As the last grains of my sanity slowly drip away like the sand from an hourglass, I have time to pause and reflect on this crazy ride that has been Small press Idol 2009, and I’m reminded of the even longer ride that caused me to impulsively sign up for Idol back in March…
When I was about 5 or 6. I started making my own comics on loose-leaf paper and stapled them together to show to my friends.
Later when I was about 19, and a lot more serious, but not much more organized, I tossed all my artwork into a portfolio and took the train from Boston to New York for $19 (yeah it was that long ago). My plan was to walk into the offices of Marvel Comics unannounced and amaze them with my brilliance but it didn’t quite work out that way.
I got as far as a very nice receptionist who took my art and promised that Jim Shooter would look at it, and to come back at the end of the day. The concept of ’submission guidelines’ was not something that had ever entered my brain at that point, but when I went back at the end of the day, that’s what I got a copy of, along with a very nice “try again after you’ve looked those over”.
I was actually kind of crushed by the whole experience. Not their fault at all, but more a result of my overinflated expectations at the tender age of nineteen. Back in those days of 1983 there was no easy-to-find support system for young comics artists or the massive sharing of knowledge that we have now. So I ended up drifting away from comics and art altogether and putting aside my thoughts of going to art school for many years.
It wasn’t until I got into animation in the 90’s that the creative spark was reawakened in me. I ended up going back to school and studying both digital and traditional animation for a couple of years. I got good feedback and critiques from both instructors and fellow students, and a more mature and temperate confidence began to grow in me. While working on animation storyboards for school projects, I found myself suddenly back working in a very similar visual language to my first love: comics. A few years and an economic-downturn-job-loss later, it was a very short hop to deciding to ‘go for it’ with my original childhood dream.
And that more or less brings us to today. With less than seven hours to go, I am strangely calm because I know that no matter how Idol turns out, I’ve finally jumped off of it, and that was the moment I touched down.
Thanks for your support,
George Burnett
SMALL PRESS IDOL 2009 ENDS at Midnight EST Tonight! (8/31)
We’re within shouting distance of first place! Order a copy below (either version helps me):
PRINT copy:
http://www.dimestoredistro.com/index.php/spa-comics/small-press-idol/2009/white-rose-0/p_2272.html
PDF copy:
http://www.dimestoredistro.com/index.php/spa-comics/small-press-idol/2009/white-rose-0/p_2273.html
and here’s the NOT-YET-FINAL standings…
**** Deadline Day REPORT **** from Ian Shires
Well, it was a hugely active weekend, and projects are solidly into record territory, blowing away all expectations of sales this year, and we still haven’t seen the full brunt of Retailer orders and Haven’s results.
Clearly, Idol has gone crazy in the best way possible for all the creators.
Not even going to bother analyzing these numbers, the race is obviously not over, and a lot of people are out in force to get entertained.
1.) Copies: 256 (+65) - [Mail:13] DLs: 7 (+1) Bulk: 5 [1] ( NC) People: 162 (+51) AVG: 107.5 - The Underground
2.) Copies: 167 (+12) - [Mail:17] DLs: 28 (+1) Bulk: 90 [4] (+45) People: 77 ( +8) AVG: 90.50 - White Rose
3.) Copies: 93 ( +5) - [Mail: 6] DLs: 33 (+6) Bulk: 130 [6] (+60) People: 79 (+10) AVG: 83.75 - Faction
4.) Copies: 51 ( +6) - [Mail: 3] DLs: 12 (+2) Bulk: 135 [1] ( NC) People: 38 ( +6) AVG: 59.00 - Varsity Squad
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