896 Sunny Side What?

by

When I first started doing Between Failures it was common for people to start their own fan clubs,  facebook groups, or what have you, and for the most part they were always very sad places, where the author tried desperately to engage the handful of bored readers who frequented the site.  I didn’t start the comic’s Facebook group.  That was Shelby.  I didn’t start the DA fanclub.  That was Jonathan.  Neither place is particularly active, I’m the main contributor to my own art club in fact, but fans made them.  They wanted them to exist bad enough to take the steps required to make it so.  I think that’s better than trying to control places like that yourself. 

Which brings me to the problem with popularity contests.  Well, problem is perhaps too strong a word.  Situation, perhaps.  I will not personally lobby for inclusion of my comic in them.  Because of this I’ve never been in one.  XD  They tend to be the same 10 or so comics that everyone knows, and the same ones you expect to win do.  Which makes sense.  They are the most popular comics, they should win popularity contests.  Which brings me to Comicmix, a site that, before yesterday, I was unaware of.  They are holding such a contest.  I learned of it by way of another person’s tweets, and upon inspection saw that they had included the same 100 or so comics you would expect to be there and things were business as usual.  I didn’t even bother to vote.  Anyway, the person I learned about the contest from kept tweeting about it over and over, and eventually I saw that they had amended the list a second and third time.  Surprisingly, Between Failures had been added, along with many other titles.  This, of course, meant that someone other than myself had suggested them, and by my self imposed rules I was now allowed to take part in this contest in any way I chose.  I chose the only way I like to take part in any contest, by which I mean by cheating.  So I asked everybody I know that doesn’t read any comics to vote for me.  Once those 7 votes were in I figured I was about done.  There were at least a few of you who voted for me of your own accord, and for that I thank you.  If any of the rest of you wish to do the same I will extend my thanks to you as well, for what it’s worth.  I realize I will not win, and I am at peace with that, but I would like to bloody the noses of as many people as I can on my way to failure.  If Between Failures truly is your favorite webcomic please give it a vote.  I would appreciate it.   This is also the link.

As a final note, presumably the two people who suggested Between failures for consideration read it.  If you are reading this message, please contact me in whatever manner pleases you.  I would like to send you a sketchcard as thanks for thinking of my work, and calling it worthy to stand against the work of others. 

To the rest of you, please help me crush my peers under my iron heel so much so that when my name is spoken they tremble at the sound of it.   >:|           XD

41 Comments

Unfortunately, Between Failures was not on the list when I voted and I don’t think I can vote again. So, um….here’s a phantom vote, at least. I’ll see if I can’t hand in a vote when I head to school tomorrow.

It’s alright. I’m only fighting to see by what amount I’m going to lose by anyway. X3

Who’d you pick?

well, if more people actually gave Between Failures a chance there’s no way you’d ever lose one of these contests

I’ll go ahead and vote as well. I’m not gonna lie, this isn’t quite my favourite comic, but it’s close and derserves more votes than it’s getting.

On another subjest, I was sure you were gonna ask us how we like our eggs. You didn’t, of course, but I’ll answer anywaays. Scrambled eggs with a good bit of ketchup mixed in.

I voted for you, and I’ve never gone out of my way to upvote anyone’s work before. Don’t sell the appeal of your work short, sir.

And leave it to Nina to manage calling John on his behaviour without being nasty about it =)

Keep doing what you’re doing, it’s excellent and amusing reading.

While “Between Failures” may not be my number one favorite comic, it is easily in the top 5. You’ve got something really good going here, and it pains me to think there are not more people enjoying your wonderful work.

Also, take comfort in the idea that my favorite comic (and the other comics that may temporarily rise above your lofty position in my esteem) is currently doing worse than your comic in the voting.

I don’t know what that says about me – either I am a discerning enthusiast who finds hidden gems far from the drooling populace, or I am a twisted loner out of step with society.

Either way, I voted for you.

I’ve always known Nina was sharper than a bowling ball; this is ample evidence.

“Which brings me to the problem with popularity contests… I will not personally lobby for inclusion of my comic in them. Because of this I’ve never been in one.”

Ah, derp… If that’s the case, why am I voting for your strip (more or less daily) on topwebcomics.com? (http://topwebcomics.com/vote/10347/default.aspx)

Personally, I’m not overly impressed with ComicMix‘ selection. They don’t include several of my favorite webcomics, notably Babe in the Woods, Carry On and Housepets! That said, they do offer a link to Digger, a graphic novel that concluded a year ago.

That’s a list site, it’s not exactly the same kind of thing. Although I didn’t put myself on it either. Never been able to find out who the user is. In any case I appreciate the support.

N.P. So I went out and voted for all my favorite comics, anyway (B.F. first — but it came earliest on the list, anyway).

To me, Between Failures seems like that comic that a lot of people read, but no one really says anything until they let it slip. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said something or referenced this comic and the response was “…You read Between Failures too?”

Then again, when you have almost 900 pages of the comic, the statistics start to lean in your favor.

Web comic culture in general seem to be really self contained. A lot of people who like Between Failures talks about it here, and etc for other comics. Nobody’s really hanging out in the web comic shop to talk to the other regulars and the shop owner.

Rather, a lot of people are talking to the creators, and either talking about the page going up or popping onto tvtropes to talk about the comic as a whole.

Unless someone recommends a comic to me or I to them, it’s rare that I ever actually learn that someone else is reading the same comic outside of the comics comment section.

Hrm. You’re not on there anymore. Thats annoying. There are a lot of comics I read on there, but just reading them doesn’t mean I’d pick ’em for “best.”

Well, the spirit is there I guess. I’d totally vote for ya.

May just be the angle, or it may just be me, but it seems like Nina’s hair grew a lot since we saw her on friday.

Long-ish (?) time reader, first time poster. I just wanted to say that, while I cannot honestly claim that this is my “favorite” comic (a dubious claim for me to make about any I read, as I like each for different reasons), it has been on my shortlist every week since I found it a couple years ago. I like the sincerity and hilarity to “Between Failures”, and I think that the characters convey a depth and honesty that is uncommon amongst its better known peers. So for what it’s worth, keep sharing your work, because the silent majority of your readers will keep on reading. P.S. Please keep Nina’s new hairstyle for awhile. It looks great! :D

You got my vote I love this comic it just speaks to anyone who has spent time working in a job like this, and the relationships and interaction have made me laugh and cry both mostly from joy but still. As far as how you are doing in the polls heck I know the top comics are extremely popular comics at the moment but sitting below you on the list is Sluggy, the first webcomic I ever read, and one of the longest running webcomics out there. As far as I’m concerned being ranked higher than Sluggy puts you in my top 5 webcomics of all time. Keep up the excellent work and I look forward to seeing how the story progresses.

I like your strip. It is one of two i read(the other is NSFW, and is not on the ballot). You DO have a audience, and we appreciate you. Keep up the great work! :D

And yes, i Voted for you.

I just realized this is probably one of the first times I’ve seen John and Nina interact. I man if they have before I don’t remember because I’m reading a lot over the course of a few days.

Actually of the cast John gets the short end of the interaction stick. I mean, He’s not my favourite but I’ve always preferred equal screentime of an ensemble cast.

I’m confident he has interacted with every single cast member on-screen except for Wes and Mike but his presence just isn’t felt.

Ah, poor, young John.
When you get to your 30s and older, you start to shift your priorities. Spending time with a woman you enjoy talking to becomes a significantly higher priority than one you just think is hot… or even one you enjoy sex with.

…Possibly because eventually it dawns on you that if you live with a woman full time, no mater how healthy your sex drives are, you’re probably going to be spending more hours of your day doing the former than the later. :P

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