Nuclear Powered Burning Man

[Wafath]

So, thinking about the whole sketch deal, I came up with an idea that might be amusing to sketch. (not saying that I can or may or should influence what Gav sketches, just sharing this because it amuses me.)

Idea: A Design Sketch for a Nuclear Powered Burning Man

Details:
- Implausable designs are ok, especially designs with implausable budgets.

- The NPBM must be genuinely nuclear powered, not nuclear ignited chemical fire.

- "Nuclear" can be any technology normally associated with Nuke-E.

- The NPBM should maintain structural integrety for at least 5, and hopefully up to 30 seconds after achieving full power/ effect. (ie, the NPBM should not just be a bunch of bombs.)

- Ideally the NPBM should be visible to the naked (ok, behind safety glass) eye from orbit. Better yet, geo-stationary orbit.

- Any increase in survivability of persons within 100 miles, downwind, in direct line of sight, or on the same planet is not to be considered a design bonus.

There. I feel better now.

W

[Gav]

Give it a few days, and see. Since people have paid for raffle tickets, you are kind of stuck in doing something.

If you need to take me up on my offer, you could also set up a keeforums auction. I have a public starting bid, and you can see if anyone wants to raise. (but I don't want to get into a bidding war with your mom. )

(I'm not retracting, but I don't see why others can't get in on the action just because they don't have as big a mouth as I do.)

(I'm actually quoting from your comment in the other post, as it's the more pertinent thing to address and is not otherwise readable here).

Wafath, your offer is the only thing keeping my artistic ego up right now, and if you're still serious about it, I'd be happy to draw this just for you as a commissioned sketch for $100 without making you have to outbid someone for it. That, combined with the raffle proceeds, will make me feel like I've made a decent donation.

Unless of course, you wanted to start lower than $100 and try to get it for less. I'm totally willing to go that route, too. You're the man, you can decide. Would anyone here bid against him?

If I did do an auction, I don't think it would be a good idea to do it on the forums. The forums just get no traffic, after all, and I don't think people necessarily like to bid via their public personae. It makes it kind of antagonistic. I'd almost definitely go through eBay, which I know you're against, but it's the only thing really available.

[Selgeron]

hey gav, im not about to give you money or anything but I don't see why you're so down about the whole art thing. You're cartoon may not be the flashiest or whatever but it has had a consistant art style that is recognizable for a long time now and is probably my favorite 'contemporary' comic (I can't say you're my favorite, naming a favorite webcomic would be like naming a favorite child, but trust me you're way on the top of the list)

*Self Esteem BOOST*

[Shai Gar]

Best webcomics online, in order:

1. Something Positive
2. Nukees
3. Nuklear Power
4. Userfriendly
5. Crtl Alt Del

Gav and Danny are the best characters online, followed by Davin from Something Positive.
Just because you are highly popular doesnt mean you have sold out. At least you are not doing the crap cartoons disney and nickelodean put out there.

[Gav]

hey gav, im not about to give you money or anything but I don't see why you're so down about the whole art thing...

Ah, thanks... If my self-esteem is down now, it's because I was pretty disappointed with the raffle results at first. I see someone like Randy Mulhollund simply beg for money and he ends up with something like $24,000. I try to actually sell my "talents," and ended up with $15. Nothing like setting up a feedback system to put a number figure on your skills.

After pimping the hell out of the raffle, it went up to $120, and I'm not feeling as bad about that, though. Still, there will always be better artists. You're also catching me on my annual post-Comic-Con artistic depression, after I spend four days with much better artists like Chris Daily, whipping out masterpieces in about three seconds.

Best webcomics online, in order:

Well, that's nice to hear, too. Of course, I'm talking specifically to the people interested enough in Nukees to visit the forums, here...

Just because you are highly popular doesnt mean you have sold out.

Oh, Nukees is far from "highly popular." Nukees is, at best, "moderately popular." I think of stuff like Sluggy Freelance, Something Positive, Sinfest, and Penny Arcade as "highly popular." They're read by hundreds of thousands of people. Mine is only read by thousands.

And Nukees is kind of stuck in terms of its audience size. It seems like the only way to get a "big" audience these days is to have it from the start. People get intimidated by big archives. And Nukees doesn't read well from the middle.

[Sidhekin]

It seems like the only way to get a "big" audience these days is to have it from the start. People get intimidated by big archives.

I've heard that before, and I'm still not buying it.

As for my part ...

Yes, big archives are intimidating, but I've never let that stop me from picking up a comic -- quite the contrary: A big archive is a pretty good guarantee that the comic won't stop after a few dozen strips.

I've told myself that I don't have time for another comic right now -- and particularly one with a big archive -- but I've bookmarked them, and when next I've had some time to kill, I've checked them out. Sure, others may be of dfferent habits, but I don't think I'm that strange.

As for what I've seen ...

Steve Troop removed the Melonpool archives and started a new story, set later than, but existing independent from, the earlier stories. That did not seem to earn him noticeably many new readers. (Some people claimed to find it a turn-off.)

As for Nukees ...

Face it: Yours is not a mainstream comic. You are catering to an audience that, sadly, is not too numerous. I quite appreciate it, but unless you happen to catch an unpredicted wave, Nukees, as it is today, will remain a niche product.

If you are planning on making money from it, you'd better figure out how to squeeze more from your niche market.

But if what you're looking for is the big audience in itself, I fear Nukees, as it is today, is not going to cut it. You'd have to find another concept and/or approach. And hey, for all I know it might be worth it. That's your choice.

But to me, who of course hasn't invested the time and hard work involved, today's Nukees is well worth it.

[towr]

Best webcomics online, in order:

Just for reference, how many webcomics do you actually read?
(Not that I think you picked bad webcomics, but I'd trade most of them for another on my list if I was forced to.)

[damp_dave]

I see someone like Randy Mulhollund simply beg for money and he ends up with something like $24,000.

Apples != Oranges... If you did beg, I bet you'd get more than $24. Especially if you set a somewhat-reachable goal (e.g., average of $1 per reader?) and promised to go to a five-update-per-week schedule. That, to me, seems closer to what Randy did--though his numbers were probably more on the order of (guessing) 10 cents per reader.

There are other fields of achievement; for one you can compare your current salary to Randy's. Or how much Guinness you can each drink. And so on... None of them really any better or worse an indicator of your worth as a person than how much money you can raise from your webcomic.

(Oh, and isn't it "Milholland"?)

--dd

[CodeGuy]

Oh, Nukees is far from "highly popular." Nukees is, at best, "moderately popular." I think of stuff like Sluggy Freelance, Something Positive, Sinfest, and Penny Arcade as "highly popular." They're read by hundreds of thousands of people. Mine is only read by thousands.

And Nukees is kind of stuck in terms of its audience size. It seems like the only way to get a "big" audience these days is to have it from the start. People get intimidated by big archives. And Nukees doesn't read well from the middle.

I think it's largely a factor of your subject matter. Robotic ants and killer computer viruses tickle my funny bone greatly. However, the comics that you mention have scantily clad lesbians, video games, or much more average intelligence young male characters. Since webcomics are predominately an audience shared by young males, these things are easier for them to relate to.

Your only real chance of competing with them is to make Cindy Lee and Linus the Penguin into the main characters. But you're writing about stuff you care about, so I'd rather you make a first rate something you love than a second rate copy of other people's work.

[Gav]

Apples != Oranges... If you did beg, I bet you'd get more than $24.

...something I thankfully will never know.

There are other fields of achievement; for one you can compare your current salary to Randy's.

Heh heh. Well now, I'm not going to get into playing that game.

I'm not trying to gauge my worth as a person here. I already know with 100% certitude that I am the greatest human being who ever lived.

(Oh, and isn't it "Milholland"?)

Yeah, probably. I took a shot in the dark. No one can spell my last name either.

I think it's largely a factor of your subject matter. Robotic ants and killer computer viruses tickle my funny bone greatly.

Ah, but these are very popular pieces of subject matter in Anime. And drawing Anime style seems to be one of the prerequisites to having a popular webcomic.

Anyway, it doesn't matter, I ain't changing anything anyway, and I don't need money. And I like my audience. Go you guys!

[Crystalis]

No one can spell my last name either.

Bleuel. But it is in your sig.

[towr]

And drawing Anime style seems to be one of the prerequisites to having a popular webcomic.

Userfriendly? Sluggy freelance? PvP? Penny Arcade?
And I wouldn't call Something Positive anime-style either. (Since we seem to be comparing to it a lot)

I think that to be a popular comic you need a theme that appeals to a large audience. The geek, gamer and anime themes have much larger audiences than college/mad scientist theme..

[Lareth]

Concept is definitely one of the keys to a popular comic. I personally consider Nukees to be the best-written webcomic still updating. but I'm also of the opinion that most humans on the planet aren't intelligent enough to appreciate it. Gav will never say that, but I will. You don't have to be a nuclear engineer to get the jokes (most of the time) but you do have to appreciate continuity, mythological references, piercing insight, rapier wit and a fine sense of the ridiculous. That this comic has been updating without fail for nine years is mind-blowing to me. The fact that it just keeps getting better seems like it should violate the laws of thermodynamics.

The readership of this comic languishes in the thousands because people are dumb. I will spend the rest of my life trying to achieve this kind of quality, popularity be damned.

Now I have to go work on my next webcomic: an anime-style fantasy action story about house full of hot, bisexual college girls who work part-time as erotic models and play video games when they're not saving the world from the Shadow Lord and sarcastically making fools of caricatures of people I don't like.