented if I had read this first.

Re: Fan Art

azurescorch — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:14:05 -0000

How dare people practice their art skills by painting and drawing something that they have an interest in. How dare they have do something they find enjoyable. They should just fall out of practice when originality isn't striking them and then be mocked for making sub-par renditions when inspiration does hit them.

Some one commented "it's a waste of talent". If they were not drawing fanart they would not be maintaining/improving their skills and their talent would dissolve into nothing.

Secondly and on a less sarcastic remark, perhaps you should blame the artists followers rather than the artist. If I produce a 2 hour image of some cute fanart garbage it easily gets 100+ favs on DA. However original content that I spend 30+ hours on is unlikely to get any attention.

Rendering images in 3D software, PhotoShop or indeed on a canvas with paint is a hobby for most people and one shouldn't belittle it just because it doesn't fall into what they consider to be proper art.

I agree with some of your points but I don't think you can define an artist as some one who only makes original works. By doing so you're being pompous and no different from those who consider paint-splashes-on-canvas-#53242 to be a masterpiece, all the while dismissing a photo-realistic airbrushed portrait as crap.

Re: Free Comic Book Day 2012

Lars Sudmann — Sat, 12 May 2012 14:07:15 -0000

Just got off of vol.6 Ghost of Station X and the 2012 FCBD. Both great reads. Even if vol.6 has quite a sad (but fitting) end. It hit all the right spots with fun, action, robo-asscracs and such. Love the details like Robo wearing the hospital clothes or the blanket in the end. You would see that on humans beings that try to cover up their special parts or to warm and comfort them after ugly situations and Robo after all is a robot. But then it's just so spot on, so fittig. Thank you guys for putting out this great comics. May Dr Dinosaur never raise an army of near-extinct giant birds and then reign over us humans.

Re: http://swegener.tumblr.com/post/22847404960

Matt Bell — Sat, 12 May 2012 13:15:48 -0000

I think Scott is simply asking young artists to be somewhat introspective about how they are spending their time & efforts and is simply suggesting that there is more to life & doing art and the enjoyment/fulfilment of creating something, other than simply perpetuating the content of someone else's franchise & characters. I think everything Scott said in that initial post all seems part of a pretty valid argument to make involving the larger discussion of "So, what are we drawing/communicating today & why?". Culture needs new things, it needs less propagation & consumption. Those things that are nostalgic to you are no greater and no more valid, relevant or important than anything you yourself can create, so please, don't be so afraid to create & share the things that represent what care about & the thoughts that you have in order to form your own nostalgia for future generations. Even if your work doesn't end up having a major impact culturally on a global scale, you will still have succeeded more than if you had spend your time drawing Mario. I don't think Scott is trying to persuade or deprive anyone enamoured with any particular or popular TV series or a fan of video game & its characters or so on from doing what they do, because if that's your slice of cake or cup of tea & you really feel that you need to draw fan-stuff & express your enjoyment & admiration for something as trivial as a character or scenario form a popular TV Show, Video Game or Marvel Comic Series Character that's fine and by all means please do. There is plenty of good fan-art out there, some that even eclipses the works of the originators of those shows or games. But more often than not I see that folks are only creating this kind of content because it's far easier to 'ride the wave of notoriety' surrounding a popular & well known franchise branded character or show & gain a level of self notoriety for themselves as an individual artist via this pseudo working relationship of re-envisioning Mario or Star Wars or Sonic or Ninja Turtles or Zelda or Adventure Time or Korra or Monsters Inc or Rise of the Guardians or Marvel/D.C. Comics or Brave or whatever else rather than climbing ones own mountain & attain recognition & notoriety for ones work, and not because that work relates to something someone else once did that became popular, but because it refects your own ideas and has your own characters and your own thoughts in it. There's the old Tortoise & the Hare mentality going on here, and I think that's a good and affirming message for anyone who is into doing art for the long hall. Serve the needs and ideas of yourself as a person through your artistic creativity first & foremost. Only service the ideas of others if they are paying you to do so. Adopting this attitude will only help to further empower the importance of artists everywhere if suddenly franchises and cultural institutions actually need to HIRE & Pay artists to help sustain cultural awareness of their iconic, popular & monetised characters re-imagined in new & varied styles by talented young artists. Rather than being able to coast upon and incorporate the plethora of self perpetuating "Fan" content, while incurring no or little expense because the fandom and its fans are so gosh darn indebted to these cultural properties & institutions for showcasing any of their fan-works, not that they even need to in order to remain relevant as long as there is a buzz about them. So yeah... I'll draw you Mario or Star Wars or Sonic or Ninja Turtles or Zelda or Adventure Time or Korra or Monsters Inc or Rise of the Guardians or Marvel/D.C. Comics or Brave or whatever else you want, but you'll need to PAY ME to do so, because I certainly ain't gonna do it FOR FREE & at the expense of my own time & effort for someone else's direct benefit ownership of the character, content or concept. This Popular & Consumer Driven Culture has stolen our hearts & minds. It's time we reclaim them.

Re: Love Happens: When they’re making a movie about men they make a movie about lifting...

Jwiesneski — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:43:26 -0000

All I saw when I watched the Brave trailer was a movie that looked cool, I didn't care if the main character was male or female.

Re: Fan Art

Matt Bell — Sat, 12 May 2012 10:28:05 -0000

"Why do people say art is only one certain thing."

Where has anyone with any rational mental capacity said this... ever? He is simply asking young naive artis to be somewhat introspective about how they are spending their time & efforts and is suggesting that there is more to live & doing art and the enjoyment of creating something other than perpetuating the content images of someone else franchise. Seems a pretty freaking valid argument or discussion to make if you ask me.

Re: Fan Art

Houghten — Sat, 12 May 2012 09:09:56 -0000

Is it at all possible that you have "artist" confused with "art critic"?

Just a thought.

Re: Fan Art

Jennifer Lopez — Sat, 12 May 2012 01:31:49 -0000

Wow. As a professional artist who makes a living through talent, creativity, and all sorts of ways of thinking who ALSO enjoys fan art and fandom and everything in between, I think you need to understand that PEOPLE LIKE TO HAVE FUN TOO. People have done fan art of my stuff and I love it. If it makes them enjoy their lives, that's cool with me.

Re: http://swegener.tumblr.com/post/22847404960

Rhionglogan — Fri, 11 May 2012 21:33:31 -0000

You summed it up perfectly Yan Basque - the artist gains satisfaction and/or fulfillment in their work on some level or another, and that is all that is actually necessary.

Re: Fan Art

Sushiq — Fri, 11 May 2012 20:49:20 -0000

You are a dick. There really isn't a more eloquent way to put it.

Re: http://swegener.tumblr.com/post/22847404960

Yan Basque — Fri, 11 May 2012 18:55:46 -0000

I appreciate you taking the time to answer me and addressing some of those concerns. I truly think it was a very decent effort on your part when so many other people might have simply dismissed the avalanche of criticism as hysterical overreaction from irrational people. Thank you for not doing that.

To be honest, I still think you are missing a subtle part of what was offensive to me and to so many other people who read your original post. Which is that a lot of people who engage in fanart/fanfiction/fandom don't have the ambition to do anything more than that. It's not necessarily that they are not creative enough to do anything else, but just that they get something out of fanart that they don't get out of creating original work.

Regarding your third point especially, I don't think anybody really believed that you were saying people should work EXCLUSIVELY on original work. You never said that and if anybody interpreted it that way, then their reading comprehension is simply not very good.

What I'm not sure you understand, though, is that it's still kind of insulting if you reverse it and say: "people shouldn't work exclusively on fanart." Because some people WANT to do that exclusively. And I think for those people - and for a lot of those who are invested in that fandom - this in itself has a lot of value and it's not really for you or for anyone else to judge. And it's not necessarily less creative or less analytical or less critical than original work. It's just different.

Maybe you understand and agree with that, too? I kind of hope so. But in any case, you're probably sick of reading about it by now, so I'm not going to keep insisting.

Thanks again for replying.

Re: http://swegener.tumblr.com/post/22847404960

Shane Bailey — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:16:36 -0000

That was a very well reasoned and sincere response. Well done.

Re: Fan Art

Samuraibynight — Fri, 11 May 2012 16:05:42 -0000

I'ma let you finish, but I just have to say that Atomic Robo is the best Alternate Reality Hellboy fanfic I've ever read.

Re: Fan Art

Farsee — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:48:28 -0000

It's bullshit that the majority of comments and reblogs on this post feel free to invalidate someone else's experiences and conclusions. It's not as if he's demanding everyone feel the same way, this is simply how he feels on the issue and why. He is allowed that much, douchebags.

Re: Fan Art

Ariel Montes — Fri, 11 May 2012 11:31:05 -0000

Something tells me you aren't an artist.