Hi, my name is Lin Workman and you’ve probably never heard of me. That’s ok. I’m only a household name in my own house, and that’s usually only when I’m in trouble for doing something wrong.
I was one of those kids who stuck a metal object in an electrical outlet. I built go-carts that had no brakes. I played in a creek without knowing how to swim. I thought that if my Evel Knievel wind up toy could do a stunt then I could do the same on my bike. When I got older I thought I could be “just friends”. You live and you learn, and some lessons are more painful than others. Some wounds heal while others serve as painful reminders. My girlfriend Nicki’s dad used to tell her, “Stupid should be painful.” He was right and I’ve got the scars to prove it.
Remember that scene in ‘JAWS’ between Hooper and Quint (or the scar scenes in ‘Chasing Amy’ or ‘Lethal Weapon 3’)? Well, after about 10 or more years of creating comics I’ve got plenty of scars to compare.
So why should you be reading any advice given by a “no name” in the comics industry who was lucky just to make it to adulthood?
If you are like me you would rather learn from other people’s mistakes than learn the hard way. The hard way tends to “smarts”.
If you’ve always wanted to create your own comics, or just mildly curious about self-publishing then keep reading and I’ll try to steer you around some of the mistakes I made or saw others make. Hopefully you’ll have a lot less comic scars and a whole lot more comic successes.
So why am I a “comic whore”?
Well, many moons ago when I was going to college to become a commercial artist our class was going to be part of art sale to raise funds for classroom supplies. Our drawing teacher told us that “little old ladies” were usually the folks who bought most of the art at these shows, and we should do something that would appeal to them. A few days later we were turned in our art. I did a few pencil drawings of some cotton bowls, landscapes, and such. Typical grandma art. The teacher looked a bit disappointed as she examined my entries.
“Something wrong?” I asked.
“Well, I was hoping for something a bit different.”
“Uh, like what..?”
“I was hoping you would use it as a chance to practice- you know, like throwing a jacket over a door and drawing the folds, or textures.”
“But I thought we were supposed to draw something to sell..?”
“Well, there are people selling themselves on the street corner.”
“So, are you calling me an art whore..?”
“Well, if you want to put it that way- yes.”
Did I mention I was going to school for commercial art..? Apparently that concept was lost on my drawing teacher.
Skip ahead several years later and I’m listening to Indie Spinner Rack, a comics podcast, and I thought I heard them say “comic whore”. I don’t remember now exactly what it was they did say, but that misunderstanding sounded perfect- I’m a comic whore! I looked to see if anyone had that domain name and it was available, so I bought it. I had no idea what I was going to do with it at the time, but it was mine now to do with what I pleased.
I’ve been on several panels at conventions over the past few years and always had folks come up after and want to ask more about self-publishing and promotion. Where do we get this done, where can they order that, and so on. At one panel I did at a show in Cape Girardeau, MO the audience got a kick out of funny con stories. It hit me, what if I do a site on doing indie comics and try to share what I’ve learned by self-publishing and doing indie comics the past ten years or so, and observations from being a comic fan for a few decades.
And that’s what I’ll be doing each week. I’ll be posting stories, links, photos, and things in comics and art that I think should be “pimped”.
So, if you’re a comic whore, or would like to be stick around and hopefully I can save you some mistakes and share some insight on the comics industry.
And remember what the Joker said in “The Dark Knight”, “If you’re good at something don’t do it for free.”
Be a comic whore, and not a comic slut.
Lin
PS- I wouldn’t be a comic whore if I didn’t tell you to be sure and check out my comic and other websites. 
Entries (RSS)
I agree, stupid mistakes should leave a physical reminder.