Leaving the Webcomics Game

Recent events, both personal and in the world, have prompted me to reflect on the personal investment I've been making in webcomics, and whether or not the amount of my time they have monopolized is justified.

Factors have been more than fiscal, though that was a factor. I've only been trying to monetize my work for 5 of the 15 years I've been making comics, but have only earned about $50 or so, mostly from a commission. I'm not at all confident that I will be able to earn a reasonable buck for the work I do, not without creating more derivative work in order to patronize an algorithm.

When I started making comics, I was a lonely guy with little else worthy to take up my time. I thought little of dedicating 5+ hours every night working on comics, staying up way too late (it was my wife who got me to kick that habit, negotiating me down to a 1:30AM bedtime from what was at the time 3:00AM) and suffering the health consequences of living on about 4 hours of sleep a night and thinking little of it. That was a long time ago, before I had a career, before I had a home, before I had a family. These things are more deserving of my time.

That isn't to say I don't want to create any more, and this decision is for the sake of my creations as well. Webcomics demand a constant rapid pace of work in order to meet the deadlines that they demand, a page once or twice a week. That means that you often have to compromise the quality of the end product, be it the writing or the art, in order to get something done on time, especially if it isn't how you make a living. Too many stories of mine have been on the backburner because of the care they need. I want to make those stories and give them the time they deserve.

So, what does that mean for SergeXIII Studios?

I will continue to make comics and art, but at a much more relaxed, as it is finished pace. I am considering ending my Patreon campaign, but only if I cannot provide some content in this model. Currently I am storyboarding three works, with intent to proceed to rough drafts, and then a finished cross section which I will submit to publishers. I am considering posting illustrations regularly and still plan on making ATCs for my tier 2 patrons (those were fun), as well as previews of my work in progress, but I am still figuring out this new schedule.

I am currently in the middle of storyboarding Deadeye: Lullabye, a comic about a blind demon slayer, and Project Aether, which has an early pilot version here on the Patreon. I am also working on the rough draft of a rewrite of Odessa: More Than Dust. To give you an idea of how much more room it has to breathe, the first hunt is over 30 full pages, with a much needed flashback included.

I have decided not to renew http://thirteenthchild.net. This is both because I wish to leave webcomics behind, but also because I would like to force myself to rebrand (Thirteenth Child was the name of my comic that ran until 2014) and start fresh. 

Action Hat was a very successful comic, and I am happy with how it came out, but the recent world events got me to reflect on the fact that it is contributing to a certain mythology, even as a parody, and this has made me less comfortable with the property. I still plan on publishing the collection as a print and eBook (I only need to finish a cover), and may return to it in the future, perhaps if things in the world change, but at the moment I don't plan on continuing the series. 

I appreciate all the support and time my readers have provided me. I look forward to bringing you content more worthy of all that you have given me!