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Friday, September 3, 2010
Doing the Work to Get the Work
Part two
Last month, I discussed the dearth of money to be made by creating your own comic book, with two reasons why you should STOP envisioning wealth and celebrity as possible returns. In this column I will give you two more reasons, these focusing on the rewards you can reap if your goals are realistic.
When I talk to the artists Slave Labor Graphics publishes, I am often impressed by how dedicated they are to creating their comics, even though it usually makes them very little money, and in general not much respect from the industry. But they hang on and keep making comics because it is what they love.
Matt Haley, who has done freelance work for DC and Marvel and now works in television, often advises people to create their own comics, and finds that those with dedication survive in the industry. "When they realize that means the will have to continue working their day job and then work at night and over the weekends creating, it tends to separate the wheat from the chaff."
It certainly does. So what are the reasons the wheat have for continuing to create comics?
1. A realistic outlook will help you persevere through difficult times, which means you'll be around when things might start going better.
Evan Dorkin calls the fiscal realities of making your own comic "the brick wall thousands of aspiring creators have crashed headlong into." But to find a living through comics, you have to get over that wall. If you stick around, have some talent, and demonstrate that you can get work done, people might just start coming to you... with money. Not the money of your wildest dreams, but money nevertheless.
T., who drew a graphic novel for what amounts to less than minimum wage, pointed out, "On an upnote [the graphic novel] did land me an insane gaming card gig, which sorta balanced things out."
Christopher's work on his comic landed him an optioning deal, but he feels his case is an anomaly. "Lots of people who put in tons more work than I did have yet to make anywhere near the same amount of money," he wrote. "Not that I'm rolling in cash. It's all gone, but I do feel I was lucky."
I include Christopher's case with a caveat: Optioning money is there, but DO NOT COUNT ON IT. As Evan pointed out, "Option money is usually garbage money, and usually all you get. And many people who actually get deals... end up back at square on in the end of the process, creatively." This is the case with Christopher who is setting some time aside to work on his comic once again, "hoping," as he puts it "to get back in the game."
Evan takes a realistic view of comics work. "Most folks who are doing well or okay in the small press do so because of the commercial work they get from their comics. Milk and Cheese and Dork don't support me, but the attention and subsequent paying gigs have. Sarah [Dyer] and I got our animation work directly because of our comics work, specifically our small press work. There was no plan or expectation of this ever happening, it was just the way it went. But if you don't do the work, you can't get the work."
There's an important distinction Evan makes here. Like him, I do not think anyone should get into creating comics for the purpose of getting this other work. I once told an artist at Comic-Con who actually wanted me to sign a non-disclosure agreement before he would let me look at his proposal (I did not), that I was not interested in working with anyone who was constantly looking over my shoulder for something more--to use a favorite word of people like this--lucrative to come along. (If I looked over this guy's shoulder, I saw his "associate," who made kissy faces and mouthed "You are so fine" at me, but that's a different subject.)
Independent comics can be a stepping stone to larger opportunities. That is true. But you should not treat your indie comic, nor the people who put the work and money into publishing it, like stepping stones. Chances are if you are not as dedicated to your work as you could be, it will show in the final product. And even if we don't catch on to you early on, we will catch on. Keep in mind that this is not only a small industry, it is one where success can be fleeting and work inconsistent. Down the line, after your exclusive contract runs out and the superhero crowd tires of you as an artist, you might want to go back to your independent work, only to discover that the people you treated like stepping stones aren't interested in working with you anymore.
The best advice comes from someone who has been there, done that and succeeded, so once again, Evan Dorkin: "The best bet for a creator, new or established, is to worry about making good comics, and see what happens later. I didn't even know how much a cartoonist or comic artist made when I broke in. I didn't care. I just wanted to make good comics. Everything else is gravy."
2. If your goals do not center around money and fame, you will be able to appreciate the personal satisfaction doing your own comics can bring you.
Steve Emond commented in part one of this article that having a published comic brings you a certain amount of status; however, this status, while you remain in comics, is for the most part non-transferable. Being "comic book famous" is not like being famous. There are few comic book creators whom anyone would recognize on the street. At comic conventions, Neil Gaiman gets mobbed if he ventures out of the safety of a booth, yes. However, when Neil was visiting San Jose State University a few months ago, I walked a few blocks through downtown San Jose and then stopped at a Starbucks with him, and I didn't notice anyone giving the tousle-haired man in a leather jacket a second glance.
And you, aspiring comic book creator, will probably never be as famous as Neil Gaiman.
If you are going to continue making comics, and if you are going to be even moderately successful, something other than fame or money will have to drive you. Rachel Nabors, who draws several comic strips for gURL.com, told me that she accepts a less-than-ideal living situation because "it is how I can keep doing what I love: telling stories to teenage girls around the world with words and pictures. And every month my fan base grows, a new commission comes in, and my rates inch up. Whether or not I can eventually have a life based on a comicking income is yet to be determined, but I certainly hope so."
Gilgrim explained to me that he thought "comic book famous" was better than famous because the people who do know who you are know your work, what is important to you, not because they see your face plastered all over supermarket tabloids. "It seems like comic book famous is much more personal, and I'm glad to have it that way," he wrote. "The fact that last year was my first con and some amazing young man convinced his mum to drive him out of state to San Diego to get my little obscure book signed was simply incredible. It even made the lack of money irrelevant... at least until I had to pay the check-out for the hotel."
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Leaving you on that happy note, I will begin to delve into a topic that researching this one has led to, the relationship of comics and Hollywood, and not the obvious stuff like superhero movies and animated series. If you're a comic book creator with experiences with film options and TV work, please tell me about it! How did it affect your comics work? Did it pan out as you hoped it would? Horror stories, uplifting stories of success and everything in between are equally welcome. Please email me at asmadasbirds@gmail.com.
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April 22, 2008:
February 4, 2008:
November 20, 2006:
A Comic-Con without the Captain
