My Comics Failure

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In this special episode, I talk about a time I failed to make a comic and how it all fell apart. I explain the mistakes that were made and what I believe it takes for people to be successful in any creative endeavor.

[@sergioruiz733]

I have a project that for over 25 years has been a hobby. Its a series of novels that are unpublished, but I loved the universe and characters I created and its just something I have continuously worked on since high school, but felt too afraid to let out into the world. This was great to listen to Chris.

[@TheThirdDaySH]

If you haven't already, I seriously hope you at least consider posting your content online someday.

[@kingmula2]

Post it bruh

[@floskywalker6220]

Oh! So I'm not the only one! Only been working on it about a year now but it's a comic that's basically my little sandbox. Play in it, write some stories, create see new characters in the universe, basically a living town and world I just sorta draw out. No intentions to publish though, it's just fun! Glad to see I could continue to do this for long long time!

[@michaelogden-schuette9175]

can we read it?

[@Bushybrow000]

#ReleasetheSergioruizCut

[@dustinhamilton639]

Loved this video, I know it's not always easy to talk about missed opportunities, but it is so valuable.

[@agentorange7602]

Learning is a process, failure is a part of it, speaks about one's character in whether or not they take ownership of those failures. Keep making videos and never give up...much respect

[@markmolino679]

Well said.

[@dimwarlock]

I am working on various projects, been doing it since 2018, failing over and over learning a lot about myself and the way I can work. I just submitted a 19 page work to a small editorial in my country, meeting a deadline and working faster than ever, if that doesn't go well, I'm 100% sure that the next one will.

[@khoatran415]

Good luck budy

[@stardust_memories2260]

You got us excited it's not too late to finish and publish it ✨

[@DiscoBolante]

Hey dude. I'm working on a comic myself (well, more a webcomic for now), and seeing this video has helped me motivate myself to focus on it more. It's been difficult since I'm much more of a writing and concept guy, but I'm too nervous about asking for anyone to collaborate on drawing, so I've taken up both writing and drawing myself, and I've got a hell of a long way to go before I could ever do them professionally. Again, thank you so much for sharing your story, it's inspiring to me.

[@davidpasco4413]

Hey Chris, I just wanted to reiterate how much I love when you do this style of video about your history. You have such introspection and honesty, it really feels more like having a conversation with a friend than watching a video. Thanks for sharing this with us all.

[@HeadmasterAutobot]

Pros and Cons laid bare that you're no slouch at artwork, but an Eisner nomination?? You're quite a renaissance man, Chris.

[@timothyball419]

I have a failed comic book stories myself. Would love another try before I am retired and regrets. Love art and drawing and love failure. Success always leads with failures first!

[@unstoppableExodia]

This was a great video. I can relate to the story of having a comic/graphic novel idea and building some momentum to self publish. It was all very much a one man show as hiring assistants in an ongoing capacity was unapproachable and I didn’t know how to get in touch with comic stores or how to copyright it. I was doing it alongside art school and a part time job which became my full time job until I left that to learn a trade. And that’s when I lost momentum. I’ve been working on the story, developing ideas and evolving what I already had. But it’s been so long now that sometimes I wonder how much holds up now compared to what I thought might work twenty years ago But still there is a part of me that would like to release L Badass no Densetsu into the world

[@garyfoss4394]

I always appreciate a creative's personal journey story--even if the term is a bit cringe. It's always worthwhile hearing from other people even if it is to only learn from their mistakes. In fact, it's probably more valuable than hearing a success story because those stories can be vague, cherry-picked, and difficult if not impossible to recreate. Kudos on the video.

[@lowgman384]

Nice off the cuff video, and also an inspiring story. I like this format as well as your more produced videos. Keep writing comics!

[@Nicomicosis]

Dude, I don't believe in talent, if talent exists I'm sure a few people in the world have it the rest of us humans just know failure and are learning that way (and it's full of successful people who did it that way) and if you don't succeed the first time the only way to convince your team to keep the conviction is to just turn the page and start a new project, something that shows them that the end was not just to publish a comic, but that this was the beginning of something, I learned a lot from this. Now that I'm in college, I don't have time to regret my failures because of a bad grade because the next day I have to get back up and continue being productive with the rest of my career, I have my girlfriend who is very supportive, I do it for her, for my family and I do it for me. It's all in oneself , mistakes are there for us to learn from them, your video on how you reflected on it makes me think that there are necessary mistakes at certain points in our lives and overcoming them or not will define the type of person we will be. Regards 🤗💪

[@redbulletcomics9850]

Great show Chris ! If you learned from your experience, I feel that is not a failure but a learning experience. I hope we all get a chance to see your project in print sometime soon! I self-published several comics in the 90's and it was an incredible amount of work that requires full-time dedication.

[@RashidZakat]

I've been thinking about how important failure is in our lives. It teaches us what can work, what doesn't and helps us find our way forward. Thank you so much for being vulnerable by sharing your "failure" and thank you so much for what you do. My Sunday mornings are always brighter when I can I watch a new Comic Tropes episode.

[@Dougeb7]

I like videos like this that give the feel of hanging out with a buddy talking about shared interests like comic books. The best channels IMO center on a likeable creator with a passion for something. Those are the channels I watch faithfully, even if I'm not particularly interested in the topic, because I like just "hanging out" with that creator. I do have family and many friends, but they don't share all my interests, so it's so nice to have KZbin "friends" that provide at least a little of that vibe.

[@kencoleman5007]

I worked with Paul Maybury back when we were high schoolers (I was really into the X-titles and Blaylock's GI Joe Run at the time while he was more into Green Lantern). Really nice guy. While I've had alot of big ideas and Patreon runs, buy the closest that I came to pro work was in college. I had a weekly b&w weekly comic in an associated SUNY school's newspaper for 3 years, I was brought into illustrate for some university zines, and my university's official school newspaper (the Daily Orange offered to reprint my series in color). So at the height of things, I was taking on my coursework, creating weekly installments for the first newspaper (with a grayscale approach similar to Viz Media's manga), and reformatting the older work for in-color syndication in the DO. My senior year, I got dropped from the DO. They got a new art editor who personally wanted to create every comic and illustration used for the paper. The next semester, he was in one of my studio courses, and was such a narcissistic douche. I continued with that first paper through the rest of of my college career. And have worked some non-art jobs while licensing designs for printed commodities. It was an uphill climb getting out of retail since the company was privileges some people with necessary experience opportunities for sign art while telling me that corporate doesn't allow. I was like "These two part time positions are literally available because my competition for another position won out, and now you're telling me that the opportunity that gave her the differential that won the promotion IS NOT ALLOWED by the company?". I was already also trying to get administrative jobs because gym discounts and employee discounts can't directly be converted to rent money, or be deposited into a savings account. I ended up leaving the company and got administrative training at a nonprofit group, and now work at hospital whilebpeople ask why I'm behind a desk and not a professional artist. I do wonder if in college, I (an undiagnosed Aspie with gender dysphoria) could've more quickly found my voice and ability to find like minded friends in art school.... if then, I could've had the connections to get agency representation as I was getting out of school. Because when potential employers saw the "BFA" on my resume, they always said that I was either underqualified or overqualified.

[@luciendesar]

Great video, and thank you for talking about it. It reminds me how some writers will write 5 pages of a book (literary) and then send it to agents and then the agents want to see a partial or full manuscript and then the writer has to write the rest of the book. By the time they are done, the moment has passed. When really it has to be completed and then shopped out. Although I have written several books completely, shopped them out and they never got picked up. A part of mess wishes I didn't spend so much time on writing those books. However, I've learned something after each one. talented/reliable/personality ---absolutely true in all of the entertainment industry

[@TriggerHappyD]

This is a fantastic video, I'm in the midst of a comic project myself so hearing a story like this is very helpful. Thanks Chris!

[@ShawnALLWorld]

Fun video and it brings back memories of myself trying to create a comic page I still have some where. Nothing professional at all, but brings a smile to my face whenever I look at it. Just like you said now it’s easier to create on your own because you have more resources. I say keep going, if you still have the passion to write a comic, go all out this life with a bang .

[@TRON0314]

Everyone needs a reminder to be reliable. Reliable results beat talent every time. I often forget that.

[@bujilou]

Dude just the fact you put the work in & got pages made is an accomplishment in itself.

[@tonygonk]

Comictropes has been an invaluable asset in my continued comic learning. I’ve been working on a comic of my own for the past 2 years and its basically my only aspiration to self publish it. I’m not trained in any capacity so I’ve had to learn everything myself, but I really want to stick with it until I’m skilled enough to have it work

[@marvinnation]

I really, really enjoyed this one, Chris. Takes big person to admit mistakes and an ever bigger and better one to learn, move on, and share the lessons. thank you for that.

[@atothed84]

I have a similar idea to you of sending in an idea for a sixty four page one shot that can be something more. Great advice on being talented, reliable and easy to work with. I think I'm the latter, don't know about the others, but I'm certainly going to put my best effort into it. And I'm doing it all myself.

[@Tine_of_Nice_Dreams]

I value how you mention at 12:50 that you didn't have what was needed for that particular project. I think as creatives it's easy to fall into a really destructive trap of feeling like we don't have what's needed for success ever, period. Although you call it a failure, it sounds like it successfully taught you so much about the realities of making a dream an actual collaborative and professional finished work. We all have to learn somehow and I applaud you for trying. It takes good faith and bravery to take the first step and face the many failures needed to learn. You have such an expansive knowledge and appreciation for storytelling through comics, I would love to see what older and wiser Chris would be passionate about and how you would tell a story now.

[@ianmiller1000]

Penciljack!!! You probably don't remember me, but I was on there way back when. Off topic, that forum was an amazing resource for myself in learning how to draw and also how to use the tools of the trade. I definitely credit PJ with taking me to the next step - Without it I probably wouldn't have been able to spend 10+ years getting paid to make comics.

[@ComicTropes]

I remember your name.

[@ghostdog1758]

Thank you Chris. I can't fully express how your story moved me😕. I like to write myself and I have many ideas. Self publishing has definitely been on my mind for years. Please keep going with this. You are an inspiration to comic readers everywhere.

[@ryancarless7921]

Nice video, I can relate. Just finished working on a comic for Webtoons and felt a little defeated but I'm not giving up on my art goals.

[@futurestoryteller]

I've completed at least one draft of two distinct screenplays and I once wrote a fan fiction that was the length of a novel, if that counts. One of the screenplays was a collaboration with a film student who was a friend of my brother. In my opinion it fell apart because he wanted to put his unique stamp on it, but didn't have a good idea what that would mean. He kept saying I was too stubborn, which could be true, but he threw a lot of ideas my way, many of which were self-contradictory, and story breaking, so I never got the sense that he had a firm grasp on what he wanted from the story. It's one thing to butt heads about specific elements, it's another thing entirely to throw dart at everything. Consequently I was left baffled at what exactly he found appealing about it to begin with. The subject matter being controversial might also have had something to do with it falling apart, in the end. I was inspired by some pretty intense Korean films, and he told me he was having trouble finding financing because people were uncomfortable with how dark it was. I was not willing to compromise on that point. When he said he "worried" I wouldn't find work if I wasn't willing to make that kind of sacrifice I basically told him I'm not exactly "looking for work" - like a longshoreman, or something. Don't get me wrong, I do _need_ money, but you can't make art, which is an expression of self, if what you sacrifice in the process of realizing it is your identity. It just doesn't make sense to me.

[@hennaoctopus]

May i just say, your theme song is a banger. Always gets me bobing around in my seat 😋

[@gerryandersonisbest]

We really need more of successful people talking about their failures; it's humanising and inspiring. Amazing video, well done!

[@bloocheez3]

If more pros had this level of introspection, the industry wouldn't be as bad off as it is right now. Also, its hard to see this a failure and more as a dodged bullet. Imagine getting a full green light to do a mini series and THEN your artist decided to not do it. That's a huge mess you didn't even have to deal with.

[@WebFanNY]

Thanks for being 17:34 open and honest. We love your self-reflection on the past and how procrastination lead great hopes unaccomplished. This video made me think on being more diligent in the goals I set for myself, time flies and projects don't get done by themselves. Hope one day soon you get to finish and publish the work in your hands in digital form, so I can put it on the Amazon cart too.

[@jonathanmartin-ives8665]

I really enjoyed this story. I had a self published comic fall apart as well. The one similarly was that the artist lost interest. I even offered to pay more, but she said she was depressed and bailed. Luckily I was able to cobble together what she had completed and produce a cliffhanger. I submitted to Image and such and got rejected, but Todd is right, I'm still plugging away. We are creating an indie Roger Corman-esc movie now 🎬. Been shooting since April. I hope you will try again now that you know more, and know more people.

[@Rob_Gibson]

Love this. Great top 3 recommendations. Thank you Chris.

[@ganjjabarsmedium2347]

Thank you Chris, this is so valuable to me and anyone trying to develope a comic. I will take your advice and really try to cement them in my brain !

[@Allan5366]

Finished projects? My Masters is the first that jumps to mind, but that was only because of my awesome supervisors and support from my friends. Cannot overstate how important they were. Apart from that, starting my business was a slog, but I finally got it up and running. It's only small, but I sincerely believe there's a need being met there

[@nikoalecsovich]

An invaluable lesson to anyone interested in making comics or any other artistic endeavour. Thank you for this Chris!

[@jameshamill4709]

Thanks for this Chris! I'm 25 and I used to make short films with friends all the way from middle school to community college. In college I had a lot of projects fall through or turn out poorly (but not in like a "so-bad-it's-good" kinda way). The last couple years or so I had just been so focused on the failure that I couldn't seem to move past it. Your channel has been a great place for me to, in a weird way, recover? Like, watching your videos I can appreciate writing and storytelling from the audience's standpoint. Your enthusiasm for each of your topics has been a nice change of pace for KZbin media criticism. Through you and other channels I've discovered writers and creators I might not have otherwise, most notably Darwyn Cooke, whose work I fell in love with. Hearing you share your story of a project that fell through reminded me of a few of my own. It seems like it took time, but you've been able to move past, while still acknowledging that it happened. I look forward to seeing the work that you will create and I look forward to creating work of my own.

[@WayneD.Ashford]

i was blessed back in November of 2022 at a local art show to sell my very 1st self-published comic book; i made 12 copies of it & sold almost all of them save for one and with help from my grandkids and one of thier friends plus dressed up as my character, in less than 3 hours made $$225.00 total...so i can relate to this episode 😮😊❤.

[@jeffheavlin9633]

So appreciate you sharing such a personal story. Thank you not only for your candor, but for educating and entertaining us through your channel!

[@BONEHEADSbro5625]

I myself are trying to make a comic and just today I took a big step for myself I ask the person who was at the register who I think was the owner to look at the draft of my comic and he said that I just need to finish it and print it out and he'll sell it.

[@federicoarmando8359]

As someone who is trying to make a career as an artist/writer, and who would love to eventually pitch my ideas to Image, this is very helpful. Thank you, Chris!

[@marqosmarqos1201]

Thanks for your humbleness and honesty. This was truly a teaching moment that will help many of us when we are eady to take the plunge. Good stuff.

[@Auckdarren]

Great video and info. "Failure" is harsh. Even after "making it" I made mistakes, learned, had some lucky breaks, some bad breaks etc. Looking forward to your next comic! Chris, if you wrote a book about realistic costumed vigilantes I think it would kill! Great, positive insights.

[@mattm.775]

I remember the Wizard World forums! I used to post there when I was in college. I didn't realize they had a forum for creators. I also have respect for people who are able to self publish comics. I have some ideas of comics, well characters but I keep putting off actually sitting down and writing them.

[@josemontano7767]

I really wish we could back 20 years back I hate these modern times

[@MartinSchlierkampIllustration]

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences, Chris! I can relate a lot, without going into details here. I wouldn’t necessarily call what happened a personal failure though. We learn and we grow, we get better in what we do. Some „get it“ early on in their careers, some take a little longer. And for one door that shuts, others open. Never stop learning and never stop being creative.

[@NickBartolo]

Thanks for sharing your story. Very relatable.

[@Rometiklan]

Very cool vid. Loved the unedited presentation. Thanks for sharing your experiences and advice, Chris!

[@BlueDragonArt]

I love the honesty of videos like this one (I enjoy all of these videos). It's great to share this insight and to also be honest about our strengths and weaknesses. I like hearing about other people's ventures and reflections :3 It helps inspire, and I think it's great to learn from one another.

[@trevorwooten9485]

Thank you for sharing your journey with us. I wouldn't actually call this a failure but definitely a learning experience. I hope you do have a chance to get that story out someday. I'm currently going the self-publishing route. I write and illustrate books available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc. I'm waiting to have more available before I approach Diamond. Yes, it's work, but I definitely love doing it myself. Thanks again.

[@Jcarroz]

Thanks for sharing ur misses and how u would fix them. I think this is all good advice for young people wanting to get noticed.

[@danielleister1]

Thanks for sharing Chris. Great episode, I'm having to think about a lot of these things as I begin my self publishing journey.

[@Dunebat]

I worked eight years for a religious TV station once upon a time. (I'm still doing camera stuff for them on a volunteer basis, but I worked full-time as a writer/editor/camera jock back then.) We were developing a Discovery Channel-style docu-series on the Book of Genesis based on tour footage from Israel we had laying about our archives, and I got the job of writing/developing/editing it. I took a long time to develop it when I should've moved much faster, but with the help of two voice-over people I got three episodes edited and in the can for general manager's approval. Unfortunately, the-then general manager (don't even get me started on her) didn't like the Bible translation I'd used for the Bible verses scattered about the episode (I think I used the NIV to make it easier for viewers to pick up on), so she made me change ALL of them to standard King James Version throughout all the episodes I'd written (six scripts!) and the episodes I'd already edited. By the time I got finished, we'd changed general managers (the previous manager's sister took over, as the place was a family-run affair), and the new manager scrapped the project entirely (especially since both the voice-over guys had left the station by then). Over a year's worth of work done away with. I had nothing to show for any of it, and instead of continuing editing work on some other project, I eventually got moved around to helping out other departments (Engineering, the bookstore, etc.) as the place got downsized until I eventually left as well.

[@AAA.O]

Thank you for sharing this experience

[@DiarraHarris]

Oh, I know about personal failure. Whenever I think about the comics that I put up on Webtoon I still get chills!

[@ulyssesveracruz8343]

May i ask the name of the webtoon that you put ?

[@keithhamilton736]

Ooooh do the rise and fall of Wizard magazine. I used to read it cover to cover in the 90s.

[@edwardburek1717]

This is a captivating episode in your life. At least you managed to do the one thing that all comic book fans aspire to - having your work published, in one form or another. Now, all I want to know is - how can an unwashed proletarian from the industrial English Midlands like myself purchase works like this?

[@eduardoparanagua1031]

great video again. Our past experiences shape us to face on the new ones. We are all here because our failures in the past were building blocks.

[@PriestessOfDada]

I have had so many comics projects fall apart for so many reasons. It's important really, to have the awareness to iterate, and you'll get there eventually. Just a matter of patience. I think you would be shocked to know how often people refuse to look inward at their own journeys and concede that they were wrong, or could've done better. I do it all the time. I think I'm past the point where making comics would be something I would enjoy doing, but all my experience with it is something that's useful towards the fun creative things I do now. That's the cool thing about creative experience: it translates between creative fields

[@boomieboo]

Thanks for sharing this story. Would be great to see you actually complete this or another comic idea of yours to put the lessons you learned from your first comic venture into practice. See if you can do it! We would love to see behind the scenes and the actual comic itself when completed!

[@torpedoboy4]

Great advice! Thanks!

[@jamesrobinson4028]

Fascinating video, thanks Chris!

[@quetzocoal]

It’s not a failure! It’s a learning experience. You can always publish it via your channel ? Just put two or three pages at the end of the show.

[@yoy5903]

Your mustache is amazing, I hope you keep it

[@BarriesChannel]

Very useful. Thank you Chris.

[@antdujar]

Hot dayum! We need more comics from ya in between things! Especially short comics! Amazing work, Chris!

[@liamwalpole3873]

Wow, thank you for sharing man, this is great!

[@raydillon]

Awesome video! Thank you for sharing your story.

[@pious83]

An excellent story to share. As a kid enamoured by comics, I always wanted to be an illustrator. I wasn't naturally talented, but I worked very hard and developed a decent style out of it. But at the time, I couldn't afford to pursue art into a college/University etc So it didn't go much further than that. These days, I tend to write more than I draw. But now, only for my own amusement.

[@dennisharrell2236]

Before the internet was everywhere, about 25 to 40 years ago, there were amateur press alliances. The way these worked was that participating people (limited to about 15 to 25 people, to keep things manageable) would get together through the mail and elect a central mailer. They would keep an account for postage money with the central mailer (CM) and send a specified number of xerox copies (of comic related material) for that month to the CM who would then collate everybody's submissions and mail out a complete copy to everybody. Our work got out to a small number of likeminded people and in our submissions for the next month we would critique and offer tips everybody's submissions for the previous month. I was a member of APA5, which at times through it's history had people like Frank Miller, Paul Chadwick, and other notable talents who later became big names. Some of our people were very talented and slick, some had more enthusiasm than talent. APA5 eventually died out, mainly because the internet became a common thing. Does anybody know if there is an internet equivalent to amateur press alliances today? Back in the sixties there were self published magazines (?) like Witzend and Alter Ego (which decades later became a full fledged magazine). I suppose there are self published efforts like that today, although I assume the internet has changed that, too.

[@dalemuir1105]

Great video as always, thanks for sharing!

[@edwinsuarez2725]

thanks for this. I've been working on a personal project and its been pretty stagnant

[@oscarmejia1003]

Thank you Chris, for sharing your expirense, its pure gold.

[@samt5911]

Very informative. Hopefully, your next publishing venture goes well.

[@loringbush1455]

I've tried for years trying to break into comics and the thing I finnaly realized that if your not related to Stan Lee Jack Kirby Joe Simon or John Romita also the Kuberts you will never get that job penciling or inking!

[@Ringmaster138]

Chris, why haven't you tried to restart the comic? It's not too late. The premise sounds great!

[@MrFaceNumeroUno]

Oh man Chris you are just so awesome. This comic you made looks amazing

[@MrFaceNumeroUno]

The other response on this thread is bogus spam

[@levierickson7321]

Thanks for this one, especially, Chris!

[@jesseperrett3692]

No failure. Raise it from the ashes.Ya ain't dead, yet & you MIGHT be a little wiser...🤔

[@camdencap4974]

great video man!

[@reapercushions9372]

Thanks for sharing

[@MartinPittBradley]

If you take talent out of the equation, you are most writers. Kidding aside, regular updates are a weak point for me too, and I’m talking about a totally different industry, but it’s just as deadly

[@WayneD.Ashford]

(*PS- i was 62 when i sold my comic. i'm now 64 (10/11/1959) in 2024)...😮

[@caucasoidape8838]

I was dumb enough to go to a private animation school. I haven nothing but debt to show for it.

[@malcire]

Can we buy any of your work? I love your input (and review, input, views, and such) and would really love to read some of your work.

[@loneangler9063]

question? I've been a artist for almost 2 years, and I've entertained trying to get work with comic companies. But I've been afraid of not cutting it when it comes to my just above-average art talent, and mediocre story telling skills. I have thought about starting out by going independent comics route and working on My skills though there. is it a good idea to make your own works to get some experience before attempting to get work through companies?

[@ComicTropes]

Yes, making your own stuff proves to others you finish things.

[@SpecialAgentBuzz]

Have you ever done a review of independent comic called ‘Strangehaven’?

[@duvan.deschain]

So... now that you have a pretty great platform, why not give it another shot? I mean, you can reach out to different types of artists that share your passion. Like you said, it can be crowd founded or even published un Webtoon and if it picks enough interest it could then be printed. You learnt your lesson, you got the knowledge and now the platform. Come on man, go for it! PS: This coming from a learning artist that would submit some work if you're willing to go that route.

[@DJ-Storynexus]

Great info I have a idea based (loosely) on my life. I feel so overwhelmed trying to write it. It’s never good enough. Also I am not a artist. Any suggestions?

[@cookieDaXapper]

....oooppppssssss I think that I know this story,.....personally, just happened to be the Artist on my end. PEACE dear Sir and God bless. (Our comics dreams aren't dead just delayed by timing.)

[@caballerosalas]

Never it's late to start again.

[@tekkaden5594]

This is why ComicTropes is the goat

[@PatriciaCross]

I want to read this.

[@Madmatilda42]

Amazing video.

[@takkun169]

Super jealous of your Ninja Turtles machine.

[@alcoholicgoat]

I hope you try getting back into comics again, it'd be a shame if you never got a chance to be a storyteller

[@jameshopkins5702]

Sounds like heroscape the game