Posted in: Comics | Tagged: big two, Gerry Conway

Gerry Conway Explains Why Creators Should Choose Independence Over a Big Two Career

The question of what career path to pursue in comics has long been debated, and there's no shortage of horror stories of creators being screwed over by a heartless industry. As Jack Kirby once said, "comics will break your heart, kid." And as Alan Moore once replied, "no shit, Sherlock." Paraphrased. The point is, though a career in Big Two comics might offer creators an opportunity to tell stories of the characters they grew up loving, as well as a guaranteed paycheck, there are tradeoffs, and pursuing a path where one owns one's own creations certainly has its appeal as well.

Legendary comics creator Gerry Conway took to Twitter to share his take on the question, beginning with a story about his own career, not in comics, but in Hollywood.

But there's a "but." There's always a "but."

Conway brings up another good point, though he phrases it a little more nicely than we might, blaming it on "changing tastes." But with so many comics legends today still capable of producing work, and still maintaining interest from dedicated fans, but hardly ever given work by companies like Marvel while younger creators are writing several books per month, it makes one wonder whether those changing tastes belong to the audience or to corporate bean-counters who don't want to pay for experience. But those are our own personal thoughts. Here's what Conway had to say:

Retirement plan, in comics, of course, is a relative term for an industry that doesn't offer much in the way of benefits.

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