Derek Kirk Kim Completes Season 1 of ‘Mythomania’ Live-Action Web Series [Video]
The Eisner and Harvey-winning cartoonist behind such works as Same Difference and Other Stories, The Eternal Smile (with Gene Luen Yang) and Good As Lily (with Jesse Hamm), Derek Kirk Kim has completed the first season of his live-action Web series Mythomania. Written and directed by Kim, the show follows aspiring cartoonist Andy Go as he navigates the joys, challenges, sacrifices, screw-overs and other assorted indignities suffered by those who seek their fortunes in the comic book book business. The show is an honest and personal (perhaps too personal, in the case of episode seven) window into what life can be like for cartoonists, and how easy it can be to face not only rejection but also opportunity.Unfortunately for Andy, his wall is papered with rejection letters from most of the publishing companies you can think of, including First Second and DC Comics. Although the situation seems grim, Andy gets by with the support of his fellow wannabe cartoonists and a new love interest who's incredibly supportive of his work. An encounter with one of his idols, Jason Shiga (Fleep, Empire State), opens a door for Andy in a big way, but it comes with sacrifices and consequences that many cartoonists will no doubt find painfully familiar.
(Andy and the cast of Mythomania are also part of Kim and artist Les McClaine's reality-bending webcomic Tune, which is to be collected as a graphic novel from First Second sometime in 2012. Although viewers don't need to be familiar with Tune to enjoy Mythomania, it's gratifying to know that Andy has a more exciting comic book adventure life elsewhere.)
You can check out the first episode of Mythomania below or simply click this link to watch the entire nine-episode run play in sequence on YouTube. Each part is just under 10 minutes long and features NSFW language.