VIDHERO WEB STRIPS

INsights: Purple is the crazy color.I wrote this one up while thinking about T-shirt designs. I wanted to come up with smarmy slogans for Viddy and Disky to issue, which summarized their core importance to me (at the moment).

Disky, for example, is meant to symbolize a dirty-cynical-unwashed-crazy but loveable portion of my personality. He’s also meant to visually represent the medium of digital video discs. So if he was on a t-shirt what one thing should he say?

What could sum him up, but also work as a statement that doesn’t require anyone to know his backstory? (I figure it’s wise to design t-shirts that people would pick up even if they had no idea that characters or messages were taken from web strips, comics, etc.).

A while back (when the HD-DVD format officially died, and Trent Reznor was ranting about digital music downloads) I got lost in the revelation that DVDs and CDs are just plastic discs which store a digital copy of the entertainment you want. You’re paying for the disc (and maybe the printed packaging). The information on this disc is no different than what you could download. In a way, it’s sad that you’re paying for a storage medium that is locked down to only storing one thing. It struck me as totally crazy, and i was suddenly disgusted with myself for collecting hundreds of these plastic discs.

At the time I pined for the industry to move over to thumb drives, so we could reuse the *#$%@!ing storage medium we’re paying for. And I came up with some ideas to change the way independent filmmakers distribute their movies, as well as challenge the idea that plastic discs have any inherent value (hopefully this idea will still come out some day, with regard to the “Space Cops” project. It hinged on the idea of egotistical space men insulting the primitive people of earth).

Anywhoooo

I wrote this strip with much more dialogue about printed labels and digital encoding. but i’m stuck on the idea that people want humor from their web strips. and humor works best with the least amount of words you can manage. Besides, if people don’t realize that “plastic discs” is a reference to their DVDs and CDs: the progression still works.

He’s still a crazy bastard for caring about his pathetic collection. It’s still creepy that he thinks this suggests he should be proud that he votes. …

I don’t know why i think “and i vote!” is always funny. And i should note that i don’t think this means just voting in political elections. I’m ranting to the point of making this entry a terrible chore. BUT. For a long time I’ve wrassled with the idea that we vote with our dollars. So i’d make sure i paid to see a movie I wanted to support. I’d download MP3s, but make sure i bought the albums I really thought were quality. Because i figured someone was keeping track of the sales numbers (i’d be sure to buy from larger chain stores, in an attempt to ensure my purchase was on record). I was really into this idea (no doubt because i was making too much money), until i noted that the PS2 was inferior to the gamecube and the xbox, yet was way ahead in sales. Whole different rant there, as to why it outsold them, but the point is that i realized i wasn’t making any sort of important vote with my purchases. And i realized mega corporations don’t really give a shit what people are buying, nor would they apply any accidental attention properly to upcoming projects.

I still think downloading is stealing (because it is, undeniably, under current copyright law), but i reject the notion that it hurts the artist. Sure it hurts the industry. but fuck the industry, save the artist.

perhaps that is a quote for a shirt.