So this is the rest of it. :
Click for big and legible.
Sure, I could have been nicer, but attacking me right off the bat... doesn't put me in a good mood. Don't waste my time with something that matters not in the real world. Brett was mean to me, so go get him interwebs! Dude, people have wanted me to die rather than draw there precious characters again.
It does amuse me that I put a gun to his head to make him send me that email. So what have we learned today, don't get pissy with me and I won't get pissy with you.
One other note. If I had been asked to do the covers regularly (I would have refused most likely due to time) I would have looked up archery and the like. I did it for Rex and Bill in the JLA books. I even looked up Detective Chimp. But a quick drawing of someone firing a bow and arrow... a quickly fired arrow at that. I'm sure Oliver had plenty of time to set himself and aim too! Splitter.
Best!
Brett
Edited to add a screenshot because the dialog was not displaying correctly. Let this be a lesson, children. Because if I'm bored, I take these little e-mails and comments, with all identifying information, and I put them up here with additional snarky commentary as a object lesson. If you think Brett is mean, well, I taught him everything he knows. ~Jess
Comments are closed due to the sheer number of entitled fanboys who can't read well. I have to work and don't have time to listen to your complaining.
Edited to add a screenshot because the dialog was not displaying correctly. Let this be a lesson, children. Because if I'm bored, I take these little e-mails and comments, with all identifying information, and I put them up here with additional snarky commentary as a object lesson. If you think Brett is mean, well, I taught him everything he knows. ~Jess
Comments are closed due to the sheer number of entitled fanboys who can't read well. I have to work and don't have time to listen to your complaining.
And this, I must say, is one of the reasons I have come to like you so much(beides your G-R-E-A-T art!). Straight forward and to the point. If only there were more like you... I've never cared for green arrow myself...but I happen to like your cover very much.
ReplyDelete:)
glad you responded, Brett. The guy was being being a douchebag.
ReplyDeleteps: I know you from your South Florida days and hit you up on Twitter too. You were always nice and for a guy to try and show you in this light ain't something you deserve.
Thanks Kaden,
ReplyDeleteI'm not really a fan of any of the archers, from Marvel or DC... it's not a superpower! LOL!
To post this and think it wouldn't get back to me.. stupid. Leaving out the last email and his name yet leaving mine so I can get attacked more... stupider...
I like the new design, but I just don't like the archers. I can't like everything;)
Best,
Brett
Thanks for letting me know scruffy! How do I know you then, School, Comic Exchange?
ReplyDeleteLove your blogger about me!!!!
Bestest!
Brett
yeah, the exchange. We didn't have tons of personal time and you wouldn't know me if I sent you an email telling you how ridiculous your art is... or punched you in the face. ;)
ReplyDeleteYou and Horn were both decent fellas back in the day (and now I'm sure). I have a sketch from Horn of his Espers... never managed to get one of you.
I also went to Will's class he had at Nova! You ever get to go to that? Grabbed a sketch of the Spirit from him too so I totally got my money's worth!
Yeah, the about me is just the truth. ;)
Scruffy,
ReplyDeleteThat was a great store. It's too bad the industry went south and they had to sell it.
I might remember you, but it has been like 18 years so I might not!
No the only comic class I went to was in Miami, just for a few hours. It was run by and inker... I can't remember his name... ah... damn brain!
You still in South Florida or have you moved to a less humid area;)
best!
Brett
NYC, bro. Got here just before 9/11. Been here since then. Still got family down there though.
ReplyDeleteYou might have already been working by the time Will had his class at Nova. It really opened my eyes to storytelling...
South Fl just got a hurricane to pass them and now it's headed here. Plus we had that slight shake just a day or two ago from Virginia?
You gonna be here for NYCCon? I never go to those but might make an exception...
Hey Scruffy,
ReplyDeleteDo you have a link to where the original is posted?
Best!
Brett
it was on /co/ at 4chan (the comic side of that)... if you're thinking about going there I'd suggest against it. It's probably not worth it.
ReplyDeletebut if you wanna look: http://boards.4chan.org/co/res/29041026
feel free to edit or delete this once you've checked it out or whatever...
Thanks scruffy!
ReplyDeleteI won't post there. I stay here, it's safer:)
My folks are still in Florida, west coast now but they like it there. Not going to the NYcon. I just don't have time for it or the funds this year. NY is costly:)
Best!
Brett
tell me about it! For what I pay in rent here I could have a mansion in Fl! lol... but the pay is twice as much too.
ReplyDeleteBut if I could stay in BFE and get paid the same as I would in NYC I would too! ;)
and posting there would just be pissing in the wind...
west coast is pretty. and slow. my rents are still in the same area. Fort Liqourdale...
did you listen to the Ron and Ron show way back then?
Just a heads up: I emailed you. That way you know the email is actually me.
Brett,
ReplyDeleteAs a computer scientist I Find your screen grab to be amateurish. Please research screen grabbing more thoroughly in the future so as to not offend me. I'm going to bed now so you will cease to exist until the morning.
Sincerely,
Self-centered Douchebag
ORKINMan,
ReplyDeleteAs a PROFESSIONAL Douchebag,I find your Douchbaggery simply appalling!
Please take the time to research the art of "Bagging" as we in the industry like to call it,as your methods are crude and your technique is passé.
Sincerely,
"PROFESSIONAL" self centered Douchebag
TheORKINMan,
ReplyDeleteI am SHOCKED and appalled by my computers lack of screen shot capability. I am humbled but unfortunately I still seem to exist... bad penciler, bad!
Fatboy,
I fully expect TheORKINMan to now post this exchange, how dare you be so mean, you big meanie!
Thanks for the laugh guys I really appreciate it!
Best,
Brett
Look at that! Brett learned his lesson! Last week he would have just told them "fuck off!"
ReplyDeleteKudos, Mr. Merrit Nolan! One more for the good guys!
Love,
White Hat Scruffy
"Dude, Fuck off. I was asked to do that cover in like 3 hours. To be honest, I don’t like GA, I did it as a favor."
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see there's a lot of love being put in the new DCU comics.
"Sure, I could have been nicer, but attacking me right off the bat... doesn't put me in a good mood."
He didn't personally attack you, he just criticized your work.
"So what have we learned today..."
Judging by you comment about how nobody uses references to draw anymore, the comic book industry has pretty low standards.
Brett Booth, you might be my new hero!
ReplyDeletedk,
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should try reading that again. And maybe stop reading into the parts that don't rally apply here. It was supposed to be an alternate cover, it got bumped up. There are 52 NEW books coming out, somethings slip through the cracks.
It's called passive agressive, look it up!
And then you read into my comment about nobody using reference again. Which isn't even what I said.
Nice!
Best,
Brett
Thanks Louis,
ReplyDeleteI was hoping Rich would let this one slide, but I guess not.
But I do appreciate the sentiment!
Best,
Brett
Okay, even if I don't end up getting the nU Teen Titans, I need to keep watching this blog. It sucks that people want to give you crap, but it is so much fun watching you slap them back down.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your page in TT #100, by the way. I wish they'd had more scenes like that in-story.
I've read the "fanboy" post. While the post did come off snarky, he never personally insults you. He critiques your pose for GA and wants you to do better. He even mentions in the beginning that people commonly get the arching pose wrong, so he's not even singling you out. You have the right to defend your work, but your defense made you look more like an ass that a hero.
ReplyDelete"And then you read into my comment about nobody using reference again. Which isn't even what I said."
"My wife has a background in illustration and design: Her degree is in illustration: The comic book industry absolutely appalls her because virtually ‘nobody’ uses reference, and it’s not even expected by an editor: Because most people ‘don‘t notice’ anyways"
Then what are you trying to say?
I'm simply amazed anyone can read the first email by Merrit and not see what he was up to and how passive/aggressive it is. Not to mention he posted the response on 4chan which clearly illustrates even further what the guy was up to. Seeing how people can read that first email and come away with "he wasn't insulting you" or "he was polite" simply proves that reading comprehension sucks... and comics are to blame!
ReplyDeleteall joking aside now: there's MANY ways to say "fuck off" to me. And depending on how you read it may cloud your judgement. He could be saying "fuck off" in the way you would tell a friend, like a sigh. He even jokes about the guy going to shoot arrows, which to me signifies he POSSIBLY meant it this way. The other way to say "fuck off" is screaming and spitting and punching your computer screen... somehow I doubt it was meant in this vein.
Now most people that are going to read this email exchange are going to read it from a FANS perspective. And they're going to read it as if they sent it... but you didn't. A passive/aggressive asshole did.
Brett responded to that. Not to you. Not to me.
And need I remind people Green Arrow shoots arrows with boxing gloves on them? This is comic books... to get so filled with anger about a pet peeve that you have to write a letter to a GUEST ARTIST who does the cover of a book you read?
Really?
I was going to go over to BC and explain to the people there. But seriously, there's little point in it. People have closed minds about such things.
as for me? sure, Brett could have responded better... and yeah, I'd have been pissed if someone wrote a response like that to me. Would I have started posting it on the internet in an attempt to make said person look bad? If I started doing that I'd need my own blog...
My darling dk-
ReplyDelete>>It's good to see there's a lot of love being put in the new DCU comics.<<
Yes, because you know, every single penciler lives in an alleyway in a cardboard box, waiting, just waiting, for their dream project to fall into their lap. Then, once that project is over, it's back to the cardboard box. Likewise, comic book publishers will simply place a project on the back burner forever, until just the right artist comes along, who isn't taking the job to pay the rent. That is why you never, ever see fill-ins, or issues with two (or more) artists. (Smell that? That's sarcasm.)
This is a job. If you want to eat regularly, pay the rent, make sure your kids have clothes and your dogs have food, you WILL DRAW THINGS YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN. You will draw characters you don't particularly like. You will work with people you may not like or have no real rapport with. There may be serious time constraints that you have to work around. The higher ups may decide that your book is going to go in an entirely different direction than the one you had planned. And you adapt, and you get on with things. That's because it's a JOB, not a hobby you indulge in from the safety of your mother's basement.
>>He didn't personally attack you, he just criticized your work.<<
Sweetheart, I taught computer graphics many years ago and I ran many critiques. And let me tell you right now, that if you want the author of the work you're critiquing to take you seriously, you do not take the tack that our Mr. Merritt did in his second paragraph. There is constructive criticism, and there is "boy, watch me take this so-called professional down." Mr. Merritt was engaging in the latter, in case you didn't guess.
>>Judging by you comment about how nobody uses references to draw anymore, the comic book industry has pretty low standards.<<
Yes, as a matter of fact, it does. On my first perusal of the DC blog, I saw, among the standard images of women who dressed like they worked at a particularly imaginative Prostitution Amusement Park, a cover with sharks on it that had tongues (sharks do not have tongues), and a cover with Krypto the dog where he had extra joints in his front legs. I've seen many incorrectly drawn items in comics. This is not to lay it at the feet of the artists, because editorial bears responsibility as well. But unfortunately it's part of the culture that it is not NECESSARY to be accurate and use reference if you are a comic book illustrator.
And frankly, most people don't notice.
One of the hardbacks that showed up recently in Brett's Big Box O'Complimentary DC Comics had a dog on the cover, so I picked it up to read. I love dogs. My life revolves around dogs, I own them, I write about them, and I occasionally breed them. In this book, one of the main characters was a dog, and this dog had it's head attached incorrectly to it's body. (The spine attaches at the back of the skull on a dog, unlike humans, where it attaches to the bottom to facilitate upright walking.) Dogs also exhibit extremely subtle facial expressions in regards to fear and distress, and this particular dog was doing a lot of over-acting. It bothered me so much that I affected my ability to just read the book.
I did not, however, whip out a diatribe and send it off to the artist. I figure, if they had wanted to draw anatomically correct dogs with the beautiful, subtle expressions that dogs are capable of, they would have. There is no end of information on the web about such things. My expectations for a dog character were obviously quite different than the artist's expectations about dog characters.
And frankly, most people wouldn't have noticed the problems with the dog.
There was also a cat, but I really couldn't give a hang about cats so the inaccuracies didn't bother me.
Dear Scruffy-
ReplyDelete"as for me? sure, Brett could have responded better... and yeah, I'd have been pissed if someone wrote a response like that to me. Would I have started posting it on the internet in an attempt to make said person look bad? If I started doing that I'd need my own blog..."
It's the double standard present in any entertainment industry, or in any subculture made up of groups. If the fans piss and moan, they are righteous. If the professionals respond in kind, they are pissing and moaning. It is a love/hate relationship all around. You can see this easily if you remain on the outside (and the professionals, privy to far more behind the scenes action than the fans, can attain a certain outsider status, a more rounded view, if you like.)
I received, upon announcing a litter of puppies in 2009, an e-mail from another breeder, who didn't approve of me, or my co-breeder, or the other breeders I bought my dogs from. I'm sure, in her mind, that she thought she was 'helping' me by telling me that my dogs suck and my friends do, too (not in so many words, of course.) 'Helping' was certainly not the impression I got from her e-mails, however, and when I didn't give her the head-bobbing response she thought she deserved for being so helpful, she chose to continue her attack. The breeding world came down squarely on my side, but there are people who still think she was right. Nothing I say will change their minds, because they *feel* so very righteous, and their world revolves around an Us/Them philosophy (agree with Us, or you place yourself as Them.) Comics are no different.
People are quite fascinating, in their neurotic little ways.
I have no clue if I'm reading you right, Jess. I simply said (and stand by) that it COULD have been handled better. I've posted several times to Brett's defense. On several boards... and here.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you misunderstood me? In the quote you have of me the "would I have started posting it on the internet in an attempt..." wasn't about Brett but about Merritt. Perhaps my poor writing is to blame? No clue...
anyways, best to you and Brett. Hope things work out with this bull.
I'm sorry if I wasn't clear, Scruffy. What I was basically responding to was this:
ReplyDelete"I'd have been pissed if someone wrote a response like that to me."
That is not actually *the* question. *The* question is, is Brett's response appropriate. Was it rude and tactless? Yes. However, the e-mail was extremely rude and tactless. If you go back to the original thread, my comment at that time was:
"And if the person who actually prompted this post is reading: it is one thing to contact an artist and say, "Hey, I have an interest in such and such hobby, if you need some reference or whatever, I'd be glad to help." It is another thing to send several long paragraphs of criticism about how you can't take it anymore (your beloved hobby portrayed wrongly) when YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT GOES ON BEHIND THE SCENES. Best to play it cautious and use that tact, eh?"
That a) Merritt send an e-mail that was rude, rather condescending, and completely devoid of tact (adding a compliment at the end, btw, doesn't negate the effect of the initial paragraphs), and when Brett responded *in kind*, Merritt got all up in arms. This is very typical of the Us/Them mentality, IOW, as a fan, I can be as nasty as I wanna be, but the professional is not allowed to respond that way. The fact that so many people cannot actually read the original e-mail and see how rude it was is indicative of the adversarial mentality, where 'one of our own' that is under attack cannot be in the wrong. Tribalism at work.
Sorry, Brett and in a way Jess,
ReplyDeleteIf you don't mind my asking you say Jess has a degree in illustration, yet you never mention your own degree. Was it Fine Art, Sequential Storytelling or what?
I know we, as in the fans, can be nosy, so if people wanna ask me questions then go right ahead. I'm, mostly, an open book.
Yes. Brett, you are completely amazing. I've already stated, ad nauseam, of how I think your art is FANTASTIC (especially of Bart :P). I would honestly read anything you draw, unless the writing was super terrible, sorry.
ReplyDeleteThis guy was a complete TOOL. And you are right for outing how he betrayed(?) you. I always try not to criticize artists (except that one time I commented on Bart's hair color - for which you had a GREAT reason), because you poor bastards work SO HARD.
I personally really like Green Arrow (especially J.T.'s recent run was outstanding). I think your art for DCnU's #1 was really exciting. I would imagine, given the implied situation, that Ollie drew the arrow VERY hastily. Expert archer or no, Ollie's missed before.
You are still a brilliant, very talented artist, no matter what the fans say. :)
Best,
David
that is the funniest post ever Brett...you are my hero..as a fellow funnybook artist...l think this is some funny sh!T.....
ReplyDeleteThanks David! Much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteHi Ken!
You can say shit here, as you can see I don't mind;)
Fanboys seem split on the issue but the pros know all to well this won't be the last time these things happen!
Best!
Brett
I hate the way you called me yesterday and said FU Ruiz. It hurt my feelings......lol.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you have to suck it up and just say, fuck it, the kid's right and call it a night. I mean, in your amazingly rude response you already are making excuses for the crappy drawing. You KNOW it's a bad drawing, you just seem pissed someone else called you on it. Own up to it, no one bats 1000.
ReplyDeletePS - Funny, all the DC guys I know use reference all the time.
No Cheese, I'm pissed because he chose to post a private email online with HIS info redacted along with the last email.
ReplyDeleteIf you have any actually sense you would be able to see that, but since you OBVIOUSLY can't read well, I guess I have to say it again.
REALLY, all the time, huh, well I guess that's why all those dinosaurs DON'T have feathers on them, OR dogs have their legs jointed in the wrong place or animals have the wrong number of toes... I could go on. Half the gorillas I see aren't right either. Are all the cars specific models? Are the shoes and clothing real brands?
I actually LIKE the drawing, sure I did it quickly but that's means squat. YOU obviously don't like it so why should I listen to an ass who came here just to bitch at me... I believe a 'Fuck off' is in order.
Post again and it will be deleted.
Have a nice day!
Brett