Depiction of the artist as a decent guy.
Created by the titular eviltomp
, Evil Tom Preston is a parody of So... You're a Cartoonist? that takes comics made by Preston, and remakes them to be more optimistic and open in contrast to the original's cynical self-pity. While loved by haters of Tom Preston for taking apart his beliefs, it's also gained a following from beginning artists who simply want good advice on how to act professionally as artists.
Tropes applying to Evil Tom Preston
- Adaptational Nice Guy: Many comics start similarly to So... You're a Cartoonist? strips, often involving receiving harsh criticism, but where the original has the cartoonist react with anger or annoyance, Evil Tom Preston will be much more open and, for example, admit his shortcomings and ask for ways to improve his work, or explain calmly why he did things the way he did and express gratitude for the critique.
- Beard of Evil: Played with; while original Tom Preston has a beard, Evil Tom Preston (who is meant to be a nice version of Tom Preston) does not. In flashbacks to Evil Tom Preston's youth, however, he's shown with a beard where original Tom Preston lacked one.
- Can't Take Criticism: Averted in all sense of the word. If someone just yells at him for no reason, Evil Tom Preston just tries to end things quickly and peacefully. If someone offers him advice or criticism, Evil Tom asks them for more to improve his craft.
- Foil: Put simply, "Evil" Tom is everything original Tom isn't. He's nice, open to criticism and advice, strives to move forward, and makes sure to own up to his mistakes. Original Tom...doesn't.
- Nice Guy: Evil Tom isn't perfect; he is nice enough to hear other people out and ask for advice on how to improve.
