Chapter Ten
We Take Requests!
A 26-part story told in real time about how a writer manages his career after the announcement of his two biggest projects.
Every time I finish a chapter, I think the same thing: Does anyone really care about any of this?
Fortunately, I’ve met a steady stream of people grateful they’re reading DAY 2, which makes me feel better about this whole little experiment. But last chapter, when I listed a bunch of things I could have written about, some of you had the same specific response – they wanted to know more about how cons and signings have changed for me after the popular launch of ABSOLUTE GREEN ARROW.
But before I get into that, only one solitary person asked to see what I got when I went $1 bin shopping at HeroesCon, and because like any true comics nerd, I love sharing my comic book hauls, that’s all the excuse I need. Of the two days I was at HeroesCon, I managed to steal about an hour and forty-five minutes to shop for $1 books, and the below is what I found. It’s mostly holes in runs / stories I want. Or in the case where it’s a whole story arc or first issue, things I’ve heard about for ages, but haven’t gotten around to reading.
OK, enough indulgences. On to the topic at hand…
What I first started signing at stores and conventions, my goal was to get people in and out as quickly as possible. I was mortified if I found a line waiting for me, because it felt the longer they waited, the more I was wasting their time from doing something better. After all, these people not only waited in a line for x amount of time but some traveled specifically for this. It took an embarrassingly long amount of time for me to realize, hey, maybe if they took all that time to drive over and wait in a line for a signature, maybe they want a longer interaction not a shorter one. Maybe that - in fact - more than the signature is why they came.
So after that, I shifted and started talking more with people who came for signings. I’ve always been interested in how people have heard about my books, and this felt like a great way to find out.
That changed with ABSOLUTE GREEN ARROW, though.
I’d find that out during my first big signing at Midtown Comics in NYC. There was a long line around the block and one of the clerks kindly asked, hey, there’s a storm coming and would you mind not talking so much to people, so they don’t all get rained on? (He said this much more politely by the way, but in my head that’s how I heard it). That would kick off a long series of signings where people’s whole roles were set up to KEEP. THE. LINE. MOVING. And now I find myself trying to strike the balance between helping people do their jobs and keep that line moving while not making it seem like I’m brushing people off.
Because at the bigger shows or stores, it’s now non-stop signature lines. My booth / table is no longer a place where friends can stop by, say hi, and hang out. And I’ve gone from feeling grateful to seeing friends show up to feeling guilty they came all this way for a minute long interaction. Part of the thing I’ve grown to like about signings ended up going away in the interest to make sure everyone got what they came out to get.
That’s why I’ve come to really like the smaller shows. Where I can actually talk to the people reading my stuff the way I used to. So the trick I assumed was balancing the big shows with the small shows. I did a small charity show in Trenton because it was a good cause and with that in mind. Of course, on the other hand, I’ve now just come back from a 2-week signing tour that took me to 5 states in 10 days over 2 coasts and good lord, did it do a number on my appetite and digestion.
And while every con is an opportunity to get to know another professional better (I got to become much closer with Stephen Platt in Philadelphia and Dan Panosian in Washington State despite the fact we all live here in Los Angeles), there’s something about being away from your routine and the people you regularly share your life with, that makes things undeniably lonely. That said, there is also the instinct to make the most of the whole experience while it lasts.
But somewhere amidst all the signings, I’ve had a recent thought. I’ve slowly started wondering if stories and art actually have audiences and consumers anymore… That maybe it’s a mistake to think of stories that way. Because I think today’s stories and art might have communities that grow around stories and art instead now. And the choice a writer or artist has to make is what kind of steward they want to be of that community if they seek to grow it. Because every community has its own unspoken rules of conduct, and those who truly enjoy a community will fight to protect it. But those same people will feel betrayed if they feel that invisible contract has been broken.
That’s why I find signings at conventions - and the commerce that has grown up around it - such an interesting aspect of comics.
A lot’s been said about wage stagnation in comics, but I’m actually surprised no one’s bothered to break down the numbers. A comics writer working today makes roughly the same amount as a writer working 20 years ago. I know this because I was an editor 20 years ago during the aughts, and my comic writing page rate today - which is the same as most of my comic writing peers - is the same rate I paid writers with that same experience back when I was an editor.
But then you factor in the math, and a simple google search can tell you that inflation has led the purchasing power of the dollar to drop 44% from what it was in those 20 years. Also, during the end of the aughts / beginning of the teens, comic book issues went from 22 pages to 20 pages, making it a 9% reduction in the amount a writer can make through a comic script. Throw all that math together, and a comic book writer working today makes less than 50% of what they made 20 years ago. While the math doesn’t break down quite as neatly for comic book artists, I feel pretty confident it’s comparable. And while it’s tempting to blame this or that company, I’m confident most employees are most likely underpaid for the amount of work they do as well. It’s unfortunately just what happens when you have an industry without a union to fight for workers up and down the line.
But what’s absorbed the slow attrition to comic book wages has been the multiple ancillary ways to make money off comics now. Much more than ever before. There’s royalties, of course, and different companies have different thresholds for when and if they kick in. Creator owned deals can lead to movie / TV option money. There’s also merch deals for creator-owned books. Paid substack subscriptions. Patreons. Kickstarters. And of course, charging to sign at conventions. But that’s its own gentle eco-system. Charge too aggressively and you risk fracturing the sense of community you have with your fans. Don’t charge, and you cut off this organic mechanism that’s developed to off-set wage reduction.
As a result, I’ve been fascinated watching different creators make up their own combinations of when to charge fans for things and when they shouldn’t. One free signature? Three? Five? Do I charge in stores (the logic has always been store signings are free to encourage stores to order more of your book)? What about these new hybrids where large stores are practically having their own cons? It all seems to vary widely amongst professionals, but what’s the system where everyone makes out the best - from pro to retailer to fan?
It’s a world I’ve suddenly been thrust into at top speed with this book, and I’ve listened to different creators’ and retailers’ takes as I try to figure out what the right solution is for me. I have a feeling I’ll probably end up trying out a wide variety of contradicting options before figuring out something I actually feel comfortable with - and hopefully disappointing nobody along the way.
He said just as he realizes the next section goes is his signing calendar for July…
COMING ATTRACTIONS:
ABSOLUTE GREEN ARROW # 3 (JUL 15)
GOLDEN APPLE COMICS (West Hollywood) signing (JUL 15) – with Rafael Albuquerque!
COLLECTORS PARADISE (North Hollywood) signing (JUL 15) – with Rafael Albuquerque!
ARSENAL COMICS & GAMES (Ventura) signing (JUL 18) – with Rafael Albuquerque!
COMIC BUG (Manhattan Beach) signing (JUL 18) – with Rafael Albuquerque!
SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON (JUL 23 - 26; schedule to come)
INSPIRATION WATCHING:
Thanks for sharing your discount bin finds! I always get a kick out of seeing what curiosities and ultra-specific things people pick up on a whim.
Your thoughts on how you're working through the conundrum of con signings is fascinating and I'm curious to see where you land with it.
What I found most interesting about this post was the observation that average writing page rates haven't budged in 20 years. That is insane. And sad. I think everyone understands and accepts that writing rates have always been low, and very few people are able to make a full-time living as comic book writers (and those that do are writing several books a month). But it sounds like these days that's gone from "very few" to "basically nobody out there" can make a living as a full-time comic book writer. It sounds like for almost everyone it's something they dip into every now and then while making their real income in other ways.
I'd be interested in more behind-the-scenes business observations like the above - what else has changed, in your view, over the last twenty years? What's better, and what's worse? You've listed some examples above, and I'd love to read about more nitty gritty, hyper-specific stuff.
And you're right on the money about readership shifting from an audience of consumers to what is basically a parasocial community. It seems there are both pros and cons. As a pro, it's amazing that fans are more adamant about following creators whereever they go. As a con, what happens if you are a writer who just wants to write, and you don't want to also be a salesperson?
Looking forward to the next one!
Another great installment. Really interesting that so many people were curious about the change for you in regard to con and signing experiences. I often wonder about the attention of fans. We can talk more about it at SDCC I hope, but for me your talent level hasn't changed at all, you are just as talented now as prior to Abs GA, but now the line is long. There are so many creators I know that I feel fans are missing out on. Incredible work that not enough people are reading or acknowledging. Now is the time fellow fans! Discover those creators so you can connect with them *before* the long lines, that while well-earned, mean you can spend less time talking to a talented creator.
Curious about your thoughts on this. I always love to hear you perspective having started in the editorial space. Anyway, see you in San Deigo soon!