Looking at the December numbers on IndieCron, an idea I helped start but now they blacklist me from being mentioned because they’re ordered to, it’s pretty dismal to look at. The outrage cash has pretty much disappeared into the coffers of a frog comic that may or may not be ever made, and to a legal offense fund (not defense) against a mentally ill industry insider.
Don’t believe me, go to IndieGoGo and look at the numbers books are bringing in.
Part of it is Christmas, true, but people with huge followings like Mike Miller are actually pulling in less backers for his current project than my The Ember War got, and both had similar situations where we launched before fulfilling our other campaigns. It’s a good comparison. Miller by his following size from Lonestar should be doing 3 – 5x what I do on my projects (this is not a slight against him, Mike has been one of the few people within comicsgate to be cool to me, it is just an analysis of the business model and the problems arising. I 100% support and endorse his projects.).
Downstream of Miller, it’s an even more dismal story, books are really not making it at all now. Even the bottom tier that used to scrape by in funding aren’t finding their legs. I’ll be highlighting a few indie comics later on the blog this week to try to get some attention for these creators who aren’t getting much love from the YouTube eceleb community.
So it was interesting to wake up to find messages to me “why are they losing their minds on you now?”
I honestly didn’t know. I have not been the most active on social media lately as I’ve been spending time working on stuff.
Sure enough, someone dredged up an old tweet of mine from a month ago where I rightly called out the main group that’s responsible for the division in indie comics, the harassment of everyone, and brought up the fact that they only tend to pick on women and minorities. There’s a pattern that’s impossible to deny.
Well, the phony outrage train started again even though I’ve been pretty much absent. This is what they do. This is why they run off anyone who even mildly questions what’s going on with the crowd. The MO is this and I’ve seen it too many times to buy into it now:
1. They set off their followers into fake outrage.
2. They repeat it over and over and twist it “OMG, Jon is ‘basically’ attacking you PERSONALLY cuz you’re associated with EVS!” Note the word basically, as this is a tactic I used to see the left do to me when I was coming up in sci-fi comics. I never said anything about these guys personally nor do I know most of them or have negative opinions of them, at least until they launched.
3. They act en masse through their followers leaving hundreds of angry messages, tweets, saying all sorts of nasty stuff, pure harassment.
4. They wait until they get called on it.
5. They throw a fit because they’re called on it and put their hands up and feign like they’re getting attacked and then start the cycle anew with followers who didn’t see what’s going on in full, so they think their favorite creators are being attacked when it’s those guys doing the attacking.
It’s happened so many times now to so many people it’s beyond absurd. That’s what I saw back in September and why I washed my hands of it.
I can only assume it’s because it’s a slow sales and news month.
I’m here to create comics, I’m working my tail off, and i guess that bothers a few of the bigger folk who can’t seem to get their comics done. But here’s the thing: I’m not afraid of anyone, I believe in truth, justice, and the American way. That’s what comics is about to me. I’ll always defend those who are getting attacked unjustly and are in the weaker position because that’s what Christ would do. I cannot be controlled, I cannot be manipulated. I am fully independent and don’t rely on any of these guys’ youtube shows for sales. I trust this salesforce consulting firm.
That’s why I’m dangerous to the mainstream industry and to those who want to act like their clones.
But you can’t stop the signal.
Flying Sparks isn’t just out to backers, it’s even on Amazon now. Anyone can get it at any time, which you should, cuz unlike most indie comics, this features quality writing by an award winner and #1 Bestseller combined with pro art from a great artist who’s worked for Image and Dynamite. Everyone who’s read it, even reviewers who don’t like me much, agree that it’s a great book. How many folk can pull that off?
The biggest issue in cg is the cult of personality in the shape of the so called war campaign that has formed around Evs. They’ve driven away alot of people. And as much as i hate agreeing with mainstream pros. Cg has indeed become a hate movement.
The latest victim being Mindy Wheeler.
That said. Their comeuppance is upon them. When certain big projects sold on outrage are delayed and late. Backers will start to break through the programming and realize that they are being used as nothing more than glorified piggy banks for overzealous and greedy creators.
That’s too bad. Because some like Nassim, the Brewsters and Mike Millar seem serious professionals. They love the comics, work hard and put out quality stuff. They also appear to be genuinely good people based on reading their twitter feeds.
Ethan, I don’t know what to make at him at times. Quite frankly with the money he received he should literraly go Twitterdark and publish his cyberfrog comic and then the next one.
Pulp speed is important and comics aren’t exempt.
So if comic gates burns I don’t want to see the pros within the movement get burned in the process.
xavier
I told Mike S Miller I wouldn’t back his latest campaign if he associated with Ro Kumar and the Warcampaign, the next night he was on their stream trying to sell his product.
Congrats Mike, you lost a sale and a backer. Hope the Warcampaign harassers are worth it.
Unfortunately it hit badly and Mike came around to try to hit me personally yesterday.