Posted in: Comics | Tagged: dieselfunk dispatch, joe benitez, joe benitez productions, lady mechanika, marcia chen, wondercon
Dieselfunk Dispatch: Indie Wonders at #WonderCon 2018 with Marcia Chen of Joe Benitez Productions
We interrupt your regular weekly Dieselfunk Dispatch with three reports from the floor of Wondercon in Anaheim. Read previous issues of the Dieselfunk Dispatch here.
Tim Fielder writes for Bleeding Cool from Wondercon:
Greetings Dieselfunkateers! Dropping Science at Wondercon 2018 with MARCIA CHEN of JOE BENITEZ PRODUCTIONS. Okay so I've covered creators who one might call OBSCURE. Hey, that's part of the Dispatch's mandate. But what about the folks who fall in-between? This brought us to: Joe Benitez's BENITEZ PRODUCTIONS. If you need a 411, Joe is the Famous comic artist known for work with DC, Marvel, and Top Cow.
That's a very mysterious photo, btw. But he's best known as the creator of LADY MECHANIKA.
Obviously, I'm a huge sucker for Steampunk stuff, so I've been keeping an eye on this for a long time. Where generally, I keep to Indie work, Benitez, a Mainstream player, offers an interesting take on how one chooses to go about their path of creativity. Benitez is a proponent of going your own way. He could have stuck with the Big guys, but decided instead to create his own IP. But why would Benitez make such a decision when he had access to the majors? He likes THE CONTROL.
But no one truly does it by themselves. Benitez's collaborator/writer, Marcia Chen, was truly holding it down. There were tons of different products within the Benitez Transmedia ecosystem ranging from floppies, graphic novel collections, coloring books, and Canvas prints. This proves once again the power in multiple revenue streams. Plus, anyone who can get a cosplayer to wear those crazy red contact lenses is an innovator in my book.
Chen, had an interesting and cautionary take on what it takes to be an indie creator. Being an INDIE is hard work. There's no question that the process is not for the faint of heart, but, ultimately, the benefits can be rewarding. Check out our quick interview with Marcia HERE
You can find the work of Joe Benitez and Lady Mechanika at http://www.joebenitez.com.
That wraps up our Special coverage at Wondercon 2018. I gotta get up outta here. Naruto is hitting me up for cash. :-)
Tim Fielder is the Publisher and Creator of Dieselfunk Studios' Matty's Rocket Book One. Dieselfunk works to be completely self-sufficient while sharing war stores with fellow POD Publisher 133art.