***Huge Spoiler Warning!***
No joke if you have not watched the final episode of Strip Search and you don’t want it spoiled, turn around now!
This is your last warning. There be spoilers ahead.
Seriously, spoilers guys.
Last night was awesome. We watched the season finale live in a theatre with probably 400 people and then did a little Q&A afterwards. I figure a lot of the stuff that got asked last night is stuff that would be good to share here on the site so if you were in the theatre yesterday, some of this will be old news for you.
First of all congratulations to Katie. I’m thrilled to have her join the PA family and I cannot wait to start reading Camp Weedonwantcha. One of the things that was brought up last night was the size of the cash prize. Some people have questioned if 15k is really enough to live on or enough of a prize. I think that 15k is a nice chunk of money and it will help Katie with the move up to Seattle but it’s really not the best part of the prize and we don’t expect her to live on that. The integration into PA is what is going to let her make her comic for at least a year but I’m guessing much longer. Already you can see the Camp Weedonwantcha website designed by our incredible designers Erika and Levin. You can see her merchandise is all done and available in the store thanks to our merch guy Brian. Our business folks are working to get ads on her site so she’ll have an income from that as well as getting her some work for hire projects including some possible PA presents work. We’ve handed Katie the keys to a functioning webcomic business and all she has to do is make strips. That’s the real prize and I think any of the Strip Search artists would agree.
Another good question that came up last night was essentially, do I feel like it is even possible to pick “the best” comic strip when it comes to something as subjective as art. It’s a fair question and trust me it’s something I’ve thought a lot about during the filming of Strip Search. We’re not talking about math here. There is no “right” comic strip or “wrong” comic strip. This is art and everyone is going to have a different reaction to the work. For the purpose of this show though, Jerry and I were the judges. What we had to do was pick the art that resonated the most with us. I would never say that the work Maki and Abby turned in wasn’t incredible. They both delivered amazing comic strips. Katie’s strip is the one that really got to us though. It was the one we were most excited to see more of. I totally understand those of you who disagree and I have no doubt that when Maki and Abby do their Kickstarters they will both be super successful. But yes, art is in the eye of the beholder and when it comes to Strip Search Jerry and I are the beholders. Only without all the eyestalks.
Some people are curious why Maki and Abby did not get time with jerry and I after the announcement of the winner. It’s been brought up that unlike all the other artists who left the show, these two got no “car time”. I can tell you that both artists did actually get that moment but without getting into too much of the sausage making, that footage was deemed unusable. I apologize that we couldn’t show it to you in the episode but please know that each of them did get that pep talk from us.
Over all I’m incredibly proud of all the Strip Searchers. I honestly do not think any of them “lost”. When you think about the amount of publicity each of them got as a result of the show it’s impossible to not think of it as a victory. I have no doubt that if they want to, any and all of them can use this experience as a launching pad for a very successful career in comics. I’m sure you’ll be seeing plenty of Kickstarters popping up from these artists over the next weeks and months. I urge you guys to support these cartoonists as they attempt to turn their dream into a reality. Jerry and I may have picked a “winner” for the show but you guys have the power to make all of these artists winners and I’m sure you will.
Thank you so much to all the artists for being a part of the very first Strip Search. Thank you for sharing so much of yourselves and your work with us. Thank you to the LRR crew for all your work filming and producing the show. Thanks to everyone at PA who had a hand in making this show so awesome. Finally thank you to everyone who watched each week and rooted for your favorites. Thanks for arguing in the forums and screaming at us when you disagreed with our decisions. I always say the worst thing that can happen is we make something and people don’t care. The fact that you were happy and sad and yes pissed off means that it mattered to you and that’s the best compliment we can get.
-Gabe out
