Connections

(NOTE - I found some Christmas animations and pics and will just be randomly posting them throughout the holidays for the fun of it)

As I was determining how much time to spend writing each week in an effort to manage my time better (I also allotted out time for drawing, lettering, praying and a bunch of other stuff I should be doing and intend on making myself do in increments) I started thinking of how much of that writing time should be spent on the internet, specifically on blogs, columns, interviews and forums. Well the blog issue was solved rather quickly as I generally spend the same amount of time here everyday. Also, right now I'm only doing a couple of interviews a month, so that's no big deal. And the column's weekly, so that doesn't take a huge chunk of time either. So then came the issue of forums.

Now there are several forums I frequent, a couple I used to frequent, then several I hit occasionally. Image is one I used to be frequent at, but here recently it's been every few days I'll read a couple of threads. But in this era of comics everyone has a message board, or they have a board hosted on someone else's forum, which means there's a lot more interaction with pros and aspiring pros than there ever was before the rise of the internet. Before that the only schmoozing one could do was at conventions.

Now I've never been one to schmooze, but I do understand the value of speaking with professionals in your field of choice. So all this determining how much time I should spend on forums got me to thinking about which forums to spend time at. And that leads me to the topic of this post. How important are connections to our careers in comics?

I'm sure everyone would like to think that their talent alone would merit them success or opportunities in the business. However, as we see more and more Hollywood writers and novelists hitting it big with Marvel and DC, is this really true? Then there are the indy writers and artists that work their way up and finally get noticed by Marvel or DC (all of this assuming that working for the big two is one of your goals of course) I'm sure because of their talent, but also because they've been at cons, talked to some editors, and made contacts. So what does that mean for the little man?

Now I'm not saying that just because of who they know these creators are getting work. The majority of them are really talented and deserve what they've gotten. And the ones that came specifically from indy or small(er) press publishers really worked long and hard to get noticed. And the Hollywood and novel writers have proven themselves capable of appealing to massive audiences and entertaining with their written words. So I'm not knocking anyone.

What I am saying, however, is if I were working on a hit television show would I stand more of a chance at getting a big gig as I would had I only published a small press book, or even self-published? Or would I stand more of a chance at getting a shot if I hit all the cons and schmoozed it up with the big boys? Forget the fact that I'm not published in comics yet and assume for a moment that I am, then ask yourself those questions. It's one thing to be unproven, but take, for instance, if I sent some killer script to Marvel after being greenlit to pitch, and it was a really good story with excellent characterization, and was well paced, unique and exciting. Would it matter that all I had on my resume was a 16 page story I self-published and sold 100 copies of if I had never made any connections within Marvel? I'd like to think it wouldn't, but I'm honestly not sure.

Now I'm not making any bold proclamation that I'm the next Stan Lee, Stephen King or any other great writer. I'm just saying for instance, and I'm using myself in place of any one of us aspiring creators, in this case writers.

So how important are connections to getting a real shot in the industry? And given someone in my position who can't go to a lot of cons, and when I do I don't go to the bars where all the creators supposedly go, and which is rumored to be the best spot for meeting creators and making connections, because I don't drink and don't like the atmosphere, how important is it to me to make connections, and how do I do it? Which brings us back to the forums issue.

When determining which forums to go to and how much time to spend on them I really got to thinking about which ones would be in my best interest to visit. Sad, I know. Firstly, regardless of any connections I may or may not make, there are several boards I just really enjoy going to for the conversation and interaction. Among those are the Image boards, the DBPro boards, and most recently Jason Berek-Lewis' creatorfuze forum, which I thoroughly enjoy. Then there are others I'm required to frequent, but also enjoy, which include Scryptic Studios, MSC, and Comic Avalanche. But aside from those, there are plenty of other company, studio and creator forums I could be visiting to make connections, or, as I generally prefer, just engaging in conversations with people who have similar interests.

But if connections are truly vital to success in addition to having the talent to back yourself up, and when it comes to writing I truly feel I do (the other stuff needs some work, but I'm getting there), is it necessary for someone like me who is limited on convention exposure to frequent these message boards, make a name for myself, and speak with pros? Or can I just go there when I feel like conversing or reading, and just let things fall where they may and still make connections without even trying?

There's a lot to consider here, and I hate the thought of going to forums just to get noticed and make friendly with creators. I've never been a suck-up, and I generally steered clear of the popular crowds others would flock around, whether in high school, in church (young preachers), work places or whatever. It just all always seemed so fake to me. So it's not in me to just throw myself out there and say, "Hey, look at me!". But I do understand that in any field you have to be assertive and show what you can offer. But for one such as me, or you, should we limit that to pitches and submissions and let our work speak for itself, or what?

I was told not too long ago by an editor who's worked on several popular books published by one of the larger publishers aside from the big two that being constantly visible on the message boards of that publisher was vital in their success and involvement in those books. I've been told similar things by others as well.

Me? I have been fortunate enough to make connections, or as I like to call them, acquaintances and friends, through just posting for the fun of it, or through my column, or through this blog. So I'm of two minds here. One the one hand I see how important it is to be known, and more importantly for my work to be known. And in order for that to happen, I have to make myself visible to the right people. But on the other hand, I don't want to become one of those people who goes out of their way to get noticed by certain pros to get a foot in the door.

So it's a tough call how important connections are, and at what cost you should go to to make them. For me personally I can't be any way but the way I am. I will continue to go to the message boards I enjoy going to, and I'll post my work here and there, or converse with pros and peers as it happens, but I won't pinpoint forums to go to just to make connections. I've made some very cool connections simply by being myself thus far, so why change a winning formula? Sure, I'm not working on any major property at the moment, but that's more my fault than anything the way I look at it. And while I feel knowing people that can help you get where you want to go will never hurt (as long as you don't take advantage of those relationships), for me the more important thing is producing good work that speaks for itself, which in turn speaks of me.

So in conclusion, I think having connections is overrated. Making friends and acquaintances, and having people notice your talent, well that's a different story. And that's the route I'd prefer to take.

B-Out