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Monday, 27 January 2020

Famous but poor!

Wow. The photo date stamp tells me that this photo taken while I was drawing Worlds Within Words(Part 1 of The Doctor Morg Trilogy) is from 2005.


This is the original and very limited print run Small Press version as opposed to the complete story in Journey of the ID:The Dr Morg Trilogy.

Probably the saddest thing in this photo is my hair. I have no idea where it all went. One day I am the luxuriant, flowing locks and "Samson of Comics" then...Elmer Fudd.

Of course, if I went back to 2005 I'd tell me not to faint and that it really is not worth all the effort drawing mind boggling psychological stories...so to stick with comics.

I was asked once why I do not have any of my own art hanging in The Hallway of Art and the answer is simple -I am not that egot. Sales I appreciateistical as to think MY art deserves to be alongside that of Terry Bave, Mike West, ern, John Cooper, Donna Barr and others.

It's rather like my comics -I once astounded someone by not knowing the detail he was yapping about on page 25!  Working on a book is intense and you can throw away (recycle actually) pages before something looks right. You may juggle the pages about to make a story work better and then there are the hours of editing before publishing by which time I want to tear up and burn every page (I ain't the only artist feels that way). So, a year or two or even five along the line you think I am going to remember page 25 of one book out of...90(?).

The other problem is that I do not really like my own work. Ben Dilworth once said: "You are going to create a comics masterpiece one day and say 'it looks  okay' and next day you'll say 'it's utter s****!'"  Well, Mr Dilworth...all of my comics are masterpieces!!!!  Ahem.

There is one thing that I cannot stand and it embarrasses the hell out of me -praise. I was shocked to find out that a well known writer was a "fan" of my work,  He even asked for a sketch so I sent a page and he was "blown away"...?!  In fact, I know three writers who are all fairly well known and regularly appear on TV who are fans. I don't get it and you cannot really be rude to people who say these things. Another writer has a blog image I was asked to draw.

Of course, none of that matters because, despite their having mentioned my work on their blogs, there have been no sales. Sales I appreciate! :-)

I have been in conference with university professors and had at least two have asked "Are you the Terry Hooper publishes the comics? My students said I must ask" and another asked me to sign a copy of an old zine of mine.

So, my big question is this: Why am I not rich?

Even "moderately well off" will do.

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