Random Observations...sort of.

Just some random observations which were fueled because I figured I really should put up another blog post.  Mainly because I figure if you’re going to have a blog site, you should post at least once a month---ideally more, but minimum, monthly.  I can’t believe how many blog sites I go to and you find the last post from a year ago.  Just turn it off.

The reason I go to some blog sites is that I’m involved with Detroit Fanfare and we get a lot of creators sending in for an artist alley table.  We like to put them up on our facebook site as well as the website.  Well, you would not believe how many creators, mostly artists, are out there and want to sell their stuff and get hired (presumably).  Yet, so many have no contact information, nothing resembling a bio or resume, and nowhere to go to look at their stuff.  It’s almost like they want to stay hidden.  A lot of these are the same ones that complain that no one buys independent comics. They might not buy theirs simply because they can’t find any information on it.

Also dealing with conventions, and I think I covered this before, it’s amazing how many creators say they will do a convention if all their expenses are covered (travel, which is usually a flight, and hotel.)  Now, I agree that part of a convention is to provide a guest lineup that makes people want to come and that’s a necessary cost.  But to bring in some creators as a guest just isn’t feasible economically.   I think a potential guest has to look at the situation…are they going to bring in 25-40 “unique” customers to warrant the cost?  Most of them won’t so the convention (any convention) can’t pay the cost. I do realize that it’s hard to conceptualize who is part of the “guests” the con commits to as part of the overall convention and who are “extra” guests.  But generally, if the creator is someone who hasn’t been in a particular area in a long time, well, that person has a better chance of bringing in unique fans. 

Someone who does every convention, no matter the size, free comic book day appearances, and shows up at just about every event in the region---they just don’t have the appeal.  It doesn’t mean that they’re devoid of value, it just means their presence is diluted from all the appearances.  That’s the toughest part of being part of the convention---talking to a creator who wants, or even needs, their expenses covered and we have to explain that we can’t do it.  Again, it’s not that we don’t like the creator or that the creator does substandard work….simply a matter that they’re “old news” and pretty much any fan walking through our doors has seen this creator locally in the last few months .  Dilution is a word that has a weak connotation yet it serves as a strong definition of the situation.

My weekly series, Deadworld: War of the Dead, finished its run in August and the trade paperback was immediately made available in September for ordering (November release).  I know my job is to promote it, not just for me but also for the publisher (IDW) and the artist (Sami Makkonen) and I do try and push it.  But, man, I just can’t do the superfluous hype.  I love that it got so many great reviews because I can let that do the hype for me.  That’s something I can’t do on my own.  I see so many creators and publishers throw out such bullshit when hyping their books and I wonder if people actually buy into it.  Apparently, many do.  I read some of the interviews and press releases and I’m stunned at not only at the audacity but the deceit.  Claiming that the art is so good that people will buy it just for the cover…well, that’s pretty rare.  Or a Marvel creator talking about how a death of a major character will shock readers.  I mean that bit has been so over-used that I’m surprised that even the news sites that fawn over every little bit of information about Marvel and DC, still run those as headlines.

There are so many players (creators, publishers, websites, etc) that launch something to a lot of self hype and cast themselves as revolutionizing whatever aspect of the business they’re in.  A lot of them are proposing models that haven’t worked before yet they feel this time it’s different.  Why?  Because this time they’re the ones doing it.  I don’t mean to sound negative, and really, I’m not overall about the industry (that’s why I’m still here) but we have to separate viability from simple vainness. 

Right now, I truly think that there is an abundance of good stuff being released in comic form.  I can’t speak for the superhero stuff as I don’t follow that at all and my only good feelings towards those titles is simply nostalgia but that’s not enough to get me into the mess that they’ve become.  Whether its webcomics, self published, or the “independent” and “alternative” titles, there’s a lot of great material.  Unfortunately, a lot of it won’t be seen by most readers.  Just like most independent movies won’t be seen, or independent music, or the vast majority of books written.  It’s the way it is.  

Maybe because I’m closer to the comics market and therefore, see it more, but it sure seems that in comics, so many creators feel slighted when they’re not supported by the market.  It’s almost as if they feel they have a right to spend their life making comics and consequently should be rewarded with readership and support.  It doesn’t work that way and I know most of them realize that but sometimes you just have to shake your head when someone complains about it.  I’ve been there, I understand the frustration.  But when you make a choice, it’s your choice and you have to go in expecting nothing except what you make of it.

On the other hand, I am continually amazed by the success of some creators and titles.  Finding out a webcomic that has over 100,000 readers yet gets no attention in the comics media; a book that can’t sell in a comic shop yet is moving 100’s on sites like Amazon;  a title that isn’t carried by Diamond or comic shops yet receives multiple award nominations; and artists who make a living doing conventions without even worrying about actually putting out a book.

We’re in an industry that’s constantly changing (just like everything is) and while the comics market per se is diminishing (despite the glow about recent sales---they’re in comparison to the days of near death of the industry and not compared to when it was healthy), so many other avenues are opening up.  A lot of titles can be supported by crowd funding, internet store sales, ebooks and other digital platforms, and hand sales (website, conventions, etc) that the old model of Diamond Distribution is not the only road.  Sure, it’s harder to get the word out, no denying that. But there’s a lot more ways to get the word out then there used to be.

I don’t want anyone to think that I’m just complaining because I’m not.  I just think that a lot of creators and companies need to take a different look at things.  Many already are and I am constantly amazed at success stories I hear about on titles I never heard of.  That’s great.  I mean, I’ve been on all sides of the biz…from publishing to creator to freelance writer to retailing and to convention organization.  I’ve written comics that have been nominated for awards and other titles that never made it to the shelf.  I have some titles that are used in college classes as literature and others dismissed as nothing more than quarter box filler.  I had a company in Caliber that produced some top selling books to a lot of books that got cancelled due to low orders.  I currently run Transfuzion which is a company that most people in the biz are unaware of yet we have over 50 graphic novels out and years after some books have come out, I’m still writing royalty checks to the creators every quarter.  Sure, the amounts aren’t huge, but the books continue to sell.  They just don’t sell in comic stores.

I think it’s important for most of the creators to understand exactly what it is they’re trying to do.  Don’t spend the energies on hype at sites that aren’t going to lead to support anyway.  Sure, it’s great for the ego perhaps, but it isn’t necessarily the audience that you need to reach so you have to outreach to other avenues.

Guess my randomness sort of centralized towards the end here but writing a blog is a lot like writing a comic story…you just start and see where it takes you.

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Reviews and Similarities

Well, the Deadworld: War of the Dead mini-series has finished its run.  All five issues came out in August as it was a weekly series.  I’m still not sure how I feel about that.  I was told by a few retailers that they ordered light on it because if it didn’t do well, they’d be stuck with all five issues.  I guess I can’t blame them.  It was nice to see it come out each week and I don’t really have any way to judge the sales versus potential sales (if it were monthly).  I do know from experience that there are substantial drops from 1 to 2 to 3 and so on and with this weekly format, the numbers stayed pretty close.  But I don’t know if #5 was ordered like a #1 or if #1 was ordered like a #5.  Overall, the numbers were respectable according to IDW.  Checking the charts for previous months, it seems to be right in with the pack on independent comics.  Now, the trade paperback will be available for November and is in the current Diamond Previews (order #SEP12 0375).

It was interesting to see the number of reviews that War of the Dead received.  I mean, it’s a series that has been around since the 1980s and last year was the original graphic novel of The Last Siesta and IDW also released three collections in the last 18 months. So,  it’s not like it had disappeared and returned from a decade long hiatus.  Since it was rebooted some 5-6 years ago, there have been 15 comics and 6 graphic novels out.  Not a regular schedule by any means, but certainly not out of sight.  Judging from what I read from some, it was the weekly aspect that drew attention to it.

It got a lot of great reviews but I was also interested in the negative or neutral reviews.  I was set to deal with that because as a writer or publisher, you know that not everyone is going to like what you do.  Hell, even when Gaiman and Moore were at the top of the world, they had detractors.  Not saying I’m in their class but if they have negative reviews, I think everyone else had better learn to deal with it as it’s going to happen.

There was one reviewer who absolutely hated the series, right from the get go.  He hated the story, he hated the art, I think he hated the very idea.  But what I found strange is that he reviewed all five issues, one a week.  Now he did a lot of reviews and I didn’t see him duplicate any other titles over the last few months yet he wanted to delve into why how he hated Deadworld.  About 10% of his entire output was on Deadworld.  I don’t get it.  If you didn’t like it, fine…but to spend so much time, that just seemed vendettaish to me, but I can’t imagine why. Maybe he doesn’t like me or Sami, I don’t know.  Just found that really curious and makes me wonder what was his purpose, not just on Deadworld, but in general.

A very frustrating thing I found is just how many people issue reviews and never actually read the comic.  Why have a review site if you don’t read the comics?  It’s fine if you say that something doesn’t hold appeal so you won’t read it but to give the illusion that you read it and then spout off about it is beyond disingenuous, it’s dishonest and fraudulent.

The best example is (spoiler alert this paragraph) regarding Dan.  Dan was introduced at the beginning and he was carrying a number of guns and had the long duster and hat on.  First off, people said how derivative the character was.  Well, that look Dan had goes all the way back to 1988….so not sure who it was derivative of back then.  But the major problem is how many reviews labeled Dan as the guy that goes around blasting all the zombies and again, how cliché and derivative that was.  The thing is…in the entire five issue series, Dan never fired his gun…not once.  So, how is he a labeled a cliché when he doesn’t do what he’s being accused of being a cliché about?  There were quite a few reviews that SAID he was a guy going around blasting zombies.  Really?

The most prevalent thing was in reference to Donna.  In the series, Donna is half human/half zombie and wields a sword to fight zombies.  Of course, some reviewers claimed I was influenced by the character Michonne from The Walking Dead.  The thing is, Donna with the sword, has been around almost 20 years and not just from the pages of Deadworld, there was even a 4 issue mini-series on her (Tattoo). Now, I get that someone might not know that as I wouldn’t expect them to know all the characters from the long running series and I get that to some, this was their first foray into Deadworld.  I will grant that they could specify a “Michonne” like character but to accuse me of ripping it off?  For someone to accuse someone, I would hope and expect that they would do a little homework.  

Speaking of the Michonne character, someone mentioned to me (I have never read the series) about how she led zombies around on chains.  One of the earliest scenes (1990, I think)  of Donna’s “zombie” half, a character called Vamp, is how she would lead her victims around hooked up to chains as if they were pets.

There are a number of examples of similarities between the two series.  Although the opening group didn’t travel around in an RV, in Deadworld they had a school bus which was home.  In the early issues of Deadworld, the group found sanctuary at a religious fanatic’s house that for some reason, seemed to be devoid of zombies.  One of the group hooked up with one of the daughters of the religious father/leader.  This was in the first few issues, all of which were produced in the 80s.

Later in the series, but still in the early to mid 90s, a way of escaping the zombies for one guy was to take the skin and guts of a zombie and cover himself with it so the zombies couldn’t sense him.  This was the same guy who hooked up with Clarence who told of how he was holed up in a prison.

One of the leading characters at this time was John.  John was leading a small group (on foot and horseback) and he constantly was being challenged by another guy on every decision.  John had a pregnant girlfriend (Shelley) and a son named Carl.  John also had to shoot one of the older guys traveling with them because he was bitten by a zombie.

The Dead-Killer was a popular character in the series and made his appearance in the first volume of Deadworld in issue 19 as a backup before getting his own mini-series and establishing himself for the duration as one of the key characters.  One of the key parts of Dead Killer was having to chop off one of his hands.  He then hooked up apparatuses to it such as a stiletto blade.

Interesting note that someone just pointed out to me regarding a scene I had put in issue 5 of the second volume (which came out in 1993)…was that the King Zombie played a game with a small group of survivors and chose one to be the sacrifice.  The game was eenie-meenie-myni-mo….and one was chosen (Joey).

The reason I bring up these similarities is not to accuse anyone of anything.  I don’t know.  Let me repeat, I DON’T KNOW so I’m not accusing…but nor am I giving a free pass.  I can only say that I don’t know.  Yes, I get that similarities will arise and influences will creep in.  That’s why I don’t read any zombie comics or watch zombie movies.  But I’m sure I’ve treaded on familiar ground.  Some similarities, though, are hard to chalk up to scenes a faire.

However, I state these similarities mainly so that if I choose to revisit them in upcoming storylines, I want people to realize that these were all Deadworld scenes far longer than they were scenes from someplace else.  

So, when or if I chose to focus on a vicious leader of a small city who showcases his cruelty,  I don’t want to be accused of lifting when Moloch was introduced in the late 80’s and has played a recurring role throughout the long life of Deadworld.   Same with having the “token” black character, or the little girl who has to be shot, or the burning of the bodies…all those were scenes from the beginning of Deadworld (and I will grant, likely common scenes in ANY zombie comic)…so I don’t want to be accused on anything.

As a writer of 100s of comics and different series, I do recognize that there are only so many themes and characters and that we all share many of the same “tools” when developing storylines and narratives.  I take that into account whenever writing something and make a great effort to avoid the expected, without sacrificing the story in order to do so, of course.

Over all, the most common question I get regarding Deadworld, especially this series, is will there be more?  There’s a lot of factors to consider in determining that and I am in the process of doing the evaluations on everything right now.  But it’s actually a pretty easy answer.

Of course.  Stay tuned.

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Comic Retailing? No Thanks.

As some of you may know, I was a retailer for about 20 years and at one time, had four comic shops.  Most of the time, I really enjoyed it but towards the end, with the publishing of Caliber and the writing, I had to give something up.  I had been encouraged with the diversity and quality of stuff that came out in the 1980’s, became a bit disenchanted with the collector frenzy of the 90’s, but overall, it was a great experience. I get asked quite a bit if I have the desire to go back into retailing and its a simple answer.  No, I would never go back to it.

I still find it interesting to discuss retailing aspects and in my roles as a creator and publisher, I try to keep up on how things are working now.  They are really different from when I had my stores, primarily in the ordering areas.  When I had my stores, the volume was so much higher than it is today.  If I made a mistake and ordered 50 extra copies of an X-Men title, the impact was neglible.  In today’s market, it can have a significant effect on a stores’ bottom line. 

Stores have had to deal with some specific problems outside of the diminishing comics market, problems that are not necessarily part of the entire comics market sale to consumers.  There’s the “Amazon” problem.  Even though there are other online entities, Amazon is the elephant in the room.  Retailers have to contend with a product they get in from Diamond and selling at retail price being made available the same day (and sometimes earlier) at a substantial discount.  I just saw a post by one creator who was promoting the fact that his book had shipped from Diamond and was now available in comic shops and in the same post, he steered potential buyers to Amazon where they could receive a hefty discount.  I’m sure that didn’t sit well with a retailer who ordered his book months ago and now has to recoup his investment.  Obviously, the Amazon impact was always there but when the creator pushed buyers there, it had to be frustrating.

The whole digital comics is still undergoing an evaluation of determining real buyers, future buyers, price points, and whether they are more additive to the comics market or replacements of current buyers.  Right now, it seems to be sorting out the polices of the various publishers (the main ones...Marvel, DC, and the major independents) and retailers know what to expect…price points, who distributes same day digital and print, etc.  The wild cards are the smaller publishers and the creator owned books whether under someone else’s imprint or not.  Usually, there is no set policy in place on a book coming out two or three months from now so retailers don’t know if they’re going to be competing with the creator/publisher for sales on books they ordered in advance.

The newer situation is with the crowd funding developments that are becoming a means of doing comics.  The biggest is Kickstarter and followed by IndieGoGo for the comics market and I’ll concentrate on Kickstarter but most of it applies to IndieGoGo as well.  Kickstarter has opened an incredible avenue of producing books and some label Kickstarter almost as a publisher.  Personally, I think it’s a great idea and I’m investigating doing some projects via that method.  I feel that if you are offering the donators a tangible product at about what the retail price would be, then it’s not only viable, but effective.

So, as a creator, what a great opportunity.  Even as a publisher, if someone goes that route, it lessens the concern of the bottom line as poor sales in the comics market have been pre-compensated to some extent (varies, of course, on the situation).  But as a retailer?  I’d have problems with it.  Obviously, if the book (the product--- but I’ll just call it a book since so many are turned off by the use of “product” even though that’s what they are) does not go through the distributor channels, it isn’t a concern.  Or is it?  I’ll touch on that later.

One of the problems I see happening is that creators are bringing in someone to illustrate a few sample pages, enough to showcase the book and what it will look like.  However, I know of some writers who know they can’t afford that talent for a whole project and don’t want to ask for funding to pay that high rate, so instead, they’ll bring in a newer artist at a lower rate.  Using the term “bait and switch” could be applied but many times, the creator (usually the writer) will mention it in the small print so whether it is unethical or misleading is open to interpretation.

But the biggest problem is dependent on how successful the Kickstarter project is.  If a book’s funding relies on issuing some 400 copies of the final version, well, that’s 400 consumers that a retailer could look at that will not be coming into comic shops.  There’s no way to determine which shops those 400 will not come into but most retailers are going to expect some kind of impact.  Right now, one of the biggest problems for creators and smaller publishers is getting beyond stores ordering only pulls and getting actual rack space.  A book going through Kickstarter will have less of a chance with most retailers.

Many shops have asked for consideration from these Kickstarter projects to provide some means of getting the books to stores at a reasonable discount so they can sell them at a profit (they do have to pay for space, employees and all that).  Some creators have designed some retailer incentives but with the recent announcement by Kickstarter that they will not allow any bulk discounted levels will certainly hamper the methods to provide retailers with the books.

I’m not even sure how effective Kickstarter will be a year or two down the line.  There are already rumblings about some creators taking the money from a successful funding and not releasing the book.  I know of a couple of cases where it’s heading towards a year or so and no book.  You get a rash of these or some high profile books and it could damage not only the integrity of the whole idea but the viability.  Right now, Kickstarter is still relatively new and people have been pretty good about having a book well into production but increasingly, it seems that a lot of projects are being offered as “if I get the money, then I’ll start on it” which of course, is dangerous territory for creators who are often scrambling for projects and the next paycheck.  Going back on something paid for and spent will be tough for some of them.

So, retailers get hit on the Amazon end, the digital end, and to a lesser extent, the Kickstarter end.  While they are dealing with this, creators are clamoring for shelf space for retailers ordering months ahead of time and hoping for sales when the books arrive.  Books that don’t have a proven track record can be pretty tough.  Right now, the phenomena that is The Walking Dead has been a boon to the market and of course, the success of the superhero movies certainly has helped.  But what's out there for retailers in a year or two years from now?  Likely something none of us are even thinking about but I can't think of anything else having such an impact.

With the recent trend of higher profile creators leaving the Big Two to produce their own creator titles, the retailers are more open to racking the books as the creators likely have some kind of following that they can track.  But even there, if a creator promotes himself to the detriment of the retailing system though discounts at Amazon or digital, same day release digital, Kickstarter projects, etc.,  some retailers may not support those books.  In fact, some may question whether they should support the creator in other areas (i.e.- on a major Marvel or DC title) as that support gives the creator the cache to be able to circumvent the shops on his creator owned titles.  Obviously, a store is going to do what is best for them in terms of selling product and there’s only a few that would engage in a retaliatory penalty like this, but some are questioning the support of one creator’s project when another project by that same creator will be cut off to them.

I hate to use the phrase of things being in flux because as you get older, you realize that things are always in flux.  But it certainly does seem like there are a lot of considerations going on in the comics market that will play out in the next year or so that will determine where the market is headed and what kind of structure it will have.

As a creator and a publisher, I have to deal with the dynamics of it but I have to admit, I’m sure glad I got out of retailing when I did.

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