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Feb 2021

My good friend! dantecitesin! How good to see you here!

I would add to dantecitesin's introduction by adding that I am, truly, a big fan of his artwork! His art is beautiful to behold and his humor is outrageously funny!

We had a crossover comic on Tapas that was just so much fun!

Hope to see you around more, my friend!

When I was in my 20's, I was really into baseball and loved playing softball. But I'm terribly uncoordinated.

I use to take some of the psych patients out to a field near the hospital and play ball. In those days, the nurses still wore white uniforms and caps. I wore a white baseball cap with my nursing pin on it.

One time, while subbing for the second baseman on my brother's team, a line drive was hit at me right in the face. I picked the ball up and threw the batter out at first.

Hence, this GIF is autobiographical:

Hahaha I like the font. My experience of making a printed book is quite limited but there are many print shops providing a step by step guideline for self-publishers.

After printing your books, attending a comic convention or having a consignment sale with local bookstores might be a good start. There are bookstores where indie artist can sell their work. I recall Forbidden Planet has it and their profit share was 50/50 or 60/40 something.

Hello @daveydo22, I make mine based on my life. There are some exaggerations, but all are based on things that have happened. Maybe you'd find it interesting :slight_smile: Mine actually begins on the day I decided to draw comics. My partner and I were walking and well...the first episode happens.

EXCELLENT, Gramkrackerhan!

I only read the first two episodes, but will return because you've got a new subscriber!

Wow! Thank you! By the way, what is your link?

Edit: I realized I can just go to your page haha. My brain is working a little slow today :sweat_smile:

Your comic makes me want to try doing my own slice of life comic, but at this point that would just be me feeding crows while my dog sniffs stuff.

Not necessarily... my life was a lot more interesting in my 20's when I was experimenting and running around doing all sorts of weird and often illegal stuff. Now I just work for a company 8 hours a day, walk my dog, and draw or write for the remaining time. Oh, and dishes. So many dishes.

Go for it, crowstories!

My comic character, Dopey Joe, who is based on one of my most favorite past dogs Tobey Joe, is featured in one of my series, "Traveling Tapas" has been in scads of my creations.

Dopey Joe made his appearance in my first GIF, when I used someone else's dance template to create this one:

True.... plus life keeps throwing unwanted "excitement" at us... Last week it was ice storm and 2 days without power, followed by going full-on doomsday prepper. I'm just trying to be boring, here :sob:

"life keeps throwing unwanted 'excitement' at us... " And excitement isn't always fun, eh, crowstories?

The most difficult times in my life- death, divorce, work, lawsuits, etc.- have been the best fodder for my art.

I was stabbed in the back with a pair of heavy scissors by a patient diagnosed with schizophrenia back in 1998. Thereafter, due to symptoms of PTSD, I sought services from an art therapist, which changed and enhanced both my life and my art.

About every two weeks for about six months, I had sessions with the art therapist, she would look through my journals, and we would discuss the images. in one drawing, I had a rendition of my supervisor using the F word, and, out of respect, I apologized for it.

"NEVER", she instructed me, "Apologize for your art!"

"Your art is yours", she went on to say, "And never let anybody control your art".

Here's a frame from the stabbing incident:

Had it not been for art, I would have become one of the psych patients that I served!

My comic is an autobiographical one:

https://tapas.io/series/sushy2

I started in 2014, where I was not so happy with certain things in my life. I made this comic to just express things that happened.

After reading only a few episodes of your series, sushy, I decide that I wanted to subscribe.

I like your art and storytelling style: Humorous, short and to the point.

I will continue to enjoy your series as time and motivation allow.

Thanks for the link!

"The most difficult moments of my life have been the best fodder for my art." Well that's a quote that I can relate to. The scope of catharsis through art has always been my motivation to continue doing and living as well. It may sound strange in some way, but the happiest moments I can remember are related to art to a greater or lesser extent: When I use to play with my cousin at my yard being younger, reading some big books that felt important, drawing, the happiness after writing a new chapter of a novel, or simply listening to music.

Well dantecitesin, let's just say that I am impressed.

The scope of your art and your writings exceeds your earthly years. Although I am not into reading on the internet for pleasure, I plan to check out your novel when time and opportunity present themselves.

Your line of "the happiest moments I can remember are related to art" resounds in my mind, and is one which I can identify. Art has been my anti-anxiety and analgesic. Art has gotten me through some of the darkest periods of my life.When immersed in art, there is no time, no bad emotions or pain that are not with which being dealt.

Now, if I may be so bold to ask, would you share the inspiration, thoughts, or feelings behind the "clearly to be is not to be" image?

If you would rather not share, dantecitesin, that is perfectly okay. I can still enjoy the image, like others you have created, for its aesthetics.

To begin with, I have to say that that image belongs to a chapter in my series on Tapas that was inspired by a dream I once had. In my dream I experienced the end of humanity due to the impact of an immense meteorite against the surface of the earth, destroying and killing everything in its path, myself included.

The phrase itself is inspired by the famous line: "To be or not to be" From Hamlet, Shakeaspeare. Which is, in short, a question about human existence. In the case of my comic, I have to say that it is about recognizing yourself or not. Which at the same time ends up being the same question again: ¿Live? ¿Or die?

So what is it when we do not recognize ourselves? Being is not being. The death of the soul, if you want.

"Be is not to be" Is inspired at the same time by a song called "Human Sadness" by the band "The Voidz" that has a phrase of the persian poet Rumi on the lyrics: "Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. i'll meet you there" That I use too at the end of the episode. Meaning that, Being or not being, at the end we all Be together in death.

Wow.

As the impressed Inigo Montoya asked the Man in Black, "Who are you?"