Nerdvana presents Small Press Saturday – also known as Lessons Learned Self-Publishing Comics
What a weekend! Last weekend, tens of thousands of pop culture fans gathered in Southern California for the San Diego Comic Con, where Marvel announced the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. Meanwhile, fans around the world indulged Deadpool and Wolverine, breaks box office records for comic book adaptations AND R-rated films. Superhero stories are on everyone’s lips, perhaps for the first time since 2019.
Despite this general appeal, I have some contrary opinions about Deadpool and Wolverine within the comic book fan community. Online, I’ve seen fans denounce the film as too disrespectful, desecrating Hugh Jackman’s legacy for a quick buck. Others dismiss the film as the latest in a long line of derivative corporate trash. These small, vocal fan communities aren’t joining the rest of the world in celebrating Marvel’s latest achievements.
And that really disappoints me, especially as a cartoonist. I share the opinion of my colleague Bob Leeper, film critic at Nerdvana Media, regarding superhero movies – I like the classic stuff, but a movie like Deadpool and Wolverine is so irrefutably entertaining that it’s hard not to watch it with a guilty pleasure. And what other comic book movie names creators like John Byrne and Rob Liefeld and recreates classic cover art by the likes of Todd McFarlane and Marc Silverstri? Isn’t that the kind of “homage to the source material” we fans have been clamoring for for so long?
The numbers don’t lie – Deadpool and Wolverine is a global phenomenon. Instead of criticizing its thin plot and exploitation of the multiverse, passionate comic fans – and especially my fellow comics fans – should study its countless successes. Why is this the greatest Marvel movie – movie in GENERAL – of recent years? Instead of simply dismissing it, how can we USE its success to make more comics and more comic readers? The biggest lesson from Deadpool and Wolverine is this week’s maker mantra:
Familiarity helps a lot.
The world has forgiven the countless actors who have played Superman, Batman, and Spider-Man because those characters were familiar regardless of their on-screen portrayal. The world didn’t REALLY know Wolverine and Iron Man until they saw them through Hugh Jackman and RDJ, and that impression is lasting. That’s why RDJ’s return to the MCU is a big deal; people just want to see him back in the MCU no matter WHO he’s playing. Connecting Doctor Doom’s story to Tony Stark’s across the multiverse may not be canon, but it’s FAMILIAR, and Jackman’s return to Wolverine proves – familiarity brings MONEY.
How can comic book creators and fans use this tendency to their advantage? If you are a fan and your friends like the Dead Pool Franchise, gives them a Dead Pool A comic book with a flyer from your local comic book store might be a great way to let them know that these characters still exist in the years between theatrical releases. Maybe explain some of those cool cameos and references and share the source material to spark interest in these original stories. These Easter eggs may celebrate our reading years, but they also spark the potential for others to read in the years to come.
As a self-published cartoonist, I approach this concept a little differently. I can only DREAM that my own original characters could one day reach Wolverine’s status, but in the meantime, I can still reflect on the importance of familiarity in my work. I draw a lot of inspiration for my stories from current events and local culture, and have gained some attention in the local news for telling the same stories they do—but with superheroes. That’s basically my motto: My comics are set here in Arizona, right on our doorstep. You may not know my characters yet, but you may recognize the world they live in.
Putting your comic’s most well-known concept at the forefront of your pitch can make your pitch more engaging and successful. Sure, your comic is about an alien from a doomed planet whose cells process our yellow sunlight differently, so he displays the most amazing powers ever, but the BETTER detail is that he’s an outsider desperate to feel at home and do the right thing. The main concept is best conveyed through a much more familiar idea, something a reader can identify with.
That’s the problem with storytelling. On one hand, you want to tell a story that makes sense. On the other hand, you need to keep the audience interested. The former isn’t nearly as important as the latter. That’s why you often end up with lots of plot holes – meaning is sacrificed for sympathy. Does it SENSE to bring back TWO actors whose characters met honorable deaths after their multi-episode character arcs? Of course not… but does it generate viewers? Absolutely. That IS the point, right? To have an audience?
Even though some comic book purists may lament, the rest of the world is back into Marvel. Heck, so am I. These movies will soon feel like the events they once were. I can only hope that these movies will draw people to the comics that spawned them, and that storytellers will rise to the challenge of creating a similar impact. There’s nothing wrong with giving an audience what it wants, whether the audience knows it or not, because, frankly, the alternative is doom.
My Maker Mantras, aka Small Press Saturday: Insights from Self-Publishing Comics
