Atomic Robo. Because there's always time for Action Science!

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Hyperactive: Mar 10, 2004; RICHARDS!

Covok posted:

I don't mean to come off like an interview, but would it be rude or redundant to ask what made you want to make Atomic Robo? I hope I'm not unfairly abridging your comic career, but I know you worked on a sprite comic called 8-Bit Theather. I personally never read it, I'm sure it was good, but I was aware of it as my friend was into the series. What made you jump from a final fantasy parody (from my knowledge of the series) to Atomic Robo? I'm sure both were awesome series, but curious what lead to Robo.

If you don't mind divulging and you didn't already get asked this a bunch from other sources/people.

Not at all. I'm here to answer questions.

I kind of fell into 8-bit Theater. It started as the project for an independent study course in college. The idea was to create a comic to see what mattered more in production: practical concerns or literary theory. I put it online since the professor was terrible about keeping track of his email.

At some point it started to get a thousand readers a day. Then ten thousand. I think somewhere around 50k I dropped out of college and started working on the comic full time. My plan up until that point had been to attend college to delay entry into the real world long enough to somehow get a writing career started. I did not expect it to work out as it did, but I wasn't gonna say no.

Now, 8-bit Theater would go on to run for 10 years. I didn't know that when I started, but I did know that it would have to end at some point. So, I was always thinking about what would come next. I've always been interested in science, science fiction, robots, history, and alt history, so it seemed wise to mash all those together. Atomic Robo is also an attempt to "solve" what I saw as the multi-faceted problem of serial comics -- impenetrable continuities, fluctuating creative directions, a 19th century distribution model, paralyzing fear of fun, and rampant sexism.

I like to think the example we set over the last nine years is one part of what's helped corporate comics start to lurch toward higher quality content.

# ? Jan 31, 2016 15:38

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# ? May 14, 2024 07:00

Covok: May 27, 2013; Yet where is that woman now? Tell me, in what heave does she reside? None of them. Because no God bothered to listen or care. If that is what you think it means to be a God, then you and all your teachings are welcome to do as that poor women did. And vanish from these realms forever.

Hyperactive posted:

Not at all. I'm here to answer questions.

I kind of fell into 8-bit Theater. It started as the project for an independent study course in college. The idea was to create a comic to see what mattered more in production: practical concerns or literary theory. I put it online since the professor was terrible about keeping track of his email.

At some point it started to get a thousand readers a day. Then ten thousand. I think somewhere around 50k I dropped out of college and started working on the comic full time. My plan up until that point had been to attend college to delay entry into the real world long enough to somehow get a writing career started. I did not expect it to work out as it did, but I wasn't gonna say no.

Now, 8-bit Theater would go on to run for 10 years. I didn't know that when I started, but I did know that it would have to end at some point. So, I was always thinking about what would come next. I've always been interested in science, science fiction, robots, history, and alt history, so it seemed wise to mash all those together. Atomic Robo is also an attempt to "solve" what I saw as the multi-faceted problem of serial comics -- impenetrable continuities, fluctuating creative directions, a 19th century distribution model, paralyzing fear of fun, and rampant sexism.

I like to think the example we set over the last nine years is one part of what's helped corporate comics start to lurch toward higher quality content.

Well, first off, thanks for answering my question. The story of how 8-bit theater took off sounds almost surreal. "Only put it online because the professor was bad at keeping track of e-mail" is a hell of a way to be discovered.

Now, what do you mean by "practical concerns vs literary theory?" And, what was your conclusion: which did matter more?

Also, yeah, those problems are the same reason I got out of comics a few years back: the continuities were crazy, you'd like a series till a new creative lead would make it wholly different, it was taking itself too seriously, and every female superhero had to be in a revealing/skin tight outfit and break their spine in every panel. The fact Robo wasn't like that is one of the things that drew me to it, after the TRPG helped me learn about it. It looks like you had some high goals for Robo and I'm glad they're working out.

What exactly did you think was the issue with the distribution model, by the by? Too dependent on physical media and not embracing the digital age?

# ? Jan 31, 2016 16:45

A.o.D.: Jan 15, 2006

You should read 8 bit theater from start to finish. It has an 8 year brick joke.

# ? Jan 31, 2016 19:13

Who What Now: Sep 10, 2006; by Azathoth

I read it serially back in the day. Then stopped at some point because I had become "too cool" for it. So today I decided to start round January of '05 and finally finish the comic. It's good so far!

# ? Jan 31, 2016 20:07

Hyperactive: Mar 10, 2004; RICHARDS!

Who What Now posted:

I read it serially back in the day. Then stopped at some point because I had become "too cool" for it. So today I decided to start round January of '05 and finally finish the comic. It's good so far!

Thanks!

It was fun to watch 8BT last long enough to go through several epochs of Secretly Never That Good and then Secretly Always Good and the occasional Not As Good As It Used To Be. That last one was my favorite because the first time it appeared was around page fifty. Then someone would try to pipe up with it every hundred pages or so. And now, any time it gets talked about online, the stuff that gets quoted as "all time best/classic" material comes from the latter half of the archive. I win!

Covok, I'll get to your post when I'm on something better than my phone.

# ? Jan 31, 2016 20:33

Hyperactive: Mar 10, 2004; RICHARDS!

Covok posted:

Now, what do you mean by "practical concerns vs literary theory?" And, what was your conclusion: which did matter more?

I'd taken some courses on comics by that time. They were taught in the manner of English courses, only about comics instead of Shakespeare or what have you. I'd become very suspicious of the academics we were studying because they had all these theories about making comics, but none of them made comics.

quote:

What exactly did you think was the issue with the distribution model, by the by? Too dependent on physical media and not embracing the digital age?

Diamond is terrible and the Direct Market as a whole is about 30 years behind the rest of the economy. It's effectively a mail order catalog from the '80s in a world where Amazon.com exists. It's insane.

Give 'em another five years to figure out that hybridization like the Atomic Robo model will not cannibalize print sales and will, in fact, add several previously untapped revenue streams for approximately zero dollars invested compared to the costs of traditional publishing.

# ? Feb 1, 2016 15:07

BooDoug187: Apr 8, 2005; Don't you fear the yetis in Rio?

Hyperactive posted:

I'd taken some courses on comics by that time. They were taught in the manner of English courses, only about comics instead of Shakespeare or what have you. I'd become very suspicious of the academics we were studying because they had all these theories about making comics, but none of them made comics.

That sounded like something Kevin Smith said in either one of his podcast or the Evening with Kevin Smith dvds. He talked about going to film school and it seemed like it was all theory but no real movie making.

Hyperactive posted:

Diamond is terrible and the Direct Market as a whole is about 30 years behind the rest of the economy. It's effectively a mail order catalog from the '80s in a world where Amazon.com exists. It's insane.

Give 'em another five years to figure out that hybridization like the Atomic Robo model will not cannibalize print sales and will, in fact, add several previously untapped revenue streams for approximately zero dollars invested compared to the costs of traditional publishing.

This is pretty much the state with any "old media" like TV, Film, and Music. Music is catching up with the tech but TV and Film are still kicking and screaming trying to keep their old out of date money makeing models in place while everyone else is abandoning them. You have to blame the ones in charge on this. Once you get rid of the old guard who have been in this business "since the beginning" and get people who know the tech in charge then you will start getting better results!

# ? Feb 1, 2016 15:21

Covok: May 27, 2013; Yet where is that woman now? Tell me, in what heave does she reside? None of them. Because no God bothered to listen or care. If that is what you think it means to be a God, then you and all your teachings are welcome to do as that poor women did. And vanish from these realms forever.

Hyperactive posted:

I'd taken some courses on comics by that time. They were taught in the manner of English courses, only about comics instead of Shakespeare or what have you. I'd become very suspicious of the academics we were studying because they had all these theories about making comics, but none of them made comics.

Diamond is terrible and the Direct Market as a whole is about 30 years behind the rest of the economy. It's effectively a mail order catalog from the '80s in a world where Amazon.com exists. It's insane.

Give 'em another five years to figure out that hybridization like the Atomic Robo model will not cannibalize print sales and will, in fact, add several previously untapped revenue streams for approximately zero dollars invested compared to the costs of traditional publishing.

I've taken a course on movie theory before as a general education credit so I know what you mean. Never once did anyone talk about the logistic of doing a film, how to work with actors, how to write a script, how to direct, etc. Let alone any pratical application. Of course, it was a gen ed course so...yeah. I'm not surprised to hear that college doesn't deal enough in realities, though. It's my general experience with academia.

I'm probably just revealing more and more that I don't know poo poo so you can ignore this question or just throw a wiki-link, but what do you mean by "diamond is terrible"?

# ? Feb 1, 2016 21:43

wiegieman: Apr 22, 2010; Royalty is a continuous cutting motion

Diamond Comic Distributors basically holds a monopoly on the physical comics delivery market. They use that stranglehold on the infrastructure to hold up giant middle fingers to anyone who isn't Marvel or DC and wants their product delivered on time, and to keep the entire business locked in the 90s.

Comics are by and large still delivered on semi trucks.

# ? Feb 2, 2016 02:54

Hyperactive: Mar 10, 2004; RICHARDS!

wiegieman posted:

Diamond Comic Distributors basically holds a monopoly on the physical comics delivery market. They use that stranglehold on the infrastructure to hold up giant middle fingers to anyone who isn't Marvel or DC and wants their product delivered on time, and to keep the entire business locked in the 90s.

Comics are by and large still delivered on semi trucks.

Additionally, Diamond is notoriously unable to deliver comics correctly.

# ? Feb 2, 2016 16:35

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

wiegieman posted:

Diamond Comic Distributors basically holds a monopoly on the physical comics delivery market. They use that stranglehold on the infrastructure to hold up giant middle fingers to anyone who isn't Marvel or DC and wants their product delivered on time, and to keep the entire business locked in the 90s.

Comics are by and large still delivered on semi trucks.

This is how physical items are generally transported long distances, yes.

# ? Feb 2, 2016 17:46

Redeye Flight: Mar 26, 2010; God, I'm so tired. What the hell did I post last night?

Yes, but semi trucks. Meaning that if your comic isn't being delivered en masse it's much, much less likely to get the time of day.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 18:02

bunnyofdoom: Mar 29, 2008; I've been here the whole time, and you're not my real Dad!

Question, where can I find the previous arc with Soviet Atomic Robo knockoff

# ? Feb 5, 2016 18:55

Covok: May 27, 2013; Yet where is that woman now? Tell me, in what heave does she reside? None of them. Because no God bothered to listen or care. If that is what you think it means to be a God, then you and all your teachings are welcome to do as that poor women did. And vanish from these realms forever.

This is going to be an odd question, but the latest page made me wonder this: how does Robo feel about killing other robots? I mean, they are alive in a similar sense to himself, even if some units are not aware of it. Being a similar form of life, he must feel some kinship to them. And, like the dialogue today suggests, he feels bad having to fight that robot because he knows it doesn't know what it's doing.

# ? Feb 5, 2016 21:55

Who What Now: Sep 10, 2006; by Azathoth

Redeye Flight posted:

Yes, but semi trucks. Meaning that if your comic isn't being delivered en masse it's much, much less likely to get the time of day.

You can have more than one title to a truck.

# ? Feb 6, 2016 02:45

Len: Jan 21, 2008; Pouches, bandages, shoulderpad, cyber-eye...

Bitchin'!

Who What Now posted:

You can have more than one title to a truck.

What they're saying is Diamond loves to gently caress over littler comics. Robo was regularly shorted at my shot because :iiam:

# ? Feb 6, 2016 03:55

Hyperactive: Mar 10, 2004; RICHARDS!

bunnyofdoom posted:

Question, where can I find the previous arc with Soviet Atomic Robo knockoff

In The Archives under The Tsar Bomb.

Covok posted:

This is going to be an odd question, but the latest page made me wonder this: how does Robo feel about killing other robots? I mean, they are alive in a similar sense to himself, even if some units are not aware of it. Being a similar form of life, he must feel some kinship to them. And, like the dialogue today suggests, he feels bad having to fight that robot because he knows it doesn't know what it's doing.

In general I don't think he minds. The robots he tends to face aren't intelligent in any real way and he's usually defending himself so there's not much choice in the matter. In the specific example of City of Skulls, though, it appears this drone has developed some kind of intellect -- simple though it may be -- and it doesn't mean to harm anyone. It doesn't know that it's radioactive, or what radioactivity does, or that it will kill people just by walking around. So, Robo's in a tough spot on this one.

I think the only time it's really messed him up is ALAN.

Len posted:

What they're saying is Diamond loves to gently caress over littler comics. Robo was regularly shorted at my shot because

It's been so long since I worked at a shop I don't remember who/what brought the boxes there. The main problem with Diamond is that they're responsible for distributing millions of items every month while their infrastructure could just about handle a paper route.

# ? Feb 6, 2016 17:52

bunnyofdoom: Mar 29, 2008; I've been here the whole time, and you're not my real Dad!

I dunno if I say this enough, but I love this. Also, I got some of my friends into this, by lending them my trades. Waiting to get RSA 2 back anyday now.

# ? Feb 6, 2016 18:24

Drowning Rabbit: Oct 28, 2003; YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!

Just got my survey for the hardcover kickstarter! So excited to get them!

# ? Feb 10, 2016 19:33

RyuujinBlueZ: Oct 9, 2007; WHAT DID YOU DO?!

Drowning Rabbit posted:

Just got my survey for the hardcover kickstarter! So excited to get them!

Same, on all accounts!

# ? Feb 10, 2016 19:48

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

Diamond brought in Chris Powell from Lone Star Comics and dumped a ton of money into updating their systems in the last few years. Things are still crappy but they have gotten far better. Supposedly the Previews magazine will be fully available in digital format this year as well.

Also Hyper, every month my store does a Book of the Month at half cover price and March is Atomic Robo month!

# ? Feb 15, 2016 22:21

8one6: May 20, 2012; When in doubt, err on the side of Awesome!

"OH WOW THE SAFEST FILES"

I think I laughed for a solid minute at that one.

# ? Feb 20, 2016 22:36

Len: Jan 21, 2008; Pouches, bandages, shoulderpad, cyber-eye...

Bitchin'!

Hey Hyperactive when can I get Atomic Robo pops? I want a little Robo and Dr. Dinosaur and Jenkins sitting on my shelf.

# ? Feb 29, 2016 22:57

Covok: May 27, 2013; Yet where is that woman now? Tell me, in what heave does she reside? None of them. Because no God bothered to listen or care. If that is what you think it means to be a God, then you and all your teachings are welcome to do as that poor women did. And vanish from these realms forever.

Len posted:

Hey Hyperactive when can I get Atomic Robo pops? I want a little Robo and Dr. Dinosaur and Jenkins sitting on my shelf.

When you say "pops", do you mean candy, ice, or something else?

# ? Feb 29, 2016 23:02

Rhyno: Mar 22, 2003; Can't post for 10 years!

Covok posted:

When you say "pops", do you mean candy, ice, or something else?

Funko Pop Vinyl.

# ? Feb 29, 2016 23:06

Endless Mike: Aug 13, 2003

Len posted:

Hey Hyperactive when can I get Atomic Robo pops? I want a little Robo and Dr. Dinosaur and Jenkins sitting on my shelf.

Hell yes.

# ? Mar 1, 2016 01:52

Duke Igthorn: Oct 11, 2012; by FactsAreUseless

Is it just me or is Robo's new shape very feminine?

Len posted:

Hey Hyperactive when can I get Atomic Robo pops? I want a little Robo and Dr. Dinosaur and Jenkins sitting on my shelf.

Oh hell yeah

# ? Mar 1, 2016 06:34

Hyperactive: Mar 10, 2004; RICHARDS!

Len posted:

Hey Hyperactive when can I get Atomic Robo pops? I want a little Robo and Dr. Dinosaur and Jenkins sitting on my shelf.

Soon as we're popular enough to warrant that kind of investment by a third party!

Duke Igthorn posted:

Is it just me or is Robo's new shape very feminine?

Well, that's not his "new" shape. He's as potato-shaped as ever on the cover. Tessa Stone is the artist on this story, and she's drawing Robo the way she wants to. Which is fine by us, 'cause that's the whole point of hiring outside artists! It was a little jarring at first to see such a sleek Robo after all these years, but every time I look at one of these pages now I go into my GOB Bluth voice "Look at how hot he is!" so she's doin' something right.

# ? Mar 1, 2016 14:12

Covok: May 27, 2013; Yet where is that woman now? Tell me, in what heave does she reside? None of them. Because no God bothered to listen or care. If that is what you think it means to be a God, then you and all your teachings are welcome to do as that poor women did. And vanish from these realms forever.

Seems like robo and me have the opposite feelings: to me, small spiders are actually kind of cute, but close-up pictures and bigger spiders are frightening as all hell.

Duke Igthorn posted:

Is it just me or is Robo's new shape very feminine?

I can't unseen it now.

# ? Mar 4, 2016 22:34

Mitama: Feb 28, 2011

Bug are gross when they get in your metal joints. :zombie:

# ? Mar 6, 2016 04:45

Covok: May 27, 2013; Yet where is that woman now? Tell me, in what heave does she reside? None of them. Because no God bothered to listen or care. If that is what you think it means to be a God, then you and all your teachings are welcome to do as that poor women did. And vanish from these realms forever.

I'm start to worryingly wonder if Robo's fear of bugs is a pun on software bugs.

# ? Mar 6, 2016 05:52

BooDoug187: Apr 8, 2005; Don't you fear the yetis in Rio?

If Robo was in the Pacific during WW2 he may have dealt with the large nasty bugs on some of those islands. Maybe had some nest inside him and freaked him the hell out!

# ? Mar 6, 2016 14:45

Who What Now: Sep 10, 2006; by Azathoth

BooDoug187 posted:

If Robo was in the Pacific during WW2 he may have dealt with the large nasty bugs on some of those islands. Maybe had some nest inside him and freaked him the hell out!

In a DnD campaign I once played a Warforged (magical robot) that had an infant monstrous centipede as a pet that he let nest in his chest cavity. Once my Warforged got grappled and the centipede saved him by lashing out and injecting his attacker with venom. Later he used it as a mount. It ruled.

In short, Robo needs to learn how awesome having hidden attack bugs inside him is.

# ? Mar 6, 2016 21:17

Lurdiak: Feb 26, 2006; I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people that do.

I think Robo is afraid of bugs because it's funny for a robot to be afraid of bugs.

# ? Mar 7, 2016 02:58

Hyperactive: Mar 10, 2004; RICHARDS!

It's this

Lurdiak posted:

I think Robo is afraid of bugs because it's funny for a robot to be afraid of bugs.

and this

TurninTrix posted:

Bug are gross when they get in your metal joints.

# ? Mar 7, 2016 03:31

Covok: May 27, 2013; Yet where is that woman now? Tell me, in what heave does she reside? None of them. Because no God bothered to listen or care. If that is what you think it means to be a God, then you and all your teachings are welcome to do as that poor women did. And vanish from these realms forever.

I don't know enough about Sir Richard Branson to know how he will get back at Robo, but I'm certain that, somehow, it will involve sci-fi.

# ? Mar 22, 2016 04:23