Nickelbloated

Here are a few quick updates ... .

Tokyopop has scheduled a book signing for Tavisha and I at the Borders booth at the LA Times Festival of Books (booth number #327). We will be signing on Sunday, April 25, from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. The festival is located at UCLA campus and takes up all most all of the university's outdoor space. There will be copies of ShutterBox book one, and Reality Check! books one and two on hand.

Our editor at Tokyopop, Mark Paniccia, has told us that ShutterBox book two has finally been “put to bed” and will be going to the printers tomorrow. I suspect that means it may be available at book shops sooner than July. I will keep you all informed.

Somewhat sad, but not entirely unexpected, news for those of you who enjoyed the second ZIM DVD cover drawn by Jhonen and painted by me. Jhonen tells me that, “Nickelodeon's not using our DVD cover, so I sent an e-mail saying no more from us. They will not use our cover and I've called off any more work for ZIM.” Well, like I said, not entirely unexpected, but still a shame Nickelodeon just can't play nice. I don't know what the covers for the second and third ZIM DVD's will have on them now, probably stock art of some kind. Just a shame.

-Rikki

Comments

[Gabycat]

It is a shame, the cover looks neat. =(

[Rikki Simons]

Hi, Gabby,

When I think of it, it's probably more of a relief if I don't have to paint the third cover. I have so much work between Ranklechick and ShutterBox that I can barely see this monitor clearly at times.

I just feel bad for Media Blasters. They've done so much already to engineer the kind of compromise that would please both Jhonen and the majority of reasonable ZIM fans, the real shame rests in how much of a headache Media Blaster's honest love for this show is giving them. They're good people, and I hate to see good people be punished for their integrity.

-Rikki

[Stephanie]

Ohhh, sad.. I wish I had the ability to get out there and see you, too, but unfortunately, I live way over here in Nebraska and can't drive yet. Eh, well, maybe you could drop me a line if you ever get close to Omaha...?

On the note of the artwork, that really is a sad shame. That looked like it took a horrendous amount of work, and I loved it. Too bad indeed, it seems to me that Nickelodeon just needs to pull the big sticks out of their asses (pardon my French) and meet you halfway. I can tell just by reading that all of this brouhaha is causing you, Jhonen, and anyone else involved a lot of stress (you especially, what with all the other projects you've got in the works).

But if that's how they want to play, well... Phooey on them, the whole lot of them.

x_X;

- Stephanie

[Rikki Simons]

Hello, Stephanie,

Sorry you can't make it to the signing. The Festival of Books is something I always look forward to. Seeing so many thousands of people coming together in one place to celebrate the written word instead of movies is a wonderful thing.

The ZIM picture is a shame but that's pretty much all it is. It's not stressful for me. I was paid for my work, and paid very well. Yesterday, I had a very lovely day watching a community of ground squirrels playing in the cliffs by the beach. The opinions of Nickelodeon employees don't weigh on me any more than they weigh on those squirrels, and Nickelodeon only enters into my mind long enough to cause opinion when I'm told of something they've done recently concerning ZIM. Beyond that, it's back to the squirrels for me.

Like I said, the people who are going through hell are Media Blasters. Nickelodeon is making this whole process difficult for Media Blasters in more ways than just regulating media content and DVD covers.

-Rikki

[Rongwrong]

Hey, Mr. Simons, you don't know me, I'm just a random expendable fan of yours and of Zim, relayed here by an aquaintance. :3

To reiterate my commentary predecessors; shame, shame and woe about the cover. It was a great piece of artwork in all aspects, and you can tell the obsessive zeal and effort that went into it. Nice to know it's not upsetting you, though. I think, however, it's likely to cause a rebellion on the scale of the Paris student riots of '68 from the fans. Some of my friends are muchly much much more, oh ever-so-much more, muchly much more upset over it being rejected and ardently furious at Nick than you. If I may venture the inevitable question; is there any chance Nick would change their mind and give Media Blasters more liberty if the fanbase whined enough (it's full of middle-class teen girls; whiners extraordinaires!), or do you all just want it over and done with ASAP?

Also, when Jhonen says that he's called off work over Zim, was he implying that neither of you will do commentaries or anything on other volumes, or was he referring to design work?

Thanks heaps and best wishes from your fan,
-Rongwrong.

PS: I'd try to make it to the Festival of Books, because I've heard it's a great event, but then again, the pacific is a pretty big ocean and I'm not a strong swimmer.

[Rikki Simons]

Hi Rongwrong,

Something like this, I can’t let upset me, because there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m just the painter in this situation. If Nickelodeon doesn’t want to use a cover or if Jhonen doesn’t want to draw another cover, I can’t paint what is not there. If all parties involved get it worked out and they use the cover as is, or half as-is, then yay! Likewise if Jhonen wants to draw another cover, I’ll paint it, but I can’t get worked up about what loony bin corporations do or don’t do, and I can’t get worked up about what Jhonen wants to do or not do. It’s not good for my blood pressure and I have far too many squirrel communities to think about. I’m not even angry. It’s just typical Nickelodeon, typical in how they deal with the ZIM show in particular, and I expected it.

I think, and it’s difficult to impossible for me to speak on Jhonen’s behalf, but I think this cover was just another final straw in the big pile of final straws in Jhonen’s attempt to get Nickelodeon to understand the concept of the show — but Nickelodeon hates the show and that’s just business as usual for them. I’m told that the first thing Nickelodeon said when first contacted by Media Blasters about the DVD rights was, “Why? Nobody likes Invader ZIM.” Nickelodeon’s malevolent attitude towards ZIM is the same reason why Tokyopop was given the option to make Cine-Mangas of every Nickelodeon show but ZIM. It’s the same reason why Nickelodeon is now irritated that the ZIM DVDs are selling tremendously well even in pre-orders. It’s true and really no secret at this point: Nickelodeon is actually irritated that the ZIM DVDs look like they’re going to be hot sellers. I can only imagine this must be mind boggling for Media Blasters (who are just trying to sell a decent product), as I can similarly only imagine it must be the kind of thing that drove Jhonen to not want to create any more covers for them.

To be clear though, when Jhonen says he’s called off work over ZIM, he’s referring to creating more covers. All of the commentaries for all three DVD’s have already been recorded.

Try not to get too upset over the cover. I probably shouldn’t have shown it on my journal, but I just thought it was an amusing image and felt like sharing. Whatever ends up on the covers, the DVD’s are still shipping, starting in May. Probably the most important thing is, Nickelodeon is just going to have to learn to like the fact that everyone else likes ZIM, because they can’t argue with Wal Mart and Amazon.

Thanks and have a squirrel-filled day.

-Rikki

[Peter C.]

Awww, that cover was awesome. Nickelodeon just annoys me with how they'll kill anything that doesn't appeal to brainless little children, not matter how much money it's capable of realing in. But I really just wanted to thank you for showing us the image. It was a wonderfull and it made my day to see some high quality art that wasn't the same over-used clip art. Even though It's not being used, I'm really happy to have gotten the chance to see it. Have fun with those squirrels!

[Amy]

Grr.... I am very angry. Zim had no chance on Nickelodeon in the first place. Though, at least it was shown to us. It's good Jhonen got to make a cartoon. It's just unfortunate it was made for Nickelodeon. As I know a lot of people wonder, do you think Cartoon Network would've liked it? Or do you just not know? Anyways, thanks for sharing that cover. It is smeared across the internet and that is wonderful. I adore that cover. Do you think you'll ever be in sad little Kenosha Wisconsin?

[WolvenIllusion]

That is absolutely sickening. And you're totally right. Nick just won't play nice. The absurd idea that they actually wanted Jhonen and you and the rest to COMPRIMISE on the cover painting is grossly stupid in iteslf as it is quite near coming right out and saying "hey, go alter your own art." Feh. Bastards.

[Rikki Simons]

Amy & WolvenIllusion:

Don't be angry, kids! Think of squirrels! SQUIRRELS!

Seriously though, I'd be speculating if I talked about who would want the show on their network. The good thing is, the audience wants it, and the audience will now have access to it on DVD. Hurray for the demand side of supply and demand!

I'm glad you're all enjoying the picture, though.

Wisconsin? Well, I think I've flown over it a couple of times. Does airspace count?

There were compromises made on the show daily, but I think this was, as I mentioned earlier, probably the final straw for Jhonen.

-Rikki

[Rikki Simons]

I've gotten two bizarre e-mails tonight accusing me of somehow being at fault for Nickelodeon refusing the DVD cover "due to my inability to compromise." That's just stupid and smacks of someone who has absolutely no understanding of the coloring process. Look, for the invisible bastards out there, here's a little lesson I'll call "Freelance Painting for Dummies,” broken up into separate lines so as to make reading easy:

1. I did not DRAW the DVD cover.

2. I did not DECIDE the content of the DVD cover because I did not draw it.

3. I was handed a black and white line art, ingeniously/mischievously drawn by Jhonen, and instructed to PAINT the image.

4. I PAINTED the image that was handed to me.

5. PAINTING the image means I did not set Dib on fire, or draw ZIM enraged, or draw ZIM spitting on Dib, or Bloaty, or Poop Dawg, or the sun, or the clouds, nor did I have any say-so in what these characters would be doing on the cover.

6. PAINTING the image means that I PAINTED it. That’s all.

7. PAINTING involves picking out what colors everything will be, choosing the light source and setting shadows, deciding balance of warm and cool colors, and making sure the final image is print ready.

8. Conclusion: I did exactly what I was paid to do, which was PAINT the pre-drawn line-art handed to me, line art containing content that I in no way had any decision in beyond PAINTING.

If Jhonen doesn't want to draw any more images for any more covers, then there is NOTHING I can do about it because I cannot paint what is not there, BECAUSE Jhonen has to draw it first. None of these decisions are mine to make except one: whether or not I will agree to paint another image. I will paint another image if one is drawn. If one is not drawn, I cannot paint it, and I cannot and will not force Jhonen to do what he doesn't want to do.

Now, explain to me how I, doing the exact job I was paid to do, am at fault for Nickelodeon refusing the image, or shut up, stop sending me anonymous e-mails and go back to whatever dank and dirty server you crawled out from under.

Fucking Internet goons, I swear. I could post about how my favorite ice cream is peanut butter chocolate and I’d get e-mail back claiming I killed someone’s donkey.

Good night.

-Rikki

[damage.com]

Well, I am truly sorry, but what the hell, it wasn't your fault. It was a great cover, both in concept and execution.
As I posted on RWAM:
"See now, this is the sort of cover art that will sell DVDs. It will keep casual shoppers awake until dawn, wondering what the heck they were looking at, exactly.
Wonderful work, lots of energy with the sun as the focal point...yes, much more interesting than the first cover. It reminds me of the covers of superhero comics, all showing wildly dramatic events--Galactus beating the hell out of the Fantastic Four, Wolverine on the brink of death, etc. Then you get the comic home and find that that's not quite what happens. Hah! I love it."

And I still do. I had it posted as my wallpaper for awhile. (If you're wondering why only 'awhile', it's because I just got my own computer running two days ago, and in my delirious joy I have been changing my wallpaper every...oh, half-hour or so.)
Gorgeous work, both of you, and if it won't be immortalized on a DVD cover, it is still applauded and will be long remembered, and that is all there is to it!

[Rikki Simons]

Thank you, Damage.com. You is nice.

Sometimes I am asked to decide content, as I was in the case of the back cover to the first DVD. Here it is.

These separate images were all painted by me but drawn by different amazing ZIM artists. I used images from my personal portfolio from when I worked on the show. This back cover features ZIM drawn by Jhonen (from the pilot episode), GIR riding a pig drawn by Bryan Konietzko (from an online trading card), and Gaz and Dib drawn by Aaron A. (also from an online trading card). The line art for the background was drawn by Jairo Lizarrzu (from the Fry Cook episode). The whole thing when completed is a bit crowded but I think it's centered rather well and overall pleasing, and represents some of my my favorite artists from the show.

I sent Media Blasters some other backgrounds from my personal portfolio and they have an excellent staff of graphic designers. I'm sure they'll put together something great for the other ZIM DVD covers.

-Rikki

[RogueStar]

When I heard about the cover getting the boot, I was PISSED! But then again, we KNOW NIck would hate it, which in turn, made me laugh at first. In all, I think it's cool at JV got to do at least ONE thing of Zim that had his awesome talent all over it. When the second DVD does come out, I'm printing out that cool coverart and placing it over the DVD. ^^

[Chris]

Rikki,

I'm a longtime fan of your work on Invader Zim, first time poster. I found this website via tvshowsondvd.com, and seeing the way Nick handled the cover (beautiful job by the way) sums up what's obvious to everyone already-Invader Zim is still years ahead of its time. It doesn't pander to the audience like everything else on Nick and isn't just a great animated show, it's art. I'm 25, male, and I've talked to Zim fans of all ages (even much older than myself)-it transcends groups while still pushing the envelop of what a cartoon should be.

I know I'm not the only one who's had extreme withdrawal while waiting for the DVD's to come out and I wonder if Cartoon Network might be a place to consider if the DVD's continue to sell so well and there's a chance of it somehow being brought back (we can only hope). CN picked up Futurama for syndication, and the handling of that show by Fox mirrors the way Nick dropped the ball on Zim.

Regardless of the future for Zim-thank you more than you'll ever know for being involved in such a wonderful show. I've never seen anything like it and I think we never will. You either love Invader Zim or hate it-and I wouldn't have it any other way. Maybe our sweetest revenge can be what we're doing already-speak with our wallets. But hey, no one likes Zim, right? lol

Thanks for your time and thanks again,

Chris Hayes

[jeng a lang]

first time poster and reader [[i got your site through tvshowsondvd.com]] and i'm another HUGE fan of invader zim!

aww man!!! i'm so disappointed in what nick did! it's such a great cover and all but nick just HAS to scrap it, poo! >=[ although, one would see it coming. sigh, what a great cover wasted =[ when vol 2 comes out, i'll edit the picture and all [[by just putting the title of course! ^______^]] and slipping it as the cover. DOWN WITH NICKELODEON!!!!! >=D!!!!

i would TOTALLY go to that signing with some of my friends if only my dad didn't have such an iron fist on me and my "social life"...-______-

much love from yet another zim fan,
jessica <3

[Alex]

hey very sad indeed over the cover...im a up and coming cover artist/artis/graphic designer and if you could supply me with a HQ of the picture id be more than happy to modify it as a custom so that ZIM fans can download it and print iot for the dvd's once released. Very nice work on the coloring. Nickelodeon would much rather have people watch dora and chalkzone cause its more intelligent and has better animation....::rolls eyes::

[Mr. Insomnia]

Dear Rikki,
I am extremely disappointed that NICK pulled it's crap again on Jhonen and you; but honestly it wasn't much of a suprise considering what happened in the past. As a long time fan of Jhonen's art and yours (have seen not read) I would like to ask if you could talk Jhonen into drawing a cover for the third DVD. It would be a fan exclusive that we could print out and replace the old stock image cut and pasted new covers that will be ejected out to the ignorant masses. Could you please just think about it? Much appreciated. Also, could you tell me what you think of my art page?( http://mr-insomnia777.deviantart.com)

Hope you have fun with the DVDs Rikki!

[Nate]

Anyone who doesn't like invader zim but is okay with having a lil romeo show doesn't know what humor is. I loved the cover art but Nickalodeon not liking it doesn't suprise me.
but I cannot wait for the dvds! May 11 will ROCK!

[ThatPersonYouDon'tKnow]

Hey, I love the cover. It looks awesome, but it's no surprise. Nickelodeon seems to be poking it's butt into everything and smearing crap upon that which it touches. Anyway, I just hope the dvds will kickass, as I'm sure they will. Once again, good job with the cover painting. Alright, goodbye!

"I could post about how my favorite ice cream is peanut butter chocolate and I’d get e-mail back claiming I killed someone’s donkey"
That's beautiful. Made me laugh so hard.

[Rikki Simons]

RogueStar, Chris, jeng a lang, Alex, Ailia Young,
Mr. Insomnia, Nate, ThatPersonYouDon'tKnow,

Thanks for all of your enthusiastic replies. I haven’t been able to get the energy to respond all weekend because I’ve been down with asthma. I know my typing fingers aren’t directly connected to my lungs, but it certainly feels that way when then invisible pillow clomps around my face. On a funnier note, my bad lungs are the reason why GIR’s enthusiasm for inhaling every last drop of a Suck Monkey beverage always ended in coughing spasms for the character. Those are my actual asthma spasms, recorded for everyone’s pleasure.

I’m not certain about the legality of my uploading the ZIM DVD 2 image at full resolution. I’d have to query Jhonen about how he feels about that. Since it was rejected, the image itself sort of falls under Jhonen’s ownership, I assume. My contribution is legally only work-for-hire.

Back to Advair and Albuterol for me ... .

-Rikki

[krikkett]

Hello--

Just another random fan of yours who found her way here by accident. I saw the cover, loved it. Heard they didn't like it, was sad. But, meh, whatever. Not like you can do anything about it, but still... almost seems like a waste of energy, even if you did get paid.

"I could post about how my favorite ice cream is peanut butter chocolate and I’d get e-mail back claiming I killed someone’s donkey"

Your favorite ice cream is peanut butter chocolate? That's the greatest ice cream ever. Sorry, couldn't resist it, and I do understant the point you're trying to make.

At any rate, great job on it, looks great. Thanks for your time, and have a nice day!

[Chris]

Rikki,

Thanks for the response and hope you feel better soon. I had no idea you had asthma and as someone who's had friends who have had it I know it's no fun.

As for the recorded coughs-just shows your dedication, huh? lol

Hope you feel better and thanks again!

Zim addict for life,

Chris Hayes

[technofairy]

Hi!

I really hope Jhonen lets us have a high res copy of the dvd cover; I for one would certainly print it out and put it over the 'official' one. That'll learn 'em!

On a slight tangent, I heard that Nickelodeon were very worried by the use of the expression "suck" in their cartoons....here in the uk "ass" ("arse") or "crap" would be considered far worse... but they presumably okayed the use of the phrase "suck monkey" for the drinkie thing in zim. Isn't there a horribly bestial implication in that??........

[Amy]

I don't know.....when I was watching The Walk of Doom there was a sign in the background that said "STOP MAKING BABIES"....yeah. I think a high res cover would be nice. I would definatly print it and put it over the actual cover. I already printed the small copy and put it up on my wall. Just proves it looks that neat. Yeah....okay, I'm done! Bye!