Welcome everyone! Today we are going to be interviewing Sean Howard, creator of the comics at Squidi.net, and well known for his fight to protect his copyrighted works. Now before we begin this interview I would like to thank Sean for taking some time out of his busy schedule to do this interview for us today.

Me: Would you please tell us your name and a little bit about what you do for those who may not be aware of what you do?

Sean: My name is Sean Howard and I make the webcomics on squidi.net These webcomics are done daily and last for about a year. "A Modest Destiny" is a fantasy comic which finished a few months ago and I'm currently doing "The Starship Destiny", a scifi adventure with a similar style.


Me: How did you get into writing the web comic "A Modest Destiny," and what was your inspiration for the series?

Sean: Believe it or not, the biggest inspiration was my art. The character of Maxim, at least in some form, was originally drawn for a videogame I was programming. I had so much fun drawing him and all the other characters for the game. When I lived in Japan, I read lots and lots (and lots and lots) of webcomics. Once I read "Bob and George", I saw that I could put these little pixel people into a comic and breathe life into them. I've always wanted to create worlds, whether it be as a game designer, writer, or artist, and doing a webcomic allowed me to do two out of the three :)


Me: When you decided to start creating your web comic what made you decide to do the series in pixel art, was their any particular source of inspiration for you in the making of this decision?

Sean: Like I said above, the pixel art came first. It was only when I was looking for something to do with that art that the idea of a webcomic came up. I've been a programmer for years and I used to be a member of a popular web community dedicated to pixel art (http://pixelation.swoo.net). It's strange that the idea of writing never came up as I've really grown to love doing it.


Me: How far do you think your comic has come since you created it, do you feel it's become better or worse?

Sean: Well, that's the fun part, isn't it? Looking back on the very beginning, the art was rather simple. I didn't know a lot of Photoshop tricks back then, so it was pretty plain. Not even furniture. Just a horizon and a a few guys. Even then, the comic was high in continuity with the first dozen or so strips taking place a moment after the previous one. I think that it was pretty good.

But looking at the comic now. It is much more visually involved. I've built a collection of skills that really make the stuff I do now look lightyears ahead of that old stuff - and take less time in the process. As for the writing, the continuity became so important to the comic that I would be surprised if anyone could see the comic's most recent comic and enjoy it at all. There is a lot of characterization, plot, and... well... baggage that you need to even understand some of the later comics.

I think the comic got better for a time, but then I hit sort of a creative brick wall where looking towards the future, I saw the same events happening over and over again. I didn't want the comic to repeat itself, but being confined to a daily schedule doesn't give me a lot of time to prepare a future.

That's why, after the first season of AMD was finished, I started the scifi series. It takes place in a completely different universe, which a different style of characterization. Though it is similar in many ways, I've also openned up the creative gates. In fact, after TSD is finished, I honestly think I could do a second season of AMD that won't be repetitive.

Sometimes, it helps to step out of a set track for a little bit and look around.


Me: I know that your series is one of the few web comics to have "seasons" in it, and that each season lasts a whole year before you wrap up that season and start on another season. How do you manage to plan for a whole years worth of material for your site with each new season? Are you a master planner, or do you make it all up as you go along?

Sean: That's kind of a trade secret :)

Actually, I make it up as I go. One of my favorite things to do as a challenge is introduce some sort of plot element WAY before I know where I'm going with it. I love mining the mythology of a series to plan the future and that's probably where my real writing talents are. I don't forget anything. No matter how small, it is a building block that I can use later. I also try to always keep my options open. Sometimes, I'll create something over another just because it has a better future potential.

About two thirds through a series, though, I've pretty much created the foundation. I've build all these plot arcs and started going down paths. The last part of the season is really just filling in the blanks. I don't think I was perfectly successful with AMD's first season, but it was the first time I'd done it. And considering how I did manage to tie up all the story lines and plots, I think it worked - just not as well as it could've.


Me: I know that you are very protective of your work, and that there was an incident with "Penny Arcade" that (More or less) forced you to write a huge copyright disclaimer and add a section in your message board for people who had questions about your copyrighted materials. However now the copyright disclaimer has been shortened dramatically and the copyright section in your message board is gone. Did you change your mind on the copyright stuff or something, what happened? Does this mean a change in heart, or are you just shortening things here and there a little?

Sean: Actually, the copyright page existed long before the PA thing happened. I've been having my work stolen almost since the beginning, and it is quite the pet peeve of mine. Each time I write some copyright info, I get a little stricter and a little meaner. The new copyright page was written to be a little clearer. A little more obvious.

The PA thing basically publicized my struggle, but unfortunately, thanks to a lack of reading comprehension on Gabe's (one of the PA creator's) part, it did far more harm than good by basically missing the point and creating a public relations nightmare for me. I tried explaining myself (didn't work). I've tried explaining the law (didn't work). I tried giving them an opportunity to talk to me (didn't work). I even tried yelling at them (kinda worked). Finally, I just decided to lay low for a while. Let it pass over for a bit. Then pick up the pieces and clean up the mess later, which I'm in the process of now.

I am still gung ho about protecting my work. It will always be a battle where I come out looking unpopular and mean. It isn't something I like to do, but it is something I feel I have to do. In fact, right before doing these questions, I had just emailed three different places which were using my art without permission. It still happens. A lot. But even if you can't win, you still have to fight - just because the alternative is so much worse than being seen as a jerk to half of the internet (few of whom are nice folks to begin with).


Me: What is your favorite web comic on the internet as of the moment and why?

Sean: Even though I don't read it anymore, I'd have to say that Sluggy Freelance is probably my favorite webcomic. I don't read any webcomics now, but at the time, Sluggy was a constant staple of my internet diet.


Me: What is your least favorite web comic online and why?

Sean: That's kind of an unfair question. There is no way to answer it without seeming arrogant. I will say that I don't have anything against any particular webcomic, but there are a few webcomic creators and fanboys I have very few nice words for.


Me: I'm just curious as to what you personally think of the sprite comic "8-Bit Theater." Obviously this is a series that is sprite/pixel based too, and this site has become very well known for their NES spoofs, with their most popular being the "Final Fantasy" spoof that's been going on forever. Do you see them as competition, or do you feel they are doing something completely different then what your doing?

Sean: I don't see anybody as competition (not since I left the webcomic top lits). There is more than enough love to go around. However, I'm not thrilled that some comics are built by essentially stealing copyrighted artwork and characters (not just sprite comics either). My only problem with comics like 8BT is that they give off the impression that it is okay to steal pixel art. I've had no less than a dozen webcomics pop up using my art. How can I go around telling them that what they are doing is wrong and shutting them down, when a far more popular and respected comic than mine is essentially telling them it is okay?


Me: As you can see "Penny Arcade" has enjoyed great success in their site, and "PvP" has actually gotten a contract with Image Comics to produce a bi-monthly comic book for Image, what I want to ask you is what are your goals for your comic? Do you want to bring them to comic books, merchandise, and video games someday, or are you content at where they are now?

Sean: It has been my intention from the beginning to build videogames to go along with the comic. Unlike Penny Arcade, which is content with just making fun of games, I am not happy unless I am creating them. I'm a programmer by trade, even working in the game industry at one point. I could very much make a great game out of my comic using nothing less than the exact same pixel graphics the comic features. It would truly be an amazing site, I think.

However, I sort of underestimated the effort it takes to update a new comic each and every day. It is somehow always in the way. When I hit a blank page and a comic needs to be done, or email needs to be responded to, the blank page loses. At some point, there is always a choice between comic and game, and the comic, by its very name loses.

It's sad, and I've attempted to get fans involved in the game creation at different points. But not everyone is qualified and too many people with too many tastes tend to create a very nasty soup indeed. But I am working on a graphical MUD right now, using the comic. I'm determined not to let blank pages and designer's block get to me, but only time will tell if I can be successful.


Me: Getting away from web comics for a moment, do you read any comic books themselves (Like DC comics or certain manga), and if you do what are your personal favorite series?

Sean: I love Alan Moore. I have pretty much everything he has written (that is still available). "Watchmen", by far, is the greatest comic book ever written.


Me: What do you think the future holds for not only pixel comics, but web comics in general? Do you feel that in the future web comics will be a way for people to express themselves more, or do you see web comics as a fad that may die out in a few years?

Sean: Look at live journals. Easy to get - never worth reading. Most of them are little more than public diaries about what they had for lunch. If you don't personally know the person, their live journal is about as boring as reading about a person you don't know who had a chicken club sandwich from Wendy's for lunch. That's what webcomics are like. Too much stuff that only friends would get. Inside jokes. Insults that appeal to group likes and dislikes. Too many people see webcomics as a way to be heard in a crowd - which is a bad way to look at it. It's like they want to create their own little clique where they are the boss monkey.

Though the comics on squidi.net are by me, they aren't about me. I don't consider the comic to be a way of "expressing myself". I think too many webcomic creators put too much of themself in their comics and all you've got left are these poorly thought out vanity projects which crumble the second they stop being "fun" and start being "work".

At the risk of sounding (more) arrogant, YOU aren't special. YOU aren't interesting. Nobody cares about YOU or your friends. Nobody cares that Jimmy made this really funny Orc joke during your Wednesday night DnD game. There is nobody on this planet that is so interesting that thousands of people care whether they like Xbox or GameCube. If you want to make a webcomic worth reading, create one worth WRITING. Vanity projects piss me off.


Me: Well that's all the questions I have for you, but before we leave is their any advice you wish to give future web artists out their who wish to create their own web comic whether is be pixel based or not?

Sean: Uh... I kind of already gave out my advice during the above question. :)


Me: Again, thanks for taking time out of your schedule to do this interview!

Sean: No problemo.