Red Raider Show Episode 9

aka Back to Basics

Hey, Red Raiders, and welcome to another episode of the Red Raider podcast. Here exclusively on the Comic Pop patreon, I'm Sal and I am going to be giving you some behind the veil access into what's going on at these channels that we call Comic Pop. This includes Comic Pop, comic Pop returns and Comic Pop plays and we've got a couple of things going on. So 1st, first of all, thank you so much for being here. Thanks for being a patron. Without you, we have problems. So let's get into what's going on. Well, just recently we dropped a whole bunch of videos and you may want to know why. Besides the fact that we make videos for a living here, the fact that we like to entertain you, we like to create content for you. This past holiday season was rough normally, and I think we've talked about this a number of times. The holiday season starting around November and going right into the end of December is a pretty prosperous time. It's a two month window, but it should be a prosperous window, a nice good chunk of ad revenue and audience retention. And we didn't enjoy that this year. We did towards the tail end and into January, which is odd because January is usually when things fall right the hell off. And that's the case across the board. We talked about this at length, so I don't want to waste your time anymore. Then I'll waste my own talking about this thing that I've said a thousand times before. 

That said, we did not enjoy as prosperous a time during the holiday months as we normally have. And that is compounded by this one factor. And the factor is I wanted to give people time off. We were able to shoot a couple of back issues, episodes back to back, and that allowed for the team to go do all the crap they needed to do. Ethan was especially busy and went off and did a whole bunch of things, did a lot of traveling. And that wasn't, by the way, recreational travel. That was travel for like family and friends and life stuff. But everybody needed time and I think they needed more time than they normally have in the past. And so that was something where it was like, normally we just sit down and we'd shoot like three episodes in a row or we'd be like, all right, we're going to shoot two episodes today and we'll shoot two episodes tomorrow. And then maybe Tiffany and Ben will shoot one more episode with me towards the end of the week. And we'd just get like this huge buffer built so that everybody can just have from, let's say early December until February, not off, but we can relax the schedule a little bit. And that just didn't happen. And I hope it does happen again. I hope that this is kind of like a fluke, but we'll see as we roll forward through the year 2023. 

But ComicPop Returns was one of those casualties of the relaxed schedule. We weren't able to / just didn't have the time to dedicate to making an off the Rack and another Elsewhere Else Exchange episode. I think for two weeks. I think that there was a big chunk of time when there was there was at least one episode of Elseworlds Exchange we missed. There's at least two episodes of Elseworlds Exchange we missed. And we replaced those with some fun interview episodes that we knew were not going to perform fantastic, but at least they were fun. And the people who wanted them enjoyed those episodes, but they are not lucrative. You know what I mean? There were only like 10-15 minutes a pop, as opposed to the usual hour span. Now, that resulted somehow in a drop in revenue for the channel for that month by. And you'd think like, oh, we missed one episode of off the Rack and we missed maybe two episodes of Elseworlds Exchange. Well, that month our revenue drops by half 50%. We lost that much out of that. And it's just like it goes to show what people enjoy, what people watch, what side our bread is buttered on. And it was a wake up call for me where I was like, you know what? Comicop Returns is really fun and I love this new channel and I'm so thrilled with it. And it's not like a supplemental channel. It's not like a backup channel. It's not where we dump things that don't work for Comic Pop Prime. It's its own entity. And if we neglect it, it's going to reflect that. And so I was like, you know what? Let's take it for real. Let's take it seriously and let's look hard at this and let's come at it swinging. So I was like, let's get this episode of GBU shot and ready. And we did. I really had this idea back, I think, in the beginning of December to talk to Tiffany about, like a report card for the Xmen era because I thought that'd be a really fun conversation. And it was. And it sparked more conversation in the comments, which is always good for us. And it was able to hopefully get the attention of some people who might move and shake the industry. And it gets the conversation going and it gets some eyeballs onto us that maybe did not belong to normal subscribers. 

So everybody was happy and fortuitously Joel dropped into my DMs, complaining endlessly about Spider Man. He just hates this run. In particular, he was really upset about the Dark Web turns. And I noticed that I mirrored his sentiments and I thought, you know what would really be a good conversation? It's just that just being like, hey. Because incidentally, I had been talking to a comic book creator who you may have seen on our show before, who I get along with quite well, and he suggested that we start a new show. And I was talking to him on that new show, which is literally just elsewhere else, but with that one creator on a regular basis. But you'll see that soon, actually, you'll see that on Tuesday. But we were talking about comics, and I think it was off mike, but we were chatting about how I feel about current status quo and where the comic book industries are going and particularly like the story arcs for the big two and main characters. And so I was like, man, I can use that conversation that I had and get those crystallized thoughts and apply them to this Spiderman conversation, because I think a lot of people are sharing my sentiment about it and it'll be a great triumphant return to the usual show the elsewhere else exchange, which usually had Joel on it along with myself, and it was live and I thought so let's do that too. And so this whole week we had, well, two weeks, we had GBU, we had multiple elsewhere's exchanges with interviews, we had a classic episode of Elsewhere exchange. Off the Rack came back and we had a great conversation with Tiffany. I was also able to excise a little conversation that we had in between the episode of back issues about Justice League last ride, and so I was able to put that into its own episode. And so we hit the ground running. Like, if you look at Kama PAP returns this channel, it's like the Justice League conversation, the new episode off the Rack. Then we had the Mark Wade interview, then the Destiny of X conversation and then the live episode with Joel talking about Spiderman. And it's like, true to form, this is the stuff we make. This is the stuff that you're used to, and this is the kind of thing that you should expect from us. This is the kind of thing that we should be making. And it felt good to get back into that rhythm and to make it and know that we could keep up this pace, know that we could keep this up, that we can continue to make this kind of content, that the fluke was not making that much stuff. So that was great. And so that's like a little recap about where we've been or at least how this last two, three weeks has been going and where we're heading now is more of the same, more the stuff that you would expect. More deep dive conversations like the one about Destiny of X, more live episodes of Elsewhere exchange that are much more topical, much more timely. I really do love having those, like, evergreen conversations that are deeper and more insightful and I think we are able to provide that level of quality. But maybe on something that you're thinking about right now instead of something that you might have never thought about but are challenged by, and then maybe someday down the line, it will come up in the regular Zeitgeist. But yeah. So when Joel was asking me after the show, he's like, is this what we're going to be doing from now on? Are we back to doing this show on a regular basis? And I'm like, well, I don't want to say yes, because I also don't want to then not do the next week because we have so much content that I can't make room for it and then be a liar. But I also am not sure if we're going to be going back to the normal episodes of elsewhere because of how much we're producing that is essentially occupying that space. Sorry, I just found a hole in my wall and that's not good. The hole had paint on it from when I painted it. That's not good. That could be vermin. I'm going to have to check the other side of the wall. Getting back to what I was talking about regarding Joel, we are going to try and bring back that show the way it was, the way people enjoy it, the way people remember it, because I think people really seem to like that and they seem to want that in their lives. They want, like, the live experience of interaction. And I don't know if Friday is necessarily the best day, but I think that's where we're going to stick with it. So that's pretty exciting that we have a plan in place, at least somewhat. I am now in the storage room of the studio, and I can tell you that there is actually, like a big area. Like, there's this big space between the wall where I found the hole and the other wall on the other side that's here in the storage room. So if there is anything on the other side, it ain't chewing through on this side. But having looked at it more closely and you will see a picture of this hole in the wall on Patreon that may be associated with this show, I'm not sure if it'll be in the post or it will be after the post. Either way, that hole will be there, so you can judge for yourselves. But I noticed that the hole is actually where the old ethernet cable port was. And I don't think it was even Ethernet, honestly. I think it was like a landline, because otherwise I think I'd kept I would have kept it if it was an ethernet port, but, yeah, I think it was a landline that we just didn't need. And I think we pulled it because we had this big, ugly, like, strip down the wall. We're talking about the good, bad, ugly set and the set that we used for Tiffany, and I talking about the destiny of X, period. So that's the wall that we're looking at right now. But, yeah, there was this big, ugly strip that went down the center of the wall. Yeah, I'm looking at it right now and I think it's connected. I think that they're related. 

But yeah, it's never a dull minute, man, having your own space, running your own business, and keeping it all from collapsing. I'm dealing with YouTube and their whole new policy and the first 18 seconds, you can't have any cursing or any gore or any simulated violence or any nonsense. Whatever they deem inappropriate can't be within the first 18 seconds. I had heard originally it was the first 30 seconds. And I'll guarantee you that despite the fact that I saw on the policy description, it says 18 that they won't move I guarantee you they'll move the goalposts again and make it 30 seconds. And then the first minute and then the first ten minutes, and then the first 30 minutes, and then it's no, you can't have any cursing whatsoever in your videos. And despite the fact that it used to be that you could have cursing in your videos, yeah, no, it's retroactive. So all the videos that you've ever made are going to be under that umbrella and you're going to owe us, like, money now. Like, it's not enough that we'll make money off of your videos and you won't be entitled to any of it, but yeah, you got to pay us back. It's frustrating because the one thing that I can't stand, there's many things I can't stand, as you know. But one of the few things that I really, really find repugnant that I get really upset about is when people move the goalposts, is when you're like, these are the rules. This is the system. And you go, okay. And then you figure out how to live and work and thrive under that system and then they go, oh, shit, not you, and they move the goalposts. And I know it's not personal specifically. Like, I know they're not trying to keep us out, but it does feel almost a little personal at this point. And I hate when people say it isn't personal when they're attacking your livelihood. It can't be more personal than if you're taking money out of my coffers so that I can't eat anymore. That is the most personal it could possibly be. So I'm under this cloud of current, and I think every year or every other year, YouTube is like, how can we put the fear of God in these people? How can we scare the crap out of them so much that they question everything and they like, run for the hills or, you know, cower under the, like, larger YouTubers who are making videos talking about this thing and offering no respite or suggestion or solace from it. I don't know what it is, but it's a power trip and it works because they hold all the power. But I'm glad we have backups and other ideas in place just in case it all comes crashing down. That's why Patreon's here. Honestly, this patreon here we need that because how else are we going to tell everybody where we are? How else are we going to, I don't know, survive long enough for me to shut down the whole studio and move everything back into my house and start all over again? These are the things that I think about. And maybe it's not healthy, but I have to at least have some kind of even if it's not an official written down plan, some kind of like a reaction in place so that I don't just completely shut down. 

But anyway, that's where we are. But like I said, you're dealing with things like this on a regular basis, but we're climbing back up to where we were, and I'm happy about that. And we learned a very valuable lesson along the way. As much as the lesson could be, don't take breaks, don't take off. No, the lesson is put the work in. That's a lesson that I've come to learn so often doing this job. But put the work in. If you want to take off, you need to take off. Put the work in, get that done, and then you can take off. Then you can go off and do something else, but like, put the work in and get it done so that you can plan a little bit so that you've got some kind of a buffer in place. That's a little bit of a lesson for me that I definitely relearned as a result of this weird thing because I really was like, well, the holidays are good, and even though the year was bad, doesn't mean that the holidays won't still perform the same way they have for the last eight years. No. And that's all I can say about that. So it was weird, but honestly, it was really helpful. And I keep saying this, and I don't mean to harp on it, but patreon went up. As if in response to that, the patreon went up thanks to you guys. And maybe it's because I think it's been a while, it's been several months since we've implemented these new tiers and these new ideas, these new rewards for you guys. I mean, this new show that is just my ramblings and stream of consciousness where I just thank you guys for everything and give you a little bit of a background. Maybe it's like an armchair therapy session, but also, I think beneficial for you guys to know what the hell's going on here. So you can see, I think, that there's things that I like out there that have been creatively based, that have disappeared, and I never know why. And it's because there's this air of scarcity and a lack of transparency in that case. And I'd like to think that in this case, you have the transparency. So, you know, like, man, I can't watch this week. And you know what? Maybe they'll never come back. So I'll just leave forever. I don't know. I'm trying to give you the transparency so, you know, we're doing fine. We're working and we're trying. We're thriving, we're striving, we're doing everything we can to exist and to remain and to provide that which you are accustomed to lo, however many years you've been watching. 

So that's where we are planning for the future. More of the same, but more of the same that we just produced. Incidentally, the revenue on Returns went down, but on prime went up. Go figure. I don't know why and I never will, because it doesn't make any sense. But I guess it could be because we produced two very well trafficked videos towards the end of the year with really good AdSense. But it also could be because we implemented the podcast initiative. Now, what am I talking about? What is the podcast initiative? Well, right before I go, I'll tell you what I'm talking about. A few people have pointed out that on most of the episodes of Back Issues, it says Back Issues podcast instead of Back Issues as the show name. Yep. Same deal with Elseworlds exchange, off the rack. The good bad and the ugly. Every show that we do says podcast in it. And there's a reason for that. It's because I changed it. And it doesn't mean anything as far as if you're just watching the show. It doesn't change the damn thing. The only thing is I just put the word podcast in there. And the reason for that is because YouTube about like three or four months ago, implemented this thing. And by the way, when I say that, I mean I found out about it three or four months ago. Who knows when they implemented it because I certainly didn't get a freaking email or anything. But there's this thing, Youtube.com podcast, you can take a look and it's just a page for podcasts. And when I say podcasts, I mean any show where people talk to each other for a length of time, like for an hour. And I'm like, that's us. We're that. And if YouTube wants to say, that's a podcast, then we're of podcast here, people. So that's why I did that. Because I was also like, you know what I don't see on this main page? I saw Mr. Sunday. I saw Red Letter Media. I saw new rock stars. I saw people that I know or at least in familiar with who make similar content to us, didn't see us. And I thought, that ought to change. Some of these folks probably got in on the ground floor. They probably got told about it, probably got invited to it. But we didn't because we never do. But we're small potatoes. And I'm always looking for some opportunity to get us from small potatoes to medium sized potatoes. At the very least, lower middle class potatoes or maybe upper middle class potatoes. That'd be nice because more money, more lies, more subs means improvement, means I can pay the guys more, means maybe they can be there, more means we can make more shows, means I can get more equipment upgrades. The camera just recently had this weird thing happen where it like, I don't know, it turned off on its own even though it was plugged in. And that was like, scary because that's the camera, that's the main camera we use. So it would be nice to have some extra cash to be able to go, well, it's okay because we have a backup. Or you know what, maybe it's been six or seven years and it's time to replace the damn camera or supplement the damn camera or what's, whatever the hell. But as long as we're not left in a lurch. 

So that's why I make those kind of decisions. I'm like, hey, you know what we should do? We should implement these changes because I don't want to be left in the dust. I don't want to find out like, oh yeah, no, you should have just had the word podcast tagged in your videos and then people would have indexed it differently. And by the way, it is getting indexed differently. The most recent videos have performed better than the last several videos of the last several months. And I don't know if it's because of the podcast thing, but it might be, who knows? But prime is doing okay. It's doing good. We're not back to COVID levels. When I say that, I mean like, COVID was our most prosperous year, but we're still doing fine and we're still going to be here, we're still producing and it's going to be fine, but it's not without its complications or its pitfalls or its surprises. So that's what we're doing. So, yeah, as far as where our plan goes, there's going to be a Fantastic Four full circle episode of Back Issues. I got to cut that. I got to get it out there because there's no buffer now, so I got to cut that and I got to get that out there. It's a really great episode. Tiffany and Ben are on it. When we talk about that, Tiffany just can't stop looking at the Alex Ross art and that's a really fun one. And then we're planning the next one and I don't know what the hell the book is going to be. I have a big list of books and I want to get into them. We'll see what happens. But as far as everything else goes, off the rack is obviously happening. I plan on doing a new GBU and Iron Man that's coming up pretty soon when we start shooting it on Wednesday. Hopefully elsewhere else exchange will probably be live and we'll talk about something. I don't know what, but I have an idea or two. Nothing fleshed out fully. 

CBR still wants me to work for them, so I'm going to be producing more articles in the future and big plans, big, big doings here and more. Let me know. Here's something that I'd like to get from you because I trust you guys more than anybody else as far as, you know, the audience is concerned. I trust my wife, too. I'm sorry, but she edges you guys out. But what are you hoping to hear when I say this is the year we're going to do this? What is the thing you're like, god, I wish he'd finally announce this or I wish they'd finally go and do that. Let me know what those are because we did a lot of really crazy things this past year. Thanks to CVR. We had an amazing time at New York comic Con and we were not going to be able to go because New York comic con rejected us entirely. And it was only because there was some weird crap going on that I was able to get us back onto the list that we should have been on in the first place to get in, to get in. It was going to be hard to just get tickets to go and suddenly it was okay, but it doesn't bode well for the future. And so New York comic con was a blessing for us. We shot a whole bunch of stuff that I never cut and so I've got to get that out there. But I got to interview Todd McFarland and Greg capoulo and todd McFarland and Greg Capoulo and I got to meet up with a few creators that I know and respect and I got to meet up with some people that I know personally that I really never got a chance to meet and look forward to talking to. There's a lot going on there that hadn't happened before that I'd been always wanting to see at that show. This past year was really cool, but I don't know if it was a plan. There was nothing crystallized there's no like, we're going to do this, this and this and it's going to be amazing. And we did it and it worked exactly as I planned. I don't think I've had a year like that ever. So I would love to know from you, what do you want to hear when I say, dude, this is the year we're going to do this? I do have some thoughts. I have a couple of ideas about what people really want to see from us and so I'm trying to deliver on those even if I don't talk about them, but keep an eye out. 

Otherwise, thank you so much for listening and I'll see you guys later. Thanks so much for being a patron and supporting us. We're lucky to have you. Thank you.