I Love You Comickers But I Do Get Very Tired

I do apologise to regulars for the last post.   I DO NOT make money with CBO. It is MY comic blog but there are people who repeatedly try my patience to breaking point.

Having your news published on CBO is NOT a right. It is because I think comic folk might be interested.

Having your book reviewed on CBO is not a right either.

People constantly send items along with a "I WANT it presented this way" or "If you can tidy this press release up a bit to make it read better that's fine"  and there is worse but let's not get angry again.

Two people I have explained this to in person and face-to-face have/are repeatedly sending me pdf documents as press releases.  Initially I tried to be helpful but saving, converting and then resizing took over an hour.  An hour of drawing or writing or breathing gone.  Now, do either of these two people -in fact do ANY of those who send me these things- say "Thanks for posting that on CBO" or even "Sorry it took that long to get it sorted -thanks"?  No.  I think I've had a "thank you" four times for all the 2014 postings -these people do NOT even include a link to the CBO item!  They might as well scrawl CBO over the top of a printed press release and pin it on their bedroom wall.

Total ingratitude and people being morons does take a toll -even on me!!!

An example of WHY I stopped the interviews (apart from a lot of back-stabbing by the interviewees). 

I usually ask the person interviewed for 5-6 or more illoes of their choice for the interview.  On one occasion an interviewee sent me pages from their first published work up to the slick work they were then producing.  It made a great narrative seeing how they had progressed and it encourages others who want to draw but think they'll never improve.  So, I told the artist to look over the interview and art to okay it before posting.  "Fine  Looks great!" was the response.

Next day someone emails me.  They are on a comic forum  that the interviewee is on.  I'm told the interviewee was telling everyone about being "very unhappy" with the art used.  I checked. It was true.  I contacted the artist and explained that the art was what he/she had sent out of choice.  Had approved of the interview with the art. WHY now set me up as a bad man?  "I didn't like the art used" -I explained that as the interview covered how he/she got started, first published work up to date it was meant to show that -and that he/she (I could really destroy these people with a few lines) had chosen THOSE illustrations and approved their use and the interview.  No responses but I heard of ore bitching

Another interview I did resulted in people in comics who did not like the artist (he was not part of "their clique") complaining to me about him being interviewed.  He "Shouldn't be interviewed!" and I was told that I would be blacklisted by them if the interview was not dropped.  More threats of this and that but I made it clear that I was a comics historian and (I hate the word) "journalist" and that I was NOT going to remove an interview because some people did not like him or his work -basically, he did not conform to their rules which is more than weird since free expression means just that and not "free expression so long as you abide by our local rules".   Also, I had never met the artist at that time but I was accused of "favouritism" which is pretty dumb-ass since I have fairly interviewed people I positively hate. NEVER question my integrity. I said the interview (which has had more views than any other on CBO since it started) was to stay.

So I was blacklisted.

There is a LOT of negative feedback/comments that people will not see. I will not have comments on this blog attacking people because they are not liked by the commenter.  As of the end of January comments will no longer be allowed on CBO.  I spend too much time arguing dumb points which seem to be made simply to be annoying.

2015 may well be my last year in comics before retiring and I will be damned if I am going to waste my time.

There are whole forums out there on the internet on which people are called names, villified, slandered -popular with tiny minds at the moment is "he looks like a paedo!"  Really?  When people tried to make comments like this on my Yahoo groups I posted a warning that the item in question was to be deleted and such things would not be tolerated -if the member continued he would be banned from posting.  Apparently THAT was denying them their freedom of speech and I was a "Crypto Nazi/fascist"  They got banned.

Back when groups of creators met up at Westminster Comic Mart or the old UK Comic Art Conventions we talked about comics, creators, what we were doing, what paper, pens or brushes we used and we were friendly.  The internet has seriously destroyed that and though the "trolls" or "flamers" wallowed in being called that behind anonymous internet names they are so stupid that they do not realise they can be identified by anyone very quickly.

I do not care about the people posing as the comic "nice guys" publicly but who are really dullards and nasty little "things".

 Comics are supposed to be fun.  To entertain.  To make us think.  A medium in which creators can try all sorts of techniques to make their books and talk about how they did this or that.  For people to discuss their favourite artists or writers.  I don't really care if a writer is a complete ass or egotist -are the comics fun to read?  Is the art good?

If we cannot get back to enjoying the medium we work in -which has enough problems attached to it- then what is the point in continuing?  There are, what, 4-500 people visiting CBO daily at the moment and I have no idea if they feel the same.  I just never hear from them but that many visitors must mean I've got something right--?

So, avoid the forums.  Just enjoy making and reading comics and talking to your friends about them. Have fun.  This is what comics are about and comic ennui is a bad thing, believe me.  So, go on -read some comics and enjoy and ignore Uncle Terry's mad spat!

Love you comickers!