UDONKO plz tell us what is going on

[T-hawk]

udonko we are all fans of this series and with each comic we love it even more but we also with each late comic our fear that the series wont last grows more and more
the first 2 arcs were a monthly comic now it looks every three months we get one isue tht we finish reading after 2 min
dont get me wrong i love the story i love the art and it is the best street fighter adaptation but believe me, you guys will loose alot of fans like that
in the begining you (udenko) told us whats going on and when to expect the comic now you disappeared and left us sinking in our worries.
plz udonko tell us what is wrong? why is the comic delayed with every issue?

guys if any of you here in the forum know what is going on tell me

[martinitolove]

Udon should go back to Image or an other publishing company, cause the way they are doing buisiness is awfull!

[T-hawk]

Udon should go back to Image or an other publishing company, cause the way they are doing buisiness is awfull!

yep since they started doing the publishing we start getting a comic each 3-4 month, i love the comic but my interest in it is getting lower and lower with all the delay

and i hope we can get an explaination what is going on.

[udoneko]

Theres a lot of factor to the slowing down of the SF book.

One is being we are very very anal on the quality. For the first SF series, we have Arnold, Alvin, Andrew, Omar, Long, & Noi all ganging on 14 issues, with 4 inkers and more than 10 colorist doing coloring. We are kinda happy on the outcome in terms of scheduling, but there were quite a big inconsistency in the look and quality of the pages thru out the 14 issue run. A lot has change after issue 14. A few of the guys decide to go and pursue other career, and with our decision to restart SF with SFII we feel that we gotta just establish one team and one team only to do at least a 6 issue run. If you notice, the new credit page has constantly been only ALVIN LEE, M3TH, and ESPEN GRUNDETJERN. We are much happier on how the book is looking and how it is very consistent in style and coloring. But of coz, we are talking about 3 person VS like 20 people doing it before.

Then, Con season starts. We flew Alvin back from Thailand (YES, Alvin has moved to Thailand for about a year now. He is in search of Sagat...) to NY Con so that fans of the east coast can meet with the team. That costs 2 weeks in total of the production time to prep for that convention, and back and forth. And when Alvin went back to Thailand, he got a very terrible stomach fleu that he was hospitalized for a week. Thus, the delay of issue 4 for about a 3 week schedule.

It is always a juggle between going to cons and doing the books. A lot of you has been asking "Are you going to LA?" "Will UDON be at Philly?". Honestly, we would LOVE to be at all the cons to meet all of you! However, that would mean no books will ever come out.

Why can't we put more people on the SF book? Some might ask. The plain truth is that the SF comic is not making as much as it used to. The SF book is not going to keep everyone at UDON alive. As much as we LOVE the SF book, it is still a job. Exchange rate between CDN and US dollars has been at a 14 year low, thus the printing cost of our bookand our operation cost is at a 14 year high! Even sales has been consistant at around 20K copies, our book does not have any ad sales or anything else to sponsor the production and printing cost. We have to take on other things so that we can feed the rest of the crew.

And if you think Image or other publishing companies can help, then, you go and try. One of the reasons we go independent is to eliminate the middle man so that we can be afloat longer.

Indeed, I am not proud of how our publishing schedule has been. But at least holding the 4 issues (0-3) of SF II on hand, I never regret our decision to quality over quantity.

And never has the book become 4 months each. I know waiting for a good stuff is a painful process and it aways seems longer than it seem. Look at the actual on shelf dates -

SFII #0 = Oct 12
SFII #1 = Dec 7
SFII #2 = Jan 25
SFII #3 = April 3

There is a one month break between issue 2 and 3 in solicitations (becoz we have to factor in X-Mas delaying production). Right now, it is at a 1.5 to 2 month turn around.

Thanks for the support.

EK

[T-hawk]

Theres a lot of factor to the slowing down of the SF book.

One is being we are very very anal on the quality. For the first SF series, we have Arnold, Alvin, Andrew, Omar, Long, & Noi all ganging on 14 issues, with 4 inkers and more than 10 colorist doing coloring. We are kinda happy on the outcome in terms of scheduling, but there were quite a big inconsistency in the look and quality of the pages thru out the 14 issue run. A lot has change after issue 14. A few of the guys decide to go and pursue other career, and with our decision to restart SF with SFII we feel that we gotta just establish one team and one team only to do at least a 6 issue run. If you notice, the new credit page has constantly been only ALVIN LEE, M3TH, and ESPEN GRUNDETJERN. We are much happier on how the book is looking and how it is very consistent in style and coloring. But of coz, we are talking about 3 person VS like 20 people doing it before.

Then, Con season starts. We flew Alvin back from Thailand (YES, Alvin has moved to Thailand for about a year now. He is in search of Sagat...) to NY Con so that fans of the east coast can meet with the team. That costs 2 weeks in total of the production time to prep for that convention, and back and forth. And when Alvin went back to Thailand, he got a very terrible stomach fleu that he was hospitalized for a week. Thus, the delay of issue 4 for about a 3 week schedule.

It is always a juggle between going to cons and doing the books. A lot of you has been asking "Are you going to LA?" "Will UDON be at Philly?". Honestly, we would LOVE to be at all the cons to meet all of you! However, that would mean no books will ever come out.

Why can't we put more people on the SF book? Some might ask. The plain truth is that the SF comic is not making as much as it used to. The SF book is not going to keep everyone at UDON alive. As much as we LOVE the SF book, it is still a job. Exchange rate between CDN and US dollars has been at a 14 year low, thus the printing cost of our bookand our operation cost is at a 14 year high! Even sales has been consistant at around 20K copies, our book does not have any ad sales or anything else to sponsor the production and printing cost. We have to take on other things so that we can feed the rest of the crew.

And if you think Image or other publishing companies can help, then, you go and try. One of the reasons we go independent is to eliminate the middle man so that we can be afloat longer.

Indeed, I am not proud of how our publishing schedule has been. But at least holding the 4 issues (0-3) of SF II on hand, I never regret our decision to quality over quantity.

And never has the book become 4 months each. I know waiting for a good stuff is a painful process and it aways seems longer than it seem. Look at the actual on shelf dates -

SFII #0 = Oct 12
SFII #1 = Dec 7
SFII #2 = Jan 25
SFII #3 = April 3

There is a one month break between issue 2 and 3 in solicitations (becoz we have to factor in X-Mas delaying production). Right now, it is at a 1.5 to 2 month turn around.

Thanks for the support.

EK


thank you eric for explaining what happens, i understand now.
but i was thinking maybe the delay is the factor that the street fighter books dont sell as much as they used to? cause i cant see the its the quality, the quality is getting better and bettr which each issue as well as the story.
I cant think of anything bringing back the lost sf comics fan except a new anime or a new game or maybe more advertisment.
i hope you guys will do better and make the comics on schedule, believe me the delays cause a lot of people to give up the comic, i knew personaly about two people who just said "forget it" just because of the delays. But again i uderstand what is going on and hopefully you guys will find good artists to help you out, and if there is anything you need from us, fans, to help you out let us know we really love your comics.

last questions : when can we expect issue #4 cause as you might have noticed I cant waaiiiiiiiit :D

-nabil-

[Shifty Nevers]

what happened to rival schools and dark stalkers??

[Pimp Willy]

I think if you guys did a different production team on each series, you could run all 3 at the same time, and thus triple your profits. Since, as you said, your income is all from comic sales and not ads, it makes sense to put out more issues, as a 2 month break between issues just means less money coming in.

We all love the comic, and we love the quality, and we all want to see you guys succeed!

[martinitolove]

Hey Udon,

why don't you put advertisement into the books and don't go to the conventions so often? Cause i suppose more people would like more comics (along with DS & RS) at their hands rather than your appearances at the cons. You can always communicate with the fans online as well as sell things. Further do not need to spend time planning and paying for a guys trip from Thailand and back. Think about it...

Do you earn money on the cons?

[Sano]

No way, con appearances and sketches rule. :rock: It's a great way to meet the fans, increase readership and hey, you try getting a sketch from Marvel or DC or Image at a con...

I think Studio Udon's doing a fine job, meeting the fans at the con and giving us sketches and speaking to people on various forums telling us what is going on and listening to what we have to say. I too wish for the delays to stop but as you can see they are doing what they can, making the best of it and the SF book has never looked better. So I will continue to support them anyway I can.

About Darkstalkers -

http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3026592#post3026592

Rival Schools I dunno. Didn't Rey get sick too? I vaguely remember Udoneko saying that before.

[bill_rizer]

thats a shame things have gone this way, yea the delays most certainly hurt the stories you have going on, thus some readers never come back, I hope aleast your get to finish this SF2 arc, not many SF fans no much about 3s anyway if you got to that it would be a bonus, well good luck on the work.

[nortlee]

Getting new fans is difficult this late in the comic book series. Keeping old fans is important and as stated the sales have gone down dramatically. Consumers do not know nor care about the circumstances sorry to say (Harsh but true, I'm speaking generally here). Consistency is important and if you can't keep up and keep throwing readers off with that you have a problem.

Should comic cons and such minus the big 3 (Toronto, Wizard World and SDCC) be a priority over this? Although showing fans that you care is important, keeping up a good quality and consistency in your comics is more-so.

I don't mean to sound rude but it makes sense doesn't it?

By the way who does work on the SF comics now? Did I read that Alvin Lee and Arnold Tsang have gone onto other things?

[Sagatryu]

I are you talk about this link

http://www.shoryuken.com/forums/showthread.php?t=111850

[nortlee]

Partially yeah. Cheers.

[T-hawk]

i dont personally mind the same art quality that we had in the first 2 arcs (issue 1-14) as long as we can get the once a month isuue,
i am a big fan of the comic but with each delay i felle like giving up, and i do agree the post above me that fans wont care about the circumstances, we may understand , but the general fan public wouldnt care and the sales that went down dramitically proove what i say, i wish udon can do something about it, im just afraid that the book will get canceled in the middle or like darkstalker which is still waiting for its second arc since last year.
i also think that udon took too many licences at once it would have been wise to just stick with SF and darkstalker until they make a lot of money out of them then they can do rival school and exhalted, thats my opinion.

[The V]

Arnold Tsang has gone on to other things, Alvin Lee is the current penciler with m3th on inks and Espen on colours.

The book is currently on about a bi-monthy schedule. Have you thought of officially making it a bi-monthy title? The book might need to feel a bit longer to justify this though (like issue 1) and it will need to be announced somewhere (Newsarama?). This would give you some breathing room in case staff gets sick etc and can give fans a new official schedule.

Pimp Willy mentioned puting different production teams on different projects as with Exalted and I agree this would be an ideal situation for all books. However, remember that Udon the company is primarily a freelance artist group and I think the rest of the staff is needed for those jobs. As Udoneko mentioned, the group can't live off SF book sales alone.

Martinitolove suggested more advertisements. I am not knowledgeable on how advertising works in comic books (advertisers come to you?; you go to the advertisers? Other complexities?) but this seems to be a good idea especially if it can offset some costs. SF, being a video game license appeals to gamers at some level. It seems reasonable that game companies would not mind placing ads in your book and with the upcoming next gen consoles, I'm sure Nintendo, Sony are looking to advertise as well.

I agree with the other posters that the delays are influencing sales negatively and rectifying the delays should be the main area of focus.

I am still enjoying what is out there. The quality of issues 0-3 is excellent.

[Apathy-Inc]

Getting new fans past 3 issues into a comic series is NOT difficult, that's what trades are for.

Sales are not going down, he just said they're staying at 20K, which is "alright" for any comic not in the big 2.
It's not enough to run a company on, though, so they farm themselves out.
This isn't new information, it's been the norm for quite a while now with Udon.

I knew this would happen.
Before there was whining about quality and the art being inconsistant so they nailed down a good team and set the bar even higher for their standards.
Now you're whining about the turn around time between issues.

You can't have it both ways.
2 months isn't really a long time.
Relax, there's plenty of other great books out there to read.

[coco_j]

Jeez, I never knew delays made that much of an impact. I would really rather put up with delays and more ads if it means the quality is consistent. That was something that bugged me with SF. The art style just changed too much for my liking. Alvin's SFII art is phenomenal. I want it to stay that way.

[Ryu Kazama]

The license issues sounds more like biting off more than they can chew.

Another thing they should definitely consider is scrapping variants. Like I said at SFD, I'd rather they sacrifice variants if it means us getting the comics earlier. Most buyers probably don't even buy every variant anyway.

[udoneko]

The license issues sounds more like biting off more than they can chew.

Another thing they should definitely consider is scrapping variants. Like I said at SFD, I'd rather they sacrifice variants if it means us getting the comics earlier. Most buyers probably don't even buy every variant anyway.

If we did not do variants, we would be dead by now. And Variants do not take extra time coz Alvin is not drawing 2 covers. It is always Alvin and a guest artists.

[Ryu Kazama]

So variants are the only thing saving you then eh? A bit risky don't you think?

Can't you guys get another bunch of people to slit the load between you? I'm sure most wont mind too much if the main story has a different artist now and then so long the comics are released normally. Other major comics do this frequently. Or then there's Ultimate Spider-Man, where Mark Bagley does every issue....and we're coming up to 100 now...and nowhere near as silly 2 month gaps. Mind you, the art quality is obviously different, but hey, sacrificing a bit would enhance sales, whereas what you guys are doing seems to be hurting it instead.

[Sagatryu]

Technically if you count the days between Issue 2 and Issue 3 there's about 40 days between them ( but this is only technically speaking.)

[rab_uk]

ok here's my shout out on this topic...

I've complained a little about both of these problems in the past, i didnt like it when the art wasnt so shit hot towards the end of the street fighter series ( i forget which exact issues ) , but i also dont like waiting ageeees for the issues to come out.

Obviously, i woudl love the high standard the alvin is producing to come oout monthly, but - if i really had to pick , and ok maybe this isnt an ideal solution, but if i had to pick between by monthly comics ( which is almost what they are ) with the shit hot art - or monthly comics with a lower standard - well , the bottom line for me is the that the art is most important, so i'd go for the bimonthly shit hot stuff!

Lets face it, there isnt too much to the story, and nobody is getting massive surprises in any of the issues - i'm not saying i dont enjoy reading it, i love it, but the art is paramount for me. And this sf2 series has so far been top notch.

So , Udonko ( much better name dude, udoneko just wasn't catchy ;) ....keep doin what yer doin - if u can get alvin to speed up awesome - if not, ok fair enough :)



good job Udon! Your comics are works of art that sit beautifully in my street fighter collection!

[JeKKyl]

thanks for the explanation for the delays udoneko. while i do think the gap between 2 and 3 was way too long, i'm glad you took the time out to explain why for us. considering the quality of the art so far, i'm actually totally okay with a 1.5/2 month turnaround between issues. so yeah, so long as the quality stays as high as it has been and sf can avoid the extra long delays, i'll definitley keep buying it :)

having said that, do you have any ideas when the next issue will come out udoneko? i suppose a 1.5/2 month turnaround from april 3 should mean mid-may/early june, but it'd be nice to hear for sure.

also nice to see you posting frequently on the boards again udoneko :)

[matrixdub]

Jeez, I never knew delays made that much of an impact. I would really rather put up with delays and more ads if it means the quality is consistent. That was something that bugged me with SF. The art style just changed too much for my liking. Alvin's SFII art is phenomenal. I want it to stay that way.

What he said.

And I LOVE the variants.

[FALLEN ELDOR]

I've done my best to get a few friends to read the collected editions. Three friends have already burned through my back issues and I got each of them #0 and #1 and keep asking me when the next issue comes out. If this series doesn't start coming out on a more constant basis their interest is going to be lost...That just three people you have already lost because of long waits. As fun as SDCC is, I'd much rather have the comic on a regular basis. I'd seriously consider switching artists. I like Lee as much as the next guy, but if he can't produce 17 pages in 30 days perhaps he shouldn't be drawing comics. There are many talented artists who could do equally well that can also do it in a timely manner.

[Serp's Attorney]

I always figured it's because the SF comic, or maybe comics in general usually, aren't enough to live off of so these guys are just doing the comic as a part time job. I'm not sure if I agree that the comic is extremely high quality in terms of art as others do. It's a nice comic, but it's not like the extra time is making it the best comic book released every 2 months or anything. Maybe this idea is just doomed to failure. I'd actually like to see Udon create their own characters and run their own comic. People haven't mentioned it in this thread, but a lot of the time delays come from having to get approval from Capcom. I don't know exactly how much time that adds on, but with a big company like Capcom, that can add on anywhere from 2-3 weeks to Udon's work, especially if they have to change things.

Personally, I liked the Darkstalkers series more than the SF, and I would rather have DS than SF. DS was really high quality stuff. I think it was ranked pretty highly by non-SF fans, meaning in the comic industry overall. I'd like to know what the sales were on that. It's a shame that DS looks to be abandoned. I know another post somewhere stated the reasons why, but still.

[Bass X0]

Just be glad Udon hasn't done a Pat Lee on us.

[bill_rizer]

it is true that these days comics need to branch out to other medias to survive, look at marvel even,s elling copyrights for movies etc.

If you doing comics part time then yea its problay more profitable.

Again these days to make serious money you need a franchise series, cue the toys,books,anime.

Like I say I hope the SF2 arc gets done, if they dont make it to 3s strike I wont be too upset.

[CptMunta]

Like I say I hope the SF2 arc gets done, if they dont make it to 3s strike I wont be too upset.

I'd be gutted if we never made it to third strike. I can't wait to see the Third Strikers more fleshed out.

I reckon Udon is doing really well for a brand new publisher. It takes alot of work to get things up and running smoothly. And I have no quams about waiting more than a month for each issue.

[Shizzz]

Forget what Eldor said. Never let Al go!!! I don't care if it takes him 6 months(ok that's stretching it)to complete a mag, hang on to him. He is right up there with all the top artists. We could have that crappy art from the mockery that was SF in the 90's. Oh god, that was a travesty. Just thinking about it makes me sick. I would love to have SF monthly but if more time is what it takes that's fine with me. I guess it does mean DS has taken a more indefinite back seat though? I really liked this mag too, yet if I must sacrifice it to have Sf, so be it.:nunchuck: :rock:

[Apathy-Inc]

I've done my best to get a few friends to read the collected editions. Three friends have already burned through my back issues and I got each of them #0 and #1 and keep asking me when the next issue comes out. If this series doesn't start coming out on a more constant basis their interest is going to be lost...That just three people you have already lost because of long waits. As fun as SDCC is, I'd much rather have the comic on a regular basis. I'd seriously consider switching artists. I like Lee as much as the next guy, but if he can't produce 17 pages in 30 days perhaps he shouldn't be drawing comics. There are many talented artists who could do equally well that can also do it in a timely manner.
This man is a moron.

[Chrno]

It's the same fate as family guy...when Udon gets situated on Cartoon Network then they'll sell a lot and yes, UNCANCELLED...'cause on Fox Udon would die from inconsistency, too many different times to look, fans not knowing when the show will air...just random inconsistent fox

[Skyler]

I'd be gutted if we never made it to third strike. I can't wait to see the Third Strikers more fleshed out.

I reckon Udon is doing really well for a brand new publisher. It takes alot of work to get things up and running smoothly. And I have no quams about waiting more than a month for each issue.

the longer we wait, the more it hurts us all. trust me on this one. :sad:

[FALLEN ELDOR]

People haven't mentioned it in this thread, but a lot of the time delays come from having to get approval from Capcom. I don't know exactly how much time that adds on, but with a big company like Capcom, that can add on anywhere from 2-3 weeks to Udon's work, especially if they have to change things.

Yeah, that's probably true also. Mattel would constantly give shit to the guys making the He-Man comics from a couple years ago.

We could have that crappy art from the mockery that was SF in the 90's. Oh god, that was a travesty. Just thinking about it makes me sick.

The way comics are today art like that never gets out...Unless it's Rob Liefield drawing it, I still don't understand people who buy his stuff...I like Alvin, I'm just not as willing to wait on him as much as some of you others are. I also know so many untapped talented artists who are capable of doing the same level of quality (and faster I might add) who would kill to work in the comic field. Alvin is good, but he isn't exactly Alex Ross.

This man is a moron.

Hey lemme try bitter angry fanboy Internet guy...

"did your mom like her mother's day present I gave her last night"

How was that, was it juvenile and pointless enough to qualify? :looney:

[Ryu Kazama]

I don't actually like Alex Ross that much. He's not crap by all means, but the main thing I dislike about his stuff is that everyone looks chubby. Apart from that, he's pretty damn good. I did like the Jim Lee/Alex Ross collaborative piece though. VERY nice!

[Apathy-Inc]

Hey lemme try bitter angry fanboy Internet guy...

"did your mom like her mother's day present I gave her last night"

How was that, was it juvenile and pointless enough to qualify? :looney:
Angry fanboy would be the dork coming onto a message board crying because a comic isn't out soon enough for him and then having the balls to give his "2 cents" about how many pages he thinks a professional artist should be required to do in a month.

If you think art like Liefelds never gets out, you might wanna spend your time browsing other titles in the comic store while you're counting the minutes until the next SF issue comes out.

This is how you guys wanted it.
Before you were crying because the art wasn't "as good" and you all wanted Alvin to do it full time.
Now you got what you wanted and you're still not happy.
Talk about pointless and juvenile.:rolleyes:

[nortlee]

Here we go, Apathy sometimes you really just need to learn to chill and give some respect to people. The angry fanboy act is getting old. Has anybody started bitching you? Not before you started on them. Just because you're hiding in your room behind a keyboard doesn't mean bigging it up makes you seem tough.

Anyways yes the art needed to be consistent because it was getting way too noticable and lots of people here were complaining. Now sod all people here bother talking about the comics and I'd wager that's due to the inconsistency of release dates causing loss of interest. Udon does indeed need to learn to work both out if it wishes to make it big one day. They need to learn to be able to pace themselves better or I wonder how they will manage. I wonder how many people will be reading by the time of SF3 at this rate?

[Apathy-Inc]

Here we go, Apathy sometimes you really just need to learn to chill and give some respect to people. The angry fanboy act is getting old. Has anybody started bitching you? Not before you started on them. Just because you're hiding in your room behind a keyboard doesn't mean bigging it up makes you seem tough.
Don't be ignorant.
Yes, everyone online who takes issue with something another person says is DEFINATELY
A.) Angry :mad:
B.) Hiding :shy:
C.) Trying to be a badass :badboy:
You're so original it hurts.
I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to proclaim that I'd say the same thing to your face, and then set up a place and time to meet so I can, right? :rolleyes:

As lame as your stock reply is, I'd actually like to see you back up the "angry fanboy" comment.

Feel free to PM me or hop on AIM.

[wakasashe]

I don't mid a break on Udon's behalf every now and then. Preferably more then than now. A month break I can deal with once. A two month break after an arc's end I can take. So right now, there are still ok but they are in my red zone.
Please let's expect the consistency in quality and release! I know they've got it!

[Serp's Attorney]

Don't be ignorant.
Yes, everyone online who takes issue with something another person says is DEFINATELY
A.) Angry :mad:
B.) Hiding :shy:
C.) Trying to be a badass :badboy:
You're so original it hurts.
I guess this is the part where I'm supposed to proclaim that I'd say the same thing to your face, and then set up a place and time to meet so I can, right? :rolleyes:

As lame as your stock reply is, I'd actually like to see you back up the "angry fanboy" comment.

Feel free to PM me or hop on AIM.

I IMed you before and you never responded, so shut the fuck up. You're a pussy, and the only reason you can post this nonsense is because nobody has found a way to punch people through a computer screen. Whatever, I was okay with the comic before reading your shit. You accuse people who actually like the comic and want it to do well. So fuck you, I'm dropping the comic. It hurts Udon more than it hurts you, but he shoulda banned your ass from this forum months ago anyway, so whatever.

[bill_rizer]

I IMed you before and you never responded, so shut the fuck up. You're a pussy, and the only reason you can post this nonsense is because nobody has found a way to punch people through a computer screen. Whatever, I was okay with the comic before reading your shit. You accuse people who actually like the comic and want it to do well. So fuck you, I'm dropping the comic. It hurts Udon more than it hurts you, but he shoulda banned your ass from this forum months ago anyway, so whatever.

:rofl: :rofl:

[Apathy-Inc]

I IMed you before and you never responded, so shut the fuck up. You're a pussy, and the only reason you can post this nonsense is because nobody has found a way to punch people through a computer screen. Whatever, I was okay with the comic before reading your shit. You accuse people who actually like the comic and want it to do well. So fuck you, I'm dropping the comic. It hurts Udon more than it hurts you, but he shoulda banned your ass from this forum months ago anyway, so whatever.
You IMed me while I was asleep and about a thread that's been dead for over a fucking year.:rofl:
Not to mention it was about Darkstalkers and someone else answered the question.
If you can't use the search option then you shouldn't be on message boards.
Don't try to act like you "called me out".
That's hilarious.

Accuse people of what?
They don't want it to do well, they (first and foremost) want to read it faster.

I love it when someone calls me "internet tuff" and then goes on to insinuate that they'd beat my ass if they could.
That's really showing me.

If you're going to drop the comic over what someone not even affiliated with Udon says on the message board you need your head examined.

FYI: I asked him to PM or AIM me so this thread didn't turn into a drawn out flamewar.

[FALLEN ELDOR]

I don't actually like Alex Ross that much. He's not crap by all means, but the main thing I dislike about his stuff is that everyone looks chubby. Apart from that, he's pretty damn good. I did like the Jim Lee/Alex Ross collaborative piece though. VERY nice!

I agree with you, I was just trying to think of a big enough name everyone knows and (mostly) likes.

Here we go, Apathy sometimes you really just need to learn to chill and give some respect to people.


It's the Internet, it gives voice to every pea brained idiot on this planet. It's my fault for responding to the ass hole, If I had just ignored him we would have all moved on by now.
So lets just ignore Apathy-Inc until he is banned or just stops posting.

[Apathy-Inc]

It's my fault for responding to the ass hole, If I had just ignored him we would have all moved on by now.
So lets just ignore Apathy-Inc until he is banned or just stops posting.
You must be new here.
I'm not going to get banned, and I'm not going to stop posting.

There's a thread soley dedicated to insulting CammyFighter that took 3 pages of flames and weeks to get locked.

Maybe some people remember blackwidow and whoever they were before. It took them about 4 months, several PMs to get banned and even that didn't stop them from posting pure flames.

And then there's the infamous "Is Dudely Black?" thread...I don't think I need to say any more.

The point is: people do much much worse than call someone a "moron" and don't even get warned.
It's the Internet, it gives voice to every pea brained idiot on this planet.
Hey, look at that, we agree on something. :wgrin:

[FALLEN ELDOR]

I changed my mind, I'm going to respond to this retard to see if he even knows how dumb he is...

You must be new here.
I'm not going to get banned, and I'm not going to stop posting.


Yeah...I'm new that's why my "join date" is before yours...And you call me a moron? Wow. :wonder:


There's a thread soley dedicated to insulting CammyFighter that took 3 pages of flames and weeks to get locked.

Maybe some people remember blackwidow and whoever they were before. It took them about 4 months, several PMs to get banned and even that didn't stop them from posting pure flames.

And then there's the infamous "Is Dudely Black?" thread...I don't think I need to say any more.

The point is: people do much much worse than call someone a "moron" and don't even get warned.

Yeah, it sucks that trolls like you take advantage of the freedom of this forum. people like you are the reason we need mods... Your mother must be real proud :lol:


Angry fanboy would be the dork coming onto a message board crying because a comic isn't out soon enough for him and then having the balls to give his "2 cents" about how many pages he thinks a professional artist should be required to do in a month.

If you think art like Liefelds never gets out, you might wanna spend your time browsing other titles in the comic store while you're counting the minutes until the next SF issue comes out.

This is how you guys wanted it.
Before you were crying because the art wasn't "as good" and you all wanted Alvin to do it full time.
Now you got what you wanted and you're still not happy.
Talk about pointless and juvenile.:rolleyes:

Show me one example of a comic that has come out in the last 30 days that compares to Liefield. No one working in professional (Marvel, DC, Image, Darkhorse and so on) comics today is as uneducated as he is when it comes to human anatomy.

As for speed, anyone who knows how comics are made would tell you that if you can't draw a page a day (or 22 pages in thirty days) then you shouldn't be drawings comics. That's not my "2 cents" it's an industry standard they tell anyone during a portfolio review.

[Apathy-Inc]

I changed my mind, I'm going to respond to this retard to see if he even knows how dumb he is...



Yeah...I'm new that's why my "join date" is before yours...And you call me a moron? Wow. :wonder:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sarcasm




Show me one example of a comic that has come out in the last 30 days that compares to Liefield. No one working in professional (Marvel, DC, Image, Darkhorse and so on) comics today is as uneducated as he is when it comes to human anatomy.

As for speed, anyone who knows how comics are made would tell you that if you can't draw a page a day (or 22 pages in thirty days) then you shouldn't be drawings comics. That's not my "2 cents" it's an industry standard they tell anyone during a portfolio review.
Mike Turner is an easy target for bad anatomy and luke warm storytelling.
This is assuming he put out something in the last 30 days that wasn't an alternate cover of people standing around with expressionless faces.
How about Ian Churchill?

I don't think you should be lecturing me of all posters on how comics are made. :rofl:
Not only did I graduate from the Joe Kubert School of Graphic Art and Design, but I've been slowly, but surely making my way into the industry.

It's an industry ideal, not a standard, sorry to say.

Take a look at the vast majority of big name artists that not only are notorious for being late, but continue to get high profile work.
Mike Turner
Joe MAD!
Bryan Hitch
The Kubert Bros.
J. Scott Campbell
John Cassady

Not to mention writers...

People want quality and they're willing to wait for it. Numbers don't lie.
The big companies have realized this and give a lot of leeway to their creators, not to mention pretty much EVERY new series only goes in 3-5 issue story arcs that the artists start on 3-4 issues in advance.
Most of these guys can't do a monthly book, but with they trick you into thinking they can.

People like Mark Bagley and JRJR are a minority.

You're 100% correct if you're talking about anyone who wants to get into the industry.
Reading Jim Zubkavich's articles on Newsarama is solid gold for any aspiring artist.
The rules don't apply nearly as much after you've got your foot firmly in the door, however, and that's what we're talking about here.

I have several friends doing work for Marvel, Top Cow, Slave Labor, Aspen and none of them can do a monthly book all the time, yet they've still got work and continue to get work.
Why? Because they're fucking good.

This isn't even to mention that a book's schedule isn't soley dependant upon the penciller. There's the inker(s), writer, colorist(s), letter(s), printers, editors etc etc that factor into it as well.
Plus there's his location too...
Erik has already stated the reasons for the late issues.

Is Alvin expected to meet his deadlines? Sure.
Would any editor in their right mind fire him for missing them? Not a chance.
Sure, it'd be nice if they could do a comic a month. Hell, a comic a week... but it's not realistic and the people here spoke up and said they wanted quality over quantity and now that they've got what they wanted they want it back the old way.

Edit: Yeah, it sucks that trolls like you take advantage of the freedom of this forum. people like you are the reason we need mods... Your mother must be real proud
For your information, jackass, I not only didn't post in those threads flaming CammyFighter/TAS I'm usually there defending them.
Do some research.

[FALLEN ELDOR]

Huh. You do have the ability to have an actual conversation after all? You'd do well to abandon the sarcasm and out right insults, perhaps then people might value your opinion. I'm not interested in hurling insults, so why don't we both just stop. Truce? As for the rest of your post...

You misunderstand me. I am a comics READER not a collector, and I want my comics on time. If that means changing an artist who is lagging so be it. Udonko pointed out two things that frighten and concern me. One, that if they didn't have multiple covers the book wouldn't sell and that two, the fans that are willing to wait for a particular artist...That tells me their are more comic collectors buying this book then comic readers. It's sad that speculators are keeping America's greatest story telling medium alive while readers are far and few in between...That is my concern.

It's easy to make your own rules when you are popular, and any of those guys you list pretty much have free reign when it comes to deadlines or like you said will work in advance.
If I know an artist to be slow I work it into a schedule, my general rule of thumb is to have five issues done in advance so as to give enough time to adjust to any unforeseen circumstance.
It seams Udonko's biggest problem isn't just how long Alvin Lee's takes, it's how they manage their time. putting a con before the book is like that old saying about putting a cart before a horse...

You bring up an excellent point though, Bagley and Romita do seam like an exception in a sea of slow professionals...The problem is that people slow down and they become more popular. they loose that drive that makes them pull all nighter and skip sleep for days on end. They get popular and loose a bit of dedication because they can. The word I'm looking for is "slacker". It seams like comics today are filled with slackers. I guess that's my problem. I just want a damn book to be on time for once!

At least we agree that Mike Turner needs some more education. And Ian Churchill's style is just a copy cat of Turner who in turn is a copy cat of Jim lee...At least Ian Churchill is a better sequential story teller and is faster then Turner...But C'mon Turner understands how to draw things like hands, feet and faces. Liefield is in his own league of suck. he's like a Jr. high kid who learned to draw by reading comic...I think Turner got worse at time went on. His old work on Witchblade wasn't as bad as his more recent stuff, he also use to be faster...I think he just got lazy as an artist. You never stop learning, especially if your an artist...

That's something you should keep in mind just because you have a toe in the door, doesn't mean you still don't have a lot to learn. I'm a writer who has worked in the industry my self.
I'm not saying I know everything (me resume is pretty tiny), but I'm humble enough to know I'm still learning. Judging by your deviant art gallery you certainly are a talented pin up artists to say the least. If you work on your humbleness you just might go far.


[/quote]Is Alvin expected to meet his deadlines? Sure.
Would any editor in their right mind fire him for missing them? Not a chance.
Sure, it'd be nice if they could do a comic a month. Hell, a comic a week... but it's not realistic.[/QUOTE]

...so it is unrealistic to expect an artist to produce 17 pages in 30 days? Pardon the sarcasm, but I think for this it applies. :looney:


For your information, jackass, I not only didn't post in those threads flaming CammyFighter/TAS I'm usually there defending them.
Do some research.

Just because your not as much of an idiot as some of the other angry ass holes,doesn't mean your not disrespectful. I wrote a thought out post with my actual concern, you breezed over my concern and called me a moron. That's not exactly a mark of maturity or good debating skills. Like i said, I'm not interested in hurling insults. I came to mention a concern of mine and debate the matter, I didn't come looking for your flames.

[Matarick]

I hope Udon works on the localizations/translations of the SF mangas so that they would have a lower cost method of doing thier business while supporting thier entire operations. More and more people are snatching up mangas these days since the scope of manga is outside of the comic book store and into retail bookstores.

I think the greatest cost of working on the manga is getting the rights to it and I wonder if the cost of getting the manga rights is as much or less than an origional series based on an existing IP?

Also, would Udon do it's own localization of the sound effects (ala Viz of old or modern CMX) or leave the existing Kanji in tact (aka Tokyo Pop)?

I think having a manga localized and publish would mean more output goes from Studio Udon and not have to wait 4 month periods of publishing. A great comics company that does thier own works and republishes manga. That is a more credible company to work with future artists than a Tokyo Pop because comic readers know that Udon publishes great comics and the buyer is aware of that instead of being 'scammed' into buying manga wannabe.

Only if they aquire the rights to republish the Fist of the North Star from the now defunct Gutsoon? That would be for THE WIN!

[gabrielzero]

This sucks.

I can't believe Udon is leaving here. He was the main reason I came on to this forum. With out him this place is going to go down hill.

T_T

[Pig Raw Benis]

Udon is leaving cuz you people talk to much crap...

What did you guys think? The more you complain the faster hes gonna bring the comic straight to your door? Dicks!

[nortlee]

Udon is leaving cuz you people talk to much crap...

What did you guys think? The more you complain the faster hes gonna bring the comic straight to your door? Dicks!
More thinking he might actually try to set things right and organise everything properly rather than keep letting it drift. Sorry but we aren't here to be suck ups, we have the right to state what is wrong and what is right. Udon's a fucking business, you don't go to a store and say how wonderful everything is because you're worried about them leaving the cashier on you or closing up.

Here's what Udon told us the other day, they don't give a shit about their customers.

When we were all happy Erik supplied us with lots of info and such. When the critisicm got greater suddenly he was in the shadows and the criticism did start to outweigh the praise a fair bit at times. That's when as an organisation you realise something's up.