Dear FacePunch community,

Hi, my name is Jasper. I'm co-founder of Spicy Tornado, a funny webcomic my brother and I recently launched. I found a link to this thread by checking my statistics. When I saw that I had a few hundred hits from a random site I had never heard of, I experienced a feeling of utter delight. Excited, I nuked a ham and cheese hot pocket, sat back down and clicked on the link.

It was not what I expected at all. Honestly, I was initially mortified. How could something my brother and I put our blood, sweat and tears into be so hated? How could something that made my mom giggle for minutes on end be compared to "watching grass grow"? I'm man enough to admit that I shed a few tears. I mean, I quit my job two months ago to focus on Spicy Tornado full-time. This criticism hit me like a wooden bat.

After my initial shock, I momentarily held on to my composure, but when my brother and I received literally 7 separate hate-filled emails (some of which my big brother responded to), I lost it. I drove directly to AppleBee's and downed three glasses of Chardonnay in literally 45 minutes. I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I got kind of drunk and started sobbing at the bar. I called my mom and told her everything. Every little snide comment you guys threw my way. Every mean-spirited re-imagining of my comic... I mean, who thought it would be funny to take my characters taco away? That's just silly. She theorized that you guys are just a bunch of pseudo-intellectual reptiles with nothing better to do than to bash a really original, funny comic. I don't remember much else from the night as I passed out as soon as my mom came to pick me up.

The next day I met with my spiritual leader. I felt a little better about everything after a solid slumber, but still felt I needed some clarity. He told me to take the high road and just take it all for what it is-- a critique. He explained that no two people have the same exact sense of humor, and told me that if I keep at it, I'll find my audience. I did show him my cartoons and he did say they seem a little juvenile. I really feel like he put everything into perspective.

I'm glad you guys were able to give me some feedback, and I'm sorry that I cried over it... I mean, at the end of the day, it's just a comic. I wish you all the best of luck in any endeavor you choose to pursue. I hope you are all having an amazing Easter. Maybe I'll stick around this forum, you guys do seem sort of fun. (Though the guy that claims I gave him cancer needs to read an encyclopedia.)

Much love,

Jasper