INTRO
Ruins of the Independent Comics Industry
I was staring blankly at the hypnotic spiral on the cover of Ex Libris a couple of days ago. I was about to hop on a panel with Patrick Crotty (Peow), moderated by Brian Heater, Anthony Ha, and Heidi MacDonald. We were about to talk about the challenges of independent comics publishing and other news du jour (recently Koyama, Adhouse, and now Peow announced that they’ve closed or are closing soon!). Is the independent Comic Book Industry approaching a state of ruin? I began to think of the cyclical nature of the many things we take for granted…
Uncivilized has always thrived on the edges and in the cracks of the system. Since our inception, we’ve experimented with formats, comics, and genres. We like to hang out on the edges of what comics as a medium can offer. Our manifesto spelled out our commitments. We’re deciding to look at the present moment as an opportunity. “Everything under heaven is in utter chaos; the situation is excellent,” Mao said once. What can we grow in the ruins of the old comics industry?
Read the full essay here. Check out the video of the conversation below.
Best,
Tom K