Quality vs Getting Something Made
Creating comics is a difficult thing, if you’re doing it right. It always has been. Because if you’re doing it right, you’re doing it with quality.
Just getting something made, however, is a different thing entirely. When you’re just starting out, more than likely your story is going to be not as good as it could be. This is because you’re learning. That’s fine. Everyone needs to start somewhere.
The problem starts when you try to sell that story when you’re first starting. More often than not, that first story is not publishable, and for a variety of reasons.
Getting something made when you’re first starting is the goal. You get something made, you learn the process, you see how it works. Yes, this is an expensive lesson. Making comics, however, is an expensive process, and only those who are good and lucky will be able to break even, let alone turn a profit on their first book, or even their second or third books.
The catches are that good is subjective, and luck cannot be counted on.
Some creators attempt to inject quality in their first work by hiring an editor. An editor can and often will save your life, but they’re not miracle workers. They can only work within the scope of the creator’s talent and skill. Both of those will grow over time, but the creator has to be willing to put in the work.
Quality often comes after a quantity of work has been produced and discarded. After the learning process is well underway. Quality often comes after you get something made, and have gone through the process several times.
You want quality? Get a comic made. Learn the process. Spend the money. Then do it again, learning from the past mistakes. Then do it again. Refine. Repeat. And when you finally think you’re ready, try and sell it.
Ultimately, quality should be the result of getting something made.
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Category: Columns, The Daily Dose
