A November Update or a late October Surprise
A Fan By Any Other Name…
It’s been on my mind for sometime as to what to call the fans of Red’s Planet — I mean, the word fan itself is somewhat of a pejorative with its origin deriving from the word fanatic. Some celebs have managed to create very successful brands around their fans. Of course, Lady Gaga has her “Little Monsters”, Katie Perry, evidently, has her “Katy Cats”, and long before they made the scene, Jimmy Buffett and The Grateful Dead had “Parrot Heads” and “Dead Heads”.
What I like about these nicknames is it creates a more familiar connection between performer/creator and fan. It’s the proper name as opposed to the generic. So, for Red’s Planet fans, how about the moniker of “Castaways”? I think it sums up what the story is about and I can maybe even relate to being a castaway myself. Any other thoughts or suggestions? I’d love to read them.
And now for a little update—
I know there are many new Red’s Planet readers thanks to recent reviews on Webcomics Alliance, IO9 and Newsarama, so so forgive me for any repetition.
As most of you know, I derive no income from Red’s Planet — which is essentially become a part-time job, taking as many as 12-18 hours per week . On top of my current job as a story artist and writer on Disney’s Phineas and Ferb, that can make a good 60+ hour work week. My day job and family obviously take precedence; production on Red’s Planet tends to fill the spaces that are usually reserved for less important things like, say, sleep. Some weeks the day job just gets super insane and I struggle to juggle everything else. That’s when I have to put the comic on hold for a bit and try to catch up. And that’s where I am today.
Thanks to all the crazy, I’m putting Red’s Planet on hiatus just for the rest of November. Don’t panic (yes, reference implied), I’m leaving you at a good spot — having just ended the current scene — so you won’t be hanging too much. The comic will pick back up on December 3 and for the last 10 pages or so of Chapter 3.
See you in a few weeks…uh…Castaways? Ok, gonna take some getting use to.
PS — Wouldn’t “struggle to juggle” make a great indie band name!
-UPDATE-
I’ve run into some technical problems and have lost some data — nothing that can be rebuilt, but it’s going to take a little longer. Look for the next page will update Wednesday evening, 12/5. Thanks!
I think Castaways is a great name for us fans. I know this Castaway will be patiently waiting for Red and the rest of the gang to come back in December. Hope you and the family have a very Happy Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble.
I like it. I also like Red Heads.
I do too…I married one!
I too like this….
Castaways inevitably brings “Gilligan’s Island” to mind for me. How about Freds (Fans of Red = Freds)?
LOL! Thanks for the suggestion Greg, but I have an aversion to naming anything “Fred” — I’ll be glad to explain if we ever meet in person.
I should be down in Studio City for a few days next June (visiting parents, in-laws, etc.). I may just try to see if I can fit in buyng you a beer and getting that explanation.
Absolutely! Just let me know when June rolls around.
I, too, like Red Heads.
Oh, and Phineas and Ferb is my 4 year old sons favorite show, and one of the very few I like to watch with him.
I’m sixteen and it’s one of my favorite shows! Considering all the other things that are on Disney Channel, it kind of restores my faith in kid’s TV.
Hmm! Reddies? Also, why aren’t you making an income from this? You sure put enough time into it! Just don’t want to?
On behalf of people who have posted creative projects to the web… it’s tough to make money off a web site. You either need a high volume of traffic to make anything off ads or a subscription model with enough takers to make it worth continuing.
I can’t address Eddie’s particular concerns, but I can just say it ain’t easy and it takes time and consistency to build the necessary momentum.
How about “Crazy Reds”?
As a former Dead Head, I would vote for Red Heads.
I vote for Red Heads. It’s a nice pun on the fact that she’s a red head, and her nickname is Red.
I just wanna’ be called the “Red Heads”. ‘Cause he hates being called Red! Or “Red Planetoids”? *Snickers* I like the Planetoids!
How ’bout Planeteers?
I kinda like Red Planetoids, it has more of a Buckaroo sense.
No income!
I did purchase the PDF of the prologue/ Chapter 1 through The Illustrated Section some time ago. (It’s sad to see that TIS went down….)
Any chance of PDFs of chapters 2 and later (as well as issue #1!) being available for sale elsewhere?
Solar, thanks for purchasing the PDF edition. Unfortunately, the small number of sales for print and PDF editions is far short of being an income, though I might go as far as calling it a pizza party. I am hopeful that there will be print and digital editions of the other chapters, but there’s more to it than throwing all the pages in and calling it a book and I just don’t have the extra time right now. I am working toward getting the Red’s Planet volume 1 collecting the first 5 chapters published in one form or another next year.
I’ll cast a vote for Red Heads – does seem appropriate !
I hope all is well. I’m looking forward to the rest of the chapter. The Red Heads sounds good. Or, how about the Reddians?
I like Phineas and Ferb too. They dream as over the top and unrealistically as my son and I do.
Hey Eddie – how goes the world – any comments that you might care to share ? We do miss you !
Hi Eddie – just to let you know that I do check daily. I’ll keep doing it because I do enjoy your work.