snarkoleptics: Seven with one blow

EDG (

edg) wrote in

snarkoleptics,
@ 2004-12-02 20:35:00

Current mood:	cheerful
Current music:	John Williams - Mission Theme

Seven with one blow
I'm sure all of you are at least tangentially familiar with Something Positive, and specifically creator Randy Milholland's decision to quit his job and work on the comic full-time when he received a year's salary in donations. (This is simplifying the matter immensely, and I don't mean to slight Randy in any way by not going into more detail.)

Earlier this week, Randy posted in the weblog that lives on the front page of Something Positive about readers who, for one reason or another, thought it was okay to badger him about how they thought he wasn't living up to their standards as a full-time cartoonist - many of them doing so despite the fact that they hadn't contributed to his ability to be a full-time cartoonist. (You're all probably also familiar with this, if only because Eric snarked it.)

That's all just background information, though; the real point of my post is this:

For various reasons, Randy's been getting behind on Something Positive - and I want to make it absolutely clear that I don't fault him for this (and yes, I did donate during the "put your money where your mouth is" drive); the best-laid plans of mice and men oft go awry*, and all that. (He's been honest the whole time through, though; every time he uploads a comic, it gets the date in the archives on which it would have been posted had everything gone according to plan.)

The way he's been making this up is by posting more than one comic a day - usually two, occasionally three - and then listing just one comic a day in the archives, such that if, for example, the last comic in the archives was, say, 10/30, and he posted two comics on 11/4, those comics would go into the 10/31 and 11/1 slots in the archives. The upshot is that as of the beginning of this week, Randy was somewhere between a week and two weeks behind on the comic - I can't say for certain, since I don't remember how many comics Randy posted each of the previous days this week.

However, he's really outdone himself today. I don't know if this fueled by the ungrateful bitching that led to the blog post (see above), but in the last 24 hours, Randy has posted not two or three but seven comics; the last comic is dated 12/1 in the archives. Meaning that he's now exactly one day behind. One more comic today - which no reasonable human being could expect of the man - and he'd be caught up. I'm guessing that Something Positive will be current by the end of the weekend.

(Even more amazing to me is that neither the art nor the writing seems to have been negatively impacted by the volume of work that Randy's produced - well, either that, or Something Positive is homeopathic.)

All of which is to say that right now, Randy Milholland is my hero. The man is a true cartooning badass. It isn't my job to hand biscuits out, but it's my opinion that Randy firmly deserves one. A tasty, tasty one.

* Yes, yes, "aft gang agly" and all that. My response: use the same language for the whole phrase, dammit. If you're going to use "aft gang agly", then put the whole thing in Scots.

(Post a new comment)

	la_biscuit 2004-12-03 01:46 am UTC (link)
	somethingpositive.net! not .com! :) (Reply to this) (Thread)

	edg 2004-12-03 01:49 am UTC (link)
	Man, of all the mistakes to make... ;_; Fixed. Thanks! (Reply to this) (Parent)

demiurgent
2004-12-03 02:05 am UTC (link)

It's not specifically biscuitworthy, because... well, by definition it's not a cool thing in a single strip. ;)

On the other hand, he definitely deserves many powerful alcoholic beverages bought for him.

And he probably also needs them. You notice a near total lack of potential "cheats?" (Cut and paste panels, recycled art, and the like?) How did his hand not fall off?

(Reply to this) (Thread)

edg
2004-12-03 02:11 am UTC (link)

it's not a cool thing in a single strip.

Well, yes, but the fact that it's spread over seven strips just makes it more powerful!

(Man, as far as I'm concerned, homeopathy is the unofficial running gag of Snarkolepsy.)

You notice a near total lack of potential "cheats?"

I did notice that, and yeah, if I get the chance, I'm going to buy him a beer or three.

What makes it all the more impressive is that Randy's apparently under the weather at the moment.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	dvandom 2004-12-03 04:26 am UTC (link)
	Since it's diluted over seven strips, clearly he deserves a homeopathic biscuit. BTW, I was eliminated from a spelling bee when I was 8 on the word "biscuit". Grrrrrr. (Reply to this) (Parent)

prodigal
2004-12-03 06:50 pm UTC (link)

You notice a near total lack of potential "cheats?"

I did notice that, and yeah, if I get the chance, I'm going to buy him a beer or three.

Shouldn't that be a beer or one-third, to keep with the homeopathy theme?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	edg 2004-12-03 06:52 pm UTC (link)
	genuflects Your homeopathy-fu is most diluted. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	troutman 2004-12-03 04:47 am UTC (link)
	I'm still trying to figure out how someone that draws comics full time can even get behind in the first place. But seven strips at once is still rather impressive. (Reply to this) (Thread)

	demiurgent 2004-12-03 08:10 am UTC (link)
	I'm still trying to figure out how someone that draws comics full time can even get behind in the first place. Alien spores. They're a bloody nuisance. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	prodigal 2004-12-03 06:50 pm UTC (link)
	And server gnomes. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	paradisacorbasi 2004-12-03 01:57 pm UTC (link)
	I think "life" is the catch-all phrase here for unexpected situations with health, roommates, writer's block, and anything else that may come up and throw somebody off their stride. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	troutman 2004-12-03 04:05 pm UTC (link)
	Life shmife. As a full-time cartoonist, Randy should be capable of creating a buffer of comics, so that if anything catagorized as "life" should occur, the comic would continue to update while he took a day or two off. Drawing comics at the last minute, or only being one day behind, should not be rewarded with biscuits. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

edg
2004-12-03 06:34 pm UTC (link)

That might be true, although I'll note that of the full-time cartoonists of whom I'm aware, the overwhelming majority of them don't maintain buffers. (In fact, the only full-time cartoonist who I know maintains a consistent buffer - not just an "I'm going away this week so I'm drawing a bunch of strips in advance" buffer - is Howard Tayler, and he did that well before he went full-time.) In a perfect world, all of these cartoonists - and, frankly, even the non-full-time cartoonists - would maintain buffers to ensure that they could meet Life head-on without their comic suffering any ill effects. In practice, the fact that Randy didn't start out with a buffer goes a long way, I think, toward explaining why he doesn't have one now.

To address a different point, though: I'm not rewarding him for drawing comics at the last minute or only being one day behind. I'd prefer Randy to have a buffer, and solve both problems with one stroke; at the least, I'd prefer him to be caught up to the present day. What does amaze and impress me is the fact that not only is Randy acknowledging that he's behind (and that this bothers him, rather than ignoring it or even celebrating it), but he's working so hard to catch up. Seven comics in 24 hours, with no cheating or shortcuts, is impressive to me, regardless of the circumstances under which they were created.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	troutman 2004-12-04 03:30 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, the seven comics is pretty damned impressive. I grant him that. I just don't think he should have been behind to begin with. And of course, had it been me, I would have uploaded those seven comics as a buffer, chalking up the missing past days as a loss. But maybe that's cheating. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	kobold 2004-12-05 07:53 am UTC (link)
	And of course, had it been me.... It isn't. (Reply to this) (Parent)

unimag
2004-12-06 12:55 pm UTC (link)

you're also missing the "when Randy first went 'full time', he was almost immediately hit by a series of delaying factors... meaning he didn't have any time to set up a buffer; a lot of his time since then has been, I would assume, devoted to trying to catch up - not mention trying to become self-sufficient as a business (without having to rely on donations)

Additionally, how long does he spend drawing each strip? I don't know, and I'm pretty sure you don't. If he's working anywhere over 30 hours a week as it is, then he's full time.

Even more additionally, it's only Randy (and wanky 'fans') who really remind us that he's 'behind schedule'; as far as I can recall from the top of his page, his update schedule is 'a lot', not 'daily' (even if that is his ideal)

(Reply to this) (Parent)

alibee
2004-12-06 04:27 pm UTC (link)

I agree with you, Trout, on two levels:
1. Seven comics in one day is fricking amazing! *faints*
2. His missing days is pretty inexcusable.

Anyone who works a "normal" (word used loosely) job knows that you deal with life shit when it comes up AND do your job -- or you don't get paid. If comicing is his "job" now, he needs to get it done. Period. I don't think failure to do so is really defendable.

Also, the eloquent two-word response you got... wow. Let's all bow to

kobold.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

edg
2004-12-06 04:52 pm UTC (link)

Anyone who works a "normal" (word used loosely) job knows that you deal with life shit when it comes up AND do your job -- or you don't get paid.

Have you, in fact, worked a "normal" job before? Like, ever?

Because people who work normal jobs typically either get days off or get some form of compensation for their extra time. Randy doesn't. Once he gets caught up - and he's still within a day of it - he'll have comics in the archives seven days a week for the last six months, and I certainly don't hear you offering to pony up the time-and-a-half for the hours he works past 40 every week.

In fact, people who work normal jobs on a salary, as Randy is, get paid time off - vacation, sick days, holidays - and of those, sick days exist specifically so that when life shit comes up, you can deal with it without being penalized for it. The thing is, Randy might have taken sick days in the past, but he's currently putting in the time to make up for it.

If you don't like the comic, just say so. If you think Randy's a flaming ass, you have every right to think that. But, to use your terminology, your attitude toward Randy's job is inexcusable.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

alibee
2004-12-06 05:09 pm UTC (link)

Have you, in fact, worked a "normal" job before? Like, ever?
Aw, that's so helpful! Thank you!

Because people who work normal jobs typically either get days off or get some form of compensation for their extra time.
Actually, that's not true. All salaried employees do NOT receive overtime. They are expected to work the extra hours. So, there ya go.

I certainly don't hear you offering to pony up the time-and-a-half for the hours he works past 40 every week.
Maybe because we already ponied up to get him working for 40 hours a week, at least. :)

If you don't like the comic, just say so. If you think Randy's a flaming ass, you have every right to think that. But, to use your terminology, your attitude toward Randy's job is inexcusable.
This has nothing to do with my like for the comic, or my like for Randy (who I don't even know). I'm just backing Trout up because I think he's correct. If my fiance decided he wanted to make a living doing comics and failed to update, I'd jump all over him, too. There's an expectation when you get PAID by your readers, who are now your bosses; when you fail to follow through, I don't think it's wrong that your bosses will be disenchanted. I don't know why you're making a personal attack towards Randy out of it. It's not him, it's the work ethic, that I'm dealing with here.

*hands you a valium*

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

edg
2004-12-06 05:19 pm UTC (link)

All salaried employees do NOT receive overtime. They are expected to work the extra hours.

As a salaried employee, I can state categorically that I am expected to work 40 hours per week - no more, and no less. In fact, as I understand it, it is illegal to expect me to work more without compensating me for it. Any work I do beyond 40 hours either goes unreported at my discretion or is applied to future weeks. (In other words, if I work 60 hours this week, I'm only responsible for 20 hours next week.) If my employer wants me to start working 60-hour weeks, they are required by law to make that explicit; if they don't want to have to pay me any more, they are required to make explicit that they are functionally lowering my salary.

Maybe because we already ponied up to get him working for 40 hours a week, at least.

In which case, if he's working 40 hours a week, you have absolutely no call to require more of him, regardless of how many comics that 40 hours produces.

Frankly, your arguments seem absurd to me at best. If you're paying him for 40 hours a week, then either trust that he's working 40 hours regardless of how many comics he actually puts up, or request an accounting of the hours he spends working on the comic. If you're paying him for 7 comics a week, then it's by no means a "normal" job.

*hands you a valium*

Aw, that's so helpful! Thank you!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

(Deleted post)

	edg 2004-12-06 05:28 pm UTC (link)
	Honestly? I was irritated in my first comment, but it was the Valium bit that pissed me off. You're right. It's your opinion. I apologize for overreacting. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alibee 2004-12-06 06:10 pm UTC (link)
	Sorry. If you knew me, it'd probably have been less infuriating. Or moreso, depending. ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	edg 2004-12-06 06:19 pm UTC (link)
	Dude. You deleted my comment. Uncool. I haven't deleted a comment yet. I don't know what's going on; I'm as mystified as you are. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alibee 2004-12-06 06:42 pm UTC (link)
	That wasn't you -- something is up with my browser. When I reply to one comment then it is posting it in other threads. Argh! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	edg 2004-12-06 06:24 pm UTC (link)
	Assuming, of course, that you're mystified. You might not be. The point of the whole thing being, I don't know who's deleting comments, but I promise it isn't me. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alibee 2004-12-06 06:47 pm UTC (link)
	Sure, I can play mystified. stares blankly Anyway, it turns out that THEY deleted the thread on accident. Phew. I can only handle one flamewar a day. :) (Reply to this) (Parent)

alibee
2004-12-06 05:26 pm UTC (link)

Look, I don't care about this as much as you do, obviously, and I'm not going to spend my day commenting about it.

Re: your job:
You're lucky. Every single job I've had (and I'm a software engineer, so your mileage may vary) has requested that I work more during crunches, come in during the weekend for launches, etc., WITHOUT monetary reward. This is not against the law. You are not allowed to take it away from "future" weeks. This has been the way at all large companies I've been at (Microsoft, Excite) and even smaller ones. And, perhaps your employer is required by law to tell you taht they require 60 hour weeks, but if you look at the lawsuit against EA right now, you'll see that your case is not the norm.

Anyway, just relax a minute. You're getting really excitable over MY OPINION that he should be updating regardless.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

theteague
2004-12-06 05:39 pm UTC (link)

I thought the analogy worked as so Randy didn't do the 40 hours of work before so he fell behind and now any overtime he does now doesn't really make up for missing the days before. Like Sanitation workers can't really just leave the garbage on the streets for a month and then make extra runs later so they get thier average up to one run a week for the year. People were still buried in filth all that time. Or a taxi cab driver who doesn't get you to the airport on time, but promises you extra free rides later to make up for it.

Anyway, I'm glad I don't make a dime off my comic so I can miss all the days I want. Watch! Watch me miss a day. Wooo! Look, there goes another with no comic. Yeeeehaw!

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alibee 2004-12-06 06:12 pm UTC (link)
	I'll have you know that I sit and quitely fume every time you miss a comic. Actually, that's not true. I just quietly fume. (Reply to this) (Parent)

kobold
2004-12-07 12:25 am UTC (link)

2. His missing days is pretty inexcusable.

Tell you what, Alison. You draw a comic, maintain a website (and by maintain, I mean every aspect of it - technical included), work on selling ads so you can afford said website (instead of being part of a large "syndication" site that takes care of all of this for you), pick up other art jobs so you won't find yourself going BACK to an office job in the future. Then, tell me how you do, okay?

Same goes for Troutman.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alibee 2004-12-07 03:00 am UTC (link)
	Sweetie, I do maintain (and I mean every aspect, technically -- hardware, software) a website for a world-reknown band. AND I run the mailing list for said band. AND I work full-time, and I am in a real-life (not online) MBA program. So, uh. Yeah. Sorta killed your argument there, didn't I? :) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	kobold 2004-12-07 04:24 am UTC (link)
	No, sweetie - it really didn't. That's a very different thing. Are you manually drawing things out, maintaining all ad sales, answering reader emails (I've got a reader base of about 150,000 and get between 50 to 200 emails a day)? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alibee 2004-12-07 04:26 am UTC (link)
	What is it with you people? Cripes. I state an opinion and you act as if your world hinges on it. If you don't like my opinion, just LET IT GO. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

kobold
2004-12-07 04:32 am UTC (link)

I'm replying to you. You made a comment, feeling you shot down my argument. I offered more information to back up that I do not agree with you. The "Sweetie" was tacked on because, since we're obviously close friends now (going from you calling me sweetie), I'd hate to be rude and not show you the same affection.

Now, if it really bothers you that I replied and offered further argument, just say next time, "This is rhetorical, okay?!"

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	alibee 2004-12-07 04:28 am UTC (link)
	Also, if it's that hard for you, give the people their money back and do something else. It's not a big deal. Are people supposed to salute you because you left the office environ? I don't get it. Either it's hard and worth it, or it's not. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

kobold
2004-12-07 04:34 am UTC (link)

I've a question - when you started doing what you're doing, did you not have any problems? First off, I'm new at the "professional webcomic" thing. Secondly, I actually DON'T have a set update schedule. Technically, I only told my readers I'd "update more often" than I did prior. Even without the seven updates in a day, I was already keeping my end of the bargain. That was something I did to thank my readers.

Seriously - if you have constructive criticism, please offer it. But, I'm keeping my word to my readers. So, how am I being unprofessional towards them?

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alibee 2004-12-07 04:41 am UTC (link)
	Sure, I don't mind calling each other sweetie! (I also wanna reiterate the above, which is I don't think anything negative about you as a person, since I certainly don't know you.) My only point was that I agree with Trout, and later, Teague. That's all. I can't draw, so I expect y'all to do that stuff while I program away. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

kobold
2004-12-07 04:48 am UTC (link)

As long as we have the "anything negative" out of the way, cool. I wasn't sure and your statements, frankly, read as an attack (the pleasures of the internet - no voice inflection to know delivery).

Everyone's allowed to their opinion - and if someone is unhappy with how I'm running that site, fair enough. However, to simply say, "He's doing this wrong because of x." The fact of the matter is, there's no set way to do a webcomic - and no set path to success. Also, some of us are a little new at this "doing a webcomic full time" - and yeah, I make mistakes. But until you actually know anything about me, how I work or what's been going on in my life, I take a bit of umbrage to someone stating I'm being unprofessional or not living up to a promise I made to my readers - especially when I know I'm doing the latter.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

troutman
2004-12-07 05:08 am UTC (link)

You know, Randy, that LJ icon doesn't help in the "voice inflections" category. ;)

That said, I'm sorry if I offended you somehow. It just seemed to me that if someone is a full-time cartoonist, they should always be on time. I'm not a SP reader and I'm not aware of any mediating circumstances. I just figured you should have a buffer in place by now, and wouldn't have minded discussion as to why you didn't.

I seriously AM curious as to why you plug holes in the archives instead of ust uploading the excess strips as a buffer, though. Seems like that'd save you some time in the long run, and let you take breaks when you need to later on.

(Reply to this) (Parent)

	darthparadox 2004-12-03 10:13 pm UTC (link)
	I bet he's working on that. Hell, if he can keep up anything close to his current pace, he'll be well into buffer territory, and may even start threatening Howard Tayler as the Buffer King of webcomics. ...and now I notice that EDG's post is saying pretty much the same thing as mine - or vice-versa, rather - only more elaborately. Tayler reference included. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	edg 2004-12-04 01:20 am UTC (link)
	I hardly think Buffer King gives Howard his due. Perhaps "God-Emperor of Buffers"? ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	paradisacorbasi 2004-12-04 12:58 am UTC (link)
	snicker Do you draw one yourself? (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	edg 2004-12-04 01:18 am UTC (link)
	troutman writes and draws, like, two hojillion comics. Among them are Sporkman, Basil Flint, P.I., Felicity Flint, Agent from H.A.R.M., and Vigilante, Ho!, the last of which is drawn by Meaghan Quinn. (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	paradisacorbasi 2004-12-04 01:19 am UTC (link)
	Whoa. Question amended to "do you do anything else, like, sleep?" (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	edg 2004-12-04 01:21 am UTC (link)
	Yeah, I know. I'm beginning to suspect that John Troutman is actually a cyborg cartoonist from a future that never was, where syndicates ruled the world - a lone hero, sent back by independent writers and artists to stop uComics from becoming sentient and ... ...okay, yeah, way too much caffeine. >_> (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	troutman 2004-12-04 03:28 am UTC (link)
	Haha, yeah, I do too much. I also go to school and work part time. Maybe that's why I think life is no excuse - I don't have one. ;) (Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)

	alibee 2004-12-06 06:49 pm UTC (link)
	Let's get Trout a girl! Woot! (Reply to this) (Parent)

	scrubbo 2004-12-03 03:07 pm UTC (link)
	Porn. Lots and lots of it, yo. (Reply to this) (Parent)

	theteague 2004-12-07 12:03 am UTC (link)
	I honestly don't have the attention span to remember when RKMilholland was missing any updates. All I know is I go to his site now and go "Ooooh, buncha comics!" and leave it to the small voice in the back of my head to wonder why he's busting his ass so much. (Reply to this)

Username:		Create an Account Forgot your login or password? Login w/ OpenID
Password:
	Remember Me
	English • Español • Deutsch • Русский…

About

Help

Get Involved

Legal

Store

LJ Labs