THOUGHTS ON THE EVS vs. VOX DAY LIVE STREAM

[@johndoe-hr6vp]

The rebel flag used to be fun. Remember the General Lee on the Dukes of Hazard? I had a toy general lee when i was little. I associate the confederate flag with jumping over police cars.

[@TheBladeMovies]

If Day's plan really *is* to push the Overton Window in comics back to the center with his uber-right stuff, and leave room for more non-sjw stuff to start back up without being attacked into oblivion, then I'm willing to give it a shot. The interview last night was quite enlightening, and I look forward to more

[@317Chris]

EVS, calling us "customers" instead of "fans" is the best approach. We ARE customers first. I think this is the best approach with both sides of the extreme ideologues. Customers is an objective business approach, Fans seems more like a subjective truth approach.

[@loreacat]

Evs you are a man of honor. Keep up the good work and know you have a life long fan here

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

Thank you!

[@loreacat]

ComicArtistPro Secrets Thank you, sir

[@gamgron]

I quite liked the livestream. You asked your questions firmly and let him/insisted he answer them. Really all I could ask for in an interview.

[@nwoking666]

Ethan, how about Peter Simeti from Alterna Comics as a potential guest? He has some neat ideas about getting the industry back on track. Going back to newpaper print to sell comics for 1-1.50 range. Also is working to get Alterna back on Newstands. He currently, I believe, has a deal with Toys R Us to have comics at the checkout lines. Just a possible counter to Vox where he is trying to target not only regular comic fans but to bring back casual readers who would pick up a comic on the newsstands from back in the day.

[@millernumber1]

The Burgundy Ghost This is a great idea.

[@Aalienik]

I'd love to see him on as a guest! Seems like Alterna is doing a lot of interesting stuff. They're also starting to try distributing their comics outside of Diamond. (I thought they've broken off from Diamond completely but I was mistaken). If they can succeed, that might be an important step to breaking up that monopoly.

[@MagneticEye1]

The Burgundy Ghost - Yeah absolutely agree, would love to hear Peter Simeti's thoughts on the industry. I'm only just starting to see Alterna Comics being stocked in my LCS down here in Australia.

[@windlesSpice]

I'd tune into that for sure. Make it happen EVS! Great content btw. It's appreciated!

[@ethanvanscriber1095]

I love classic literature too. I love crisis on infinite earths, invasion, knightfall, the death of Superman, and what have you.

[@AndrewAcostaYT]

Ethan Vanscriber tha classics.

[@tytyvyllus8298]

Another thought... Even if you don't like the injection of politics into superhero comics that althero represents at leat he's not crapping all over the characters that we love. That's what pissed us all off right? I mean no one cares if sjws make their own dumb sjw characters in their own titles, we hate garbage like Jane Foster Thor getting shoved down our throats, right? Vox isn't turning Spiderman into a a hard rightwinger who peppers his dialog with Evola quotes. His company is creating their own stuff.

[@spaceknight793]

Good point. Plenty of room for people to go their own way. It just shouldn't be at the expense of established properties.

[@job5861]

I thought Vox represented himself well, and I'm looking forward to Alt Hero. Regarding all the worry pants and lecturing, stop being a bunch of cucks. Either the story is good or it isn't. Wish for a good story, tell Vox what you think makes for a good story, leave legitimate reviews when product comes out, and wish him the best with the endeavor. All this, "but he's making fatal flaws, the industry can't bear the weight of a rebel flag, only folks who read the last four decades of comics can produce comics!" is just blather.

[@tytyvyllus8298]

I didn't get the feeling he was totally discounting current comics fans. And I think there is room in comics for more than power fantasy---which I enjoy reading--but some of my favorite comics aren't that. E.G.: Maus by Spiegelman Contract with God by Eisner A Drifting Life by Yoshihiro Tatsumi Maybe there aren't enough people like me to sustain a business, but I guess Vox is going to try

[@Aalienik]

That was my take as well. While the comic's written by Vox Day himself might not appeal to the traditional comics fans, other comics published through the company might follow more traditional american superhero tropes. The problem with SJW's infiltrating the large comic companies weren't primarily that they added a bunch of bullshit SJW titles. It's that they added those titles while at the same time removing or changing titles featuring established characters and stories. So even if Vox creates a bunch of crap that's just as unbearable as the SJW tripe, it's still a net gain for the industry if he also facilitates the creation of good titles as well.

[@tytyvyllus8298]

Yep, and if he can break the distribution monopoly he'll have done a good deed for all comics creators

[@cecilsays9451]

Your interviewing skills are getting really good.

[@RealSB]

Diversity, Inclusion ,Compassion, Kindness & Comics I have to agree, I never heard Vox's voice or read anything about him, just what other people have said, I was very impressed with his view point. EVS asked all the questions I had about the whole situation. I feel much better informed. It was a really good interview.

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

Are they as good as yours, though?

[@cecilsays9451]

No. Of course not.

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

Sorry, I went a bit crazy there for a second. Whew.

[@anthonyj.manttan9986]

That picture frame is crooked.

[@ViewerQwsae10]

i KNOW! Dude needs to straighten up those damn frames.

[@pencilmania8622]

I'm really hoping Arkhaven is successful, they do have the tools to do so, and he mentioned a drive to improve in the interview. Bane is a great character, and having his creator, Chuck Dixon, on board gives me hope.

[@TimeCodeMechanics]

I've already weighed in on Twitter, but I think you did well. Not a fan of Vox Day, but I appreciated the conversation from a creative and business standpoint and I think both of you have some good points about the industry. I personally don't see him not reading comics as a problem, but a major thing he has on his side is he has a specific audience that he may be able to market too who are seeking his kind of material. If they're loyal and it's enough of them, that's all he needs. SJWs are rarely loyal and most people buying for political reasons don't stay, but if he's offering something that clicks, it can work. I don't market to the Marvel/DC crowd, but when I produce my superhero stuff I will want that crowd. If he can bring in a new audience for his stuff, he'll be able to succeed, but the question is will they stay. My problem with all of this is the negative image SJWs have brought to heroes of color, which hurts people making "diverse" characters, who aren't interested in SJW nonsense, as even the people mainly interested in SJW content don't seem to want to actually support it. (I have a whole host of ideas why(starting with fantasy itself being problematic). But I am interested in the conversation about this distribution aspect as the Diamond monopoly is a serious issue. They basically act as gatekeepers for the industry, just as the film and music industries have gatekeepers and KZbin is cracking down apparently to help those industries to stay on the top. Anti-competition practices and bad business all around.

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

It was a good discussion/interview/debate. This is a good analysis. I'm going to highlight one thing, though. I too am from the North (the Midwest; Iron Brigade all the way. Badgers!). The Confederacy did not appeal to me and I wish we had never had slavery at all. However, a much younger me (who was much more pro-North) also watched The Dukes of Hazard. I enjoyed it. My sister enjoyed it. Even the cartoony stuff (TNT that doesn't ever hurt anyone ever). Did that flag poison the well? Not back then. It was seen as how he described he sees it. Things have changed. Things have shifted - have BEEN SHIFTED. I'm afraid I agree with him on that, and the need to not just give ground to vocal, lets call them "SJWs." Iconoclasts. People who want to tear down our icons, really whatever they are (starting with low-hanging fruit), and replace them with their own ideological ones. Fighting that comes across as ideological also. But it is what it is (I used to be a very mainstream liberal, of the old school. I changed. I then used to be a very normie conservative. I noticed the mainstream conservative movement conserves nothing, but maybe 2% shift in rate of growth in spending and moderate differences in marginal tax rates. Not good enough. Sorry.)

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

I wanna say it was a good show. It wasn't, really. But it was a *fun* show with fun characters, fun actors, fun, goofy plots, and it struck a cord with a lot of people. When I saw it I was of the perfect age to see it. It was good escapism and we don't have enough of that anymore.

[@Porphyrogenitus1]

I've watched Knight Rider too. It was so tots realistic to have the car's garage in the back of a 16 wheeler. Rolling down the highways. And A-Team, the other champion of live-action harmless dynamite. I loved it when a plan came together.

[@ChrisP872]

I used to collect comics in the 80s and 90s and had about a thousand or so. About 10 years ago I considered collecting again some of my favorite characters. I tried a Ghost Rider mini series and it had been corrupted with blatant left wing politics. I decided it wasn't worth the money. If I can collect books that don't have left wing politics and are unlikely to in the future then I will collect them if they are interesting and entertaining enough and worth the money.

[@zezefly6486]

it went much better than i anticipated

[@waelse1]

Good sharp discussion, he came off as well as possible. Gaiman is an OK but overrated novelist (haven’t read his comics), it’s a reasonable position to take.

[@belmontNevermore]

So much this. I've read Gaiman because people gush over his novels, but when I ask what their favorite thing is that he's done, it's almost always Sandman. Having read both of their novels, Vox is definitely superior, though I'd say he's not as good as Martin. But then, few people are.

[@robertblume2951]

Wouldn't the rebel design alone suggest he is going to meet the demand for scantily clad women and action? Also James Coney Island, the hot dog, people have artisanal hot dogs. So the idea that you can't have both lines is rebutted in your example. And his going to have both. You can see it in his first to offerings. An action adventure sci-fi series with a hot dame and the wodehouse adaption.

[@marsultor8336]

Vox was absolutely right about Gaiman. In the field of comic book writers, he is a legend. In the field of writers, he's mid-tier at best. The best comic book writer will always be a lesser writer than the best writer. A comic book writer has an artist to lean on, a writer has to paint with words. Also, your opinions on the rebel flag, (It was never the Confederate flag) are irrelevant, you're a damned yankee. :) Heck when you watched the Dukes of Hazard you probably rooted for Boss Hogg! ;) I have a serious question though EVS, would you consider the old penguin pocket classic books to be comics?

[@bretts8070]

I loved the stream, and you had some really good hard-hitting to-the-point questions! If only the actual NEWS was that rigorous with political figures!

[@irondom]

The rebel flag isn't fun?!? I grew up watching the Dukes of Hazzard and judging from Ethan's age, so did he. The Dukes of Hazzard had a big rebel flag painted on top of the car and it was loads of fun as a kid. I don't think they ever smuggled slaves in that car of theirs. Always thought that the rebel flag stood for "southern pride". I'm just a European, so I could be wrong.

[@FortuitusVideo]

Irondome South of the Mason-Dixon, yes. North of the Mason-Dixon, still yes.

[@irondom]

To me, it just sounds like "Newspeak". They change the meaning of words to fit their agenda. It's extremely depressing that 1984 has become reality.

[@irondom]

The weird thing is that I can see, from all the way in the Netherlands, that it is an attempt to rob the South from its identity. So why can't Americans? Why does everyone pretend to suffer from dementia? It's weird and it's scary.

[@guerreroad6057]

What a load of tripe. I live in the south and the confederate flag sure as shit doesn’t speak to my sense of pride. If anything it speaks to a sense of great shame. The confederacy was a treasonous immoral racist stain in American history. That flag might as well be a Nazi flag. You don’t see Germans run around whining about their sense of pride whacking off to the swastika. So fuck Alt Hero or Alt Rebel or whatever the fuck it’s called. That skanky mascot is as pathetic as any SJW commie bullshit you would see from Black Mask

[@davidsnow2420]

Bullshit Aaron. The rebel flag has been carried into war by American fighting men from combat Marines in the Pacific to fighter & bomber pilots in Europe to Korea to Vietnam to every major engagement to the present day. Real Americans flying the rebel flag killed real Nazis. What the fuck have you ever done? The rebel flag long ago passed into pop culture as a part of cartoons, theme parks, tv shows, souvenir stands, business logos, movies, etc. If you allow racist morons to determine what the rebel flag means for you, fine, just don't project your ignorance onto others. Only racists see the rebel flag as racist.

[@ChrisP872]

"Guilt my association" should be universally rejected. It can make somebody want to investigate further but to be instant condemnation is child like thinking. Considering all politics the same is also child like thinking. SJW politics is not the same as right-wing politics with reverse polarity or something. An example: SJWs make women look like men and men weaker to be more like women. The right wing version is women are almost always sexy and men are stronger than normal. The SJW position here is "cancer" and the right wing version is simply idealized. An SJW might say the right wing position is anti-fat or something but that is of their own creation. What is a right wing example that would be bad that would be embarrassed by most of those who consider themselves right wing? A phony example would be positive portraits of bigotry which most right wing people would condemn. I have been a right wing person most of my life and have yet to meet somebody who is glad somebody was harmed if they were simply another race or gay or something. If I met such a person I would try to persuade them away from that kind of toxic thinking.

[@LuckyAzazel]

D&C made a good point in saying you can have those types of alt comics, but only in a healthy industry. They're the sides on the plate of Adventure stories it seems.

[@blacknad]

EVS. Don't worry - you were first class in that interview. And what you say here is absolutely fair. I hope Vox listens and aims his cannons at existing readers as well as trying to pull in new readers. I also feel that your concern about the confederate flag causing potential issues has merit, but Arkhaven is never going to be aimed at left wing snowflakes, but at more robust readers who hopefully aren't as triggered by such a thing. People like me, who welcome most things un-PC. I've been buying comics for 32 years, but haven't really bought much over the last five years because of SJW crap infesting it. I look forward to see what Vox's team will put out. I hope that if he is successful, we will eventually see you doing some stuff for Arkhaven. That would be awesome. I just want to thank you for doing such a great job with this - you come across as a really good guy.

[@KechupyDeath]

To be fair he said Neil Gaiman was a legendary comic book writer but not so much of a novel writer. Vox Day is a novelist after all so taking shots at other novelists is in his purview.

[@omnesomnibus2845]

Hi EVS, I love your interviews AND your post-interview analyses. A couple thoughts (not that you necessarily care): I agree, catering to the existing audience is basic good business sense. It IS worth trying to find new audiences though, but usually IN ADDITION to the current one. Or by looking at other existing markets, like the European or Asian comic markets for example. I agree though, I'm not sure that's what Vox Day is doing. It sounds like he's focusing on a political comic for a political crowd, which hasn't shown interest in comics before. MORE IMPORTANT to focus on story and art first, themes second. You will not win people to your viewpoint by preaching your politics. Rather you have to make sympathetic characters who then do things according to your world-view, and thus change the audiences' views emotionally and subconsciously. It's what the Left does and it's very effective. It's psychology propaganda. P.S., some examples of artists who gained new or unexpected audiences: - The singer Pink was advised that if she didn't do the original R&B that made her first album a success, she would lose her appeal. She did more traditional pop and was an even bigger success. - Taylor Swift too I think, from country to pop - Sara Bareilles was told that she needed a love song in her album to have success. She responded by making a song called "I'm not going to sing you a love song" which was her biggest success of all. - There are also countless stories of surprise movie hits that were better for not catering just to a specific audience. - By the same token, Disney churns out trash year after year because they ONLY cater to a specific audience and follow a formula. But they do make money. - Transformers movies only follow a formula of loud explosions, and ignore story. They suck. But okay, they do make tons of money (to your point). Basically I think it is worthwhile to be open to new audiences, while staying true to the fundamentals of what you think is good.

[@trajan4824]

I predict that the first issue will do great and then there will be a MASSIVE drop. Activists (who it seems like he targeting) have notorious short attention spans and won't care 6 months in.

[@AA-dn1tf]

If I could do anything in the world right now, it would be to straighten that picture frame behind you. I. Can't. Stop. Staring. At. It. It's crazy how a single crooked frame makes my brain say "messy room", but if I look around objectively, it's actually quite neat and clean

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

Haha. I fixed it.

[@deuswulf6193]

One problem is that you might not be looking at the complete "audience" for comics, its not just the current market one has to consider, but those who grew up with comics but did not retain that hobby due to various reasons (one obviously being alienation). What Arkhaven comics appeals to, at least right now in my opinion, is that market that also would like to be interested in comics again. The current market, the success of comics, this didn't come out of no where. There were people who bought it in the past, those who grew up with them, but feel left out due to the direction comics have gone. The audience is out there, many of it fans who grew up but did not have a franchise or product that grew up with them in mind. Some of us can respect the old far more than the new, as the new feels cheap or alienating. SJW convergence has ruined too much, so the demand for older or anti-SJW world view narratives/style is high. There is no "phantom audience" as you claim. The correct wording would be "alienated audience", and it is vast.

[@xyhmo]

Vox is a storyteller, so even without being an expert in comics specifically that should count for something, plus he's good at assembling strong teams and hopefully good a delegating.

[@mariosimoni2841]

Well i think at the very least he (as well as many others) should try to reach new audiences. To bring in new people.

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

Definitely, but he should build on the fandom that already is predisposed to read his stories in comic book form.

[@RealSB]

ComicArtistPro Secrets I don't know, EVS, that seems more like an assumption than a rule. Perhaps there is a bigger audience than is currently "tolerating" the current comic industry. There is an impression that comics are "SJW rags," maybe Vox can help change that, bring "back," add new people to the fan base. Marvel and DC are pretty gross right now with the propaganda that's leaking in. It might fail, but I after listening to Vox, I hope he succeeds. A conservative Christian vs far left ideologues, to me, that's an easy decision.

[@danielknieriemen8586]

+ComicArtistPro Secrets I'm a low level backer of the Alt-Hero Kickstarter. I was never into comics very much even though I have a good friend who owns a comic book shop. Yet here I am. EVS, you did an excellent job interviewing Vox. I'm going to share your video with my comic friend. I've been wanting to talk to him about Alt-Hero and I'm interested to hear what he thinks. Vox's distribution network sounds very exciting. I'm pretty sure I know who he's talking about. Ultimately I just want my friend's business continued success in a changing industry.

[@marcduquesne2876]

You don't even need to bring in "new" people, or some phantom audience, you need to bring back the people who used to read comics. When you look back over the decades the market has definitely become more "exclusive." in the 40s Captain Marvel was selling well over a million copies a month when the population of the US was much less than half what it is now. The current market is tiny fraction of the easily possible market

[@deuswulf6193]

EVS makes a massive mistake. Phantom audience? No. Try Alienated audience. The audience is not imaginary, EVS seems to do the same thing Marvel and current comic book publishers do, which is overlook or forget the very people that made comics popular leading up to this point. The audience has been alienated and forgotten, there are different generations of comic book readers. They have not become "phantoms".

[@bobbyspurling5140]

I agree and feel like I learn a lot more about the person like Mark Said or Dan Slot yes it's longer but I feel like you get more to the hear of the matter and give context to it. So thank for what you do EVS appreciate your broadcast and your art.

[@jjt184]

Look at that beautiful row of MST3K box sets in the background. Love it. I have them all too. Ethan, I love you even more now buddy.

[@brycedouglas620]

I honestly think that there is a larger market for comics than the comic book industry likes to believe. And I don't mean the SJW market (spoiler alert, they don't exist). I say this market exist because it exist in Japan in the manga industry. Their industry sales millions on millions of books of solo books. Heck, My Hero Academia is a superhero manga that sales 10s of millions of copies in Japan alone and that's not including everywhere else in the world. I say that to say people love story telling in general and people could come to love comics the way people clearly love manga but the industry has to embrace and change the way it thinks about the marketing and distribution of the books. I've been telling my friends about how Diamond is keeping the industry from growing and to hear someone else say that lets me know that others think the same thing.

[@mrmcdaniel2]

I wonder if musicians had these same "poisoning" concerns about the Sex Pistols in 1977.

[@TrueBagPipeRock]

Distribution. Vox could not name an artist, but went straight to the distribution problem. This is the same in many industries. He's right about that. And he's good with numbers. And he fights and likes to compete. Even if his comics suck at first, he will solve the problem. He's a leader and he likes winning and he likes team building. Distribution and Logistics. The boring stuff that makes all the difference that has nothing, but everything to do with it.

[@szopen76]

But the fact is that there is a different audience for comics. Look at the european old market. "Chninkel" - one of the best comic books I have ever read. yeah, sex and naked... women? Maybe yeah, but at the same extremely philosophically deep. There is manga - completely different market. There were old comic books which were just fun to read, without naked women or violence. Maybe, just maybe US audience is not typical, is kinds of vagaries of special circumstances or something.

[@1MarmadukeFan]

5:22 Husbando protecc u with he head.

[@supapowatyme]

He protecc and attacc, but most importantly he lean his head bacc

[@xlmncopq]

well, i dont expect alt hero to succeed by i like the idea of new people trying their hand in comics.

[@ragnarrok257]

The hot dog analogy is actually pretty good. The last time I remember a rebel flag being "cool" in comics was DC's Haunted Tank.

[@AdarBlu]

I think Vox wold need to import some franco-belgian comics if he want's something 'closer' to the classic literature model. There is some good stuff there.

[@whatsit2yachorus]

I think you should read his novels first before you are certain that the stories are going to be politically one-sided because that's not how was not was work at all. I'm also not sure why you think he's only doing one thing that will go over the heads of comic book readers because of quantum Morris when all Hero is the exact type of action comic book hero stuff that you're looking for. I think that you are looking at this in such a short sided small-minded way when he is laying out something that's much bigger.

[@bjf9304]

I hope he succeeds. Not as a political label, but a free speech label. Diverse group of ideas and stories clashing together would be great. No echo chambers.

[@SArtchannel]

His fans are not comic book fans. They are political audience, maybe some of them are comic book fans, but they want a product that is not a comic book in its true form. EVS You go my dude!

[@belmontNevermore]

I think your primary beef in this video re: disregarding the current comic book audience isn't really an issue. As Vox said, his theory is to throw out a lot of different things knowing that most won't necessarily be well-received, then try to correct based on feedback, and then focus on what works and let the other stuff go. So the only way he really fails are if he either overextends or if he can't produce anything at all of value. As far as the "poisoning the well" idea, it rarely works that way unless you buckle under pressure. It didn't stop Trump, it didn't stop Castalia, and it won't stop Arkhaven. If Arkhaven fails, it will fail on its own merits. If he produces quality comics people like, people will read them. If he doesn't, they won't.

[@SamGuthrie1977]

Vox doesn't necessarily have to be a comic book or superhero fan to make this work. Jenette Kahn didn't know anything about comics at all, but she came in as publisher for DC in the 1970's and helped to completely turn DC around and make it viable again. That said, if Vox is banking on the idea that he will tap into entirely new market demographics and bring lots of new customers -- it will not work. Mark Alessi, another computer guy no less, tried this with CrossGen in the early 2000's and it failed. This was in spite of CrossGen's generally high quality books, talented creators, and very aggressive multi-marketing approach.

[@drewwn]

Want to become a bigwig in comics quickly? Create exciting characters with solid artwork that comic readers what. Avoid drama, keep that only in the pages of your comics. Never goad, insult, threaten or challenge comic book fans to NOT like your books.

[@RoccoSFer]

You hear that? Phantom hot dog crowd!

[@MrCarlosj0]

RoccoSFer alt-right phantom hot dog crowd

[@RoccoSFer]

So are SJW left, thanks EVS for the gem!

[@rafal5863]

Comics are about escapism. Leave radical agitation for memes. That is where the woke go wrong. They are too radical and inflexibly on message to be creative. Vox is opinionated but has a softer touch with his ideology.

[@indiedavecomix3882]

Is this a case of misreading the audience? I was a little worried about a massive overcorrection where someone would start putting out far right wing stuff to counter the SJW stuff. As comic fans we don't want to read lectures, we want to see guys in pajamas next to girls in bikinis punching aliens. Ok, there's probably a grey area there.

[@indiedavecomix3882]

Benjamin Kraft ok, but right wing comics don't do that. They just make more comics no one wants to read. I think the current soft boycott is a slow process, but it's getting results. Sales are down overall for SJW books and social media is helping to identify the good players to support. I just bought Cable 153 because the artist has been great on Twitter and I liked the book when I got it. He even addressed the small criticism I had with it in a pretty cool way. It's a slow process, but it's starting to pay off.

[@Rhino-hn3jd]

Great Vid Uncle

[@TrueBagPipeRock]

I followed you for your art on twitter. You've hooked me as a youtuber and an interviewer. I still will get triggered, but I like true, real, authentic people. I am a fan of Vox, but when he could not even name an artist, I was bummed. I do NOT think it's a hindrance cuz Vox is a business man and has filled the vacuum for artists and writers fleeing SJW oppression.

[@RealSB]

I think Vox was more correct than you are willing to give him credit for. I think you are underestimating the negative impact far left ideologues are having on that already existing fan base. They are toxic/dumb/aggressive. You could build an audience just from the fanbase that has been personally insulted by "comic pros," not even counting all the people that will support Vox just because he is making a stand, drawing a line. He made many true and intelligent points. Time will tell. It was a great interview.

[@jwjoelwilder]

EVS good conversation. I really hope Vox Day can help some good creators succeed. Did you have to bite your tongue when he said artists have too much input? It was a big red flag for me. Unless you're Alan Moore the visuals are 90 percent of the work. Artists often become writers because they're already storytellers and writing is easier. How many writers become artists? How many writers succeed without appreciating the labor and skill of artists? (trick question- they become editors! AmIRight?! ) What he said about distribution sounds good and I really want to see some competition there. Thanks for taking time for us consumers.

[@tyshekka]

My problem is I'm not the comic audience often enough because they're expensive.

[@lordjohnbecker]

that interview style isn't just CNN it's FOX NEWS as well.

[@ScottyRichardStudio]

Interview was good. I had a feeling you would have more you agree on than not.

[@toddeverhart8683]

Phantom audience? All the people who bought X Men by the millions are all dead? A lot of the market has dropped out because it just isn't good or fun anymore. The audience of comics today have lost their gag reflex. You have to to read contemporary comics. I'm not talking about Vox or his comics, what I am addressing is the fact you think today's comic buyers are all that will ever want comics. The "phantom" audience is real and is waiting for a product that doesn't make them gag.

[@kriscontinuum3267]

Vox Day's vicious attack on Jordan Peterson is all I need to know about him. He seems pretty jealous of Peterson by my estimation.

[@michaelbarczynski2809]

Good interview EVS.. What Vox does not understand-- and the MOST important thing he is lacking-- Is the comic book culture. He is pushing his politics into the books but what he does not understand is WE DO NOT WANT FAR RIGHT OR FAR LEFT POLITICS POLLUTING OUR ENTERTAINMENT!!!

[@RealSB]

Leslie Smith What you fail to understand, want it or not, you ARE getting far left politics in comics, that's the point. Play nice all you want, that has not worked.

[@michaelbarczynski2809]

using their tactics against them means lowering yourself to their standards. The goal is to IMPROVE the standard. Taking strategies from Rules For Radicals is fine to a point-- it is a proven method for creating chaos. What we must focus on is-- Correcting the ship's trajectory from the chaotic storm before we- ourselves become part of the storm. The storm is destroying the comic culture- don't be part of the storm.

[@Quotheraving]

Doctor Fantastic Primitive medicine used to hold that you could cure an excess of one thing by applying the opposite.. It's an easy theory to 'understand' but it just doesn't work. Trying to 'balance' out the comic humors is like trying to flatten waves by hitting them with a hammer.

[@geekybugle4241]

I have read the stuff he has said in the past, I believe I have a good grasp on his personal ideology, and still, I wish he would do good comics and not political panphlets, I wish he succeeds in that endeavour if that's the way he is going. But if he goes all political he will fail, this isn't me wishing it, this is me making a prediction based on all the comic book fans that I know, we don't wan't more politicas but from the other extreme, we want good comics, like we used to have (and still do to an extent), escapism, not to be lectured about our racist or our race traitor ways. Judging by the images he's released of Alt-Hero (and the fact he still clings to the Alt-Right) I'm assuming a lot of things, I'm reading a lot of things on those images, and I can't say I like what I see, not only the art is basic but the script seems to be mainly about preaching his ideology.

[@GabrielSilva-km2qd]

You say he's pursuing a phantom audience because of comic readers only like one type of stories, kinda sad when you think about it.

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

No, I’m saying he doesn’t know how to tell stories in a visual medium, can’t distinguish good art from bad, has no love for this kind of storytelling, and doesn’t respect the fans that buy comics every week. He claims he wants to reinvent the wheel, which is bluster to cover for his ignorance. Comic fans will flock to any comic that’s beautifully drawn with a story well told.

[@RealSB]

ComicArtistPro Secrets That seems a bit negative, 😕. That's not how he came off in the interview.

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

That’s a fair assessment of his attitudes, at least the way he chooses to convey them. I’m not saying that to pick on him. Those are just facts.

[@TrueBagPipeRock]

People fear the Confederate flag to this day, but to say it's not fun? You may be right, but there is a dopamine hit there. Kind of like villains or horror. You may not like it, but there is some appeal. I know people who don't like country music, and yet, it's thriving while rock struggles.

[@dnaworks]

Ethan - you are very experience and intelligent but I have to disagree; Vox is *not* skipping over the heads of fans. He is offering a different product and iterating very quickly. One could make the arguement that this is same as SJW but the difference is, he *is* listening to feedback and incorporating it. I would love to see what a collaboration of you and he could bring into existence

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

It’s not “different.” It’s inept.

[@tarstarkusz]

Marvel and DC hate and look down on you. They do not want your business. They want a new audience. You think this isn't true, but it is. VD is willing to listen to your feedback and adjust, even if you are not what he is aiming for at this moment. But he is not outright hostile to you. How many times do these people need to tell you that they don't want you before you believe them?

[@WR3CK4G3firstandonly]

Ya know, total respect for your expertise, but looking for new audiences, new customers, gourmet hotdogs? It's exactly what a businessman does. The difference is that there isn't an SJW audience. Not even potentially. They're about 1% of the population. But lots of people like stories. Hey, one word argument for more diverse literature in comics: Japan. #1 comics consuming nation on earth, and a comic for every demographic and genre. YOU said the newstand is where people are exposed to comics! There needs to be introductions. And rejecting non-superhero-lycra? The pulp era, dude.

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

Looking for a new audience is great. Looking for a different one is foolhardy. Bird in the hand.

[@WR3CK4G3firstandonly]

Hey, thanks for the reply! I guess what I'd say is, discarding your established audience is certainly foolhardy, but there's no reason at all that an astute businessmanwomanperson can't do both, and do it better than just pursuing the same audience all the time. And don't forget, the #1 comic consuming nation on earth is Japan; and they're famous/infamous for having EVERYTHING available as a comic. Hell, manga has even arguably cannibalized the UScomic's traditional audience. In any case, while I'm not a big comics fan these days, I've been enjoying your channel. Thanks for taking the time to create this content!

[@bubbahclem6133]

don't fence me in!

[@EtherasFox]

CROOKED PICTURE FRAME. (!!!triggered!!!)

[@zerozaku1468]

I don’t get vox man. I mean comparing yourself to Gaiman? Nobody is haruki murakami, hes a great writer. But vox? Come on lol.

[@zerozaku1468]

And dude doesn’t even read comics? Nani?

[@Aalienik]

He was comparing himself to Gaiman as a novellist, not Gaiman as a comicbook writer. I haven't read either Gaiman or Vox' novels so I can't judge the merit of that claim. Vox did acknowledge Gaiman as being a much superior comicbook writer compared to himself.

[@zerozaku1468]

Aalienik didnt he also say all he does is rip off of mythology? Isn’t that what all rappers do?

[@Aalienik]

rappers?

[@zerozaku1468]

Aalienik *writers to an extent

[@zezefly6486]

as you say its all about the demographics

[@ravissary79]

It's great that he comes off as far more congenial and pleasant when speaking, but he is known for his writing, so he still doesn't get a pass for basically blaming his critics for not liking his book... how juvenile? He started all of this by saying he'd be the next best thing since sliced bread, abd when no one hailed him as the return of Jesus he turned on everyone who called him on his poor quality work. Why should anyone take such a person seriously?

[@supercomicfuntime1375]

I am dumbfounded by the number of positive reviews of Quantum Mortis on Twitter. I decided to give this a go as an experiment after watching the start of your review. I don't think it is good to give 4 and 5 star reviews to a substandard product just to piss off SJWs. I don't think it does the creator any good and it doesn't do the fans any good. And after the first issue, why do I want to spend any more money on it? Even if the reviews on the second issue are good, how do I know the book will be any good? The fans of Vox Day or the people who want to troll SJWs have burned a bridge. In my honest opinion Quantum Mortis is a one-star comic book. It should be pulled and re-scripted and re-released. I'm very curious as to how many pages of the novel it is "adapted" from are represented in the first issue.

[@supercomicfuntime1375]

I'm a story kind of guy. I don't mind a wordy book as long as it reaches some sort of point in the story. I'm re-reading The Dark Knight Returns now, it's very wordy but the story progresses and leads somewhere. Characters are introduced. The world feels lived in. The Infidel Featuring Pigman is also very good. Bosch Fawstin has something to say but he doesn't let that get in the way of story telling, appropriate cliffhangers, and exciting reveals. I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of The Infidel #3. This book just didn't offer me anything except the one page where we learn the whole history of the exiled royal family in one page. Most of Quantum Mortis should have been told in 4-5 pages. We don't need kiloseconds and hectoseconds. It doesn't advance the story and if you figure it out, Hildreth isn't going to arrive at the murder scene for over 2 hours! And there are no other major characters except those two. Except the Disrupted Man who gets the best part of the book. That tells me both cops should have been at the crime scene in a page or two, their characters being built from the story, and then we move onto the victim. And then maybe we define some sort of antagonist to lead to a cliffhanger or something. There's not even an antagonist in the whole 29 pages! It's mostly about Tower wanting to hook up with Hildreth. Which is not a story. As for the other titles you mention, I don't read them and my review wasn't about them. They may be far worse or slightly better. I can only say that Quantum Mortis is one of the worst books I have ever read and giving it four and five star reviews is a disservice to the creators and the potential readers.

[@deuswulf6193]

The fallacy in your comment lay in the fact that you seem to either forget or have not looked into the fact that its based off a novel. So why do you think it would get positive feedback? Have you considered... maybe, oh maybe, that these might be fans of the novel as well? That always changes the dynamic. Its also obvious you went in with a bias, this includes per-existing expectations. I won't say QM as a comic is good or not, but it is billing itself as a comic adaptation to a novel and one that's art clearly signals to the audience that it is niche (in so much as its aiming for a certain vintage look). These have to be part of the equation when going in and reviewing a piece of work like this. If you go in blind, expecting something else, well no **** you will not be happy. If I went into an Italian restaurant while expecting to get Sushi with a Japanese atmosphere, I'd be disappointed too.. but it would not be rational disappointment.

[@Ship-security]

If you're from the south and proud of your culture, and family history than the stars and bars are a source of pride not associated with racism. People in blue States and in other parts of the country routinely, scoff and make fun of southern people and no one thinks anything of it. So why should they care what the rest of the country thinks about their flag? History is an interesting thing, in Civil War time there were segregative and racist policies in many non slave states, also there were a few Union save states during the Civil War. Although rare there were also black slave owners in the South as well. Additionally many Indian tribes owned slaves for years after the end of the Civil War until the US Army forced them to let them go. I only mention all this because it's unfair to assume that if a southern Man is proud of his heritage and has a Confederate then he is automatically a racist. All that being said, Vox is a joke and I think his comic books are dumb.

[@ComicsLegend]

Hi EVS, I left you a message on Instagram Direct Message. Check it out when you have time. Thanks!

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

Sorry, I don’t use my instagram,

[@colmortimer1066]

I am very much a classical liberal, the ideas of individual liberty, freedom, right of man, really are what I am all about. But a comic book of a guy fighting SJW's and alt-right loons while they are both wildly opposed to my beliefs, while they push ideas that I believe in, is just not the kind of story I want to read. I want to escape the trials and tribulations of real life, and I would rather read something more abstractly deal with ideas in a more apolitical manner. I'd be alright with something that could even appeal to SJW's and alt-right type readers, because it is so apolitical that it can still speak to them. Let's escape from the divisiveness of the real world, and have stories that true bring people together, who may be divided on some issues but we can unite around our comics and even if we agree on nothing else, we can agree on our comic books that we love.

[@borguskorguss7082]

Ok, so u know barely anything about comics, make a comic with an obvious political slant or have a persona where the teasers show a political slant, when that hasn't worked out well for marvel, and yet u want 2 b on the level of dark horse and image... "Good luck!"

[@borguskorguss7082]

and while it is true that u don't need to know everything, or even be into superheroes 2 want 2 make comics, u have 2 at least know what worked with people in the past and now, otherwise it's going 2 b a disaster

[@Kiki-lk9xy]

A lot of lying SJW accusations from your fans towards Vox, was pathetic.

[@ChrisP872]

Yeah. So much of it was certain personal attacks repeated again and again. Many of them were complaints about the ego (high self value) of Vox. People should know a complaint like that makes themselves look bad.

[@ComicArtistProSecrets]

The chat room during the event gets erased directly afterwards and the interview itself remains forever. So it doesn’t matter what people were saying live.

[@Kiki-lk9xy]

Ikr, what do they want, for him to wallow in self despair on social welfare?

[@Kiki-lk9xy]

I was just surprised by the amount of begrudgery EVS, and blatant lies. When we reduce ourselves to the tactics of SJWs, what are we?

[@dakota4384]

Kiki Kikison Because Vox is full of himself.

[@aronorth1439]

Not a fan of Vox and think his heart isn't in it. I just hope that the creators don't have shade cast on them because of their association with his company

[@tobimiley]

He has no comic book knowledge.

[@ThePigeonmilk]

SJW or Alt right content sucks. And it translates to crap on paper in comic form in the end. Politics are boring and should be left out of comic books as a pandering positioning tool.

[@guerreroad6057]

Great interview. Here’s the deal: I don’t wish Vox’ endeavor into comics to succeed. And it won’t. If anything it will be a niche project forgotten in 2 years except people will remember that Vox had a comic project with a confederate flag waving mascot. Fuck that. And to compare this to a variety of rebels throughout the world is distasteful. And it’s not me or anyone else wishing for ‘year zero’ . It’s just that the Confederacy is not one of America’s shining moments, asshole. I hope Dixon finds out really fast what Vox is all about. Flee, Chuck, flee- as fast as you can.