The Comicsgate Civil War, or the Indie Comics Civil War, has been going on for a while between Ethan Van Sciver and Eric July/the Rippaverse. Many fans of both are concluding negativity was quickly overwhelming the optics of the situation, and no one was going to benefit in the long run. Cannibalizing each other’s fan base is a bad idea and ultimately turns off the normies to comics.
I made some comments on the topic on a livestream. I ended up doing reviews of Isom #1, #2, and AlphaCore by a fan request and made some more videos. Each time, I tried to stay out of the Internet drama, and slowly, I was being sucked back into it.
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Then, after Eric and his massive crew of supporters went to Orlando (engaging in some very positive fan interaction), I said on my livestream that EVS would probably have no other choice but to go even more negative and that he was in danger of being caught in a purity spiral and would end up burning his fans out on the drama.
When Ya Boi Zack posted a day later, echoing my sentiments and a few others agreed, I thought it might be time to clarify my words further. I assembled various tweets, videos, and other Internet evidence I thought would prove my point. I started shooting the video, and about 20 minutes in, I stopped.
What am I doing? Who cares about all this drama? I’ve been in the comic book business for over 30 years (just like Ethan), and I’ve seen this nonsense before. It’s comic book guys fighting over their tiny little turf and trying to be cool and edgy for the same 20,000 fans and vying for their attention while the millions of normies continue to ignore comics.
“Screw this,” I thought. “This is high school b.s.”
This kind of self-destructive drama has plagued the entire industry for as long as I’ve been in. It’s like the old saying by Henry Kissinger, “University politics are so vicious because the stakes are so small.”
I vowed to stop wasting my time. I said all I had to say, and if these guys weren’t ready to hear the warning, then I’ve got better things to do. Instead, I decided to redouble my efforts to remain positive and promote positivity. Right now, it seems the Rippaverse is going down that path, and it is good for them. EVS has maybe lost his way in that regard, but he has his core fans.
The Internet has created a new class of creators that’s personality-based rather than product-driven. In other words, people are buying the comic or book or whatever, not because they have a particular need for it but because they like the creator’s personality on videos. It’s not necessarily a bad strategy, but it means once you stop your videos, your sales will likely grind to a halt. If no one is reading, if the story isn’t the focus, and you’re just selling a collectible, what’s the point? You might as well be selling a T-shirt or a keychain.
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And while I think we still have the big problem of an endless stream of radical Marxists taking over the media, my goal should not be to stamp out every fire but to lead by example. Perhaps if I can be stoic, righteous, and successful while being positive, the fans will naturally break my way. That they will come to see me as a respite from this hectic drama and a role model to emulate rather than another pundit with an opinion and a YouTube Channel.
With that said, I switched back to the screen with a partial draft of Book 15 of The Pineys, letting the Internet rage go. I have work to do.
Tony DiGerolamo is a writer from South Jersey. Previously, he wrote The Simpsons for Bongo Comics and jokes for Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher. He currently writes the novella series, The Pineys.
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EVS is just way too much of a drama llama. He needs to shut up and make his damn comic books already.
I’d just wish he’d be more positive. Eric deserved some criticism, maybe. I think it’s long past the point of being constructive.
Astute observation about the current personality-driven market. If you’ve built a fan base out of TikTok junkies who don’t (or can’t) read, maybe you should either change fans or change careers.
How can this be corrected?
The project has to be the star. So if you can funnel your personality into project rather than reaching out and trying to comment on every other damned thing, you have a chance. It’s not easy. You can quickly run out of material to talk about, especially if you do three hour streams on the reg. I think that’s part of what’s driving EVS. He used to talk about frogs.
The drama is great! I love it, and so does everyone else.
That’s a very curious way of changing the narrative.
You learned a thing or two from Comrade Correia and his Presidium of the Supreme Baen Soviet?