Comic Culture: Social Media and Comics

When I came on board to write for All-Comic a lot of this social media business was all new to me. I already had my own blog where I posted my own personal ramblings about comics for the few people who decided to follow me. I also had a personal Facebook page, that was used mostly for non-comic (everyday) things. Once in a while I would promote my blog on my Facebook page, but very intermittently. I was urged, from the outset, to join twitter in order to interact with the comic community as well as to grow my readership. For awhile I was against it because I didn’t want another piece of social media to preoccupy my time. But, once I realized that literally everyone that worked for All-Comic was on there (Editor Note: Except Jeremy. Because he’s a bastard.) I decided to hop on board. And, boy was I glad.

At bare minimum, Twitter is an app that allows you to chat with your friends, and share virtually anything. It helps you keep in touch with people across the globe, or even in your own backyard. But, it is also so much more than that, especially when it comes to the comics industry. Without social media apps like twitter a lot of the normal business of comics would have a much harder time taking place. Twitter gives creators, reviewers, news outlets and more the ability to share on a global level and make connections with the right people. I can only imagine how many comic collaborations have begun on twitter, and continue on twitter to this day. There are numerous creative teams that live thousands of miles away from each other, and never actually meet each other until they attend a convention. And, believe it or not, some creative teams literally never meet each other in person! Applications like twitter make it much easier for them to keep in touch as well as the ability to showcase, and to be proud of their work.

And it doesn’t stop there. Twitter gives fans the ability to share their love for the medium, as well as the ability to actually talk to their favorite creators. I have been pleasantly surprised at how many creators respond (on a regular basis) to their fans. It is quite special and proves that they know this business would not survive without their readers. All-Comic is very active on twitter and has a very good (and loyal) following that I am proud to be a part of. I am amazed at how many people just like me are talking comics day in and out. It is literally a giant comic chat room that you can check in on at any time. And I love that. Learning what new things my peers are doing, as well as feeling like a part of the “comics” family is just priceless. Needless to say, I’m glad I joined twitter and I’m glad the comics industry is benefiting so much from it.

So, take it from me. If you’re apprehensive about joining twitter, I say at least give it a try. Yes, it can definitely be a time suck (but virtually anything can). There are so many great “comics-related” things going on in twitter that you might be missing out on. Fee free to join the party. There’s always room for one more. And who knows, you might actually end up staying for a while. Just make sure you don’t have “too much” fun. Hey, it’s possible!

Happy reading.