Life in Comics: Taking Some Quiet Time Before the Con
This story originally appeared in PW Comics Week on June 2, 2009 Sign up now!
by Jennifer de Guzman -- Publishers Weekly, 6/1/2009 3:51:00 PM
It seems to be pretty quiet on the comics news front right now. The big news now is that Archie is going to marry Veronica in an imaginary story set in the future. And possibly he'll marry Betty, too, in another imaginary story set in the future. Oh, and Megan Fox said that Wonder Woman is "lame." That's what we have right now—nuptials that don't actually take place in a fictional universe and an actress of dubious talents maligning superheroines. I foresee some slow news days ahead.
That's because we comics professionals types are hunkered down, preparing for the summer convention season. We're working on making absolutely sure books get to the printer on time, making signing schedules for artists and writers, organizing promotional material that will be snatched up by freebie-hungry mobs who will barely look at it, finalizing booth designs, and generally preparing mentally for five days in July when we will meet readers, peddle comics, talk business with other pros, finely hone our Hollywood Guy radars, and learn just how much standing our feet can take. Big new announcements are going to dwindle until we're closer to Comic-Con International, or even until the convention is already underway in San Diego, from July 23-26.
So what are we going to do in the meantime? (And by "we," I mean, "you," and by "you," I mean those of you who aren't busy with all that stuff in the preceding paragraph.) May I suggest building a mental barrier against the hype, while at the same time strengthening your core appreciation for comics?
Here's what I'm getting at: As Comic-Con nears, you're going to be bombarded with marketing pushes that are trying to convince you that any number of comics are the best comics ever, and you need to reinforce your baseline of what actually makes a comic the best comic ever. Don't be fooled by flashy coloring, words like "groundbreaking," "ultimate," "fresh," "revolutionary,"— heck, just adjectives in general. If the guilt-inducing looks of artists hawking their wares induce you to take a look, consult your baseline. Is this something you really like? Is this something that your standards tell you is good?
What your baseline is will differ depending on your taste, of course, but as someone who once went to Comic-Con and came home with a dozen comics I'd never read, I'm telling you that you'll avoid a lot of needless spending (or spending on the wrong stuff) if you're aware of what that baseline is. Keep it clear in your mind as you're being propelled at a snail's pace by the crowd through the aisles at Comic-Con, and maybe you'll avoid being too overwhelmed, too.
If I had the time (and if my graphic novels weren't mostly in boxes right now), I'd build myself a fort made out of my comics essentials and hide out in there until convention time came around. I'd have another reason to finally drop a few hundred on Absolute Sandman. They'd make an excellent foundation.
Jennifer de Guzman is editor-in-chief at the independent comics publisher SLG Publishing. She also writes fiction—mostly in prose, occasionally in comics—and holds an M.F.A. in literature and creative writing from San Jose State University.
