I follow a bunch of comic creators on Twitter and I see all of you joking and socializing with each other all the time. It's a big party and no one is invited except your friends. Is it any wonder why people think there's nepotism in comics? How is someone

I can see how it looks that way on Twitter, but in my
experience it’s not like that. The social aspect of comics (and, frankly,
almost any career you go into) is important, but most of these social ties
came from the work. Creating comic stories and putting the work out there (in
print or online) lead to meeting people who were also creating comics.
The friendships started because we were creating stories and art, not because a
friend got us a job.

I know exactly what it feels like when you’re starting out
and don’t know anyone in a community you desperately want to be a part
of. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there. The best way to make that transition
is to put in the time improving your craft (as a writer, artist, colorist,
letterer, whatever position you want to get into) and to keep pushing to reach
a professional level of quality.

Let me warn you, it can take a long time. In my case I started my own comic online
in 2001, started doing some freelance illustration work in 2003 and had my
first professional comic credit in 2005, but didn’t start regularly working
in comics as a writer until 2009. That whole time was a bumpy ride trying to
figure out what I was doing while I attended conventions and met dozens and dozens of people in the same boat as me.
Now, 14 years after this weird and wonderful journey started, I know a lot of people in
the industry but still can’t turn that ‘nepotism’ you’re talking about into an
easy ride. It’s still about the work, socializing, and making
the most of opportunities as they present themselves.

Here’s another important thing - The social media side of people you see on Twitter is incomplete. The person I am online is me, but
it’s a focused version of me who seems a heck of a lot more sure of himself
than the complex and slightly neurotic person I actually am in real life. The
same goes for everyone else online. We’re all doing the dance at this party
trying to figure out if people like us and if we’ve got something stuck in our
teeth but no one is willing to tell us. Everyone’s a bit scared, a bit drunk, and a bit stupid.