Regie Collects is no longer a comic-book fan turned YouTuber. You can say he's graduated. He founded Swoldier Publishing, a hot independent that has caught the attention of comics readers with the sharp mystery, Isolation. Collects is an inspirational figure who is turning his fantasy into a reality. Check out this interview with the up and coming comic-book writer.
I’m fascinated by the business aspect of your Regie Collects YouTube channel. It’s so unique in contrast to your competitors. Your dollars and sense discussions go beyond Overstreet values. When did you evolve from comics collector to businessman?
"Thanks for the question. I started to evolve my channel when I realized that I couldn’t continue spending large amounts of money weekly to buy comics for me to film and release unboxing videos. At the time when I started my channel, much of the comic book YouTube content was nothing more than “show and tell.” I knew I needed to differentiate myself, so I branched out by creating experimental content to see what might resonate with an audience. I finally landed on, not so much a type of content, but a philosophy for the channel. I decided that my goal was to help people be smarter about comic book collecting."
"This philosophy is specific yet broad enough to explore a wide range of topics. It also allows me to leverage different aspects of my life. Yes, I collect comics, but I’m also a husband, father, and MBA graduate who helps run a multimillion-dollar business. When I create content for YouTube, I tap into all of those things that make me who I am. People who watch my content might only hear about comics, but if you listen carefully, you’ll hear life lessons, career advice, business tips, and more."
I’m noticing more YouTubers becoming comic book publishers, which is a fascinating trend. I believe Geekosity’s Mikey Sutton may have been first with Dreamwalker, which is now a TV show. Now there’s ComicTom101. What influenced you to start Swoldier Publishing?
"It’s a great question, but I need to make one correction. And I don’t say this to take anything away from my friend Mikey Sutton. I believe Eric July was the first YouTuber to become a comic book publisher when he released ISOM #1. Eric raised more than $3M to bring the Rippaverse to life."
"Many don’t consider Eric to be a comic book YouTuber versus a political pundit who occasionally talks about comics. If true, that would make me the first comic book YouTuber to become a publisher. I guess it comes down to how you want to slice things up."
"What’s happening now with Eric, ComicTom, and Swagglehaus, just to name a few, is a natural evolution. We are all content creators who are testing the limits of our creativity. I’m not sure how anyone can read comics and not be inspired to create one as well. I was motivated to try my hand at comic book publishing after my co-writer Doug Bratton and I successfully wrote and sold 4,200 copies of the Guide to SMART Comic Collecting in late 2021. The success of that project opened my eyes to the possibility that we could potentially have some success with an indie comic as well."
Do you have staff for Swoldier Publishing? How would you describe day-to-day operations?
"I wish, but unfortunately, I didn’t raise $3M like Mr. July. I am the staff. I am the publisher, editor, chief coffee maker, and head shipping clerk. On the creative side, we have assembled a fantastic team of artists and letterers from the Kubert School, and on the production side, we have Scott Palochik who has a few decades of experience with layout, design, and pre-press."
You’ve had terrific success with your initial title, Isolation. Are you developing more titles in the future?
"I continue to be humbled by the reception that Isolation receives from the audience. A lot of hard work goes into the script, the art, and the production, and I’m thankful that the readers appreciate the quality of what we put out. We recently launched our “kickstarter” for Isolation #4 on SwoldierPublishing.com, and so far, the fundraising efforts have been strong."
"In the background, I’ve been working with another writer, Scott Palochik, for months on a second title called Marcvs that will be released before year’s end. Marcvs is an action-packed adventure centered on Carmen Gentile, a war reporter who gets caught up in a whirlwind of secrets and ancient riddles involving two deadly adversaries. Scott is going to blow people away with this story."
How did Isolation come about? What qualities attracted you to print it?
"Isolation is the result of my long-standing relationship with Doug Bratton. Before Doug and I co-wrote the Guide to SMART Comic Collecting, he wrote content for my website and was a frequent guest on my channel. That relationship opened the door to him pitching Isolation."
"After a little back and forth we decided to pull the trigger on the project. And, if I am being honest, I was sold on Isolation after reading the very first script. Isolation is a compelling story which centers around a researcher named Mandy Connors who is obsessed with a hidden community that was the scene of several mass murders in 1869, 1919 and 1949."
"A few years ago, I watched a documentary featuring Mark Wahlberg. Mark mentioned the importance of having a strong team. A team that augments and amplifies your effort. Doug, Scott, my Blue Wrenches (channel moderators), and Patreon members all serve as members of my team. They inspire me. They keep me honest. They challenge and push me to try different things that I otherwise would not dare."
You look and sound so natural on the air. What kind of training did you have, if any?
"Thank you for saying so. My presentation skills are mostly honed through my job experiences. I have worked in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry for the last 20 years, so I have a lot of experience giving informal and formal presentations to doctors, nurses, sales reps, and senior business leaders. As an introvert, I don’t exactly enjoy public speaking but it’s part of my job."
"Additionally, I have an undergrad degree in News Editorial from Howard University. I’ve penned hundreds of articles for trades, newspapers, magazines, and websites around the world. I’ve also written a few eBooks on fitness."
Do you think the comic industry is healthy at the moment, commercially and creatively?
"I think the comic book industry, like many industries, is suffering as a result of the global economy and poor economic policy by the federal government. Over the last year, we have seen big tech companies, large retailers, and several entertainment conglomerates lay off thousands of employees. Recently we have seen both Aftershock and IDW attempt to restructure themselves to remain solvent. As the larger economy improves over the next two years, I think that the comic book market will start to find better footing."
"With that said, the comic book industry has its own unique challenges that will need to be addressed—primarily creativity and distribution. Anyone that has shown up at a local comic shop on new comic book day to learn that the comics haven’t arrived knows about the industry’s distribution challenges."
"From a creativity standpoint, I believe it’s the big two players, Marvel and DC, that face the most challenges because the talented creators are taking their projects the indie route where they have ownership and creative freedom. Second-tier publishers like Image, Boom Studios, Skybound, and IDW are putting out some incredibly creative work. It’s also important to mention other publishers like Stranger Comics, Scout Comics, Dynamite, and, dare I say, Swoldier Publishing that have great content but lack distribution and reach."
"Small publishers are taking creative risks whereas Marvel and DC appear to be risk averse and rely heavily upon Spider-Man and Batman."
How do you finance Swoldier Publishing?
"All of the startup costs for Swoldier Publishing came from my YouTube channel. Put another way, ad revenue generated from YouTube’s ad program were combined with channel sponsorship funds and Patreon donations to get Swoldier up and running. I have since moved to a crowdfunded approach where packages for each issue are sold to generate the funds to pay the artists and to cover printing. In other words, it’s the readers who keep Swoldier Publishing going."
"Hopefully, the folks reading this article will make a decision to support Isolation by purchasing a package from SwoldierPublishing.com."