Crankcast Episode 167 – 20081218
Quitcherbitchinalready.
This week on an episode of the Crankcast that tries not to cross any boundaries… Kevin Mellon joins us to kibbitz about working freelance work-for-hire in this crazy business, while Mike basks in his exclusive and crank weeps uncontrollably. There’s also a couple of emails!
Comment here, mail here and friendship here, or here.
Episode 167 – Time: 89min. – File Size: 40.8mb
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
December 19th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Hi!
I’ve never listened to the show before, but I tuned in this time to hear my big pal Kevin Mellon via a link on his blog.
I’m not through listening yet, but I thought I’d comment anyway after hearing Mike mention his past unsavory dealings with Mr. E Hartsoe. My dealings with Mr. Harsoe go back to just before the publication of the first issue of Razor. My friend and I, during high school, saw a sign posted in the local, now-defunct, art supply store that we used to frequent advertising cheap art lessons from local “comics artist” Everette Hartsoe. We signed up and went for about 2 weeks and were majorly disappointed at the “instruction” offered to us. Now, we were not particularly good artists (still aren’t), in fact, we really sucked back then, but I was stunned to hear Everette’s “professional” critique which basically amounted to “you guys are really great — I don’t think I can really teach you anything”. This was disheartening, because we knew we were no good, but even in our gullible youth we could recognize that this guy was a potential scumbag.
We witnessed the birth of the debut issue of RAZOR, and were equally unimpressed — Harsoe’s writing was twice as bad as his art (which was very bad), and the man was not suited to teaching anybody, much less teenagers and children. I was lucky to never be gullible enough to fall for the whole “bad girl” comics scene, which was in full swing at the time, but I could recognize that RAZOR was the bottom of the bad girl barrel. Mr. Hartsoe tried to recruit us to join his publishing efforts, but we simply did not want to be associated with him. One of the other kids at my high school was drawn into his web and worked for him for a while, but, whatever happened to him in the end, it did not involve success.
I’ve wondered about the fate of Mr. Hartsoe, yet was never curious enough to do any research on the matter. I know RAZOR enjoyed a minor amount of success (at the expense of other artists, it seems) and there were rumors that Hartsoe had sold the film rights. My last thought of Hartsoe, years ago, was a brief shudder at the prospect of a RAZOR film. Thankfully we were spared that disaster, and he seems to have disappeared from the scene altogether… or has he?
Back to the show!
December 19th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Crank’s true whereabouts revealed.
December 19th, 2008 at 10:42 pm
I love that you guys talked about the downs of payment and the struggles of freelance.
But… I would NEVER trade my job for anything else. Working in comics is so rewarding to me as a person that I can work a shitty job in retail for extra cash, and still feel good about myself.
December 20th, 2008 at 1:36 pm
Good show guys, Mellon should be on a regular basis I think. Mike and Crank! have a good holiday.
December 23rd, 2008 at 12:18 am
really good episode this week guys. have a good holiday