#Comicsgate - The Culture Wars Hit The Funny Books!

[Bunny Wigglesworth]

Stupid, but it made me laugh. Last update on IGG was a year ago, apparently. Damn.
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Yeah, I wrote RB off a year or so ago when it became clear it’s not important to him. His 90’s TMNT ripoff is the only thing he’s ever going to do post-DC. I don’t pursue refunds, it’s a donation for years of entertainment since I only every gave him maybe $20 in superchats over the years. Stupid, but the CG streams & CAPS videos were hilarious for a period of time, worth it to me. Reignbow Brüt was his best concept & aligned well with his culture war on pozzed comics, but he’s obviously scared Hallmark & his Dynamite“pals” will sue him over a parody. And it may not even be his concept:



I’ve gone sour on EVS. He’s a very entertaining dude, but not a serious person. Always ridiculously late fulfilling. Anyone else would be excommunicated for delays like that. And I don’t believe him when he says he isn’t resentful towards Eric, the comics noob who came in & blew away the seasoned pros threefold with some crusty Milestone capeshit. Doug Tennapel nailed him when he said “Ethan, you’re a Youtuber, not a comics artist.” When he watched Az’s gay video & said “I don’t care about superchats”...the height of disingenuity. He jumps on YT for hours a day 6 days a week instead of finishing his books. He could do more drawing streams where he gets pages inked, but those get a trickle of chat $hekels.

 

[WhimsicalTrolli]

I'd have more respect for Ethan if he went out and hired someone to do the art and he does the cover art. July is smart enough to hire writers, penciler and artist.

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

I'd have more respect for Ethan if he went out and hired someone to do the art and he does the cover art.

Then he'd have to pay someone. Money only flows one way in the Ethanverse and it ain't out of his pockets.

 

[Bunny Wigglesworth]

Then he'd have to pay someone. Money only flows one way in the Ethanverse and it ain't out of his pockets.

He’d have to cut back on blowing thousands of dollars playing Blackjack and going to Boomer concerts.

 

[WhimsicalTrolli]

Then he'd have to pay someone. Money only flows one way in the Ethanverse and it ain't out of his pockets.

Isn't Kyle ritter his go to colorist? Or he got kicked when he was simping for Mandy?

 

[Mister Dongs]

He was the king of Comicsgate which he took from Ya Boi, but now Eric has taken over comic crowdfunding from him.

Rippaverse comics aren't crowdfunded - they're created in advance and orders are collected a few months before shipping them out en masse. July (so far) is not really interested in being the king of any movement or community either (nor was Razorfist earlier this year). There seems to be a consensus among the other youtubers that leading a gate movement was a mistake on Frog's part that they want no part of, and July has made a number of videos to the effect that aspiring indie comic publishers should not expect to be supported by him. 'Jealousy' is a poor desciption because Eric isn't actually interested in much of what Frog has. Which is kind of the point.

If this were a matter of envy over a dollar sign or an interpersonal conflict or squabbling over which big name's leg the slums of CG are trying to dry hump for clout it'd be much less serious. Instead Eric is using his 'top dog' status to put out videos like "Making Money in Comics: The Overview" that explicitly invalidate a lot of sacred CG tenets like the elevation of the creator and the use of parasocial networks to make a creator/fan bond that edges out gatekeeping middlemen like publishers. Another is the CG agitprop that comics are dying because the comics are shit and are that way because of gatekeeping and whisper networks in the comic industry. Eric is presenting an inversion and challenge of this: Western comics are dying because they're bad at business, which means they're stuck with the low quality people willing to work for scraps, which means they have shit comics. Fix the business and you fix the comics. Adam Smith invisible hand shit, y'know? This also happens to elevate the entrepreneur/the publisher over the creator, which as the most successful publisher in this scene, would naturally place Eric as the supreme authority on such matters and not comic pros who even with talent and celebrity have negligible knowledge on business, which is what's actually relevant under the new Rippa paradigm.

Tellingly, July is careful to not the word "creator" in preference of the word "creative". One suspects 'fixing the business' involves a boss-like figure reigning in these out of pocket creatives frittering away their time slacking, fighting each other, alienating potential customers and dicking around on social media and youtube. Someone needs to make them get back to work doing what they're supposed to be doing: making comic companies money and giving the long underserved customers what they want in exchange for a living wage (Eric breaks down setting down a comfortable middle class salary for an artist). So with all that in mind, why would Eric be interested in usurping the crown of a community of independent creators creatives and wannabes? He's interested in customers. Creators creatives only have value in this as far as an employer/employee relationship.

In the past, Frog could just dismiss such challenges by using his status as top dawg to handwave critics and detractors because his ways are more successful and therefore more valid. Now Eric's doing the same to him (he learned from the best) and so he's actually having to actually defend his positions for the first time ever. Here's a transcript from a stream a few weeks ago championing art and the value of criticism:

The tide kind of started to change though. I think it really started to happen for me where you can see it happening on YellowFlash's live stream back in June. Where the most important thing to me, of course, is getting better. We have to get better. What is the indie comic scene about? What is it for? What is the Iron Age for? You know, if we're going to call it the Iron Age, what is Comicsgate for? What does any of this, what is the purpose of the Culture War to me?
Well, to me, the idea is to create stories independently, which is not easy to do. I mean, we have to kind of scrap a little bit and fight, you know, in order to be able to get the funding and, you know, all of the things that we need to be able to compete with Marvel and DC. It's not easy. Crowdfunding helps. The internet helps and all of this, it's a, we got to run little businesses and running a business all by yourself is not easy. Just isn't easy. It's hard work. It takes up a lot of time, takes up a lot of energy, but none of that means anything if what we're producing is shit. That's it. I mean, it's great to get funded. It's great to put comics out there, but if the comics are no good and if there is no discernible story, and if we don't understand how to tell stories, there is no reason to make a comic book. None.

That's, you know, in my opinion, the entire point of making a comic book is not just to make money. It's to actually create a story. That's what you're selling. You're not selling people an object. You're not saying, "Buy this. It looks like a book. Inside of this are stories. They're not very good." because this is from when I was a kid, but stories are everything. Stories are where the money is. Stories, you know, they will last forever. They are invaluable and it's important that we learn how to tell them. I spent my life, you know, learning how to draw. Nobody taught me how to write and nobody really is teaching me too much about how to, nobody has taught me too much about how to draw either. It's just from listening to criticism. It's just from being around my peers. These things have made me become one of the greatest artists of all time. You have to listen. You have to grow. This is what's vital.

I agree with these sentiments, that ultimately what matters is the work. Making money is very important, to the person making it. To everyone else it's just the means and motivation for the artist to create quality work for them to enjoy. My only question is, where was this guy back in 2018? He was sorely needed in CG back then. Instead there was The Caesar of Warcampaign. The man that innovated "the spite campaign". The guy who tirelessly promoted The Littlest Umbrella and Cash Grab.

 

[Elwood P. Dowd]

Isn't Kyle ritter his go to colorist? Or he got kicked when he was simping for Mandy?

I forgot about that. Maybe I was a bit too harsh?

Just that that is how it seems sometimes.

 

[Captain Manning]

But I'm a bit surprised EVS doesn't get that getting a book done that's 75% of what it should be AND (mostly) on time > 100% of what was advertised delivered 3 years later. 'Course doing the former involves actual work, even if it is rushed, while doing the latter allows one to mumble for 4 1/2 hours while harvesting shekels from the gullible on YouTube. So perhaps I shouldn't be surprised.

Oh, I think he "gets" it, I just don't think he has a response for it.

In the past, he always said things like "Okay, independent non-CG comic X was delivered on-time, but did it make the money Cyberfrog did? No? GAY! Get on my level. Hail Comicsgate!" That was always his cope for Iconic, for example. Those books do good, but not "Cyberfrog good." So he could just handwave them away and consider them beneath him. That was the standard EVS himself established.

I don't think there's anything in "ye olde EVS playbook" for this current scenario (delivered on time and making more money), because it never happened before July, and he might have even considered such a thing unconscionable.

Meanwhile, Vito the Pedo is doing things the "proper" CG way, by announcing his under $100K crowdfunded comic will be delayed yet again, in-between screeching to anybody who will listen about how his business acumen is superior to July's. In what way is anybody's guess. Certainly not according to the financial metrics FROG established for success.

In related news, from the Dick thread, JuJu offers this lame retort:

https://archive.ph/lETY9

In the past, Frog could just dismiss such arguments by using his position as top dawg to dismiss challengers, critics and detractors because his ways are more successful and therefore more valid. Now Eric's doing the same to him (he learned from the best) and so he's actually having to actually defend his positions for the first time ever.

Exactly.

EDIT: Typos.

 

[Potatoherder]

Nick DID say that Chuck Dixon can't make a million dollar comic book.

Does anyone know if Dixon and EVS are on good terms? This is a super specific dig at someone who really isn't a widely know figure outside of comic book fans. Nick has very little crossover with comic fans. I feel like Nick was getting fed info by EVS to attack July. Last thing i could find is a clip from 8 months ago that he was writing a story for reinbow brute.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASi0HJ-wGyE

 

[Mister Dongs]

Chuck and Frog are cordial, I guess? Chuck is an introverted, softspoken life long comic book guy and knew he wasn't built (too much dignity) for being a CG youtube internet personality so he's always kept an arms length from the movement. It was probably the wisest move all things considered.

Anyways, that shit's so stupid that it has to be a Rekieta original. It's Eric July selling the comic book, not Chuck Dixon. And July was able to sell a comic written by someone with zero experience (himself) up to 3.6 million dollars.

 

[That Other Dude's Persona]

Does anyone know if Dixon and EVS are on good terms? This is a super specific dig at someone who really isn't a widely know figure outside of comic book fans. Nick has very little crossover with comic fans. I feel like Nick was getting fed info by EVS to attack July. Last thing i could find is a clip from 8 months ago that he was writing a story for reinbow brute.

I was going to say it's just the regular twitter detractor criticism that Rekieta adopted for that rant and that EVS enjoys the legitimacy from having Dixon around.
But then again I did hear EVS the other day criticizing July for hiring Brazilians, just like Rekieta did, so who knows.
Of course Rekieta thought it was the Soska sisters that are the Brazilians...

 

[YesNoMaybe]

Yeah, its July and the Rippeverse selling the product. Chuck is just there to increase the quality/be a cog in the wheel for the larger operation. Not sure why Rekieta would call him out.

 

[Mister Dongs]

Look man, when leading youtube lawyer Rackets buys a copy of Isom and posts a picture of it shoved between his ass cheeks on his locals page, we don't need to speculate on who put him up to it. These are things balldo man is totally capable of doing on his own.

 

[Captain Manning]

Anyways, that shit's so stupid that it has to be a Rekieta original.

It could very well be. It's either an original stupid by him, or something JuJu fed him and he repeated. Difficult to say. I suspect you're right, but the reason I put forward the latter as a possibility is because (as I'm sure you already know) the only reason he's involved himself in this mess is to suck up to Dick. That's what he's mainly getting out of all this. He's otherwise WAY out of his element on this subject.

In case anybody is confused and interested in where his comment about Dixon is coming from, here's the clip. I've timestamped where Alphacore and Dixon come up.

Other highlights include him yelling multiple times that Eric July and his fans are "LITERALLY MARVEL," and that "they sound like every Brie Larson apologist ever." He's flailing his arms and blowing every dog whistle he can get his hands on. It's a cacophony of drunken barely coherent stupid for nearly 39 minutes.

 

[Absurdity]

Nick looking like a total wasted wreck lol. He's got the homeless ranting drunken schizophrenic shtick down pat. Preparing for next arc maybe? Rekeita IP2? I GOT A QWESHUN!

 

[Mister Dongs]

Oh don't get me wrong, I don't see them being above feeding Rackets material. I'm just saying if they did it'd probably being something better than that.

Nick looking like a total wasted wreck lol. He's got the homeless ranting drunken schizophrenic shtick down pat. Preparing for next arc maybe? Rekeita IP2? I GOT A QWESHUN!

Maybe Ryzie Lee can step up and be sort of Geekthulu or Doug Ernst figure for our aspiring interloper Nick Rekieta.

 

[YesNoMaybe]

Blue ring, plaid shirt, drink in hand, looking like death in eyes, just damn creepy clip.

 

[WhimsicalTrolli]

Dixon worked with Zack based on Stallone's films.

 

[Mister Dongs]

Dixon worked with Zack based on Stallone's films.

Yeah Zack better hope Chuck doesn't wake up one day and figure Eric July might do a better job with Stallone's globally famous IPs then his dumb ass has been managing..

Dixon seems to be the only creator that Eric's managed to build a sincere friendship based on mutual respect with; Chuck for his part seems to doing everything in his power to help Eric, describing him as "finally a serious person to wage this fight with."

 

[Captain Manning]

Blue ring, plaid shirt, drink in hand, looking like death in eyes, just damn creepy clip.

Yep. That's "new Rekieta." His thread has been an absolute trip for the better part of a year now.

Yeah Zack better hope Chuck doesn't wake up one day and figure Eric July might do a better job with Stallone's globally famous IPs then his dumb ass has been managing..

Dixon seems to be the only creator that Eric's managed to build a sincere friendship based on mutual respect with; Chuck for his part seems to doing everything in his power to help Eric, describing him as "finally a serious person to wage this fight with."

I am wondering if there's gonna be words between Dixon and Rekieta. Nick had him on his show three years ago.

Imagine being so enamored with a failed L.A. Comedian and his self-confessed pedo sidekick that you'd actually say the guy who invented Bane and one of the best runs of Punisher ever can't make a million dollar comic book. It's insane.

It's just crossed the $750,000 mark, BTW.