Local Comic Book Creators
I want more of them
Marvel and DC are amazing. New companies and technologies for printing in any medium are impressive. Local comics are being pushed out of the consumer’s mind. Attention spans are shrinking and larger conglomerates are catering to that attention span. Local artists struggle to keep up with the deluge. not for lack of skill.
I would have to buy 1 to 2 new issues monthly to keep up with a single superhero main story from Marvel. Popular superheroes during a major crossover increase this number to 3 or 4. This is not an inexpensive endeavor, and it is habitual.
Indie Comics, however, often take a significant amount of time and are not the authors primary job. Indie comics range in quality, style, and finish. This contributes to consumer skepticism, and sometimes good series never finish. The consumer buy in has to be higher for a purchase to happen. Indie comics are also less cost efficient, costing the consumer more each issue. This deters regular customers if the comic comes out as often as Marvel because of the cost.
This is a problem. Well, it definitely is for me, but it is a problem for everyone. Indie Comics are creative, inspiring, and often break the mold. They are local people in your community trying to entertain you with their skills. Marvel is a conglomerate of artists, writers, and bureaucratic positions. The artists and writers are trying to entertain you of course. The other jobs that are not involved in the creative process are trying to maximize revenue from these creations. This isn’t evil, and it is the proper way to behave in a business. The problem is with culture and norms. The cultural norm right now is a short attention span that craves repeated short dopamine bursts from sources of high stimulation. People are in the perfect state for companies like Amazon, Marvel, and DC to intentionally or unintentionally push out smaller competition that cannot keep up.
I do not have a solution, not for everyone. The world would be better if we all started to take on a form of digital minimalism and intentional integration, started reading and writing more, and focused not on what others can do for us, but how we can serve others. The comic book issue is a symptom of a larger cultural dilemma, the culture of ‘Me’. Short form high stimulation content is throwing jet fuel on an open flame.
Buy more local comic creators please!
Thank you for reading! Below, I have provided links for some pertinent websites. I will pray a rosary for you, God Bless.
Bibliophile’s Recommendations for Indie Comics
Champion Comics - a family founded publishing company. They have made a few comics, my favorite is Dual Justice right now but Keep Up just came out too. It is all very good and I highly recommend checking them out!
CHAR13 - a dystopian western written by the owner of my local comic store. One of the co-authors/artists was picked up by Image Comics in 2021. Some of the team on this one also worked on the next comic here too!
Enigma, Inc - A big “What If” the teen mystery group grew up? What happens to them when they are no longer teens?
Places to Find Comics and Books
Massey’s Comics - This is my local comic store. Please find yours, but if you don’t have one, mine has an eBay you can use!
The Book Burrow - My local bookstore!
MIBA - This is the independent bookstore association The Book Burrow is a part of. If you live outside the mid-west you can search and find your areas regional association. They typically have a find a bookstore section.