Thursday
Feb162012
Why I Do Comic Bastards
Thursday, February 16, 2012 at 7:00AM Lately I’ve been going through moments of self-reflection. Mostly it’s due to how much this little site of ours has grown and all of our small, yet big plans for the future. On the internet content is king and we can only do so much ourselves. This month has been particularly stressing as our viewer ship has maintained, but I wonder how much is spam bots looking for pictures and how many are real people. I’d love nothing more than to have a community of comic fans to call a bunch of bastards and that want to hang out and comment on everything. Granted not everything is worth commenting on and we have a few great comments out there, but that also tells me that something isn’t clicking.
I have moments that I want to give up and just do the bare minimum if even that. I know that we’re not as big as other comic sites, but what small percentage we do takes up practically all of my free time. I haven’t played a video game other than COD online in over sixth months. I literally pour everything I have into this site; just ask my wife… she’s around here somewhere. The sad part is that in order to grow to the next level I need to give more time, but there is this thing called a job that I have to work that has nothing to do with comics, but everything to do with financial stability. It would make me extremely happy to wake up and work on Comic Bastards every day, but there is a lot of work between now and that day. I’m not looking for praise or appreciation because that’s not what I want the site to be about.
Mostly, I want to get back to doing what I loved about the site at the beginning and that’s just being myself and writing reviews and opinions that are me. Hopefully it’s good enough that you keep stopping by. Maybe you’ll tell a friend or two and they’ll dig the site as well, but in order to continue putting out the best quality product I need to pretend that no one is reading it.
When Kevin and I started Comic Bastards we wanted to be able to talk about comic books on the internet the way we did in person. We love comics as much as we hate them and trust me, we’d rather love everything, but that’s unrealistic. Not every comic is good, but every comic has just about the same amount of work that goes into it. I understand that and respect that. I can find something good about any comic, but that doesn’t mean that I feel everyone should buy every comic.
I used to think that a majority of my opinions where shared amongst the comic community, but now… I’m not so sure. I know that using things like forums and reddit is probably the worst gauge for judging opinions, but you can argue with the voting method. Quite simply a picture show casing a gift from a girlfriend is more influential than my piece on giving creators a free pass.
If I’ve learned anything from Comic Bastards, it’s that I should stop trying to change the consumer habits of the industry. Frankly, the entire industry is a bit broken right now and not even DC’s reboot could fix it.
Let me pause to clarify something. I appreciate those of you that are reading this right now; those of you that stop by daily or weekly and put up with us constantly updating our Google+, Facebook and Twitter pages. We love it when you tell us you bought a book because of us, even if you didn’t like it as much. We love it when you say anything positive or negative about the site. You have no idea how much a simple comment can recharge the batteries around this place.
Here’s what you can expect in the future. I’m going to keep doing as much as I can. Hopefully someone will take notice and put this site on their shoulders and say, “I got this, you do what you have to do” (e.g. sponsorship, investors or advertising). Until then I’ll keep working my ass off and hope that I don’t forget how to play video games. I’m going to continue giving you my opinion on what’s good and bad in the comic industry and that might hurt some feelings. I’m going to continue to swear and be excited about new books like a 15 year old girl unleashed at the mall with a credit card that has no attachment to her credit score. If that makes me unprofessional then so be it, because I can only be me and think there are like-minded people out there.
 |
| Unofficial mascot of Comic Bastards |
People that think that Nemesis was terrible and that Grant Morrison’s run on Batman was completely overrated. People that sighed when they saw DC’s logo change, but got excited when they saw the new one from Oni Press. People that are tired of reading the same book over and over think that maybe it’s time to end the X-Men before the well is completely dry. I know these people are out there since some of them have made it onto the site. Sure we might not agree on every point, but that’s a damn good thing. Even if we’re a minority, we’re here and hopefully we’ll continue to find more Bastards out there.
At this point you’re probably wondering, “What the hell is he talking about all of this?” Simply put, I need to remind myself why I’m here. Even if I’d rather be writing my own comics than talking about someone else's, I’m still here loving every minute of Comic Bastards and hopefully you’ll stick around too. Okay, I’ll shut up now.
Reader Comments (8)
I enjoy the site and thanks for letting me be part of it. And if I wasn't I would still be stalking it everyday.
Man I hear you. People will never fully appreciate the amount of work you all put into the site. That's probably never going to change. But you've made something good where there was nothing before. In the end that's all that matters. Keep at it.
Thanks guys! Always appreciate it!
I'd like to echo the sentiments of the Erics. I'm always on the lookout for decent sites about comics (cos I love comics but have very few friends I can actually share that with) and what you guys are doing here is unique and refreshing. Most sites leave me alienated and I'm tired of hearing how "FUCKING AWESOME" Wolverine or the Justice League is (from guys who apparently like to read the same story over and over again).
So while I don't always agree with you guys, you always call it like you see it and I respect that. You also give some much needed attention to the industry's little guys and make a good podcast. Keep up the good work!
Keep the site charging brother... And keep in mind more often than not the view that flies in the face of popular opinion for the sake of personal honesty is usually the one that is accurate... Just do what you have always done, let your honesty and more importantly your passion drive you. We will be here to read all about it.
YOU BASTARD... keep in mind that an honest stance held in favor of simply following the masses is usually the most accurate. We read because of your honesty, and more importantly your passion. You do it for all the right reasons, and that is why as long as you write, we will read. Keep up the good fight.
Well thank you all again. I did want to mention that the rest of the Bastards all put in there fair share for sure and that this wasn't directed towards them. Thanks for the feedback and for supporting the site.
Stay Strong bra! I appreciate everything you do in this awesome site. Your hardwork in the site is very commendable and inspiring. You rock bastard! Don't stop believing. You have a loyal bastard in me!!!!