A creative quetion for Stan

[Logan Myrddin]

Mr. Sakai, how did you know that Usagi was THE ONE? What made him so special out of all the characters you had created (or did you not really have that many characters to choose from?)? You see, I've got dozens of ideas for comicbooks, and I just can't tell which one to go with. Was there some type of criteria that Usagi met, or did he win your heart just becuase that first legendary sketch was so cool? Is there any advice you can give me on this problem?

[Stan Sakai]

how did you know that Usagi was THE ONE?

Usagi was the character that appealed to me the most. I was also doing Nilson Groundthumper at the time but after the first published Usagi story decided to concentrate my efforts on the samurai rabbit. Nilson and some of my other characters pop up from time to time in various projects. I have been discussing a Nilson collection with Dark Horse.

[Glennosuke]

Stan:

Do you need some lobbying from the rest of the Dojo to DHC? I would think that with all the interest in LOTR recently, they may be more willing to publish in that genre again?

You loyal Dojo Daimyo,
Glenn I. Masuda

[Stan Sakai]

Stan:

Do you need some lobbying from the rest of the Dojo to DHC?

The Nilson project is something that is almost definite. We're discussing in what format it should be presented in. It started because another publisher asked about the rights, which led me to ask Diana if DH would be interested. It will probably be scheduled for 2004--20th anniversary of Nilson/Usagi.

There are two Usagi collections scheduled for this year. The Shrouded Moon should be in store the beginning of January and Duel at Kitanoji is set for August (unfortunately, after the San Diego Con).

[Logan Myrddin]

Another creative question (this one for anyone who can give me a knowledgeable answer). What should I be able to draw, and how well should I be able to draw it before I try to enter the comics medium? How skilled/experienced should I be before submiting a piece to a company. And let's qualify that. How skilled should I be if I am aspiring to (like Mr. Sakai) burst on to the scene immediately and, given the right economical circumstances, survive/succeed?

[digulla]

Another creative question (this one for anyone who can give me a knowledgeable answer). What should I be able to draw, and how well should I be able to draw it before I try to enter the comics medium?

Art is always relative. When you look at UserFriendly.org, then you see that even a crude style can be successful.

For the faint of heart: Don't read on. I really mean it!

What I figure from your posts is that you need courage before everything. Let me put this clear: In the beginning, people won't like your work (99.999% chance). Even if they like it, they probably won't buy it. It took Stan many years until he could live from Usagi alone. So prepare for some downers, rejections, failures. Probably many of them.

If you don't like personal failure, than life is something you're not going to enjoy. And if you don't start, you will never know what you can achieve.

So draw something! Publish it somewhere! See how it works. And if it doesn't work, draw some more.

Edison tried over 800 different things before he came up with the first durable light bulb. When a reporter asked him if he didn't feel discouraged about all those failures, he replied: "Failures? They were no failures. Now I know 800 things that don't work!"

So stop asking and start doing. Anything else won't get you anywhere.

Hope this helps,

[Logan Myrddin]

Thanks Digulla! I think that swift kick in the rear was EXACTLY what I needed. I'll start drawing! Thanks a bunch! I DID need to hear that. A little motivation, a bit of reality, a hint of creativity. Yeah, I'm gonna do it!