This week we are joined by Timbo, the creator and writer for DarkGate, the web's premier comic slurper site. What's a comic slurper? I hear you ask… keep reading and all shall be revealed.
Timbo is a typical Aussie bloke. He loves his cricket, a laugh with his mates and in-between all this, finds the time to post at his site and maintain hundreds of comics (459 in fact) - all available at his blog www.darkgate.net.
BV: Timbo, thanks for taking the time to talk about your site and the comics you have available on it.
My pleasure.
BV: You currently have 459 comics on your site and thousands of visitors each month gracing your pages; did you always enjoy comics as a kid?
Absolutely. My first comic book was a "Hagar the Horrible" collection. I must have read that thing about 50 times. Then I was introduced to "Footrot Flats" and "The Far Side" and a whole new world opened up. After that it wasn't long before I discovered "Calvin and Hobbes" and that was it for me... I was hooked.
BV: OK… comic slurper. Please explain?
It started in 2000. I used to read two webcomics during my lunch break ("Dilbert" and "User Friendly" I believe) and I found visiting two websites every day was a real chore. :)
So I "slurped" them both onto the one page. This made me happy enough until my flatmate found it and asked me to add "Garfield" (her favourite comic). Then other people on the net found it, and they began emailing me asking me to add their favourite comics.
As it grew bigger I re-wrote the front-end, and added a web-based backend to make configuration easier. Then I added RSS feeds, and that’s when it really took off.
But at the end of the day, if I could do it all again... I'd probably have thought of a better name. :)
BV: You obviously love pop culture and great comics. You feature Simpsons quotes throughout your site extensively. Where I work, we often recite the Simpsons. My favourite Simpsons moment is when Homer goes to the post office after accidentally mailing a nasty letter to Mr Burns:-
Homer: "Hello, my name is Mr Burns. I believe you have a letter for me."
Mail Clerk: "OK, Mr Burns… what's your first name?"
Homer: "Um…I don't know."
Do you have a favourite Simpsons moment?
Hmm... that’s a tough one. My favourite moments are the "Homer being stupid moments" – that guy still cracks me up and the show's been running how long now, 20 years?
I like when Homer talks to his brain, possibly because I have the same problem. I have this conversation with my brain almost daily before I start work: "All right, brain, I don't like you and you don't like me - so let's just do this so I can get back to killing you with beer."
BV: When I was a kid I loved comics (and still do). If you had to explain the pleasure you get from reading a comic to a die-hard bookworm, what would you say?
Good question.
Don't get me wrong, I like a decent book too. But I'd say to someone who loves a good "story" novel to give comics a chance. Especially today when they are so accessible, you don't need to go to the comic book store anymore. There are thousands of web comics available at the click of a button, and some of them are truly amazing. Some will make you laugh out loud; others will rip your heart out.
Comics have over-arcing and compelling storylines just like novels and (recently) TV. And there's just something about seeing the action or the emotion on a character's face that hits you that little bit harder than just reading about it.
Take for example when Spiderman's first girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, died. Imagine reading that in a book rather than actually seeing him holding her in his arms, neck broken, while she gasped her last breath. Meanwhile the Green Goblin flies high above taunting him about his dead lover, and all he can do is hold her.
You couldn't describe that scene with just words and have it hit you the same way as reading that comic does.
BV: You have a new design coming, what can we expect from the new and improved DarkGate?
Heh, not much the way I'm going. I'm working on a new design, mainly because a refit is well overdue. These days everything is CSS and AJAX and gradients and curvy borders and "aqua"-style graphics and well, I'm a bit embarrassed by my old design. As much as I despise this term... I need to "Web 2.0" my website.
There's also a list of features I'd like to add to the comic slurper too one day, it just takes time and that’s something I don't have a lot of. But all these things will happen, they just happen slowly.
BV: You are on a plane flying Kazakistan airlines, sitting next to a fat man with three goats and BO. You had only a fleeting chance to grab three comics from the news-stand at the airport before your flight (keeping in mind this Kazakistani newsagent has an incredibly well-stocked comic supply). Which comics do you grab, and what do you love about them?
Spiderman: What's not to love about this guy? At school he was a geek, but then he was given a powerful gift and instead of using it to get revenge against the bullies, he dedicated his life to protecting those who can't protect themselves. And his sense of humor... always cracking jokes while he's cracking bad guys’ heads! My hero.
Penny Arcade Collection: OK, I love Tycho. There I said it.
Calvin and Hobbes: 'Nuff said really. Probably the greatest strip-comic there ever was and (dare I say it), ever will be.
BV: What's the weirdest thing that has happened to you through your blog?
Probably the Wenatex incident. My Dad got some junk mail from a company selling mattresses and I was in a bad mood that day so I looked into how they got his address. I called the company and they palmed me off to a marketing company. That company ended up telling me the (Aussie) government sold them the electoral role so in my usual style I rant-blogged it immediately. :)
Nothing much happened after that until other people started getting these invites and Google led them to my site, so a zillion hits later I had to shut down comments for that article because Wenatex employees were leaving comments masquerading as other users.... it was out of control. This was by far the most popular blog entry EVER and it had nothing at all to do with comics, or cricket, or footy or anything I care about.
The blogosphere is a crazy place. :)
BV: It certainly is a crazy and wonderful place Timbo – thanks for joining us this week.
OK guys... now it's time for you to share which comics you enjoy reading. What's your favourite comic, and why? Let us know by leaving a comment... will be great to hear from you.
Did you enjoy this post? Make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed or subscribe via email.
May 17, 2007
007: Timbo - DarkGate
Posted 17.5.07
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
My all time favourite comic would have to be 'The Far Side'
I love that deers can talk and mice can have torches inside a snake!
I just want to echo the suggestion that 'serious' readers should check out graphic novels and comics. I love to read text, but there are amazing graphic novels (Maus, Persepolis, The Watchmen) that combine compelling story-telling with great art.
Yeah, "The Watchman" is a classic. It's being made into a movie I believe.
Post a Comment