Great comic. Captures life at it’s essence. The choices we make, the process of growing as a person, the disillusionment that comes with our dreams, but the paths this opens up for me.
It reminds me of my time spent working to become an academic, until I realised it wasn’t the job I thought it was.
Stupid Brian MB. I bet he feels trapped now, drawing a creation that is no longer his own, but is owned by his fans and the publisher. I bet he feels like he’s trapped in someone else’s job. (As someone very wise said “Just because he’s successful, doesn’t mean he’s happy.”)
Do you ever talk about that time with your ex-wife? You’re older now, wiser and probably have a new perspective on it.
Thanks, everyone! This was meant to be funny but I might have misjudged it.
David Collett: I don’t ever talk to my ex-wife but it is funny now, looking back. And Brian Michael Bendis’ career is still pretty enviable, though I must confess I’ve never read any of his stuff, just as it turns out. Not like I’ve avoided him or anything. I swear.
I came close to getting hired in 1992 by Marvel Comics, but I couldn’t see a way to survive on $35 a page… Perhaps I dodged a bullet, I dunno, but I love my little cartoon and caricature niche that my wife and I managed to create out of thin air and minimal business acumen. On a bad day at work, I have to draw funny pictures and on a good day, they are funnier still…
Really enjoyed. I’m in the same basic boat. I learned graphic and production to work on my own work but I work for a group of newspapers instead. I’ve been doing a web strip based on the comic book I use to have distributed but wonder if there is a point where I will be making it. The Comic I’m working on is at Elsewhere.thecomicseries.com
I don’t think you blew it. I think your funny = so deep and insightful it touches on our secret/painful parts. Hence, no one laughs, but we all go away a bit sadder and a bit wiser.
It still does remind me of my time in academia. How I followed a dream until I saw it would no longer work. And your comic does give me a framework to explore that experience of it. A bit like this comic: http://www.akimbocomics.com/?p=924
Anyways, I’ll leave you be. Thanks for the comic and good luck with the doctoring!
All right, another new-reader Akimbo binge completed! Except maybe “binge” isn’t the word since it took me three weeks. That’s like, what, 20 pages a day? That’s a lot of comics, B. Thank you.
A couple of things I haven’t seen anyone else praise: The way you render dialogue is great. Balloon placement, lettering, punctuation, words: Everything works together to create a rhythm which – except when you overdo the verbal tics, like in ESAD 194 – feels very real.
And the stylistic range of your drawing blows me away, especially since it’s always clearly chosen to fit the mood and the message. Who else even does this? Dan Clowes, Chris Ware … Matt Wagner used to a little, don’t know about now … that’s all I got. And I don’t know that any of them takes it as far as you have.
I’m sure strip suggestions are the last thing you need, but if the idea of either a Claire-Burly Guy hookup or Quentin getting Onan high during some deep-space downtime sounds like fun to draw, I’d love to see the results. That, or whatever else you create.
@practik: thank you so much! Dialogue and punctuation have been two of the biggest criticisms I’ve heard but I do try hard to get it right. And don’t wait ’till the end of the binge (which thanks for toiling through) to comment. Comment on every comic. Thanks again!
@AT: All I can say is I do care and at times so do I.
@Kevin: Med school is going very well and I know everyone would feel better if I said, “no, being a butcher is in no way similar to surgery” but I can’t do that. It’s surprisingly similar.
Thanks for all the support from fellow cartoonists! You guys are awesome. I wish I had more encouraging things to say but I’m a quitter. Keep us posted on all your works.
This hit really close to home. I was in a very similar situation to the end of this comic a little over a year ago. Giving up on dreams, the wife leaving me, whole 9 yards. Your work is excellent, and a great inspiration. Thanks for continuing to put these up.
(And if you knew how long it took my internal editor to greenlight just these few words right here, you’d understand why I saved up till the end. Though I did sprinkle a couple other comments along the way….)
when your dreams don’t become reality, and others have invested in that same dream, it’s harshly eroding place to exist. I’m pretty much right there, right now. I’m on this cusp of taking a job that isn’t creative…to pay the bills and get on with ‘it’…and if it was just me, well then i’d just deal with it, come to terms with it on my own. But when another person…or many persons like your mom and dad and siblings and friends stating ‘wow you’re so good, you’re going to be great!’. Well…maybe im just ok, you know? And it’s a hard thing to come to terms with. My cat understands. Not.
That’s rough, straight to the bone. I love your work, dude.
Great comic. Captures life at it’s essence. The choices we make, the process of growing as a person, the disillusionment that comes with our dreams, but the paths this opens up for me.
It reminds me of my time spent working to become an academic, until I realised it wasn’t the job I thought it was.
Stupid Brian MB. I bet he feels trapped now, drawing a creation that is no longer his own, but is owned by his fans and the publisher. I bet he feels like he’s trapped in someone else’s job. (As someone very wise said “Just because he’s successful, doesn’t mean he’s happy.”)
Do you ever talk about that time with your ex-wife? You’re older now, wiser and probably have a new perspective on it.
Uhm… Wow…
A strange way to motivate me to keep going!
thanks for telling this story. i have nothing deep to say about it, but thank you.
Thanks, everyone! This was meant to be funny but I might have misjudged it.
David Collett: I don’t ever talk to my ex-wife but it is funny now, looking back. And Brian Michael Bendis’ career is still pretty enviable, though I must confess I’ve never read any of his stuff, just as it turns out. Not like I’ve avoided him or anything. I swear.
Kirby and Bendis are my two biggest names in the traditional comic form.
So you quit comics, and now you make comics.
Riiiiiight.
I hope med school is still going well ? You must be pretty far underway by this point.
Does previously being a butcher even help? In the cutting up of things department ?
I came close to getting hired in 1992 by Marvel Comics, but I couldn’t see a way to survive on $35 a page… Perhaps I dodged a bullet, I dunno, but I love my little cartoon and caricature niche that my wife and I managed to create out of thin air and minimal business acumen. On a bad day at work, I have to draw funny pictures and on a good day, they are funnier still…
Accidentally clicked on the book mark for your website didn’t think i was gonna get a wake up call out of this happy accident
this sort of shit happens to let you know your goals are not unobtainable
Really enjoyed. I’m in the same basic boat. I learned graphic and production to work on my own work but I work for a group of newspapers instead. I’ve been doing a web strip based on the comic book I use to have distributed but wonder if there is a point where I will be making it. The Comic I’m working on is at Elsewhere.thecomicseries.com
I keep thinking about this comic.
I don’t think you blew it. I think your funny = so deep and insightful it touches on our secret/painful parts. Hence, no one laughs, but we all go away a bit sadder and a bit wiser.
It still does remind me of my time in academia. How I followed a dream until I saw it would no longer work. And your comic does give me a framework to explore that experience of it. A bit like this comic: http://www.akimbocomics.com/?p=924
Anyways, I’ll leave you be. Thanks for the comic and good luck with the doctoring!
Nice to see you care, at least somewhat, about the representation of women in comics. I find Akimbo misogynistic at times.
All right, another new-reader Akimbo binge completed! Except maybe “binge” isn’t the word since it took me three weeks. That’s like, what, 20 pages a day? That’s a lot of comics, B. Thank you.
A couple of things I haven’t seen anyone else praise: The way you render dialogue is great. Balloon placement, lettering, punctuation, words: Everything works together to create a rhythm which – except when you overdo the verbal tics, like in ESAD 194 – feels very real.
And the stylistic range of your drawing blows me away, especially since it’s always clearly chosen to fit the mood and the message. Who else even does this? Dan Clowes, Chris Ware … Matt Wagner used to a little, don’t know about now … that’s all I got. And I don’t know that any of them takes it as far as you have.
I’m sure strip suggestions are the last thing you need, but if the idea of either a Claire-Burly Guy hookup or Quentin getting Onan high during some deep-space downtime sounds like fun to draw, I’d love to see the results. That, or whatever else you create.
@practik: thank you so much! Dialogue and punctuation have been two of the biggest criticisms I’ve heard but I do try hard to get it right. And don’t wait ’till the end of the binge (which thanks for toiling through) to comment. Comment on every comic. Thanks again!
@AT: All I can say is I do care and at times so do I.
@Kevin: Med school is going very well and I know everyone would feel better if I said, “no, being a butcher is in no way similar to surgery” but I can’t do that. It’s surprisingly similar.
Thanks for all the support from fellow cartoonists! You guys are awesome. I wish I had more encouraging things to say but I’m a quitter. Keep us posted on all your works.
This hit really close to home. I was in a very similar situation to the end of this comic a little over a year ago. Giving up on dreams, the wife leaving me, whole 9 yards. Your work is excellent, and a great inspiration. Thanks for continuing to put these up.
“Toiling,” ha!
(And if you knew how long it took my internal editor to greenlight just these few words right here, you’d understand why I saved up till the end. Though I did sprinkle a couple other comments along the way….)
Excellent BP. I’m a great admirer of your work. And no…I don’t own a comic book company sadly or you’d be hired.
I enjoyed this. Thanks.
when your dreams don’t become reality, and others have invested in that same dream, it’s harshly eroding place to exist. I’m pretty much right there, right now. I’m on this cusp of taking a job that isn’t creative…to pay the bills and get on with ‘it’…and if it was just me, well then i’d just deal with it, come to terms with it on my own. But when another person…or many persons like your mom and dad and siblings and friends stating ‘wow you’re so good, you’re going to be great!’. Well…maybe im just ok, you know? And it’s a hard thing to come to terms with. My cat understands. Not.
I didn’t find this funny the first time I read it, but looking back on it now I get it.
The joke totally works (if you know who Bendis is).