The Optimist

Author notes

Page 33

Kristen Gudsnuk

on Aug. 14, 2009

Holy cow.

1.) OK, first of all I forgot to set this to update while I was away in Hawaii, so.. er, sorry. But that means I've got some pages done already so I don't have to completely freak out that my computer is dead!

2.) The Optimist is up for review in the Comic Review forum!!! If anyone wants to write me a review, I'd be forever grateful (the comic review forum has been a little ignored lately…). Also, if you write three reviews, you can get reviewed yourself!! (that's what I did!) So anyone who wants to, please give me an honest review. (be as harsh and loquacious as you want- the truth can be harsh, and I like loquacity.)


3.) OMG I was nominated for three DD Awards!! Thanks to all of you for voting for me. It was the most lovely surprise, getting back and finding out (via a text from max..) that I was nominated! I sure hope to win one, but just being nominated is an honor in itself.

4.) I GOT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE TODAY!!!! Now I just need a car… but… oh man, as of today I am a free woman!

5.) Well, erm, has anyone been working on their entries to my contest?? Remember, September 15th is the completely arbitrary due date. Please, give me fanart!! :D :D

6.) so, as aforementioned, my computer is really dead, but hopefully it can be fixed, otherwise I am in trouble. my immediate solution is that I'd (first find my camera and then) send the pictures to Max and have him put in gutters and format and fix the colors up and add the dialogue… but I'd rather do it myself. The only one who can get credit for my comic is ME! Also, I can trust no one to crop the pages just right, center the dialogue, choose the font size and spacing… etc hehe. But Max at least knows how I like it, so he'd be the best man for the job.

7.) I'm getting scarily close to the end of this comic… urghgh what shall I do???? *cries*

8.) So, about Hawaii: it was lots and lots of fun. I read a bunch of books, like "Sapphira and the Slave Girl" by Willa Cather, "Gentlemen of the Road" by Michael Chabon, and the first three books in Jack Vance's "Demon Princes" series, which were incredible– I discovered him from this incredible article in the NY Times Magazine a few weeks ago. And oh man, am I a converted fan. I read the Michael Chabon book after I read the Vance ones and I was like, "urgh what foppish language, give me some Jack Vance style, hard-hitting prose!!" I just got the last two "Demon Princes" books (it was a 2-part omnibus) at the library today and will have to temper reading them with doing my comic…

OH and I got "Prince Valiant: Volume 1" from Amazon. It's really wonderful. The drawings are beautiful, and the writing is.. well the lovely thing about it is that it's so terse (a quality I… definitely don't have, as you can see.) But the reason I bought it was mostly on a whim, because I'm designing a new story and I've got it into my mind that the main character loves Prince Valiant. Understandable- Val was hot (for a drawing) at least in what I've read so far.

Uh, haha, I realize I haven't said anything about hawaii!! it's hard, though, to sum up two whole weeks of excitement. So I won't bother.

Anyway, thanks for reading!!!

oh, PS, about this page: I worked really hard on panel 1. I was really happy with it too. The father was a cute kid.