Відео

Thanks for everyone who popped in the livestream I see I need to fix the audio

🎧🎧👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Dude I’m so sorry I missed this video! Thanks for supporting me and Cosmic lion by picking up Frankie issues 1 and 2!

Fellas, it was an honor. I think so much of your channel and your mission! Keep up the good work.

Loved the interview. It’s always fun to hear how other creators approach our little cottage industry.

Great interview guys, really enjoyed it!

thank you 🫶🏼🫶🏼

Stuff like this is helpful to see! Great job!

Rlm was briefly mentioned in the beginning, they covered the mastodon pilot in one of the recent wheel of the worsts so as soon as “mastodon” was mentioned I did a tex avery take

Such a "math" episode, haha. Yeah, I know I'm operating in the red. Hopefully not to much. But I practice wilful ignorance with regards to 'expenses vs profitability'. My bank account isnt being drained. And I operate on such a low level that the loss is negligible. If I was to go through ALL of the expenses, it would be depressing. So I don't. Not at the moment, anyway. A Slackmatic 2024 omnibus? Sure! If done right. What I mean is, I have no problem buying the same stories a second time IF I'm getting something new as well. Such as, alternate covers, working sketches, unpublished added stories. That's how I justify buying the same record that I already own. Great show guys!

Have you considered charging a different amount per platform? i.e. if Etsy is taking a certain amount, price it on Etsy so you will make what you want, like $3 profit or whatnot, after the fees and shipping, even if it is expensive. Then if you have an avenue that cuts all that out so you're saving some if they buy it there, lower the price. Keeps you on Etsy for people to find you there, then maybe people figure out they can get it elsewhere cheaper and go there from then on. Would give you a bit of a metric on who is really following you as well as you put out more stuff and see your sales move from Etsy to your own website or something like that.

Great episode,guys! Making and selling your own books has always been an exercise in financial gymnastics. I appreciate your transparency pertaining to ROI. Going back to a previous episode ( Commissions), I’ve found doing commission work to be much more profitable than making and selling books. I suppose it all depends on what you want out of your art “career.” Lord knows I put in my time doing comics(to little avail). The amount of work and cost, not to mention time, involved in making a book is astronomical compared to pumping out one finished drawing. And you only have to mail it once! The key to commissions is to be clear about what you’re offering. Say, “One character, black background, colored, for $25 bucks, shipped. A much smaller investment of time for a larger profit. If making money for doing art is the goal, this is a better option in my opinion. But if owning your characters and telling stories is your goal (honorable though it may be), you’re going to have to play the game. That means paying printers, platforms, and postage to get the work out there. Personally, after 25 years I couldn’t do it anymore. Your mileage may vary. Keep on fighting the good fight!😊

My thoughts are..... I think the problematic word here is "exposure". Because it's a promise that will never come to fruition. I've observed, it's always amateur writers looking for someone to give their story the visuals. If you're a skilled artist with a foot in the door in the industry, then it's laughable to work for free or less than your market value. HOWEVER, if you're a nobody in the industry and still developing, I say take every assignment you can get your hands on. If for nothing else, to learn to illustrate outside of your comfort zone. I see tons of artists in some of these Facebook groups that have an extremely small bag of tricks and draw nothing but actions shots, poses, and superheroes jumping out of aircrafts all at the same time. Many couldn't draw mundane pages if dialog if tasked to. Some collaboration, even with other amateurs, would prove beneficial.

Congratulations, Guys!!!!

Congratulations guys! Keep em coming!

Cool updates!

Good video guys, I think a lot of cartoonist that are doing commission work are sadly not getting work in the industry, so to support themselves and there family they have to do it, I think for a lot of them it is there only income. I don't know if things have changed, but unless you are under contract with a company, they don't pay for any benefits. I've done a few commissions, not many, and frankly that is probably the only time I've made any money doing my art (not very much money), thankful I've got a good job so I don't have to worry about making money doing my art. I've stayed very busy for a very long time, frankly if I started charging, I don't know how busy I would be.

Looks like Noah on the left half of this screen!

I did some googling because the two elderly hosts of this show couldn't, and every other video about them also seems unsure how to pronounce it

Woohoo CinM!

Love all the insight and topics you guys cover. Can always expect some banger takes

The quote I believe was Dorothy Parker “I hate writing, I love having written “

I hear u man

Basically no sound. Like the choices, but audio will help.

There is always a music equivalent to anything comic related. Networking to get into the atmosphere of industry professionals is a wasted effort in 2024. Just like playing music. Nobody is accepting demos. Bands aren't being signed. If you're not already a known commodity through your own hard work, you're not on anyone's radar. And all of the legacy indies experienced the same thing 35 - 40 years ago.

Can't hear this

The idea that as a creator you can’t write about anything you want is crazy. Writers and artists are being prosecuted for producing art. It’s nothing new but it’s diabolical. These crazy people want sterile, pure, perfect characters, characters they can’t even write about themselves. Their egos are so soft and easily offended. As a black writer I’ve created over 120 characters of different race, gender, color and creed and in order for me to write about their backstory, I have to do real life research that’s sprinkled in the backstories of each character. I purposely avoid using race in my graphic novels because race has become a troupe in the past 10 years and it’s boring. As long as I’m having fun and not abusing anyone or negatively affecting anyone then I refuse to bend the knee to evil minded people trying to tell me what culture I should and should not write about. Writers are supposed to entertain and inform people on things they don’t know. If I can’t write about anything I want then what’s the sense of telling stories? This is why I love independent comics because I can do whatever I want without someone standing over my shoulder telling me no.

When it comes to new social media platforms, that stuff is unpredictable and succeeds (or fails) organically. My policy is: go where the people are. Cara sounds like a 12 band, local fest at the Milestone. Sure there's a good turnout, but 90% of the crowd is band members playing the show.

I was listening to this.....on my way to Virginia to set up for an event! Glad y'alls show was gangbusters. Keep killing it!

Travellers throughout history have reported that wherever they go, most people are welcoming and want to hear their story. The phenomenon of not being able to say anything, on the other hand, is very "small town gossip", and I think it reflects the nature of Twitter and the other algorithmic social media platforms that they converge on gossip because most of the time in the past, people won't go out of their way to amplify it - if word needs to get around, it does so through a lot of private conversations instead of a big callout thread. The callout thread is someone who has found an do-gooder aesthetic but is actually up to no good, 9/10 times. And mostly, it's not worth anyone's while to participate because 100% of the replies are just kneejerk reactions - *this validates me, that makes me mad*. Any real shift in the conversation happens in the *next* thread, after it's had time to settle. I don't think it's hopeless, though. We're still learning how that differs from mass media conversations, which is what we perceive online media as. Yesterday's mass media is easy to perceive in terms of propaganda - it tells you what the national narratives are, and lo and behold, they all shift when the next election cycle rolls around. The difficult part of it all happens behind the scenes in a feedback loop of policy-making, lobbying, investment decisions, pushback from stakeholders, etc. All the anger gets funneled into a narrow Overton window. The social media mob, on the other hand, could be bots and organized actors, it could be a loose alignment of grifters, it could be ordinary fans who have projected their entire identity onto a fictional character and issue death threats when the canon fails to meet expectations. Whole radical ideologies come and go within the span of a few months. It blows up constantly, there's a lot of power hunger but nobody really comes out "ahead" for very long. For a deep dive read I suggest Heather Marsh, "The Creation of Me, Them, and Us". Lots of good words on why people end up like this.

I've been pondering for a few days this topic, since you originally posted the episode. This issue is here to stay. With technology enhancing our communication possibilities, everyone has the ability to be a newscaster. A journalist. A finger pointer. An activist. An "ally". The problem is that so often the mob is created for the benefit of the leader, not the protected. I've personally witnessed this in the local music scene. I proceed with my creative endeavors with blinders on. It's easy for me as my content is pretty benign. I just want to have fun making funny aliens. If and when the finger pointers ever show up to point out my lack of representation, or, my unearned cultural appropriation, they'll receive no oxygen from me. And that's all they want. Oxygen. A reaction. An apology they'll never accept. An overly elaborate explanation. I'm sure if I had art shows and publishers to contend with, my bluster might be a little more tempered, but I hope not.

Sometimes I think people want to lure someone into an argument. Hypothetical questions are a good example. They have no right answer and are used to get an opinion or belief out of someone in a seemingly innocent way. Once you answer a hypothetical question, the trap is set. “Man v bear” was the most recent click fest. It got nasty real quick.

Love the time lapse set to video game music

I had a good time at the QCZF! Good seeing ya there Ryan. That guy walking around is name Micheal Richey. I got his mini comic he traded me for one of my tracts. It's wonderful! Hoping he does more. I'm hoping Wellspring is back in full swing. Their work looks great. But that last book I did, it took a month to get a proof. Hopefully with their move and the addition of more equipment and staffing, they get back to proper fulfillment. Anyway, great episode!

Really enjoying these…keep ‘em coming!

Some folk’s dream is to work for the big 2, others are compelled to do work for themselves. Since I’m unfamiliar with the post you reference, I’m guessing this guy aspires to work in corporate comics. No shame in that, if that’s your dream. I’ve always been fortunate to have a job with decent pay and benefits such that comics have always been a side hustle. Little money to be made, but ultimate creative freedom!

That embarrassing mindset reminds me of all the hair metal bands of the 80s and early 90s, releasing their version of "alternative" or "grunge". in the mid 90s. I assume there is room for interpretation with what they said. But taken at face value, I couldn't disagree with them more. Without those going outside the norm, we wouldn't know about Eastman and Laird, the Hernandez Bros, Wendy and Richard Pini, Tim Vigil, Dave Sims, etc...etc. And personally, it would be impossible for me to stylistically pivot.

The people who ask that sort of question can only see the world through their bank accounts. These are the same people who look at any creative practice, hobbies, crafts, music etc. and ask why you aren't doing it for money or why aren't you working for the biggest companies, doing work for hire etc. They cannot fathom doing something just because your driven to do it for it's own sake. McCartney is crazy rich. He helped change the world of music. He could have stopped decades ago. He could keep playing the hits forever. Instead, he's never stopped creating, experimenting, growing and challenging himself. If he was poor and a nobody, he'd still make music. It's the animal he is.

Lights on the shelf are looking good! Never heard of this lizard man before

It’s those infrequent “ups” that keep us going. One kind compliment can be all the inspiration required to stay in the game. The work is the reward. I view social media as the gallery where I hang my work for folks to enjoy.

Sorry for the delay in watching. I was out on South Blvd, begging for change and spreading the word about Cult In The Making! I plead for mercy regarsing my tardiness... I always say, FOR ME, the motivation and reward is getting better. Better drawing, better storytelling, and writing funnier gags. If I sell a few books or get another subscriber, that just extra for me. Im fortunate to be associated with you guys and be counted as a contemporary! Speaking of which, you both should have a floppy in your mailbox today or tomorrow.

I've been drawing comics and RPG art since the late 80s both professionally and UNprofessionally. It is always up and down. And you have to adjust your expectations to your intentions. For me, the name of the game was always "do what you want", and I have. And the result is I'm a happy artist making very little money on it with only modest social clout. And that's fine. Ramping up those expectations to "being a full time pro" would mean a hell of a lot more work on my part and a hell of a lot more disappointment. But in the end, if you don't try then you don't know. Sorry, that's a bit rambly. I think the bottom line really MUST BE are you happy doing what you're doing? If yes, rock on. If no, think about changing it up.

enjoyed listening in love anybody pushing their passion and making their art! finding more and more of the comics I love on places like etsy, kickstarter, and instagram change the angle on those ring lights - both you guys are just blasting glare off those glasses

Lol. I loved the Meatloaf comic.

Great episode! And relevant to me, as I am breaking up 2 stories that would have been in a traditional floppy and releasing them in 2 zine style books. 2 reasons. The first, my printer is going through some relocation pains. It took me over a month to just get a proof. And second, a more capitalist move, I want to full my table out a little with more options when I start setting up soon. I agree, if something isn't working, pivot! We aren't getting rich anyway so do what works the best for each of us. Thanks for this episode, and see you at QCZF!

A very heartfelt and moving show. RIP to Ed Piskor, and thanks for sharing your thoughts and feelings.

Thanks for the conversation. I’m a new viewer who is just getting into making comics (as a hobby) and stuff like this makes me excited to learn more.

Glad the algorithm took me here. I've decided to partake in your journey. Subbed!

Innocent before proven guilty applies to a *criminal* court, not public opinion. Innocent people can be sent to death which why innocence is the default in criminal cases. Obviously, Ed lost his life, but public opinion isn’t state sanctioned death. We all need to conduct ourselves in a manner both public and private that would not shame us if people knew our truth. Shame can feel like a death sentence, but people get over the embarrassment, or move on with their lives. Ed obviously had a mental breaking that he couldn’t see past, but that doesn’t entitle him to presumption of innocence in public opinion.

Thank you guys for making this video. You both made excellent points encapsulating the events of the past two weeks. It’s been difficult for many out there to wrap their heads around what happened, how it could have gone differently, and as a bystander, what role we have (if any). Well done ❤