I don’t know about reaching the kids, but there’s a pretty good mix of people here on substack. I’ve found a few publications just from scrolling through Notes, despite my initial antipathy against the feature. Maybe post assorted comic panels here and see if you can get new eyes on them? Your content might be too different than the wordy, discourse-y stuff here in general, but, well, you’re already here.
I have no answers, but I can reassure you you're not alone. Indeed, I have had to restrain myself from extreme anger in a bank branch on being told I needed to do whatever it was online, despite being in the branch. And then, sitting in the branch stabbing my aching fingers at my stupid phone, I got the thing I needed to do wrong, because I was doing it on my own. And when I went for help the employee didn't know the answer, because their training only went as far as sending people to the app.
I am 51. I wasn't expecting to have these experiences for at least a couple more decades.
I supposed we can rationalise it by realising we were at our prime in a period of change, when the established forces were confused and the weirdos could squeeze through these new gaps and establish themselves like Buddleia in an abandoned brownfield site. And now a nice shiny mixed use development is clearing us away.
Except the replacement is not nice and shiny. It's fucking awful, is hurting everyone of all ages, and needs to die.
Idea number two: some people like to learn about making comics. Providing instruction or information could be a side venture that would theoretically draw people to the main venture of making the thing. It wouldn't need to be a full course, it could be smaller scale than that.
I also do sometimes hear people say that sharing interesting statistics about their business that they gathered in the course of analyzing customer trends actually generated enough interest to grow their business. I don't know that that would work for this but it's interesting.
Let the record show that I do not thing any of my ideas so far have been that amazing, but am posting them anyways because it was requested.
I don't know that this is a smart idea, but imagine if you were the one to test the waters regarding making a new unlicensed Fables comic. Did you hear about that? The creator of Fables (Bill Willingham) says that Fables was a creator-owned comic and he's now putting it in the public domain; DC comics says no it wasn't (and presumably will sue anyone who tries to publish their own Fables thing).
After a few minutes of bad ideas, that's the best of the lot with regards to free publicity. Best of luck, I have no plans to stop reading.
My only comment, other than been grateful to have followed for all the twists and turns for decades now, is that it's very hard to find somewhere to point people who I want to introduce to your work. I know tracing things from website to website is part of the charm, but I do think a johnallison.com (or whatever) site that linked to a couple of projects would do those of us who try and spread the word a lot of good.
I've been reading your work since the very early Bobbins days and while I've liked some characters more than others the thing I've always enjoyed is that sense that your characters have lives outside of what we see in the comic that develops them, rather than them being kept in a box until the next time they're needed and all the development is on-page. I loved watching Shelly develop, but the outright star for this is Lottie, from the beginning in SGR to Wicked Things (still gutted about this!) her development has been exceptionally well done. How to reach the kids? Sorry, I can't help, but I know the tweens, when shown it, love Giant Days to distraction.
I'm an elder millennial who mostly consumes the internet by visiting specific websites, avoiding social media, reading a ton of newsletters, and listening to some podcasts. I love finding out about new reading material through newsletters, so maybe there are some newsletters that you might get a feature or interview in? Off the top of my head, I think the readers of https://twobossydames.substack.com/ would love your work if they aren't already familiar, and the dames who write the newsletter are extremely funny and pop culture savvy. Sorry that might sound like cold calling, but I really do think their audience would love your work. What I'd personally, selfishly really love to read is just a huge interview on Vice or something about what all of the 2000s web comic artists are up to now. IDK of any cool podcasts that focus on 2000s culture, but that sounds like a cool episode topic/way to get new viewers imho.
I don't really have any advice and wouldn't envy anyone trying to just tread water like you are saying. I found you at the start of Scary-Go-Round and loved your vector style and quirky mixed storytelling. I know very little people now and none of them are interested in webcomics anymore. I find that https://www.dailycartoonist.com/ does a good job of featuring comics from a variety of sources. When you were getting published by Dark Horse I had an easier time shoving your work in people's hands but none of them were interested in making the jump to digital.
I really like your published Solver series and am waiting for more. I never read the Bad Machinery stuff, though I do own all the trades. So these new characters were an easy in for me to find my way back to you.
You might try writing Whit Stillman. I saw him a couple months ago giving a talk on his classic Last Days of Disco. He is exceedingly kind and gracious man. Like you he has a gift for comic dialogue. I believe he is on twitter and he actually might write back.
I am skeptical of most social media platforms. I mean, unless you are going to spend your time training cats so you can take videos of them eating with forks with their nimble paws, I don't know that there is much there, there. I do think that maybe you have to get your name out in other publications to demonstrate your wit and spread your wisdom aside from comics, movie reviews, music reviews, young adult fiction, manga, go to comic conventions, do convention panels and roast MCU. Like Oscar Wilde wrote, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.
I've always found your style charming. I don't know the answer, but i know that checking in daily or weekly for a dose fit into the rhythm of my life in a way that sporadic releases of books has not.
My wife was asking what my lace like tshirt used to show a week ago. That shirt used to have death and his bunny, but now it's hard to find even a trace of the screen printing. It's worn soft and tattered.
Always, always more Shelley Winters.
Either one will do.
I don’t know about reaching the kids, but there’s a pretty good mix of people here on substack. I’ve found a few publications just from scrolling through Notes, despite my initial antipathy against the feature. Maybe post assorted comic panels here and see if you can get new eyes on them? Your content might be too different than the wordy, discourse-y stuff here in general, but, well, you’re already here.
I have no answers, but I can reassure you you're not alone. Indeed, I have had to restrain myself from extreme anger in a bank branch on being told I needed to do whatever it was online, despite being in the branch. And then, sitting in the branch stabbing my aching fingers at my stupid phone, I got the thing I needed to do wrong, because I was doing it on my own. And when I went for help the employee didn't know the answer, because their training only went as far as sending people to the app.
I am 51. I wasn't expecting to have these experiences for at least a couple more decades.
I supposed we can rationalise it by realising we were at our prime in a period of change, when the established forces were confused and the weirdos could squeeze through these new gaps and establish themselves like Buddleia in an abandoned brownfield site. And now a nice shiny mixed use development is clearing us away.
Except the replacement is not nice and shiny. It's fucking awful, is hurting everyone of all ages, and needs to die.
Idea number two: some people like to learn about making comics. Providing instruction or information could be a side venture that would theoretically draw people to the main venture of making the thing. It wouldn't need to be a full course, it could be smaller scale than that.
I also do sometimes hear people say that sharing interesting statistics about their business that they gathered in the course of analyzing customer trends actually generated enough interest to grow their business. I don't know that that would work for this but it's interesting.
Let the record show that I do not thing any of my ideas so far have been that amazing, but am posting them anyways because it was requested.
I don't know that this is a smart idea, but imagine if you were the one to test the waters regarding making a new unlicensed Fables comic. Did you hear about that? The creator of Fables (Bill Willingham) says that Fables was a creator-owned comic and he's now putting it in the public domain; DC comics says no it wasn't (and presumably will sue anyone who tries to publish their own Fables thing).
After a few minutes of bad ideas, that's the best of the lot with regards to free publicity. Best of luck, I have no plans to stop reading.
My only comment, other than been grateful to have followed for all the twists and turns for decades now, is that it's very hard to find somewhere to point people who I want to introduce to your work. I know tracing things from website to website is part of the charm, but I do think a johnallison.com (or whatever) site that linked to a couple of projects would do those of us who try and spread the word a lot of good.
I've been reading your work since the very early Bobbins days and while I've liked some characters more than others the thing I've always enjoyed is that sense that your characters have lives outside of what we see in the comic that develops them, rather than them being kept in a box until the next time they're needed and all the development is on-page. I loved watching Shelly develop, but the outright star for this is Lottie, from the beginning in SGR to Wicked Things (still gutted about this!) her development has been exceptionally well done. How to reach the kids? Sorry, I can't help, but I know the tweens, when shown it, love Giant Days to distraction.
I'm an elder millennial who mostly consumes the internet by visiting specific websites, avoiding social media, reading a ton of newsletters, and listening to some podcasts. I love finding out about new reading material through newsletters, so maybe there are some newsletters that you might get a feature or interview in? Off the top of my head, I think the readers of https://twobossydames.substack.com/ would love your work if they aren't already familiar, and the dames who write the newsletter are extremely funny and pop culture savvy. Sorry that might sound like cold calling, but I really do think their audience would love your work. What I'd personally, selfishly really love to read is just a huge interview on Vice or something about what all of the 2000s web comic artists are up to now. IDK of any cool podcasts that focus on 2000s culture, but that sounds like a cool episode topic/way to get new viewers imho.
I don't really have any advice and wouldn't envy anyone trying to just tread water like you are saying. I found you at the start of Scary-Go-Round and loved your vector style and quirky mixed storytelling. I know very little people now and none of them are interested in webcomics anymore. I find that https://www.dailycartoonist.com/ does a good job of featuring comics from a variety of sources. When you were getting published by Dark Horse I had an easier time shoving your work in people's hands but none of them were interested in making the jump to digital.
I really like your published Solver series and am waiting for more. I never read the Bad Machinery stuff, though I do own all the trades. So these new characters were an easy in for me to find my way back to you.
You might try writing Whit Stillman. I saw him a couple months ago giving a talk on his classic Last Days of Disco. He is exceedingly kind and gracious man. Like you he has a gift for comic dialogue. I believe he is on twitter and he actually might write back.
I am skeptical of most social media platforms. I mean, unless you are going to spend your time training cats so you can take videos of them eating with forks with their nimble paws, I don't know that there is much there, there. I do think that maybe you have to get your name out in other publications to demonstrate your wit and spread your wisdom aside from comics, movie reviews, music reviews, young adult fiction, manga, go to comic conventions, do convention panels and roast MCU. Like Oscar Wilde wrote, the only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.
I've always found your style charming. I don't know the answer, but i know that checking in daily or weekly for a dose fit into the rhythm of my life in a way that sporadic releases of books has not.
My wife was asking what my lace like tshirt used to show a week ago. That shirt used to have death and his bunny, but now it's hard to find even a trace of the screen printing. It's worn soft and tattered.