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I am very grateful for my fans (both of them) but one of the frustrating things to me, and the reason there aren't more of them is that people just read an issue or two and feel the saga isn't for them.
I could mention that the fact that The Un-Iverse asks for a certain level of commitment up-front is kind of daunting. Or I could mention that despite the first couple of issues being relatively calm and straightforward, the saga gets better as it goes along (by design). Ultimately, while both things are true, I don't actually blame a person for reading the first two issues and not pursuing things further. They are nice enough, but as if now there are 64 issues past them on the site. Thanks, but no thanks.
It's frustrating not just because I believe that a slow-burn when creating an arc is more satisfying, but I think people who are used to explosive Pilots and first episodes on TV need a hook to grab them. Is it that there ISN'T a good hook for Gilda And Meek? That's kind of true, but even if there were, I'd still want to hold back on it a little. And my reasoning partly has to do with why I view fiction and popular culture differently than other people. And let me be fucking blunt: I believe my perspective is the healthier one.
For many works of fiction, when they start out, they wanna grab the viewer / reader. Like the plane exploding on the beach in the first scene of Lost. Or Laura Palmer's body being washed ashore on Twin Peaks. I don't begrudge David Lynch, but I kind of do J.J. Abrams. I don't think that mindset is healthy. There are actually few shows (Game Of Thrones comes to mind that instantly) that court controversy as well as trying to grab the viewer. The watercooler talk being outrage is also something a lot of new stuff tries to do in the first episode.
No. That doesn't work for me. My advice to anyone making a Pilot: Be VERY fucking careful. Every single thing you set up is something the series / comic is going to have to deal with for the rest of its existence. The reveal of Joseph Gribble on King Of The Hill is the funniest thing about that show's first episode. And it arguably ruined a great deal of the enjoyment of the rest of the series (forever!) because we all had to live with it from then on out.
Don't be outrageous with your Pilots. Be careful. Understand that if you make Steve's friends on American Dad randomly repulsive for a gag about what a loser he is in the first episode, you are stuck with those gross-ass designs forever. Yes, the first two issues of Gilda And Meek are shockingly basic compared to everything else. I deliberately refused to either take chances, take a moral or political stand, or engage in real thought-provoking drama before the premise was firmly established, and the reader was used to the characters.
And me doing that has definitely curbed a LOT of repeat business past those first two issues. But I don't regret it, because it made the foundations of the saga remarkably strong so I COULD do crazy stuff later on. But I had to establish a Baseline of normalcy first. A series or comic that doesn't do that, and wants to knock the viewer / reader's socks off right out of the gate, probably will see their saga fall apart in the long run. You need to establish rules and characterization before doing Big Drama or outrageous story turns.
For an example, in the second issue, the group is taken hostage by the Agency. One of the Agents, Agent Barracuda, is a particularly nasty, violent, and disturbed individual. And I wondered as I was writing that hostage scene if he should punch 9-year-old Bernadette in the face. It would totally have been in character for him, and a good demonstration of what a monster he is. But it's the second fucking issue! If Agent Barracuda and Bernadette first crossed paths in the tenth issue, he'd punch her. Not even a question in my mind. In the second? No freaking way!
People don't want to hear that controversies and bold storytelling decisions need to be handled carefully. People are spoiled by binging and want their answers and revelations NOW NOW NOW! I think that mindset is damaging, not just for the project in question, but for the poor viewer. If the viewer ALWAYS has such high expectations for every single thing they sample, they'll never be able to appreciate or enjoy small, nice things. Speaking as someone who DOES enjoy small, nice things in my entertainment, not being able to do that sounds like a special level of Hell for me. So, no, the first couple of issues of Gilda And Meek will NOT blow your mind or change everything you ever knew about comic books. And regardless of the fact that those stories' basic natures makes it MUCH less likely for samplers to keep going, the bones of the story being so strong helped out everything else in the long run, when the saga DID start to become amazing.
Just to give you an idea of how seriously I take the notion of "Be careful with your Pilots because you only get one," the very first issue of Gilda And Meek is titled "Groundwork". There is no construction in the story, and it might seem a bit of a Non-Sequitur in hindsight. But the story was ALWAYS designed to lay the foundations and Groundwork for all 89 issues and their canon that followed, which is why the title is what it is, and why the title is actually perfect for that issue.
Some creators sincerely believe that first and early episodes of a series are the right place for experimentation and trial and error. WRONG. They are where you ESPECIALLY need to play things safe, and avoid risks at all costs. And the fact that I seem to be the only current creator who understands that is both why Gilda And Meek And The Un-Iverse is unusual, and also why it has so few repeat customers. But on this specific mindset, I shall never budge.
Be careful with your first issues, folks. Flashiness and controversy may get you instant notice and attention, but they will hurt the long-term health of the story. Establishing a concrete baseline is how the sturdiest canons are constructed. Groundwork. Remember it.
I could mention that the fact that The Un-Iverse asks for a certain level of commitment up-front is kind of daunting. Or I could mention that despite the first couple of issues being relatively calm and straightforward, the saga gets better as it goes along (by design). Ultimately, while both things are true, I don't actually blame a person for reading the first two issues and not pursuing things further. They are nice enough, but as if now there are 64 issues past them on the site. Thanks, but no thanks.
It's frustrating not just because I believe that a slow-burn when creating an arc is more satisfying, but I think people who are used to explosive Pilots and first episodes on TV need a hook to grab them. Is it that there ISN'T a good hook for Gilda And Meek? That's kind of true, but even if there were, I'd still want to hold back on it a little. And my reasoning partly has to do with why I view fiction and popular culture differently than other people. And let me be fucking blunt: I believe my perspective is the healthier one.
For many works of fiction, when they start out, they wanna grab the viewer / reader. Like the plane exploding on the beach in the first scene of Lost. Or Laura Palmer's body being washed ashore on Twin Peaks. I don't begrudge David Lynch, but I kind of do J.J. Abrams. I don't think that mindset is healthy. There are actually few shows (Game Of Thrones comes to mind that instantly) that court controversy as well as trying to grab the viewer. The watercooler talk being outrage is also something a lot of new stuff tries to do in the first episode.
No. That doesn't work for me. My advice to anyone making a Pilot: Be VERY fucking careful. Every single thing you set up is something the series / comic is going to have to deal with for the rest of its existence. The reveal of Joseph Gribble on King Of The Hill is the funniest thing about that show's first episode. And it arguably ruined a great deal of the enjoyment of the rest of the series (forever!) because we all had to live with it from then on out.
Don't be outrageous with your Pilots. Be careful. Understand that if you make Steve's friends on American Dad randomly repulsive for a gag about what a loser he is in the first episode, you are stuck with those gross-ass designs forever. Yes, the first two issues of Gilda And Meek are shockingly basic compared to everything else. I deliberately refused to either take chances, take a moral or political stand, or engage in real thought-provoking drama before the premise was firmly established, and the reader was used to the characters.
And me doing that has definitely curbed a LOT of repeat business past those first two issues. But I don't regret it, because it made the foundations of the saga remarkably strong so I COULD do crazy stuff later on. But I had to establish a Baseline of normalcy first. A series or comic that doesn't do that, and wants to knock the viewer / reader's socks off right out of the gate, probably will see their saga fall apart in the long run. You need to establish rules and characterization before doing Big Drama or outrageous story turns.
For an example, in the second issue, the group is taken hostage by the Agency. One of the Agents, Agent Barracuda, is a particularly nasty, violent, and disturbed individual. And I wondered as I was writing that hostage scene if he should punch 9-year-old Bernadette in the face. It would totally have been in character for him, and a good demonstration of what a monster he is. But it's the second fucking issue! If Agent Barracuda and Bernadette first crossed paths in the tenth issue, he'd punch her. Not even a question in my mind. In the second? No freaking way!
People don't want to hear that controversies and bold storytelling decisions need to be handled carefully. People are spoiled by binging and want their answers and revelations NOW NOW NOW! I think that mindset is damaging, not just for the project in question, but for the poor viewer. If the viewer ALWAYS has such high expectations for every single thing they sample, they'll never be able to appreciate or enjoy small, nice things. Speaking as someone who DOES enjoy small, nice things in my entertainment, not being able to do that sounds like a special level of Hell for me. So, no, the first couple of issues of Gilda And Meek will NOT blow your mind or change everything you ever knew about comic books. And regardless of the fact that those stories' basic natures makes it MUCH less likely for samplers to keep going, the bones of the story being so strong helped out everything else in the long run, when the saga DID start to become amazing.
Just to give you an idea of how seriously I take the notion of "Be careful with your Pilots because you only get one," the very first issue of Gilda And Meek is titled "Groundwork". There is no construction in the story, and it might seem a bit of a Non-Sequitur in hindsight. But the story was ALWAYS designed to lay the foundations and Groundwork for all 89 issues and their canon that followed, which is why the title is what it is, and why the title is actually perfect for that issue.
Some creators sincerely believe that first and early episodes of a series are the right place for experimentation and trial and error. WRONG. They are where you ESPECIALLY need to play things safe, and avoid risks at all costs. And the fact that I seem to be the only current creator who understands that is both why Gilda And Meek And The Un-Iverse is unusual, and also why it has so few repeat customers. But on this specific mindset, I shall never budge.
Be careful with your first issues, folks. Flashiness and controversy may get you instant notice and attention, but they will hurt the long-term health of the story. Establishing a concrete baseline is how the sturdiest canons are constructed. Groundwork. Remember it.
