Joe Glass

Why not try something new this New Year?

Start 2015 right by getting yourself copies of The Pride!

The Pride is an LGBTQ superhero comic series that is accessible to ANY reader, be they new or old, LGBTQ or straight, men, women, anyone at all!

The comic is all about inclusion and better representation, but also about good, ol’ fashioned FUN superhero comics! No grim ‘n’ gritty nonsense here, just fun superhero stories and characters for everyone.

With a cavalcade of incredible artists involved including kristaferanka, csmithart, kevinwada, snibbits, wscottforbes, Christian Wildgoose, Gavin Mitchell, Dan Harris, denismedri, jdmakescomics, and many, many more!

Check out The Pride today!

Follow of Facebook!

The Pride Store!

Oh wow, this has been slowly building in notes. That’s super awesome, guys! Thanks!

Also, issue 5 is coming out next month! SQUEE! And, for this issue, to celebrate our awesome fans, we are including a fan art gallery! So if you want to see your art included in the issue, we are taking submissions until the end of the month. Obviously, the sooner the better as the gallery will fill up fast….but we may do a bigger gallery for the collected edition in the future too!

so pumped!

Me too! I’m hopefully going to be teasing a bit of issue 5 very, very soon, and people are gonna go nuts!

In the meantime, wondering what all the fuss is about? Then ya better go buy the comic at our online store!

Many of these rates (before taxes, might I add) haven’t changed in 20 years. $100-$250 in 1994 aint the same as in 2014. This is why Comic Book Conventions for many comic illustrators, in many cases, are the lifeblood of their comic making (commissions, direct fan interaction books sales). 

Support your local mainstream or indie comic artist!!!!

Source: http://www.ehow.com/info_8068093_much-artist-make-per-project.html

Likewise, this is really only considering the artist who creates a self-published book by themselves. When there's a team involved, funding the books becomes a lot harder. You're suddenly responsible for paying your whole team, and if you're main source of funding is your day job, it can be quite difficult.

This is why it is vitally important to support new creators, the potential big name creators of the future. It's you who help get us there, it's you who make our days when you show your love and support for our projects. So please, check out these links below: a small sampling of some great UK based indie comic projects, including my own little offerings:-

The Pride - Buy here

Stiffs - Buy Here!

Blood Blokes

Chloe Noonan

Afterlife, Inc

Razarhawk

Kill Screen/Eponymous/Dead Roots

It can be really frustrating working on the comics sometimes.

There’s a large, vocal audience declaring how much they want to see more diversity in comics and more LGBTQ characters. I was one of them, even. And it’s why I made The Pride.

However, when an indie project comes out with just that, a lot of this audience don’t actually buy the product they’d been calling out for: because it’s not from Marvel or DC.

Fact is though, if an audience doesn’t prove a desire and market for such a product, they won’t be willing to take a risk on creating one of their own. 

Obviously, I’m small press. I self-publish. I pay to get the comics made out of my own pocket. At the moment, there’s still around £5000 to pay artists for work and get the rest of the series printed when it comes to it. This isn’t even taking into account the cost of postage etc…it’s hard work, and takes up a lot of my time and money.

But it’s a labor of love, so I keep working at it. I wouldn’t change that for the world. But I do wish that I was able to pay the artists faster and could afford printing easier.

The Pride has 841 Likes on Facebook. If all of them bought just one copy of The Pride digital issues (at just £1.50), any issue, that would raise a massive chunk needed towards paying off the remaining artists! It would literally fund itself. I wouldn’t make any money myself, but I don’t care about that. This project is as much about building my profile and name as a writer than it is about getting rich…I will never get rich off The Pride, but I love doing it.

Likes are all well and good, honestly they are great and a massive help in their own right, but it doesn’t help me actually make the comics. And it’s frustrating to see this market, this audience, saying they want a product and then just…not.

Just felt like sharing that is all. In case anyone is considering making comics of their own. Obviously, I don’t want to scare anyone off: you wanna make comics, make comics. But be prepared for hard times and struggles, but if you work hard it could well all be worth it in the end.

And of course, if you do want to buy The Pride, you can do so here.

It can be really frustrating working on the comics sometimes.

There’s a large, vocal audience declaring how much they want to see more diversity in comics and more LGBTQ characters. I was one of them, even. And it’s why I made The Pride.

However, when an indie project comes out with just that, a lot of this audience don’t actually buy the product they’d been calling out for: because it’s not from Marvel or DC.

Fact is though, if an audience doesn’t prove a desire and market for such a product, they won’t be willing to take a risk on creating one of their own. 

Obviously, I’m small press. I self-publish. I pay to get the comics made out of my own pocket. At the moment, there’s still around £5000 to pay artists for work and get the rest of the series printed when it comes to it. This isn’t even taking into account the cost of postage etc…it’s hard work, and takes up a lot of my time and money.

But it’s a labor of love, so I keep working at it. I wouldn’t change that for the world. But I do wish that I was able to pay the artists faster and could afford printing easier.

The Pride has 841 Likes on Facebook. If all of them bought just one copy of The Pride digital issues (at just £1.50), any issue, that would raise a massive chunk needed towards paying off the remaining artists! It would literally fund itself. I wouldn’t make any money myself, but I don’t care about that. This project is as much about building my profile and name as a writer than it is about getting rich…I will never get rich off The Pride, but I love doing it.

Likes are all well and good, honestly they are great and a massive help in their own right, but it doesn’t help me actually make the comics. And it’s frustrating to see this market, this audience, saying they want a product and then just…not.

Just felt like sharing that is all. In case anyone is considering making comics of their own. Obviously, I don’t want to scare anyone off: you wanna make comics, make comics. But be prepared for hard times and struggles, but if you work hard it could well all be worth it in the end.

And of course, if you do want to buy The Pride, you can do so here.

I really do recommend this book, it’s absolutely a pleasure to read and a clear labor of love.

Seriously, people: walk the walk. Don’t just shout for more representation. Buy the damn comics.

We’ve talked a bit with Joe Glass (glassgears) in the past through Smash Survey, and he’s a really fantastic person. We’ve loved every issue of The Pride so far (and we’re looking forward to reviewing them), and they’re more than worth your time and money. Queer comics made by queer people and allies are sort of the goal here, and it’s hard to find something printed and self published of The Pride’s caliber that is also humorous and pokes fun at our community in a comfortable voice. The Pride feels like a true queer comic. It’s for all of us, about us, and carries both the weight and comedy of our experiences. Not to say it isn’t great and relatable for the casual straight reader, it is. But it’s a lot more than that, too.

Read The Pride

This is why I always tell people it’s more important to promote good things you like than criticize things you don’t. Which is not to say you’re supposed to stop speaking critically about things you take issue with, but by promoting positive things that you want to see more of you are both supporting the good thing and helping it grow, and attaching real, quantifiable numbers to the audience of that thing which could potentially turn the heads of executives at other companies you want to follow their lead. Criticism alone only tells producers what you don’t like, not what you do like.

Reblogging because reasons.

Well perhaps if people KNEW about it. This is why marketing exists.

Yeah, when people say that argument I like to remind them that marketing is not free, and point them back to the bit in the post where I mention how I pay for this all out of my own pocket of the back of a small retail job.

I'm not megabucks, but I am living my dream and working hard for it however I can.

I get what marketing I can, but it's not much. Sadly, I am not coca - cola, I can't get my product plastered over billboards all over the place.

I'm SMALL press. That's how it is

Here is our incredible alternative cover for issue #1 of The Kill Screen, illustrated by the omni-talented Ian Churchill!

I love this cover. A LOT. Ian’s done an amazing job of combining various elements of our story in an incredibly dynamic cover. He’s incredible and I feel super honoured to have his artwork gracing the cover of me and Josh’s book.

Hope you guys like it. Although I don’t see how you couldn’t.

I highly recommend this book, too! A must have!

It can be really frustrating working on the comics sometimes.

There’s a large, vocal audience declaring how much they want to see more diversity in comics and more LGBTQ characters. I was one of them, even. And it’s why I made The Pride.

However, when an indie project comes out with just that, a lot of this audience don’t actually buy the product they’d been calling out for: because it’s not from Marvel or DC.

Fact is though, if an audience doesn’t prove a desire and market for such a product, they won’t be willing to take a risk on creating one of their own. 

Obviously, I’m small press. I self-publish. I pay to get the comics made out of my own pocket. At the moment, there’s still around £5000 to pay artists for work and get the rest of the series printed when it comes to it. This isn’t even taking into account the cost of postage etc…it’s hard work, and takes up a lot of my time and money.

But it’s a labor of love, so I keep working at it. I wouldn’t change that for the world. But I do wish that I was able to pay the artists faster and could afford printing easier.

The Pride has 841 Likes on Facebook. If all of them bought just one copy of The Pride digital issues (at just £1.50), any issue, that would raise a massive chunk needed towards paying off the remaining artists! It would literally fund itself. I wouldn’t make any money myself, but I don’t care about that. This project is as much about building my profile and name as a writer than it is about getting rich…I will never get rich off The Pride, but I love doing it.

Likes are all well and good, honestly they are great and a massive help in their own right, but it doesn’t help me actually make the comics. And it’s frustrating to see this market, this audience, saying they want a product and then just…not.

Just felt like sharing that is all. In case anyone is considering making comics of their own. Obviously, I don’t want to scare anyone off: you wanna make comics, make comics. But be prepared for hard times and struggles, but if you work hard it could well all be worth it in the end.

And of course, if you do want to buy The Pride, you can do so here.

Giving another signal boost. Wow, I cannot believe how many notes this has got. Thanks to you all!

www.thepride.bigcartel.com

You’re support has been amazing! Wicked! Still a long way to go though!

So tell your friends, tell your family, and get them to buy the best in LGBT superhero action!

The Pride!

The latest offering from The Pride is out now, in the digital form of The Pride Adventures #2!

Featuring work from Christian Wildgoose, Dani Abram, Denis Medri and jdmakescomics, all wrapped in a gorgeous cover by wscottforbes!

And hey, it contains FOUR stories! That’s a new record for The Pride!

Check it out now!

www.thepride.bigcartel.com

www.facebook.com/ThePrideComic

New comics by an incredible team, and frankly, one of the best issues of The Pride to date!

I am so super-proud of this issue. Great team, including the first story written by someone other than me!

Maybe one day I'll ask if gailsimone wants to write a story :P

Also our first issue with a female artist on a story!

And just loads of fun to write and work with these madly talented individuals.

Please check it out, it would mean so much to me if you could buy an issue and let me know what you thought (also the art team, as then I can pay them :P)

You can get The Pride Adventures#2 here!

PATREON is a system that allows patrons to support a longform project being made for free; like webcomics, for example! ^_^ Well…since I’ve so far invested a few months of unpaid time into drawing, toning, lettering and compiling BREAKS, I decided to bite the bullet and start up a Patreon page of my own :)

Becoming a supporter is really easy, and donations can start from as little as $1 a month While $1 may not sound a lot, it means a lot to a creator. It means you’re out there and that you care. ^_^

If you decide to offer more, however, there are some bonus rewards available, including a limited number of chances to get yourself drawn into BREAKS as a reoccurring background character! Check my page for more details.

As I say on the page:  We have every intention of keeping BREAKS a free-to-read project and nothing will change that free Monday update, but money = time, and more time = more pretty!

Really liking Patreon and really liking that Emma is using it for this!

Thanks, Katie (you lovely patron, you x)! And Ian! And Wil!…and everyone reblogging this….and ESPECIALLY those of you who might be clicking through to check out my Patreon page and the comic itself. Just $1 a month can make such a difference, creatively.

*scatters cookies* Thank yoooooooo allllll!

And a reminder that the comic itself can be found at www.breakscomic.com - co-written by Malin Ryden and myself. Pages by me ^_^

Hmm, sounds cool. Might be something to look into for the future!

But yes, I agree with the comment about how every little bit helps a creator. With The Pride, I pay the creators (artists, letterer, colorists) out of my own pocket, and it's very slow going sometimes. If people buy copies though, it means I can pay people faster and make more. So yeah, helping creators in any way you can is amazing, and thanks to all those who have taken a chance on my own little book.