Stan ([info]crotalus_atrox) wrote in [info]otherpeoplesbiz,
2011-12-15 13:25:00
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Cat Sick: a comic about artistic integrity.



I've been talking about Cat Sick for awhile. Originally, I meant to start it in September, but then there was work and moving and mental unhappiness issues, so now it looks like I'll start it up in January.

So what is it? Aside from sounding like either an excess of felines or felines that are feeling under the weather (or god help you, both), it is the title of my next comic. It will update maybe once a month with a few pages comprising an episode. Maybe more, depending. The first update will have a good five episodes.

Why purposefully go with a name that will doubtlessly turn off several readers in disgust? Well, it’s relevant to the story.



Meet Rose Cisneros, age 5. Her brother Alex tells her stories, and her favorites are about a character whose name she can’t pronounce correctly. Rose says it “Cat Sick,” Alex writes it “Kaxxik.”

Now twenty years later, Rose is worried about Alex. He’s not doing well.



In fact, Alex isn’t doing well in the clinical sense, if you catch my drift. He’s had something he loved very much taken away from him, and he’s not coping well. He’s hurt and angry, and more than a little freaked out by how the people around him have started dropping like flies. Either Alex has had a psychotic break, or he has called into being something that shouldn’t exist, something bloodthirsty and nasty and cruel, something that his sister used to call Cat Sick.

…it’s a comedy.


Q. Is this comic about you?
A. Dear God, no.

Q. Is this comic about anyone else?
A. Dear God, I hope not.

Q. So what is it about?
Well, this comic is not about how writing is magic, how writers are very important, how writing changes the world, how writing is a Calling, how writing turns things real, how Story is immortal, how Story is the most important thing, anything of that flavor. Many many others have already told that story, and there's nothing wrong with that story, but this is definitely not what this is about.

It is about one individual's relationship with his story and how that story is perceived by other people. It's also about doing right by your siblings and learning to not be a dick. In some ways, it's about coming to terms with your sexuality, but those ways would be classified less as "good example" and more as "terrible warning."

Honestly, it's a bit of a selfish story. I wrote it to amuse my very dark, very horrible, inappropriate sense of humor. It fits my scratchy, harsh b&w art style better than anything else I've done, I think, and I've been working hard on the art. I'm pretty proud of it; it's some of the best work I've done. I definitely think it's the funniest thing I've written.

I really hope you guys like it, though I'm aware that it's not going to be to everyone's taste.

What's a little odd is that I've always been about balance - so now that I've got something really dark, my head provides a story that is almost ridiculously light and fluffy and brightly colored to counteract that. I'm still working on that one, and doubt it'll be ready before the spring of next year at the earliest, maybe closer to fall, but it's called Abernathy Quad and is about monstrous teenagers in college. Less the "that man steals from orphans" monstrous and more "hey, it's that dude with tentacles - didn't you used to date him?" monstrous. Basically, if Cat Sick is too dark for you, you might like Abernathy Quad instead.

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[info]kobanya

December 15 2011, 18:29:55 UTC 5 months ago

How *do* you pronounce Kaxxik then? My mind is telling me "kaa-sicks" which isn't that far from Rose's pronunciation.

I can handle some darkness; I was reading 5ideways after all. Is this gonna be darker than that?

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 15 2011, 18:44:26 UTC 5 months ago Edited:  December 15 2011, 19:57:56 UTC

I actually say it Kacksick myself, which is close to Cat Sick.

Mmnnnnnn depends. They're sort of hard to compare. I want to say yes, but it's also a hell of a lot funnier, so I'm not sure if that balances or not.

[info]tsuki_no_bara

5 months ago

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[info]crotalus_atrox

5 months ago

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[info]kobanya

5 months ago

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[info]dracoqueen22

December 15 2011, 18:35:35 UTC 5 months ago

Oooo. I LOVE darkness. I absolutely cannot wait until we get to start seeing this. I'm VERY excited. Seems to me you've got all the things I CRAVE in good stories. *thumbs up*

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 15 2011, 18:48:16 UTC 5 months ago

Ee, good, I'm glad! I'll post a bit more about it when it's done, as well as when it goes up. http://www.kaxxik.com is the website.

[info]tsuki_no_bara

December 15 2011, 18:43:45 UTC 5 months ago

you no doubt just heard my little squeaky noise of anticipatory glee. :D

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 15 2011, 18:48:28 UTC 5 months ago

*grin!* Ah, good, thank you, Cindy!

[info]tamchronin

December 15 2011, 18:50:31 UTC 5 months ago

These both sound amazing! I love dark, I love fluff, I love comedy...I love anything that's well drawn and written, and I completely trust you here. Can't wait to see where you take these!

Good luck, and may the muses bless you with the balance you need. ^_^

[info]enkanowen

December 15 2011, 18:50:48 UTC 5 months ago

I am very much looking forward to this, especially your art of course but again, I have said this many times, you have yet to produce something I didn't love. Pretty stoked for Cat Sick, I'm a fan of the dark and inappropriate :D

[info]mabaliciousness

December 15 2011, 19:01:01 UTC 5 months ago

Oooh, this really sounds like my kind of story! I've always enjoyed the glimpses of stranger, darker humor that show up in your comics (5ideways is still one of my favorite creations anywhere, and I still reread it every few years despite it's being unfinished), so I can tell that this one's going to be a real treat for me. X3

Can't wait for the first installment!

[info]youraugustine

December 15 2011, 19:36:33 UTC 5 months ago

Kaxxik in my head has always come out "Kachik", but making the "ch" a little hissy. I am not entirely sure why my brain decided two x's is a hissy ch, but apparently it did.

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 15 2011, 20:07:33 UTC 5 months ago

That's brilliant. I love that. I tried saying that out loud and The Creature From Ulthar was deeply affronted.

[info]wake_the_dragon

December 15 2011, 21:04:13 UTC 5 months ago

This sounds awesome. I can't wait to read it though I'll probably spend more than a few minutes trying to figure out how to pronounce Kaxxik. Abernathy Quad sounds great too.

[info]klgaffney

December 15 2011, 21:22:33 UTC 5 months ago

eee. still looking forward to this.

[info]anacoluthon

December 15 2011, 21:57:48 UTC 5 months ago

Yay! I'm definitely looking forward to this. =)

[info]mihowl

December 16 2011, 00:45:50 UTC 5 months ago

Can't wait! I made up some silly, unpronounceable words when I was a kid, too.

I'm very curious to see what you deem super dark and super funny. I imagine I will like it.

[info]perryplatypus

December 16 2011, 02:42:44 UTC 5 months ago

REALLY REALLY looking forward to this!

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 18 2011, 02:52:35 UTC 5 months ago

Thank you, Perry. :D

[info]theotherdibbler

December 16 2011, 03:25:05 UTC 5 months ago

To be honest, Abernathy Quad sounds like it'll be more my thing, but I'll give Cat Sick a good shot before deciding if I like it or not. I've liked everything else of yours I've read, after all. :D

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 18 2011, 02:52:04 UTC 5 months ago

That's fine, and not to worry if you don't like the one. :) I'm grateful you're giving either of them a shot, to be honest!

[info]spastichair1000

December 16 2011, 04:08:49 UTC 5 months ago

Sounds right up my alley. I'm pretty excited for it!

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 18 2011, 02:50:29 UTC 5 months ago

Cool! I hope you enjoy it!

[info]evilcarp

December 16 2011, 04:15:13 UTC 5 months ago

I am seriously looking forward to this.

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 17 2011, 22:59:54 UTC 5 months ago

:D Thank you.

[info]silicondreams

December 16 2011, 15:30:19 UTC 5 months ago

Oooh, I cannot wait for this. I love your darker stuff, and the art you come up with for it!

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 17 2011, 21:59:00 UTC 5 months ago

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it. :D

[info]dianakingston

December 16 2011, 16:39:47 UTC 5 months ago

Sounds quite intriguing. :)

Is this series closed (ie: set number of chapters, etc.) or open-ended?

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 17 2011, 21:57:51 UTC 5 months ago

Thank you!

It's a bit of both. I've written the ending, and it is about 20 pages that can be produced fairly quickly. I'll end the story either when it feels right to do so (like FH - "oh, this is wrapping up nicely"), or when I get bored. So we'll see. :)

[info]jinxycat

December 17 2011, 04:28:26 UTC 5 months ago

I think it sounds pretty exciting. I love the way you weave a story, and I love your characters. Especially when you say it's a comedy, that appeals to me, too. You might have an inappropriate sense of humor, but it strikes a chord with my own. That is excellent, indeed.

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 17 2011, 21:52:48 UTC 5 months ago

Thank you so much. It's always nice to find people with awful senses of humor that coincide with mine, too. :)

[info]dynus

December 17 2011, 09:23:54 UTC 5 months ago

I'm very excited for Cat Sick, and can't wait to read it. I've always enjoyed your darker material.

Speaking of dark, I guess this is the best place to ask, is safe to assume that 5ideways is still on its hiatus as well?

[info]crotalus_atrox

December 17 2011, 21:13:05 UTC 5 months ago

Thank you!

Yes, it is. I really do want to go back and add a summary to that as well, but I have to admit, now that so much time has passed, I sort of like it as an abandoned ghost town of a story. But I will try to do something for it; OPB comes first, though.

[info]dynus

5 months ago

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[info]maggiebloome

December 18 2011, 08:48:35 UTC 4 months ago

Where I'm from cat sick pretty exclusively means cat vomit, but I shan't hold it against your comic xD looking forward to it.

[info]kingofgeeks

December 19 2011, 11:08:05 UTC 4 months ago

I've been with you since BMB and from what I'm seeing here I'm going to stick to it! *littleanticipatorysquee*

[info]sara_the_lazy

December 20 2011, 00:49:19 UTC 4 months ago

This is soooo exciting, it sounds right up my alley! Looking forward to it!

[info]abraxas_life

January 12 2012, 19:07:48 UTC 4 months ago Edited:  January 12 2012, 19:08:15 UTC

Your stories always seem to be more captivating, no matter the tone, when you're enjoying writing them, so I can't wait to see where Cat Sick goes.

[info]bluephoenix44

January 13 2012, 15:50:53 UTC 4 months ago

Very excited for your new work!! I love everything you've done so far, you have my total faith in these future endeavors!!!

[info]bulldogscram

January 19 2012, 12:58:40 UTC 3 months ago

Very much looking forward to reading this.
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