Cos Effective

Thanks to all you anime and costume fans out there for a swell Cos and Effect! It was great to see so many of the regulars from the now defunct Anime Evolution. (I had some fans at that show that I'd seen every year for over four years now, and was kind of worried I might not see them again!)

We kick off a brand new chapter today. Enjoy, and come back on Wednesday for part two!

-Sam Logan

Cos and Effect starts tomorrow!

That's right, team! I am at Cos and Effect this weekend, right here in my homeland of Vancouver, sharing a booth with my pal Angela. You can find me in the main hall of the University of British Columbia's S.U.B., where I will be peddling only the finest in books, shirts, and art. If you're going to be in town, come by and say hello!

Sam and Fuzzy Q & A: Hat Rack Edition
Got a question you want answered? Just drop me an email with "Q & A" in the subject line!

"Why is it that when Sin's body is used as a hat rack it's holding umbrellas, and when it's a mannequin it's holding a hat?" -Don Karlos the Indigestible

That, Mr. Indigestible -- if that is your real name -- is a mistake! The second panel was supposed to say "Umbrella Stand." And now it does! History rewritten!

"Are the people in the bottom left panel of Wednesday's comic supposed to be screaming? I think it looks like they're yawning." -Charles

Neither! They are engaged in hefty intellectual conversation. (As would anyone sitting around such a stimulating centrepiece!)

"I was wondering- why is it that Sam is drawn in a sort of abstract way when others (Devahi, Renaldo, Aaron, etc) are relatively normal-looking?
PS - Still loving the comic. I've started on the old strips now. " -Rachel

Essentially, Sam looks that way because he's a much older creation of mine. Even though I've revamped him a bit over the years -- something I touched on a little bit in last week's historic arm hair question -- he still bares a lot of the hallmarks of my older art style.

Once upon a time, pretty much every human character I drew looked like Sam with a different haircut. If you're archive diving, you'll probably notice this yourself when you get to Christmas of Terror: the oldest comic on the site. (Although at least by then, I'd started giving people ears.)

I used to fret a little about the.. let's say "range" of realism displayed by various human characters in Sam and Fuzzy, but now I kind of like it. I think my overall style and inking is unifying enough that a character like Devahi could stand next to a noseless, earless, sphere-headed character like Sidney without it looking too strange. (It also kind of helps explain why people in the Sam and Fuzzy-verse can accept someone like Fuzzy. They're just used to a little more visual diversity than we are!)

"You're one of the longer-running webcomics still on the scene, and over the years have shown some of the most dramatic and impressive stylistic changes, both from an artistic an story-telling standpoint, and are one of the few webcomics to never miss an update. Do you ever get frustrated that despite its veteran status, Sam and Fuzzy never really gained as much wide-spread recognition as some of its peers?" -Joshua

Sure! I mean, I'm not going to lie. Would I like the comic to be more popular? You bet! But, you know... sometimes I feel like people have the wrong impression of how Sam and Fuzzy is doing. And maybe that's my fault! Maybe I'm bad at talking up.

The truth is, I'd be stupid to be anything less than incredibly grateful for the success Sam and Fuzzy has had. Sure, it's not exactly the Star Wars of webcomics, but slowly and steadily it has built up a substantial audience. And that audience is very supportive! It supports a line of books and god knows how many t-shirts and prints and what have you. It makes travelling to conventions worth my time. It turned my hobby into a decent paying job! I have met a lot of webcartoonists, so I know full well just how rare that is. So no, I don't feel too hard done by. I feel very lucky!

But hey... there's always room for improvement! I work hard trying to get more eyeballs on Sam and Fuzzy, and I know many of you are out there doing the same. (Thank you for that, by the way!) I know my comic has a lot of things "working against it". It's very continuity heavy and not especially new-reader friendly. It's in black and white. And, to be perfectly honest, I don't think it was very good when it started. But what can you do? I just keep trying to crank out the best work I can, and so far, I've been rewarded for that. If I can keep building on that, then fabulous. But if not... well, if Sam and Fuzzy has to be a niche, at least it's a very healthy niche!

That's a wrap for this week, team. Come back on Monday for the start of our next chapter!

-Sam Logan

Cos and Effect this weekend

Friends, sometimes a cartooning man comes up with a few gags that just don't really fit naturally into his storyline. So this place between chapters seemed like a good place to stick 'em! I've got another to unleash on Friday before we get back to business on Monday. (And I think you'll like it.)

Although it was omitted from today's strip, never forget Use for a Spare Exosuit #42: giving it to your favourite crustacean therapist.

Cos and Effect this weekend! Are you going to be in or near Vancouver? Then consider getting your butt over to the general vicinity of the University of British Columbia's SUB, and visiting me, Shannon, and Angela here on our home turf. I'll be bringing plenty of books, shirts, art and good vibes.

-Sam Logan