Just around Midnight last night I decided to check on a comic from a British creator andchecked his Face Book page. Not a word about the new comic so I just assumed, his having messed me about a couple times in the past with interviews and other things, he was too interested in living the "comic life" to complete the project.
As I was about to leave the page I noticed two very prominent names. Checking further it seems that these names (one was one of the comic "nice guys" and the other a convention organiser) were good old mates. In fact bosom buddies (though I know one (the artist) had stuck the even organiser in the bsack at least twice) and then I noticed another name that led me to another FB page where there was a whole gaggle of these "nice guys" and that included at least two other event organisers who had rejected my applications for tables at events just after I had announced bookings were available for them on CBO.
All stirring up trouble but in a 'jolly fun' manner the way these slime rolls do. Then came another name -the fella who had mistakenly sent me a character assassination (of me) email and it seems had been up to this for years while we were 'friends' and I supported him.
It did not shock me. In fact, it was like one of those 1000 pieces puzzles where you find a piece that fits in and suddenly so does everything else. I had felt slightly sorry for even organisers who strongly indicated that they were being intimidated until I decided to tell them that they were not at school anymore and to not accept bullying. It now turns out that their intimidation stories were a pack of lies (maybe they thought I'd expose them on CBO if I found out the truth?).
Of course, in my "previous job" connecting a large number of seemingly unconnected threads, names, incidents and digging deep became almost casual. By 00:45 hrs I had pieced it all together. It was -almost- unbelievable to see the amount of effort put into trying to ruin my business and blocking work at companies. If these people put this effort into revitalise UK comics we might be in a very good place right now. Getting 'friends' to try to friend me on Face Book, try to join as a member of the Black Tower Face Book page -it is an OPEN page and does not require membership- and even getting them to 'innocently enquire' what problems I had been having (good luck with that) to dig up something -anything!
When you see others refer to a "UK Comics Mafia" they are not joking -I used to put it down to exaggeration but private messages telling me to block any news from certain artists or small press publishers, followed by threats of "ostracising" me if I did not and a block in sending me news items...and personal experience such as 5-15 trolling emails every day (all safely printed out and on file) for seven years before I got the ISP involved and they received legal warnings ('nice guy' and several mates working harder than they ever did in comics).
This is why I said that I very rarely support UK comics as an 'industry'. I tend to deal with established publishers who have grown ups in charge. I do support (rarely) individuals and small press items.
How did this 'explosive' discovery affect me?
My sister called out from the other room to ask why I was laughing so loudly.
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