II. I'm Quitting Comics
It's Time
Rent,
I’m glad you and I have decided to make this official. As you alluded in the first letter in this series, the indie comics community is a tough place to find your voice. The pressures, both internal and external, are enough to drive any creator crazy. The noise, about comics and otherwise, can be deafening. Sprinkle in the financial and time requirements and most folks just end up wanting to quit…
I don’t want to bury the lead, so I’ll get this out of the way: I am quitting comics.
To be clear, I am finishing The Rule of Nine- though it’s going to be considerably shorter and a bit different than many of my readers will expect. I’m a writer with no drawing talent, I know some folks are self taught (like you, Rent) but the effort and time necessary for that is just not something I have in spades these days. To understand why I’m checking out, we’ve got to go back a ways.
In the beginning of 2020, I was recovering from a meniscus tear and making my way back into the gym. As you know, I’m the Head Coach at a CrossFit gym in northeast New Jersey. Back then, I was a (relatively) newly married man -still happily married by the way- who was used to 4-6 days a week of training. I love fitness and the opportunity it affords any willing to get uncomfortable for long enough. With the hit to the schedule that an injury provides, I had plenty of free time.
As a result, I started having working lunches with a friend. This particular friend was launching a YouTube channel and I was trying to find room for more creativity in my life. We’d sit and discuss ideas, his YT page and my desire to grow my podcast (no, I don’t want to share a link). It was through these discussions that I recognized I wanted to give writing a shot again. My buddy was surprised when I told him about my obsession with fantasy and worldbuilding; better than that, he was willing to read some of work.
A few weeks into the “global pause,” I began reworking a series of old stories that I’d written in the midst of a career shift back in 2015. These stories took place on a world I named Dasein Two; a world steeped in a rich history that I couldn’t shake. Over the years I’d add details about fictitious wars, religions, magical factions, etc. Constantly growing my fantasy sandbox until it was so big that I couldn’t get myself out.
For months, I wrote all day. Most of the day. Whenever I found a spare moment I would write. And this is the place I want to get back to- I’m tired of managing projects, coordinating schedules and launch dates, and writing for the sake of selling. I want to write for the sake of writing again.
The comics industry didn’t rob me of this, per se, but the things the community seems to value (on the internet anyway) are getting old. Trying to market your work amidst “comicsgate” this and “woke agenda” that, is exhausting. You can’t stake your claim without being subjugated by an algorithmic niche. You get caught in an idealogical vortex of which you have little control and the only way I’ve ever seen someone “make it out” is by pissing off enough of the hive mind that they excommunicate you.
I’ll admit, I am a bit jaded… and not without good reason. Despite producing seven issues (over 150 pages of comics) for public consumption, with another three ready to be released, I have yet to reach the audience I think I my work warrants. I’m starting to feel like a retirement might be good for my career:
Maybe you’ll love me when I fade to black.
-Jay-Z
But that’s not why I am ready to walk away from the indie comics scene. I’m walking away because I am beginning to feel like my worth as a writer hinges on my ability to “go viral”- and I am not buying another IG marketing guru’s course on how to make content that “delivers.” It’s all the same stuff. Watered down marketing-101 principles that rely heavily on a marketer’s ability to catch algorithmic trends and ride the inevitable engagement boosts to inflated “success stories” and “this stuff really works” testimonials.
So now what? Well, it boils down to a few things for me:
Finish The Rule of Nine. 9 “Canon” Issues. 3 One-Shots.
Continue to write more. Newsletters, vignettes, serialized chapters.
Use more of Substack’s growing list of features. As is the case with Kickstarter, the creator is the host of the party. Therefore it’s our responsibility to keep things interesting.
I’ve known for a while now how I want the major ribbons to be tied at the end of The Rule of Nine and I don’t need any more story material to start knotting the bow. In order to pull it off I’m going to resort to my initial plan of including “side quest" stories into the mix. I wrote three short issues (3,4, and 6) and each will be expanded upon; thus setting the stage for (potential) forays into different parts of Amashik in the future.
Thanks in large part to you, Rent, I have a clearer vision of how to format my newsletters and how to position my Vignettes. I’m not going to waste time wading into controversy for the sake of clicks, nor will I be stuck waiting for the gears to turn on my bigger projects. The enjoyment I’ve gotten out of writing this year has served as a huge boost to my confidence and I’m grateful for that.
Substack’s recently launched DM feature along with Notes and Threads allow for easier community cultivation. The ability to voice record my work and upload video will lead to some nice changes this year to Amashik’s Shattered Legacy. I’m looking forward to slowly reshaping the way Amashik is positioned within the indie comic space as well as introducing it to the larger world of traditional fantasy novels.
I want The Rule of Nine to live on in indie comics infamy-the greatest “why did he walk away from that” story of all time. I want comic readers to be so satisfied when they come across my work that they get pissed at me for not writing comics anymore. This isn’t rage quitting; this is the “I’m really proud of the work I’ve done so I’m putting down my brush” kind of walking away.
JL
JL Johnson and Renton Hawkey are independent comic creators, and friends. They’ve decided to begin a letter-writing correspondence here on Substack. Nothing is off limits, and they will always tell the truth.
If you want to follow along, follow the TCTAE tab in the navigation on either of their Substack publications.
Jeffrey Johnson Jr. is the writer, creator, and letterer of Ennead: The Rule of Nine and the epic fantasy world of Amashik. Outside of writing, he enjoys time with his wife Jess, their daughter Olive, and their pets Ruthie, Quinn, and Sansa.
Renton Hawkey is a comic creator who publishes the chanbara western webcomic Ronin Digital Express. He also publishes his newsletter rent*space and the forthcoming OGN Fistful of Yen, all right here on Substack. Take a look, and consider subscribing.
Goddamnit
As a reader enthralled in the world of Amashik this pains me. Having talks with guys like you and Rent entrusting me in the makings of your worlds you created meant a ton. Either way, however you choose to circle the medium I’m readin.
I understand how you're feeling. It's been about 2.5 years since I stopped attempting the comic work. It was a combination of things, but after creating a short (writing and art), I realized how much work it was and that the juice wasn't worth the squeeze. I am starting to come back to the art a little, though, but it won't be comics.
Happy to hear you'll stick with the writing. I look forward to reading more.