Here we are at the start of 2024, and man was the last year a hell of a ride. There are a few things I didn’t get to do with comics that I’d planned at the end of 2022, but I did a few that I think meant a little more. I didn’t create a video podcast about comics and beer like my Instagram page, but that’s okay. That’s what this year is for. The last month or so, I’ve been more focused on the post-production side of it and, most of all, learning to find the love in the things I do rather than forcing something I may not even like out.
I’ve been writing for Multiversity Comics for nearly three years, and I can confidently say it’s been one of the most fun ways I’ve gotten out some of my creative thoughts and endeavors. When I initially joined in ’21, I was learning what it meant to write reviews while being unbiased and avoiding “I think” and “In my opinion” so much that now it comes second nature. However, ’23 taught me to look at it from an even broader perspective, looking at the story structure of the issue before me, and what the writer has in mind for future problems. Realizing that a solid chapter can be written for 30-40 pages, but a story now takes a few more issues, and it’s best not to waste the reader’s time. There must always be a “why” for the next issue, whether that’s a cliffhanger, an emotional moment, or the always useful character in distress.
’23 also showed me that although I’d like to read everything, it’s just impossible, and that’s okay. We receive a lot of PDFs from various publishers, and it’s a fun endeavor to read a week’s worth of comics in a few hours between the work I’m supposed to be doing at my day job. This also showed me that I don’t need to like everything I read necessarily, but I don’t need to bash it or talk smack about the creatives who worked hard on it, because I don’t know if you know this, but making comics is hard. I’m also a writer on top of my husband, father, day-job-haver, and reviewer titles. I’ve also dabbled in writing comics for the better part of three years and not only managed to get a script done, but was accepted into an anthology (coming next year). I digress, however, because while I read a lot this year and learned that it may not all be my cup of tea, that doesn’t necessarily make it wrong. The courage and strength it takes to not only finish a story/art, but to also dare to pitch it to be shared with whoever wants it has to be credited.
I’ve learned something I’ve always heard but never practiced: if you want to do something, you have to do it. Who cares what a bunch of strangers on the internet think of it? Most of them will never have the courage to do whatever you do.
