Re: Welcome to the forum / Introduce Yourself
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 3:19 pm
Let me start by saying I have an opinion(s) about this topic of “craft”, “independent”, “small press” comics and since I was asked I will share it. However I also know my opinion is neither common nor popular which is why my initial reaction was to say nothing. It is not my intention to offend anyone, and I don’t expect anyone to agree with me, these are just my feelings on the subject.
To me all these terms “craft”, “indie”, “small press” etc. are all just marketing terms, and marketing terms that focus on the completely wrong thing. To me a good comic is a good comic and bad comic is a bad comic. I consider things good or bad based on story telling and art. Terms like “indie” (used from here on to represent “craft”, “small press” and any similar term) try to shift a comic’s value from weather it is good storytelling and art to some plea to emotion based on the “struggling artist” or the concept that “hand-made” is intrinsically better.
Not to pick on Derek (I enjoy his contributions to the Comic Book page and listen sporadically to The Comics Alternative), there was a comics roundtable episode where the topic of what is indie, came up. Derek’s answer, a perfectly good one, was something to the affect of comics where a greater percentage of the revue went to the writer and artist. While this may be fine, it tells me nothing about how good or bad the work is. I am a consumer of comics, the job of whoever I buy a comic from is to tell me a story I think is worth reading and at a price I am willing to pay. Anything past that is not my concern. For me, trying to tell me I should buy your book for any reason other than it is a very good book turns me off. You are asking me for $3-$7 of the fruits of my labor for your story, your person struggles with finance, your hatred of corporations and the business boogie-man, or simply you did the best you could, play no role in my choice to buy your book. To be fair I have very similar feeling on all charity. I am a fairly charitable guy but I don’t give to get something. I hate charities that ask for donations to “buy something” that is clearly over priced or of inferior quality. Not to pick on PBS many charities fall in this group. I support PBS because I feel that do good work and can use the money I don’t want your $30 umbrella, $75 tote bag or $100+ DVDs. I give to PBS to support PBS, if I want an umbrella, tote bag or DVD I will buy that item separately, and better quality and cheaper. If you want to sell me a comic book, make a great comic book. If you want charity just ask for it.
The hand-made is necessarily better argument I also simply don’t accept as fact. There are times this can be true, usually because the technology isn’t there yet or it is too expensive to use the technology, but in most cases the exact opposite it true. In comics I feel the truth is somewhere in the middle, both the largest companies and the smallest of the ash-cans can be good comics. While I like this argument better then the moral/charity/anti-business argument it, I still don’t love it. At least this argument makes the case that is a better quality comic, but I simply do not believe the size of the publisher has a direct correlation to the quality of the comic. The truth is I have seen great and terrible comics from both the large publishers and the smallest of the small. To me size of the publisher has nothing necessarily to do with the quality of the work.
I will sum this up by saying, for me personally the size of the publisher and what you call it is irrelevant to me for the most part. That being said, a large group of indy publishers have done a poor job of simply making things work and run on time, large publishers have done this too. But for me personally there are a couple of publishers that have never finished a mini-series, had ridiculous delays or published most a mini before deciding you have to buy a trade to get the final chapter. Those publishers have to work a lot harder to convince me to try out one their books then do others. Like I said big publishers have done some of these things too which is why I won’t buy any mini with Ethan Van Sciver on art (even though I love his art) after the just stupid delays on Flash rebirth, I now question any event Geoff Johns writes after the delays on both Blackest Night and Forever Evil (both mainly the delay on the last issue) and I won’t get anything Mark Millar writes after the ridiculous delays on Civil War (I’m not a huge fan of most of his work either).
PS since craft beer has been brought up so much I personally think it is a bad analogy. I have no problem with craft beer and there is some good craft beer. My problem is they changed the rules and then claimed they made better beer. The large brewers in this country specialized in lagers and pilsners and have the alcohol percentages very strictly regulated on their “beer”. Most of the craft brewers don’t even make a lager or pilsner or at least that isn’t what they are really known for. Comparing a 4% alcohol mass-produced lager here in CA to a 5.7% Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is not only not fair it is comparing apples and oranges. That is why most “craft beers” don’t call themselves beer so they don’t have to play under the same rules as beer makers. In comics most publishers publish monthly serialized 20-40 page comic books. The same product as the big publishers. Now that DC has finally gone away from the code, the exact same rules apply to all comics, that isn't the case in craft brews.
To me all these terms “craft”, “indie”, “small press” etc. are all just marketing terms, and marketing terms that focus on the completely wrong thing. To me a good comic is a good comic and bad comic is a bad comic. I consider things good or bad based on story telling and art. Terms like “indie” (used from here on to represent “craft”, “small press” and any similar term) try to shift a comic’s value from weather it is good storytelling and art to some plea to emotion based on the “struggling artist” or the concept that “hand-made” is intrinsically better.
Not to pick on Derek (I enjoy his contributions to the Comic Book page and listen sporadically to The Comics Alternative), there was a comics roundtable episode where the topic of what is indie, came up. Derek’s answer, a perfectly good one, was something to the affect of comics where a greater percentage of the revue went to the writer and artist. While this may be fine, it tells me nothing about how good or bad the work is. I am a consumer of comics, the job of whoever I buy a comic from is to tell me a story I think is worth reading and at a price I am willing to pay. Anything past that is not my concern. For me, trying to tell me I should buy your book for any reason other than it is a very good book turns me off. You are asking me for $3-$7 of the fruits of my labor for your story, your person struggles with finance, your hatred of corporations and the business boogie-man, or simply you did the best you could, play no role in my choice to buy your book. To be fair I have very similar feeling on all charity. I am a fairly charitable guy but I don’t give to get something. I hate charities that ask for donations to “buy something” that is clearly over priced or of inferior quality. Not to pick on PBS many charities fall in this group. I support PBS because I feel that do good work and can use the money I don’t want your $30 umbrella, $75 tote bag or $100+ DVDs. I give to PBS to support PBS, if I want an umbrella, tote bag or DVD I will buy that item separately, and better quality and cheaper. If you want to sell me a comic book, make a great comic book. If you want charity just ask for it.
The hand-made is necessarily better argument I also simply don’t accept as fact. There are times this can be true, usually because the technology isn’t there yet or it is too expensive to use the technology, but in most cases the exact opposite it true. In comics I feel the truth is somewhere in the middle, both the largest companies and the smallest of the ash-cans can be good comics. While I like this argument better then the moral/charity/anti-business argument it, I still don’t love it. At least this argument makes the case that is a better quality comic, but I simply do not believe the size of the publisher has a direct correlation to the quality of the comic. The truth is I have seen great and terrible comics from both the large publishers and the smallest of the small. To me size of the publisher has nothing necessarily to do with the quality of the work.
I will sum this up by saying, for me personally the size of the publisher and what you call it is irrelevant to me for the most part. That being said, a large group of indy publishers have done a poor job of simply making things work and run on time, large publishers have done this too. But for me personally there are a couple of publishers that have never finished a mini-series, had ridiculous delays or published most a mini before deciding you have to buy a trade to get the final chapter. Those publishers have to work a lot harder to convince me to try out one their books then do others. Like I said big publishers have done some of these things too which is why I won’t buy any mini with Ethan Van Sciver on art (even though I love his art) after the just stupid delays on Flash rebirth, I now question any event Geoff Johns writes after the delays on both Blackest Night and Forever Evil (both mainly the delay on the last issue) and I won’t get anything Mark Millar writes after the ridiculous delays on Civil War (I’m not a huge fan of most of his work either).
PS since craft beer has been brought up so much I personally think it is a bad analogy. I have no problem with craft beer and there is some good craft beer. My problem is they changed the rules and then claimed they made better beer. The large brewers in this country specialized in lagers and pilsners and have the alcohol percentages very strictly regulated on their “beer”. Most of the craft brewers don’t even make a lager or pilsner or at least that isn’t what they are really known for. Comparing a 4% alcohol mass-produced lager here in CA to a 5.7% Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is not only not fair it is comparing apples and oranges. That is why most “craft beers” don’t call themselves beer so they don’t have to play under the same rules as beer makers. In comics most publishers publish monthly serialized 20-40 page comic books. The same product as the big publishers. Now that DC has finally gone away from the code, the exact same rules apply to all comics, that isn't the case in craft brews.
I am still in my early thirties and am an IT Director at a private school in Georgia. My specialties have been Linux, data networks and security. Although, I have dabbled in most things, including SQL and programming, in the last dozen or so years. 
. Since then I have become a huge Fantastic Four fan to the point I started an F4 fan podcast (The 4Cast Podcast). My favorite F4 runs are Hickman's, Waid's, and Byrne's.