Webcomic Review: Starlight Tavern

Starlight Tavern is a enjoyable sci-fi comic strip created and Written by Bob Salley and Jason Sparich and illustrated by Juan Calle. This hilarious series of strips pokes fun at many archtypes and tropes in the plethora of science fiction franchises.

The Starlight Tavern is its own absurd restaurant at the end of the universe run by a plucky ragtag group of peoples who are just trying to keep service running smoothly despite inevitable chaos that often haunts their little deep space establishment. They are often visited by familiar denizens of the galaxy such as the Lost in Space crew, Mr. Spock or even Flash Gordan singing his own theme song to provide some entertainment (A comic that I had to share in this blog as it is my favorite as of yet!).

However, not all their patrons are as well behaved as those mentioned; like most drinking establishments its not without its bit of scum and villiany as monsters litter it's tables and restrooms as well.

Even with these recognizable guest stars the cast  of Starlight holds its own, and refuses to be overshadowed by such well known faces. The colorful cast of the overworked and underpaid staff try to make it by interacting and flirting in a well executed sci-fi version of "Waiting." The wait staff are emotionally inviting providing more than just punchlines, as a welcoming lens of familiar in the midst of the strange intergalactic goings on that passes through their establishment.

They add to the a-list by adding their own new alien characters to the mix, exploring strange scifi what ifs. Like the more recent strip where they reenact elements of Deer Hunter in space. They also relive other famous movie moments often calling In its supporting cast whose unique hijinks keep things familiar and fresh. Such as its own Stormtrooper knockoffs that act as the Moe, Larry, and Curly of the group getting into trouble and sabotaging each other.

Flash Gordan serenades the bar

Though a parody comic, they don't hold back on the art, which is well crafted using thick lines, bright colours and two-tone shading techniques to bring the book to life. One of my favorite things to see is watching artists expressing familar characters from popular series using their own style, and its exciting to consider who might show up next. I have been hoping to see a Farscape cameo, but none as of yet-which means I just have to keep reading.

But it doesn't start at Starlight Tavern as it seems to be its own spinoff of the creators comic series, Salvagers; a story that explores the dirty blue collared element of the galaxy. You don't have to read Salvagers to get Starlight as it holds its own even without a strong linear narrative. Instead I find myself curious about the comic from reading the webcomic. A humorous webcomic featuring much of the familiar in scifi is an innovative way to invite interested readers into a whole seperate series which features elements that are found in Starlight Tavern.

So i'd recommend giving Starlight Tavern a pour and then try out some Salvagers for the next round!

Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is a blue collared fellow, that is dead broke from illustrating books like WOW Signal for biscuits. You can see his work at Gryphon Knights Comics.

Bib
http://www.starlighttavern.com/salvagers.html

http://gryphonknights.com/wow-space-race.html

The Archie Kickstarter: Good Business or Bad Business

By now I believe most in the comics industry have heard about the Kickstarter that Archie Comics had put up. They were asking interested parties to help them crowdfund $350,000 to help reboot their age old franchise of Archie comics and accelerate the production of three new comic book series. The backlash of a large 75 year old company asking for handouts was immediate and while the Kickstarter quickly garnered over 600 contributors in the short time it was active, Archie Comics chose not to deal with industry outrage and shutdown their Kickstarter.

A date with Archie as a kickstarter reward? I
bet most of the money came from Veronica

Did Archie do the right thing? They obviously had supporters, and perhaps the flaming was simply the overstated voice of trolls; also was this public frustration justified? Other notable individuals like Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Old Boy) have also used Kickstarter to fund and create projects without so much negative feedback. It could be that since the comics industry while rapidly growing is still very small, and an individuals voice has more weight. Archie wasn't even trying to make a ton of money, just accelerate production of these titles so they could bring their audience more content sooner and appeal to a new generation. Marvel has been doing something similar with its titles; hitting the refresh button for this new consumer, but Marvel has the financial backing to reboot over 20 titles. Between the Panels made a great point citing that "...this situation serves as a reminder that when it comes to comics, everyone that isn't Marvel or DC counts as 'the little guy.'"

I think more recognized names, like the respected Archie Comics, or even the derided Uwe Boll, shows that Kickstarter is changing, it is no longer just for indies. As big names seek out funding for their larger projects it may seem untoward that Kickstarter, the company that have put many independent creators on their feet is now kowtowing to individuals and companies that many would feel have an unfair advantage financially as well as their reknown. I can't agree with this perspective, however, and firmly believe that larger companies reaching out to crowdfund projects is the evolution of business and only advantageous for us as the consumer and the company itself.

Crowdfunding mediums allow direct access to the consumer-ideally that means the product being created end up with less hands sullying it. Less editorial, less interference from large investors who have way too much sway in how the product ends up. Editorial is how Sam Rami's Spiderman 3 ended up being as terrible as it was. Those providing funding or running the studio wanted to throw in as many villians and popular characters not to tell a story but to push its wow factor and allow for more merchandising. As has been seen time and again this kind of creative interference can destroy a product, it also perpetuates the concept that a few individuals wielding too much power can ruin everything for everyone. So when a company is trying to create something and has a really stupid idea its less likely that individuals will put out money to make it happen. In fact its almost like a really solid entertainment democracy that happens. It means when fools like Uwe Boll, (responsible for such terd nuggets as Bloodrayne, and Farcry films) try to start a Kickstarter campaign the get phenomenally shot down! Suddenly instead of investors interested solely in profit they have investors that are interested in the product. Money coming direct from the consumer helping regulate trash media, and things that belong in the garbage get there while its still in the conception stages and not before tons of person-hours or even product are left as refuse.

Some of the Atari dump

Filtering terrible products and entertainment, crowdfunding evidently can also help on an environmental level. When the videogame industry went bust it was no secret that Atari had to trash large portions of its stock because it was effectively worthless. Companies have always faced this issue-where is the sweet spot in supply and demand? Certain books can be overprinted, marketing can miss their target and a bunch of stuff created can end up as trash. Garbage product is still a concern, but companies can use the level of success of their crowdfunding project to predict earlier the amount of demand that a creation might have. Not only can they use that to figure out how much to create, they can also find out where their contributors are from and use that to better target the region that has shown interest.

So what if a big company like Archie wants to crowdfund a few books. Who cares if some of their rewards seem silly, such as following a contributor back on twitter. To some people that may be important; if you are a comics creator having a large comics company on social media can really help you garner a following. Either way if you don't like the reward, then you don't donate-its how our system works. Money equals support, ideas that aren't supported do not get money.

I think the big dogs using crowdfunding media means that there is a potential for a creative golden age as consumers have more say over the media they want. Does this mean that Indies are now bust as far as funding? No. There are so many other crowdfunding outlets-Patreon, Indiegogo, T-spring.

I think the outrage was just growing pains from new innovations being homogenized by the industry-its evolution in a nutshell, its painful scary, and also temporary because soon something different will come along. Archie Comics good for you for trying something new!

Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is just some another Millennial who is evolving to better understand his place in the comics industry and the universe.

Bib.
"Atari E.T. Dig- Alamogordo, New Mexico (14036097792)" by taylorhatmaker - Atari E.T. Dig: Alamogordo, New Mexico. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atari_E.T._Dig-_Alamogordo,_New_Mexico_(14036097792).jpg#/media/File:Atari_E.T._Dig-_Alamogordo,_New_Mexico_(14036097792).jpg

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/15/between-the-panels-archies-kickstarter-sheds-light-on-a-larger-problem

Knighthood: TONY WOLF

These artist spotlights give people a chance to learn about the people we work with as well as insight on what they create and their inspiration behind it.

With a Metal name like "Wolf" you can only anticipate excellence, and Tony delivers. A jack-of-all trades in the entertainment industry, he is constantly pushing himself to his creative limits. He's hosted a webshow, been a host for glamorous celebrity fundraising affairs, performed as voice-over talent, acted in both theatrical and televised media... but before all this, he was an illustrator and especially his work with hand illustrated text make him a talented creator.

A Greenpoint resident for almost two decades and comics aficionado, Tony was eventually inspired to write and illustrate his own autobio comic, Greenpoint of View. 

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Between performance and Illustration, do you have a creative preference or do you simply like creating?

First and foremost, I'm an actor and voice-over guy, and my goal is to be acting and voice-overing full time.  There's something about the full-body enjoyment and expression of performing - plus the joy of the collaboration that performing always entails - that's very special to me.  Drawing and comics come second on the list, but they are certainly dear to my heart.  And creating in general is always fulfilling and exciting, even when - at times - it's frustrating.  Really, I just want to make things.  I'm a huge fan of movies, music, storytelling, and comics, and to have a chance to contribute anything to those fields is really gratifying.

What books are you currently reading? How do they inspire you?

I read a lot of comics and graphic novels, but I always take care to read some prose and novels (especially biographies or autobio books) once in a while so I don't start to view things through an only-comics lens.  Although lately it's been more comics than anything else. Just read a graphic novel from indie publisher Hic & Hoc Press called Unknown Origins & Untimely Ends: A Collection of Unsolved Mysteries, which is amazing.  I'm really digging Silver Surfer by Dan Slott & Michael Allred, Daredevil by Mark Waid & Chris Samnee, and Alan Moore's Crossed +100 series lately.  Seth Kushner sadly just passed away after a battle with cancer, but he'd written several comics that will be completed by the artists and co-creators involved - The Roman Nose with George Jurard and The Brooklynite with Shamus Beyale.

Greenpoint of View is not your first comic project. Can you tell us about previous comics you've worked on?

I wrote and drew an 8-page short story with writer Alex Hernandez about the open-source character Jenny Everywhere, called 'Say The Word'; otherwise, I've worked as a storyboard artist for several indie films and was always writing and drawing my own comics from elementary school onwards, including the very silly 'Super Pickle' (done in 4th grade) and my Gamera ripoff comic series, 'Beware of the Turtle.'  I did a continuation of the Star Wars saga after return of the Jedi based on a weird dream my friend Jason had called 'Return of the Jedi 5.'  Wrote and drew a superhero comic from 7th grade to first year of college which was my homage to 80s superhero stuff a la John Byrne, Frank Miller and such. And I drew a 5-page flashback sequence for your book 'Frankenstein vs. Dracula' where I got to draw the two iconic monsters battling atop the Hindenburg blimp!! That was actually what really got me back into drawing more frequently, so thank you, Gryphon Knights team!

What inspired Greenpoint of View?

I had a lull in my acting and voice-over work last year, and was itching to create something. Something that wouldn't require me being picked for someone else's team. Friends like filmmaker Mike Turney had prodded me for years to get back to making my own comics, and I had always been a big fan of autobio comics like Harvey Pekar's American Splendor, Dean Haspiel's work, Maus, Persepolis, and the Schmuck series by comics creator Seth Kushner.  Reading Seth's Schmuck series (stories about his dating life in the years before he met his wife) inspired me to make my own autobio series... but what would I write about?  I didn't want to do the same autobio stuff we've seen many times before... I wanted to be a brutal editor on myself and at least attempt a new angle on something.  

I had just read one of Harvey Pekar's final works, Harvey Pekar's Cleveland - and he seamlessly (along with brilliant artist Joseph Remnant) wove his autobio material into the history of the city itself.  It was like half the story was about the city, and half was about Harvey. I recalled that anytime I was at a party and told people I'd lived in Greenpoint for over a decade, they would always go 'Whoooaaaah!!'  Once I realized I had a unique perspective, having lived in Greenpoint for (at that point) 17 years, and was there before people even cared about nearby Williamsburg, I figured it might be fun to try the same sort of Harvey Pekar's Cleveland approach, making the comic as much about the environment / neighborhood as it was about me. (This was also a way to get around my perceived weaknesses as a writer and a possibly boring life.)

When I told my friend Mike the basic concept for the series (I hadn't even brainstormed a name yet), he said immediately "And here's your title: Greenpoint of View."  I said "Done! Sold! That's it."  So he got a special thanks in the book itself. 

What other stories do you want to tell in this series?

Greenpoint of View #4 will be about a surprising encounter I had in the subway, on the G train, back in 1996.  Future stories will involve more history from the neighborhood and the time I had to break into my own apartment. I have about 12 stories total in mind for the series.

Are there any other projects are you currently working on that you wish to share?

Having gotten a pretty good reception from the first 3 Greenpoint stories, I got the idea to do occasional autobio short comics stories that have nothing to do with Greenpoint... to open up my storytelling beyond the neighborhood.  I just started work on the first one, which is about being a teenage comic book fan in the mid-80s. Just did a pin-up for Sean Griffin and MJ Steele's crime comic from Gryphon Knights, Getting Away With Murder. Also did a double-page spread for actor/writer Gianmarco Soresi's upcoming charity children's book.

Any nuggets of advice or encouragement for those trying to break into the entertainment industry?

Honestly, the arts are just very difficult in general. You have to just do your best work possible, hold yourself to very high standards and continually put yourself out there. Networking matters a lot - you can be doing solid work, but if no one outside your friends knows about it, it may just end up in a void. Practice as much as you can, and realize that total strangers (in the comics world, editors or reviewers) will need to be moved or excited by your work. It's that balance between making art for yourself and challenging yourself, but also thinking about what might interest your audience. Persistence is key. We've all heard of writers and artists collecting tons of rejection letters from publishers. Also, as we often hear: "Make the story you'd want to read."

Self-publishing is also essential now - even creators like Brian Bendis started out as small press guys and self-publishers of their work. Connecting with other creators who are passionate about what they do - like the Gryphon Knights comics collective - is really helpful as well. Using your time efficiently matters too, especially since most of us - myself included - have to hold down a regular job too. Charles Soule is a practicing attorney and still writes about 3 hit Marvel Comics a month, plus his Image creator-owned project! That demands serious time management. Those 3 hours of the day in which you might usually just unwind and watch TV could be used to write or draw your own comic! So get to it!  :) 

Self-Portrait of TWolf from GPOV

You can find Tony Wolf on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tonywolfness and at his personal site http://www.tonywolfactor.com/