Interesting article.

There's a good article up at comic book resources right now that I thought deserved some attention:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22311

It relates to the current state of comic con and all that. My feeling is that I went there to pursue a job. I did drop off some stuff, but a few times was shushed away in favor of them selling comics. Not looking for new talent.

Of course, this is understandable. Times are tough. Companies need to stay afloat. Also, the economy is hitting comics hard. So I didn't take it personal. In fact, I got a few interesting leads as it is. But it did seem quite like a circus there. A media circus where two worlds were colliding: pop culture and comics. I felt like there was a vibe of "hey, lets go laugh at the costumed idiots and then check out Robert Patterson live in person!" Or whoever. The love and passion for the art and story that is comics and what makes comics so great really wasn't there. At least, thats the way I felt. I had to dig deep to find the passion for it.

But one paragraph in the article above struck me:

"So publishers at San Diego announce game or media tie-in comics, or pickups of fallow series or lines that originally died because no one was interested, or high format classic comic strip reprints intended mainly for library consumption, or adaptations/permutations of existing literary works, or more twists on existing franchise series. Original material is left mainly to ghettoized self-publishers."

"GHETTOIZED SELF-PUBLISHERS?" I would be more offended if indeed it weren't right on the money. We do ghetto it to some degree. But thats because we have to do it ourselves. We fight a huge fight and claw our way out of the trenches to show people our work. And look what we're up against: Movies, characters with 70+ years of fanbase and nostalgia, video games and media tie-ins, action figures and so much more. Its tough to be indie. It really is.

But-If you find the right one and see what they are doing on a consistant basis and that they are bringing the best game they can to the table, then thats doing a better job in my book. There's true passion and zeal for the artwork and the story. And the underground movement of expanding that art and vision. Not the limited motivations of selling a big time movie deal. That should be seen as a bonus. Not the goal.

The goal should be to tell a damn good story. First and foremost. And that you would add something to the world that is unique and new or at least smells damn fresh. Its your life and your talent and you got to use it for something great and to make great things. And don't piss about with the perfection of it. Just get it out there and let history do what it wants with it. Like it or hate it, it doesn't matter. Trust me, I HATE alot of my old artwork. In fact, downright ashamed of it. But I will admit that I am proud of it. I put it out there. I didn't just talk about it or redo it 1,000 times. I got it out and some people enjoyed it. At the end of the day, thats all you got.

To me, there's no greater feeling in the world than writing a new line of dialog, or splashing ink on a page or opening that box from the printer, or standing at your table at a comic show and someone sees through the muck to give it a chance. No greater feeling than all that stuff combined. We are the self-publishers, hear us roar!

So life in the ghetto. Its not that bad. I kinda dig it.

T