Webcomic : Random Thoughts : What is Success?

What is success in webcomics? I mean, how famous, rich or valuable awards can you reasonably expect for a 'wildly successful' webcomic? Now that's a darn good question. Success is a funny thing. I mean, what is success? Being famous? Is it having more money than you can spend? Is it the objects you own? Is the prizes you covet? Or could it be something else? And you may also be asking what in the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks does that have to do with little old webcomics? Well, lets just store this little idea in the back of our heads, we'll come back to it at the end of my little rant...

So much of what we assume to be success is dependant on what other people think of us. Mull this for amoment, what would be a great example of what our society's ideal of success is? I would argue to say, actors, musicians or even professional athletes. They have all of the things I mention above. A good example might be Micheal Jordan, or maybe Madonna? Another good example might also be... OJ Simpson? LOL, sprung a trap on ya there...

What I am getting here is that, I am doing this webcomic for one reason... success. However, my idea of success may be different than yours...

1. The comic becomes a viable business that I can make a stable living
2. A publishing company picks it up the comic and it sells millions all over the world
   
3. It is made into a bunch of movies, I turn into the second Stan Lee, "Excelsior!"
   

Now these? A little ridiculous? In my opinion, yes.

#1, above, is a maybe... if I'm lucky, and would consider it 'wildly lucky'. Here is what I think will be success for me. Any single one of the following or combination of the following I consider a great success...

1. Enjoying the process
2. I complete the story, beginning to end
3. I make a nice little bonus check at the end of each month from advertising, sales, etc generated from the website
4. A publishing company picks it up

Now these may not seems like wild success to you but to me anyone of these would be something so few ever actually achieve. This because they are truly so difficult for a person to achieve. In the reality, of the ones above, I only have control of the first two. Success to me would truly be, for me, finishing the story I want to tell in the medium I want to tell it :) and enjoying that process.

In closing, the reason for this little random thought is not so random. I am putting to writing, so I do not forget, what I am truly trying to do. So, here is a little piece of my mind, before you start any endeavor.. write down what you will consider to be success. Getting there is a lot easier when you know where you are trying to go... Metaphysically speaking that is..