LarissaT

January 31, 2011 4:24 pm @jimski

I'm pretty sure I didn't read anything incorrectly, the second, third, or fourth time.

What I took real beef with was:

"Something about this form of storytelling says to everyone who sees it, “Please take a crack at this. All that stands between you and Todd McFarlane is the right kind of pen."...  Maybe it’s because there is a low(ish) barrier to entry."

Not only was it offensive to those of us who work really hard to improve our writing and drawing skills, but it was also an offense to people who have succeeded in the industry with hard work.  It's not easy!

My lesser beef was with your comments about the creator-owned hoopla, which I think everyone has an opinion on.

Yes, there are a couple of people making loud complaints/having some fun focused more on hating the big two (I personally read several DC titles), but there is an even greater number of people - professionals that I look up to, that are specifically speaking in support of doing your own comics, finding a place to showcase these voices, and generating an interest in a variety of work. I think that's really the main goal, people want to see diversity in the comic industry, and it can't be there, if there aren't the sales. Sure, some comics don't sell because they're crap, but some don't sell even though they're brilliant, because the support-base isn't as strong as it is for the big two. Most people speaking out are trying to convey something positive, and it's a shame a couple of voices seem to be overpowering the sentiment, or rather, the only voices people seem to choose to hear.

I guess this is a pretty subjective topic. Maybe for someone like you, who doesn't write comics, your twitter-feed being inundated by retweets of "support creator-owned comics" is an annoyance. But for people like me, it's encouraging and exciting.

I think if this article had more of an "it's hard making money being funny" spin to it rather than what comes across as a cynical "working in comics must suck" rant, it would've been easier to get behind. I realize after reading your response that you may not have been trying to convey such negativity, but "the internet is tone-deaf".

January 31, 2011 1:24 pm Or you know, maybe people create comics because they have a real love for storytelling, and writing and drawing brings them joy. Most creators still have crappy full-time jobs to pay the bills, and it's a labor of love to come home every night and sit at the desk for many hours. They don't do it because the "bar is low", and if you had ever actually pursued a career yourself, you'd know how hard it is.

How is a community, which is fan-supportive, and writer/artist-supportive, that inspires its fans to want to go out and draw popular characters, or create their own comic, a bad thing? It's actually a wonderful thing that a medium can inspire things like creation and excitement from its fans. You're purposely missing the soul of comics.

The creator-owned "movement" that you ripped on so voraciously, isn't to tear down working for big companies, it's meant to inspire hope and encouragement within the creator community, and to help get indie titles out there to a wider audience.

If you hate creators, the industry, and comics so much, then why do you even bother reading them?