Hello!
First, welcome to all the new people who joined my adventure as a comic book writer by subscribing to this newsletter. I appreciate you all and will honor your confidence by being the best comic book writer I can be.
These new readers came from my project Don’t Push the Red Button, an anthology that explores the moral dilemma If you could push a button and get lots of money, but someone would die, would you do it? from eleven perspectives by over 30 creators in a 100+ page fantastic book, currently in the last stage of fulfillment!
Speaking of anthologies…
Tales from the New World
My anthology Tales from the New World has a live PRE-LAUNCH PAGE on Kickstarter. I would appreciate it if you signed up and helped us reach 50 followers. We only need ten more!
This anthology presents three "a bit too close to reality" dystopian stories about pets, memories, and family. It has art by David Stoll, Bianca Yamakoshi, and Mike Morrocco, and all the pages are ready! We are only funding the printing, so you will get your books quickly!
Cover by Dennis Menheere
What is it with you and anthologies?
I love comics because of the collaborative aspect. I love telling stories, holding the book, and swiping through the pages, but the combined effort of writers, artists, letterers, editors, publishers, and more into creating something out of nothing fascinates me. The possibility of organizing a project that encompasses as many creators as possible and creating opportunities for them and me to show our visions and ideas is the best.
Hearing creators worldwide share their backgrounds and experiences in our everyday language, comics, is seriously the best.
So today, I’ll announce my latest anthology!
Let Us In
An anthology by non-US creators about breaking into a US-centric comic book industry.
Cover by Ames Liu
What’s this about?
It all started with a Tweet:
The outstanding and unexpected responses showed many issues with international creators attempting to join the comic book industry scene. First, we need to state a fact: this industry is US-centric. Most creators, publishers, and opportunities exist within the US. And those outside need to put in the extra effort to get in.
The stuff that arose was:
No possibility of crowdfunding since the service is not available.
In the case of crowdfunding using an alternative method, distributing or buying your own comic book is impossible.
Relying on creators from the US, UK, and Canada for fulfillment.
Attending major cons, networking with editors and publishers, showing your work, or relating with peers is impossible. There is a lack of local conventions.
There are financial limitations on visiting US comic book stores and retailers. Building a good working reputation with retailers is harder when you can't visit. All of that makes it harder to do promotional signings.
No possibility of working abroad (getting internships or payroll work).
Receiving funds (No PayPal, no SWIFT transfer system), managing funds, or paying or receiving funds (No Wise, Revolut, Cash App, Venmo) is impossible.
No VISA to visit or work abroad.
Big publishers are in the US, so getting into an IP is hard. No publisher presence abroad (no booths, no tables, little portfolio reviews)
Racism.
Xenophobia.
Payment gateways.
Different timezones.
Weaker currency vs. the US dollar, so everything is more costly from our perspective.
Our countries don’t value the medium or have the infrastructure to support creators.
Language barrier.
Constant FOMO.
Confusion between Western Comics and American comics (capes).
Cultural differences and resistance from publishers to bet on different themes. Our stories aren’t as marketable.
Companies treat us badly regarding exploitative contracts and conditions because of the lack of other options.
Mental and physical health toll from withstanding all of these.
The comic industry owes us nothing, and we chose this path, yet conditions could improve. Vastly. And they could begin to value us more.
Is all of this present in other industries? Probably. Does it make it less of a problem? Nope.
It’s time to speak up.
My Solution
I’ve always thought that everyone has a story to tell. As a creator, I confirm this daily while speaking with aspiring creators who share their perspectives. Therefore, my way of helping fellow creators who struggle with the above problems was by giving them opportunities to share their work. Thus, this first anthology issue addresses the elephant in the room, speaking directly about our experience and struggles to join the US comic book industry as foreign creators. If it’s successful, my goal is to keep publishing more volumes with other creators and stories, focusing on giving creators outside the US opportunities to share their stories.
Despite my wanting to bring many creators, we decided to keep this project as a pilot and see its viability because we will tell stories that aren’t as commercial, with a theme that we are unsure how the audience will receive. It’s a bet, and we wanted to keep the risk small and the probability of success high! Rest assured, we believe in it 100% and will work hard creatively and in marketing terms to make the project a success.
Who qualifies?
One of the main struggles in creating this project is addressing who qualifies as a foreign creator who has struggled. All struggles are different, and quantifying them is problematic. I’ve had many reflections on this. Even in my own case, I'm from Peru, but because of my career, I can travel to the US as a tourist and promote my work. Other creators are doing worse, and others are doing better. So, I think this book will benefit from having a range of creators who, despite their struggle, understand what people are going through, having lived it or experienced it in some way. We will come from a place of respect and understanding, showing the readers how we feel about our place in the world, our love for comics, and our passion for making it in an industry that sometimes feels far away. I love telling genuine stories, and this project promises to bring honest and personal stories that I hope people will value as much as the people who create them.
For this first issue, I’m joined by creators Francesca Fantini, Anas Abdulhak, Matthew Robins, Narjes Ruyan, Robby “Raw” Melendez, Anna Everts, Cara Brown, Molly Jones, and Paty Stefano. A couple more announcements are coming soon.
What’s Next?
During the following months, we will work on building a foundation of artwork and content, aiming for a Crowdfunding campaign in September or October and publishing this book at the start of 2025. We will host an open call for submissions for future installments depending on reception. We are beyond excited to hear everyone’s thoughts and excited about creating stories that matter to us!
For old subscribers, you may noticed that I’ve been inconsistent with my posts. I’ve been working hard on projects and haven’t found the time to write here. As everyone says, I’ll try to be more consistent. The ideal is once a month. Before, I was fearful of not delivering quality content, but I’ve come to a point where stuff is constantly happening with my comics career, which feels great and excites me to share it with you. Inspired by other colleagues, I’ll try to organize my year and projects, incorporate my newsletters, and have every piece of the machine working!
I’ll be back next month after attending SDCC as a guest and Texas Latino Comic Con’s Artist Alley as a creator, my first appearance as a comic book writer! Until then, stay awesome, and go read something!
Thanks for another great newsletter! I’m very excited to learn more about Let Us In!! That’s an impressive list of names you’ve provided already, and such an excellent premise. 🤩
It's been inspiring watching you grow as a comic creator! You're definitely putting in the work. Congrats on the new anthologies and have fun at SDCC!