I recently got the chance to interview Ghastly of Ghastly's Ghastly Webcomic on the recent decision to change the name of Keenspace. This is what was written:

Chibi Art Studios: So, let's start with some info about you. What is your comic and what is your history with Keenspace?

Ghastly: I started out on Keenspace 4 years ago with Ghastly's Ghastly Comic, a comic that pokes fun at hentai and anime cliches. Particularly the tentacle monsters.

Chibi Art Studios: You've been very vocal about the issue of a name change. What is your biggest issue with it?

Ghastly: Well my feelings are very divided on the issue of the name change. On the one hand I do see its potential to help strengthen Keenspace as an entity but on the other hand I worry that it'll be used to further marginalize and alienate Keenspace within Keen itself.

Chibi Art Studios: So you feel that there is a bias against Space by Spot?

Ghastly: It wouldn't be fair to say that all of Spot is biased against Space but there is a vocal element in Spot that has a very negative and dismissive opinion of Space and there is a general apathy towards Space inherent within Keen's management itself.

Chibi Art Studios: Can you give me some examples of this?

Ghastly: Well I'm not going to name names because that's kind of tacky and only causes unnecessary drama but there is a prominent view in Spot that Space is nothing more than a Geocities with comic automation. At its most basic level there is some truth to this. Anyone can get on Keenspace. There are a lot of young people with little skills and fickle tastes that sign up for a Keenspace account, put up a couple of strips and then quickly grow bored with the whole thing. That's the nature of youth really. But it's unfair to use them as an example of what Keenspace is because to me that's not Keenspace. To me that's just some kids playing with a new toy and growing bored with it. To me Keenspace is the core of comic creators who actually stick with it. Keenspace is the artists who keep at it, working hard to produce their art and to better themselves as artists. That's why I tend to get rather annoyed when people dismiss Keenspace as a Geocities for webcomics and hold up the kids who get bored as an example of what Keenspace is. They're unfairly dismissing all of us who work very hard and there are many quality comics on Keenspace.

Chibi Art Studios: Do your feel there is actually an issue of brand confusion? If so what would your solution be to this issue?

Ghastly: Well the general public at its most basic level can be mind numbingly stupid. People can confuse Coke with Pepsi. There's no doubt that some people will confuse Keenspot with Keenspace but I think mostly it has to do with the fact that by and large the popular comics being read on Space aren't any different from the majority of comics you'd find on Spot. I think Keen had originally hoped that there would be such a vast difference in the quality of comics on Spot and Space that nobody would get them confused. Instead they were disappointed to have people come up to their booth at conventions and say "Oh yeah, my favorite comic is on Keenspot" and then name a Keenspace comic. So if they're not able to differentiate the brands by quality I suppose they're going to have to do it by name. Personally I think more could be accomplished by playing up the different divisions within Keen.

Chibi Art Studios: I think I missed something. By different divisions are you referring to Space, Spot and Swag? Like playing up all the "Keen" products?

Ghastly: Yes, exactly. Originally it was Keen Entertainment with Keenspot as a product and Keenspace as a product. Then they changed the parent company's name to the name of its product and now it's just Keenspot which I think contributed to the marginalization of Keenspace. I've always felt it would have been better to have Keen Entertainment and within it different divisions based not on who fits in better with what clique but based on genre and the numbers. KeenKids, KeenSci-Fi, KeenManga, KeenAdventure, etc. etc. All set up as products under the Keen Entertainment umbrella and then have advertising sold targeted for the audience. It's more work but it would be much more attractive to advertisers than the current system. It would also get rid of this cliquism that's plaguing Keenspot now. You'd still have Keenspace as a proving ground where anyone can join and take a shot at webcomics but then once you've proven yourself by pulling in the numbers you'd be promoted to one of the other Keen products based on which genre you best fit into. Have Keen run as a meritocracy instead of a webcomics country club. Sadly that wasn't the model they chose.

Chibi Art Studios: Lastly, what would you like to see happen with Keenspace long term? Do you have any particular vision for it?

Ghastly: Mostly I'd like to see it not dismissed as a Geocities with webcomic automation. I'd like to see it get more attention from the management within Keen. I'd like to see its potential better utilized. There's a lot of really good talent on Space that goes unrecognized within Keen. It's understandable that not everyone who produces quality work on Space can be Spotted but that doesn't mean that more can't be done to better utilize the talent that exists on Space for the benefit not only of Keen but of the artists themselves. If there's one thing I hate seeing it is waste and there's so much potential being squandered on Space. It bothers me that the management of Keen has so little interest in Space but I can understand they want to concentrate on their golden boy Spot. It would be nice if they'd appoint a group of executives to oversee Space and actually give them the tools and authority they need to make it work.

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