This video (along with a few others, WPT etc)helped me out regarding my creative output for things last few years a lot. Years ago when I interviewed you I spoke off camera about seemingly being black balled in comedy due to being a loud mouth about actual bad people and maybe it was in my head or maybe it was real. My paranoia became reality to this day. However being on my own and being able to do things for charity year after year while not bolstering my personal “brand value” and staying away as far as possible from any corporate or corporate adjacent forced guidelines for creative output. I mean, have you ever been at a hotel and thought “ya know, this lighthouse painting sure would look great in the living room” ? Probably not. That’s how I’ve viewed a lot of the entertainment industry I’ve been part of for the last 12+ years. This video kinda helped me reinforce my stance(s) on things but it ALSO helped me adjust things without just being a loudmouth but a more serious and focused person and selectively being a loudmouth when it’s actually needed. I’ve been proud of my creative output for a long time but did the Michael Cera thing when I got passed over so I made my own thing and it did great things for myself but others around me and those in need from the various charity shows over the last decade plus. My personal creative output is about me, but what I wanted to put out there wasn’t, it was about others and there have been times I’ve gotten in my head and forgotten about that because I was in my head. Reaffirming the idea of being black balled or just creating outsider art and being happy with it, being able to help out others in that process has been super helpful to me and I hope it helps others. So thank you for this one, stoked to see you on tour this year. PS - stop pickin on moon knight, he’s doing the best he can

So good!!! “And if the answer is Moon knight?… “. 😂😂😂

You said it best “They believe the reader is incapable of seeing the characters as human beings.” This idea, not just in comics but even modern everyday life, that morals cannot be ambiguous strips ourselves of the imperfections of human consciousness. Spoon feeding capable people information takes from their willingness to actually learn and grow as a human being. Trust the audience, give them the information, allow them to come to a conclusion of their own instead of digging a way towards conclusion without thinking that a person isn’t smart enough find the alternative route.

had no clue you had an active youtube channel. cool

FYI I was accused, similar to Ed, at a previous job. Even after apologizing, not warranted, wanting it to just end, I was told it didn't change anything and the witch hunt continued. You don't know how evil these people are until you are in their sights.

Heavy topic. Excellent analysis on the situation. Love how you mentioned those making snide comments and bullying Ed, didnt actually care about anyone in the situation or the things that happened. I think this is a result of how we learn to build self confidence as children in tearing others down to feel better about ourselves. Learned behavior that gets amplified in a constant internet world. The human species seems to be addicted to self righteousness. Often times its too hard to turn the eye of the world on ourselves. Sad situation all around.

I’m hoping to get a comic collection published next year or the year after. How do I go about getting pull quotes when the time comes? Do professionals expect compensation for that kind of thing? Is a cold DM a gauche approach? Edit: What’s more, do pull quotes matter?

I like the emphasis on building something distinctive. This is an area where creative and commercial interests can align. People naturally “screen out” a lot of information unless there is a cue for memory retrieval. Consider how overlapping conversations at a party are just chatter until you hear your name. Or after buying a new car, suddenly you notice the make and model much more often. This gives a clue into how the mind works. The same behavior applies in shopping environments, whether it's comic book stores or grocery stores. Immediately recognizing elements of a character or a product is a large part of why Spider-Man outsells most other comics, or why Coca-Cola sells more than most other sodas. Focusing on the politics of not offending people distracts from this important aspect of human behavior and results in things that largely blend into the background. When brands and characters prioritize not offending anyone over distinctiveness, they risk becoming invisible. Even negative attention requires recognition and awareness, which only comes from standing out in a crowded market.

I wish more star wars fans understood this perspective. acolyte isnt great but nowhere near as bad as incel fanboys make it out to be. A lot of what you have to say translates to almost all forms of media and i find it tasteful and insightful. your videos alway feel like a level headed and empathetic conversation. been following sdf for a long time, just be authentic and thoughtful. it's alway been your selling point.

You don't feel capable of writing a good villain without making them say racist slurs?

Is Leaded Gasoline ever being released?

Comparing Big Two work to playing covers is honestly so perfect.

You should check out some comic stores in Madrid. The scene there is really healthy (still corperate but diverse). Also France and Belgium has oldschool and new talents (Cromwell Stone or Jovantore, to name some works).

You look really handsome and speak very eloquently here

“Can’t sing worth a damn” I beg to differ brother, stoked to hear more of what you’ve been working on 🤙🏻

You don't like the CIA Neppo brand?

DONNIE THE BAD BOY! WRITING BAD BOY VENOM.

ARTISTS having to try and SELL their work is the biggest crime of all In a JUST world, a storyteller could be such, but we all take such "kawn-tint" off the shelf (curated by conglomerate comics'es) for granted. It's ludicrous and nonsense - because the majority insists it be so! Because "humans lie," and those at the top know that, most of all! Yeah, ive never had the money to invest in the "pulp rags" that are comic books [shit was so in the 90s even!!!],["its an ongoing story with 50+ issues?!... Ima just rent a video game for a flat rate"]... sad but true that the "big personalities" are hired, cuz thats an extra hook for to profit off of - the "genuine artists" are shoved aside cuz "they have True Talent that will be perceived and patronized otherwise," was probably(/hopefully) the thought.. even before patreon tho, and that is still a gamble. The fact that "AD(H)D" has only increased DOES make it more difficult for "money-bags" to pick true artists over what sells. "People dont wanna pay for art, thats not what we do here - we sell licenses, if you aint BIG, neither is your character." I spit in contempt.

Let's gooo

It was a good faith comment. When I found you I’d never heard of you so I was trying to understand your background.

You’ve been making these videos for months. Are you personally having trouble getting work because you’re not fitting these boxes? Are you being held back from making your books?

One of the reasons I don't read comic books is that there are no rules. There's nothing to hold onto. There are very few series I enjoy, and they are usually from Indie authors and publishers, thus making them often pretty difficult to find in the wild. I like reading series like Atomic Robo, Chew, and Dr. McNinja because they're fun without me having to have a lot of Prior Narrative Knowledge, and they follow a fairly sequential narrative style that generally makes sense. Maybe having some knowledge of the Comics Industry as a whole might enhance the experience, but the whole story is not predicated on the assumption that I picked out all the Easter eggs. Also, while the art styles of all of these series is really different, I seldom find myself wondering what is going on. "Better" is, in many ways, subjective, but if you're trying to appeal to new readers, there are some clear ways comic books can be made more accessible.

Reporting for duty: Promising to make MY comics 20%+ better!✍

The question is what: "better" is? Something that is considered as a "classic" usually is not better than something "new", but people like it more. How to make something "new" "better", than something "classic" ?

Patrick what comics are you currently working on?

What is your fav comic

All the comic shit is pretty faggoty to me personally, but this is good advice generally.

I just wish you would tell us how you really feel, Patrick.

what dirt does kelly thompson have on the committee

I think the problem is that they hire people who don't understand the point of these stories is to excite. People would ignore the political aspects if the main purpose was to still excite them. The art is almost always boring. Nothing with any energy. The stories are retreads of old comic stories or retreads of tv shows that were popular at one point. Why would any kid want that? I dont even know if the gore and boobs would help cause if it was drawn by some of the people today it would still bore me to tears. I remember seeing this Kelly Sue Deconnick book called B Planet (censored cause KZfaq) and that book was painfully boring to look at. It wasnt bad illustration for an instructional manual but it also didn't excitement for anything in it. So i left it there. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Chainsaw Man has some amazing visuals. The story is pretty silly and makes basically no sense but someone is gonna make a mallet out of their blood, fight a horde of zombies, grow a chainsaw from their head, etc. Steve Ditko comics still have amazing visuals. Especially his creator owned stuff like Static and Mr A. It's not impossible but there needs to be writing talent to imagine the ideas and illustrators to execute. I dont know if there is enough talent in the mainstream for that

I think the biggest problem is that people immediately bowed to the people in the smokey scheming room by and large. For some reason we've had a decade plus of people not realizing why gossip isn't evidence. Ellis at worst seemed immoral but it's a transactional sin with someone else in a consensual manner from what few facts seemed to come out. Ellis also somewhat created the environment. The typical cancel culture engager isn't that far removed from the typical Ellis anti-hero. He promoted the idea of being a jerk for all the right causes and it being a get out of jail free card for any personal quirk positive or negative. Not in just his stories but through his website. It is interesting in stories and is fine to be tell but it came back on him for promoting it through his gossipy forum. Not to blame the victim but there is a bit of reap what you sow. The current cancel culture bullies are going to eat it even more when it comes around and not just cause it was a sin of ommision like Ellis not realizing what he was doing. I think the current group knows exactly what they are doing and why. I also wont read x-force just cause giving money to dc and marvel feels like I'm funding the bad behavior being talked about by you and me

The big two just pair washed writers with hip artists half their age. That's their version of this. So the art has modern sensibilities but the stories... not so much.

Speaking of people who should still be writing comics... I'm still fucked up about the Piskor stuff. After seeing all of that go down in realtime I now think that if you're not involved in one of these situations directly, you have an ethical obligation not to rt, signal boost, comment or otherwise engage.

Man, I was big into Comics twitter when all this went down and all the creators that came out denouncing him I thought to myself, "I would have never picked up your work if Ellis hadn't gushed about it in his newsletter." It was really gross to me. I'm sad I may never get to read more Injection now or see what else he could have done with the WildStorm revamp.

Agreed. I think Ellis got bit by his own appetites, but there's no denying he is irreplaceable. It's possible to give him his professional props while disagreeing with his personal behavior.

Good take! You had me til the Burger King argument. Cancellation denies humanity, growth, change, and nuance among other things. Ellis shouldn't be canceled (i.e. permanently barred from or ignored in his profession) not because of his talent, but because it denies him the basic humanity we all deserve. Burger King managers don't deserve permanent shunning either. Shit is medieval.

This is such a good take. I love your examination of these issues. Your point about talent not being replaceable like a Burger King manager is 100% right. People need to learn to separate the artist from the art again.

Any thoughts on the new x factor cover? 6 fingers? AI art?

When it comes to Big 2 and manga, I think they should test a manga line, where they forfeit ALL continuity. Create a WEEKLY black and white book that's a complete overhaul with more modern sensibilities. Something like shonen jump, but all the chapters/titles take place in the same universe. Superman or whoever should have a tournament arc. Write for tankōbon style trades. Edge up the heroes and rogues galleries. Completely ignore the current market's audience (don't need to cater to traditional western readership).

Couldn't agree more. I make horror comics and I think in that realm it's a little easier to try to push boundaries. Though, I have had some of my episodes removed from Webtoons, which is super frustrating. Anyways, subbed! Also I broke my elbow and ribs stage diving at Mohawk last year when you were in Austin during Drain's last song. ☠

We have to make a comic with Marx as the main protagonist and antagonist at the same time

Chainsaw Man is not just profanity, it also has a lot of imagery which verges on the sacred. I would say, if anything, that it is a reminder that if people are craving something holy or pure, then being lectured by some prude who is sold to them as being inherently wise because they are x or y sort of "minority" has less impact than having some total mess of a person just sort of stumbling into something transcendent and not understanding anything.

I have legitimately no idea what these formats can do, especially considering the accessibility of just searching "my fave comic/manga read online". Why ask mom for extra money this week when you can just find it on the internet :^\

100%

Coming over as WPT and SDF fan. Love comics, always love hearing your perspective on things. Keep it up dawg.

Have you heard of the comic pim and francine?

Im reading love and rockets 🚀

Could it be that Manga is killing American comics because Manga is just more FUN?

Seems the cool factor of Anime/Manga is primed to be swept away in thr coming years due to increasing mainstream attention in the west. See article titled 'Disney Plus Japan Exec Admits Anime Industry Making “A Shift Toward More Acceptable Expressions” In Order To Appeal To Wider Audiences'

Was feeling unsure about this, but then had a flashback to being a teenager and buying CROSSED everytime it came out, which was by all accounts, pretty much successful on the basis of the wood chipper demographic.