Decisions Made

Like all of us, I tend to let myself think "its going to get better this year" or "This should sell" but my mind tends to kick me very hard. Dreams -feck: no one controls their dreams!!

Last night, after a very very depressing day I finally got about an hour's sleep and my subconscious pulled out two fine pump-action shotguns and blasted away -only think missing was Arnold Schwarzenegger in his biker leathers (that is a whole other dream I will NEVER talk about!).

Anyway, after 40+ years in publishing/comics and being ripped off, back-stabbed and defrauded and five years of the worst sales ever (and yet great quality books covering all genres) I made a decision.  As far as I can see it will not be reversible because, getting close to 60 (2017?) I just do not want to continue struggling on.

I have The Green Skies and a couple other projects I want to finish.  Clear my brain.  Now, yes, I know I am only a minor comic creator and I have never had a big ego to tell me otherwise, but I have seen similar creators to myself live the same life.  They die and suddenly their original art becomes sellable and the money they so desperately needed when they were alive goes to others.  I'm a comic historian  and I've seen this -no one was interested enough to even comment on the artwork Mike Western did for Comic Bits number 1 or the Leopard From Lime Street illo he pencilled and I inked.  Mike dies and suddenly I get offers of £200-300 BUT no.  They have sentimental value.

So, come 1st January, 2016, once everything has been scanned and printed, I will be burning a couple thousand or so pages of original art.  Nothing original will remain but anything I miss will be burnt as per my instructions.  Seriously, if no one has the slightest interest in the books or art while I'm alive like feck are they going to profit from stuff after I'm dead.  You are not supporting a dead artist!

It's simple logic. Six people in the lifeboat and five have skills vital to survival -sixth person goes in the sea. In this case that "sixth person" are my original art pages.  And my online store gets closed the day I retire. Another year which should be as bad as the last four so I'll be looking forward to that bonfire which will be a release in itself.