PopSyndicate.com

This column will be my last one for awhile. I’m taking a break. No, it’s not you. It’s me. No big drama. I still feel the same way I’ve always felt about Pop Syndicate. I love it. There’s no other website vying for my affections. I have other obligations, which have been pulling at me. I would like to see them through. Saying “I’m too busy” is a risky statement, because you can always find someone busier. Thus, I must add this caveat: Busy… for me. I’m a high school English teacher, a husband, and a dad. I write comics, and do my best to be an advocate for the comic book medium. A better writer could handle the load. Me? I need to refocus.

First, I’m organizing an event in Dallas, the La Reunion Workshop: Scriptwriting for Graphic Novels. Yep, I’m the guy in charge. It’s being held at the McKinney Avenue Contemporary (located at 3120 McKinney Avenue) on Saturday, April 14th from 11 AM to 5 PM. To my knowledge, it’s the first ever all-day workshop dedicated exclusively to writing comic book scripts. I’d like as many people to attend as possible. The event itself is coming together nicely, but definitely more intimidating than I thought it would be. For more information, go to this site. Also, the after party at Belmont Hotel is open to everyone.

Second, I need time to refocus on my own work. Some write comics, and some write about comics. My fear is getting sucked too far into the latter. This fear borders on paranoia. Truly, I’ve seen it happen. People who wanted to be comic book writers, and instead they became critics, columnists, editors, bloggers, podcasters, etc. Not that there’s anything wrong with that (it’s a good way to contribute), but many started with it being a means to an end. In the end? They were too busy complaining about Captain America’s death in their weekly column to write their own comics. I don’t want to be that guy. Even right now as I’m typing this, I’m thinking about that unfinished third issue of Karma Incorporated: Vice & Virtue. My heart has always been with my own stories. This summer, it’s all about spending time with my family… and spending time with Microsoft Word.

With Beneath the Underdog, Stefan gave me an opportunity to write whatever the hell I wanted. That freedom has made this process less frightening than it otherwise would have been. Not that it was ever all that taxing, writing a column is nothing compared to writing reviews. No thank you. I wrote one review, and one review only, for Comixtreme. Never again.

Of course, I have no plans to leave Pop Syndicate. I still post on the forums and insert my own commentary on other people’s commentary. I even plan to return to Beneath the Underdog in the future. Consider this an end to season one. And if you miss my ramblings, there’s always my own website. Before my hiatus, I’d like to offer one more parting shot. I want to say why independent comics are so important to the overall industry.

It’s where the desperate bastards are.

Any artform needs a healthy supply of desperate bastards. Those people hungry to create their art without any foreseeable financial or personal gains. They take risks. They make the greater sacrifices. They are the new blood to keep this monstrosity alive. Good art and good stories are rarely crafted under ideal settings. Instead, the desperate bastards write their notes on dinner napkins. Type their scripts while the children take afternoon naps. The lunch break is an extra hour to draw another panel or two. They print their first mini-comics at Kinko’s at two in the morning, when all the other desperate bastards are awake. When they set up their tables at the local comic con, it barely pays for the gas, and they probably would’ve faired better selling Star Wars figures. Instead of going to see the latest movies, they stay at home, and they work.

Maybe this is why successful writers all seem to be alcoholics? Not because the liquor helps the writing process, but the opposite. It recreates an artificial less-than-ideal environment wherein they originally flourished, a necessary hindrance for those who’ve gotten too comfortable. Or maybe they have a family history of alcoholism, and they slipped into that cycle of abuse? Yeah, my theory is more poetic, but it’s probably the abuse thing.

Without independent comics, the mainstream will cannibalize itself, living in the past and attempting to relive former success. The risks would be predictable and calculated. The process stifled by repetition and attempts to appease the fans. Desperate bastards offer the necessary kick-in-the-crotch to the mainstream. Get their attention and keep them on guard.

Thanks for indulging me. See you soon.

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