The Archie Kickstarter: Good Business or Bad Business

By now I believe most in the comics industry have heard about the Kickstarter that Archie Comics had put up. They were asking interested parties to help them crowdfund $350,000 to help reboot their age old franchise of Archie comics and accelerate the production of three new comic book series. The backlash of a large 75 year old company asking for handouts was immediate and while the Kickstarter quickly garnered over 600 contributors in the short time it was active, Archie Comics chose not to deal with industry outrage and shutdown their Kickstarter.

A date with Archie as a kickstarter reward? I
bet most of the money came from Veronica

Did Archie do the right thing? They obviously had supporters, and perhaps the flaming was simply the overstated voice of trolls; also was this public frustration justified? Other notable individuals like Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Old Boy) have also used Kickstarter to fund and create projects without so much negative feedback. It could be that since the comics industry while rapidly growing is still very small, and an individuals voice has more weight. Archie wasn't even trying to make a ton of money, just accelerate production of these titles so they could bring their audience more content sooner and appeal to a new generation. Marvel has been doing something similar with its titles; hitting the refresh button for this new consumer, but Marvel has the financial backing to reboot over 20 titles. Between the Panels made a great point citing that "...this situation serves as a reminder that when it comes to comics, everyone that isn't Marvel or DC counts as 'the little guy.'"

I think more recognized names, like the respected Archie Comics, or even the derided Uwe Boll, shows that Kickstarter is changing, it is no longer just for indies. As big names seek out funding for their larger projects it may seem untoward that Kickstarter, the company that have put many independent creators on their feet is now kowtowing to individuals and companies that many would feel have an unfair advantage financially as well as their reknown. I can't agree with this perspective, however, and firmly believe that larger companies reaching out to crowdfund projects is the evolution of business and only advantageous for us as the consumer and the company itself.

Crowdfunding mediums allow direct access to the consumer-ideally that means the product being created end up with less hands sullying it. Less editorial, less interference from large investors who have way too much sway in how the product ends up. Editorial is how Sam Rami's Spiderman 3 ended up being as terrible as it was. Those providing funding or running the studio wanted to throw in as many villians and popular characters not to tell a story but to push its wow factor and allow for more merchandising. As has been seen time and again this kind of creative interference can destroy a product, it also perpetuates the concept that a few individuals wielding too much power can ruin everything for everyone. So when a company is trying to create something and has a really stupid idea its less likely that individuals will put out money to make it happen. In fact its almost like a really solid entertainment democracy that happens. It means when fools like Uwe Boll, (responsible for such terd nuggets as Bloodrayne, and Farcry films) try to start a Kickstarter campaign the get phenomenally shot down! Suddenly instead of investors interested solely in profit they have investors that are interested in the product. Money coming direct from the consumer helping regulate trash media, and things that belong in the garbage get there while its still in the conception stages and not before tons of person-hours or even product are left as refuse.

Some of the Atari dump

Filtering terrible products and entertainment, crowdfunding evidently can also help on an environmental level. When the videogame industry went bust it was no secret that Atari had to trash large portions of its stock because it was effectively worthless. Companies have always faced this issue-where is the sweet spot in supply and demand? Certain books can be overprinted, marketing can miss their target and a bunch of stuff created can end up as trash. Garbage product is still a concern, but companies can use the level of success of their crowdfunding project to predict earlier the amount of demand that a creation might have. Not only can they use that to figure out how much to create, they can also find out where their contributors are from and use that to better target the region that has shown interest.

So what if a big company like Archie wants to crowdfund a few books. Who cares if some of their rewards seem silly, such as following a contributor back on twitter. To some people that may be important; if you are a comics creator having a large comics company on social media can really help you garner a following. Either way if you don't like the reward, then you don't donate-its how our system works. Money equals support, ideas that aren't supported do not get money.

I think the big dogs using crowdfunding media means that there is a potential for a creative golden age as consumers have more say over the media they want. Does this mean that Indies are now bust as far as funding? No. There are so many other crowdfunding outlets-Patreon, Indiegogo, T-spring.

I think the outrage was just growing pains from new innovations being homogenized by the industry-its evolution in a nutshell, its painful scary, and also temporary because soon something different will come along. Archie Comics good for you for trying something new!

Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is just some another Millennial who is evolving to better understand his place in the comics industry and the universe.

Bib.
"Atari E.T. Dig- Alamogordo, New Mexico (14036097792)" by taylorhatmaker - Atari E.T. Dig: Alamogordo, New Mexico. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Atari_E.T._Dig-_Alamogordo,_New_Mexico_(14036097792).jpg#/media/File:Atari_E.T._Dig-_Alamogordo,_New_Mexico_(14036097792).jpg

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/15/between-the-panels-archies-kickstarter-sheds-light-on-a-larger-problem

Webcomic Review: Starveil

David Rapoza is an artist that continues to grow in popularity and whose thoughts on the freelance industry are great to chew on. His artwork is gritty and detailed and fun to stare at, he even has instructionals on his process up on youtube. What gained him a lot of notice was the hi res, & detailed ninja turtles that he created over 4 years ago.

Its always interesting to see when an artists creates solo work, the piece he started a few years ago was a webcomic called Starveil. This webcomic kinda feels like an homage of everything that was awesome as an American boy growing up in the 90s. It seems to have elements of Dragon Ball Z, Mad Max, old anime, space operas all thrown in a blender. "Will it blend?" Hell yeah it does.

Along with his gritty style the book is fast paced and displays plentiful and powerful action. The palatte he chose for the backgrounds allow for his characters to pop off the page, and the faded pastel colors make the world he's crafted thus far seem truly alien. A feature that is emphasized by his use of negative space is sublime as certain elements spill out of the panels and into the gutters.

My only qualm artistically with the book is his lettering. While I still love his color choice in bubbles and have no issue with his decision in font, its the layout that bugs me. It seems to have many errors of a neophyte letterist, such as bubbles being to long, or dialogue not being centered and touching the bubble borders... Bubble Borders.

The story isn't anything ground breaking, as of yet, as the "hero" of the book is trying to rescue a beautiful stowaway from his crashed vessel and encountering antagonists on the way. What is innovative is how Rapoza takes advantage of tumblrs' gif ability and uses short animations featured in certain panels that help bring the book to life. Action scenes come alive as characters walk toward you, or energy beems fly across the page and increase the already speedy pacing of the book and makes you feel like you should be listening to DragonForce while reading.

The dialogue tends to verge on being a little slow, and self aggrandizing. Though I feel like this element is homaging the taunts and challenges of characters from certain series like Dragon Ball Z or Conan the animated series. It could also be a nod to the silver age of comics as panels used to be densely packed with words and exposition.

What I've really enjoyed from the series isn't even in the book itself but in his extras, the portrait gallery. The character designs there are so eye catching and colorful as classic cartoon heroes used to be. Its even more enjoyable when a character from the gallary enters into the book and you can see them in action. Its kind of like when your favorite X-men was finally featured on an episode of that 90s X-men animated series.

The series so far has me wanting more but unfortunately there has not been an update in a while. Rapoza has a patreon running for the creation of this webcomic and has said that certain contractual obligations have forced him to keep it hush hush for now. He has also posted random images from the book on his tumblr showing that work is still continuing on it and it may yet still see print. However if you want more of his comic work now you can always check out his hilarious series Steve Lichman about a Lich trying to get by in these crazy modern times.


That guy Sir Thomas J. Gryphon is okay, but overhauling the Gryphon Knights website has driven him batty. You can see his own sci-fi work on series like FvD or WOW Signal.

Your Promiscuous Comic

So your into comics, huh?

The truth is comics have been around.

There's not one comic that exists that you can claim as yours. The X-Men issue #1 you own was handled by at least one factory worker, at least one distributor, and at least one retail worker before those perfect corners, luscious colors, white gutters, even staples ended up in your hands.This was before you sent it to CGC services to get it graded and slabbed.
Thank God, those CGC guys use protection when handling your book! Who knows what those other guys had!

Maybe you can claim the comic you wrote, or drew is yours. What about the copy that ended up with a 5 year old? She colored in the black and white parts. She showed her mom who congratulated her for a good job and asked for her autograph. The black and white parts were a snow scene in your story, now thanks to the orange and red Crayolas, there is a lava portion instead. Did you collaborate with that 5 year-old? Are you going to denounce her book as non-canon? You can probably claim it's yours, if you claim the child is yours.

Did you create the character that appears in a comic? Did you come up with the plot? What about the readers who offer their interpretation of what happened? What about those who assign a meaning, to what happened, one you never thought of? Are you going to disagree with them in public? Or secretly claim that was your intention all along?  That character has left your hands and has been handled by someone else. They've made stories you couldn't dream of. You'll still get credit. After all Icebox and Ovenflame wouldn't exist without your initial guiding hand. The sad part is when Alan Moore reinterpreted them and brought about their sexual awakening, where we learn Ovenflame is a pyro-sexual and that that's ok, fans have started to ask for the "realistic" version. Your version is the cartoon version. It's dated, and for kids. At least, to those aware of it. Most people won't ever remember you were involved. No one will say it's yours.

No. No comic is ever yours. But there is a time where you pick one up, read it, and get invested in the story you read. That's the only thing you can claim ownership of:

The moment.

It's also true for when you hit save on the Word document, or add that final touch of India Ink to page 23. That moment is yours and it's precious, and the only unselfish thing to do it to share it.

Check out the gooses in Greasers in Geese

A lesson about comics, and maybe life.

Agree? Disagree? Feel free to respond below.

Dimitrios Fragiskatos
Author and new contributor to this blogspot

Check out our comics at Gryphon Knights Comics

and patronize us here

The Resource Known as Patreon

Greetings and salutations!!!

I wanted to turn you guys onto a resource the small comic company I run with @DimitriosFragiskatos & @HarperArsenal have begun to use. 

Our comic company has expenses as any company or artist does. Website costs, advertising, convention costs, and (what is often neglected) pay for any work we've done to for our company. We weren't sure how to meet these constant costs, and for a long time these expenses came out of our own pockets.

Finally we found Patreon! Patreon is a crowdfunding service that functions similarly to other CF services, except this one donors can contribute per month, or with comic books can donate per page published. Its pretty handy especially if you have regular readership. Those who are already interested & investing in your book are likely to donate. While the rewards are more difficult to figure out, many users have dollar subscriptions that just support their comic and $3 subscriptions that allow readers to see extra content on the Patreon.

Visiting a variety of users can soon help you garner some ideas on how to reward those who are faithful contributors. Things from one time rewards like sketches to monthly prints of pages of the comic. Another way to garner contributors is using a twitter management tool like justunfollow.com or others to set up automated messages to new followers providing the link to your comic and to your Patreon!

In the end it also never hurts to ask for contributions from those who have expressed interest in your book!

We've had good success with it thus far, and have actually found other people on the site that we ended up donating too. Also at the time of this writing Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC) Was making $100,000 a year. They are one of the most successful Patreon users there are. 

Finally if you haven't seen our work yet you can really our various webcomics on gryphonknights.com! If you have and you love our artwork & storytelling then please help by donating to our Patreon page at www.patreon.com/gryphonknights! Each donation allows us to focus more time on the comic, and will hopefully one day make us full time artists!

Tom Gryphon

PS. Hippopotamus Prime thanks you for any & all contributions you make!

Location, Location, Location!

In a variety of our comic series we have locations that are drawn from real life. It is these locations that help give our fictional worlds life.

In the second issue of HERO we are immediately taken to a location called Mitchel Airforce Base. This was a real airforce base out in Long Island, NY. While it was viewed as a strategic launching point by the Germans during WWII the base was never really more than a distraction.

Another location featured was in the draft of WOW Signal issue 1. In it, there is a landscape that includes spaceport America in the middle of New Mexico, and behind it a fictional city called Branson City that grew up nearby. The writer felt that if asteroid mining took off it would cause a wave of industry and for people to travel there like they would any other port city.

It's interesting to note that on the day of the writing of this article that Richard Branson talked about delays in Virgin Galactic's first commercial space flight.

Part of the writers goal with the WOW Signal, is to create a book not so far in the future so that readers can become excited but technology featured in it that is in present just theory.

Finally the last book I am going to talk about today is Felix & Saw. This sci-fi, comedy, has one of the protagonist's emerge in a water reservoir by Kensico Dam. This doesn't play a huge role in the book except for the writers giving a nod to an area, and a landmark in which they grew up nearby.

You can read more about any of these locations by clicking on the links!

Crowdfunding on Patreon

Things with crowds can be a lot of fun, crowd surfing, protests, crowd funding, mob rule... well not all of those things are a lot of fun but it does show that people en masse can make huge changes.

That's why GryphonKnights Comics have started a crowdfunding page on Patreon. Patreon is was created to enable fans to support and engage with the artists and creators they love. Empowering a new generation of creators, Patreon is bringing patronage back to the 21st century. As a small comic book company it was our desire to be more receptive to our fans and contributors.

Our goal in making books is two fold. We have printed books that we sell to try make profit, but we have our webcomics to be available for everyone to be able to read. Having free webcomics was very crucial to us as no matter how large we get we wanted to have free content for anyone to be able to enjoy. I know that when I was out of work I curved my buying habits because comics were very expensive, whether it was trades or single issues, during that economic trial comics was something I just couldn't do. That's when I began discovering loads of webcomics.

There were so many quality webcomics out there, Ava's Demon, Calachurras, The Fighting Stranger, Hench girl & many others, that our team decided to take some of the books we've been working on and adapt them for web viewing, and then make other books better adapted to the webcomic format.

Gryphonknights was a great experiment to see if a comic publisher could function paperlessly, with mostly webcomics. Garnering books, artists, and writers as we grew. One of our recent editions to the site is Tony Wolf's Greenpoint of View. Greenpoint of view was his autobio created as a comic book. Tony is one of the many artists who has done work on our book Frankenstein vs. Dracula. When we saw the work he was doing the webcomic we really wanted to showcase it on our page. 

Currently we have 6 titles on our site, with the addition of two printed graphic novels. Our first book Greasers in Greece is in print, we have a second about to be printed called Frankenstein Vs. Dracula.

Please check out our work and consider becoming a patron, so that we can continue to cut the middlemen out of creativity & to help us allow comics to be available to everyone!

T Gryphon

GRYPHON KNIGHTS: The Blog

For those without flash, we decided to upload our books to ol' faithful; BLOGGER. Its on this platform that we hoped that those who weren't able to read our books, for whatever technical reason, on our website could instead access them here.

Blogger allows us to do a few things. One is get more direct reader feedback through the comments, to give you our thoughts on our books as they develop, as well as explain any delays, and so that if there is any technical problems with our site so that you can still tune in to see the latest pages.

True to form of trying something new, you might see that we still have some tinkering to do.

In the Meanwhile feel free to browse around and read the first chapter of our book HERO. Just one more note, we appreciate your readership, as well as any other help you can provide through resources like Patreon, or any time we have a Kickstarter!

Til next time.

Stay Zazzy

Sincerely Sir Tom, D Frag, and Sean Grizzle