Nothing To Lose

So, like I said yesterday, we're screwed. The Planet, the Country, the Middle Class, the Whole Kit-n-Kaboodle. Screwed. And the Comic Book Industry (in case you were wondering when this would be about comics again)? Well, we've been screwed since the mid-90s, and that particular Ship ain't never gonna stop sinking. Look at the evidence. Comic Book Shops continue to disappear. My "local" shop is a two hour drive away in a different State. "Comic Relief" in Berkely, CA, a Prime Time Comic Book store, and the model for which all other shops probably shoulda followed is Closed now (I think. Unless something changed). Look at the Diamond Distribution Sales figures. Comic Sales are Abysmal nowadays, especially when compared to the 90s. I guess this year, so far, Sales are at an All Time Low. And a rotten Economy ain't gonna do nobody no favors. Our Great Hope for the Future was the Bookstore Market. Sheah, right. "Borders" just declared Bankruptcy and is shutting down half of its stores. Don't be surprised if you hear about some comic book publishers folding in the next few months due to fallout from this. Borders owed alotta people money, and I'm pretty sure there were more than a few publishers who were counting on that bookstore exposure. As for Online Comics, well, for the most part, no one's really sure how to make money off of those yet. So, yeah, not much of a Future for us in the Comic Industry.

Pretty cheerful Rant so far, right? Bear with me.

The Good News for Me, anyway, is that the Game hasn't really changed much. I've never really had a Future. I work in a run-down, family owned Sawmill. As time progresses, I'm pretty much gonna be left with two options: take over when Dad retires a few years down the road, or get a job in a factory. Neither of which I'm that thrilled with. Otherwise, any real change to the Status Quo is either gonna require catching a Lucky Break (insert laughter here) or going back to School (again, insert laughter here). I've known pretty much from the onset that the odds that I'll "Make It" in the Comic Book Industry are Slim to Nonexistent. And given the State of the Industry, as stated above, those Odds get a little slimmer every year. I've got no Wife. I've got no Girlfriend. I've got no Kids (legitimate or otherwise). And given my Social Awkwardness and inability to meet new people, I have my doubts that that Status Quo is gonna change much.

Like I said, Pretty Cheerful. Stay with me here, this is going somewhere, I think.

But here's the Good News. I've got Nothing to Lose. Well, I don't have much to lose. Y'know, I've got some stuff, and a house, and a car, and a dog, and family and friends, and all of that is awesome, but what I mean is, again, I've got no real Future. And when you've got Nothing to Lose then, suddenly, you can play the Game any damn way you want, cause when you've got Nothing to Lose, there are No Rules. And I've known this for a long time, but I forget it from time to time. That's why my comix are so odd, so off-beat, so not quite mainstream but not quite alternative. It's because I'm not playing the same game as everyone else. I'm playing my own game by my own rules.

Take, for example, my "Publish 24 Comix in a Single Year Challenge". That's a Stupid thing to do. No one should do that. Not even people who make money should try something like that. But me? I've got Nothing to Lose, so why not? This Challenge is my Flag that I'm planting in the Ground. It's me saying, "Y'know what? I don't give a crap about the money. I don't give a crap about fame or recognition or critical acclaim or even having a large readership. My name is Joseph Morris, I've got No Future, and all I care about are Making Comics and Eating Tacos and Meeting a Girl who Smells Nice. In a World that's Spiraling Slowly down the damn Crapper, I, on a nonexistent budget, am going to produce 24 Comix, at least 8 or more pages in length (most will be 24 or more) in a single year. Because I can. Because I've got this Big, Huge Story to Tell. Because Someone Needs to Believe in Something, even if there's Nothing Worth Believing in Anymore."

So there's that. Dig?