The year was 2019. After a long period of putting my life on the line, begging and pleading and shaking my cup at anyone who would listen, the heavens opened and the impossible was achieved. I had finally acquired my first direct market, comic book publishing deal. The path to becoming an honest and true comic book writer was at long last in reach. Such delights could only gift my overeager mind with delusion upon delusion. Fame, fortune, Hollywood adaptation deals, merchandise, and maybe even the respect of the icons I could eventually call my peers. They were nice thoughts, albeit overly ambitious ones. I didn’t know that then, but soon enough I’d be forced to accept they would only remain as thoughts and not much else.
The reality of the situation was more true to life, and life is more unpredictably dramatic than we may ever anticipate. A pandemic nobody could have prepared for. An industry in shambles. A comic book publisher–which existed for years–that evaporated into thin air as soon as the floor fell out from under the masses. A true creative crisis in the most literal of ways.
And there I was with my little book, dead before it was even given a chance to live. My collaborators’ time wasted. My investments proved fraught. Dreams shattered and delusions of grandeur breaking way into something much more palpable, relatable, and raw.
Failure.
The greatest teacher of them all.
I suppose it was in those moments, followed by one or two years of internal industry strife, which gestated and bred a serious lesson. You see, I had done everything correctly. Rules were followed. Artists, colorists, letterers, and more were listened to, paid on time, and treated as equals. Publisher submissions portals had been accessed and used. Better yet, all of my books made it to the finish line, genuinely and wholly complete. I did everything I was ever told, and yet, I was still punished. Returned to the gutter to try again if I were so brave, foolish, and stubborn to do so.
But, why did this happen?
That’s the question, isn’t it?
I imagine if you’re reading this, you’ve been in similar circumstances. Maybe you’re a young buck hoping to break in on the scene, but aren’t quite sure how to start. Maybe you’re an independent creator unsure of where that next rung of the ladder is. I don’t need to know you to understand we share that same ravenous and untamed itch that lurks in our brains desperate to create, hungry to make, and still somehow confused as to which horizon will lead to salvation. Whether you just made your first comic or have been tabling at comic cons for twenty years, we’re the same. That’s why we’re here. Which leads us back to the real question.
Why are we punished for doing what we are told?
The answer is simple.
We think like creatives when we need to think like businesspeople.
Since my rocky beginnings, I’ve managed to write for larger publishers on known IP brands such as X-O Manowar and Flash Gordon. With past partnerships and collaborations at over ten publishers and corporations, I’ve been fortunate enough to still create comics I love while also learning to navigate environments such as the boardroom or corporate work events. So, if you’re willing to listen, I’m willing to help!
If you’re one of the lucky few whose first attempts at comics immediately launched you into superstardom, this is not for you. You already have that magic.
If you’re happy making zines, art, or comics for yourself and don’t want to change, that’s perfectly okay. That joy is pure and you need not spoil it. Cherish and nurture that feeling for as long as you can.
If you’re a struggler or dreamer needing to perceive another way out, you’re in the right place. This is where you’re supposed to be. You understand that, to play the game, you need to evolve. Adapt. This is the 21st Century of comic books and the old rules don’t apply anymore. Not really. The direct market is always liquid, forever morphing its shape to exist within modernity. Meanwhile, the internet and crowdfunding have ushered in an egalitarian comics community for both individuals and corporations alike. While beautiful and fair, there’s more competition than ever. A seemingly unending war of hopes and dreams only a few clicks away or found in your local comics shop.
This is the Lawless Age of Comics where there is no right or wrong. Where anyone and everyone has a chance to be included. Where there are only results and nobody really cares how they are achieved, they just need to be done. After all, this is a place of business, not a wish factory. Once you understand that, hopefully you’ll be able to sneak your imagination into this beautiful machine.
So, if you’re in need to level up or even simply survive in an industry that will fight tooth and nail to ignore you, the hope of this column will be to provide a series of lessons. Stories and advice of which you may learn from. A curated catalog of my failures and successes. My warnings to veer you away from those who wish you harm. My insights to guide you towards a healthy and safe place within the business. While I can’t promise you the world, my greatest goal would be for you to walk away with a healthier and more pragmatic attitude regarding the cruel mistress we call the Funny Pages.
The lesson plan is easy. We’ll be overviewing topics such as comic con strategies, editorial relations, crowdfunding, creative team synergy, publisher submissions, digital promotion, intellectual property management, mental health in tandem with the industry, and quite possibly the most important and most underrated lesson of all…
How to be a human being in comics.
Now, after everything you’ve read, can you feel that? That’s the next phase of life waiting for you to come and take it. It’s eagerly expecting you to become who you were always meant to be. Sometimes you’ll win, other times you’ll fall. Some of you will give up. Some of you won’t change. But, to those of you patient and savvy enough to look this bestial and ridiculous industry in the eye, unblinking and unafraid? Well, I’ve only got one thing left to say to you.
Welcome home.
Louis Southard is a a comic book writer, editor, and IP developer with credits at Valiant Entertainment, Mad Cave Studios, Sumerian Comics, and several others. His past licensed IP development and comics work include Moomin, Flash Gordon, X-O Manowar, BioShock, and more.
