HOW TO IMPROVE COMIC BOOK PODCASTING & SALES -or- HOW DO I REALLY FEEL ABOUT ROB LIEFELD (An Opinion-Piece)

Dear Readers,

       Recently, I wrote an OPINION-PIECE., I talked to Beni Rachmanov (CEO of iShook & Admin of this site) about adding an Opinions Category or something for me to click. He still hasn't. Basically, I'm a minimalist. I'd prefer to use this as a SUBSTACK as well as posting articles, so whatever ideas he has that'd categorize that the best, it seems good. Frankly, what'd seem better than Substack to me is that without any of y'all subscribing, I or anyone else doing this on it would be monetized just by people clicking on the page. That said, thanks for showing up. Thus, I continue onward with today's rant...

MY PROSE, OBSESSION WITH RESULTS & THE iSHOOK COMICS PODCAST

        While life is busy, it's not like it's ever been before. For the past several years, I've been able to crank out novels with this freakish, weird brilliance, like drinking water, or something. Now, prose for whatever reason seems harder. Being the Sigma Male that I notably am, I'm obsessed with results. Literary promoters are constantly trying to get me to promote my books & I tell them, if they can show me that they can bring in sales, money coming in justifies money going out. Let's face it, we're not all equal in our authority to talk about whatever subject or do whatever thing.

         Behind the scenes, I'll talk with Beni about the iShook Podcast, which he tells me is growing. We've had some good episodes, I've brought on quite a lot of guests. Guessing, I'd say it was around maybe 50 different people & 1 lunatic indie creator that went sideways. Watching comic podcasts isn't new to me. I've seen/listened to an enormity of them. Many are filled with people who're currently making real comics for real publishers that are going to real comic shops & the views are sparse. Contrarily, there are others that have (what I'll call) podcaster/personalities that people tune in for, regardless of how big or small they are in comics. What I'm getting at is that someone like Rob Liefeld or Scott Snyder whose name on books translate to gobs of people buying gobs of books in the physical world can look a bit lackluster via the people watching on YouTube versus someone with maybe 200 people who'll drop cash-money on their book, but will have some 10,000 people watching them on YouTube, doing superchats, fighting like idiots in the chat, paying them to say things. In truth it's all an apples-to-oranges kind of thing & people have different ways of looking at it all.

WHAT WORKS IN COMICS, or THE ROB LIEFELD WAY (WHO'S WHO)

        Rob Liefeld is an acclaimed comic book creator who's made a name for himself creating Deadpool, Cable, Domino, etc. He was one of the founding members of Image Comics. His podcast, Robservations with Rob Liefeld, lives & breathes love for comic books. Rob Liefeld & Todd McFarlane are both on the same page if you've listened to them talk. They are both ART-FIRST guys & frankly, the artwork within a comic book is what gets you in the door the first time. However, I feel as a writer, yada, yada, that excellent writing, i.e., substance, keeps the reader coming back. It truly is the correlation of the two. Like them, bad art will drive me away. Moreover, I will say that as artists, these two lack nothing. Both of them have compelling styles that I enjoy & have found myself wowed by. They've both done things that have been incorrect in one sense, but appealing to the eye in another; thus, thinking outside of the box, the two have both exhibited some level of artistic genius, which many have heralded.

        Rob, on his podcasts, shows his heart for comic creators. He tells them that if they have become established by drawing Batman, Spider-Man, or whoever, they ought to come over to Image Comics, stepping out on faith, because their name sells. And while that may sound like very 1990s thinking, I'm not about to argue the business end of comics with Rob Liefeld. Provably, he's a no-nonsense business guy that gets results.

WHAT WORKS IN PODCASTING+INDIE COMICS, or THE ERIC JULY WAY (WHO'S WHO)

        Both contrary & in similitude to Rob Liefeld's ideology, Eric July (Rippaverse), one of the highest flying factions amidst Indie Creators, also seems to build his roster, "The Cool Table", if you will, with YouTuber/Podcast personalities that amassments of people to tune in & invest in. Beyond getting established creators, he gets individuals that a number of people follow because they think they're cool, lets them write stories within his anthologies, etc., and banks on it. And while this isn't some new sort of thinking, but rather a business tactic of utilizing celebrity, that Gene Simmons talked about on his reality series, it is one that works.

         Further, the same popularity/cult-of-personality that drives masses to tune in, also causes a vastly smaller percentage of their followers to buy any merchandise that they're affiliated with. This works great for anthologies. I both understand that from someone with a background in literature & as someone (like Eric July) with a background in music. Just like in music, when you're putting on a festival, it's not one singular band/group/artist that draws someone in, but the fact that you're stacking them up in the docket to build a larger crowd. I know that Eric gets that, 'cause he's done a bit of that via his anthology comics/magazines. Likewise, I've done it through literary anthologies that I produced & it does work. As a writer/creator, it's really the cheapest form of advertising. Anthologies act as a perpetual sample platter. While someone might buy the book due to another person being in it, if they get hooked on what you do, you've gained another reader/fan. Anthologies cast the net wide. That's why they're smart.

"EACH ACCORDING TO ITS KIND" ...to borrow wording from THE BOOK OF GENESIS  

        ...With that being said, I'd be remise to point out that Eric July/Rippaverse has also brought aboard a number of people who've worked within the mainstream comic book industry & also utilized "lesser-known individuals", i.e., the 3rd designation, all of whom faithfully work for him. And that last point speaks well of Eric. ...Sure, it'd be great to see him bring in more outsiders who might very well be darkhorses, diamonds-in-the-rough, unpolished gems –and he has– but it's also ideal to remember the people who have genuinely shown that they're with you & there for you. God knows if insurance companies, Netflix, or whoever would treat people better when they were with them, instead of trying to woo them after it's over, they wouldn't have left in the first place. We can chalk it up to love, preventive maintenance, or whatever. Regardless, it's a good move & shows good leadership, in that regard, to Eric July. 

       The difference between these podcaster sorts, Nerdrotic or whoever, is–while they're no Mark Waid & will not sell nearly the number of books that he would–they'll take that 2-3 digit number of people watching live on the internet & boost it to a 4-5 digit number. Essentially, I'd say that it's like comparing a Cheetah to a Shark. The same is true of a lot of us. Take me for example, I've had a history of outselling many other vendors at literary conventions & such. I'm extremely personable, my book covers look cool, & I engage people well. While that's all empirically true, I also could & have flopped on crowdfunding campaigns. Despite that, numerous people tell me that they want me to do a crowdfunding campaign & in regard to my creator-owned content, I back away. It's the Cheetah & Shark thing again. What works for one on land doesn't for the other, 'cause it was built for the water...

MY FEELINGS ABOUT COMIC BOOK PODCASTS & MARKETING

         As someone who deeply overthinks everything, values competence, & results above empty words, fluff, and whathaveyou, my feelings about comic book podcasts are a to to unpack. First, let me say that I appreciate all of the podcasts with lesser listeners who do interviews, commentary, or have some sort of structure. These indie people who do these 6-hour brain-rot livestreams where they drone on mindlessly over abunch of middle school foolishiness is insufferable in my essessment & there are a lot of them. Likewise, these platforms that are build on a house of discontentment, like the afore mentioned Nerdrotic & other shows like his in my mind do nothing to help comics. If you don't like something & want to do a review, someone like Snarky Jay Cosplay with her 15-20 minute videos comes off infinitly better than what might be perceived as a bunch of bitter middle-aged fanboys, dejected has-beens, and so forth. Is Perch better than them all? Well, his show is, so in that sense sure. But, saying all of this only skims the surface to what comics needs as far as podcasting, livestreaming, and things of that nature.

 REASONS WHY ROBSERVATIONS WITH ROB LIEFELD IS BETTER THAN MOST COMIC BOOK PODCASTS & THE COMIC INDUSTRIES' NEED FOR ANOTHER STAN LEE

• Rob Liefeld exhibits a genuine child-like love/joy/passion for comics, i.e., Ride or Die.

• Rob Liefeld is a good story-teller who genuinely knows the history of comics

• Rob Liefeld is an established/well known person within mainstream comics

• Rob Liefeld is a dynamic speaker. He's entertaining & captivating–regardless of what he's talking about

• Rob Liefeld is highly knowledgable about all things surrounding the comic book industry–educational

        Yes, if Rob Liefeld drew pictures on his stream that too would be a plus mentioned here. Everything listed above is what makes him the closest thing that Comics have right now to a Stan Lee. A part of me feels like man would be an excellent figurehead, spokesman, town-crier sort for comics. Speaking personally, if I was the top brass over DC Comics, Marvel Comics, or whoever, & I could say to Rob Liefeld, "Rob, I want you to go on this feed and essentially sell this, that, or the other to people" & he'd do it–that's something that comics needs. To be quite frank, there are few people with that energy & dynamic. Another person that I'd put up there who could pull something like that off would be Todd McFarlane. Like Rob, Todd brings a lot to the table and my saying this is both because of that & the way that he comes off. Both men beam with an infectious enthusiasm, have a celebrita within the comic book world, a knowledgability, and so forth.

        Comic Book Companies, I emplore you, stop fixating on the people who aren't there without first meeting the wants/needs of the ones who are. The people who are there are the ones who keep the lights on. If they fall off, you fall. Prioritise your existing customer base. The quality of the overall books that you're putting out will cause word of mouth, just like with manga, movies, and so forth that eventually wound up becoming phenominal successes. Also, if you're a comic book publisher & you can't get Rob Liefeld or Todd McFarlane, who can you get that comes closest to meeting this criteria? I mean, Kevin Smith would be a much smaller example of what I named within comics & yet he does have a name, a pressence, a knowledgability & footprint in comics. Patton Oswalt (the actor, comic book writer) would be another. If you let him flex & really show what all he knows about comics, talk about his work in comics as an open (plug) to build credibility to the listeners/viewers, and then then go to selling/pitching what you're wanting him to–exactly like how Stan Lee did for comics–you'd have something there.

WHAT I FEEL LIKE MORE LOCALIZED COMIC BOOK PODCASTS, STREAMS, SHOWS NEED

           There is a fine balance between order & chaos. A good example of what I mean by this is the Johnny Carson show. There was a format with some wildness that was kept in its lane. The problem that we have is that most comic book related podcast streams skew far to heavily in one direction or the other. This means that they either consist of dry professional interviews or the people on them act like they need to be heavily sedated. And I'm hear to tell you that what comics needs is a balance of both. If you're still reading, I'll give you a few senarios.

         Recently, I began a small comic shop. Don't clap. It's really minimalistic. It consists of a 4'w table with 5 BCW boxes, packed with organized name recognision comics & tabs saying what is where, that are $1 each. Pretty ground level, impulse buy stuff, right? I like to keep the ceiling low. Anyway, it's inside of a local coffee shop & the owners young son, who loves comics & has never been to a comic shop before loves it. He's homeschooled, sits around there reading comics all of the time, telling people about comics, talking about how he has always wanted to start his own comic shop, etc. Do any of y'all remember what that was like? If you're my age, you wanted the TMNT movie & wanted to swing around some nunchucks, or felt the magic when Robin Williams flew in Hook. Anyway, I see that in their son when he is talking about comics & quite frankly, that's what comics needs.

          Their son, whom I will not name, has told me about his friend (same young age), and how he's into comics & wants to start a comic shop to; and thus my efforts to get Rob Liefeld to communicate with me privately about "business" began. I'm always doing something, you know? I thought that if I could mediate a podcast episode or something between Rob Liefeld & a bunch of starry-eyed kids, with them all just having fun & talking about comics, that is what comics needs. Please both imagine it with me & if you're able physically force him to read this column that I've written.

ROB LIEFELD: "Hey, everybody it's great to be here. What kind of comics are you into?"

BOY: "I like The Hulk (or whoever)."

ROB LIEFELD: "Whoa! I remember the first time I read the Hulk (or whoever)..."

        Comic People, do you get what I'm saying? Where is the love & fun? If you want to bring younger readers into comics then Mickey Mouse Clubbing it, or whatever you want to call it, would be helpful. Also, I meantion Rob Liefeld specifically because of all the reasons that I named that add worth to him. I think that kids like him & that he's not a weirdo who'd be problematic to have around them. So yes, something lite like this that'd be appealing to younger audiences would be good. For adults, it's have that spark that we all remember. It'd be refreshing.

        Secondly, I feel like for older/general audiences you need that balance of the serious & humorous. Make it fun. Have a straight man & a fool, if you get what I'm saying. Perhaps, in today's post-mordern-speak "a comic-storian" & "a-comedian" might be the better phrasing, but you get me. Have a format, stay on the format, but have some slack for humor, zaniness, and that type of thing. If you dislike something don't dump on it, roast it in a way that's funny. Make fun of it, make jokes about it in a light hearted way that is playful & then move on. As an example, you think that Disney Star Wars is an abomination, why not go full-on Riff-Trax/MST3K on them. ...I mean presuming that someone on your show has the copacity to. Simply put, that'd be a better way to do a bad review by expressing years of outrage via your streaming podcast.

       With all of that said, there are things that I can give as examples of podcasts that are aesthetically better than others. I don't really have to though. You'd know them when you saw them. The people have some kind of little setup going on. There is some level of production quality to it, a good microphone, lighting, the space all around them, and intro, and extro. Possibly even little visual clips inserted during their program. Anyway, if I was going all in on a podcast that I had total control over, had the resources, and such – this is exactly how I feel a Comic Book Podcast ought to be done. Sincerely, it'd be far better for comics in general than what we have now.