Not Feeling Very Funny Lately

J. M. DeSantis Blog Post

In case it hasn’t been noted, the three latest Gentleman Cthulhu comics (including this week’s Heil to the Chief) have had a somewhat darker tone–darker than the already dark humour of the comic. Certainly more sarcastic. Some also may also have noticed that the comics have been a little slower in posting. (I plan to catch up soon, by the way.) I suppose the trouble is I’m just finding it a little hard to be funny lately.

First, I should say that I never intended to make Gentleman Cthulhu a political comic. In fact, despite opportunities to make a few comics about the election (with Stephen King’s claims about Trump and Cthulhu being one entity and the Cthulhu 2016: No Lives Matter merchandise I saw popping up everywhere), I wasn’t inspired to write or draw anything in that vein. I had my other comic, Chadhiyana, to make commentary on social and cultural issues. Gentleman Cthulhu was created to be bizarre but not heavy, dark but not depressing.

I won’t say that ideas never sprung up which were meant to be a stinging commentary on a social issue, and I’m not a big believer in censorship. Then of course, there is the fact that I created the comic first and foremost to give me something fun and less restrictive (for lack of a better word) to do while I was using the majority of my creative time for Chadhiyana (though Chadhiyana’s not restrictive, by any means). So when I do have an idea for a Gentleman Cthulhu comic, I often write it, regardless of the content, as long as I feel the punch line is good.

Since the US Presidential Election, I’ve found it difficult not to think of Gentleman Cthulhu comics which tackle some of the issues in this country right now (and I think my blog piece some weeks ago makes clear my stance on those). More, there have been some personal…challenges (is the word I’ll use) which have been weighing me down for some time now (on a slow build). So taken together, I just seem to be in a place where I can’t find humour in much of anything at the moment. But it is only at the moment. This too shall pass, as the saying goes, and I don’t expect this to be a permanent state.

That’s essentially why I’m writing this blog piece, especially as I’ve come to find out these past six months that Gentleman Cthulhu has a pretty decent following. I’m not changing in the comic’s direction. I intend to get the comic back to its origins in the coming year (I hope). 2016 has thrown something of a curveball in my plans for this Victorian tentacled gentleman (amongst other things 2016 has done or brought upon us). I only ask that you, my readers and fans, be patient, as always.

Thank you all for reading, and I’ll see you next week with something a little more traditionally Gentleman Cthulhu.

Cheers!

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