Yet another year goes by. Have I achieved my resolution in regards to this SubStack? Left Monkeys Fighting Robots, still behind on Mark Gruenwald posts… Oh wait, that bit related to Javier Pulido and how cartooning is unappreciated in the direct comic market was a hit... for a while.
As a matter of fact, I made so much more content I got a lot more subscribers. So yeah, resolution achieved!
This Month’s Posts
Speaking of content, I put out a lot in December, especially with all of the attention I’ve been getting from indie creators.
Continued From Previous Posts
Bloodshot Unleashed: Arc Finale With A Bittersweet Twist; not just because Bloodshot’s one-time actor is dead and it’s not Vin Diesel
Orc Island: Embracing Cosmic Horror’s Empathy Is A Treatment For Capitalism
New Posts
Witchman: AKA How I Connected With An Actual Introverted Protag
Star Runner Chronicles: Rising Star - A Sci-Fi Epic’s Biggest Breakthrough
Hunt. Kill. Repeat.: From the Publisher Refertilizing Old Grounds; and one of the few alt-comics actually getting decent marketing if the stats on my website say anything
Knighted: A Twist On Creator Highlights By Showing How Their Bibliography Creates Something New; and it looks like only some novelists actually put in the effort to communicate with artists on presentation
They’re All Terrible: Sword and Sandal ensemble fantasy meets Rick and Morty
Occult Comics: All of the Baggage On Why This Is The Least Popular Genre
Alan Moore’s Awesome Comics: A Stark Contrast With Rob Liefeld’s Screwups
Future Posts
As you can see I’ve been more than a little productive. I’ve still got a lot of ideas to go over including something special for April Fools. But one of the attainable goals for a post is getting firsthand knowledge of Tokyo Ghost and comparing it to the CGI fan movie (in Spanish). That thing’s been haunting my desktop for so long… I’ll read it!
Then I realize that there are a lot of creators with trending bibliographies. But some of them are in the process of adding to it. It’s why I don’t really go back to my other highlights until after I get an idea on what their newer series are all about. Out of all of them Eve Ewing is the one I could invest time on efficiency. Unlike John Ridley who isn’t finished with his mostly forgotten I Am Batman or his continuity and characterization jarring Black Panther run (T’Challa’s fine but things are happening for the plot’s own sake). That said, I’m not that excited for Eve’s work, unlike Al Ewing (no relation). And this is the guy I’d throw money at because he’s a great writer! I already subscribed to his Wasp mini-series because it’s a followup to his passionate Ant-Man mini.
Peter Milligan, the writer behind two of my review subjects meanwhile gets my attention on several fronts. But I’ve only scratched the surface of his bibliography. I haven’t even finished American Ronin! Then I’ll have to find a way to legally find his take on Human Target!
Speaking of I’m hoping to revisit Tom King and Geoff Johns because I need to take the reconstruction approach with their posts. I haven’t been fair to them by letting myself slip into NPC mode to channel people’s frustrations with them. But I need to wait until their latest series finish and that might take half a year! Maybe longer if their next ones come!
One of King’s series is even a subject for a new post comparing it with One-Star Squadron... agh!!!!!!!
As you can see a lot of posts take effort and most of my time is spent trying to relax between them. All while trying to enjoy things I bought including Cadillacs & Dinosaurs source material (…yet another post material). Or working on at my day job, which I have to get up early for to get the most payments. Sometimes I wake up by 3 in the morning because my brain won’t let my body rest. You have no idea the energy drinks or green tea I drink to keep myself from dosing on some of this.
So Much For Niche Marketing
If only that could’ve impacted my financial situation positively. I’m quickly learning that some services I subscribed to help out might not even be worth a difference. I can’t even unsubscribe from OptinMonster because it comes with my website domain. I’m back to dreading September because I paid for annual services like Patreon, 3M3W on Substack, and GlobalComix Gold. Some were good access for content material like probably Necessary Evils, but the bit I came up for it was so bland and on the nose it’s barely worth just a quick analysis on my Substack.
Besides I have to focus on my Comixology Borrow omnibuses, which adds to my finances. Those take up a lot of memory that my phone’s starting to feel. No crashes or anything, but any time I have to dump caches, I see the lump data it’s holding.
Back on money, I’ve been trying to make use of my niche audience of comic fans. But every time I use affiliates to help out that process, I don’t get returns! How can I get so many requests to cover comic books from creators but not turn a profit?
Even when I decided to expand and focus on best-selling products on Amazon as well as affiliates on Awin; nothing comes out of it! Though that might because some of my ads aren’t implemented with links properly. You try getting banners in with HTML without making them look like jarring distractions!
Why not write a book; or set up a shop? Because I already spent close to $4000 on a one-shot comic book coming in 2024! I’m not going to throw money at my problems! I’m not sure I can keep making comics without going into AI art. I have worked with artists, talented ones too; and they feel threatened by the software. Not that the stories I want to make could be done by AI anyway except for backgrounds or covers. If I could get my hands on one, I’d give it all of my cover duties. Don’t at me! Covers and pin-ups being the most profitable bit of comic art is a systemic issue when it comes to page rates!
I’m Going To Give Readers An Incentive
Now that I’m getting fans, it’s time to find my 1000 true fans… or at least fans who can throw money at me. I’ll be putting more pay-for content on this Substack besides polls nobody bothers to interact with. More behind-the-scenes posts/prototypes for Gutternaut posts. Some silly whimsical script skits of characters I create. But maybe I should include some opening character bits for free to give introductions. Not to mention work on those fanfics… I can never seem to stay focused on those. Maybe I can include tip posts for subjects like making shelf space.
Anyway thanks for helping making this journey a good experience. Maybe this coming year will be a fortune.