Today is the second anniversary of the Webcomic Review Discord Server, and I was working on a speech, but one of my mods (My only one, PeriPapaya) had a better once so I’ll just quote hers for easy content.

HAPPY 2ND SERVER-VERSARY, EVERYONE! Two years ago on this day, March 31st, a man with a blog for talking about webcomics decided that what he really needed was a server where he could talk about his blog for talking about webcomics. And thus was born: The Webcomics Review Discord Server! . 

And what a wild two years it has been since then! In that time, we have grown to nearly 150 members all around the world and sent over 325,000 messages across 52 channels. Amidst all that, we’ve talked comics and media , helped each other workshop creative projects, perpetrated plentiful pun wars, streamed movies together, played D&D, and even done a little screaming into the abyss. 

Let’s take a moment to celebrate our creative achievements as well! Take a gander down art-corner and self-promotion and see just how many incredible things you all drawn, written, composed, mashed-up, etc. We’ve seen the continuation and launch of numerous webcomics by our very own members (go read them in your-comics !) As a community, we’ve drawn collaborative art challenges, written whacky stories for Wassy Wapose, started developing a video game, told collaborative narratives through table top games, and more! However, as incredible as all that is, I would argue that the most amazing thing we’ve made together is… a COMMUNITY. The world has had its shares of ups and downs (and more downs) over the past two years, and throughout it all this server has been a warm and welcome place to hang out, make some friends, and remember all the things that are still good in life. And that’s only possible because of each and every one of you. 

So let me say it now, loud and clear…. THANK YOU! Thank you for being a part of this server! Thank you for wit and your kindness, thank you for laughing together when times were good, and for building each other back up when times were hard. Thank you for making our small corner of the internet the best corner of the internet. 

Well said, Peri. It’s been an incredible two years, at least for the discord, and here’s to two more that are just as good but also without the plague and war and such in the real world! 

Scott Kurtz has a comic called Mort that he’s started doing. 

It’s about the complex emotions of being sad that your elderly parents are going to die soon but at the same time kind of hoping they’d fucking get on with it because their fading mental health has turned them into a sad mockery of the person you used to love that you just kind of have to deal with. 

There’s a Roz Chast book called Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant that’s a similar premise. It’s a pretty bummer subject, and one that a lot of us are eventually going to have to deal with. And yet it’s also something we’re all kind of dealing with now, watching our parents or older family members (Declan is my Uncle, my dad isn’t quite that bad but very conspiratorial) all getting 4chanified. And there’s a part of me that kind of wants to work on a comic about this that’ll maybe resonate with people, though I don’t know how I’d do it. Some kind of Body Snatchers allegorical thing, maybe. It feels weird to see my family melting into madness and think “Wow I can make #content out of this” but also I kind of need to scream in whatever way I know how. I hate this. I hate living in this world, seeing the shoots of a better one trying to get out of the darkening hell. I don’t know if I have a coherent point to make. Maybe I never will, maybe there’s nothing coherent that can be said about madness. I ordered a Dunks delivery and I’m getting a donut and some kind of breakfast taco thing with a brick of mechanically processed sausagegg. It just arrived as I type this and I’m going to go eat it and maybe I’ll feel better and maybe I’ll write another post that’s less of a ramble and delete this one.

I didn’t get much sleep last night, I woke up tired and considered calling out sick and decided against it. Kind of wish I’d called out after all.

I wish Prequel was still updating

I was sketching a piece of art I liked by Cerebro on twitter yesterday. The hands and legs game out like ass, but I thought the was something salvagable there, so I uploaded the picture to my laptop and tried to salvage/redraw it. But I ran out of time and wanted to have a “finished drawing”, so I dealt with the “I can’t draw hands or feet” issue using an ancient time-honored method passed down to me by generations of crappy artist masters.

Jokes aside, I do want to try to finish this soon, but I’m struck by how, when you hide all the bad parts, this could be a panel from a comic with reasonable art where Lammy has two hands and also legs in other panels trust me. It wouldn’t be a comic with good art, I’m not winning an Eisner for that hand I drew, but, like, there’s been worse. And, yes, I’m drawing from reference, but a year and a half ago I was drawing from reference when making, like

I was very proud of this at the time

I feel like I’m getting close to some kind of a break point? Like, I’m down to my last couple of hundred bad drawings before I can start making good ones? Maybe I should spend all weekend drawing hands over and over.

Watching a friend play Dangan Ronpa and did a quick draw to try to get back into the habit of drawing, which is really something I should be doing more of while under quarantine.It’s not the best thing I’ve drawn, but it’s not the worst either and it’s good enough for a quick doodle that I’m proud of it.