I feel so stupid now when I think back to the times I used to go out with a large group of people, and I was always so nervous, especially if it was with people I didn’t hang out with very often. ”Is what I’m ordering cool?” Really? Did I really ask myself that? Yes, I did. So lame of me. This was long before I really knew who I was, and wow am I glad I figured that out.
Happy Halloween everyone! Make it awesome and make it safe!
A special thanks to the magnificent Emily Chan for this wonderful holiday card! Be sure to check out her delightful StupidFox comic – as if you hadn’t already 
.
Writing Zoey is always fun. She’s not a… erm… “sucker” (as Fribble would say), but she’s a person who knows herself so well, that she will never allow the negativity of others to ruin her mood. I think I knew all of one person like this in high school. She was the only person who at that age knew exactly who she was and who she was going to be throughout her life, and she never fell into the trap of putting down others to make herself feel better. Out of all the characters, she’s the one that the phrase “Hot Mess” applies to the least.
What about you guys? Do you think the majority of your friends are “Zoeys” or are they Hot Messes?
UPDATE: As you may have noticed, we swapped out this week’s comic with a new version… one done in our old (and IMO way, way better lettering style). What do you think? Wanna see the difference between the two? Click below to see the one originally posted.
This was the original lettering for #73
Which one do you like better?
UPDATE 2: The new version of #72 is now up! Just click here or the back pointing arrow below the comic!
As much as I love a logic problem, the dynamics of groups are never logical, and trying to figure them out has always been tough for me. There are so many motivations that people have, and on top of that, so many ways that people go about acting on their motivations that the combinations are endless. Add to that that even when you think you have a person within a group figured out, new information can always come to light which wholly changes your perspective.
Personally, I strive to have a “Zoey” attitude – look for the positive in everyone and try to keep in mind that there’s always hidden motivations and things going on behind the scenes that I’m not privy to, and therefor spend very little time accentuating the negative. In actual practice, I’m probably a bit more like Anna, splitting the difference. But every now and then, I know I’m a bit like Jack – snarky, cynical and negative.
When I was 10 and about to go into the 4th grade, I moved across the state to a new school, starting with a “clean slate” so-to-speak. So I tried to invent a new me. That “new me” lasted about one week, before I went back to being the “real me”. It’s not easy to pretend to be someone else.
I sometimes find it pretty crazy what hostesses and wait staff can get away with when their managers aren’t watching. Being a former waiter myself, I know exactly how frustrating the job can be, as well as the impulse to act out. Not that I ever did… much. But some of the people I worked with were downright mean to their customers when they felt they weren’t going to be held accountable.
Any of you waiters out there have funny stories about the “abuse of power” at work? Or any customers want to share your most unbelievable eating out moments?
We had a lot of fun with this week’s pinup. I had been wanting to do a series of homages to movies and pop culture moments that I love and cherish for quite a while now, and how perfect is it that the wonderful artist Robyn Seale had not only the chops, but the inclination to humor me in this silly obsession of mine? I love her style, especially her colors, on this pinup – I think it captures the mood of the film, while of course, letting the characters of Hot Mess have their own fun.
Just in case you missed them, here are links to our first two pinups:
“Scooziecat is Displeased” by Emily Chan, and
“Spring Day” by Ben Chamberlain
Robyn comes to us from her own webcomic called “The Watcher of Yaathagggu” (pronounced yah-THAG-goo) which I love for a variety of reasons. First, I’m a nut for all things Lovecraftian. If you give me a choice between silly slasher movies and “R” rated stuff like “Saw” or visually tame, but psychologically frightening movies and books, I’ll take the latter every time. For my money, my imagination can scare me far worse than anything I see on screen, which is why the works of H.P. Lovecraft, with their insinuations and suggestive language rather than outright graphic horror, work better and stay with me far longer.
Robyn plumbs the depths of the Lovecraft mythos and gives it her own spin, and what I love about her art is the way she uses color and light to great effect. She’s also proof of my “Grand Theory of Webcomics” – if you have a story you want to tell and are willing to do the work, you can have your very own webcomic that has the potential to reach fans around the world. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never had formal art training, or you have no idea how to create a website. Modern technology has made it so easy to create and publish on the web, that the barriers to entry that used to stop a comic from getting out into the ether (i.e. having a publisher, a distributor, advertisers, etc.) no longer exist. It’s something I’m working to cover more in depth in my blog series of “How to Make a Webcomic” which I hope to launch soon.
From the Yaathagggu website:
Yaathagggu (pronounced yah-THAG-goo) is a city surrounded by eldritch horrors and absolute darkness.
Pieta Gaolwynne is a perimeter watcher, tasked with guarding the city by keeping her lighthouse running and survey the ocean, which stands as the greatest threat.
But things aren’t right with her tower or with the city, and one unlikely protagonist is thrust into a plot of mystery, intrigue and madness.
And below take a look at a few of her pages… enjoy (and click through to see them on her website):
I absolutely LOVE Emily’s design for The BC. Its hits that perfect mix between “local hangout” and “cheesy chain restaurant”. I can easily imagine a Burger Cove next to an Applebee’s or a T.G.I Fridays.
Ok, we finished out the month at #1 – wanna try and help us get there again? Just click here: Remember, you can vote once a day
It’s Day 5 of the Hot Mess Week of Winners, and this one’s a doozy. We loved lots of entries in this category, but only had two prizes to give. It was a tough problem, so we decided to honor six runners up!
Before we get to the winners, here’s a few links to the other winning art we’ve announced:
CATEGORY 1: ARTISTIC:
Honorable Mentions
First & Second Place
CATEGORY 1: CREATIVE:
Honorable Mentions
First & Second Place
Remember, to see the full resolution versions of these entries along with the artist notes for each, click through the pictures below:
What better way to start than with an old to Emo Bunny himself, Slumper. The piece is called “Smile Slumper Smileee” and it’s by HTFbyOTTO:
Next is a fun peek inside the head of Anna’s friend Ashley in “Hot Mess-Ashley” by MWRuuRuu:
Then we have an Untitled piece by Pochi-Saku-Hime. Very cool concept.
The next Honorary Mention is a look inside the head of the person who seems determined to ruin Anna’s life. It’s “Bethenny De Luca” by Pota-toes. Not quite as scary in there as I’d have imagined
xMidniteStarz has a very cool, original take on the voices in Anna’s head in her great piece, “The Hot Mess Crew“. I for one have definitely known a person or two like Slumper. And probably a few Fribbles as well.
And rounding out the Honorary Mentions is this colorful work from Cherrysamachan called simply, “One Hot Mess“. Momur looks like Pete’s Dragon – way cool.
Congratulations to them all for their outstanding entries!
We’re still at Number 1 on Topwebcomiclist.com, so thanks to all of you who voted! But keep those votes coming – tt’ll be fun to see how long we can stay on top. Remember, you can vote once per day. Just click here:
I love that Slumper is always referred to as Emo Bunny in the comments. That actually sums him up perfectly. Now for nicknames for the other animals…
If you like what we’re doing here, we’d love your vote!
And be sure to take a look at the incredible entries in the art contest! Click for Category 1 (personal avatars) and Category 2 (riffs on the Hot Mess characters)! We’re busy at work picking the winners.