I’ve understandably been asked quite a lot why I changed the name of the comic earlier this year. This particularly stood out because I changed the handles on my accounts from ‘pink reaper comics’ to ‘something phantastic’.  This was because I still wanted my work on Pink Reaper to be canon in this project. Phantastic! isn’t a replacement for my old comics, it’s an expansion of it. Over the last three years, as I added more characters and deeper lore, I didn’t feel like the comic being named after just one character any longer represented what the comic had become.

I’m after the same kind of tone an animated series has, where characters switch in and out all the time, and sometimes an episode will start in the middle of an adventure. In that way, my comic’s new name operates like ‘Adventure Time’ does. Even though in that series you know Finn and Jake are the main characters, even if they’re not the focus of an episode you still know there’s going to be some adventure. In Phantastic! while my readers know that Pink Reaper and Timmy are the main characters, even if they don’t show up in a comic you know the contents of that comic will probably still be fantastic (even if I spell it weird).

To clear that up: The ‘ph’ is basically an old-fashioned way of spelling ‘fantastic’ (plus it has a bit more of a magical leaning). When I found that out I thought the word was really charming. Naming the comic ‘Fantastic!’ Would have felt weird because it’s such an everyday word, but something about using the ‘ph’ felt just right.

I’m really happy that overall the response to the name change hasn’t ruffled too many feathers. It assures me people like these characters just as much as I do and trust me that the comics yet to come will be just as fun to read as the ones I’ve made before. It’s a relief because as an artist my main motivation for creating is being able to have fun while exploring new ideas, silly jokes or characters. Applying myself to building something new that fits into everything I made before is really rewarding and extends the life of this comic well into the future.

Strange as it might sound, the popularity of short-form videos has actually had a big influence on me going in this direction. As far as I know, post-reach for anyone making comics at the moment is down significantly. But weirdly I found that kinda liberating. For me, I see this as an opportunity to truly do what I want, because if social media is going to suppress my posts then I surely want the people who are sticking with me to see what I’m making on my own terms.

I’d advise anyone - whether they’re starting out or not - to not compromise what they’re making to appease social media. It’s ephemeral by nature and trends come and go, but great art, great jokes, great storytelling, they all endure in the mind of our readers.

When I’m asked about the future of comics online, I’m not too certain how things will play out. While it’s tricky to get work seen on traditional social media sites at the moment, there are also excellent comic-specific platforms like Webtoon and Tapas. For anyone who just wants to read comics, these apps are must-haves. Plus we got our buddies at Bored Panda who help share comics with the world at large.

If anyone reading this would like to know more about my comic or get advice on making their own, feel free to reach out. I’ll keep an eye on the comments here for a while after the post goes up, but Instagram DMs are best really. I love helping people share their ideas just as much as I like drawing my own. So if you like the comics here and want to see more - maybe even chat about your own - consider following me on pretty much any social media platform where I use the handle @somethingphantastic. Cheers!