Crush...Yiff...Destroy!

American Bastard · Qualificator Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Posts: 2

OK, hope this isn't too irritating, having my first post here be so damn long-winded. But I've lurked here for a while, and I figure this place'd be better than any to get some advice.

I used to draw "funny animal" comics. The fact that I try not to call it "furry" is pretty much proof enough that I am not particularly proud of this. I'd been drawing it for as long as I could remember, and then sometime in the mid '90s I started posting it on the internet, got on an art archive or two, signed up on a couple MUCKs, even went to a con. Made a couple relatively normal friends, antagonized a lot of others (most of whom were/are of the "FURSECUTION OMG" type), and eventually got so burned out on the drama and the deviance that I just got the hell out several years back and found something else to do with my time. Sometimes people googled my name and found out I used to draw this stuff, and for some of them- even though my art was clean and fairly normal, if fucking lame and adolescent in retrospect- this was a huge point of amusement and proof of some kind of lameness on my part.

In the last couple years, though, I've had the inclination to start drawing anthro stuff again- cartoons, really, nothing pretentious or dramatic or fap-inducing (if there's anything left on the internet that's not somehow fap-inducing). Mostly it's because I keep seeing comics which remind me of why I started in the first place- Achewood, Cigarro & Cerveja, and to a lesser extent VG Cats- and that somehow manage to use funny animals without having that nauseating fandom undercurrent. (How Achewood can have a cat in a banana hammock as a pivotal character and avoid being stigmatized, I don't know, but Onstad is a genius for it.) On the other hand, I find plenty lurking here that keeps me from investing any more of my time in it- no matter how funny and mainstreamish and completely disconnected from the doe-eyed Bluth/Disney/Sonic debris that denotes most furry art my stuff might turn out (I guess I'm leaning towards 'Matt Groening knock-off'), it's still talking animals and that shit can go wrong real quick audience-wise.

So, long question short: if I decide to start posting a comic somewhere on the Internet where all the protagonists are comedic talking animals and the content isn't obtusely fanboyish or hopelessly geeky, what are my chances I can avoid too much embarrassment?

RabidRick · Qualificator Joined: 15 Mar 2005 Posts: 26

Don't take this the wrong, but I think you worry too much about what people think.

I mean really.... are you like THAT afraid people are going to make fun of you on the internet that you'd let a few of these responses preclude these ambitions, alltogether?

I think people, or at least the ones worth a shit, will base their reactions off of its content.

I, for one, would like to see it 8)

m_estrugo · Vociferator Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 534

I'd say, go for it. I've done it for a long time, doodled funny animals on comic strips and despite I haven't been too constant, I've managed to avoid most of the furry-related flak.

To do so, I've tried to discretely avoid furry sites, furry themes, tried to make my comic as 'family-friendly' as possible -in order to fit the traditional category of funny animals-, and avoided sexual stuff on the strip. I've also minimized my presence on furry 'online communities', like websites and art galleries, and posted to comics related sites like Comixpedia like if furries never existed.

I've got some promotion on other sites and sometimes told administrators of other sites who were going to review my site to avoid the 'furry' word to describe my comic, and even sent an e-mail to the administrator of onlinecomics.net/ when they were setting up their 'genre' classification to tell them that I'd prefer it if my comic was listed under an "anthropomorphic" category, rather than the "furry" name for comics featuring funny animals. Looks like my polite, concerned complaint was successful, though, since they changed that category to anthropomorphics

My purpose was to offer my comics to people other than furries, as I'm convinced there's a wide audience for my stuff beyond furry fandom. I'm also aware I'm listed under the 'furry' category on a lot of sites, but that doesn't matter to me. Both that and my intermitent participation on forums, where I try to tell I'm interested by things other than funny animals managed to give me a little place on the "webcomics" community as a person who only draws 'funny animals', away from furry drama.

Shii · Qualificator Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 5

If you drew a normal kind of comic, things could "go wrong" too.

Draw whatever you like.

Paul · Needs to get out more Joined: 01 Feb 2004 Posts: 1092

So, long question short: if I decide to start posting a comic somewhere on the Internet where all the protagonists are comedic talking animals and the content isn't obtusely fanboyish or hopelessly geeky, what are my chances I can avoid too much embarrassment?

I don't think you'll risk any embarrassment. There's plenty of "funny animal" art out there, made by people who aren't furries, enjoyed by people who aren't furries. The worst that can happen is that you get weird email requests for furry porn, but those can be ignored. Ultimately, if you make a webcomic, you do it for your own pleasure, so it shouldn't really be important what some furries think about it or might say about it on a furry forum somewhere. I say go for it, and don't worry.

MonicaKitty · Vociferator Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 663

Despite all I've seen at this point, I draw clear distinctions between "funny animal"entertainment and furry. I certainly do not consider Tom and Jerry or Warner Brothers or Disney or the Watership Down to be furry. Furry rather is the corruption of that same thing, and the lifestyle that takes it about 8 billion steps further. It's like comparing Casablanca and Debbie Does Vegas. Yes, they are both movies, per se, but totally different creatures.

Mitch · Vociferator Joined: 01 Jun 2003 Posts: 658

So, long question short: if I decide to start posting a comic somewhere on the Internet where all the protagonists are comedic talking animals and the content isn't obtusely fanboyish or hopelessly geeky, what are my chances I can avoid too much embarrassment?

If it's honestly comedic without any fanservice and you aren't an active member of the fandom, I don't see how anyone outside the fandom will take it as furry. Of course, that's not to say furry fans won't latch on to it and label it furry; they've even listed Achewood as a furry comic, but if that kind of thing is going to upset you, you really need to give up right now.

GoManVanGogh · Vociferator Joined: 18 Nov 2003 Posts: 659

Go for it. You've got nothing to lose but your life's savings.

Monkey King · Vociferator Joined: 16 Jun 2005 Posts: 459

they've even listed Achewood as a furry comic

Oh wow. I know someone who would shit bricks over that classification. I must go and show him, and bask in all the delicious drama.

Caz · Qualificator Joined: 16 Apr 2004 Posts: 14

Meh, Belfry is kind of all over the place rather than just "Furry" related.
I mean, it even has Dominic Deegan, a not so furry comic, and even comics you'd find in the newspaper like Foxtrot.

About the comic making: Its animal yet acts human? OMG ITS FURRY!!! Seriously, people are too dense to pick up on the different categories of comic genres. To a lot of people, if its an animal and acts like a human, its a furry.

Ninja Turtles? Furries.
Bugs Bunny? Furries.
VG Cats? Furries.

You'll just have to put up with it really. Just keep your cool and don't lose it if someone does categorize your comic as furry rather than cartoon or anthropomorphic. Your real readers will pick up on it and spread the word.

Smatterchew · Qualificator Joined: 05 Mar 2005 Posts: 22

If you drew a normal kind of comic, things could "go wrong" too.

Draw whatever you like.

What Shii said. Things can certainly go wrong with regular comics too. In fact, this is true of any art form... it seems artists of any sort face a degree of misunderstanding.

But I'll admit to often feeling same way as the OP. Sometimes I think of removing all curves from my female characters, in order to make them less "furry"... or taking the less severe path of giving them human heads instead of cat heads. I don't consider myself furry either, though that seems pretty typical of a "furry artist" these days. *sigh*

Bag Full o' Money · Qualificator Joined: 30 Jul 2005 Posts: 28

I knew Belfry was very indiscriminate about "furry" classification because they have "Dilbert" in there, but "Foxtrot" crosses the line. The only animal in that strip is a very passive pet iguana that appears only occasionally and shows no intelligent or humanlike behavior whatsoever. "For Better or For Worse" is a furrier strip than that.

Dr. Dos · Vociferator Joined: 11 Oct 2004 Posts: 718

it has FOX in the title.

Hence all furries should support Fox News as it is the only furry news network.

MonicaKitty · Vociferator Joined: 24 Feb 2005 Posts: 663

I can easily believe Bill O'Reilly has a fursuit and spandex shorts in his closet.

American Bastard · Qualificator Joined: 22 Dec 2005 Posts: 2

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm still thinking that drawing again might attract too much attention from the fandom; I used to be a name of minor repute (thankfully for shit-stirring instead of atrocious eye-searing porn) and starting again with the talking critters might make me look like I've fallen off the wagon. But I figure if I sneak it in somewhere pseudonomously amongst a large amount of non-potential-furry works, there won't be a shitstorm of stupidity following in my wake. Maybe.

Ah, hell, the internet makes everything stupid. I figure so long as the stupidity can't be pinned on me I might be all right.

Moonbeam · Qualificator Joined: 12 Dec 2005 Posts: 16

I can easily believe Bill O'Reilly has a fursuit and spandex shorts in his closet.

My visualization centers have just screamed and run home to their mommies.

Ebonyleopard · Venter Joined: 15 Sep 2004 Posts: 264

OK, hope this isn't too irritating, having my first post here be so damn long-winded. But I've lurked here for a while, and I figure this place'd be better than any to get some advice.

I used to draw "funny animal" comics. The fact that I try not to call it "furry" is pretty much proof enough that I am not particularly proud of this. I'd been drawing it for as long as I could remember, and then sometime in the mid '90s I started posting it on the internet, got on an art archive or two, signed up on a couple MUCKs, even went to a con. Made a couple relatively normal friends, antagonized a lot of others (most of whom were/are of the "FURSECUTION OMG" type), and eventually got so burned out on the drama and the deviance that I just got the hell out several years back and found something else to do with my time. Sometimes people googled my name and found out I used to draw this stuff, and for some of them- even though my art was clean and fairly normal, if fucking lame and adolescent in retrospect- this was a huge point of amusement and proof of some kind of lameness on my part.

In the last couple years, though, I've had the inclination to start drawing anthro stuff again- cartoons, really, nothing pretentious or dramatic or fap-inducing (if there's anything left on the internet that's not somehow fap-inducing). Mostly it's because I keep seeing comics which remind me of why I started in the first place- Achewood, Cigarro & Cerveja, and to a lesser extent VG Cats- and that somehow manage to use funny animals without having that nauseating fandom undercurrent. (How Achewood can have a cat in a banana hammock as a pivotal character and avoid being stigmatized, I don't know, but Onstad is a genius for it.) On the other hand, I find plenty lurking here that keeps me from investing any more of my time in it- no matter how funny and mainstreamish and completely disconnected from the doe-eyed Bluth/Disney/Sonic debris that denotes most furry art my stuff might turn out (I guess I'm leaning towards 'Matt Groening knock-off'), it's still talking animals and that shit can go wrong real quick audience-wise.

So, long question short: if I decide to start posting a comic somewhere on the Internet where all the protagonists are comedic talking animals and the content isn't obtusely fanboyish or hopelessly geeky, what are my chances I can avoid too much embarrassment?

If you're really that concerned with what other people are going to think about the comic work you want to do, yoiu probably should pick a different career or hobby all together. Art is art and once it leaves the artist's pencil they can't control what the viewing public is going to think about it, so don't even bother. If you're that worried about being embarrassed then that's exactly what you're going to be and you probably shouldn't even bother.