HEADSTATIC is my baby. It’s not perfect. It’s got flaws... you know, it’s up & downs - but that in a sense is what makes it beautiful to me and those who’ve enjoyed it I guess. This is really how to view what it’s like making a comic and getting it to a public as well. It’s not perfect by far. It’s a long strange trip, but that’s what makes it such a fun ride. But you know this already. You’re reading this because you want to hear someone else say, “It’s really easy... don’t stop trying... never give up...” You’re reading this because you don’t have a choice in the matter really. You don’t just want to make comics... you have to. It’s your passion, your burden, your dream. Thankfully Xeric is here to help. So what do you do from here? It’s simple. Draw it. Submit it. Pray. If it happens. Congratulations. If it doesn’t, so what? Try again. (It took me two times folks.)
I don’t pretend to know anything about comics or what’s
‘popular’. I’ve been collecting comics since 1989
and I find that I know less and less about it than I thought I did everyday.
Comics are a million different things to a million different people,
so there is no ‘right way’ to go about things really. There’s
always going to be a new hot artist or title or story or genre, but
that’s what’s great. That there’s always new stories
to tell, new voices to hear, new images to be seen with each passing
day. That is a testament to the art-form itself, that it holds value
because it’s affected so many people’s lives. It would be
a shame for that to ever disappear, so go do your comic.
My only word of advice is to make the book you’ve always wanted
to make. Don’t pull any punches. Don’t think about what
you feel people might or might not like, think about what you want out
of a comic. Have fun with it. Love it. Every part of the process. From
making the book, to printing, to distributing, no matter the size of
the audience. Then it won’t matter what people think or say about
it. It’ll always be exactly what you intended it to be. In other
word’s it’ll be perfect.
-- Jay Hacker