Unofficial Tex Murphy

I've noticed that things have been a little slow as of late here on the board so I thought I’d begin my tale of the Pandora Effect. Since I was about 12 years old I have been making little movies and radio shows, around 1989 if I do my math right. Anyway as the years progressed I continually got better and better at doing these types of videos. I had done animations, parodies, nature flicks. All kinds of variety, but it wasn’t until 1996 when the Pandora Directive came out that I really started thinking about things. Let me back track a little first though.

When I was in the 4th grade I had just discovered my talent for drawing and had decided right there and then that I was going to spend the rest of my life cartooning. Not comics with super heroes or anything like that. Comics, like the ones you see in the newspaper. My personal favorite was always Calvin and Hobbes. Bill Watterson was the artist and he had perfectly blended art and cartooning together. I keep them separate because if you’ve ever seen a Sunday strip you will see where the “art” part comes in. So all through grade school and high school I did nothing but cartoon. Day and night. By the time I was ready to complete high school I had a huge library of cartoons to my credit and was accepted into Fine Art to continue my skills. I even went for a while.



However in 1995 Bill Watterson released a book of Calvin and Hobbes that had his work which also included some words from the author himself. He imparted his wisdom upon its readers and expressed his opinion and eventual distaste for the cartoon strip world as well as what he saw as the demise of the medium. He eventually left the strip and the entire cartoon world. He left by saying:



” Dear Reader:

I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes at the end of the year. This was not a recent or an easy decision, and I leave with some sadness. My interests have shifted however, and I believe I've done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises. I have not yet decided on future projects, but my relationship with Universal Press Syndicate will continue.

That so many newspapers would carry Calvin and Hobbes is an honor I'll long be proud of, and I've greatly appreciated your support and indulgence over the last decade. Drawing this comic strip has been a privilege and a pleasure, and I thank you for giving me the opportunity.

Sincerely,
Bill Watterson

– Watterson's letter to newspaper editors announcing his retirement, November 9, 1995” -Wikipedia



I took this information to heart and considered my fate in the cartooning world. Since that time I have noticed all of his issues come to light in some form or another and am saddened by it. Even the “art” of cartooning seems to be disappearing in the newspaper cartoons. However with the birth of the internet I do not see cartoons going away anytime soon. (I can still live the dream!)

Now lets get back to my buddy Tex. It had just so happened that I had taken a media arts course in high school and had showed skill in that medium. I began to seriously think of what I could possibly do with it. It wasn’t until I first played Pandora that things began to click (despite having played UAKM a couple years before.) As I went through the game, not the first time but upon replay, I began to pick out the shots and knew exactly how they did them. Sometime in there it suddenly clicked and I thought “HEY! I can do that! I can do that right now!” and that got the ball rolling.

For 7 years I attempted to enroll into film school but because of my piss poor high school grades (excluding my media class) I was always on the waiting list. Eventually I gave up and happened to enroll in Television Broadcasting as a last ditch effort and surprisingly I got in. I actually forgot I'd applied when I found out I was accepted. In the 7 year down time I spent it starting up a business, earning my gear slowly, and honing my craft on little short films. One of them even went on to take 2nd place in a film festival.

So as for now I have since graduated last year, been out of work until last January. Since that time I have managed to find contracts to pay the bills. However I have a lot of down time so expect to see little snippets of fan made Tex videos in the near future. Sometimes I have to remind myself of why I started on this path and that I have to continue to fight for it. So in a way, I owe all of this to Pandora Directive. Hopefully I will actually make it somewhere and not just be one of those guys in his 80’s continually exclaiming “someday I’m going to make it!” Hence the Pandora Effect.

Well that’s about it for me, I hope you weren’t too bored reading this little article. I’ll give everyone a heads up when I have some videos to share. One of them should be soon.

Amazing story, I am so looking forward to seeing your work. I think the 'guys' would be thrilled to know that they inspired someone in such a way.

Well, I'm certainly glad things are looking a little more up with some contract work. Good luck, and if you strike gold, we know where to look to fund a future project!



Totally unrelated note. All you guys dressing up in your avatars, WOW! You all clean up very nicely. I feel under-dressed. I need to get my hat!

Cheers!
Jen

Great story man. It inspires me to want to do more than flip hamburgers. But ... then I wouldn't get my free meals, and my discounts.

But great story nonetheless.

Oh, by the way, thanks Jen. I always thought the McDonalds hat looked snazzy. Almost as good as a Fedora. Almost. I'dve put a rose in my shirt collar, but it's a fake pocket, so you know.

Dripping with sarcasm .. mmm' ... sarcasm.

Great story, thanks for sharing it. Its nice that Tex Murphy was such an inspiration to you. Don't forget to have fun whilst grinding at the wheel
I know what you mean about the cartoon business. As a kid (once I'd got over notions of being a vet and the usual stuff) I was set on being a cartoonist but then was enlightened to the fact that its so hard to get into and the income can be extremely variable and I didn't much fancy having to start out in newspapers in the like. So I now keep itt to a hobby and try and bring out my illustration skills wherever it can be useful in my multimedia/graphic designer work. Drawing is a really useful ability to have across most jobs, like with your films I guess (if you don't already) you could do your own storyboards for films.
Best of luck with your work, I (and many others) will be rooting for you.

Amazing that others were influenced with newspaper comics and the dreams of cartooning as kids. I too spent my high school drawing. Funny thing is i've finally given it up to work on other things but damn if it doesn't keep nagging at me to return.

And don't cha ya worry, you'll make it! Keep on truckin!

There was a time I used to draw as well. Little comic strips with a little fella I'd made up. Sometime around 3rd grade (say... nine or ten years old?)

I still doodle that little guy at times. In fact, I'll show you. Hang on.

-Fred

Here ya go:



Clickly-clickly:

-Fred

(Man, that felt good!)

I'm a firm believer in following your dreams. Sometimes (usually) it takes a lot of sacrifice so I hope you don't get discouraged.

Anyway, while reading your tome, I got to thinking:
It sounds like you sort of turned away from comics (daily newspaper type) because there may not be enough future in them. That may be true, although I hope not. But something related to comics which has become very popular these days are graphic novels. That might be something else you could throw your talents at and which you could do on a much smaller budget.

Have you given graphic novels any consideration?

My sister and I love Calvin and Hobbes. In fact she has a cat named Hobbes.

I'm with the Doc - pursue your dreams and let nothing or noone stand in your way. If more people dreamed, the world might be a better place to live in.

Jen: The animated Jen/fedora is super! I love the look!

Fred: So, does he have any personal info? Name? Planet? Galaxy? Family? Girlfriend? Boyfriend? It-friend?

Heheh... Not really, I just drew him getting into silly situations, like aliens stealing his TV and him trying to build his own spaceship in his garage out of bits of planks and glue and rolling it off a steep cliff. That was my favorite one, at least.

Just randomness, is all.

Maybe I'll hold a Naming-contest? Would be good to name him properly after all these years, to be honest. What do you guys think?

Also, I realize I've forgotten to add my sentiments to the original post (apologies, work is giving me strange hours).

I, like Dr. Paul, believe wholeheartedly in following your dreams. No dream is impossible to achieve, but some will cost you more than you can afford, and not always in a monetary fashion. The trick is to know what you CAN get done, and what you should refrain from doing just yet. If the stars align and all that, you'll get the rest done at a more appropriate time.

Example - I want to be a writer, and I do write. But I also know I won't make a buck off my writing in the next five or possibly ten years. That's why I've done my level best to get my education in order, and land a "proper" job that can be my main source of income while I both write, get my own place to live, pay the bills etc. Now I can focus on my writing without having any worrying distractions.

Anyway. I've got work. Starting this saturday morning and ending next saturday morning, I'll be working 64 hours. 24 of those in this weekend alone. Two 12-hour shifts, then three afternoon shifts, and two night shifts. I won't be seeing much of friends or family, but I should still be able to pop by here, sneak a post in between the threads.

In the words of Hugo Weaving - "'Till then, cheerio!"

-Furedu

Ha, this really has nothing to do with anything but it made me laugh so I thought I'd add it here. Seemed like the appropriate place for it. I think it came from a T-shirt

Bullwinkle *would* own Rocky.