An open letter to the internet.

When The Dandy relaunched last year, it caught a lot of attention. As Britain’s oldest comic institution, it had the weight of history behind it and any attempts at revitalising the form would naturally take some punches. What it did was quite daring, it scrapped the magazine format it had been slowly creeping towards, and instead declared itself a bona fide comic once more, filled to the gills with a variety of cartoons. Initially it also did away with the cover-mounted freebie toys, a risk in today’s market. What it wanted to be, was a modern version of the comics we grew up with. Unashamedly silly.

Recently the response came back – sales had dropped by a half. What a crushing blow to such a noble attempt.

Inevitably, sensing blood, the parasites have come out. Sensing a wounded animal they’ve pounced, picking at it from a safe cowering distance. In this canyon of the internet, the wretched scabby vultures don’t waste a second. Forums and blogs, suddenly filled with the barely-concealed glee of a thousand old, bitter, failed cartoonists who declare they KNEW it wouldn’t work. I say they’re failed cartoonists because you can usually follow the trail of bun crumbs back to their own portfolios, as they’ve clearly tried to infiltrate the world of children’s comics but obviously never quite made it. Instead of crying salty tears into their own pisspoor efforts, they bitch and whine their stupid opinions online, content that there’ll always be some other bitter tit who feels the same.

Worse is the personal attacks they make on the art. The Dandy was bold in allowing new, unexpected artists to take the reigns on some of their popular characters, to try new things and shake the medium up a bit. The range of material inside was a joy, and should be applauded. But the criticism coming back at it was unfounded, and purely subjective. I’ll say this now, I can take it. I’ve been doing this long enough, and had enough whiney criticism thrown at me that it swiftly stops being hurtful and fast becomes funny. When you realise you’re being criticised by the angry, bitter internet, with all its confused rationale and hypocritical vitriol, it becomes more of a trophy – the fact you’re invoking such a reaction means you’re doing something right. But I’ve seen the attacks on the other artists, some of them brutal, and it’s nothing but childish jealousy. It dismisses all the years of work someone’s put into their craft in one sentence.

It’s pathetic. An opinion is one thing, and an informed critical opinion can often be very helpful. But a snide, bullshit swipe at something that was trying to do good is callous. The Dandy was standing up for British comics, and the artists were chosen because their artwork delights children. And it did, any naysayer can say their kids didn’t like The Dandy but they’re not taking into account the thousands that DID, and the untapped audience that would if they could just be reached. For every grown adult who says I draw comics like an idiot monkey, there’s a score of people who love what I do. Complaining that someone’s style is wrong is like saying custard is offensive – it means nothing. It’s your opinion. Instead of frothing it up with the nastiest words you can muster, try not thinking about it. Try getting on with your own life. Try doing something constructive instead of whining like a bitch.

The reasons for The Dandy audience slide could be many (distribution, advertising, competition etc). I thought they were doing something really right, you can say I’m biased because I work for them, but I would have applauded it even if I had not. Even if they’d rejected my work, I would have promoted the relaunched Dandy. It deserves a huge amount of respect for trying, and I really hope it can find a way to keep going. I’ve a few suggestions but hey, I’m sure they’ve a few plans too.

Instead of hiding in your dark corners, internet critics, seeping out at the first sign of trouble, you could have been cheering on a bold move in children’s comics. You could have stood up for the greater cause, you may even have enjoyed some of the work inside if you’d made the effort to look past your own bitter opinions. But you’d rather criticise someone else’s work, than do something constructive yourself.

Because it’s far easier to destroy than it is to create.


12 Sep • 14 notes • ∞
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