SWEETS Issue 4 and Early Accolades in 2011

Issue 4 of Sweets hits the shelf tomorrow (Wed January 5th, 2011) so please pick that up.

Now, on to the topic at hand.

I enjoy creating comics, but I never enjoy reading my own comics. I love reading other people's comics very much, I buy as many comics as I can afford, but I'm a little too close to my own work to enjoy it as a reader. I mostly just see the things I could have done better or the opportunities I missed in every single panel of artwork. Same goes for my story. I see every flaw and it's magnified every single time I flip through an issue. I've heard many other creators say the same, so I guess that's normal. But I have to be honest, when I read a positive review of my work I often question the sanity of the person giving that review. If they dig what I'm doing, they're obviously a little crazy, right?

"I’m looking forward to Sweets #4 (Image) by Kody Chamberlain. As you’ll recall, this was one of my favorites of 2010." —Justin Giampaoli at 13 Minutes

See what I mean? There's obviously something wrong with Justin. This guy needs large amounts of therapy. Justin might as well start a group therapy session with Neil Kleid, Rob Guillory, and Kevin Colden because they've all got mental problems of various levels of severity: 

"Scott Chantler’s TWO GENERALS should have been on folks’ radar as should have been Kody Chamberlain’s SWEETS." — Neil Kleid 

"…Kody Chamberlain’s SWEETS is something so subtly brilliant that I think a lot of folks will be giving it a second look in 2011." — Rob Guillory

"As far as new comics, I really dug Peter and Bobby Timony’s Night Owls, Kody Chamberlain’s Sweets, Thor: The Mighty Avenger, and all of the Batman titles." — Kevin Colden

However, positive reviews and accolades go a long way to helping promote a new comic like Sweets, and good promotion helps us earn a living doing what we do. So it's essential to our survival.

And when a writer and producer on shows like Family Guy and The Cleveland Show says something nice about your comic, you have to share it, right?

"I still read a lot of comics.  ”The Boys” is a favorite.  ”Crossed” is incredibly disgusting and awesome.  Terry Moore’s ECHO. Kody Chamberlain’s “Sweets.” There’s a lot of good stuff out there." — Kirker Butler

But how can you take someone so talented like Kirker Butler and reveal to the world that they're one step away from a mental institution? And when a fan-favorite writer of X-Men and Deadpool is asked which creators should we be looking out for next year and replies:

"Honestly, most of the names I could say are names you already know. Jason Aaron continues to kick butt, and I want to see what Kody Chamberlain does next. Lots of talent out there." — Victor Gischler

You're right. You absolutely have to post that on your blog. But posting that comment for public viewing reveals to the world that Victor Gischler isn't a very good judge of quality. He's worked hard to create a veil of credibility, and now I've blown his cover. I do feel responsible, and the guilt weighs on me like a three ton elephant.

I've worked with Josh Fialkov for years on a comic called PUNKS, so I already know how nuts the guy is. But you can't possibly read this without flashes of Hitchcock's Psycho stabbing you in the head:

"SWEETS - Look, I've known Kody Chamberlain for nearly a decade now. I've seen him grow and change and turn into one of the best writer/artists in comics. The work he's done on "Sweets" has been nothing short of spectacular. He's working on a level that the rest of us can only dream of. Once the series wraps up and the TPB hits the stands, I've got a feeling the rest of the industry is going to shit their pants for him." — Josh Fialkov

Speaking of Psycho, I don't know Ron Richards very well, but this quote is more than enough to convince me he can't be trusted. In fact, I can't help but take the entire iFanboy concept with a grain of salt after reading this:

"One of the most enjoyable mini-series from Image Comics that began in 2010 for me has been Sweets by Kody Chamberlain. Clearly a labor of love, Chamberlain has crafted together a world, set in New Orleans, that you simply can get lost in while reading, savoring the amazing artwork and watching the crime tale unfold." — Ron Richards of iFanboy

And when a respected publication like Comic Heroes from the UK includes Sweets in their list of Contemporary Crime Classics, you can't help but dismiss the entire publication as hateful, slanted propaganda.

That brings me to Rob Levin. Rob was a long time editor at Top Cow, so he knows comics. After reading Sweets #1 in July 2010, Rob hasn't been able to buy a comic since:

"I’ll go to a comic shop this week and buy a new comic, my first new, non-collected book since I bought a copy of Sweets #1 off Kody Chamberlain at SDCC." — Rob Levin

I know what you're thinking. It's possible Rob read Sweets and was so blown away he just couldn't tolerate drudging in the bowels of lesser entertainment. No. The truth is that I ruined comics for him, and it's taken him a half a year to recover. To me, that makes Rob Levin the smartest man alive. He's got me figured out.

Having said that, I'm told by respected professionals (and my wife) that being self deprecating hurts more than it helps, so just take the compliment and shut the hell up. 

Done.

Looking forward to a great 2011!