Thursday was a good day for comic book - and videogame- fans. There was a lot to do in the evening.
Two streams that are a must-watch for any comic book fan. The first one was Chip Zdarsky1 and Charles Soule2 on Chip ‘N’ Charles Chum Chat and the second was Donny Cates3 and Ryan Stegman4 w/ special guest Scott Snyder5.
The scheduled times were 6 pm and 9 pm, respectively. In the meantime, we had The Game Awards, with great teasers for upcoming games including one featuring Wonder Woman. From the start, I knew this evening was going to be great. But surprisingly it turned out better.
I will be discussing my experience in both comic book streams.
First Stream
Chip and Charles are great. And one of the reasons they are great writers is that they are in constant communication with their audiences. They both have newsletters and occasionally participate in this kind of stream. On this occasion, it was free for newsletter subscribers - a free subscription - so anyone can pop in there and talk to them/ask questions. During the stream, they also discussed comic books, their working experience, upcoming projects, and fun anecdotes. There are three things I want to mention that I particularly enjoyed about the stream:
Ed Brubaker6 joined them for a while so there was a conversation with three Daredevil writers. I’m thankful for these unexpected interactions between creators. And all for free. Unbelievable. In any other industry, this would be called a Comic Book Webinar with an inscription and entrance fee. But giving these opportunities free of charge shows these guys care about the fans.
Chip mentioned the five characters that he considers every writer likes to write: Doctor Doom, Emma Frost, Ben Grimm, Namor, and J. Jonah Jameson. Charles added Jen Walters (She-Hulk). They said that each of these characters has a unique voice which makes it “easy” to capture their essence and write their stories.
Charles talked about his new comic book, co-created with Ryan Browne7, called Eight Billion Genies. The premise is genius: what would happen if everyone on Earth, at the same time, had one wish? Charles mentioned the book will explore the first 8 seconds, 8 minutes, 8 hours, 8 days, and so on after the initial event. It will include distant times like the first 800 years. He also mentioned that during the first eight seconds we follow a bartender who wishes that no wish can affect his bar or anyone inside. Therefore, this bar becomes an island from where we will see the rest of the world. Amazing stuff!
You can find the whole stream on Chip’s newsletter sometime soon. And 8BG comes out on May 2022!
Second Stream
In June 2019, Ryan Stegman (see footnote 3), Griffin Sheridan, and Ethan S. Parker (podcasters, better known as “The Supple Boiz”), started a podcast called Stegman and his Amazing Friends, where they talk to comic book creators (almost always Donny Cates) or among themselves, about weekly news, how to make comic books and general shenanigans. 2 years later they have expanded into their own media empire, with their own publishing company called KLC Press, a Substack page where they post free and paid content and comic books, and 5 podcasts, all taking about comics but from different angles.
As part of their Substack content, they do streams where Ryan draws some cool stuff, while Donny and the Supple Boiz talk to the paid subscribers who join the conversation while streaming it for the general audience on the chat. Thursday was a special one. Scott Snyder was going to join the stream. And a frenemy of the network, Chip Zdarsky was going to pop up. He wasn’t announced but he always finds a way to make an appearance. So this stream would be stacked, and every comic book fan should’ve been watching.
The stream was running its course, great talk and fun shenanigans, opinions about Twitter and the comic book industry, about trolls and their negative impact. It was an informative and interesting conversation on the state of the industry from a creator perspective. As usual, I was having fun, writing in the chat and listening closely.
And then Donny says: Ryan, did you wanna …. And Ryan starts speaking. This moment is better shown in the next video. Please watch from 1:42:30 until 1:44:50, then continue reading and after reading watch the whole thing:
While this was happening I was in shock. There were a lot of things going to my head:
How is this happening?
What should I do about it!
WTF!!!!!!!
Do these people know who I am?
I was completely surprised because this was not expected AT ALL. At one moment I was thinking: this is real, right? I can’t be dreaming right now but really, WTF is happening?
The happiness came later. Listening to some of my favorite creators talking so positive about my Substack was amazing.
I started writing in 2018 on a Wix Blog for fun. For different reasons I stopped in January 2019 and didn’t create any more content until the start of this year. I started by posting my monthly reads on Instagram. Between March and May, I wrote a couple of articles but I stopped again, pivoting to a TikTok account to make informative videos about comics.
My goal has always been to get more people into comics. People that enjoy the movies and series but do not know how to get into comics. Or maybe they have a wrong perception of what comics are. Or maybe they need a small push to start reading some character or story. Or maybe they don’t want to but have a particular curiosity about some aspect of the industry. In either case, I want to be there. Because I’m aware that in this industry - like any other - more people means more and better products.
In simple terms: I love comics and I want to share my passion so more people love comics, and with that, publishers make more and better comics.
I had success in TikTok but I missed writing, as I wanted to share more about myself and the comics I liked. And then NYCC happened. I got to meet many creators, attended panels about working in the industry, and remembered what I loved about comics, which is having a group of people showing their passion, having a good time being themselves. I don’t have friends that follow comics as closely as I so at the start of this year I also started to relate more closely with members of the community, by watching more content online, reading more, and joining a Comic Book Club. So after NYCC, with this boost of creativity and passion, I started posting regularly on Twitter and opened my Substack account, following the comic book creators that migrated here.
On this third attempt, I started writing in English. It allowed me to practice my writing in a foreign language, as well as to write for a new audience I had met during the year.
But I also felt I was at a disadvantage. Here in Peru, there are a lot of people who like comics but the number is really low compared to the US and Canada. This meant that my content had to be better, with accurate knowledge and skillful writing.
Fortunately, I was up for the challenge! Because I had gathered new knowledge and experience in the industry and had listened to many creators. In addition, I knew the best tips to follow:
Write what you like, do not mold your writing to what you think your audience expects.
Keep writing. Don't worry about writing something bad, but about stopping. And always have fun with it.
And that is what I did. I started writing what I wanted to instead of what I thought people wanted.
On Thursday, I felt it paid off. My work was recognized not only by fans like me but by big creators of the industry. They encouraged people to subscribe to my newsletter. I was already so happy with my content and this gave me a huge boost going into a new year. I feel like all my objectives are closer and that I’m going in the right direction.
I remember on Scott Snyder’s first class8, where Joe Glass9, one of the students, asked a question and Scott recognized him and said that he had read his book and it was awesome. This memory stayed with me because for Joe to hear a compliment from Scott must have been amazing, and last week - before Thursday, I thought: what if I write something someday and Scott says the same about it? That would be INSANE. And now it has happened.
In addition, I consider this whole situation a big win for Latinxs. Representation is rising, Marvel's Voices: Comunidades just came out this week, and now I see my favorite creators recognizing my work, Peruvian work. It makes me happy that I don’t need to be in the US or Canada to make an impact on the comic book community. And that people want to read what I have to say. We have a long way to go but we are making moves.
Overall, this mention is a big boost for me. For my confidence. I had big plans for 2022 and Donny, Ryan, Chip, Scott, the Supple Boiz, and the community, have opened a huge door for me. My plan for next year is to talk to creators and other players in the industry to bring more, better content focused on comics, the community, and how we can get better as a whole. I consider the stories and characters are important, but I believe meeting the people behind them is key for people to get into comics. Because they discover amazing individuals fighting for their dreams, and they can relate to them and their work.
2022 will be great, I hope you join me for this wild ride. See you there!
Housekeeping!
First of all, I want to welcome and thank all new subscribers, I value your support and I encourage you to comment or contact me if you have any feedback or question about my content.
I have one post left before the end of the year where I will talk a bit more about this experience and the creators involved. I will mention why these creators were so significant to me, as I have been following these four people for a while now, so I have more stories to tell. And a great picture I have with Chip to share.
Until then, stay awesome and go read something!
Writer of Daredevil (2019), writer of Spider-Man (2017-2018), among others.
Writer of Daredevil (2015-2018), She-Hulk (2014-2015), Star Wars (2020), among others. Co-creator of Curse Worlds for Image Comics, along with Ryan Browne.
Writer of Venom (2018-2021), Thor (2020), Hulk (2021), among others.
Artist on Venom (2018-2021), Spider-Man (2013-2017), among others.
Legandary writer of Batman (2011-2017), Justice League (2018-2020), among others.
Legendary writer of Captain America (2005-2009), Daredevil (2006-2009), among others.
Co-creator of Curse Worlds for Image Comics, along with Charles Soule.
Besides writing incredible comics, Scott teaches a Comic Writing 101 Class on his Substack.
Writer of The Pride, a ComiXology Original.