Research: avclub - Self published comics are changing an aging industry, for the better by Caitlin Rosberg

If comics seems to be going through a shift, It's my job to find where that shift is occurring. I came across this article on a whim, thinking it would just be angry ramblings about superhero comics. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the article solely concentrates on indie comics, only raising large, mainstream comics to help convey a point.

• The author talks about how the Eisner awards (the Oscars ceremony of comics) seemed to have a more varied line up of winners, but still notes a lack of small press work.
• “Nomination list proves a fundamental lack of understanding about web comics”
• “Many of the categories are dominated by such a small group of publishers”
• Talks of Kickstarter being a service to “help creators get their books printed and in to the hands of fans”
• “There’s a mistaken impression that self-published comics are something new- but what has changed is the barrier of entry and just how many people have access to the tools they need to publish their own stories”
• “The goal of any well crafted self-publishing project is to get enough books printed that the publisher, editors, and creators can sell books long after the backers have gotten their first round of copies.
• “So many people get in to self publishing because of their desire to make creative things, but the day-to-day operations of running a publisher can be enough to sap the drive out of even the most motivating passion project.
• “At the time of writing, Kickstarter had over 160 live projects in the comics category. - Add to that the thousands of web comics and digital titles that are produced without ever needing a fundraising effort and the shape of the comics industry changes substantially.”

Fantastic source of quotes on the state of indie comics here, the author really helped to clear up some ideas and misconceptions I had about the world of indie comics. I honestly expected quite a biased article, based on the direct manner of the title, but the author keeps a level head, offering a lot of backed up facts. I hope to incite this response within my own writing. It would seem that the theme of big companies and publishers in comics being out of touch with online continues. I should be clear on this point within the essay, explaining that this could be a reason for indie comics expanding with better strategies. The biggest comic event award doesn’t cover web comics, and that to me is incredibly short sighted considering their rising prominence.