As far as I'm concerned, you've made it as an artist.
When I saw Death's Head II as a young reader it blew me away. It was unlike any other character I'd seen yet. I lumped you in with Bisley and Sienkiewicz, as artists showing off bold new ways to craft in the medium. I even bought it twice (my first collection perished in the onslaught of a hurricane).
Commercial success is difficult in any realm. Some of my favorite creators are still called "niche" and "indie." They struggle, as most of us do, to remain financially afloat in this era of cruel capitalism. I support them where I can, ordering new titles from my LCS, getting a commissioned piece when I can afford. I wish the second-hand market for older runs paid out royalties so creators could earn as their early work achieves "cult classic" status. I just picked up Cap Stone, after you mentioned a few weeks ago in another post.
Another difficulty is the constant churn of this industry. Creators that achieve status are soon forgotten as the "next big thing" debuts. It's a struggle to remain relevant. You steadily churn out amazing creations and with such variety! I can look at Conan and StarHenge side by side and am blown away by how good they are, and yet so different. The pages you've shown from your Spawn entries are gorgeous! There is so much detail in what you do.
In my opinion, the struggle is what leads to greatness. It is a path to walk, not a goal line you can cross. You don't rest on your laurels. Keep on going. And for every fan who posts here, know that there are dozens more who don't put their appreciation into words. They are the silent fans, but they still read and wait for your next creation.
Liam, you have done amazing things and will no doubt continue to do amazing things. It has to be hard for artists to ever understand the impact their work has on others. You don't get to see how many times we look at your work, think about your work or wish we could fully express our love for your work. I have been a fan of yours since your Diana days and will continue to support your work, no matter what direction you take. You have countless fans like me that will follow your lead. We know that you are a true original and that is hard to find. All the love to you and Chris!
Holly, thank you so much for this incredibly kind message. Hugely appreciated. I never take these responses lightly, and mean what I say - they are wind in my sails. xox
Thanks for sharing, Liam. These crossroads are tricky times to navigate, but it sounds like you're doing well, anyway. I sold my small company last year (AI decimated the business model) so I had to start afresh as well. And it always felt like big success was just around the corner! Always a challenge to come through it on the other side, but as you say, the people around us are the most important thing.
Sorry to hear Conan might be at a full-stop though, you're without a doubt my favourite modern Conan artist! Would love to see you and Matt John do a team-up of some sort. Bet that would work well.
Sorry to hear that, Dave. The world changes, and we are all just pivoting our way through it apparently. Re. Conan - I wouldn't say literally a full stop. It's a tough one to explain. What can you expect from a life-long dream? It's almost doomed to not deliver. It was entered into the Eisners and didn't even get nominated. And that work took SO long, and was so hard to do. But then it just comes, and it just goes, and we move on. So it's more about being satisfied creatively. And you never truly get satisfaction when the work you do is not wholly your own. It's work for hire. And you're just on that conveyor belt to somewhere. Thanks for the kind message!
Totally understand. If it helps, I know I'm not the only one who thinks your Conan work is incredible. And although the work may not truly belong to you - 'Sharp's Conan' is still up there with 'Buscema's Conan' or 'BW-S's Conan' if you ask me. Even if there aren't quite as many of them... yet ;)
And thanks too, it was difficult to process the changes at the beginning, but now I'm loving my work more than I have for a long time. I had my old company for 11 years, and I realised I had definitely lost my passion for it at the end. So it's great to be working on something I enjoy again. Now I've just gotta make it pay the bills 😅
If YOU feel like such an outsider to comics, yet to really make their mark, then heaven knows what I am.
I would say don't waste any more time contemplating your navel. Just get on with it. You always have. You always will. X Make Pages. It's all there is.
Basically telling me to just shut up then! Ha! Mate, this is how I process, better or worse. Nothing new to see here, but if you follow my SubStack it's only to be expected. It might not be of use to anybody, and it might be shoe-staring self-indulgence, but that's me. It's authentic. And I'm not ashamed of being that way. I've forever been told I wear my heart on my sleeve a bit too much. Or that I'm over-sensitive, or over-think things. People seem to like to tell me who or what to be, and how to be. But that's just my way, and you can take that any way you like. Roll your eyes, yawn, shake your head, or maybe kind of understand a bit. As for being an outsider? I think most of us feel that. It's part of the nature of it. Lots of little cliques. Doesn't mean it's not true at any level. We're almost all STILL trying to get another foot in the door...
As far as I'm concerned, you've made it as an artist.
When I saw Death's Head II as a young reader it blew me away. It was unlike any other character I'd seen yet. I lumped you in with Bisley and Sienkiewicz, as artists showing off bold new ways to craft in the medium. I even bought it twice (my first collection perished in the onslaught of a hurricane).
Commercial success is difficult in any realm. Some of my favorite creators are still called "niche" and "indie." They struggle, as most of us do, to remain financially afloat in this era of cruel capitalism. I support them where I can, ordering new titles from my LCS, getting a commissioned piece when I can afford. I wish the second-hand market for older runs paid out royalties so creators could earn as their early work achieves "cult classic" status. I just picked up Cap Stone, after you mentioned a few weeks ago in another post.
Another difficulty is the constant churn of this industry. Creators that achieve status are soon forgotten as the "next big thing" debuts. It's a struggle to remain relevant. You steadily churn out amazing creations and with such variety! I can look at Conan and StarHenge side by side and am blown away by how good they are, and yet so different. The pages you've shown from your Spawn entries are gorgeous! There is so much detail in what you do.
In my opinion, the struggle is what leads to greatness. It is a path to walk, not a goal line you can cross. You don't rest on your laurels. Keep on going. And for every fan who posts here, know that there are dozens more who don't put their appreciation into words. They are the silent fans, but they still read and wait for your next creation.
Mahalo nui loa
Thank you so much for this wonderful reply. Hugely appreciated. All we can ever do is keep moving forward! Very best! L
Liam, you have done amazing things and will no doubt continue to do amazing things. It has to be hard for artists to ever understand the impact their work has on others. You don't get to see how many times we look at your work, think about your work or wish we could fully express our love for your work. I have been a fan of yours since your Diana days and will continue to support your work, no matter what direction you take. You have countless fans like me that will follow your lead. We know that you are a true original and that is hard to find. All the love to you and Chris!
Holly, thank you so much for this incredibly kind message. Hugely appreciated. I never take these responses lightly, and mean what I say - they are wind in my sails. xox
Doc, wherever the crossroad leads, we'll follow.
Thank you sir! Always appreciated!
Thanks for sharing, Liam. These crossroads are tricky times to navigate, but it sounds like you're doing well, anyway. I sold my small company last year (AI decimated the business model) so I had to start afresh as well. And it always felt like big success was just around the corner! Always a challenge to come through it on the other side, but as you say, the people around us are the most important thing.
Sorry to hear Conan might be at a full-stop though, you're without a doubt my favourite modern Conan artist! Would love to see you and Matt John do a team-up of some sort. Bet that would work well.
All the best for whatever comes next!
Sorry to hear that, Dave. The world changes, and we are all just pivoting our way through it apparently. Re. Conan - I wouldn't say literally a full stop. It's a tough one to explain. What can you expect from a life-long dream? It's almost doomed to not deliver. It was entered into the Eisners and didn't even get nominated. And that work took SO long, and was so hard to do. But then it just comes, and it just goes, and we move on. So it's more about being satisfied creatively. And you never truly get satisfaction when the work you do is not wholly your own. It's work for hire. And you're just on that conveyor belt to somewhere. Thanks for the kind message!
Totally understand. If it helps, I know I'm not the only one who thinks your Conan work is incredible. And although the work may not truly belong to you - 'Sharp's Conan' is still up there with 'Buscema's Conan' or 'BW-S's Conan' if you ask me. Even if there aren't quite as many of them... yet ;)
And thanks too, it was difficult to process the changes at the beginning, but now I'm loving my work more than I have for a long time. I had my old company for 11 years, and I realised I had definitely lost my passion for it at the end. So it's great to be working on something I enjoy again. Now I've just gotta make it pay the bills 😅
That's the trick, isn't it? Making doing what we love pay. Very best of luck for the future!
If YOU feel like such an outsider to comics, yet to really make their mark, then heaven knows what I am.
I would say don't waste any more time contemplating your navel. Just get on with it. You always have. You always will. X Make Pages. It's all there is.
Basically telling me to just shut up then! Ha! Mate, this is how I process, better or worse. Nothing new to see here, but if you follow my SubStack it's only to be expected. It might not be of use to anybody, and it might be shoe-staring self-indulgence, but that's me. It's authentic. And I'm not ashamed of being that way. I've forever been told I wear my heart on my sleeve a bit too much. Or that I'm over-sensitive, or over-think things. People seem to like to tell me who or what to be, and how to be. But that's just my way, and you can take that any way you like. Roll your eyes, yawn, shake your head, or maybe kind of understand a bit. As for being an outsider? I think most of us feel that. It's part of the nature of it. Lots of little cliques. Doesn't mean it's not true at any level. We're almost all STILL trying to get another foot in the door...
oh complete agree. Most every Hollywood teen movie features the POV of the outsider - and those are the Hollywood movies That Get Made. Silly really.