The Adams Experiment
Just to let you all know how things are going, Scott and I (HEY! I called him "Scott!" That's a breakthrough of some sort) have agreed that pushing the marriage angle was a mistake, and that breaking up a single subject into four daily strips seems to dilute the impact of the strip.
Many readers have expressed that Scott Adams is "ruining" my strip. I'm really touched that so many of you feel strongly enough about my strip to be concerned.
Think of Scott and me as two guys working on a car to see if they can get it to run better. We pop the hood, tinker with the carbeurator (It's an older car -- something with tail fins) then I drive it around the block a few times. If the change makes the car run better, we keep it. If not, we don't.
The point is this, I'm not going to let Scott do anything that will permenantly damage the car. I need to drive it to work tomorrow.
We've got another thing or two we want to try, but we are starting to change our focus from doing something new to making what I've been doing all along work better.
I'll keep you posted.
Many readers have expressed that Scott Adams is "ruining" my strip. I'm really touched that so many of you feel strongly enough about my strip to be concerned.
Think of Scott and me as two guys working on a car to see if they can get it to run better. We pop the hood, tinker with the carbeurator (It's an older car -- something with tail fins) then I drive it around the block a few times. If the change makes the car run better, we keep it. If not, we don't.
The point is this, I'm not going to let Scott do anything that will permenantly damage the car. I need to drive it to work tomorrow.
We've got another thing or two we want to try, but we are starting to change our focus from doing something new to making what I've been doing all along work better.
I'll keep you posted.
posted by Scott Meyer at Friday, August 17, 2007
34 Comments:
I'm glad Scott is helping you out, because I love your strip (now part of my RSS feed list) and I'd love to see you succeed. I don't think all his ideas have been right, but he knows more than me about syndicating a comic and you have to try some things out to see if they work.
The day he posted about you I read every strip you had ever put up, and with your ISPs bandwidth issues that day, it was quite a challenge.
;-)
Keep it up. Funny as hell.
I like in the first example that the dudes shoulder breaks through the frame.
hey you know what? i bet you already thot of this but here it is anyway: you can write a basic instructions comic on how to make a comic series famous and/or crash an ISP at the same time. e.g. 1) draw comics for a very long time (including carbon copying over actual pictures) 2) get Scott Adams to blog about you.
I came across your comic through Adams' blog. I absolutely love it. I hope you don't change the general motif regardless of what Mr. Adams has to say about it. Just because you are not as famous (now) does not mean you don't have a good thing going.
I never quite understood Scott's advice that your strip needed to be "about something." A how-to-themed strip is "about" learning to do things!
Yes, I agree that so far the way you naturally structure your strips works better than what you've been trying with the other Scott (heehee). But I think it's great that you've been experimenting. He's good at not being married to an idea, so I think he'd be ideal to work with on something like this.
I too stumbled onto your strip from the Dilbert Blog. I spent pretty much a whole afternoon falling out of my chair laughing at the comics. If it wasn't for the beard and lack of hair, I'd say that your main character is pretty much me and the short haired woman is pretty much my wife. Keep your own thing going. As Capt Sawyer said, funny as hell.
I love your work (also turned onto it by Scott Adams), and as much as I have time to have been reading back through your past strips.
One comment on the revised format (and to some extent on the focus/non-focus on relationships): What comes across in your usual layout, and what seemed missing in the three-pane views, is that the characters really do love each other. There's usually something at the beginning or at the end of the strip to bring it back home to that, and it seemed missing in your experimental approach. It's the difference between banter (or bickering) and contempt.
Regardless of approach, keep doing what you've been doing!
Huzzah for your work, and may it have a wider reach. I trust the car that is your strip doesn't end up as a Yugo.
With that in mind, a request: you'd mentioned graduating to a full-color look, but some of us passengers would rather you didn't. Reason being, Basic Instructions is, well, instructions, and so far the graphic look reminds us of an instruction manual. The text isn't like what lawyers put in those things, but more like a very contrite lawyer's prose.
If b/w seems too bland for you, spot color could make it stand out while keeping the instruction manual look. Just don't go full-color, and please keep creating it --there are plenty of numbskulls who need you to preach it.
I have to say I like your original style more. Good decision to get back to it.
Even though English is not my native language they were all very funny ;)
Please don't reduce the words to make it all too appealing to the dumbass..I would like see you as Seinfeld rather than as Friends if you what I mean...Btw you rock!!!!!!!
On the topic of term papers, people also do not master overnight the writing techniques necessary for a great term paper.
Your current style has been in use for at least a year, whereas the new layout has only been around for a couple weeks.
I'm new to your strip, and I love your box format more than the new rectangle (for a lack of better words), but I also think that if you practiced this new format you would likely be able to succeed at it, delivering a more steady flow of strips with continuity. That last part really helps the business side.
Perhaps for now your published versions should remain the same, but I think it would be very useful to continue practicing the rectangle and, if you adapt to it, changing to that style in the future.
Regardless, I love the strip, and now have a total of 6 strips that I will be reading regularly.
the 3-panel strip about the heisenberg uncertainty principle is absolutely hilarious -- (right on the mark of course).
the big format strips are definitely have more room for creativity & expressiveness, but your 3-panel ones *do work*.
if that's the ticket to the big time, might be worth keeping at it a while longer!
Like the others, I'm from the other Scott's blog. Like the others, I think you've made quite a few great strips. Like the others, I think it's good that you try out different approaches. Like the others, I think you should stick with the general how-to formula, only occasionally treating relation specific issues. It's enough that the characters often touch relation issues as a side effect.
Unlike the others, however, I don't think the "short" format is that bad. Yes, the old format naturally allows for a richer (and sometimes more story-like) expression, but there's something about the short strips that feels more appealing, maybe even addictive. The short form presents a cleaner, more simple idea. Perhaps a bit Larson-esque. The old format is also more demanding on the reader - we have to spend more time reading. Yes, it's usually worth it, but not everyone might discover that. A short strip is simply more attractive and easier to read. Maybe you could use the old format as a sunday format. Maybe even in color.
Also, you don't need to "extract" the short format strips from long format ones. Some topics might lend themselves to just a single short strip. Yes, that would mean less output from one "inspiration", but you seem to have enough of that ;)
Hey there,
I'm (for some reason) glad that I came to read your and Scott's strip independently... A friend put me on to your strip a while back and I love it.
It was great to see your name pop up in Scott's blog too, and interesting to see him try and push you through a wrangle to get better chance of syndication (then you can have a fleet of cars to tinker with ;-)
I agree with the consensus that the original box format seems to fit best - but having been used to that before seeing the strip format, I am most likely biased. If you were to try adding colour, definitely keep the tech manual type feel and use the same sort of colouring style as, say, the safety cards on planes used to look (they may still do - I haven't flown for quite a few years now).
Anyway - like you have already said, you won't do anything to "break" Basic Instructions, so keep on with the most excellent work, and I hope the Scott Adams experiment helps you out positively.
I'm another guy who learned about your strip from Scott Adams' blog, and I've already read all of your strips.
It made me laugh quite a lot at work, which turned out to be a problem at some points. Perhaps a strip about how to avoid looking foolish at your workplace would be in order :p
Anyway, I agree with everyone else when they say that your old stuff was better.
Keep up the good work!
Came upon BI completely unaware of the Dilbert dude connection.
First, found your strip incredibly funny.
Second, ordered "I am an adult" tee-shirts for my offspring.
Third, blogged about The Adams Experiment on "Boxing the Octopus" (http://boxingoctopus.blogspot.com/2007/08/basic-instructions-your-saturday-amuse.html). The artistic mentor/mentee balance is tricky. There are a lot of young writers who will learn from your pragmatic keep-your-head-screwed-on response to it.
Anyway, good luck. Hope to see you in big-time syndication soon!
I found your comic before this Scott Adams fiasco. Just because his comic went from "about what now?" to "about an office" to succeed doesn't mean you have to pick one thing to be "about"; you've already got the thing to be "about," you're "about" instructing people on various topics.
I happen to like how things were a great deal, and seeing someone whose recent exposure has erred less on the side of "this guy writes a comic" to more "this guy espouses who-cares-what on his blog" come in with advice that seems more like taking over the show and messing it up is not something I enjoy the prospect of.
Since you call it "the Adams experiment" I am hoping you're open to the idea that some experiments don't yield viable results.
Stick with what was good.
I hope you're not thinking that syndication is a good thing.
Newspapers?!?
People still read those???
Hi,
I also found out about your comic through Scott Adam's blog. I read through them all and found them pretty funny.
I like the original format, I think because it is self contained. One topic cleanly presented in one strip (for the most part). You might be able to get that to work in the rectangle but I think you need to stick to wrapping up the topic in one strip.
I thought it was funny when the other Scott suggested there were too many words. Your aim is to get in the newspaper, right? I think the draw of your comic is the words, not the art. I do feel the art does add a nice touch. Some of the expressions on the faces are great.
I like the style of having the text explain how to do something and then having the characters implement that advice just a little off the mark (or far off the mark as with one telling the kid not to smoke).
I told my wife that I thought these were funnier than Dilbert. She disagreed but she has read just a few of yours and not many more of Dilbert so I don't consider her a knowledgeable source.
Keep up the good work.
Anything that gets more people to read your work!
His help is good. I like your comic the way it is, but if he can get you syndicated so you can do this for a living or for a good part-time job, then more's the better.
I'm glad that Scott Adams found your comic and is helping you to promote it if for no other reason than it helped me stumble across it.
I hope you find a way to make it work for everyone, and that you will become as popular as Mr. Adams.
I found out about your strip through Scott Adam's blog and I've read all of your previous strips.
The wordier, 2x2 strips are funnier, but then again, you are working in a modified format and the new strips are still funnier than 90% of what's published now.
Hope you get to quit your day job!
I found your format different enough to catch my interest... perhaps to syndicate you need to do things differently, but this is a world where syndication is no longer an absolute necessity.
If you want advice, you could do worse than to look here:
http://www.pvponline.com/
He's a chap who basically went indy, and is doing rather well for himself.
Hi Scott,
I just wanted to say I'm glad you've abandoned the dailies format. You're so much funnier in a 4 part square.
While I wish you all the commercial success in the world (and a handsome and talented guy like you deserves it, unlike us ugly schmo's who deserve no more than the dull lives we lead, occasionally cheered by a cutting insight from the jesters of truth such as yourself. But I digress.) I'm concerned that Mr Adams is coercing to dilute your humour and destroy your comic in a strange comic nemesis kind of way. Have you considered that your awesome powers of humour threaten him?
Then again, what would I know? I'm just an undeserving and ugly schmo.
Stay on target buddy.
The car-tinkering analogy is perfect. And also reasuring to those of us who think you're simply brilliant in the four-panel format and broader topic range... but tinkering must be done! Not only a rite of passage and classic male bonding ritual, but it could save you a blown headgasket down the road... ;)
Another Dilbert blogger here...
While your original format perfectly fits your style, some of the 3-panel cartoons have also been hilarious.
Given the amount of time that you've been drawing the larger cartoons, I am quite sure that you will also perfect the 3-panel format - and probably in a shorter period of time.
And if that's the format that will make you money, by all means stick with it.
What I would say is continue to make cartoons in the original format though, you can proably use them on Sundays and once you get syndicated you could easily sell a book with a mix of formats...
I had never heard of the strip until the Scott Adams intervention. I love it and have passed it on the at least 10 people.
My 2-cents worth: The strip is very funny! It has a great blend of reality and parody: VERy real situations with insane, sarcastic handlings.
Personally, I think a 3-panel strip might be too crowded for a newspaper. The type might get too small. A one panel with the setup on the left, as you initially tried, might be easier on the reader. It'd be an extended one-liner. Also, the one-panel strips lead into a week-long running gag. I love it when a srtip continues the gag into the week. Your original concept of the 4-panel might be able to be expanded into a week-long topic. You would need to have an bit od expository script in the setup panel, but that's that it's for anyway.
Hi Scott
Been following this topic since Scott Adams first mentioned it on his blog. I really like your strip in the four-panel format, but I understand what Scott Adams is saying about the necessity to use three panels. It strikes me that the problem that Scott has is that there are too many words - Dilbert tends to spread one idea across three panels, whereas you sometimes spread several ideas, or several takes of the same idea into the same space. Would cutting down the number of concepts per strip make it more visually appealing, without undermining the overall humour?
Foe example, in "How to be X-treme" the first panel could be split into two panels, each with one pair of speech bubbles, but without losing the overall message. Does that make sense.
Anyway, keep up the good work and I'll keep reading, whatever you end up doing!
Please don't let Scott Adams ruin your comic. All these "ideas" aren't very appealing. Just keep doing things the way you've been doing.
Anonymous wrote:
" I'm concerned that Mr Adams is coercing to dilute your humour and destroy your comic in a strange comic nemesis kind of way. Have you considered that your awesome powers of humour threaten him? "
Adams has form as a Comic Killer.
He loved Mike Belkin's "Unfit" strip, gave him some advice, promoted it on his blog. Then killed him in the dead of night.
I just found your comic via a printout a coworker had taped to his office door. Working my way through your archives, I'm really impressed. I think your attempt at dailies is far better than most dailies. Yes, breaking a strip up does dilute it, but that's the nature of writing dailies.
Great stuff. I love it.
well the first one I laughed out loud at was the light glinting on the food in the beard....
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