Aaron Johnson Interview

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In this episode of Jason Loves Life, I was lucky enough to get Aaron Johnson to come on and talk about his syndicated web comic and how he got his start making money from it.

Aaron Johnson

Aaron Johnson is the Creator of What the Duck (sometimes called W.T. Duck). What the Duck is a comic strip about a duck who is a photographer. It is currently syndicated around the world through Universal Press or at the website.

I met Aaron when he gave a talk at UW Parkside while I was studying animation several years ago. He has an amazing story of how he became a full time comic creator and we are very lucky to have him on the show.

Aaron is making money with his webcomic in a variety of ways through his site.

Revenue Streams for his Webcomic

A Conversation With My 12 Year Old Self: 20th Anniversary Edition

From the title I expected a touching story of a man finding a video of himself from childhood.

Instead we get this funny parody of that same situation.

I don’t want to give too much away, so just watch it.

What I love about this video

The reason why this video was chosen for the Friday Find of the Week is its perfect mix of story and comedy. The interaction between the past and present Jeremiahs is both hilarious and touching.

As someone who enjoys creating stories with comedy, it is hard to master that balance of jokes for joke sake and a joke that furthers the viewer/readers understanding of the character or plot.

In 3.5 minute movie we make a personal connection to the protagonist (present Jeremiah), we get a very small view of his life story, and it ends in a way that gives a feeling of closure. You can’t ask more from a short film/video.

Let me know what you think of my interpretation in comment section below? Feel free to include what you  liked or didn’t like about the video.

-Jason Love

JLL 006 : Interview with John Allison

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I had a wonderfully delightful interview with…

John Allison

John Allison is a British writer and artist of the webcomics Bobbins, Scary Go Round, Bad Machinery, and Giant Days. He has a long list of awards and has recently partnered up with Oni Press.

“What would Columbo do?”

Silence & Co. Graphic Novel Full Trailer

Note: at the bottom of this post you can read part of the Silence & Co. Graphic Novel

This week’s Friday Find is a Trailer for the Graphic Novel Silence & Co.

If you have followed the progress of my Comic Book (which will eventually be bond as a graphic novel), you will remember that I created a motion comic for my Kickstarter campaign (view here).

I think this will be a new trend for creators/publishers of comic books and graphic novels. Meaning if you plan on releasing a comic or want to raise money through Kickstarter you should be making a motion comic of some sort as a great way to promote your project.

The reason why it is such a great marketing tool is because …

• It is a fast way for people to judge the quality of the art & writing
• It shows professionalism and dedication (which people like)
• Can allow early feedback if done before printing
• Allows you to be in the search engines of all the video sites you submit to.

Here is the video:

What I don’t like about this Motion Comic

JLL 005 : Review of 2013 C2E2 with the WombMates

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C2E2 quick description

The Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) is a fan convention dedicated to the entertainment industry. The main focus is comic books, graphic novels, video games, toys, film (usually nerd oriented), and television.

Today’s Episode

On today’s episode we are talking with Jason and James Ford (better known as the WombMates) about their experience at C2E2.

Some of the People mentioned in the podcast:

• Jason David Frank (the Green Ranger)
• Jake “The Snake” Roberts
• Natalie Dormer from Game of Thrones
• Ron Perlman
• And more famous entertainers

Plus all the comic book creators:

R.I.P. Ray Harryhausen

The amazing visual effects creator, writer, and producer Ray Harryhausen pasted away today (May 7, 2013) at age 92.

During those 92 years he was able accomplish some amazing work including helping create “The 7th Voyage of Sinbad” (1958), “Mighty Joe Young” (1949), “Mysterious Island” (1961), and many more classics.

I have a clear memory of sitting in school watching “Jason and the Argonauts” (1981) and being fascinated with the special effects. Ray Harryhausen was the main man behind those warrior skeletons and an appearance of the Kraken.

For those interested in animation, especially the use of stop-motion animation with in live action films, Ray Harryhausen is a pioneer and a sad loss for film making.

The Rise of Webcomics

Today I have been working on organizing both my office and my emails because they both are a huge mess. I’m a little worried with only 12 hours left in the day neither will get finished. Since I am watching Everett (my 5 month old) this morning while Mama Love is getting some sleep. I am moving at a crawling pace and already exhausted.

I did, however, find time to locate another great Friday Find which is an 8 minute YouTube video you are going to enjoy.

The Video: The Rise of WebComics

The Rise of Webcomics is a quick look at webcomics from the perspective of the creators. It doesn’t go to deep into how-to or history, but I found the video getting me excited to be part of this ever changing medium.

Each of the creators in the video have a different emphasis they enjoy about their projects.

Some of those are: