Welp, it’s Cyber Monday, and there are sales o’ plenty, as well as some not-sales, but nifty merch nonetheless. It’s not all cybers, though.

For instance, Jamie Noguchi woke up today to find that he’s in the Washington Post, particularly in a story about Super Art Fight, the perpetually-bizarre art head-to-head where he’s a regular and oft-champion. It’s behind a paywall, so maybe you wait until the end of the week to read it, or maybe you could give the richest guy in the world a few bucks and subscribe.

To my mind, though, the big thing to check out is the reaction to a piece that hit Twitter over the weekend that argued indie comics shows are blatantly unfair to new creators, exploiting them to benefit big name guests. I’m not linking to the original here, because I think there’s a lot of subtlety in the position that is poorly suited to Twitter, and don’t want to cause the original poster any grief or pile-ons. The reactions that I’m going to point you towards have been measured, respectful, and thoughtful. Unsurprisingly, they’re from Jim Zub and C Spike Trotman.

Zub, as he frequently does, talks about the work and preparation that all aspects of a creative career require. The key part, I think was his conclusion:

At almost every show I see at least one a new creator who has spent a ridiculous amount of money, assuming their huge banner and flashy booth will provide them the big splash they need to ‘break in’, not realizing that these creative fields are a marathon, not a sprint.

Spike also emphasizes the skills one must develop to pick out which shows to attend, and the importance of right-sizing both your expectations and your career growth, but more importantly she pointed out that those starting creators have resources they can call on, like the Creators 4 Creators grant, which just so happens to be accepting applications.

And, not wanting to hash things out on Twitter, Shing Yin Khor decided to cut through the noise and just do something about it:

I don’t like having opinions on the internet much anymore. My opinion on the convention table cost issue is that we should try to create ways to make them accessible for those who need it most. Anyway, I’ve created a small microgrant ($200 x5) program.

You are eligible if: 1. You are a comics creator accepted to or intending to apply to exhibit at a 2019 show. 2. You have exhibited at fewer than 3 conventions or zinefests. 3. You do not have a published work with a major indie or traditional publisher (anthology work is fine).

It is intended for newer members of the comics community who need a bit of extra help to exhibit at conventions, zine fests or festivals. It can be used for costs associated with travel, lodging, tabling, and creating books and merch.

It’s an easy form. It should take less than 15mins to fill out if you have already been giving thought to exhibiting. This is a small thing. What’s gonna happen is that I’m gonna sit down with some trusted people in late December, and then PayPal or Venmo 5 good people.

And, because comics is full of awesome people, there’s been a knock-on effect:

It has only been 15 mins, but the number of microgrants we can actually offer thanks to some good people, is now 8! I don’t want to collect money (I don’t have the resources to organize it), but if you’d like to sponsor a grant and be matched with a recipient in Dec, lemme know.

You hear the woman — if you’ve got a spare bit of cash and want to help a just-beginning creator, let her know.

Spam of the day:

Hope you are doing great Today.I have a proposed BUSINESS ARRANGEMENT that will benefit both parties. This is legitimate,legal and your personality will not be compromised.Please Reply to me ONLY if you are interested and consider your self capable for details

Okay, bonus points for sending this one from Japan, spammers. Don’t usually see that.