Blow that trumpet...
Um... am I allowed to bring my good reviews to your attention?
Is that cool...?
The Mark Millars of this world have no qualms about telling the world how "fucking brill" their work is... and such blatant braggadocio never seems to make the readers uneasy... or do their careers any harm. But I've always been a bit squeamish about engaging in the self-aggrandising promotion this industry seems to require from its creators.
Sure, I don't mind sharing the occasional pic with you, specially if I'm pleased with the way it turned out... or ones that tease at upcoming plot developments...
But I've always thought that showing off your good reviews is a pretty cowardly way of telling the world how great you think you are.
However... I am watching my peers' careers accelerate away from me, purely because they are so good at generating publicity for themselves... (I'm the guy who generally turns down interviews or articles about my studio... purely because I don't want people to find out that I'm the dullest man in the universe).
So, I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that self-promotion is now part of the job. And I am really proud of the work JM Straczinski and I are doing on the The Twelve. I want more people to find out about it and buy it.
I think the lady is beginning to protest too much now, so without further ado, let me guide you over to AICN's review of The Twelve Issue 6...
and this ego-boosting review from Pretty Flakes
And the answer to their first question is a resounding "No".
I'm great, me.
Is that cool...?
The Mark Millars of this world have no qualms about telling the world how "fucking brill" their work is... and such blatant braggadocio never seems to make the readers uneasy... or do their careers any harm. But I've always been a bit squeamish about engaging in the self-aggrandising promotion this industry seems to require from its creators.
Sure, I don't mind sharing the occasional pic with you, specially if I'm pleased with the way it turned out... or ones that tease at upcoming plot developments...
But I've always thought that showing off your good reviews is a pretty cowardly way of telling the world how great you think you are.
However... I am watching my peers' careers accelerate away from me, purely because they are so good at generating publicity for themselves... (I'm the guy who generally turns down interviews or articles about my studio... purely because I don't want people to find out that I'm the dullest man in the universe).
So, I've reluctantly come to the conclusion that self-promotion is now part of the job. And I am really proud of the work JM Straczinski and I are doing on the The Twelve. I want more people to find out about it and buy it.
I think the lady is beginning to protest too much now, so without further ado, let me guide you over to AICN's review of The Twelve Issue 6...
and this ego-boosting review from Pretty Flakes
And the answer to their first question is a resounding "No".
I'm great, me.
posted by Chris Weston at 2:47 AM
10 Comments:
I don't think you should be embarrassed/self-effacing/self-conscious about bringing good reviews to our attention; the people that are here are fans of your art anyway!
But would you be big enough to show us a bad review (if anyone ever wrote one)?
I'd try but the blood gushing from my wrists would probably knacker the keyboard.
I think you should go on Celebrity Big Brother.
It's okay that you've got some modesty, because I'm sure there are pleny of people out there that don't mind saying that The Twelve is one of the best looking books out there these days. I love your work. It's beautiful and it gives me great joy. Everything from the clothes and faces to the furnishings and buildings are totally wonderful. I wish you continued success and I can't wait until issue seven.
What about the write-up you got in both CSN and WIZARD ISSUE No. 200 (no less!) about your desire to work with Grant on one of his ALL-STAR SUPES one-shots? Complete with repro of your Bizarro commission piece! Methinks you have made it!
About bleedin' time!
I totally know where you're coming from.
A little whipper-snapper like myself should be promoting the hell outta myself considering the amount of talented competition who have no problem with self-promotion. Any time i do something to that effect though, i always feel like a jerk.
No one else is gonna do it for you however, so your only option is to DIY.
Well you certainly have a lot to be modest about.
While I've seen fans turn on certain creators who do hype themselves up at every possible chance, when one who has shied away from most promotion does it, it's refreshing.
But I also don't think that anyone who comes to your blog needs to be convinced how good you are, either.
For The Twelve, I'm waiting for the collection, anxiously.
Listen, you. How many years have you seen self-aggrandizing douchebags prattling on and on about how awesome they are when they constantly prove that more often than not they don't have the results to back up their bullshit? We've been over this repeatedly, but you always — let me reiterate, ALWAYS — bring your A game to even what you might consider the most trifling of scribbles, but I assure you that you not only kick ass at the drawing board like few others in the field, but you also have a clear understanding of and respect for the quality of your craft, and in every way I think it's incredibly classy that you allow your work to speak for itself. That's far more eloquent than getting up on a Millar-esque soapbox and engaging in self-promotional masturbating that would make you look and sound like a total jerkoff, which is the polar opposite of what you are.
I've often found the self-promotion done by comics professionals, be they writer or artists or whatever, to be examples of creators being allowed a forum to natter on and on and in the end they often come up looking like jerks, and based on what I've read or heard coming out of their mouths, I have sometimes not picked up whatever project they were shilling because their flagrant auto-ego-boosting utterly turned me off.
That said, this is your blog, and you can damned well use it in any way you see fit. The linking to positive reviews is cool, and it's not a case of you saying "Lookit me! I'm Chris bloody Weston, and I'm so scary talented and awesome," blah blah blah ad nauseum. You've always been a class act, and you continue to serve as an example of professionalism in a field in which such is dying out. (FINAL CRAPFEST, anyone?)
I really love The Twelve. Brilliant writing and artwork, so yes I'm wondering what limbo it's fallen into.
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