Great piece Greg 👌🏾 thank you for sharing. I can relate to this somewhat because a few years ago I made a similar decision to just start drawing, and I was able to make a graphic novel that way.
I should mention in my case what happened was, I got frustrated with approaching artist after artist about my project, to then be ghosted. In retrospect the situation was what you described: why would anyone undertake so much work for an extended length of time without upfront compensation?
At the time I was up my own butt, and thought the story is so awesome and artist would be thrilled to work on this.
It took some time to see the situation through the filter of business, and decide to learn to draw.
I'm not a great artist, but it was a complimentary experience as I learned a few things:
1. I'm not a great artist but I do have an instinct for graphic layouts. (I can communicate action effectively on the page through panel arrangement.)
2. Great art is not a prime requirement to making comics. Striking a balance between aesthetics and clarity of storytelling is the desired effect.
3. Printing comics and comic cons are expensive. Leverage the Internet and social media platforms.
4. It's great to create but how do you sell once it's done?
This last one made me aware of marketing. If building a brand that fans identify with.
I can go one but I'll stop here and wait for part 2.
If I may suggest, Greg. Have you considered writing for it other mediums? There are people telling interesting and cleverly written narratives on tiktok, Instagram and Twitter (X). There's also podcasting, which is not as expensive to produce, but once made can be shared across multiple platforms. I've listened to some great horror podcasts, and I'm interested in trying it myself.
Have a great day. Thank you again for sharing your journey.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jay. The next two posts should answer some of your questions. But, in summary, yes, I've definitely considered other formats, and these may play a role. I also have some great friends in the industry who helping to make exciting things happen. I definitely have stories to tell.
Great piece Greg 👌🏾 thank you for sharing. I can relate to this somewhat because a few years ago I made a similar decision to just start drawing, and I was able to make a graphic novel that way.
I should mention in my case what happened was, I got frustrated with approaching artist after artist about my project, to then be ghosted. In retrospect the situation was what you described: why would anyone undertake so much work for an extended length of time without upfront compensation?
At the time I was up my own butt, and thought the story is so awesome and artist would be thrilled to work on this.
It took some time to see the situation through the filter of business, and decide to learn to draw.
I'm not a great artist, but it was a complimentary experience as I learned a few things:
1. I'm not a great artist but I do have an instinct for graphic layouts. (I can communicate action effectively on the page through panel arrangement.)
2. Great art is not a prime requirement to making comics. Striking a balance between aesthetics and clarity of storytelling is the desired effect.
3. Printing comics and comic cons are expensive. Leverage the Internet and social media platforms.
4. It's great to create but how do you sell once it's done?
This last one made me aware of marketing. If building a brand that fans identify with.
I can go one but I'll stop here and wait for part 2.
If I may suggest, Greg. Have you considered writing for it other mediums? There are people telling interesting and cleverly written narratives on tiktok, Instagram and Twitter (X). There's also podcasting, which is not as expensive to produce, but once made can be shared across multiple platforms. I've listened to some great horror podcasts, and I'm interested in trying it myself.
Have a great day. Thank you again for sharing your journey.
Thanks so much for the kind words, Jay. The next two posts should answer some of your questions. But, in summary, yes, I've definitely considered other formats, and these may play a role. I also have some great friends in the industry who helping to make exciting things happen. I definitely have stories to tell.
Great advice earned from experience, Greg. I'm going to re-stack this later. Onward and upward, friend!
Thanks, Sterling! Your comment reminds me. I need to check if my LCS has your comic set aside for me.