#32: Going All In
You are an aspiring comic creator*. Maybe you've just figured out that that this is what you want to be and are getting started, or maybe you've been at it for awhile and have already had some successes and setbacks. Either way, you have a vision in your head of what success is, and recognize that you're not there yet. You have a destination in mind, a level of achievement and/or recognition in the field that you want to attain. And you are working toward that vision. Maybe you're even working damn hard.
My question is this- How far are you willing to go to make this dream come true? How much are you willing to sacrifice? Are you willing to put everything on the line to make it happen?
I just finished reading the 3rd volume of Invincible: The Ultimate Collection, written by Robert Kirkman. Robert is one of the most respected writers in comics at present, and many aspiring writers look at Kirkman as a guy who has shown how to "make it" in industry. Most writers I've talked to who are admittedly trying to "break in" are employing some variation of "The Kirkman" model, which might look like this:
- Self-publish creator owned work (Battle Pope)
- Partner with some of the best undiscovered talents out there (Tony Moore, Cory Walker, Ryan Ottley)
- Pitch projects to higher profile independent publishers (Image)
- Eventually get a shot at working for the Big Two, all the while continuing to do creator owned properties.
Perhaps this isn't the model you're subscribing to, but I'd argue some variation on this approach lingers in the back of many aspiring comic creators' minds.
But there's one part of this model that I think a lot of creators (myself included) are conveniently leaving out of the equation. Kirkman was willing to put it all on the line to make it in comics. Here is a quote from Kirkman in the Invincible Vol. 3 Afterward:
" When I started working on this book...when Cory Walker and I created the title character in June 2002 I was 23 years old. I lived in a rickety old house in a fairly rotten part of the city I lived in...I was also in debt up to my eyeballs. I owed credit card companies roughly five times what I made in a year. I'd been risking the farm (so to speak) on a self-publishing venture, producing my own comics. It paid off in the end, getting me into Image comics and leading to the birth of this series, but my nerves haven't quite gotten over it."
Kirkman went all in to make it. How many of us out there, with dreams of mainstream success and hopes to one day make a decent living in this world can say the same thing?
It'd be one thing if Kirkman's story was unique. Unfortunately, it is one you hear echoed all too often, especially by the super stars of various creative fields. Film maker Robert Rodriguez financed his first movie "El Mariachi" by taking part in a month long study on the effects of a number of experimental drugs. Singer Jewel lived out of her car with pretty much the clothes on her back and her guitar prior to making it. A common theme successful people in all fields seem to echo is that at some point they were going to make it doing what they loved, or they were going to die trying. Half-measures were never an option.
Is this really what it takes to make it?
In my high school football locker room, there was a poster featuring a muscle bound Lou Ferrigno look-alike with his shirt off and a sneer on his face with the caption, "When you're not training, someone, somewhere else is. And when you meet him, he will win." Motivating? Eh. But false? Probably not. With these stories of other creators going all in, it really makes me wonder, is it possible to make it (and I mean REALLY make it) in comics or anything in life without at some point putting all your chips on the table? Is there any way just dipping your toes in the water of your craft could possible lead to mastery and widespread success? Is it realistic to think that the time and effort you're putting in on the weekends and in your spare time is going to make you a somebody , when there are others out there willing to give up everything and literally go broke trying to make it?
I have always been a goal oriented and driven person. When I hear creators say they are trying to "break in" and then express sentiments contradictory to that desire, I wince. You know, things like: "I've got a great story, but can't afford to pay an artist." I can understand not WANTING to pay an artist or having other things to spend that money on, but not being able to afford an artist is just not true. It's a choice. Now, to afford that artist, you may need to work a side job, or get rid of cable, or move to a cheaper house, or sell one of your kids (kidding), but you COULD if you wanted it badly enough. You COULD update your webcomic 5 times a week. You COULD work your 9-5 job and also work on comics from 7 to 2am every night.
Yet, at the same time, I also wince when I hear about the extremes some creators are going to in order to make it. When I hear about creators going without health insurance for them and their families in order to pursue this dream, I can't help but think that's a recipe for disaster. When I hear about creators living off credit cards and going into extreme debt to get where they need to go, I wince because I know I'm just too conservative to risk my financial well-being in that way. And while we know the go-for-broke stories of the Kirkman's, and the Rodriguezes, and the Jewels (what the hell is her last name anyway?), I wonder how many people out there did the same and it turned into a nightmare from which they're still trying to dig their way out?
The other thing I think about is that putting it all on the line is a hell of a lot easier when you're young and don't have much to risk in the first place. There are very few mistakes you can make at 23 that can't be remedied. But what about at 30? 40? What about when there are kids and mortgages and [blah blah blah?] The more you have, the more you have to lose.
I am no stranger to hard work and I'm no stranger to sacrifice, but there is a line I'm not willing to cross to be successful. There are some things I'm not willing to sacrifice. I wonder though, if my line is too conservative to ever get me I far as I'd like to go, especially when there are people with the same dream out there willing to put it all on the table.
Now, this is not a call for those of you with big dreams to quit your day jobs and pull out those Visa cards in order to show "you're serious" about making it. But I am interested in your thoughts on this. How much are you willing to wager to pursue your dreams? Where are you drawing the line? And do you think you're doing enough to realistically achieve your goals?
There's a comments field below and I promise, it doesn't bite.
NEXT: The Dip Part I - Being the Best in the World
Tyler James is a comics creator residing in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He writes and draws Over, a romantic comedy online graphic novel updating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also writes Tears of the Dragon, an epic fantasy webcomic. His work has been featured at Zuda Comics, and includes Interrogation Control Element, a political action thriller, and Super Seed, the story of the world's first super powered fertility clinic. When not making comics, Tyler works as a game designer and content producer for a software company.
Contact Tyler directly at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com, keep up with him at his blog, or follow him on Twitter.
Attention Readers: If you enjoy this column, you might be interested in checking out The ComixStreet Recap. It's a new series I've begun where I share and comment on interesting topics, resources, and events relevant to comic creators. The column is bi-weekly, and posts on Thursdays.
Previous Columns
1: Big Goals
2: Resolutions
3: The Great Idea
4: Research Part I
5: Research Part II
6: The Killer Pitch Part I - The High Concept
7: The Killer Pitch Part II - The Synopsis
8: Pay Your Artists
9: Zuda Comics- A Tale of Five Submissions
10: Creating Great Characters Part I (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
11: Creating Great Characters Part II (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
12: Structurally Sound- The Beginning
13: Your Reputation
14: Structurally Sound- The Middle
15: Structurally Sound - The End
16: Your First Con
17: Beat It
18: Memorable Scenes
19: Mailbag
20: Comics Dialogue - Part I
21: Comics Dialogue - Part II
22: Baltimore Comic Con - Part I
23: Baltimore Comic Con - Part II
24: Is It Worth It?
25: The Re-Write Part I
26: The Re-Write Part II
27: The Re-Write Part III
28: Taking Initiative
29: Setting the Table for a New Year of Creating Comics
30: Ready to Script
31: An Artist Ready Script
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