Younger comics creators, you need to know this: if a small indy publisher makes you think you can be "blacklisted from the industry" for requesting monies owed you, they're lying, full-stop. They don't have that kind of power. In fact, I'm hard-pressed to think of anyone who does. Fight back. - ThreadSky

markwaid.bsky.social • 373 days ago

Younger comics creators, you need to know this: if a small indy publisher makes you think you can be "blacklisted from the industry" for requesting monies owed you, they're lying, full-stop. They don't have that kind of power. In fact, I'm hard-pressed to think of anyone who does. Fight back.

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uncannykyle.bsky.social•373 days ago

Also if they say you’ll get paid later for whatever reason, they’re lying.

casuallychaotic.bsky.social•373 days ago

On the other hand, letting people know that the small indy publisher tried this might get THEM blacklisted by all the creators, who for some reason dislike working for companies who don't pay them for their work.

senatorivy.com•373 days ago

the classic abuser's "this thing that will actually happen to me will happen to you"

morselya.bsky.social•373 days ago

In fact, I can't think of any reason any sensible publisher would want to do this... why would you want your good name tied to, "Oh, AND they tried to frighten me off by telling me they'd get me black-listed"?

Talk about handing someone a gun in the hope they won't use it.

edrobot.bsky.social•373 days ago

The only person who has that power is Clive Spankowitz, the arch-biblomancer of the 7th Sphere. But he’s been in a meditative trance for the past 17 years, making it unlikely that he’d be singling you out.

averagemann.bsky.social•373 days ago

Man I hate when I have to pay to get paid

shaenon.bsky.social•373 days ago

I mean what are they going to do, not pay me harder?

hauman.bsky.social•373 days ago

I can think of a few people who can get you blacklisted from the comics industry.

They have titles like "arresting officer", "your honor", and "members of the jury" and you would have to do something far more serious than ask for what's owed you.

euqinimodart.bsky.social•372 days ago

this is good to hear because in college we learned to NOT get blacklisted from the industry, come to find out there is no blacklist 😂

hauman.bsky.social•372 days ago

You misunderstand. There IS a blacklist, but it’s the cumulative result of being horrible to a LOT of people, just like any other group in life. No single person can put you on it.*

*Unless you’re Greg Brooks’s wife.

rampaigehalsey.bsky.social•365 days ago

I may be being pedantic but I’d classify that as a “whisper network.” Whisper networks are more community/victim driven where blacklists are authority driven. That distinction might help with clarity since comics doesn’t really /have/ a central authority that can blacklist.

hauman.bsky.social•363 days ago

It's a bit stronger than "whisper network". While a whisper network exists, there's also "you're blackballed at company X". And with industry concentration, all it takes is pissing off a few people at each major company to seriously damage your career.

briansong.bsky.social•373 days ago

Doesn’t this mean the money’s gone?

markwaid.bsky.social•372 days ago

What money?

billstewart.bsky.social•373 days ago

@victoriastrauss.bsky.social's Writer Beware website is mainly aimed at the fiction writer publishing scam market, but other authors have similar issues.

the-murderhobos.bsky.social•373 days ago

There is no Industry, just loose agglomerations of industrious people.

zacthompson.bsky.social•373 days ago

Thanks for saying this. So MANY creators need to hear it. It's so hard to find the courage to stand up to the people publishing your work.

kevinmack.bsky.social•373 days ago

This kind of behavior is absolutely mind blowing to me. “How dare you ask someone to honor a commitment they made after you held up your end of the bargain?” So sad this happens.

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