So the month of March has been half review requests that have opened my horizons, half fulfilled objectives. That’s more than I can say to some creatives I found on the socials. Plus I know better than ever the experience of a Gutternaut.
Breakthroughs In Social Media
I’d like to think that this has been a month with the highest amount of visitors. Thanks to posting my content through Instagram; Adobe Rush has become something I’m going to be using even more of. In this attention economy, short vids might be the best way to get attention. Even if it is mostly because Instagram can’t include links in their normal posts. Don’t expect I’ll be on TikTok though. Besides it’s possible that my Swamp Thing and Poison Ivy post road a few trending searches.
I’m really hoping Pinterest brings enough curious people under my banner. It’s been proven to be the best social media for introverts. Especially now that people have stopped saving my Madame Mirage pin en masse. Makes me feel a little better that people are interested in things besides that.
Sure I’ve got new followers and requests coming from several channels now but I’ll be more impressed when I turn a profit. But again most of these are small-time creators who can barely afford normal advertising.
What’s Trending In Requests
One of which is for that long awaited post for Cadillacs and Dinosaurs. One of the few adaptations posts that feels like it took time, patience, and effort to convey. In spite of the few visitors compared to say Murgatroyd & Nepenthe. But I always prefer making impressions that get people to come back than living in the moment. I just have to hope that I can do that.
I’d like to think that in/habitants and Indra’s Net could be among those things. Because I’ve seen the trends and my audience prefers affordable experiences. Usually in the form of webcomics or what was built from there.
Bit of a shame because I did make Gutternaut to highlight the things that people tend not to notice in the usual fields. I’d have thought that highlighting Syphons at the very least would get people who read the Speed Racer comics to my website. Or at least the ones who were curious from watching Atop-The-Fourth Wall. I’m practically tempted to go onto Linkara’s Patreon and requesting he cover Syphons’ followups.
Budgets Can Still Leave Me Anxious
But money has a way of getting away from me; not as much as time, mind you. That’s really hard to manage when it comes to making future posts. The reason I could create a post for Frank Cho over John Ridley is because his content is more efficient and I enjoy it more. That and his current content isn’t going to cost me a pretty penny. It was just bad luck that the last thing on my reading list could only be bought, never borrowed.
Even with that in mind, I’m not going to spend a cent or moment on John Ridley’s I Am Batman or Black Panther. Because from the summaries I’ve read, there’s just too many frustrating plot threads. GCPD: The Blue Wall on the other hand is going to require a bit more patience since from what I could find, I actually liked that. Right now I’m just wondering if there’s a trade coming and if I can get it on Hoopla next month. I’ll have that done compared to say Skottie Young’s second half of Strange Academy and the new I Hate Fairyland. Time is money and publishers can’t rush their products.
The Limits of Affiliates and Advertising
If I had more money, I’m hoping it comes from my new affiliates with K-Pop brands and women’s cosmetics. Because let’s face it, I have better luck with that field than Amazon. Let alone places like Ko-Fi or Patreon.
But some of those other affiliates like Comic Distro might not amount to anything. Most of that site’s best selling titles are more affordable on places like GlobalComix or Comic Republic’s app. Those are places that I only wish had an affiliate program; would’ve made the Nigerian Queens post more profitable. I’m still waiting for a reply to be a beta tester for GlobalComix’s app. The suspense or rejection or acceptance is killing me.
I can’t even get ad revenue programs because all of them in some way connect to Google Ads. Which I’ve been blacklisted from because of my father clicking ads and not buying anything.
Even worse, I’ve seen the sad reality of depending on fans’ income. I don’t have enough to support another artist who lost the car he was living in. He’s lucky he still has a computer and a solar powered shelter. Unlike a high school friend who has it rough especially now that’s she’s had a baby. I’m doing my part through the GoFundMe, but I don’t know if I can do it in the long run. I’m already supporting another creator via automatic pay every Thursday for a graphic novel about an Autistic superhero. It’s a dollar and something cents but every little bit helps.
My job can support me (I’ve done the math) but I’d really like my money to work for me. Right now I’m hoping some investments in WeFunder can turn a profit. Some like a machine that makes people’s waste into energy is definitely getting the press and backing to turn a profit. Right now I’m hoping the investment to Substack pulls through. It’d be like having a sponsor because I use this service.
Investments and Their Troubles
Then there’s the upcoming Black Sands Entertainment. It’s one of the only comic publishers that’s doing anything right, and I always managed to miss my investment chances. I hope the Patreon annual I paid for to get an early bird pass can help secure my place because I’d rather put money for the future of comics than say Skybound. Both of those prospects are already successful in their early stages, making me feel like I’m not slipping into a gambling problem. Although I’d feel a little better if I have a chance to actually work for a company I have a stake in. Because these companies won’t be one of them.
Mad Cave of Advertisement Treasures
Makes me wonder if I can sell some of the stuff that Mad Cave sends me on some places. It’s mostly posters, stickers, and the occasional extra products. Don’t get me wrong I love working on Mad Cave’s content with this month featuring Tales From Nottingham #2 and A Legacy of Violence’s first trade. But with how many visitors come to my Hunt. Kill. Repeat. I wonder if that physical parchment will sell, even if it’s not in mint condition. Besides I’m getting a lot of posters and I don’t know what to do with them.
AI Art Can Be A Springboard!
Now for one last bit about this month’s posts. I’ve been reviewing material that came from an AI art anthology. Stargazer… has potential but it’s initial releases are full of flaws. I don’t even mean the AI art. That’s nowhere near as ugly as the AI art I use to advertise on Tailwind. It’s the inconsistencies in character appearances as well as the creator’s inexperience. Thankfully the honest review I gave didn’t offend him and he’s using what I (and probably others) said to do a remastered version of this release to iron out the wrinkles.
Went against a lot of what Monkeys Fighting Robots said except for one crucial detail. The material is available for free and was being used to discover flaws. Unlike a product for sale or crowdfunding. With Stargazer getting more refined art by a human artist.
But not to totally demonize AI Art I can see one strategy that’s ethically sound. My generation of creatives have access to probably the biggest treasure trove of materials in the public domain. So using art samples already in the public domain to create images for strips or animation can serve as great ads or proof-of-concepts for a portfolio. As a writer I can tell you that hiring artists for something you might not make money back on can be a career killer.
Reading The Big Books
Of course the reading department can and has taken up a lot of my time. Mostly Omnibuses both physical and digital. The digital stuff in particular because I want to take as much of the memory burden out of my phone as possible. I managed to finish the first Wolverine Omnibus, Jungle Girl, and I’m 3/4’s done with the Ditko era Spider-Man Omnibus.
That last one in particular I find myself entertained the most by J. Jonah Jameson. He’s quite a character you can’t help laughing at when he gets his comeuppance. Plus seeing this younger and more emotionally vulnerable Spider-Man is a real treat to see how far removed he is from the other superheroes of his era. He honestly would’ve been a great fit for the X-Men.
As for the physical stuff I’m reading the second compendium of James Robinson’s Starman. But I’m less inclined to read that for both lacking post material and taking up space.
As for one future post, I’m hoping to get into Seamus the Famous kiddie comics to get an idea on what Action Lab Entertainment lost.
Future Posts
Now for some predictions on where things are going to go. No money made on my side from this newsletter. I’m too lazy to use MailChimp… or maybe that’s the preview I did for that Monster Hunting Dummy talking. The full release is on April 2nd.
Hopefully I can get a John Ridley post if GCPD gets a trade. And no further releases come out.
I’ll probably update the Underrated Comics Lists.
Maybe I should do a Barbarella post or a post on the Tokyo Ghost CGI Fan Film. I’ll leave a list (for paying users):
I Promise Not Make It Up As I Go
What Is My Brand?
If there’s one thing this month has taught me it’s the type of experience I provide. A bit from Gamal Hennessy has taught me that I shouldn’t focus on what I can give to others but how I can make them feel.
The requests have shown me that I help them feel understood. That I explore what makes their stuff so good and what people are missing. That I don’t have to echo the empty praises or noise by the vocal minorities. Authenticity isn’t found in giving praises in positivity but finding the passions and best efforts to spotlight on.
That is what a Gutternaut is.