larime

[larime]

I’m a disabled comics creator - I draw with my mouth - trying to change the way disabled characters are shown in pop culture. Any boost is HUGELY appreciated! @wilwheaton @neil-gaiman @gregpak @gailsimone @colleendoran

This is THE most important thing I’ve ever created. PLEASE consider supporting or boosting! #DisabledPeopleAreHot and deserve to be more than props in other peoples’ stories. Help us change pop culture. BACK THE KICKSTARTER:  kck.st/3TV9koz

[larime]

My Wife Needs Chemo

My wife Sylv has cancer and cannot get insurance to cover chemo, so we have to pay out-of-pocket. She NEEDS chemo, and soon. The somewhat long story is explained below. Even if you can’t give, PLEASE reblog, simply liking the post doesn’t really help.

Sylv was born in Canada and came to the US in 1994, back when Canadiansdidn't even need passports to come here and well before 9/11 complicated immigration. She came because she was offered a job speaking French for a company in Indianapolis that had won a contract in Eastern Canada, and they were going to handle her immigration paperwork. The business went under before any of that ever happened. She spent what little she had to get here and was now stuck - being estranged from her family, she had no 'home' to go back to. She lived with friends, providing daycare while they worked, and we met online in 1996. A year later we were married. Being disabled myself, we never had much money since she couldn't work and I had a hard time getting anyone to hire me. We were never able to file her immigration papers, and despite 18 years of marriage, she still has no legal status. Homeland Security knows she's here and has no issues with it, but neither can she be giveen any benefits or even buy insurance. Without $2k AND a sponsor making over $50k a year willing to take responsibility for her, she can't get citizenship. Last December she was diagnosed with endometrial cancer. We can only get her Emergency Medicaid, which paid for the surgery necessary to remove a 15cm tumor and a full hysterectomy, but it won't cover chemotherapy, and without it the cancer has started to return and spread. We have chemo lined up, but we need help raising the funds to pay for it. The treatment itself isn't terribly expensive, but the booster shot that goes with it to keep her from getting sick and the PET scan needed to see if it's working are. Here's the breakdown of the three main costs for every three weeks, which needs to be repeated for a total of six rounds: Treatment: $414 Booster: $3800 PET scan: $1600 Total: $5814 a round That's about $30k for the full six ronds. There are additional costs, such as placing a port to put the chemo feed into, blood tests and such, that will crop up over time. Some of this we MAY be able to get at low or no cost, but her citizenship status makes qualifying for most programs difficult. That's just medical costs. We may also need additional aid care since I'm disabled and won't be able to care for her when she's sick, and help covering food and bills when I can't go draw caricatures on the Strip because I might bring a bug home when her immune system is compromised. These are real concerns and side-effects of dealing with the chemo. This is about one thing only: saving my wife's life. Every bit helps her to fight another day and beat this. With your help she can and will fight on. FAQ: Q> Why not just go back to Canada? A> And live where? We would need to uproot and move somewhere, pay to rent a place, pay utility deposits, hire an in-home aid (as an American I won't get one in Canada) and go through all the process of getting her back in their system to be treated. I would not receive any Social Security there, either, reducing our income to zero. Treating her here is actually cheaper and easier, and most importantly, it's FASTER. She needs chemo sooner rather than later. Q> Have you tried X foundation/program? A> Probably! Still, feel free to offer suggestions and I'll look into them. Just understand there's avery good chance she won't qualify due to our unique situation. Q> Are you doing anything else to try to pay for it? A> Yes! Sylv and I are comic book creators, and we're getting some friends in the industry to auction art to help raise funds. I also draw caricatures here in Vegas and am trying to set up a new Guiness Record for drawing by mouth and want to challenge the casinos to match whatever my attempt raises. I'm also obviously putting every spare dollar I make doing caricatures into treatment as well. I am NOT just asking strangers for spare cash.

https://www.gofundme.com/ps6erqqm

[larime]

Disabled Artist Needs Work

You can commission me here: www.larimetaylor.com

I’m Larime Taylor, writer/artist of A VOICE IN THE DARK from Image, and I was born with Arthrogryposis, a condition that leaves me with little use of my arms and legs. I draw with my mouth. I’m a caricature artist and comic book cartoonist (that’s the fancy term for creators who write AND draw their own stories). I've lived in poverty on Social Security for most of the last 14 years, and only after moving to Las Vegas in June on ‘14 have I really had a means of making a living. I draw caricatures for tips 4-5 nights a week in front of the Bellagio fountains on the Strip. I say ‘for tips’ because we’reconsidered street performers and cannot by law charge money. We get whatever people feel like giving us when we’re done drawing them. And yes, I’ve drawn someone for less than a buck in change. I’ve also been given a $100 bill on some occasions. It has it’s ups and downs, but I get by. My wife Sylv was diagnosed with Stage 3a Endometriosis in December and had a full hysterectomy and a 17cm mass removed. This, by the way, ground AVITD to a screeching halt. She's been recovering, but things became rough about three weeks ago when I finally had to ask my mentally and emotionally abusive relatives who had been doing our (minimal) aid care to move out. They're taking the full 30 days to do so and making it as stressful and nasty as they can along the way. The stress is wrecking my wife physically, making it harder to care for me - she's already in a wheelchair from a back injury several years ago she suffered while caring for me - and it's making it harder to pack me up to go to the strip and work. I'm hoping to get commissions I can draw from home for the next few days and let her have a break. The relatives are supposed to be out by the 1st, and we're getting a State-paid aid soon, so it's not a long-term emergency. I'm not needing resources on aid care OR donations, just some honest paying work. If you like my art, my heavily-reduced prices are at my site. Paypal is the easiest way to commission me, using my email xlarimex(at)gmail. Feel free to ask questions here in the thread. All art is digital, meaning on completion you get a file you can print and do with as you please.

[larime]

My Superpower

Making others feel good about themselves is my superpower. I don’t do it consciously - it’s more of a part of who and what I am.

I’m Larime Taylor, and I was born with Arthrogryposis, a condition that leaves me with little use of my arms and legs. I draw with my mouth. I’m a caricature artist and comic book cartoonist (that’s the fancy term for creators who write AND draw their own stories). I’ve lived in poverty on Social Security for most of the last 14 years, and only after moving to Las Vegas in June on ‘14 have I really had a means of making a living.

I draw caricatures for tips 4-5 nights a week in front of the Bellagio fountains on the Strip. I say ‘for tips’ because we’reconsidered street performers and cannot by law charge money. We get whatever people feel like giving us when we’re done drawing them.

And yes, I’ve drawn someone for less than a buck in change. I’ve also been given a $100 bill on some occasions. It has it’s ups and downs.

I tend to get a crowd watching me for fairly obvious reasons, and sometimes the people watching tip. Many don’t. That’s life. I only get annoyed when they’re taking photos and videos without asking or tipping. If I’m that entertaining, put something in the jar, you know?

But one of the things that really frustrates me is when people say things like the above cartoon - that I’m awesome or inspiring, but don’t bother to tip. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the compliments - I do.

But compliments don’t pay my bills. Even a buck, or a few quarters, does.

It comes down to the idea that I’m there to teach them something, to motivate them, to inspire them. I’m a prop. I’m a life lesson in their life. It makes them feel good to say that. But I’m not out there to teach lessons or make people feel warm and fuzzy. I’m there to make a living. I’m a person with costs and needs, and those don’t magically go away because you feel inspired.

If you really want to show me that you appreciate me or whatever I mean in your life at that moment? Tip me.

Today’s caricature is Tom Hiddleston as Loki! Want to get a caricature of yourself? Message me! Put a few bucks in my virtual tip jar by donating via Paypal to xlarimex(at)gmail. 

[larime]

Disabled Comic Creators Need Help

Sylv has ovarian cancer and went into surgery last Wednesday to remove a tumor roughly 15cm in her lower abdomen, along with her uterus and both ovaries. She is a legally blind artist and comic creator along with me, her disabled writer/artist husband, Larime, and as struggling artists we barely get by. She's been housebound for over a decade due to a number of medical issues, and bedbound for the last four. We recently moved to Las Vegas to be closer to family and start a new life after over a decade of poverty and hardship. Sylv got a new wheelchair with the help of a bunch of wonderful people and started having the hopes of a normal life again. Just  a few months ago we went out to dinner for the first time in 14 years.

Four days after her 40th birthday, she had to be taken to the hospital for severe abdominal pain. On December 3rd they removed her uterus and both ovaries along with the mass. They don't believe it was malignant, but may be borderline. All contributions will go to helping her and the family get through the medical ordeal, lost productivity and severe cut in cash flow, and ongoing treatment and recovery.  We know it's the holidays, so every little bit is GREATLY appreciated.

[larime]

Hi again! So I bought and read issue one, loved it completely, bought and read the rest of the issues and now I'm just panting for more lol! Subscribed so I don't miss ANYTHING! ^^ Keep up the good work!

Awesome, thank you! Did you get the new #1 in September?

[larime]

Slight Delays

As most of you know, #1 was supposed to be out this week. It'll be on stands on the 24th instead, one week late.

#2 will also be between 1-3 weeks late.

Family drama and the resulting fallout have wiped me out. I'm now supporting 2 extra people on my already shitty income, and that means more nights on the Strip and less time making comics.

To keep the book from being perpetually late, I'm writing and shooting ALL of #2-#5 in one chunk so I can just draw pages without having to worry about the next issue. As I draw 2-3 pages a day, that means I'll be completing issues in 7-12 days each. Jay Savage colors about as fast. So while #2 will ship late, #3 will be on time, and I'll probably have #4 and #5 ready to go early.

TL;DR, family shit has clobbered me. Books are still coming out but will be shipping a bit late.

[larime]

Thanks for the kind words! Funny thing is, I got my own campus radio station first week of college - it's one bit lifted from personal experience - and people always flag it as the least-credible thing. Anyway, glad you liked it!

So I just finished reading the first volume of A Voice in the Dark by Larime Taylor. And it was pretty awesome.

The story can be summed up pretty simply: it’s about Zoey Aarons, a young college student who is also a budding serial killer. But that description sort of eliminates what makes...

[larime]

It would be a mix of comedic and serious. I like it because it's a clear shift in style to mark the change in view rather than just a caption or voice-over. Plus it would be adorable.

Style Idea

So issue #2 opens with a flashback to Zoey’s childhood. I’m seriously considering drawing it Boondocks style. Thoughts?

[larime]

Style Idea

So issue #2 opens with a flashback to Zoey's childhood. I'm seriously considering drawing it Boondocks style. Thoughts?

[larime]

All About Me and My Comic

Let's try this again!

My name is Larime Taylor, and I’m a cartoonist. That’s the official, fancy term for someone who writes and illustrates their own comics, as opposed to just writing or penciling or coloring. I do the entire book, from script to finished, lettered pages, at the rate of 2-4 finished pages a day, which I’m told is pretty fast.

I also do it all with my mouth.

I was born with Arthrogryposis, a birth defect that leaves me with my joints in locked positions and little-to-no use of my arms and legs. I’ve been drawing by mouth since I was little, and have a professional background as a caricature artist. I’ve only made the jump to doing my own comics in the last year when my first issue was published by Top Cow/Image in November of 2013.

My book, A VOICE IN THE DARK, started as a Kickstarter to help me do a self-published pilot of sorts and get a publisher, and it worked. I got picked up by Top Cow, a part of Image Comics. Despite nearly universal rave reviews (<--- read them at the link!), however, sales are languishing. That’s largely because I’m a new creator, I’ve never worked at Marvel or DC, and few people know who I am.

It’s also in part because my book was black and white (the next mini will be in color), and features a predominantly female cast of characters, many of color, and with realistic body types instead of hyper-sexualized fap material.

Here's a bit about the book:

Some people become killers.

Zoey was born that way.

Ever since she can remember, Zoey Aarons has felt the urge to kill. For eighteen years she resisted those urges and fought to be someone better than her base instincts would allow. In a moment of weakness and anger, however, she let go and took a life. That hazy Seattle summer day still haunts her, and as she begins college far away from home, she’s afraid that she will kill again.

She’s right to be afraid.

Instead of leaving that fateful day behind her and starting a new life as a college freshman, Zoey’s about to be tested and face temptation in ways far greater than she could ever imagine. The prestigious women’s college that she’s attending on a full academic scholarship is in Cutter’s Circle, California, and Cutter’s Circle has a dirty little secret: it has the highest population of serial killers in the country. The town is up to its proverbial severed head in murderers.

If you're familiar with the movie HEATHERS, it's a major influence. The book is dark, but it's also funny. Here's a trailer for the first volume, written in the same tongue-in-cheek sense of humor as the comic.

 Zoey is of mixed-race, her black uncle is an openly gay homicide detective, her best friend from high school is an Asian lesbian, her dormmates range from a bubbly blonde sorority girl to an Hispanic business major to a bisexual goth-punk. I don't write diverse characters as a checklist, they are bits and pieces of people I know or grew up with. They're living, breathing characters.

So other than trying to spread the word, why am I posting this? Because as I said earlier, sales are dwindling and the book is nearing a tipping point. If they drop much more I'll have to abandon it. I believe in this book, and I'm giving you a link to issue #1 (<--- click the link!) for free. It's a double-sized issue, too. Decide if you like it, and if you do, here's what you can do:

CALL or GO INTO your local comic shop and order the trade. The order number is APR140534. Don’t get it at Amazon, tell your comic book store there are readers. Monthlies aren’t sold on Amazon, and monthlies are how I make a living.

CALL or GO INTO your local comic shop and order the first two issues of the next volume. The order numbers are JUL140458, and AUG140691. 

If you really want to see more diversity in comics, it starts with supporting the books that are already trying to make a difference. I’m not the only one. RACHEL RISING, GENIUS, CONCRETE PARK and many other great books about strong women and people of color are out there and they need your support. We're all struggling.

Without it, we’ll have to close up shop.

[larime]

Thank you!

I have to admit, I’m frustrated. Sales on the book continue to drop and there doesn’t seem to be much I can do to stop it. I’ve tried everything I can.

I got a big-name voice actor to do my trailer.

I got national news coverage.

I switched the book to color.

Nothing…

[larime]

First I want to thank everyone who has reblogged or helped spread the word, including Kelly Sue DeConnick, Greg Rucka and Terry Moore. I especially want to thank those of you who went out and ordered or bought copies of the book in any form.

Second, I want to say to those who found my initial post problematic for whatever reason that that was not my intent. Yes, it should have had the name of the book more clearly in it, and that’s my mistake. My book is called A VOICE IN THE DARK, and you can learn about it in my previous posts, my trailer, and by searching for it online via interviews and reviews. I also could have structured it better and made links more easily noticed. Tumblr is not my native platform and I’m not that great at utilizing it just yet. Your feedback is appreciated!

As for the handful of claims (in over 700 notes) that I’m guilting anyone or accusing anyone of not supporting women, people of color, or kittens and puppies if they aren’t buying my book, I respect your opinion, but I disagree. Strongly. I think the post and the intent was pretty clear, and the vast majority of people reading it seem to agree. I wrote it in frustration, yes, and some things can always be worded better, but I’m seeing a few people ascribe to me an attitude that is simply not who I am.

I’m an ally in trying to improve representation in comics because I myself have been ignored, marginalized and treated as an ‘other’ because of my disability. I’m on your side. If you don’t like my book, or how I promote it, or it’s just not your thing, then that’s fine! Really, I don’t mind.

But as someone working in comics and seeing many others outside of DC and Marvel trying to bring diversity to the scene and watching them get ignored and get frustrated, too, I know I’m not making up a problem that doesn’t exist. We’re trying, and we’re losing the fight. We need help.

That’s all I’m really trying to say.

I have to admit, I’m frustrated. Sales on the book continue to drop and there doesn’t seem to be much I can do to stop it. I’ve tried everything I can.

I got a big-name voice actor to do my trailer.

I got national news coverage.

I switched the book to color.

Nothing...

[larime]

A Small Follow-Up

First I want to thank everyone who has reblogged or helped spread the word, including Kelly Sue DeConnick, Greg Rucka and Terry Moore. I especially want to thank those of you who went out and ordered or bought copies of the book in any form.

Second, I want to say to those who found my initial post problematic for whatever reason that that was not my intent. Yes, it should have had the name of the book more clearly in it, and that's my mistake. My book is called A VOICE IN THE DARK, and you can learn about it in my previous posts, my trailer, and by searching for it online via interviews and reviews. I also could have structured it better and made links more easily noticed. Tumblr is not my native platform and I'm not that great at utilizing it just yet. Your feedback is appreciated!

As for the handful of claims (in over 700 notes) that I'm guilting anyone or accusing anyone of not supporting women, people of color, or kittens and puppies if they aren't buying my book, I respect your opinion, but I disagree. Strongly. I think the post and the intent was pretty clear, and the vast majority of people reading it seem to agree. I wrote it in frustration, yes, and some things can always be worded better, but I'm seeing a few people ascribe to me an attitude that is simply not who I am.

I'm an ally in trying to improve representation in comics because I myself have been ignored, marginalized and treated as an 'other' because of my disability. I'm on your side. If you don't like my book, or how I promote it, or it's just not your thing, then that's fine! Really, I don't mind.

But as someone working in comics and seeing many others outside of DC and Marvel trying to bring diversity to the scene and watching them get ignored and get frustrated, too, I know I'm not making up a problem that doesn't exist. We're trying, and we're losing the fight. We need help.

That's all I'm really trying to say.

[larime]

Hey. An an author I follow boosted your post and got me interested in your comic. I prefer to read stuff digitally, but I saw what you said about monthlies being how you make your income. I was wondering if a subscription through comixology helps out in the same way as buying your book from a brick-and-mortar store? Thanks!

Hi! As far as money, yes, it helps. I suggest hard copies because publishers determine viability based on print orders, not digital, but if digital is easiest for you, go for it.

[larime]

And I do appreciate the feedback. Honestly, as the post says up front, I'm frustrated. If that frustration means that some things aren't worded as well as they could be, that's fair. 

I have to admit, I’m frustrated. Sales on the book continue to drop and there doesn’t seem to be much I can do to stop it. I’ve tried everything I can.

I got a big-name voice actor to do my trailer.

I got national news coverage.

I switched the book to color.

[larime]

Except I never say anything of the sort. I don't say anything remotely close to insisting you must buy my book or you don't care. I say:

Except I really DON’T believe that. I BELIEVE in what I’m doing. I believe that there’s an audience for it.

It’s time for that audience to step up.

I also say:

If you really want to see more diversity in comics, it starts with supporting the books that are already trying to make a difference. I’m not the only one. RACHEL RISING, GENIUS,CONCRETE PARK and many other great books about strong women and people of color are out there and they need your support.

Without it, we’ll have to close up shop.

To get publishers to make a change, they need to see that change is viable. I name several other books and says specifically it's NOT just about my book or me.

I think you're reading a lot into it, and I never say YOU don't care or aren't already supporting those kinds of books. If you are, that's great! Even if you aren't reading mine.

I have to admit, I’m frustrated. Sales on the book continue to drop and there doesn’t seem to be much I can do to stop it. I’ve tried everything I can.

I got a big-name voice actor to do my trailer.

I got national news coverage.

I switched the book to color.