In the madness that is the San Diego Comic Con, I couldn’t help but find myself lost in the electricity and excitement this past July. The annual summer event plays host to some of the biggest names and companies in popular culture and comic fandom, so without question and simply put, the place was packed. As I pushed past Batman and stepped on the foot of Boba Fett, I made my way into the exhibition hall, where promoters, writers, artists and the sort gather to bring their product to the clawing fans. I spent hours walking around in the exhibition hall, gazing at booths and displays from Marvel Comics, Lucas Arts and…Edmonton’s own Stephen Notley? In a quieter corner of the hall was the Edmonton native, promoting his own and well known comic strip, Bob the Angry Flower. Although Stephen may be from a comparatively small city, and not have quite the six figure budget that Sony Entertainment or DC Comics may have, he does not let those barriers get in the way of continuously producing a great strip week after week. Now that the convention season is about to kick start again, I had the opportunity to catch up with Notley, and another Edmonton based cartoonists, Chris Krause. Krause, who hasn’t had as much commercial success as Notley, has had multiple comics published in the University of Alberta’s Gateway. Most notable is his work with his strip Peanut and Circle. We had a chance to talk about the difficulties of being an independent and freelance writer from a small location like Edmonton. Following my chats with Notley and Krause, I realized they both had the same thing to say: the comic industry is difficult enough to break into in the first place, and your location has little to do with your work. Both Notley and Krause had come to learn from their work that other factors played important roles in receiving success for your efforts.
Notley, who has been working on his comic strip since 1992, knows all too well what it takes to get noticed, and is a firm believer that coming from a comparatively small city has no effect on whether your work receives commercial success or not. “Ultimately, it depends on the quality of work,” meaning well done work will eventually get the recognition it deserves. Krause, who hasn’t generated as much recognition as Notley for his comic, still held the same views on the matter. When asked how difficult it is for a relatively small city writer to receive commercial success, he replied “it’s very difficult, but I’m not sure if it’s any more difficult than for cartoonists in other places.” They mutually believed that this line of work is difficult to impact regardless of location. And I’m sure that the few and remote people who have had influence on the industry have their skills and talents to thank, not a large metropolis upbringing.
Both also agreed in the powerful use of the Internet in their line of work. Who would have thought that the Internet could be used for other reasons then downloading music and movies? Krause understands that he has such a small fan base because he has yet to make use of the Internet as a huge tool, saying “I think almost any cartoonists hoping to see his work go somewhere these days probably needs to get his work onto the Internet as well to reach a wider audience.” Notley, on the other end of the spectrum, makes full use of this tool, often updating his own personal blog, where he posts the latest Bob the Angry Flower strip for literally the entire world to access. On his website, he is also able to promote himself as a writer. The visitor is able to read about any current news on Notley’s upcoming works or books, or even purchase these books directly from the website. In prehistoric times, or at least before the wide usage of the internet, it would be extremely complex for one to generate a large fan base for their strip, regardless of how impressive the work was. But now, according to Notley, “the internet has erased these basic difficulties.” Using the internet as a medium, he has been able to reach beyond the small sphere of Edmonton, and reach anyone in the world who would care to listen. Making use of this tool has allowed Notley to provide a larger audience with an easier access point. That being said, the internet must have worked quite well for him, because even though the modest and unpretentious Stephen wouldn’t admit the success his comic has received, his writing style, skills and mounds of published work would speak otherwise.
Although “Stephen Notley” may not be an international household name, he has become quite well known within the cartooning community. His work with Bob the Angry Flower has generated 6 anthologies and counting, and he has been attending popular conventions for the strip for nearly a decade. While at these popular culture conventions on a regular basis, Notley has quite the barrage of tactics he uses to sell his product and snatch attention. After being present at prominent cartooning conferences such as the Small Press Exp, the Alternative Press Expo and Comic Con in Canada and America, Stephen says he simply has “a package” that he has for his display. “I have a table, a banner and wear a big flower hat. Comic con is a mad house basically, so the flower hat attracts attention, and as people pass by, I just try to arouse their interest.” And arousing their interest is exactly what happens. Many try to hide their smile while others even stop and talk to the grown man in a giant foam flower hat in front of a giant banner of an annoyed anthropomorphic flower. This is exactly what Notley wants, possibly adding another person to his fan base simply by interacting with them at these fairs. When asked if traveling or the convention life was difficult to become accustomed to, Notley simply replied, “you get used to it after you have done it a couple of times. You have a package, you know what you need and it becomes simple.” I think it’s safe to say it has come simple for this seasoned veteran, as he has no immediate plans to stop his convention appearances or comic strip production.
Krause has never considered taking his Peanut and Circle strip to a major popular culture convention, but that hasn’t stopped him from putting out a great strip on a weekly basis. Even though he hasn’t received much commercial success for his comic, Krause hasn’t let that hinder his spirits. “Ultimately, you do cartooning because you like it. It makes you happy” he said. And love them he must, because while juggling a social life and finishing up his final years of medical school at the University of Alberta, he still finds the time to write and draw his strip. When asked how he puts effort into a hobby while still trying to balance his life, he jokingly answered “I lose a lot of sleep cartooning, because if there isn’t time in the week, I have to stay up late to make time. But I love comics and when I come up with ideas or jokes, I really want to express and share them. I just want to make myself and my friends laugh.” Unfortunately, Krause leaves his cartooning at just a hobby. Unlike most fanboys who would leap at a career as a comic producer, he says that “if I had to choose one or the other, I would probably pick medicine.”
While Edmonton cartoonists may not have major contracts with comic giants such as Marvel or DC Comics, they still continue to put out their best work possible, week after week. Whether they be of the amateur variety like Chris Krause, whose Peanut and Circle is more of a past time and hobby then anything else, or Stephen Notley, who frequents comic conventions all over the continent, armed with his Bob the Angry Flower work and foam flower hat, they do not let their small city upbringing stand in the way of doing what they enjoy. Rather, both cartoonists focus on producing great and remarkable work, because like both of them believe, an outstanding strip will produce it’s own success.
