I must say I never knew the forums had so many people going through them...I'm ashamed that I never realized such a thriving community existed here. For any of my viewers who missed the fireworks, I posted this in a forum last night: [link] I was an idiot for doing it, it was not the right place for this topic and I am glad I did it so I could get the experience.

I do feel that I must apologize to some people, however. The post I wrote last night in fit of passion - and in my heart of hearts, fear - not only did not correctly reflect my stand as an artist, but also offended, angered and confused readers. That was not my intention - I posted it to express my fears and my worries for the comic industry. Since I do plan and am going to school to be a digital colorist and script writer for comics, to see a declining market terrifies me - that the jobs I'm looking for will not exist. However, I should have never acted in fear and force my opinions and desires over fans and viewers. This was wrong of me, and I am very sorry. To the people who expressed kind words to me I thank you for doing so. But mostly, I thank all of you who reprimanded me for what I had foolishly said.

I will say this - yes, I did started writing it as a complaint about people not viewing my pieces that I felt were better. I should have edited it after I posted it as a journal to address more of the issues I feel are in comics in general instead of making it sound like a whine-fest of people not liking me. I should have better expressed my opinions more objectively, thought more thoroughly on the topic and cited sources for my viewpoint.

Secondly, I do not think I'm a great artist. I wouldn't be spending a ridiculous amount of money each year for schooling if I thought that was the case. I know I still have much more to learn, just go to the bottom of this post and you'll see a list of people that I feel are far more deserving of views. I also know and acknowledge people have their personal preferences and tastes, and what might appeal to me might not appeal to others. And I do love my art and doing it regardless of what people think, otherwise I wouldn't be at art school, majoring in it and trying to learn and improve.

Thirdly, I feel that some perceive that I hate Manga which is not the case. In fact many of the pieces I mentioned if not all are Manga titles. I’m not saying Manga is dying because it’s bad, there are several good titles, I’m saying it will fade out and be pushed to the side because the fans let it happen. It's just how it works, it makes very sad but that's how it goes. I speak from what I know from professional comic artists who teach me their trade as my professors. I also have had access and conversations with editors from companies such as Dark Horse, Viz Media and Vertigo. That’s where my opinion for Manga’s decline comes from, not from a lack of views. In fact, this whole experience I think has shown me better what I need to prepare for as an artist to appeal to a larger audience. And I thank you.

However, I do wish people would be more civilized and less boarish when counteracting an argument. This is one of the things that creates the stigma that comics have. I know the readers are passionate about the subject, but it certainly makes the experience of liking comics less pleasurable for everyone. And it definitely turns off people who might have a slight interest in picking up comics because then they think all fans are like that. Then the comics don’t get the money from those potential new readers. Old readers disgusted by the new generations stop reading, and so money becomes limited there. So it becomes less lucrative, and publishers move to something else to make a profit. These things are inevitable, you study comics history and the same thing happens over and over. I hate to so this happen, so even though I'm aware any effort I make to change that is fruitless, I want to try anyway.

Sometimes people don't realize how fans and fandoms are essential to all art, especially Manga and comics. Without fans artists would have no one to work for, and certainly no one to purchase their work. My wish is that these passionate individuals look outside of what they are familiar with and spread their excitement everywhere. I wish for their enjoyment for a medium to grow and expand, and never get boring. There are just so many beautiful pieces and styles to discover and explore, and I wish I had started to look around much sooner. It's a handicap I do not want others to experience.

So all you fans out there - thank you for looking at art, thank you for buying comics, and thank you for supporting the artists. I don't think this is ever expressed enough from artists when we really need to do it more often.


People who are deserving of viewerhship: