The best way to become a better comic artist is to make comics.

This week was my first week back to school at ye old MCAD. Taking WAY too many classes and gonna die, but I'm excited to be back.

BUT.
The one thing I absolutely can't STAND about starting a new year is introductions. You'd think as juniors, this kind of thing would be unnecessary. WRONG. And the thing that happens EVERY. YEAR. is that I get asked:

"So what was the last comic you read that totally like, BLEW YER MIND?"

MOTHERFUCKER.
I NEVER have an answer for this because HEY I DON'T READ COMICS I MAKE THEM. I usually have to fumble for an excuse and say, "Well I'm more of a novel reader I guess," and then I have to poorly pronounce the last Russian novel I read. :I It just makes me sound like an asshole/retard.

I am taking a screenwriting class as well. Before the teacher told us the story of how he stole the original script of Last Action Hero, he said "The best way to become a better writer is to write. The second best way to become a writer is to read."

So, you'd think this would apply to comics. Reading comics certainly can teach you a thing or two, but it is nowhere near as effective as making them and learning from personal mistakes and triumphs. I hardly read comics on my own time. It's not that I dislike them, but I would chose the chance to make a comic over reading a comic any day.

I mean, this is why I was the only person in my comic publishing class that had actually published any of their work. (Another awkward introduction where I sound like a pretentious asshole.)

Why settle for a secondary learning method when you can have a first hand experience that actually moves you forward?