I met Michael Jantze, creator of The Norm, about four years ago at the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco (back when it was still held at Fort Mason), and ever since then I’ve been a staunch follower of the strip. Sure, I was first drawn to it because of a link via a Star Wars site (Norm, the lead character of the strip, sat in line for Episode One, thus the Star Wars tie-in), but it was meeting Jantze in person that led me to really follow the strip religiously. He’s a great guy, with a wonderful sense of humor that translates well to the comic. Plus he actually replies to emails from fans, which is a pleasant surprise (He even entertained my email about things-to-do in Colorado). As time went on, I proved myself to be a very visible Norm fan — Jantze would instantly recognize me at conventions and now knows me by name. In fact, a quick glance in my apartment would reveal a huge banner of The Norm that Jantze gave to me at WonderCon, complete with sketch and autograph. Heck, I believe I almost bought up 90% of the Norm Store (which has all of the comics in paperback collections and magazines, as well as The Norm clothing and stationery).
But Jantze wasn’t the only reason I fell for The Norm. Its quick irreverent wit was a delight, and I loved that it poked fun at the everyday weirdness of life. Here’s an excerpt of a review I once wrote for the Cube Collection on Amazon.com:
Needless to say, once I got hooked, I never looked back. I have read the strip every day faithfully since then. Not only is this comic strip witty and funny, it brings a certain element of reality to it that sometimes make me go, “Man, do I know how THAT feels!”
Even back then, The Norm was making jokes about the Internet and dot-coms without sounding too geeky and over-the-top. I also especially appreciated the strength of Reine, the lead female character, and how she completely trounced and bested all the males in the strip with her aggressive businesswoman attitude. Add to that the colorful characters of Wonk and Boomer, and you have a recipe for funny-page success.
Unfortunately, Jantze has recently decided to retire from the syndication biz. I’m not too sure on why, but I’m guessing it was ’cause he wanted to move to other creative endeavours (plus he already started up a bimonthly Magazine collection of his older strips). However, he hasn’t forgotten us, the obsessed fans who waited daily for a dose of The Norm humor. So he and his wife spearheaded a campaign to garner 4,000 online subscriptions of The Norm by December 31st, 2004 in order to continue an online version of the strip. The money would go toward Jantze’s salary, as well as the general upkeep of the site. If the goal of 4,000 is not met, then all the money will be refunded sans processing costs.
I don’t need to tell you that I’m already a proud member of The Norm (I’ve been a member for two years now). But as of this writing, the site still needs over 1,500 members, with only 31 days to go. I urge you to head on over to The Norm, browse around for abit, and see if you can find it in your hearts (and your wallet) to be a member.
