AFTERLIFE WITH NASSER #9 - SMILLER, EVS, COMICSGATE #MALINMILITIA
"Afterlife with Nasser" is a new vlogging series by the born again Comicsgater
@NasserRabadi13, named in tribute of his nemesis Liam. The reference is quite a direct one, going so far as to make Liam's meltdown over Nasser returning to CG the introduction clip. Nasser gets right to it, plugs Lonestar and at the two minute mark Smiller is brought in for the scheduled interview. Mike immediately vents his grievances with Nasser predicating some of Mike's statements with "if what he says is true" and the circumstances of Nasser having his mod wrench removed from Mike's youtube channel. Once that "pressing issue" is resolved the show goes on for a fairly amiable reading of chats, a sedate mix of people yelling their suspicions of Mike and Nasser, mocking Liam along with promotions of active crowdfunds. At 10:20, one of Mike's many children appears in the background with a stick to poke at his sibling.
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At 11 minutes in, the real topic is finally broached as "Gigadeath the Graphic Novel" calls upon Mike to move past the grudges and grievances of before and let Comicsgate into his heart once more. To renounce the yoke of his past and be free (of debt). Nasser agrees. Mike asks if there's a way he can be "CG Adjacent". Nasser says no. Miller then says since Comicsgate is a fan movement by his definition and since Mike is a creator and not a fan, he cannot be Comicsgate - creators can cater to and be answerable to Comicgate fans as per its stated principles, but cannot be CG themselves . Nasser says "come on man, just be Comicsgate again". Mike threatens to leave the stream if this was all just a set up for Nasser to perform Comicsgate missionary work to which Nasser replies it totally wasn't, but unrelated he also doesn't have anything else planned and uh, he was just going off what the chat said who all really want him back. The topic returns to some product promotion which placates an increasingly irate Smiller.
Nasser then opts to try and boil this lobster gradually as discussion of product like their respective works segues into craft, and the craft of creating comics naturally moves into the subject of marketing and selling them, and how this would all be much easier if Mike just declared himself Comicsgate again like Nasser did. Mike says he will not recant, but the chink in his armor of wanting to debate online shows itself and Nasser moves to strike. Mike cites the injustice that
Thomas Morya: Wizard for Hire by Celina Hernandez, an extremely impressive debut comic under the CG banner that is doing even worse that
Lonestar 3 and that disproves the so called benefit of declaring oneself Comicsgate; the only real benefit of declaring Comicsgate is access to Frog's platform. Nasser doesn't have an argument for this on hand and buys for time byr trashing Donal and his latest excuse for not fulfilling
Brutas the Badass. It works as Mike joins in on laughing at Donal's inept cuck ass. There's some more discussion at 46 minutes on Mike's end about the difficulty of writing, drawing, inking and coloring an entire book with the level of "extreme detail" that
Thomas Morya boasts on a 13,000 dollar budget and how an average of $270 a page before costs isn't worth the amount of labor involved.
At 1:04:20 some color commentary was provided on the value of Smiler's input on such matters.
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Thrilled, Nasser obediently offers to send Frog the link and "get the band back together". Miller is visibly uncomfortable at the suggestion but too polite to give Nasser a "if he's on I leave" ultimatum, opting instead to say he doesn't want a front row seat to watch Nasser's asskissing. Nasser has no idea what he's talking about but just thinks it would be awesome if they were both on. The chat pushes for it and Frog promises that the two of them can just talk about comics and things don't have to get "homotional" . Mike relents, much to the host's delight. Frog hops on and, true to his word at first, starts talking about hot button comic book industry news about DC Comics' sinking fortunes and their rumored plans to cease making physical comics at some point early next year. For a brief window in time (1:16:30) all three panelists settled into old grooves as Mike, Nasser and Frog bantered about SJWs and bitcoins as if the last year an a half never happened. Frog even held his tongue when Mike proclaimed that he's only bought
more bitcoin.
The subject of "business" is pursued and with a veiled insistence, the performance of Lonestar 3's campaign relative to previous campaigns as well as relative to other CG and CG-adjacent crowdfunds is broached. Paraphrasing, Frog's argument is that, not unlike a band, CG creators are stronger together than they are as solo acts and that at the end of the day no one person can claim ownership of the group's fans, not even the lead. Mike protests that he wants people to be hist customer because they like his books, not because he's popular or they like his marketing. Nasser argues that customers can buy his product for whatever reason they want and it's only Mike's business to ensure that they sell period.
Thomas Morya and how the success that Mike feels the comic clearly merits is touched upon again, but Frog flips that around as another example of how important marketing any product is, good or bad, adding that Mike enjoys 28 years of established reputation as a comic book artist that Celina Hernandez simply does not, that Comicsgate needs established veterans like Mike to help advocate for prospects like Celina Hernandez and that he can't do it all by himself.
At 1:36:00, things start getting to brass tacks as Mike and Frog start debating over the definition of what Comicsgate even is. Mike's argument, to reiterate, is that Comicsgate is a customer-driven movement with stated principles and proscriptions outlined by the original "OGCG" inceptors who were customers, detailing a value system with which they will patronize publishers and creators who had proved themselves as a class to be increasingly abusive and dismissive towards the customer. As Mike is a creator who receives money from Comicsgate customers, he cannot be CG himself. Frog's definition is more broad and nebulous, describing the movement as a reaction to encroaching "cancel culture" that secured positions in the comic book industry to impose their ideology and drive it into the ground, concluding that this movement encompasses both fan and creator and that the "CG principles" themselves are merely a small part of a greater phenomenon. "Comicsgate" at the end of the day was just a convenient label applied to
both fan and creator by SJWs that was then redefined and repurposed by the labelled. It's an interesting debate and actually one that is a reversal of Smiller's position with Testefy last week regarding ideals versus reality.
Mike delves into the history of how it was Frog who decided for himself that "creators can be Comicsgate" and an increasingly impatient Frog accuses Smiller of quibbling over semantics and asks if he wants to own the SJWs or not and if he does he should get in the boat, pussy. Matthew Fowler, author of
Seicho 66 says in the chat that
@TheCosmicWarrior Jon del Arroz should be brought on to clear this out because he started Comicsgate to fight the satanic pedowood cabal (JDA didnt respond to DMs though). Nasser interrupts to ask what kind of weirdo would admit to liking Donal? Testefy_HD spends 2 dollars to ask if he can be Comicsgate again too. Frog says no.
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It's at around 1:47:00 that the elephant in the room is addressed about the various accusations, claims that Mike "hates the customers now" and spite campaigns have had on his own business, which Frog at first brushes off saying that it doesn't matter what someone defines Comicsgate as and that Mike is welcome to his own personal interpretations but that at the end of the day his interests are best served by coming back returning to "the show." But Smiller is still reticent, saying he would rather people read his books than pay him money. Nasser says he needs money to live, he doesn't need people to read his books. Additionally, Frog claims that he doesn't remember vowing to destroy Mike as Mike claims, but if he did he was sorry and that he probably meant it as a joke. At two hours in, Frog goes for broke and decides to formally apologizes for conduct he says was done in anger, that he regrets it and that he sincerely hopes he considers coming back because Mike leaving hasn't done anyone good, least of all Mike. Mike accepts the apology and offers apologies for things said in spite, like that time he posted a frog being vivisected alive on pieman's twitter. Nasser checks
Lonestar 3 and it has passed $14k
At 2:10:00 Frog reflects over the past year of blood and infighting and has asked himself if any of it was worth it, if any of it led to anything good or help him achieve any of his goals. He is forced to conclude 'no', and that none of this furthered his dream of building a team of talented comic creators able to forge careers in opposition to the mainstream. Many people left, but now more people like Davis, Fraga, Rocafort and soon Bill Willingham are on board and that if there was no bad blood or history between the two he can't imagine that Miller would not want to be on board himself. Mike shows visible delight at the idea of Willingham being CG. In this growing spirit of CG Anmesty, at 2:18:12 Frog expresses his hope that even
@VIkkiVerse might come around some day and even though he doesn't know what her deal is, she seems to have a voice and he would like it if that voice supported Comicsgate as well. PixelTraitor in the chat asks if he should get IndieCron going again too.
Nasser closes the stream by reading superchats and sharing his giddy elation about healing this rift in Comicsgate once again while Mike and Frog express unease and discomfort after inviting someone back they exchanged mutual vows of hatred with for a full year. Frog says that whatever Mike chooses, he's glad he's been able to get this off his chest and that no matter what choice he makes, he's grateful to have know Smiller. Mike says he will have to pray on this before reaching a decision, but he accepted it as a legitimate apology. This historical stream is then closed by sharing a very symbolic art piece.
Now, in my opinion all this was the easiest part. The much more difficult next step of trying to reverse and deprogram the year of near daily anti-Smiller conditioning of the average Comicsgater is just beginning. It may not be possible. Nasser has a better chance at rehabilitation because the main ringleaders behind seeing him out are no longer in Comicsgate themselves.
