Growing Pains for Blammo.

January 19, 2010

Blammo has been gaining a lot of popularity recently. It’s been on a few top comics of 2009 lists and one site named me as the artist to watch in 2010. The success and the accomplishments that I’ve made have been more than I ever truly expected only 2 years ago. I’m so very grateful…..

I don’t know if I can continue making Blammo. It has been breaking my heart thinking about it. I love it so much. Drawing that comic book has been the best thing I’ve ever done. My favorite thing. But, now, I can no longer afford to print the numbers that I need in order to keep up with the growth. I really, really can’t.

My fantasy with Blammo was for it to be printed in large numbers and placed everywhere that it could possibly be sold. I wanted it to be a well known comic book. A comic in the style of all of those classic comics from the 60′s through to the 90′s. I feel that there is a hole in the medium left by Eightball and Hate and all of the beloved comics of the past. I thought, maybe foolishly, that the people would embrace a return to the form. An alternative to the dominant graphic novel.

And the response I’ve gotten has been very great! Unfortunately, like I said, that’s where the problems start. As my audience grows, I’ve found that I don’t have the money to up the printing to larger numbers. I never foresaw such a fate!

Blammo is an eccentric comic book of comedy and drama, A anachronism. But,the collective comic publisher’s tastes have changed and they no longer want to print something like Blammo. They believe that it is not worth the time nor the money. And they are sure that nobody would be interested. And I believe the opposite. I want to be able to grow and continue entertaining as many people as I can, and figuring out how to do so has been tough!

I work with a sick image in my head. I want to be accepted. I want people to look me up on the internet for a school report. I want to help save a dying art form: The Alternative Comic Book. I paid for issues 1-4 with tax returns and money that I didn’t spend on food or rent. But, now I have nothing left. Nothing but all of the comics I wanted to draw and all the covers that keep popping into my head.

The future of Noah Van Sciver’s Blammo looks bleak tonight.

Perhaps my perspective is foggy though.