Gaslights Web’d 1.2

Gaslights Web’d 1.2
by Richard Caldwell, Managing Editor

Shalom!

The column you are now reading is my monthly take on what I see as standout webcomix. Considering how vocal I have been in the past regarding my preference for more traditional funny book presentations, I invite you to make the connection that the creators featured here are truly noteworthy and exceptional in what they are doing.
The first time, which was the last time, I gave some love to Re-Evolution, a wonderful strip currently hosted with pride by the folks at Zuda. For February ought-nine, I am all about GingerDead.

The story of GingerDead and Friends details the morbidly sweet moments in the lives of a gingerbread boy- the lead, his skeletal girlfriend leNoir, and his homicidal sister Vendetta. Often told in verse, the strips are as linear as dreams; and often serve to express specific sentiments or imagery, generally by way of adorably irreverent black comedy.

Said the strip’s creator- Haiku artist extraordinaire Calan Ree, on the origins of her work- “It was a bit of a lark really. The characters began as doodles that I was using to joke with an online friend. That led to a few t-shirt designs which I incorporated into my virtual fashion line, Nocturnal Threads, in the online world of Second Life, as well as a few t-shirt designs in my cafepress store. The characters were really well-received but I felt so limited that I thought maybe I could try my hand at a comic and somehow put it online weekly. I was completely clueless to the vast world of webcomics. It was through researching the best way to get it online that I discovered the magnitude of online comics and learned there was even an expected format in the site design. It was a bit daunting, but I thought what the hell. It really was started just for fun and as a distraction from my life which was particularly bleak at the time.”

And of her biggest challenges thus far? “I suppose just getting it online. I know nothing about css and php, so it was a lot of research to find a method that allowed the updates and archives to be streamlined. I discovered ComicPress and figured out how to use it over a weekend. That was probably the most difficult part. Other than that, just developing the style and acclimating to the tools was a bit of an obstacle. Because I was doing the comic digital using photoshop and a wacom, there was a learning curve there. Drawing with the wacom was new to me and as a result the earlier comics look awful. It’s a good thing I wasn’t taking it too seriously at the time, or I would have just quit. As a result I feel like the comic style and my skills are still progressing. It’s the obstacle that keeps on giving…or something like that.”

Aside from branding the work (potential collected volumes, couture, etc), how far would she like to see the concepts go? “I don’t really see my work as a comic strip. It’s more often than not an illustrated haiku of sorts, and a bit on the weird side at that, so I’m not dreaming of syndication in newspapers like a lot of comic artists. Honestly, who would have me? Perhaps some alternative papers, but can you imagine GingerDead and Friends next to Family Circus in your typical newspaper. I doubt it. I’ll be more than happy getting some books out there, expanding the greeting card line and perhaps doing some licensing deals for clothing, etc. I’m not too full of myself to view merchandising as a bad thing. It would great. Most importantly though I want to reach a wider audience. Not everyone reads webcomics. When I do art shows and people see the prints, they stop and read them, smiling or laughing and that feels pretty awesome. When people who aren’t sure what a haiku is discover the comic and start writing them, and well, that just rocks. All different age groups and styles of people seem to respond really well to it. I’m often asked if there’s a book for sale and I’d really like to say yes to that question soon.”

While the online illustrated haiku continues, Ree is also busy unveiling her fun new card line, a sampling of which can be found in these pretty pictures. Check out the links on her site for more information.

Very nice stuff.

space cowboy

Richard Caldwell

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