On the Horizon: December Newsletter
The Look Back Issue
To say that 2024 has been a significant year would be an understatement of MASSIVE proportions. They say the only constant in life is change, and this year has seemed like nothing, but. However, to show true value of its impact, I want to take a second to reflect on just how these last twelve months have molded me and the frame of mind you all should expect of me going into 2025. The themes that rose to the top fit nicely into five categories: Growth. Loss. Discovery. Realization. Enactment. And I hope my interpretation of each one helps you lead with a positive perspective for yourself.
Growth: The death of my mother meant that I was stepping, headlong, into a new chapter of life — where the gift of her words of wisdom would always and forever be from past givings. And as much as I’ve quoted her over the years (“No Them. They. Those.”) all the little things she said and did became so much more true for me after her passing. ESPECIALLY the ones I used to hate to be subject to. Ideally, there comes a point in every child’s life when they realize the value in the words of their sires. But there’s something truly powerful when you recognize them as right and repeatable, not just for your own life, but for those you look to raise (or inspire as well). I KNOW I’ve quoted her more over the last few months than I ever had before, so much so, my sister and I have joked about chipping in on a fund in her name, everytime we wield one of her idioms.
Loss: I know people thought I was crazy for leaving “The State” to make comics full time. The stories I’ve collected over the years of family and friends’ reactions would make for strong comedy, despite it seeming so obvious, in hindsight that working a typical 9-5 just wasn’t for me. But, after so long, slanderous second-thoughts creep in and you start to question if your accomplishments outweigh your sacrifices. Like ALL creatives, I’ve had my share in years prior, but throughout this year, I’ve had constant reminders of my earned place in my field. “Everything happens in phases and stages,” another favorited phrase of Mom’s (yes, I put some coin in for that one), rings imminently truer now in that regard as I’ve lost that doubtful anchor. I’m reaching higher and further than I ever have, and I feel wholly COMFORTABLE doing it.
Discovery: One of my BIGGEST obstacles as a creative and businessman has been finding a strategy for consistent marketing and promotions. It’s a daunting task for any solo-entrepreneur to navigate and manage and even more so when you consider that I have at least three unique brands to do it for. Somewhere in late 2023, I had conceded to the idea that my dreams were TOO big for me to handle alone and that I would need a team to reach my fullest potential. Throughout this year, I found my team cohorts in an UnConventional, but obvious spot — AI. Where the art world was stringently pushing back on its use in production, I opted to use it as a guide for my creative endeavors, essentially making systems like ChatGPT my business manager and social media strategist. Now, armed with an outline for WHAT to make and WHEN to make it, I can devote my entire creative faculties into the HOW — strengthening my understandings and prospects as a creator. And sharing this perspective has given me a ton of credence with notable creatives, who have feared the dominance that AI might mean.
Realization: Oh man — I’ve been doing this marketing thing ALL WRONG (and no, it wasn’t AI that told me so). It took most of the year for me to hear it, but thanks to John Tyler Christopher, my eyes were opened to bright new opportunity with my approach to promotions: Customer Service. For FAR too long, my assumption about marketing was that it was about ME — and even for a guy who calls himself The Hardest Working Man in Comics, such blatant self-centeredness was wholly uncomfortable. I can absolutely admit that it was ALSO a means of guarding my insecurities (can’t really be told people don’t like it if I don’t put in the effort to share it). But it was John, who on a panel about the Business of Comics Arts, shared the tidbit that made it all plain: Good marketing is giving GREAT customer service. it wasn’t that I was hurting myself with my failed marketing — I was hurting YOU. Since I was a kid, giving great customer service was a skill that was drilled into my very being by none other than my mother, who spent her working career in that field. By changing my thinking on who marketing is for, I’m far less apt to dismiss it or even contextualize it as being about me. It’s been one of the newest, but BEST lessons I’ve learned all year.
Enactment: Recognizing opportunities to advance has seemingly ALWAYS been my strong suit. It’s not just the luck of being in the right place at the right time, it’s knowing I am that has been the foundation of my career. In the late spring/early summer, I saw a new space for myself, where I knew I no longer wanted to wait for opportunities to present themselves — it was high time I started to CREATE them. I’ve negotiated contracts, redesigned platforms and processes — all in attempt to craft what being The HWMiC will mean in 2025 (and beyond). My aim is to kill any vestige of excuses that have kept me from achieving what I’ve ever considered greatness. It won’t just be a matter of doing more, but doing BETTER…and I can’t wait to share in the experience with all of you!
By the Numbers - Here’s a bit of what I achieved in the calendar year of 2024:
29 Conventions. 26 Cities. 16 States. 3 Countries. 2 Continents.
32,698 Miles traveled (one way).
232 Panels
42+ Episodes of N2 the Chatterverse
20 U Cre-8 Comics Workshops.
3 Issues of Vantage:Inhouse Books
Vantage:Inhouse Productions
“Read Why” — the publishing theme of 2025!
When no one knows HOW you got it, a moniker becomes JUST a name. Looking over my book sales over the life of V:IP, it doesn’t really reflect WHY people call me The Hardest Working Man in Comics. They just have accepted it as a title (which isn’t inherently bad). One of my goals in the next year is for people to understand where that name came from and why that crown sits on my head.
I’m taking this opportunity to put my work front and center, to help readers who would LOVE my content, experience it, either for the first time or in its grandest scope! Vantage:Inhouse will continue to deliver a number of initiatives that will highlight our publishing, capitalizing on old fans support, and giving new fans a reason to find us!
Southfield’s SUPER Secret Comic Shop
Good ideas NEVER die. To make an impact on the “Geek Desert” phenomenon that negatively impacts the south side of Columbus, I’ve spent the last few weeks retooling the vipwebcomics.blogspot.com site to be a FREE, ongoing blog where I’ll be posting content twice a week to help build a readership community.
This is my THIRD attempt with this project, and with each trial, I’ve learned a bunch about my intentions and execution — so much so that already, this has been the most successful version and we don’t officially launch until January 1st!
While the intent was to keep this focused on south side residents, the best way to build this up will be through a more robust network of word-of-mouth. I’ve already secured partnerships with four local schools, and look forward to hosting a live event sometime IN 2025 to see how well the mission is working. Feel free to give it a look and drop a line of any comments or suggestions you might have!
U Cre-8 Comics
Make/100 Cre-8ors
It’s been more than five years since we last brought the U Cre-8 Comics brand to the Kickstarter platform. In a stunning turn out that put us at an amazing 1458% of our founding goal, the “Empower Learning w/ U Cre-8 Comics” campaign was an absolute success. We want to start 2025 off strong by taking part in the #Make100 project — a limited edition campaign to produce one-hundred units.
We’ll bringing back the U Cre-8 Crate, a sample box packed full of materials, supplies, and instructions to help users make their comic book dreams come true! I’m targeting a price point of $50 per unit (plus shipping), for a combined $5000 goal and will keep this a curt 14 day campaign. There were 92 backers of that original campaign, so if all of them come back, only EIGHT spots will remain — if you’re interested, let me know and I’ll make sure you’re one notified immediately of when the campaign launches!
Joining Teachers Pay Teachers
Adding U Cre-8 Comics to the TPT platform marks a HUGE change from how I’ve conducted the brand throughout its near 15yr run. While certainly still focusing on education, I’ve opted to switch from in-class workshops (which required a financial resource that local schools don’t have easy access for) to preparing teachers to design and build their own enrichment projects. I’ve spent a portion of this year developing the NEWEST edition of the Teaching Teachers: #HowTo Bring Comics in the Classroom book to be more of a text-book style guide with deeper explanations for critical use.
This 60+ page eBook, along with a curated selection of U Cre-8 Comics instruction plans will be available on the Teachers Pay Teachers site in the first couple of weeks of 2025. My aim is to make this as comprehensive as possible, giving teachers access to the supplies and materials to help THEM feel like superheroes of teaching.
GEEKing
In 2024, I did nearly 30 comic con events. And every step of the way, I had my GEEKing brand with me! Whether in shirts or shoes (sometimes BOTH), you could catch me hitting the friendly skies, or chatting it up on stage wearing the signature Crown&Specs. I want to take that up a notch in the coming year with the official 2025 North American GEEK Out Tour shirt!
I brushed the dust off of my pixel art design skills and put together this piece, featuring the fan favorite Triple Crown (Red, Yellow & White) turquoise brick design. The back will feature the dates and locations of my planned events for the year — kind of a checklist of where you’ll be able join me for some great comic con fun!
While I’ll be rocking an exclusive hoodie version, I will have t-shirts and other apparel available at our TeePublic store on January 1st!
In Closing…
Wow…that was A LOT to say and share, but that’s right on brand for what 2024 has been. I can’t express how much I appreciate the love and support you all have given to me through these last 365 days — you’ve been my safe space, my strength, and one of the greatest sources of inspiration!
I love you all — HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
V.