Kickstarter

Howdy All- I hope things are going well for everyone. I wanted to let you all know about the latest Nix Comics Project:  Mark Rudolph's Closing Doors Graphic Novel.

I met Mark two years ago at SPACE in Columbus and we hit it off right away as collaborators.  Mark's 74 page Graphic Novel, originally completed around 10 years ago, follows the story of record store owner Elvin Cherry who is coming to grips with some inevitable decisions about his shop, Boogie Records.   Closing Doors, though, us about more than just one man's struggle to stay in business, its about the changing landscape retail experience from one of community driven diversity to the that of big box store homogeneity.

Frankly, I had to see this great book in print again, and offered to repress it for Mark under the aegis of Nix Comics.

For this project, I've jumped ship from Kickstarter to Indie Go Go.  If you'd like to support this new project, (Or subscribe to Nix Comics 2013: 3 Comics, 1 Graphic Novel, 2 minis and counting for one low price!) you missed please take a look at the 

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mark-rudolph-s-closing-doors/x/3089795

Thanks so much!

Ken Eppstein,
Nix Comics

For those of you who haven't been following my facebook and twitter posts, I wanted to let you know that I've taken a brief break in the kickstarter action to help support an institution that I count as one of my biggest influences: Norton Records. (Their Brooklyn warehouse was nearly obliterated by Hurricane Sandy.  Read about it here: http://nortonville.blogspot.com/)

Norton is currently asking for donations to help rebuild their stock, primarily picture sleeves for the 1,000s of 45s that they were able to salvage.  I want to contribute, but like all comic self-publishers, I don't exactly have a lot of money on hand.  So, in an attempt to raise some cash to help the label that introduced me to the likes of the Real Kids, Andre Williams and Untamed Youth I'm making the following offer:  All sales from the Nix Comics Website will be donated to Nortn Records rebuild efforts.  Please pass it on!  http://nixcomics.com/buy-nix.html

We're about half way through the Nix Comics 2013 Big Ask campaign.  Thanks to all of you have already pledged, those who have reposted/tweeted/emailed the link and those who plan on helping.  I hope those of you who are in the Columbus area will stop by the Ace of Cups on Thursday 11/8 so I can thank you for your support in person with a cupcake! https://www.facebook.com/events/375088095899114/?fref=ts 

In the mean time, on this day of promises and votes of confidence, here are some promises I'd like to make about Nix Comics in 2013:

Nix Comics Will Maintain It's Unique Voice:

As a 100% CREATOR OWNED company, Nix Comics will always be a reflection of the (admittedly rough hewn) hearts and minds of its creators, not a pretty-polished corporate production standard. Nix Comics will always be wonderfully grotesque, marvelously baroque and most of all FUN.

Fair Pay For All Artists:

Nix Comics is no giant mega-corporation. Owner/lead writer Ken Eppstein runs a small creator owned DIY operation and pays his artists out of pocket. No artist has gone unpaid for his or her work. If early books ever go into reprint, the artists will all GET PAID AGAIN.

Timely delivery of Comics and Rewards:

What else does Ken Eppstein bring to the table? (Besides his own subversive sensibilities and rapid fire storytelling style, that is.) Twenty Years of small business and non-profit work. If this campaign is successful, you are GUARANTEED that he will navigate the sometimes choppy waters of self publishing to bring your comics in to port.

No Variant covers. EVER:

I mean… come on! The major comic publishers have made a habit of repackaging the same books in slightly different packages, in hopes to build sales from the crowd who speculates on the "value" of these "limited run" items.  You going to let them prey on your “collector’s mentality” like that? Don’t speculate on the future value of Nix Comics, count on the quality entertainment you’ll get here and now! That's where true value lies.

Nix Wholesale will Kick Diamond Comics in the nards and run.
You know that there is only ONE major comic book distributor in the country, right?  What has been termed "the local comic shop" in modern parlance is essentially a box store, local in only the most dismally jaded and proximal sense.  Indie comics distribution can be framed in terms of David and Goliath terms. Nix Comics has no sling, but in true-to-classic nerd form will do the best to rack the neighborhood bully.  And then turn and run for the hills. That’s where the truly indie friendly comix shops are. And the record stores. And the coffee shops. And any other store that will carry Nix Comics. And I’m bringing the rest of the Indie rabble with me.

Please spread the link!  30 Days to $21K is a tough road and I need all the help I can get!
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nixcomics/nix-comics-2013-its-the-big-ask-baby

One of the great things about this new super-ambitious Kickstarter is the number of new fans Nix is picking up.  Whether I reach my goal or not, I feel like I've been put in touch with a lot of cool people!

That being the case, though, it might be time to reintroduce myself and Nix Comics to the world.  My name is Ken Eppstein and I'm both a comic book and Rock-n-Roll record lover.  (The first record and comic book I can remember buying with my own money was a single package! I bought one of those power records at a Modell's department store on Long Island; a comic reprint of the origin of the Fantastic Four with a narrative 45rpm record that made a shrill "ding" noise when it was time to turn the page. It cemented the connection in my pre-teen mind.)

Beginning in the late 90s, I decided it was my personal mission in life to bring my beloved art forms to the masses despite a seeming downward turn in the popularity of both mediums.  Defiantly, I opened a series of brick and mortar stores that sold both records and comics.  Predictably, they proved to be difficult businesses to maintain.  (My hat is off to those of you who pull it off!)  

(Awesome Evil Empire Records promo art by Donovan Taylor Roth) 

I shifted to a more successful business model where I sold records on-line and provided some great local shops with records on consignment.  I did well selling my wares this way and I didn't miss the dismal lonely days that retailers sometimes have to endure, but it lacked the thrill that I got on the good retail days.  The ones where you turn a young kid onto the Cramps or the Fleshtones.  Or where a customer shows you something you didn't know about Steranko's style and influences.  In short, there came a time when I realized that my personal mission had been replaced by an expedient business practice.

Screw that!

To get back on track, I decided to dust off an old dream and make my own comic books.  Why be satisfied selling other folks junk when I could make my own!  So I sold off over a 1000 records at cost on ebay and used the money to pay the artists and printer for Nix Comics Quarterly #1.

The sacrifice of all that great wax wasn't going to be in vain, either.  While Nix Comics stories stand alone as modern fables and allegories, there's a subtext for the people who want it.  A tempo and trashy style that can only be found in the great rock records that I love.  Teasing to Tongue in Cheek references to my musical non-heroes who showed me the way from insecurity to who-gives-a-damn.

(Crappy painting by me)

And hey... here's a lesson for everybody.  Old dreams are sometimes the best ones. Despite my love of both music and comics, what I wanted to be growing up was a comic creator. Somewhere in college I lost track of that...  A confidence thing.  I didn't think I stacked up to the guys whose books I was reading. I gave up.  (The irony of the fact that I was listening to music by the Ramones, Clash, Replacements and myriad other artists whose careers were essentially based on "fuck being talented. I just wanna be good." is not lost on me.)

For easy access to the music that inspires Nix Comics, please subscribe to my spotify playlist: (for the more mainstream stuff)

http://open.spotify.com/user/1247735723/playlist/4CDoYkYFQZQomTGIKMZyLN 

Or visit garagepunk.com for its great series of podcasts:

http://garagepunk.ning.com/page/garagepunk-pirate-radio