Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, crime noir, eggs, entertainment, kickstarter

If You Like Your Eggs Noir….

Published Sat, 13 Sep 2014 09:00:06 -0500

Gregory Woronchak writes,

When I was young, one of the highlights of my weekends was unfolding the bulky Saturday newspaper to find the big comics section. Ignoring ink-stained fingers, I'd pore over the latest shenanigans of old friends (in glorious color, unlike the dull black & white of daily funnies), my eyes gravitating to my favorite: Calvin and Hobbes.

I couldn't put my finger on the reason it was my first-read; the antics of that little brat always drew a chortle, and the lush brushwork and wild imagination of the strip was impossible to resist. I guess I've always been a big fan of the daily strip format, short, economical snippets of a character's life that got to the point (usually a joke) with laser-like focus and wit.

Webcomics are a close relative to these Saturday comics I remember so fondly. The serialized format forces the creator to splice a story into daily (or weekly, or irregular) segments to tell a complete story. There's no limit as to concept, style, or even panel placement; there's no right or wrong, which is wonderfully liberating.

Years ago, I doodled a trench coat wearing egg, standing over a melted popsicle traced with chalk outline. It was an unconscious nod to The Far Side I suppose, one of the strips I'd enjoyed as part of my Saturday comics reading experience.

That germ of an idea grew into Slam McCracken: a tough, hard-boiled detective (literally), spending his days solving cases in a rain-drenched, Noir-inspired city. Originally, I thought a graphic novel telling a complete tale would be the best approach. After stumbling upon tanned and crumbling 1940s comic book anthologies of classic newspaper strips, I recalled my love of the Saturday morning four-color guys and gals. Abruptly, it dawned on me to turn Slam into an Old School serial, with the result a webcomic that adopts a panel format and 'voice' that harkens back to the pulpy comics that entertained me so.

I've always been drawn (bad pun) to hatching and cross-hatching; this grainy and textured style seemed to fit my concept beautifully, and is always a joy to draw. The result is a bold, stark strip that straddles the past while acknowledging the modern possibilities of digital webcomics. Folk seem to either adore the goofiness of the concept, or 'don't get it'. Hopefully, if given a chance, more people could learn to enjoy the adventures of my little detective.

To that end, I invite readers to check out my Kickstarter project. Funds accumulated will allow me to complete the opening chapter of my webcomic series, with hopefully extra to give me a head start on the next wave of strips. Thanks in advance for your kind attention, and for encouraging this writer/artist trying to polish some faded memories by creating stories of my own.

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