Danny Baram's Blog - Posts Tagged "dc"
Taking the Leap Into the World of Indie Comic Books
Comic book readers tend to be creatures of habit.
We all have those comics and characters who grabbed us at a young age, and who have, oftentimes, remained a source of comfort for us as adults. Personally, I was a DC Comics kid growing up. I got into comics in the early 90's, enthralled by DC's one-two punch of The Death of Superman and Batman: Knightfall. Since I had limited spending money and few comic shops nearby, I was very laser-focused in those early days of comic collecting: I wanted the latest Superman and Batman comics, and couldn't be bothered with much else. Somehow ... at least for a little while ... I was able to ignore whatever else was out there.
But then, very quickly, it happened - as a gift, I received one of those mega-sized comic packs that they used to sell in wholesale discount stores like BJ's. The pack contained *every* DC comic book published in a given month. There was Superman and Batman, but also Green Lantern, and The Legion of Superheroes, and Aquaman, and more. I eagerly read each and every included comic book - some hooked me, others less so. The one that stood out to me the most was The Flash, written by Mark Waid. After sampling it, I was all in - and suddenly, even if ever so slightly, my horizons had been expanded.
Soon enough, I realized that with superhero comics you inevitably get big, line-wide crossover events accompanied by huge hype and endless fan speculation. The first such "event" for me was DC's Zero Hour. I remember printing a giant guide to the event off of a DC Comics message board. It listed all the major characters you needed to know, all the relevant backstory, etc. Suffice it to say, I *studied* that document like I was cramming for a major test. Longtime comic fans often groan when confronted with crossovers that necessitate buying multiple books ... but hey, the tactic worked on young me. Zero Hour had me sampling all sorts of titles from DC that I wouldn't have been interested in otherwise.
Then, as I got into my pre-teen years, my comic book reading tastes began to expand a lot further. I bought myself a copy of the Watchmen trade paperback, and, as I'm guessing has happened to multiple generations of 13-year-olds since the 80's ... my mind was completely blown. I didn't realize that comics could be so sophisticated, so adult. I soon sought out other works by Watchmen's iconic writer, Alan Moore. Then, throughout high school and college, my tastes broadened even further. I read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Garth Ennis' Preacher, Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man - lots of non-superhero stuff, lots of bold and boundary-pushing original stories. During this time, bookstores began to carry a much wider selection of graphic novels - making it much easier to bone up on the classics. Plus, I went from living in a small town to going to school in Boston - where I was a regular at places like Newbury Comics and Comicopia. Suddenly, I had easy access to well-stocked stores full of comics and graphic novels. These stores fed my rapidly-expanding curiosity to discover new original comics, and to catch up on greats that I'd missed.
There remained (and remains to this day!) that nostalgic, comfort-food quality to checking in every month to see what old-favorite characters were up to. But as I got older, my comic reading became more creator-driven. I began following favorite writers like Jeff Lemire and Ed Brubaker across projects ranging from superhero epics to slice-of-life indie books. But I'll admit, I still usually stuck to comics from familiar publishers: DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, etc. Seeing a familiar company logo on the front of a book felt like a quality seal of approval - a reassurance that a given book was the real deal.
And even now, having written and self-published an "indie" comic, I get that it can be a bit of a tough sell - even to regular comic readers. After all, most of us already buy way too many weekly comics - are we really going to randomly add something completely new and different to our weekly haul? Something without characters we already know, and by a creative team we're not already familiar with?! And not even from one of our trusted, go-to publishers? Sounds like a risk. Best to stick to what you know ... right?
I know. I get it. Especially within a medium that many of us use as a source of comfort food or nostalgia, promoting an indie book can feel like a major uphill battle. But I also think that we, as comic fans, should embrace one of the best things about the medium: that comics are, arguably, the BEST incubator for original ideas and new creative voices in all of entertainment.
I mean, think of some of the incredible, original stories that have come from comics: Preacher, Y: The Last Man, Locke & Key, Sweet Tooth, 100 Bullets, The Walking Dead, Criminal, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Department of Truth, Saga ... to name just a few.
Now, I realize ... all of the above came from major publishers. And historically, as a reader, that is where I've gravitated to to find my new favorite books. But lately, as both a comics reader and writer, it's clear to me that - especially now - these big publishers increasingly tend to rely on the same old (and very limited) pool of talent. Each month we get multiple books from the same couple of "big name" writers, with fresh, new names few and far between. DC and Marvel - much as I love 'em - let's face it: the majority of their books in a given month are from the same, extremely small group of creators. So while it may be tempting to write off "indie" books as unworthy of your time and hard-earned cash, the fact is: in today's market, that's where a lot of the absolute best, coolest, most original comic book content is coming from.
I've said this before, but I don't even really think of my comic, HALLOWEEN TEAM, as "indie" in most respects. It's a big, fun, wide-appeal kind of book. We just so happen to be self-publishing it. But it was created for a mass audience, and I sincerely hope that its target audience finds the book.
All that to say: I hope you'll check out HALLOWEEN TEAM. Issue #3 finally released this week (get your digital copy now!) - and it's an extra-sized issue full of big revelations about our characters ... not to mention a few game-changing twists. Plus, it paves the way for an epic finale to our miniseries in the upcoming Issue #4.
So many of us comic readers have gone through a similar evolution to the one I speak about above. We go from following our favorite superheroes as kids to following our favorite writers or artists as adults. From sticking with comfort-food favorites to expanding our horizons beyond the Big Two's standard superhero fare. But going a step further? Diving into the world of indie comics? That doesn't happen quite as often. But now - especially with the ease of digital comics buying, and all of the amazing indie work being put out there? - it's the perfect time to give the indie comics space some serious attention.
So yeah, it was definitely a bit scary and intimidating for me to take that big leap into the unknown, and release HALLOWEEN TEAM into the world as a self-published indie comic (along with our great artist, Matt Shults!). But I'm excited that we did it, and I hope that you, the readers, will take that leap with me.
We all have those comics and characters who grabbed us at a young age, and who have, oftentimes, remained a source of comfort for us as adults. Personally, I was a DC Comics kid growing up. I got into comics in the early 90's, enthralled by DC's one-two punch of The Death of Superman and Batman: Knightfall. Since I had limited spending money and few comic shops nearby, I was very laser-focused in those early days of comic collecting: I wanted the latest Superman and Batman comics, and couldn't be bothered with much else. Somehow ... at least for a little while ... I was able to ignore whatever else was out there.
But then, very quickly, it happened - as a gift, I received one of those mega-sized comic packs that they used to sell in wholesale discount stores like BJ's. The pack contained *every* DC comic book published in a given month. There was Superman and Batman, but also Green Lantern, and The Legion of Superheroes, and Aquaman, and more. I eagerly read each and every included comic book - some hooked me, others less so. The one that stood out to me the most was The Flash, written by Mark Waid. After sampling it, I was all in - and suddenly, even if ever so slightly, my horizons had been expanded.
Soon enough, I realized that with superhero comics you inevitably get big, line-wide crossover events accompanied by huge hype and endless fan speculation. The first such "event" for me was DC's Zero Hour. I remember printing a giant guide to the event off of a DC Comics message board. It listed all the major characters you needed to know, all the relevant backstory, etc. Suffice it to say, I *studied* that document like I was cramming for a major test. Longtime comic fans often groan when confronted with crossovers that necessitate buying multiple books ... but hey, the tactic worked on young me. Zero Hour had me sampling all sorts of titles from DC that I wouldn't have been interested in otherwise.
Then, as I got into my pre-teen years, my comic book reading tastes began to expand a lot further. I bought myself a copy of the Watchmen trade paperback, and, as I'm guessing has happened to multiple generations of 13-year-olds since the 80's ... my mind was completely blown. I didn't realize that comics could be so sophisticated, so adult. I soon sought out other works by Watchmen's iconic writer, Alan Moore. Then, throughout high school and college, my tastes broadened even further. I read Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, Garth Ennis' Preacher, Brian K. Vaughan's Y: The Last Man - lots of non-superhero stuff, lots of bold and boundary-pushing original stories. During this time, bookstores began to carry a much wider selection of graphic novels - making it much easier to bone up on the classics. Plus, I went from living in a small town to going to school in Boston - where I was a regular at places like Newbury Comics and Comicopia. Suddenly, I had easy access to well-stocked stores full of comics and graphic novels. These stores fed my rapidly-expanding curiosity to discover new original comics, and to catch up on greats that I'd missed.
There remained (and remains to this day!) that nostalgic, comfort-food quality to checking in every month to see what old-favorite characters were up to. But as I got older, my comic reading became more creator-driven. I began following favorite writers like Jeff Lemire and Ed Brubaker across projects ranging from superhero epics to slice-of-life indie books. But I'll admit, I still usually stuck to comics from familiar publishers: DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, etc. Seeing a familiar company logo on the front of a book felt like a quality seal of approval - a reassurance that a given book was the real deal.
And even now, having written and self-published an "indie" comic, I get that it can be a bit of a tough sell - even to regular comic readers. After all, most of us already buy way too many weekly comics - are we really going to randomly add something completely new and different to our weekly haul? Something without characters we already know, and by a creative team we're not already familiar with?! And not even from one of our trusted, go-to publishers? Sounds like a risk. Best to stick to what you know ... right?
I know. I get it. Especially within a medium that many of us use as a source of comfort food or nostalgia, promoting an indie book can feel like a major uphill battle. But I also think that we, as comic fans, should embrace one of the best things about the medium: that comics are, arguably, the BEST incubator for original ideas and new creative voices in all of entertainment.
I mean, think of some of the incredible, original stories that have come from comics: Preacher, Y: The Last Man, Locke & Key, Sweet Tooth, 100 Bullets, The Walking Dead, Criminal, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, The Department of Truth, Saga ... to name just a few.
Now, I realize ... all of the above came from major publishers. And historically, as a reader, that is where I've gravitated to to find my new favorite books. But lately, as both a comics reader and writer, it's clear to me that - especially now - these big publishers increasingly tend to rely on the same old (and very limited) pool of talent. Each month we get multiple books from the same couple of "big name" writers, with fresh, new names few and far between. DC and Marvel - much as I love 'em - let's face it: the majority of their books in a given month are from the same, extremely small group of creators. So while it may be tempting to write off "indie" books as unworthy of your time and hard-earned cash, the fact is: in today's market, that's where a lot of the absolute best, coolest, most original comic book content is coming from.
I've said this before, but I don't even really think of my comic, HALLOWEEN TEAM, as "indie" in most respects. It's a big, fun, wide-appeal kind of book. We just so happen to be self-publishing it. But it was created for a mass audience, and I sincerely hope that its target audience finds the book.
All that to say: I hope you'll check out HALLOWEEN TEAM. Issue #3 finally released this week (get your digital copy now!) - and it's an extra-sized issue full of big revelations about our characters ... not to mention a few game-changing twists. Plus, it paves the way for an epic finale to our miniseries in the upcoming Issue #4.
So many of us comic readers have gone through a similar evolution to the one I speak about above. We go from following our favorite superheroes as kids to following our favorite writers or artists as adults. From sticking with comfort-food favorites to expanding our horizons beyond the Big Two's standard superhero fare. But going a step further? Diving into the world of indie comics? That doesn't happen quite as often. But now - especially with the ease of digital comics buying, and all of the amazing indie work being put out there? - it's the perfect time to give the indie comics space some serious attention.
So yeah, it was definitely a bit scary and intimidating for me to take that big leap into the unknown, and release HALLOWEEN TEAM into the world as a self-published indie comic (along with our great artist, Matt Shults!). But I'm excited that we did it, and I hope that you, the readers, will take that leap with me.
