Tuesday 30 May 2023

SDOAR 2023 #22: Decision Emo 2023 FINAL RESULTS 🚨

Wait, what's with all the text? I thought Jen was going to crush Manly in the next installment of SDOAR 2023? What's going on here?!? First Succession ends, now this?!?

It's all good. I just wanted to have a word with the AMOC readership before returning to our regularly scheduled entertainment.

<ahem>

Dear Readers of A Moment of Cerebus,

How's it going? 

Let me cut to the chase... these Tuesday SDOAR 2023 updates are supposed to be an attempt to raise awareness for The Strange Death of Alex Raymond and the GoFundMe campaign I launched to help Dave not only continue work on SDOAR (not SODAR, Manly), but hopefully, one day, God willing, as he would say, finish it. (In fact, you can check out the GoFundMe at this handy-dandy link right here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sdoar-2023)

Along the way, I thought it might be fun to have a few laughs. Poke fun at myself and others as off-screen and Emo versions of ourselves. The reason I chose Emo Dave, Emo Carson and now Emo Manly is that they are not actually those individuals, but mini-caricatures that run rampant across the SDOAR 2023 comic strip. When it first started, folks seemed to enjoy it, donations picked up, and some readers even called for a a comic book collection of strips (UPDATE: Or not 🤦‍♀️). I gotta admit, that was cool. And, perhaps, the strip went to my head.

Since then, I feel (yes, feel, dammit) like a mini war has developed between Manly and me, which I tried to deescalate with the "Mistakes Were Made" original art by Dave Sim as an olive branch to Manly and an acknowledgement to the AMOC community that any awkward tension felt by readers was something that I was the sole progenitor of. Mea culpa and all those other pretentious latin phrases, etc.

Audience reaction? Crickets. Comments either non-existent, critical, or let's face it, bidding on some one-of-a-kind Cerebus item. All those lovely tweets that used to go up after my posts have come to a shrieking halt. All the while, understandably, Manly keeps upping the ante every week -- the red highlighter/Seiler impersonation added to my published post, retaliatory/preemptive posts on Monday nights (meaning my in-kind responses need to be thought up and executed overnight), and this week, copy that I wrote for today's post appropriated by Manly for his post yesterday AND artwork that I commissioned from Dave and had not yet used, used with his admittedly funny strip AMOCnutz strip on AMOC yesterday.

<ahem>

Are mom and dad having a fight?

<sigh>

I don't mind keeping this rolling. Really, I don't. I like sarcasm and barbs. Parry, riposte. Check... um... check? To ensure things don't get prematurely appropriated again, I can compose my posts away from AMOC. I can work with Rolly to ensure SDOAR art reward and commission scans go only to me. I mean, once I post them, they're fair game. And the art is Emo Manly. If anyone has the right to abscond with that art for their own comedic devices, it's Manly. I mean, it's his giant freakin' head.

But here's my thing. I don't know if the AMOC readership is enjoying the tit for tat. The anything-you-can-do, I-can-do-better, point-counterpoint comic strips. I also fear our responses are about to get out of hand (if they haven't already). 

This is Manly Matt Dow's A Moment of Cerebus. He owns the joint. The AMOC landlord, if you will. I'm merely renting. On Tuesdays. And he's got the keys to my proverbial apartment. 

What's my point? Well, I could be off-base. This slow-motion train wreck could be the most fun AMOC readers have had since Reads! (That's a joke, son). 

Or, enough is enough!

Which is why I am asking AMOC readers to add in the comments what they think. 

"Keep it up, Jen and Manly!"

"Tone it down, y'all!"

"The ribs! Hit 'im in the ribs!"

"Can mom and dad please stop fighting?"

"Jen, you really are too sensitive. Less with the feelings and more with the jokes!"

It'll be like that time readers decided to murder Robin. Or when that polar research ship got named Boaty McBoatFace. 

Okay, maybe not the best examples, but let us know what you think! 

In the meantime, I'm going to put the SDOAR 2023 comic strip on the back burner (with the stove off), and not add any more gasoline to the fire whilst I wait on everyone's vote, something I like to call:

🚨 AMOC: DECISION EMO 2023 ðŸš¨

🚨🚨 BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: FINAL RESULTS ðŸš¨ðŸš¨

Puncheminnaface/rollwithit/fight/EmoMichaelR/riposte: 34 votes
Beware Dave's comic art metaphysics/drop it:                1 votes

🚨🚨 BREAKING NEWS UPDATE: FINAL RESULTS ðŸš¨ðŸš¨

    Now where did I put that quote? Oh, here it is...

    "Having been a long term Patreon supporter I figured it was time to donate here and unlock another page."                                    - Dion Turner, GoFundMe Donor

    And very much appreciated by me and Dave. So much so, that despite Dion refusing any rewards for unlocking a page, Dave cobbled together a few freebies anyway!
    Looking to receive your own piece of production art? Simply donate enough to unlock the next page (every $200) and we'll get Dave to take care of you! Just remember to confirm if you want it signed, personalized, any recommended personalization, and Bob's your uncle! 

    If you want something super special, like the Emo Manly that Manly prematurely absconded with, please reach out to me at jen@typingmonkeys.com and we'll see what sort of donation Dave might have in mind.

    SDOAR 2023 GoFundMe -->> https://www.gofundme.com/f/sdoar-2023 <<-- SDOAR 2023 GoFundMe

    SDOAR GoFundMe Tote Board

    And in case you thought I was exaggerating, below is the copy and paste, right down to the extraneous period:
    • *ONE* new pages unlocked since last week
    • $6,055.00 raised from 106 donations (plus $62.08 outside of GoFundMe).
    • 34 new pages released as mocked up by Dave Sim from Jun. 11 to Sep. 6, 2021
    • 55 total pages available on Dropbox, including Dave's 2019 mocked-up pages
    • Only $145.00 away from unlocking page 56
    Just the Facts, Ma'am
    • If you have not donated >> $5+ donation grants access to all 55 pages and all pages moving forward! 
    • If you have donated (thanks!!) >> GoFundMe does not have an option for monthly subscriptions. So... if you want to donate on a monthly basis, please do so as we are in the final days of month #5.
    • GoFundMe is a dreadful communication platform -- if you haven't heard back from me, gotten access to the new pages, etc., please email me at jen@typingmonkeys.com
    SDOAR 2023 GoFundMe -->> https://www.gofundme.com/f/sdoar-2023

    Jen's Non-Stressful Giant-Sized Ashcan(s) Update
     
    Proofreading on issue #1 continues. We found at least one typo (where's Seiler when you need him?) and a bunch of minor adjustments to make. Issue #0 is still in progress. Fingers crossed we can drag these across the finish line in June, and get them in everyone's hands in July. Did I say fingers crossed?
     
    How Low Can She Go? Cerebus #14, 15, 16!
     
    Next up on the block are Cerebus issues #14, 15 and #16. Good clean duplicate copies I bought as a collection -- never opened by me! 
    Make me an offer for all three -- or any individual issues you might be missing from this week or a previous week -- and I'll donate the proceeds to the SDOAR GoFundMe campaign!

    If you are interested, you should know the drill by now -- email me at jen@typingmonkeys.com and I'll get you sorted!

    SDOAR 2023 GoFundMe -->> https://www.gofundme.com/f/sdoar-2023 <<-- SDOAR 2023 GoFundMe

    That's all she wrote!

    Jen

    24 comments:

    Tony Dunlop said...

    Um, just for the record - when I asked when Emo Dave was getting his own book, my tongue was firmly in my cheek, as they say. I assumed that went without saying...

    However, if anything can be done to expedite more of SDOAR seeing at least some daylight, I don't give a hoot whose feathers get ruffled in the process! Puncheminnaface!

    Jen said...

    So much for my new career as a comic strip mega creator!!! 😭

    Craig Johnson said...

    Do what Dave did on Cerebus - it's your space, do what you like! If you're happy with it, roll with it...

    Jen said...

    Thanks for voting! I'm counting that as, "Puncheminnaface!"

    M J Sewall said...

    I freggin' love it. Fight! Real fight, pretend fight, I don't care as long as you keep bringing the funny.

    Michael R. said...

    Hi Jen!
    Can there be an Emo Michael R? I can be the one to ask questions and mediate you and Emo Manly. :)
    Michael R.

    Jen said...

    Michael R... From Easton Pennsylvania....be careful what you wish for!

    Brian West said...

    Fun and Games, Jen. Fun and Games.

    I think folks at AMOC take Cerebus and SDOAR seriously but -- by and large --don't take themselves too seriously here. Don't think the strips are anything negative at all. Just some friendly crossfire among creatives.

    So, my vote is for you to keep riposting away.

    Jen said...

    Landslide, baby! Landslide!

    The Literate Engineer said...

    I love Tony’s use of “Puncheminnaface,” so I vote, “Puncheminnaface.”

    Tony again said...

    As usual Brian gets to the point. I think most of us AMOCers see the Emo strips as some lighthearted ribbing, at worst.

    Jen said...

    Tony, I get to count your vote twice, right?

    Margaret said...

    I'd like my 20 votes go to: Puncheminnaface

    Wait, did I say that part out loud?

    Put my "vote" to: Puncheminnaface

    Thanks!

    Jen said...

    And the votes are pouring in, ladies and gentlemen! "Vote once! Vote twice! For Puncheminnaface!"

    Michael R. said...

    Hi Jen!
    Can we get a visual “Puncheminnaface”? Maybe more votes will come in?
    Michael R

    Christon said...

    Keep punching!! It's entertaining on both ends!!!

    John Slevin said...

    Just keep doing what you’re doing Jen, I’m entertained and Tuesday updates always make Tuesday’s less Tuesday!

    Steve said...


    I figured it was all fake, or attention seeking; I honestly don't care one way or the other.

    SDOAR isn't important enough to me to give Dave money to work on, and if the Emo strips are straightforward enough I read them, otherwise I'm on to something else.

    Steve

    Anonymous said...

    Don't normally comment but Steve's attitude on SDOAR is likely common enough that I'll share my opinion, which is that I've always wanted to be interested in the project but haven't been until now, because the crowdfunding of Dave's version and the possibility of it eventually coexisting alongside Carson's has made me more interested in both the project itself and in the minutiae of this bit of comic history. I'm glad Dave can still do his thing; he spent decades stubbornly doing his thing his way, and if he values this thing enough to devote his aging body and spirit to seeing it through even after Carson's (by all reports, stunning) completion of it, then I still probably won't pick up a physical copy, but I do think it's about time I threw him a fiver. Cheers, Dave, and may you go to your grave with fully functional wrists. PS: Have you ever tried to draw with your non-dominant hand? What were the results? Ever do it just for the novelty/practice?

    Michael Grabowski said...

    I vote for Julius's Goat. No, wait. Puncheminnaface! Yeah, that's it.
    And I would get a kick out of being able to buy a double-sided comic pairing the Emo strips with Manly's rejoinders.

    Just steer clear of doing Emo Damian and I think you'll be fine.

    Jen said...

    See, Manly? I told you are fake feud would work! After we publish our double-sided comic, we're going to be rich! Rich, I tell you!

    Anonymous said...

    I thought all of this feud or "feud" was in good fun. Manley seemed, as much as I could get an idea of someone based on their online presecne as someone with a good and healthy sense of humor and the absurd. But if it's really getting to Manly or you or both...then I vote to drop the whole thing immediately!

    There's more than enough internet angst out there without adding more to it and that's before considering Dave's Comic Art Metaphysics to this whole comic strip equation; putting representations of yourselves into the strip. Who knows?

    A dissenting view for you.

    I did find the Birdsong/Pig Pen gag in the previous post to be funny; done with perfect timing and using the Dore smoke (?) or cloud (?) or fog (?) to perfect effect.

    Still, my vote is drop it.

    Peace,

    A Fake Name

    Tony one more time said...

    Actually Emo Damian would be perfect; nobody's more Emo than Dame.

    (Obligatory Jesse Ventura line: I'm Joking, I'm Joking, I'm Joking.)

    Lee Thacker said...

    I've just unsubscribed from Patreon (no updates, benefits or special offers) but will be contributing to the GoFundMe page from now on. Having jut downloaded the TSDOAR Dropbox mock-up pages and, with Carson G dropping out, I was wondering if Dave would consider me as a possible illustrator? I contributed to the 'try-out' pages back in the day. Now that I'm retired, I have all the time in the world to give these pages a go...