Cancer
Ominously enough I finished a page of about 10 of my first strips and put it online around 2a.m., September 11, 2001. So as you can imagine, six or seven hours later no one was going to read my comic strip because that was the day the World Trade Centers fell. It was a pretty inauspicious beginning.
About two or three weeks later, we published the site and I publicized it on The Comics Journal, went to different comics community message boards and took out an ad here and there. I didn't try very hard to publish it because I wasn't enthused about it at the time. At that point I wasn't trying to make a career of Achewood.
I started the comic online since there's no way to print unless you're picked up by somebody, and there's no way to be picked up by somebody if you've only got three comic strips in your portfolio. I kind of see the technology of print as an enormous and unfortunate barrier of entry to artists who would otherwise make great work. I wasn't making great work at first, but I was able to publish online because it was free and easy. Now I've been able to create stuff that people really like, whereas otherwise, I would have been discouraged and quit five years ago.
What I hope happens every day that I'm supposed to write a strip, is that when I'm out on a walk or driving, I'll see something that will trigger a funny phrase or image in my head so I can write down in my notebook when I get home. The best strips are really written in three minutes.
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Comments
First I just wanted to thank
By Lomie, May 16, 2007 at 12:33First I just wanted to thank Chris so much for making Achewood... it is a real treat and inspiration to a true retarded like me and also others.
Secondly, I wanted to know if Cartilage Head will ever make a comeback, I think that he would probably be the easiest to cast as a voice because I think everyone imagines him to sound like Bela Lugosi but I guess that poses a challenge in itself since he is dead. Oh well.
p.s. I love the codeine-influenced strips! Keep it up! Have you ever experimented with anything else and done a strip?
Chris: I'm kinda scared to
By Rizzle, May 15, 2007 at 22:25Chris:
I'm kinda scared to hear any voices given to Beef or Ray or any character for that matter. I mean, the voices I imagine they have are too perfect! My question is: are there any famous people that influenced your characters? Ray is a pretty rare type of guy.
Anyway, Achewood is the best comic I've ever read next to Calvin & Hobbes and the Far Side. Keep up the hard work, because people like myself look forward to it every day.
Hey, I feel that this might
By BrettCelinski, May 11, 2007 at 10:10Hey, I feel that this might have been thought about by you or people by you... but in my opinion Achewood would be amazing if it were to branch out to animation.
Networks like Adult Swim come to mind. I don't know if you think you are ready/willing for that kind of venture, but I have faith that a large and sufficient number of fans online would certainly be supportive of it. What is your opinion?
Edit: As the above comment, I feel the greatest challenge/aspect of such a project that would bring the most focus would be voices/acting and to 'get it right' would be of the most concern.
Chris - if you weren't doing
By Robyn Williams, May 11, 2007 at 13:20Chris - if you weren't doing this career - like if for some reason the Internet crashed forever and ever - what do you think you'd do with your life to make money?
Chris as you said, you're
By fallow_fields, May 11, 2007 at 07:36Chris as you said, you're considering a live-action Achewood. This is exciting not just because we'll see how the characters move a little more, but also because the characers (assumably) will have voices. Have you had voices for Ray, Beef et al. since back in the day, or are you still undecided about what they sound like? Any voice actors/actresses in mind?
Chris Onstad writes:"Thanks
By Emily, May 16, 2007 at 11:09Chris Onstad's writes:
To Matt W: "Thanks for writing. I've had their voices in my head since they were conceived, but I wouldn't release that information prior to any sort of voice project because I'd rather it be a surprise. I can tell you that it won't be as disappointing as the cardboard-style Dilbert and Garfield animated project voice casting."
To Brett Celinski: "I've talked a bit about animation with a few studios, but haven't found the right project/format yet (the Adult Swim timeslot does come up the most often when people talk about animation and Achewood). Anyhow, I'm not worried about getting it right in terms of sound and feel, because I've known how it all sounds and feels for a long time, and have always wanted to flesh it out in a richer medium."
To Robyn Williams: "Probably write for TV and do scriptwriting on the side. I was originally going to try this, but I left college while the Silicon Valley bubble was still growing, and got caught up in the low-hanging local fruit scene. By the time the bubble burst, I had a decent lifestyle, plus I had this comic going, and I wasn't interested in starting over as a PA grunt in Hollywood."
Re: Deconstructing Achewood
By alexf, January 5, 2008 at 16:37Hey, I feel that this might have been thought about by you or people by you... but in my opinion Achewood would be amazing if it were to branch out to animation.