Are Independent comics truly Independent?

**The Animal Man** · 07-01-2012, 04:05 PM

A Man online argued with me that Indie Publishers aren't really independent and that a comic is only Independent if everything is done by the creator Publishing the ideas all of it! another going as far as to say Dark Horse And IDW aren't indie and are only called that because they aren't Marvel or DC

IDW and Boom were stated as not being as restrictive as the Big two but still having a word on what the writers and artists did on every title

do you agree with this or do you disagree?

**dupont2005** · 07-01-2012, 04:13 PM

Nope. I disagree. Dark Horse publishes creator owned work. They don't have a "house style" and as far as I know have never stolen intellectual property.

Marvel and DC have both published creator owned works but the vast majority of their output is corporate owned studio assembled creative team mush. Also, for what little creator owned stuff they have published, those are mighty brave creators. Both companies have reputations of stealing intellectual property from creators,mwhich is why we see them still using 70 year old characters in their comics. Nobody wants to create the next Deadpool for Marvel. They would rather create the next Spawn for Image.

**The Animal Man** · 07-01-2012, 04:27 PM

Boom Basically Hired Meredith Gran a person who had only been doing work on a web comic series to be the main writer/artist for the adventure time mini series marceline and the scream queens

does that really sound like something a company that isn't Indie would do? i don't think so...

**FanboyStranger** · 07-01-2012, 05:08 PM

I think you're confusing the concepts of independent publishers and self-publishing. A self-publisher is an independent publisher, but an independent publisher is not necessarily a self-publisher. In the case of comics, an "indy" publisher would be any publishing venture not tied into an entertainment consortium, ie DC/Vertigo with Warner Bros, Marvel with Disney, etc.

In my opinion, it's kinda hard to consider a licensed comic like Adventure Time to be an independent comic when it's tied to an existing property produced by an entertainment consortium. So, while the company publishing the comic may indeed be independent, I'm not sure I'd rate the actual comic as independent.

**DonC** · 07-01-2012, 06:09 PM

Originally Posted by The Animal Man

A Man online argued with me that Indie Publishers aren't really independent and that a comic is only Independent if everything is done by the creator Publishing the ideas all of it!

This is creator-owned (minus publishing, sometimes). It's a different concept from independent. DC and Marvel both publish creator-owned series, but aren't independent.

The general usage for "Independent" in comics is anything that isn't Marvel or DC.

**Angilas-Man** · 07-01-2012, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by FanboyStranger

In my opinion, it's kinda hard to consider a licensed comic like Adventure Time to be an independent comic when it's tied to an existing property produced by an entertainment consortium. So, while the company publishing the comic may indeed be independent, I'm not sure I'd rate the actual comic as independent.

But at the same time licensed titles can have more of an "indie spirit" depending on the publisher. Adventure Time, with its roster of indie and web comic creators, is a good example. They share more DNA than with a big-two superhero book.

With something like Adventure Time, or Popeye, or Conan it's usually people who do their own thing and work on these corporate-owned characters on the side, rather than just working on other people's characters forever.

**The Animal Man** · 07-01-2012, 07:39 PM

and that's what's so cool about the adventure time comics they are written and drawn by people who have put in a lot of care and love into what they do

they aren't in it just to make money and nothing else(if they were then they probably wouldn't be very happy not being at marvel or DC) they love writing and drawing comics some of them have more creativity than some of the big name writers and artists working for marvel/dc right now

just think about it...If Adventure time was published by Marvel or DC do you honestly think it would be getting a mini series? probably not...it would be bunched in with the all age titles that they don't really care for....

say what you will about it but for something like adventure time it needs A Cast of Indie Writers and artists it can't be held down by a big company who won't let it shine

is adventure time An Indie Series? Yes! i believe so the concept is based off a cartoon that is true but it's also something that you can't just give to anybody to write/draw you need people that know what the series is about you need people that actually have seen the show

otherwise the comic will just end up feeling like a poor poor imitation of the series....what determines if A Title is Indie Or Not is the cast involved with making the comic(Sometimes It's an original idea published by A Indie company but from a big name writer/artist so this doesn't really apply to that case)if it's just a big name group of people It's Not Indie sure it may be published by an independent company but the creative team is well known and isn't really desperate for attention nor do they need the money

different people have different opinions on what is and what isn't indie but in the end it's always the same Indie Titles are titles with unique casts of Independent writers and artists

**jsf** · 07-01-2012, 08:04 PM

I dunno, I think there's something to the guy's point. You compare companies like Dark Horse or IDW or Dynamite today with Indy companies from the late '70's early '80's, and there's definitely a different feel. The indy companies today feel really close to DC and Marvel, and lack that sort of "raw" feeling that I think defined early indy publishers. Some webcomics have that feel ... but I think some of the smaller presses today are primarily that: just smaller versions of the big 2, not really "indy".

Of course all of this could be wrong, but I think the guy has an intuition that hits on something valid.

**dr chimp** · 07-02-2012, 06:49 AM

Originally Posted by jsf

I dunno, I think there's something to the guy's point. You compare companies like Dark Horse or IDW or Dynamite today with Indy companies from the late '70's early '80's, and there's definitely a different feel. The indy companies today feel really close to DC and Marvel, and lack that sort of "raw" feeling that I think defined early indy publishers. Some webcomics have that feel ... but I think some of the smaller presses today are primarily that: just smaller versions of the big 2, not really "indy".

Of course all of this could be wrong, but I think the guy has an intuition that hits on something valid.

yeah i think thats a good point. At the same time many people with different stories to tell than the prevalent super hero / horror genres now make graphic novels (for want of a better word) rather than floppies and what was the independent press has become the "small press"

**Blastermaster** · 07-02-2012, 08:58 AM

Well they are independent publishers in the way that they aren't owned by other companies. DC is owned by Warner bros and Marvel is owned by Disney. To my knowledge Image, dark horse and IDW aren't owned by other companies.
And they don't own the rights of comics they publish, Their creators do e.g. Eric powell owns the rights of the Goon and the rights of Usagi Yojimbo are owned by Stan Sakai.

**dr chimp** · 07-02-2012, 10:06 AM

Originally Posted by Blastermaster

Well they are independent publishers in the way that they aren't owned by other companies. DC is owned by Warner bros and Marvel is owned by Disney. To my knowledge Image, dark horse and IDW aren't owned by other companies.
And they don't own the rights of comics they publish, Their creators do e.g. Eric powell owns the rights of the Goon and the rights of Usagi Yojimbo are owned by Stan Sakai.

Even when Marvel wasnt owned by a media conglomerate though it still wasnt called an independent.

Some people who publish through DC and Marvel do own their creations - eg some parts of Vertigo, Marvel's Icon or the old Epic Imprint and many people writing for "independent" comics dont own the rights to the works eg the people writing for Image's Extreme relaunch are work for hire, and the whole slew of licensed comics published by firms outside DC and Marvel (eg star trek, star wards, tranformers, gi joe, bionic man, adventure time, etc etc).

**rasx** · 07-02-2012, 10:37 AM

I think Image is the only true indie publisher, the rest are semi-independent.

**Paul Render** · 07-06-2012, 09:32 AM

I get the point but we need to give them some sort of designation right? For a while it was alternative publishers, now it's indy. Really anything works because we immediately know they aren't connected to the "Big Two".