Where in the World was Henry At San Diego?
FAN MAIL!
I was at Comic Con International…
…in a way.
Facebook reminded me that my first trip to SDCC was nearly 15 years ago. My going to San Diego changed everything. I always wanted to write comics. But I never had a path forward. But if spending nearly a week sleeping in a hostel and living off Subway sandwiches wasn't enough punishment, I keep coming back for more.
The day before I was supposed to leave for SDCC I woke up with flu-like symptoms, as reported on BC. It was painfully obvious that my trip would be derailed by contracting COVID-19. Last year I left early because of similar reasons, but it was just the good old-fashioned cold. Needless to say, I was devastated. Again. After nearly two decades of going to this event, you make some friends you only get to see once a year. It’s a rare opportunity to meet publishers, editors, and various tastemakers in the comics and entertainment world. There is a special energy that radiates just being there.
After wallowing in my self-pity and snot, I decided to count my blessings.
What are those blessings you ask! You. Yes, you. You took the time to open this email because you have faith in me. You read my words. And that’s all I can really ask for.
Alright, alright! Enough with the sappy sap. (I just really love you, guys.)
Speaking of sappy sap…
Read today’s Gil Thorp! Ms. Hillary opens up to Gil!
FAN MAIL
Someone asked me a question recently:
When you were early in your process... was there ever a time (when) you were afraid to put your stuff out there, and if so... how'd you knock down that particular wall?
When I first started, yes. Eventually, I realized that 99% of putting “stuff” out there is the best way to learn. I am lucky to have had people in my life to give me honest critiques. It’s like anything, you have to keep doing the “stuff” until it becomes second nature. But that feeling of fear never really goes away. Obviously, there’s a level of disillusionment one must have to put your art out there with the intent of sacrificing thousands of trees and energy consumption for your “stuff.”
Ultimately, do the thing if you can. But have a level headed about what happens when you put your “stuff” out there. Maybe you’re going to be an overnight success, or go broke trying. If you’re lucky, you’ll break even and make a few friends along the way.
I just found some of your reddit posts when I was looking up Gil Thorp today because my brother's been messaging me about how much he loves the strip and how impressed he is with the story lines and callbacks - how complex they are and how many are slow burns. He's a huge fan so I thought I'd share!
I love writing Gil Thorp. It’s a fun gig. I write it for me knowing full well thousands of people are going to read it—and those people are going to tell other people about it. You have to write a strip with a couple of things in mind:
This is the first and last time someone’s going to read it.
You have three to four panels to tell a story with enough information to make yesterday count and want someone to read tomorrow.
Location. Location. Location.
People message me all the time about the strip. They love it. They hate it. They want me to die or quit. You’ve got to have a thick skin when you do something that reaches thousands of homes and phones. Thankfully, AOL and Yahoo chatrooms prepared me for this.
I’ve got a podcast episode in the bank, so expect that later this week.