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Beau Smith-You Wouldn’t like Me When I’m Angry.

by beloved Smith

If this were a western movie, as well as I imply a great one, this would be the part when the handful of tough, great men begin walking down the dirty street to deal with off with the truly nasty poor guys.

This would be the last stand.

The comic book market has come to that last stand. This is the part where we discover out who is gonna stand as well as provide as well as who’s gonna run as well as hide. Please don’t let anybody tell you that comic book sales are good.

They’re not.

Avengers vs. X-Men

The routine top ten comic books are still best up there on top of the pile. issue is it’s a extremely little pile. It’s kinda like being king of the jungle as well as the jungle’s your own bit backyard.

We’ve gone past the blame game. Everybody’s fingerprints are on the ailing Body, some just stick around a bit longer to try as well as wipe ‘em off. The fault is with everybody connected to comics. The Publishers, the creators, the distributors, as well as the retailers. The only one without blame is the reader. It’s as much as us as a whole to please that reader.

I believe this is the year we’re going to begin to see the changes. We’ve seen some major modifications the last few years, however now we’ll see the modifications that will shape or sap this community. A focus should be put on what publishers are doing to try as well as make the extremely finest in home entertainment come with in comics. very first as well as foremost, we have to keep in mind that comic books are a visual medium. That’s why people purchase comics. The craft of being a great comic book writer is being able to fit together the art with the emotions of the story as well as the characters. So numerous have lost the focal point of the art.

If a comic becomes as well text or word heavy, you’re going to lose the reader. In American culture they will decline something like that. Time as well as time once again you’ve heard them say, “If I want that much composing I’ll purchase a book.” It has to be a ideal dance between words as well as art. Kinda like sex… it’s feels great alone, however it feels excellent when you work together with someone. I believe you understand what I imply without me showing you any type of pictures that you truly don’t wanna see. In the last decade, we as visitors have been force-fed text heavy mainstream comics. You are not getting much more for your money, you’re just getting much more speed bumps that keep you from enjoying the true craft of comic books, words as well as pictures. anybody can babble on with typed words, however a genuine writer can provide you much more with less. A writer has a partnership with the artist as well as colorist that breathes life into the printed page where a book in comic book garments cannot.

The Web needs to be an even bigger tool in the development of comic books. Every faction of the comic book company ought to be utilizing the Web like a government mule. This market has lost numerous visitors to the internet. It’s not that they delegated checked out comics on the web. What we’ve lost is their time. They spend much more time on the web as well as less reading printed material, our printed material. We requirement to go, as well as go difficult to where they’re at as well as utilize that exact same Web as the cattle prod to steer them back to reading comics. Make it a full variety situation. utilize the web to take back that time. utilize it to develop a bigger as well as much more far reaching business. Publishers, retailers, as well as what we have left of distribution ought to look at what they are currently doing with the digital world as well as amp it up one more few levels. If they believe they are doing enough, they’re wrong. The surface is just being scratched. Yes, amazing leaps have been made in the last few years, however not almost enough. Creators are currently doing a amazing task utilizing the web as well as social network to up their own ante, however everybody in comics needs to not only get on board, however produce a new one.

Distribution ought to be utilizing it to a higher degree to discover an even larger variety of venues to offer through. It has never been simpler to be global. The expense is low as well as in some methods it is still the wild frontier. now is the time to accept a bit experience as well as try new untested things to produce a bigger base to offer to. just since it’s always been done one method in the past doesn’t imply it still works. It doesn’t. It’s time to get aggressive.

Distributors aren’t just selling comic books anymore. They offer a broad range of items. many have ended up being distributors of pop culture; comics, books, toys, videos, DVDs, art prints, posters, etc. The door to the outside world ought toget a bit simpler to open with much more diverse product to grease the chute for comic books. I would hope that the fine line between being a distributor/manufacturer will not hinder or detour a distributor’s focus. That focus ought to be selling as well as pushing their vendor’s product to as numerous suitors as possible.

Peace, like as well as totally free Comic Books.

The retail neighborhood of the direct market discovered out a long time back that they cannot just put the product on the shelf as well as let it offer itself. The core of direct market sellers that are still available combating the great fight have found, as well as sometimes been forced, into trying extremely daring tactics to promote new sales. No longer ought to they be identified as “comic shops;” they have ended up being pop culture centers of retail. They ought to be treated as such. So much of the work lies on the shoulders of the retailer. By now they understand that the only genuine assist they are going to get is from within themselves. You cannot depend upon the publisher or the supplier to be there when you requirement them. You have to cut that path yourself. If you get assist from them great, however if not, then you have to be prepared to keep pushing that fat woman up the ladder yourself.

It’s excellent to be a part of a team, however it’s even much better to understand exactly how to take care of yourself if you have to.

Make no mistake–comics are not dead.

It’s the altering of the guard. It’s the thinning of the herd. You’re going to see some turn tail as well as run declaring that there are bigger as well as much better things in “The outside World,” that comic books are a thing of the past. Well, paint a yellow stripe down their back as well as kick ‘em in the butt on their method out. That kinda mindset we don’t need. Those men aren’t up for a challenge. nobody ever stated life was easy. The genuine difficulty is while going to “The outside World” take comic books with you. show the world what great can be.

You’ll see the ones that like to hear their own whine as they talk about “How it utilized to be.” get over it. Those days are over. fill out an application for a truth TV show as well as join the rest of the self-absorbed cry babies. We don’t requirement to hear it.

You’ll see some keep trying the exact same lame, affordable advertising as well as marketing tactics from the late 80s as well as early 90s. altering a character’s costume or sexual preference has always been a affordable method to get Web headlines, however it will never compare in new visitors as well as much better sales than a really compelling story. We ought to all have that much time as well as money to waste. It’s time to get ingenious as well as experimental. nothing is as well farfetched to try. If that doesn’t work, then try something else. The truth of the matter is not to be scared to roll your sleeves up a bit as well as get creative. Being innovative is what comic books are all about.

Trade publications, news websites, as well as magazines about comics are going to have to promote comics like they never have before. They are going to have to seek out comics that are truly great as well as are worthy of to discover an audience. That desire to only push those that chunk down big wads of marketing dollars are going to have to be tempered. The desire to push what they personally delight in is going to have to be pulled in. true function articles would be a good modification of pace. Don’t just reprint press releases, make them stories. It’s excellent to be witty as well as smart within the pages of your news site, it’s poor to find off as a frat young boy on his very first beer..time after time…after time. At some point genuine reviews, extensive interviews, as well as genuine features are going to have to be done. If not….well…Taco Bell is always hiring.

Art By K. Scott Hepburn

The one thing that the visitor can do to assist make comics all they can be is this–when you purchase a comic book–read it. let the publisher understand what you did as well as didn’t like about it. let them understand what you would like to see much more of. truly tell them what you would like to see less of. If everybody that purchased a comic book composed a letter/email/posting to the publisher about it, we might see a large modification start. Don’t be scared to try something new. look around as well as discover new books that might be enjoyable. tell others about it. visitor comments is so important. The Web is truly great about feedback, however nine times out of ten it’s the exact same 25 people who compose as well as throw input back. for each 25 who send an email or publish a message there are 2,500 that don’t state a word however have strong feelings about the books. We requirement that silent majority to speak up.

Speaking as a writer as well as a developer of comic books for over 25 years, I checked out every letter that has ever been sent or forwarded to me. I truly want to understand what the visitors that are throwing down money on my stuff truly think. I may not always agree with them, however I wanna understand just the same. even though I like the letters from people that like my stuff, I am even much more thinking about the ones that don’t. They never let you off the hook entirely. That kinda mail keeps you believing as well as on your toes. If all I desired was praise, well….I’ve never had a issue with standing in front of the mirror as well as throwing compliments at my reflection.

Alan Scott states It All.

This summertime as you go to the conventions, the shows, your regional stores, look around. See the changes. listen to words as well as deflect the donkey dump from the true meanings. choose for yourself that you’re not a quitter. select to walk down that dirty street as well as satisfy the poor men in whatever type they appear. let ‘em understand that this is your town as well as they have no location in it.

The world of comics…. Do you have sufficient sack to take it back?

Right at your side, Your amigo,

Beau Smith

The flying Fist Ranch

www.flyingfistranch.com