Let the Norm.com die.

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Let the Norm.com die.

Post by Spriteville, USA »

I'm sure plenty of you have heard that The Norm webcomic is apparently dieing. I know this because he and his money grubbing wife have been making accounts and calling in favors from friends to make temporary accounts in forums and post in web comic forums everywhere.

That said, I have just recieved and unsolicited E-mail from a temporary E-mail duely named, temp@paradigmprint.com.

Here is the full e-mail minus the banner.
Save the Norm comic strip from Eviction this Christmas

Cartoonist Michael Jantze termintated his contract with king features syndicate in September and comic strip fans everywhere are donating to keep theNorm.com alive and get Michael Jantze cartooning again. Due to overwhelming support, Michael has agreed to continue the Norm if we can reach the goal of 4,000 paid members to his site by January 1st. Fans are more than half way there, but still have a ways to go. Only you can save the Norm from disappearing forever.

Look around Michael's site. Enjoy his unique perspective on life and skilled cartooning. Become a supporter of the Norm by donating today. Download his catalog and purchase collections of his comic strip. Keep the Norm alive.

Visit theNorm.com

I'm sending you this note strictly as a fan of the Norm. I don't get a dime out of this, just the pleasure of knowing one of my favorite comic strips will continue on. If you don't want to donate, that's fine. Visit the Norm's site anyways. Look around and enjoy some free comic reading by a talented cartoonist.

Hope you have a good holidays,

Adam

Want to know more comic news?
So... I suppose my main objections are 1.) How did Adam get my E-mail address? and 2.) Why does he think I give a damn.

If Adam is a person high up in Keenspace (I do note that my post count is dreadfully low so I don't pretend to know what the heck goes on here), then I SEVERLY object to him using the keenspace mail list to do do a mass mailing to grub up money.

All this said, The Norm should go and die. I object the implication given in these E-mails that by inaction i am killing a web comic. In truth it is HIS action killing his comic. If he REALLY wanted to continue he'd find a way. So clearly this is a money issue and well once it's about money it stops being art, and when it stops being art then there is no pity.

RIP The Norm.com and I'll see you in hell.

edit reason: Anger makes me dumb, but I might as well not be too dumb.

P.S. I assume at some point I will be smacked down by Kisai or another Moderator and be told Keenspace does not give out it's E-mails. I do now doubt that Keen gave out my E-mail. I won't edit my post though cause it'd be like lying. If we can't stand by our wrong statements and have the strength to admit we were wrong then what honor can one have?
Last edited by Spriteville, USA on Fri Dec 17, 2004 7:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Post by Godoftarot »

And why percisely do you think this guy has anything to even do with KeenSpace?
And for that matter...I know I didn't get an e-mail like this, nor have I heard from anyone else who has.
Do you think perhaps that you should, I dunno, chill out? Is this really a big deal? If you don't like the webcomic, let it die. No need to get all pissy. What exactly did this guy ever do to you, anyway?
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Post by Spriteville, USA »

Now to say that I'm not unreasonable might be a stretch at times. I am usually level headed enough. I am upset because my web comic E-mail was sent a spam. The reason that I feel Keenspace is involved is because my web comic E-mail appears almost nowhere, at all. And the fact that my E-mail account (which has recieved no E-mail except for this spam) is only on Keen makes me think there is a connection.

As for what he did, he asked for money to keep a comic alive, makes it seems like it's the readers fault if it dies, and has kept at this for at least a month. Simply put, I don't think he deserves to recieve donations.

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Post by Godoftarot »

I'm going to take a small liberty and assume that your e-mail can be found on your comic site...so that, you know, folks can contact you about your comic, yes?
http://godoftarot.keenspace.com
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Post by Spriteville, USA »

Yeah my E-mail can. And I'm sure it could have been searched by this Paradigm Print company. However my comic is rarely visited. I have no delusions on it and I doubt any normal scanner would find it.

So yes it may not be keenspace but it is still a strong likely hood in my crazy mind. On the other side of this, if Keen did not give the E-mail, then Paradigm did. Paradigm is responsible for Spamming people's E-mail with unsolicited mail... so there is some wrong doing, some illegal if my understanding is right.

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Post by Godoftarot »

So maybe in looking for webcomics, they found yours. And seeing as you yourself create a webcomic, they thought you might be sympathetic and therefor donate to their cause.
I have never recieved spam mail due to my account on Keenspace, nor do I ever expect to. They are not that kind of site. I really think you're over-reacting.
But you could always ask an admin or Kisai about it. I'm sure they can reassure you that they don't hand out your e-mail address to whosoever asks.
http://godoftarot.keenspace.com
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Post by Chibiartstudios »

godoftarot wrote:And why percisely do you think this guy has anything to even do with KeenSpace?
He or one of his cronies had a thread up a while back that said "Help keep The Norm alive!" in which he begged for money. ALOT of it too. It kind of irked the board a while ago so I think that is why he posted it.
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Post by Godoftarot »

chibiartstudios wrote:
godoftarot wrote:And why percisely do you think this guy has anything to even do with KeenSpace?
He or one of his cronies had a thread up a while back that said "Help keep The Norm alive!" in which he begged for money. ALOT of it too. It kind of irked the board a while ago so I think that is why he posted it.
Well, that just reaffirms that Keenspace isn't handing out people's e-mail addresses to these folks.
http://godoftarot.keenspace.com
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Post by Spriteville, USA »

Yeah this is the forum link to a previous request for money-
viewtopic.php?t=61370

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Post by Spriteville, USA »

godoftarot wrote: Well, that just reaffirms that Keenspace isn't handing out people's e-mail addresses to these folks.
I suppose if all keen-folk are not getting these (which could start happening maybe they are taking it slow) Then Keen may not have given out any E-mails. But I still stand by my thread Subject. I have no sympathy at this point, because at the very least Paradigm is doing this on The Norm's behalf.

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Post by MixedMyth »

My comic email account got literally 100 spam messages a day because the address got posted. One spam email is not much to freak out about. I've since wized up, switched email accounts, and only posted images of my address instead of the actual thing so bots can't pick up on it.

I've never even heard of the Norm, so I can't say. But I'm not going to judge whether it's the author's fault for not having money. It is DAMN HARD to make money off a webcomic. Very, very few people are able to do it. Saying its his fault is like going up to a bum and saying it's their fault for not having a job. It isn't that simple.

I'm not saying whether or not the Norm has done anything wrong. I don't know much about it. Maybe they have, maybe they havn't. It's just the rational that really bothers me.
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Post by Spriteville, USA »

=] No spam itself does not bother me, but the fact I was targeted by The Norm despite the fact I have no pity is what got to me.

As for his job thing he can't really be likened to a Homeless person.

The Norm guy can actually get a job, in fact he is trying to NOT have to get a job. He wants to just sit at home and do his comic. More power to him, but if he asks me for money then screw him, I have never even seen his comic nor do I care to. One reason he is likely doing this is beacuse Something Positive did it and he raised enough to quit his job, he deserved it for the way he did it. He asked once, and on his site.

For this person to reach his goal he has had to go on an extensive publicity trip to get people to care. If he was as popular or as good as to deserve my money then he would have reached his goal by now.

Edit:
Damning evidence
Cartoonist Michael Jantze termintated his contract with king features syndicate in September
Whose fault is it that he needs money?

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Post by Grabmygoblin »

I got that email.
but I didn't get pissy about it. I just deleted it. wasn't that big a deal.
if I were a reader of the norm, I might even have subscribed. but I'd never heard of it. *shurgs*
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Post by Spriteville, USA »

grabmygoblin wrote:if I were a reader of the norm, I might even have subscribed. but I'd never heard of it. *shurgs*
If you were a reader you would have known about it. This guy is stretching out to any person he can find, apparently such as his fan base is. Yeah I know we should all just delete spam, but it does tick me off when I have a more tangible grasp on the person responsible, I suppose here is my reaction however infantile people will percieve it.

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Post by TheBladeRoden2 »

I got the email too

the mystery deepens...
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Post by Spriteville, USA »

TheBladeRoden2 wrote:I got the email too

the mystery deepens...
Not that this is some huge flood of people who say they have gotten it, but I wonder how much they crawled Keenspace for E-mail addresses. I am fairly certain this falls within bounds of Spam as set by the FTC just recently. http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/04/12/17/22 ... 103&tid=17

Time to sue? Oh man do I love being American.
ok ok that's way to far, but still could be illegal.

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Post by Warren »

Adam is a spamming douche.

Now I need 400 of you to pay me or Spare Change disappears forever!
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Post by Psiogen »

Yeah, I got that spam too. And you're damn right I'm pissed. What if this shit starts catching on? Just what we need--cartoonist spammers putting webcomics right next to penis enlargement and Nigerian scams in people's minds. Yeah, that'll put webcomics on the road to respectability. :P
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Post by Spriteville, USA »

From what I can tell this "publishing" company seems to have an idea of "legitate spam"

The website http://www.paradigmprint.com/ has a subsection called "campaigns". Apparently this is the first. http://www.paradigmprint.com/campaigns/thenorm/001/

Another site they run looks like one of those shady ones you get when you spell a link wrong. http://www.paradigmprint.com/campaigns/ ... vices/002/

This looks rather shady, or just a poor company.

From the E-mail:
I'm sending you this note strictly as a fan of the Norm. I don't get a dime out of this, just the pleasure of knowing one of my favorite comic strips will continue on.
I call BS on this. It seems pretty clear that a company is doing this and I doubt it's out of the kindness of their heart.

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Post by Hobolenno »

I remember seeing this in my email. Right before i went BALETED!
http://mehcomics.keenspace.com

Click it. Unless you don't want to. But remember, we're the only site out there with a monkey as a cartoonist.

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