I’ve been reflecting on the Madman of Magic comic book Kickstarter Campaign we ran in 2012. Specifically on what worked with promoting the campaign.
What I have found is that utilizing multimedia/multi-franchising to connect with an audience can make the difference between making a living and just making art.
The focus of this post is for people who have digital comics online, but this can be adapted to artist/creator who wants to increase their fan base and find alternative income streams in any media.
Ghost of Comic Book Past (recent past)
Comic books have been a means of entertainment and fascination for me ever since I was a child. Growing up, the heroes depicted in The Punisher, X-men and Batman were the people I pretended to be on the playground (I was always Beast or Wolverine).
I was introduced to many of those characters when Fox Television Network began airing X-men and Batman as animated shows. These shows brought in an extra revenue stream for Marvel and DC Comics. At the same time, the cartoons drew in kids (like me) into purchasing more comic books.
Today’s mainstream comic book companies
The comic book giants are continuing to find updated ways to draw in new consumers. With the current wave of big budget films utilizing comic book franchises, these companies have another opportunity to cash in on individuals who have never been exposed to the pages of comic books or graphic novels.
The result has been that the industry is seeing a major shift in the amount of consumers and readers of comics; so much so that Comic-Con is now seen as a major event akin to the X-Games celebration or other annual conventions. Some might think this surge in comic book fans is due to the of digital comics online, but the reality is the comic books use of portraying their characters and stories through media franchising is what really pulls in the new readers.
How to get this same idea to work for you
The late 60’s brought the underground comix book movement, the 80’s provided the alternative comic scene, but today we have digital comics or what I call the liberation of the independent comic artist.
Now it is possible to purchase just about anything from the internet, and comic books are no exception. Fans of any comic hero or characters can follow their adventures by viewing their newest comics online. Digital comics are comics for the new age; instead of hand drawn graphics on paper, the new illustrations are done via computer through Photoshop or some other art creating program. It’s basically reducing the need for pen and paper in comic book creating, but the looks are just as amazing, if not better.
What does digital comics online mean to new comic book creators:
- Your comic book can be created any ways you think it should be. I have a friend who does a series of comic strips by creating characters and backgrounds from origami, taking a digital photo, and then adds speech bubbles with free software.
- Anyone with access to the internet can view your work once it is published online. There are currently a lot of people connected to the internet (I didn’t want to look up the number, but we all know it is a lot). If you make anything and promote it a little someone will like it. This doesn’t mean you should make anything but you could.
- Marketing your project with social media, blogs, search engines, etc is way easier in than having to buy ads, put up posters, and hope people learned about your work of art/story.
With the ability to distribute a comic book without the problems of printing, shipping, and storage; digital comic books allow for more to be published. This has enticed many franchise holders of original comics that are no longer published to make their old issues available in digital format, so they are easy to buy, download, and enjoy. With such an easy way to buy digital comics online, comic enthusiasts are building their collection on their computer. Compiling all the comic book adventures of their heroes is just as simple as logging on to the internet! And, with new releases weekly, a fan is never disappointed by the unavailability of any new comic.
Lessons from all this
Yes, you can make a comic book (or other art) and publish it really easy online. And, yes, you can promote to your friends through social media and your blogs, but why all this information on multi franchising for large comic book corporations?
I’m glad you asked (really I asked, but I am speaking for you).
As artist making a living, it is important to learn from these large corporation. They kind-of know what they are doing or at the very least have found something that works even if they are slow to let go of old beliefs in order of embracing new technologies, but this is for another post. What is being done with X-men, Spiderman, and Batman can be also be done by small artists.
Think about ways to diversify your characters and comic. Make a video, explore new ways of distribution, or try new places to promote your work. It is a new world out there and changing everyday. Try new things and most importantly, have fun!
