AUG 18, 2006
I had felt good at the San Diego Con, speaking with AIT/Planet LAR about publishing my Limbo Café story. I checked in periodically to see if they’d had a chance to look over the story, but of course, the post-San Diego pile of submissions takes time to flip through. I sent an email about how the Skeptics Society gave me a big push for my Dr. DeBunko book, and said that I think it might be good timing to either do a full Dr. DeBunko limited series or to proceed with my Christian Fundamentalist-critical “Limbo Café,” both of which are very skeptical in nature, and could get this completely new, skeptical, non-comics audience interested in reading comic books. I found out today that AIT/Planet LAR isn’t interested in my Limbo Café proposal. They said it’s a bit too out there for them. They gave me a suggestion for someone to pitch Dr. DeBunko to. I really appreciate their honesty, and willingness to help out. I would enjoy doing a book for them, if they ever gave me the opportunity.
I’ve sent occasional letters out to Image to check in as well, regarding my Doris Danger stories. I immediately wrote, after hearing from Stan Lee and Shag. I’m hoping it will be a feather in my cap, and a potential marketing opportunity for them, that the next issue will have a Shag cover and a Stan Lee blurb, but who knows. Erik Larsen already told me at San Diego he’s concerned with my sales numbers. I suspect Image will also think my stories are a bit too out there.
And of course, I got a rejection from Fantagraphics a few months ago, regarding my Doris Danger stories, which they said were way out there, but in a good way. But whether it was in a good way or not, they weren’t interested in publishing them. Just the same, I thought it was a very kind letter, that they acknowledged me and my work, and didn’t just send out a form rejection. And that they replied at all, instead of not even bothering.
Today, despite all the actually quite stunning good fortune I’ve had, and despite numerous huge signs that I’m making progress in the industry, I’m in a bad mood about my comics, and I insecurely wonder if nothing will pan out. I negatively fantasize how the movie options won’t pan out. Maybe the first guy has decided he isn’t interested, and decided with such finality that he isn’t even going to bother to write me. And maybe the second guy isn’t actually in tv at all. He’s just trying to get his foot in tv, the same way I’m just trying to get into comics, so he won’t have any power to try and get a Tabloia tv show, even if he still likes it. Or the letter I sent him with all my ideas for a tv series made him realize that I’m insane, and would not be a good person to work with.
A theme I’m beginning to realize with my work is that people seem to think it’s “out there.” I guess I didn’t realize, or want to admit, my stuff is so out there, but if everyone says so, then I guess it must be. Or if everyone says it is, then it doesn’t matter if it really is or not; what matters is that’s how it’s perceived.
Am I going to spend my life doing all these stories I enjoy, but everyone feeling I’m that guy whose stuff is just too weird? Will I be one of those pretentious lunatics who’s always bellowing that I’m a genius, and complaining that no one else realizes or respects my brilliance, when in actuality, my stuff just isn’t that good?
I guess all I can really do at this point is keep plugging away, and hopefully getting better all the time, and hopefully an audience who appreciates what I do will eventually find me.