Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Locus, Year Three

At the end of October, Locus Year Two will draw to a close. The end of Issue 12 is the end of a lot of things, and the beginning of a lot more. To understand this fully, you need to understand Locus from Day One. If you've been a fan since the beginning, this is all review to you--although I will be telling you behind-the-scenes stuff I've never told you before.

If you're a new fan, take a moment to look busy at your Day Job and give the following a read:

LOCUS YEAR ONE

The mantra from the beginning of this project has been "Locus Is An Experiment". Any scientist will tell you that the early experiments always end in failure and/or disappointment. Experimentation is, essentially, the process of fucking up until you can't fuck up anymore. I know that everyone likes a success story, and I know that everyone loves an instant success story full of triumphs and devoid of failures.

But that's not the way the world works, and you know it.

Locus Year One began because I was the first person in history to write, draw, color and letter an official Kiss comic all by myself. I may hold that record for a long time, although I'm sure I won't hold it forever.

Kiss 4K was a good gig. It was a fun gig. I didn't do as good a job on it as someone else would have, but I will always be grateful for the learning experience. K4K was an experiment, too. An experiment in reader interaction. And it was fun to work on a comic promoted by Gene Simmons. It was also fun to walk right up to Paul Stanley and shake his hand. That man is Living Cool. He is The Breeze.

When the Kiss gig dried up, I found myself with a hole in my life. A M/W/F schedule with nothing to update! So I relaunched an old title called "Locus". My friend DJ Coffman put in a good word with me over on Keenspot, and his friend Chris Crosby agreed to host Locus for her first year.

Locus Year One ended both in mild success and mild failure. That wasn't Chris Crosby's fault. Wasn't Keenspot's fault. Wasn't Locus' fault, either. It was the fault of the ad networks.

I live in a country run by loud, belligerent, lily-livered assclowns who think it's their right to tell everyone what is acceptable and what is not. Some of these assholes run ad networks, and they want nothing to do with Boobs, Blood and Bad Language (tm). There is a line you quite simply Do Not Cross, and that line is called "PG-13".

And if you're in agreement with that mindset, fuck you. You're wrong. Here's why:

These morons will tell you that nudity is evil. Breasts should be taboo and hidden. Ladies, what do you really think about someone you've never met insisting that a natural and life-giving part of your body is dirty and evil? Your breasts have been taboo-ed to the point where you are treated like sexual objects every single time your breasts are even slightly noticeable. I think it's fuckin' retarded.

These are the same idiots that tell you stoners are more dangerous than alcoholics. It's the same fear-mongering and the same flawed logic. For fuck's sake, people! One of the first things you ever saw in your life was a tit. And not just any tit...this was your momma's tit. And what did you do with this tit? You put your mouth over it and sucked for all you were worth.

Tits aren't evil. Humans are mammals and mammals are amazing because mammals give nutrients from their own bodies to feed their young. It's a miracle of life and a crown of evolutionary achievement.

And that (believe it or not) was Locus Year One: The Crusade for Understanding. The fans got it. The Crosbys got it, too. But the ad network ass-wipes were too afraid. Anything that robs those penny-pinching dickheads of even a dime scares the hell out of them.

They took it out on Keenspot, and Keenspot was forced to push Locus to the back of the room. I couldn't live back there, so I left.

LOCUS YEAR TWO

Locus Year Two is when I moved over to my friend Matt Jacobs' comic site, Needcomics--which later became Wevolt.

Matt's a bright guy. He and I met in the Platinum/Kiss 4K days, and he's still a good friend. Matt said he wanted to make Locus a success, and he busted his ass night and day--every day--for a whole year.

I know a lot of you guys didn't like Wevolt, but Wevolt's problems were also Keenspot's problems. Namely: Locus vs the Ad Network Assholes. Believe it or not, everything unfortunate that happened at Wevolt was (directly or indirectly) the fallout from Ad Network Assholes balking at Locus.

I only found this out two days ago, otherwise I would've told you sooner!

Matt had a lot of sweet ad revenue lined up for Wevolt, but every time those ad dicks saw that Locus was the flagship title, they all got wide-eyed and scared and rubbing their hands together all sweaty and shit. They backed out, like the chickenshit idiots they are. I have no respect for people like that. Fuck them all.

I have nothing but love and respect for Matt. In fact, Matt wanted to redesign the whole Wevolt business model to accommodate Locus! Can you believe that? A hell of a guy, Matt Jacobs.

But that's not something I thought was a good idea for him or his project. There are plenty of great comics on Wevolt that would benefit from standard ad revenue options. Why piss in everyone's punch just to keep Locus around? That's no good.

So, as Locus Year Two draws to a close, I would like to announce that Locus will be moving again. And I don't wanna hear no griping this time! Here's why:

LOCUS YEAR THREE

Starting November 1, 2010, Locus will be on her own site. I will have total and direct control over everything, and the things I have planned will be the things Locus fans have been asking for throughout Year Two.

There will be pinups. There will be a fan club. There will be cool little extras and sneak-peeks into my studio, my working process, and my previous attempts at Locus--some of which date back to the mid-90s.

Lots of this will be free. Some of it you will have to pay for. But every penny you spend will be worth it, because I'm not going to go with some generic Webcomic Fan Boy template. The only way for Locus to succeed is for me to pick and choose everything carefully. I will be building a custom experience here. You will get this treatment nowhere else. Your time spent on Locus will be unique.

Ads, for instance. There are people and businesses that would love to advertise on Locus. I know that's true. I've seen like-minded people and kindred spirits all over the internet! They're other artists, musicians, writers, tattoo artists...people like you and me are everywhere. We're all sitting around wishing that the world wasn't dominated by Disney and McDonald's and family-friendly and all-ages and all that kiddie bullshit. We're fuckin' adults! We want monsters and tits and blood and suspense and violence and sex and action!

I will be searching for these kindred souls as potential sponsors and/or supporters of Locus. So even the ads will be part of the Awesome.

You can help me, too...the way you've always helped. Bring more like-minded people to Locus. Spread the word! Not to everyone; just those who Get It.

Speaking of like-minded kindred spirits...

I won't be doing this alone. There are other webcomic-makin' people that I will be in cahoots with. Others who don't fit the standard "fat, bickering nerd" (FBN) stereotype of webcomic creator. Let's leave the Scott Kurtzes of the world to their own little corner of the intertron. That shit is working great for those guys, and more power to them. Good for you guys! You Made It.

But fuck that scene. Locus is all about tits and blood and beer and flame jobs on hot rods and extra jalapenos on EVERYTHING. And I will be in cahoots with other webcomic artists who are also sick of that sad old FBN scene. That shit is ten years out of date, at the least. None of that old shit for Locus! I'll be working with DJ Coffman and Raven Perez to make Locus Year Three the ass-kickinest year ever.

Now, I'm not going to be collaborating with them on shared projects here. When I say "working with", I'm not talking about what you think I'm talking about. This is all behind-the-scenes stuff that will make all our comics standalone successes. Raven has a great property in Raven's Dojo, which I feel is the sister comic to Locus. And DJ is launching something big very soon--as with everything related to DJ, it will be exciting. You will be hearing a lot from me about Raven's and DJ's projects, and they will be talking about Locus as well.

IN CONCLUSION (FINALLY)

Wow. That was a lot of talk. What does it all mean for you, the Locus Fan?

It means that I'm at a point in my experimentation where the test tubes don't blow up the whole lab anymore. Those of you who have been around since the beginning will be happy, because this is the year all your waiting for me to get my shit together finally pays off. Haaa!

I have big things planned for Year Three. I have a new and interesting way I'll be doing things, and much of it will be new to webcomics in general. I will be introducing these ideas slowly, and I will be giving credit where credit is due, because a lot of these ideas aren't mine. I didn't sit down and magically dream up the Be-All and End-All of Locus Success by myself. I've been fortunate enough to have friends in this field who are willing to share ideas behind the scenes with their friends, and I will be taking the ideas that are the best way to give you guys the Locus stuff you've been asking for all last year.

But I'm just telling you this. Stick around and let me show you. It'll be fun, I promise.

Whether or not you stick around is up to you. I'm glad you were here as long as you were. When I said my fans are my friends, I meant it. The Locusts, The Locultists, and the Howlin' Monkeys.

You are all my friends, and I love you all. Thanks for sticking around up till now, and I hope you dig Year Three.

23 comments:

Unknown said...

Congratulations on the changes and to you getting what you want, when you want it, how you want it.

If that isn't metal, what is?

Jasons Little Girl said...

Hey Hey hey Adam, you beautiful man you! I have more to say, but I'm heading out, be back later to comment.

Rayven said...

I'm too hooked now to jump ship. If more lame reasons haven't made me abandon other webcomics, I am so not leaving this on behind just because of another do. You do what you have to Adam to make YOU work.

Unknown said...

Yep, The Times They Are A-Changin'.

Mossy said...

Go where you will, and I'll follow. This comic is, without a doubt, the most professional webcomic I've seen out there. The nearest competitor for you out there, as I see it, is LICD or Questionable Content. Your comic, however, has the added attraction of nether-horrors, fully sculpted anatomies, and vast, ancient, vengeful gods. Nothing else on the internet can fill my art, story, horror and grimdark meters so fast.

Damn good work so far, sir. I look forward to Year Three.

Unknown said...

Dude,

I loved K4K and just found Locus about 2 weeks ago. Love this shit too. Keep up the good work, we will follow talent wherever it goes.

Unknown said...

Hey, couldnt agree more, I have been reading Locus for a long while and you can be a hell of a certain that I still will keep reading it!

Unknown said...

Thanks for the kind words, Adam.

I'll keep doing what I can to promote Locus on my end. It's been awesome working with you over the past years! Can't wait to see the new site.

If I can help in any way, just say the word.

Adam Black said...

Wow. Thanks for all the comments, you guys. That's very cool.

I hope I don't lose any readers over this, but I might. I lose readers every time I move this thing, but then I end up getting more new readers anyway. Tell you what, though: If you miss Issue 13, you're gonna kick yourself.

And everyone should know that I would totally get into a bar fight with Matt Jacobs. Not like us fighting each other; I mean if he needed someone to watch his back, I'd jump into that shit without thinking.

It's because we both have awesome hats. I told him that mine was cooler, but I think he knows I might be wrong.

Jasons Little Girl said...

Hey Adam, sorry i never got back to fixing my comment, Just wanted to say that if you get me the web address for the new locus site, Ill pass it out in a flyer or something for This HUGE Halloween haunted house. Just do something up with like locus and Spook together with the cool LOCUS font you use and then the website, ill hand that shit out to everyone! (work at a print shop so no problem makeing like a billion!) Besides, everyone wants to talk to the sexy girl in the Hockey mask, even if the brain says no, the boner always wins.

Unknown said...

For almost two years, Locus is the first site I check every M/W/F. And sometimes other days too, although I'm not sure why. I will continue to do so, no matter how many times you move.

Bearded Wolf said...

Been a reader since probably 1/2way through year one, hooked on the story ever since. Never posted a comment till now, thought it would be fitting to speak up here. You've spun an amazing tale and I wish you the utmost best with all you're yet to do. Courage is Inspiration. Having the balls to utilize that inspiration is the definition of Honor. You've exemplified all three.

gsekse said...

Adam, I think that a site made by you and run by you will be the best. I often wondered why you didn't run you own site. Especially considering the DJ has been doing just that for so long. I look forward to seeing YOUR idea of comic site versus DJ's and others. I suspect it will be different and totally entertaining.

Unknown said...

Ummmm, what's so bad about changing a website? To be honest, the only thing about Wevolt that I didn't like was that I couldn't bookmark an actual page without making an account. No big deal that. Of the fifty to hundred webcomics I have bookmarked Locus is at the top in the "check every freakin' day" category so you can count on me to be back for more no matter where Locus calls home.

Class Act said...

Been here almost since day one. Donated when it opened up. "Complained" about Locus' crazy hair, had a very fun conversation with you, and was eventually rewarded by seeing it change =P

I don't really see it being terribly difficult to follow one of my favorite comics to a new website? I read Locus three times a week, specifically because it is what you said it is. Well, sort of. I get a plot-boner out of it. It's crazy and complicated and full of likeable degenerates, which is basically what most of my work boils down to, as well.

You think there's any possibility of hosting other works on your new site? I like the WeVolt atmosphere, but I'm having a deuce of a time working my page into anything presentable. My friend I'm collaborating with on plot details for Anika knows HTML and a couple of other interbutt languages, so she could probably configure a pretty decent-looking page.

I ask not because I'm looking for free hosting--said friend has hosting, as well. But if you start this new website and manage to make it a sort of haven for "people like us", someplace to put works that take chances and don't fit in, you'd have more than a fanbase. You'd have a community.

Count Spatula said...

So, will you accept PayPal?

Anonymous said...

Well said Adam!

I love the comic, I'm sticking around and REALLY want to see Locus continue!

So, if you'll pardon the Scottish slang, may I just say:

GOAN YERSEL BIGMAN! ;-)

Jeroen van der Heide said...

Well Adam,

A note from the Netherlands, bad language, age restricted:
I understand a lot except for two things:
Thing 1: 'why are they selling sex to little girls (southpark reference) but still telling everyone that nudity is evil.' I had friends on highschool telling me they could masturbate better on a musicvideoclip then watching a pornmovie.
Thing 2: I just can't come up with the answers of how great your mind can be. Locus is one great mindfuck, along with the plottwists, backgrounds, characters and the nonsexual nudity.

To make my story shorter:
I would like to buy stuff from you. :)

As a side note:
Currently I am working on a demo with my band and asked a friend of mine to come up with a front for the cd. The only demand I had was that he would read Locus and use some of the atmosphere for it. Partly as tribute, mostly because I like it ;)


Following you from Keenspot to Wevolt to the next edge of internetspace.

Larry said...

I've been reading Locus since year the beginning, and it saddens me to think of all the crap you had to go through to keep it running as smoothly as you have. My biggest complaint throughout has been that I have to click three times to see the latest page on Weevolt (and that's not much of a complaint). Your art is amazing, your story is engaging, and the mythology of Locus is fascinating. I'd follow this site wherever it goes to keep reading. Kudos to those who've helped you along the way and screw anybody who made themselves an obstacle.

Kaua'i said...

Yo Big Ugly,

It's about time you started up your own site! (Nothing wrong with the others; it's just that you've always done things your way so it only makes sense for you to run the entire show yourself.) Can't wait to see what you got in store.

Adam Black said...

Shit...I step away from awhile to get things done, and there are a ton of more comments! Thanks, all!

Jason's Little Girl: send me an email. I know it's too late for your Halloween suggestion, but I like the cut of your jib!

Oblivious Wonder: That's kinda-sorta the plan, but none of that's going to happen until next year at the earliest. Still hashing out details.

Jeroen van der Heide: Tell me about it! The US is ass-backwards when it comes to nudity and censorship. It drives me nuts. I'm guessing it's why Robert Crumb eventually moved to France.

Count Spatula: There's a Paypal "Donate" button at the top right of every single Locus page. And thanks! :)

Everyone else: Thanks! I sincerely appreciate all the feedback. It's good to know that two years of steady updates hasn't gone unnoticed. ;)

Jasons Little Girl said...

Hey adam i have no idea how to do that.

Adam Black said...

indigoshift@gmail.com

:)