#side quested

[kbspangler]

This is the public statement from @alepresser and myself which went up at Webtoons tonight.

Now for some ranting. Just from me, not from Ale—she's innocent of the art crimes I've committed in the past, and boy howdy have I committed art crimes.

This is the first page of my first webcomic, A Girl and Her Fed. I started this thing back in 2006. (I don't actually need a head count of those reading this who weren't yet born in 2006. I'm sure you're delightful and I wish you well in college.)

And this is the last page I drew in early 2020 before I turned art duties over to Dr. Beer. It's better, right?

Well, these days, A Girl and Her Fed has pages like this:

I drew this comic for fourteen fucking years because it's a story I wanted to tell, and I thought webcomics were the perfect format for it. I didn't know how to draw. I got better through sheer obstinate perseverance and sticking to deadlines as best I could for, again, fourteen fucking years. I sought out a replacement artist when I ran into time constraints and couldn't do art plus writing anymore; I'm a much better writer than an artist, so I had no problems whatsoever kicking art to the curb.

The first time Ale sent me art that would go up on the website—art I hadn't needed to draw myself—I literally cried in relief because I had been grinding myself down for, yet again, fourteen fucking years.

So when I read comments from people who say they want to make a webcomic but can't draw themselves and therefore need to resort to AI, that little line between my eyes gets dangerously deep.

This isn't like I'm some old dude who's bitching over student loans getting cancelled after making regular payments. This is me, someone who threw raw art onto the internet like a monkey hurling fresh poo, because I wanted to make a webcomic and the art is part of the process of storytelling via webcomics! I could've (arguably should've) hired an artist right out of the gate, and that would've been part of the process of making comics, too: a partnership between an artist and a writer is also something which grows and develops over time.

For example, after Dr. Beer and I spent two years working on AGAHF, we decided we enjoyed our partnership so much that we set out to make another webcomic! It's great! It's got wonderful art and consistent storytelling! You should read it!

But turning art duties over to unaltered images generated by AI because you want to make a webcomic but "just can't draw" is, frankly, a bullshit excuse. I'm not talking about persons who are physically unable to draw due to disability—I'm talking about people who say they want to make webcomics but simply don't wanna do the art part.

Friends, if you don't want to show your entire ass in front of God and country, you don't actually want to make a webcomic.

Do the thing yourself.

If you're scared, don't be. Take the plunge. Set a goal of twenty strips and do the thing yourself. If you can already draw but can't write? Great! Write twenty strips, write forty panels, etc. You might surprise yourself. If you can write but can't draw? Great! Draw twenty panels and see what happens.

Whatever comes out of it, it's a thing you've done yourself. It's something new you've given to the world, no matter how big or small. Be proud of that. And if you need to partner with someone else to make your comic dreams work? You can do that, too! It's still a thing you've done yourself, and many projects are stronger when done together.

...but maaaaaaaaaybe hire that partner before you've busted your own ass for fourteen fucking years. That one's on me.

[alepresser]

Hey hello?

Do you know Side Quested, the webcomic created by me and @kbspangler ?

It's a crazy-bananas Fantasy RomCom with magic, dragons, a pink-goth super strong princess that didn't need rescue, an unfortunate librarian in training, and much more nonsense!

Read for free at https://sidequested.com !

[bat-in-the-machine]

Rereading @alepresser & @kbspangler's Side Quested and I forgot that the first thing Charlie said when she met Babs was "Peony, I found an eyeball for you."

[smart-macademia]

the key to surviving grad school (also maybe life but definitely grad school) is to pick a side quest every few months or so. something that brings you joy and that you can get better at over time, independent of whether or not your research or classes are going well. put your need for academic validation to use in a non-academic setting and everything will feel less dire and you will learn you are more than your work

[starcatching]

SEONGHWA at his practice for Isabel Marant FW25 Show

[p0nyr0ni]

[astridhobbit]

If y’all aren’t reading Side Quested you definitely should.

So, you are telling me that after kidnapping me with magic you expect me to become some psychopathic killer to save your country?

[caliblorn]

head of the Bravil Mages Guild and her loser boyfriend from that one awesome Oblivion quest

[areallyuniquename]

[lokutofu]

It’s them

[kbspangler]

Would you like some happy news? Starting January 2025, SIDE QUESTED, our queer YA romantic comedy, will update three times a week!

Would you like more happy news? @alepresser I are launching a second webcomic! This one will be a Patreon exclusive for its first year as we get ready for its big launch, but you definitely want to get in early as we shape Penny and her adventures!

I'm excited for both of these projects…more so today than before Tuesday, to be honest.

SIDE QUESTED and Penny's adventures are going to be fun. They're going to be about joy and love and discovery…and, in Penny's case, tomb raiding and huge explosions.

We're gonna cram goodness into every single cranny of these comics like we're buttering a hot toasty story muffin.

If there's a crossover, then it'll be a turducken of comics cozy.

WE ARE MAKING GRILLED CHEESE AND TOMATO SOUP COMICS WITH SNARKY TEENAGERS AND MAGIC BATTLES FOR THESE TRYING TIMES GDI

I HATE THAT GUY AND WHAT HE STANDS FOR AND WE'RE GONNA DO WHAT WE CAN TO KEEP ROLLING OUR ROCK UP THAT HILL AND OUR ROCK IS COMICS SO LET'S FREAKIN' DO THIS

[alepresser]

If you keep up with Side Quested, you must know that every month we do this thing with the Patreon backers where they can suggest themes and I'll make an Alternative Universe Illustration.

Well, this month's suggestion was Ranma 1/2.

Have a gender-bende Charlie to celebrate!!

(it felt like CHEATING. How dare work feel so much fun?!)

[blueskittlesart]

Linktober day 18: shopkeeper

Koko's ring garlands in Kakariko :)

[vaugely10]

pet crew from a lil space au im fiddling with

+ extra under cut :]

MAIL SPACE SHIP! i used the post office van pearl built and just space-ificated it as much as i could :D

[hehether]

Batkids whenever someone insults Brucie/Batman badly on social medias

[tesseractingrey]

I was watching Safiya Nygaard’s new video and ?????

Why is Phil Lester at the scene of the crime