D.J. Coffman – Sequential Artist, Thinker

This might be a long one… here it goes!

So, I’ve visited a few of the “news” and blog links about the new of me putting Hero By Night on hold. I’ve noticed that quite a few people are pushing their own agendas and grudges and passions in regards to this issue, and painting it with a broad brush as if I’m a creator who’s been screwed over by Platinum Studios, and even that I’ve “separated” with the company– this is just not true.

The DJ from two years ago, would have told someone like Lea Hernandez to go sit on something and spin if I read a post like she wrote this morning. “D.J. Coffman splits with Platinum over non-payment” — which anyone saying non-payment, it’s more like “late payment” which isn’t a crime. What really irks me again is, that crowd, the same crowd of people I fought with back then, still paint this as a creator rights issue, when it certainly is not. If I was out there complaining about that, or saying I was fooled or bamboozled, that would be another story. I knew from DAY ZERO what I signed, what I renegotiated, and again, at least MY contract is a solid deal. In fact, not to spite my face here, but I probably had one of the BEST contracts Platinum has EVER drawn up, and they were happy about it and so am I. Present tense. Can everyone get what I got? Probably not. I’m pretty damn driven and I deliver a TON for anyone I work for. Anyone. Ask anyone I’ve worked for– So I was bringing a lot to the table, handling a lot of things, and doing a lot more than just drawing a book and waiting for a check to come. — People like Lea, who I actually don’t have anything against now– she’s PASSIONATE about these issues of creator ownership and rights and that– but I don’t fall into that category. I willingly, knowingly and ON PURPOSE made my deal with Platinum because it works for my situation, and believe you me, I was more than fairly treated!— I think it’s way unfair for them to whip out that old brush right now and lambaste Platinum over the creator rights and contract issues– How could that even be brought up in my case, whenever I’ll likely still walk away with the rights— and it may shock you to know that it would be my choice with Hero By Night either way, to have Platinum represent it for Film and TV, because the people there working those departments are some of the best people in the world. — Is that cheerleading? No– that’s telling you that behind what people perceive as some evil corporation only worried about the bottom line, there are GOOD people who would go to the ends of the earth for you. Sure it’s not PERFECT— nothing is. — But to paint a broadstroke and say the way she wants it should be for ALL CREATORS, like “I’m Lea Hernandez, this is how you should do stuff, or you’re a big dummy.” — Nah. That’s ridiculous. — The old me would have called her a name, and told her to shut her piehole, then laughed and chuckled at the online drama that would ensue as pageviews inflated across the board, OH, DRAMA, YOU SWEET BITCH!– the NEW and IMPROVED me actually thanks her for being PASSIONATE about this stuff. It is VERY important, and future generations will be reading all we talk about, long after we’re dead and gone. There are totally things I have that I would never sign to anyone, for ANY price. It’s true. Yirmumah is not for sale.

Someone like Scott Kurtz, who I’ve been at odds with in the past as well, can actually see the many sides of this spectrum. Scott, it seems, has learned to not just open his mouth and speak from the heart spontaneously, even like I use to, but to take an issue and disect it and look at all the points. They pointed out on their Webcomics Weekly podcast a while back, that EVERY CONTRACT can be negotiated. You totally shouldn’t just sign something put in front of you without reading it, if you don’t understand the language, have a lawyer explain it to you, and KNOW WHAT YOU WANT. Because of course the other side of a contract wants whats best for them too. That’s why it’s an agreement! — Well, I’m proud of Kurtz and crew for not getting embroiled in DRAMA for the sake of Drama. There’s a certain crowd in webcomics, myself included, that have all GROWN UP, and we all see the much bigger picture… it might shock you to know, that we’re all working together, exchanging ideas, systems— SHARING to make everyone stronger. Even the dudes who are beating all of our asses by drawing stick figure comics.

I still feel a bit painted like I got screwed over here– don’t use me as an example of that with the creator rights issues. It was all a financial decision on my part, and it’s safe to say I’ve made more money with Hero By Night than if I would have been self publishing it, or doing webcomics. And I have a BIG stake in it. Like I said, this was all about timing and the fans, and money. Not non-payment, but “late payment”- – In my situation and budgets here, for MANY creators actually its like this, I have to be paid on time. I’ve always made that clear with everyone throughout time and space. All of that stuff WILL work out.

The only reason I HAD to bring this up publicly was for the fans. There was an “ongoing” series going on, which we have to work well ahead on, readers order well in advance and buzz was building– Behind the scenes I was nervous that issue 4 wasn’t going to make it to deadline, I busted my ass to make sure I beat my deadlines like usual. But with certain circumstances coming up, i just knew no matter what, it wasn’t going to make it to the printer. For too many reasons actually– and I couldn’t leave readers not only hanging, but they’re now ordering issue 5 in Previews— I didn’t turn in the issue 6 cover for the August Previews either– I could have— but I don’t want to be a part of what’s WRONG with the comic industry and that distribution system, late books, and readers never know why— This isn’t ANYTHING news, it happens ALL THE TIME– just this past couple weeks companies like Archaia who have HIT books like Mouseguard are announcing they are RESTRUCTURING (aka broke!)- TokyoPop, same thing thing, maybe even worse.

And behind the scenes at MANY indy comic publishers, things are pretty damn bleak I’ve been told. Sure, it would be easy to blame it on the economy– but that’s a fucking cop-out like non other– this is entertainment dollars, and go look at what INdy Jones, Iron Man and even Sex in the City just made, with higher ticket prices, higher everything prices. — In comics the problem is… drum roll…. the direct market.

TokyoPop’s CEO has a quote, that’s less of a copout – “TOKYOPOP CEO and Chief Creative Officer of the TOKYOPOP Group, Stuart Levy, explained the reasons for the reduction in output. “The time is now for us to focus our publishing business to overcome current market challenges. Few releases will allow for less cannibalization at retail. We must adjust our overhead to properly execute this new business plan. We are doing it with a heavy heart. It involves saying goodbye to 39 of the most talented, creative and compassionate people I’ve ever known.”"

“current market challenges” — are that people will eat comics up for free online, and INSTANT, while in the comic industry you have to rely on preorders and people, REAL people, going into comic shops to ask to preorder a title they weren’t going to carry in the first place. Oh, and current market challenges are also that by my estimation 75% of comic shops out there REALLY FUCKING SUCK when it comes to customer service. I can’t tell you the number of times online (you can go check the site for yourself in the comments alone) that my readers online have told me “we tried to order over at Joe Fuckbrain’s Comicverse, but they treated us like idiots” “They wouldn’t order it for me.”— I actually CALLED a store once after a reader told me this, and I told them the situation and asked why my reader couldn’t preorder the book– they just said “because we don’t carry it.” — but, wait, they have money in hand and ready to pay in advance??— “We just don’t do special orders here.” —- Many shops WILL, but still, even to get a new person through those doors asking for a preorder… they fucking blew it. — So for a title like mine that relies on kind readers to preorder, and only relies on ONE big page in a Previews catalog that ONLY the insiders of this insulated market see— well, for me, and many others, it’s not enough to sustain a title.

WEbcomics are where it’s at of course. You’re going to see, you’ve ALREADY seen, a bunch of print publishers trying to come on this scene and define it, when it’s already been defined. They’re laughed at privately by the real scene. When a company comes on with their exciting idea to have PDF downloads available, or just slap their print comics online– or check out their awesome new WEEKLY update—- webcomic readers don’t care about that. Webcomics is about MUCH more. Comics are about MUCH more. Read McCloud’s Reinventing Comics,page 56 “Negative Land” to understand how complex this “market” is, how many middlemen there are and then page 72.. chapter called CONTACT– that’s the future of comics.

Contact, communication. Transparency. — As far as companies owing creators money, that’s nothing new either, Crossgen, Dabel Bros, just two of the companies that spring to mind who have had headlines about this on major news sites, not to single them out— but it is what it is. The truth is, the money to pay creators WAS there at some point, but it was mismanaged, maybe too many softball games at Crossgen– they had an employee cafeteria there so I heard! Wow, fancy! Big and fancy, Crossgen had a friggin COMPOUND to work from– they blew through money like it was a bad habit on a relapse day. I’ve seen companies have extravagant parties, expensive dinners, really put on a show. Shoot, it even looks to a lot of people like WIZARD MAGAZINE might be going under soon or in some serious trouble currently –

The REAL bottom line is that creators are the LIFE BLOOD of anything, creator owned or not in comics. They need to be paid FIRST and kept happy, or shit will hit the fan– history proves that. Some ignore it. LOTS ignore it, hoping that they’ll get that one big payoff. The companies need to REALLY understand COMICS and creators before stepping into this playing field. The second thing is, you HAVE to respect the audience. So many companies have gone belly up because they didn’t do this ONE thing. They never GOT IT. It’s so fucking simple.— Such a complex thing, because even if you have all that stuff going for you, your stories, concepts, books, movies, webcomics, tv shows, dancing wallpapers– CAN ALL STILL SUCK. And guess who will be the first to tell you that…. the readers. They use to just tell you with their wallet— now they tell you online in news and blogs that they’re unhappy with you– and it’s easy to ignore conversations. I like taking them head on– that’s what makes me such a defender of the folks and things I believe in.

Ok– much actual WORK to get done today– there will be some fun posts this week about Flobots stuff, so tune in. I’ll write later today about my Flobotic Adventure to Cincinnati and how my wife and I drove home against tornadic weather. I think it was the government trying to hit me with a tornado. WEATHER CONTROL, MAN! WEATHER CONTROL!