Ouch. How to deal with hate mail & the internet.
Ouch. The latest issue has drawn out the fringe readers. You know, the ones who say the series has gone downhill ever since page two. I’m not sure why, but they continue to read the series getting madder and madder, and going to some trouble to let me and the world know about it. It’s part of the job, knowing you will have two basic reading groups… those pleased and those not. Most of the Nots don’t bother communicating with the writer, they drop the book and never look back. Some Nots linger for years, registering everything from disapproval to contempt for your work. Once in a while a genuine hate letter comes your way, either via email or posted on the Review This Issue page. Welcome to the genuine dark side of comics.
It’s interesting how various creators handle this, everybody has their own way of dealing with hate mail. Some people like Todd MacFarlane and David Lapham embraced the hatred, actually encouraging more of it in their letter columns, when they had them. Like their dark books, they fed off the dark energy. Some of the genuine tough guys in comics just say “fuck you!” and never waste a minute worrying about it— Matt Wagner and Brian Bendis come to mind— it’s testosterone out the ears with those guys. The more sensitve creators envy the second group but avoid the letters and internet all together. I won’t name names but you can almost tell who they are by their absence— it’s not because they’re tech stupid.
I’m somewhere between the last two groups. I get a hate letter and my temper flares, I want to smash the critic into goo, set the goo ablaze, then nuke the planet the goo is stuck to… but I can’t do that, I’m a nice guy. I have learned over the years that it’s best for me to not look at fan forums. I stopped several years ago when I realized I’d rather beat myself to death with a lead pipe than log on and face the relentless negativity of internet forums, even my own.
But it’s frustrating. It’s a one way street, a shooting gallery and you’re the target. You cannot respond or defend yourself. To respond to anything critical or hateful is the worst thing a creator can do. You will always, always regret it and probably make the situation worse. Best case scenario is you will only embarrass yourself, worst case is you could damage your reputation and career. Several creators are notorious for frequent fighting with critics on the net. Their reputations have suffered for it. I confess, I’ve done it once or twice over the last 12 years online, argued with a fan. I felt horrible afterwards and I knew I’d made a mistake. I have to remind myself… I have a career… be happy, don’t blow it. I also have a reputation for not telling people to “Fuck off!” or smashing them into goo. I don’t want to blow that either. Plus I never forget the story of my friend who argued with a forum member for several days about the pricing and complex economics of comics— with the exchanges growing hotter and hotter— only to discover he was arguing with a 12 year old boy.
So, bottom line, how to deal with hate mail and the internet? I’m gonna go with peace, love and happiness on this one. We all need more of that in our lives, don’t we? Think I’ll just focus my energy in those directions.
So much for the dark side of comics and the net. Downer topic. Life is too short. Peace and love to all… especially the unhappy ones.
