Kickstarter... and why it is more stressful than a cancer screening.

And I would know!

Let me start this rant by saying thank you to all the people who are helping me promote that push this campaign. The outpuring of support and backing for this project has been amazing. I really, REALLY apreciate all that you did and continue to do. I am humbled, truly.

Every year (It used to be 6 months) since I had Kidney Cancer, I go for an MRI to scan my torso for cancer. That is the most stressful time in my year. I am irritable, I am hard to live with. I am impossible. From the MRI to the waiting for the results to the doctors visit. It is a miserable 2 weeks. I dread it.

That being said, promoting a Kickstarter is worse.

No... Really.

I realize that there are a LOT of Kickstarters out there. I realize that a lot of people still don't know what a Kickstarter is. For those that don't know...

Kickstarter helps people fund thier creative projects, in return, you get a reward. For me, the best that I would give is the first issue of The Mighty Titan. But I offer much more than that if people are interested. I offer a special, double sized "Backer's Cut" that is similiar to a Director's Cut of a DVD with behind the scene stuff that you will never see anywhere else.

If you don't hit your goal you get zilch, nothing, nada.
Most of you know that I fund all of my projects myself. I pay people out of my own pocket and haven't pulled anything that is even close to a profit in 16 years. I put out a professional looking book and I really love doing it. I love writing them. I love drawing what I can. I love interacting with people and discussing my work. I love it all.

This time, I decided I would try and do it without taking money away from my family. Plain and simple.

So, please see this campaign as a pre-order for my newest book. For $7 you get the book, delivered to your house, signed by me. You can get less, you can get more. And as I always said, sharing the link helps if you can't back the project.

Everyone that bids will have thier name in the first issue and on The Mighty Titan fan page on Facebook. www.themightytitan.com

Thanks for reading. :)

Joe

Please check out my Kickstarter that wraps my cancer experiences in a superhero shell. Share if you can.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jgmcomics/the-mighty-titan

I am running a new one now. Please get in on this.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jgmcomics/the-mighty-titan-5-the-end

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined." - Henry David Thoreau

Why do I do what I do and why I am nice when I do it

I get this question a lot...

Why do you create comics?

The answer isn't as easy to answer as you would think. I've been creating comics in one way or another since before I can remember. I love to create, I love to write, I love to draw. I love the idea of leaving something that I created after I am gone. A legacy.

Sadly, I have little time for it.

I work a full time job doing IT. I love what I do. It is challenging and I am always learning new things. I work with great people and we have a great culture of mutual respect. But, it isn't my dream. It isn't what I planned for myself when I was young. The 10 year old me wanted to draw for a living. He wanted to create and share and be a comic book artist. But, alas, kids have to eat. Rent needs to be paid and my passion for creating has to take a second seat. Since, no joke, I still to this day haven't made any real money doing comics.

In my "real" life, I have a great family. I have 2 kids, a girlfriend named Jasmin, a new bundle on the way. People would call them responsibilities.

Scream - By Joe Martino and Rusty Gilligan

I call them life. They are also my legacy. They are the reason I wake up every day.

Now, I am not a comic book professional, nor do I claim to be. I am just a guy who loves creating comics so much that I decided to make some of my own. I wrote that 17 years ago for the letters page of my first Shadowflame self-published comic. I've met a lot of great people through the years. I've also met a lot of assholes. Fortunately, they all know who they are so I don't need to list them here. I have been told I suck so bad that I should quit. And in the same week, been told by a fan that I was one of their favorite writers.

Life is about bringing new things to the world, even if they are a bit derivative. Life is about helping others to do things for themselves. That is why Twitter and Facebook and Google+ are so good for people like me. We can share our knowledge, learn new things, help people grow and promote their work and in return you hope they will do the same. At no time would I EVER tell someone that they were so bad that they should quit. Never quit! Never give up what you love because someone else can't appreciate what you do.

A change is coming. The clique is eroding and you can't even see it. Remember, the buggy whip maker had no idea his career was over when Ford started mass producing Model T's. The guy you blow off now may just well be the ass you need to kiss later. Be nice. Be respectful.

Watch the heads that you step on when you rise up, they will be attached to the asses that you need to kiss on the way down.

Today, try and help one of your fellow creators. Share or retweet their work, buy his digital comic, help fund or share her Kickstarter campaign, help out a struggling Indy band. But, do it because you want to do good for your fellow creators. Not because they did it for you. We are all in this together, even if we are doing it alone.

Thanks for reading this rant. I know I went off the reservation a bit but it all ties together if you really read what I am saying.

Stay strong and always follow your dreams, even if people can't understand them.

Thanks!

Joe

If you have the time and the want to support some good people, check out the following links. And yes... some of them point to stuff I've worked on some of them are people I've met that do great work.

http://www.comixtribe.com
http://www.macandtrouble.com/
http://www.ripfaceinvasion.com
http://jgmcomics.ecrater.com
http://www.themightytitan.com

And join this group on Facebook if you are looking for a really supportive group of guys and gals who are working on a RESURGENCE!!!
http://www.facebook.com/groups/236968296395429/