Never Go Mainstream

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NEVER GO MAINSTREAM

Back when I was a kid and aspiring to be a professional cartoonist one day, I had this dreadful fear hanging over my head:

That the only way to become successful as a cartoonist, was to go mainstream. Cute and cuddly, warm and fuzzy. In the world of the big money cartooning, there was little room for “Edge”.

Check out the traditional US Sunday comics section of any newspaper, and you’ll see what I mean. Utter, cutey-pie dreck.

I just couldn’t see myself doing it. My stuff was just too “out there”, and when I tried to reign it in, it just made it worse.

Of course, that was before the Internet came along and changed everything…

Anybody who courts the mainstream deserves everything they get. There’s far more action in niches.