Shut Up and Take My Money: Earthward by Brian Q Miller

claysad:

Thanks to Women Write about Comics’s new News and Things feature (great idea, btw!) I recently found out about Brian Q Miller’s new Kickstarter project, Earthward (no Kickstarter link—doesn’t launch til Friday). I read CBR’s interview with Miller about the project and have a few things to say about the book, the interview, the whole shebang. You could forge on ahead, but to get the full picture, I’d recommend reading the interview first.

“A Comic for All Ages”

The CBR interview introduces Earthward as “an all-ages graphic novel that celebrates adventure, exploration and family — in space, no less.” Both the interviewer and Miller go on to emphasize the all-ages-ness of the book and what Miller means, exactly, by “all ages.” Miller notes that it’s not “a line that’s ridden” very well very often recently, but with Earthward, he’s “trying to make the books as ACCESSIBLE to new and old readers, old and young, as possible. It’s all about how you present your subject matter.”

In thinking about the monthly titles I read, I can certainly see what he’s getting at. Most of the DC and Marvel titles I read are at least rated T (for “Teen”), due usually to lots of violence or some sexual suggestiveness. I enjoy that in those titles, but I can also appreciate a good all-ages story. In particular, I’ve been reading Courtney Crumrin and Princeless, both, I believe, targeted toward younger readers. (Courtney Crumrin is rated “Y” for “Youth,” ages 7+; Princeless is rated “for all ages.”) So far, I’ve felt they do a pretty good job of also satisfying me as an adult reader, though they’re quite obviously targeted at younger kids.

I’m not sure how Miller plans to distinguish his work from Courtney Crumrin and Princeless in terms of appealing to all ages, but it’s not an insurmountable task. I’m thinking of all the great “Children’s” literature that I’ve only come to as an adult, or at least, not a kid. I don’t remember exactly when my family began reading the Harry Potter series, but my mom picked it up thinking of my brother (six years my younger), not me, so I was definitely not the target age. I didn’t read The Hobbit until the Lord of the Rings movies started coming out, when I was in high school. My friend Tiffany was so aghast that I’d never read LOTR and admonished me to begin immediately, but to begin with The Hobbit. The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe I also sought out in preparation for the movie. Though I’ve only read Coraline, I’ve heard through friend and fellow blogger Dan that Gaiman’s other children’s works also often bridge the gap nicely. Maybe I’m not the greatest judge of the line between “children’s” and “adult” literature in their appeal to all ages because I already have an affinity for children’s literature as children’s literature, but I think at least the Tolkien and Harry Potter fandoms might back me up here. Stories can appeal to many groups at once, and I think the stories that do tend to stick with people for a long time, so I hope Miller achieves his goal here.

“Compensated at a Fair Rate”

In discussing his decision not to include lots of “swag” incentives for Kickstarter patrons, Miller says: “I want as much of the money provided as possible to go directly into the nuts and bolts of getting my creative team compensated at a fair rate, and getting the book physically published and shipped.” Now, I’ve never worked in a creative industry. I’ve been in academia most of my life, and my editorial/publication experience is limited to that realm. But part of that academic experience (especially of late) has included conversations about fair compensation for work, unequal distribution of pay, and other labor issues. I’m certainly no expert, and I speak without any insider knowledge of the comic book publication industry. But I read plenty of titles from the “Big Two” comics companies—DC and Marvel—and notice how often writers and especially members of art teams get shuffled around on books. Again, I don’t know the insides of it, I don’t know why people get shuffled from book to book and whether these individuals see this shuffling as good or bad. BUT. I do know that writer Gail Simone “got fired” from Batgirl in December via email only to be put back on the title pretty quickly. I don’t know much about that decision other than it seemed to piss off a whole bunch of people, I believe including Gail herself. So that rather public unceremonious dump of a pretty prominent writer makes me wonder about the writers/artists who aren’t as well known, who don’t have the fanbase (and therefore power) that Simone does, that might be getting “repositioned” in ways that are arbitrary and unfair.

ANYWAY. So those kind of things make me respect this project all the more; Miller’s focus for payment of the staff on his book, he says, will be “fair compensation.” He doesn’t say what that is, but I think it’s significant that he’s making it a focus. I’m sure it’s no surprise to people already familiar with Kickstarter, but it seems to be a way for creators of all stripes (TV, film, literature, other arts, other projects) to take charge of the process in ways that are fair. Not that DC and Marvel are unfair, or are always unfair, or that smaller, more independent presses aren’t fair, or that Kickstarter can’t be abused, but this does seem like one way to support fair publishing practices, and I applaud Miller for his efforts. I also want to note that Miller has absolutely not implied that practices in publishing firms he’s worked for are unfair; these are musings that I’ve come up with myself.

Turn ALLLL the Readers into Comics Fans!

So, if you like comics, or support literature that’s accessible for all ages, or support fair labor practices, or are just looking to blow some money, consider donating to Earthward. Miller says if it’s funded, they’re looking at a September 2013 publication date, right in time for my birthday! So, support comics and buy me a copy! Or buy a copy for the kid(s) in your life! Or, better yet, pick up a copy for yourself! And then let’s talk about it.