The Comic Book Renaissance: What’s Next for the Genre.
Unveiling the Trends, Diversity, and Creative Innovations Shaping the Future of Comics.
Welcome back to this great newsletter, everyone. Today I wanted to talk about something very important, not only for myself, but for the greater comic book community at large. For those new to this newsletter, please feel free to check out previous postings filled with insights to my life, career, and the comic community. Now let’s talk about comics.
Comic Book Renaissance Circa 2024.
For about 100 years or so, comics have been a staple in the creative community; bridging the gap between prose fiction and stunning art pieces to both entertain and captivate audiences with thrilling narratives carried by artwork from many great artists. Each age marked by a title based on their respective time frames (Golden, Silver, Bronze, Modern, etc), and most importantly having events that define them and the path forward for everyone involved.
As it stands, we are in the Modern Age — though others would contest that title something else — an age currently defined by the rise of independence from publishers and focus on creators liberation to tell any and all stories. Think of this as the fall of Rome, a great empire that was once the center of attention and basis for all standards set; that now crumbles under the weight of its own hubris, the Marvel and DC’s of our time have become too enamored with things that are more to become IP farming content than stories that matter and are accessible to new fans without scaring old ones away. The era driven by independent creators, like myself and others who may be reading this newsletter, creating passion projects that take risks and most often out perform mainstream (direct market) comics.
This is a Platinum Age — one marked by visionaries who aren’t bound by the constraints of executives pushing bullshit (sorry kids, I curse) mandates, nonsensical relaunches, and other measures to otherwise derail stories that may not have had a chance to succeed if an acclaimed team weren’t creating the book itself — I can name several books like this, but will refrain as that’s not the focus.
What is the focus though, is that the landscape and playing field has changed for the better. Ever since the Modern Age began with books such as Watchmen by Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons, and the birth of Image Comics; we’ve seen many highs and lows as we typically do at the throughout an era. As Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson so admirably said, “The Hierarchy of the Universe is about to Change”, and that was true for comics back then as it is now. The industry became far more diverse, as creators of every color and gender stepped up to the stage in order to create exciting new stories for audiences new and old, ripping the current readers of the Big 2 from the collapse to better seat them in a new, more sound structure for comics to thrive in. Long gone are the days of having to find a comic shop in your area, as comics have gone digital for easy excess and consumption with far cheaper financial means to obtain them. No barriers into the industry — well, some — that allow us all to create something of substance no matter if it were a simple webcomic to a serialized original graphic novel that tells a complete story without waiting weekly. To put it simply: no more restrictions.
Comics Today.
As of right now, there has been a rise in popularity of comics, which is always fantastic news. What could possibly have aided the industry to entice new readers into purchasing comics? Let’s see:
•Webcomics/Digital Comics — The digital world is booming, as it’s a no holds barred zone in comics. Readers aren’t stuck having to try and buy physical in the current economy, which has turned their attention to digital comics as a way to get into something new or keep up with existing titles. There’s something for everyone, and at the low point of entry, it’s more lucrative to buy into a series when you can read it all in one sitting or otherwise.
•Trade Paperbacks/OGNs — This is a hard pill to swallow for me, but trade paperbacks have been all the rage with new to comics readers and current readers. A collection of a series, or even an original graphic novel are ways for readers to get the in and out without the weekly commitment to support a series with publishers or indie creators.
•Crowdfunded Comics — This is the most popular method next to digital reading, as you can support a creator directly by pledging your support via a crowdfunding campaign. The most popular platform for this is Kickstarter, and indie creators thrive in this space; allowing them to bring new comics at their own speed directly to you in all formats based on that creator’s decision (almost all comics have a digital option here). I support so many great creators yearly on the platform, and have even run my own projects on Kickstarter. Can’t ever go wrong with direct support!
The Future of Comics
The comic book industry is going to continue to rise to the occasion when it comes to continued readership. As the aforementioned section explains, comics in the three areas provide a unique approach to storytelling, accessibility, and ownership for both creators and consumers alike. Creative freedom will rise higher than previous years, opening the doors for you and I to explore new ideas for years to come.
BUT, with everything, there’s one major thing that needs to change to maintain this current course. Can you take a guess as to what it can be? No guesses? Well the answer is an easy one: Focus. Without thinking about the big picture, we get lost in all the nonsense in-between processes. The main thing is drama. Everyone is so damned dramatic these days and lose sight of what is important. And this isn’t just plaguing creators, but those running publishers as well. If you are a creator, don’t worry about the drama you see nor make a big deal of things that you can’t completely control. Whining about things like “grifters”, pointing the finger at others for stuff that you are accountable for, and whatever else you can think of. Stay in your lane, put your tunnel vision on and grind until you get to where you need to be, as nobody is gonna hand you success on a silver platter — even if you think you deserve it.
Go hard or Go Home. No other way around it. And as someone who’s been on 120+ projects in almost 6 years, I’d say I’ve earned my keep. Did you?
Kickstarter Shoutouts!
Cthulhu Invades Fairytales — Travis Gibb/Orange Cone Productions
Imagine a twisted realm where fairy tales collide with cosmic horror. In this dark reimagining, Cthulhu, the Great Old One, invades the enchanting worlds of Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Goldilocks, and Red Riding Hood, warping their stories into nightmarish landscapes. 20 Orginal Stories by over 50 incredible comic creators got together to bring the blending the Traditional and Grimm Fairy Tales that we loved growing up with the cosmic horror of H.P Lovecraft - Call Of Cthulhu Universe.
I’m in this anthology (again) paired up with the homie Abby Butler for our story, Eldritch Wedding Crashers featuring Puss-In-Boots! Check out a sneak peak of our story, then back the book!
The Redirection of Forever by Edward Kane.
THE REDIRECTION OF FOREVER is a collection of 10 short prose stories that vary in genre, but they all feature the human heart and its unwavering commitment to change one's life. From the far reaches of space to the horrors of a local forest, the human heart remains. I’m the editor on this novel, and I can say it’s very much worth backing. Every story is written with passion and precision, and Edward is so close to funding. Let’s make it happen!
The Few of Farbetween by Damien Becton.
What happens when a robotic AI crash lands on a fantastical world full of magical creatures and beings? In THE FEW OF FARBETWEEN, 18 year old Jeyada, magic-wielding sorceress, reluctantly allies with a friendly, inferior version of the AI to prevent complete takeover! When these characters learn of a plot to sabotage the Queendom that keeps them safe, fates get crossed, friendships are built, trust gets tested, and, of course, lots of fun sci-fi fantasy action in this 24-page comic book!
Damien is one of my favorite people to work with, and this is a project like no other. If you love fantasy, then this is the book for you!
And that wraps up the newsletter! Stay safe, and most importantly keep reading comics!
I'm conflicted with the digital aspect of things.
As a reader: I absolutely love having all these digital comics available to me at my fingertips. Plus - they look great on my screen turned portrait-wise specifically to read comics.
As a creator: the 17¢ commissions I get from GlobalComix make it impossible for it to be sustainable. Kickstarter and crowdfunding are the way, but even those are bolstered by physical backers.
Interesting and scary times ahead.