Cartoon Satisfaction

Mmm. What's pure cartoon satisfaction? In my business, it's when you spend a few seconds looking at a gag cartoon and you actually smile or laugh out loud. And then it's done. You've looked at it, found the joke and reacted -- all in a few seconds. And, that's it.

That's all there is.

I gave a presentation last year with two other comics pros. Between these 2 guys, they got over 60 years in the business. One guy drew strips, the other guy drew comic books. After they gave their presentations, it was my turn. I joked that the two other guys were on the losing end of cutting edge 21st century cartooning. What with everyone wanting easily readable, transportable media -- my cartoons take mere seconds to read -- while their works have anywhere from three to maybe hundreds of panels! Who wants to read ALL THAT on their Blackberry? I work in the "stealth cartoon" category!

But, now after looking at the popularity with manga -- long form, thick books full of hundreds of pages and stories that can go on for years -- I think I was wrong.

My 2 cents.