I'm Preparing for Two Vastly Different Futures
"I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."
I recently met one of my creative idols. Mike Krahulik is one half of the duo behind Penny Arcade, a long-running gaming webcomic. For the 95% of you who don’t swim in such lanes, I offer a letter of recommendation: Time Magazine included Penny Arcade’s founders among their 100 Most Influential People of 2010.
Yeah. Kind of a big deal, and not in the ironic, Ron Burgundy sense.
My friends and I recently launched our own webcomic—perhaps you’ve heard—and wanted some advice from a master. Mike was very complementary about our strip and gave us a few pointers. It was one of those things I lived but still can’t quite believe actually happened.
Much of my focus the last 6 months has been on rebranding this site and starting the webcomic, endeavors that presuppose a future in which people still have an interest in entertainment and are not completely consumed with survival. Something most of us have always taken for granted, like Palpatine always returning, somehow.
Now in my late 40s—eek—I’ve gotten accustomed to The Way Things Are, which is really just a sequel to The Way Things Have Always Been. Work, yes, but also fun stuff like movies and games. Most of the human experience has involved a fierce struggle just to keep on living. War, famine, disease, plus that dreadful period where everyone was wearing powered wigs and hose. In contrast, my life has mostly been one of quiet stability.