It’s been a long time since we started this Blak Comic journey with Blak Pulp. Reflecting on the past, things were often chaotic and disorganized. We truly came from the mud, a fact that inspired our last installment, Epoch Primordial. That was the book where it seemed like all the pieces for a real creative business and revolution were finally found, even if they hadn’t yet been formed.
THE DEBUT
It was March of 2016 when we dropped our first issue during the “Meeting of the Mindz” event at the now-closed Amalgam Comics and Coffee House. It was a catered event with news coverage and a few musical performances. No one knew or even cared that we were lacking in many areas. We were supposed to release our second issue by May 5th. Our release schedule was too tight for working people. Although we addressed this in a few meetings, the desire to emulate the “BIG THREE” in the industry was our primary focus.
Not wise, but we pushed.
THE SHOW
For a brief period, we had this unattainable quarterly release schedule. Plans upon plans to stick to it fell apart. It just didn’t last long against real-world deadlines. This clash between ambition and reality led to rushed art that degraded over time, missed deadlines that eventually disappeared by the third book, half-baked stories that couldn’t stay on topic, and the insecurity of defending work we knew wasn’t up to standard. By the fourth issue, a lot of it was phoned in.
BEHIND THE SCENES
We lacked an editor, and our books suffered from “I’ve seen that a million times” syndrome. This wasn’t noticed until the first book had been released and the second one was headed to print. We were working so hard that we never took the time to read the damn book itself once it was done and separation finally happened. This drew critical judgment from the team, but no one took up the job of ensuring that our books were mistake-free.
It was a team effort.
THE RESULT
But don’t get it twisted, the pros outweigh the cons. The stress and frustration brought forth great gains in joy. Have you ever felt like you were right where you belong? That was “The Blak Pulp Experience”. The community, the support, and the love were all unmatched. There’s nothing like a world of Blerds (Black Nerds) relaxed, joyful, and covered in costumes. The comic community is magical like none other. In these spaces, we flourished greatly.
From the moment we vended at our first convention, people came to see and learn. It’s a hard hustle, teaching chaos like it’s organized. By the third year of attending, we’d taken to adjusting our product, creating new posters on the second days of a con to meet demand. We packed a high-quality printer, glossy and matte paper, and reserve ink. But that’s what you do when you’re growing something from the mud. You engage with colorful conspirators and creative activists. Most of all, you bring joy to the Happy, Free Black (Blak) people.
You do it for the artists, writers, craftspeople, merchants, and more. You do it for the Harlem Renaissance of Black nerdom.
Shall we continue?
Yeah, we shall.
