Excellent article. This is what drew me to the Iron Age in the first place. It's rare to see a wave of creativity that's so unabashedly positive in its aim, especially in our modern age. We need these stories to provide a form of escape. We need optimism in our lives. Otherwise, we consign ourselves to hopelessness. Hail, good sir!
Hail! It's very much a demoralization campaign being waged, and I think this the first time we've seen a space that has actively sought to counter that. It's also why I have my thumbs in all the pies because this is a campaign that needs to be countered. It's also why I emphasize curation of classic media as a means to not only study, but to help ween people off the nonstop content tit of modern media.
I think there are a lot of people burned by the rise and fall of certain smaller movements. I hang with a lot of PulpRev guys and that sounded like a case of authors writing for authors, creating a very insular space where there simply isn't room to grow, on top of COVID killing momentum for people. Comicsgate has the giant issue of drama and shit-slinging that, while fun in the short term, definitely inhibits growth as well. And while I'm not expecting anyone to break it big anytime soon, we have seen big wins lately from stuff like Razorfist and GPrime85's Ghost of the Badlands, Iron Age magazine Anvil for which I work, and Eric July's monolithic Rippaverse. So I think of all attempts, the power of the Iron Age as something to rally around has a good head of steam. Now we just need to keep the train a-rolling.
Abso-fucking-lutely. I've often felt driven out of my mind for taking this route, but I'm kinda glad people are coming around to just telling the good story as opposed to just pitching a fit about bad ones.
I get that people need to vent (I'm about to haha), but if it keeps you from actually getting creative maybe it's time to step back, take a deep breath, touch grass etc.
But within the Iron Age movement, like you said it's really positive. Even Razorfist keeps his politics out of his fiction writing (from what I've read) so if he can do it everyone else can haha.
It's also really disappointing that if certain people get attached to a scene (ie: Razorfist) it will likely alienate a lot of people who seem to physically be incapable of removing their own bias against the author and just ENJOY STORIES. If the writing sucks, move on.
Personally I read/watch/listen to artists from every point on the political spectrum. The art matters, who you vote for really, really doesn't IMO.
Yeah, one of my buds had to push me to do the Entering the Iron Age article on 365 Infantry because I was so adamant about keeping politics out of it. Then I realized I didn't have to bring them in to begin with, and I just knocked out the essay lol. Rome was never built in a day, but hopefully we start to see more and more people pulling the political veils from their heads.
I like the dlogan/ motto of become the culture. So I'm doing my part. I'm aiming to be the Tom Clancy of Catalan lit✊😁 because I don't see thrillers. Also I'm mashing it up with scifi. Don't if it'll ever pan out but it's fun to try!👍
Excellent article. This is what drew me to the Iron Age in the first place. It's rare to see a wave of creativity that's so unabashedly positive in its aim, especially in our modern age. We need these stories to provide a form of escape. We need optimism in our lives. Otherwise, we consign ourselves to hopelessness. Hail, good sir!
Hail! It's very much a demoralization campaign being waged, and I think this the first time we've seen a space that has actively sought to counter that. It's also why I have my thumbs in all the pies because this is a campaign that needs to be countered. It's also why I emphasize curation of classic media as a means to not only study, but to help ween people off the nonstop content tit of modern media.
Well said. As someone who's on the outside looking in regarding the IronAge, I'm hopeful of what will come out of it.
I think there are a lot of people burned by the rise and fall of certain smaller movements. I hang with a lot of PulpRev guys and that sounded like a case of authors writing for authors, creating a very insular space where there simply isn't room to grow, on top of COVID killing momentum for people. Comicsgate has the giant issue of drama and shit-slinging that, while fun in the short term, definitely inhibits growth as well. And while I'm not expecting anyone to break it big anytime soon, we have seen big wins lately from stuff like Razorfist and GPrime85's Ghost of the Badlands, Iron Age magazine Anvil for which I work, and Eric July's monolithic Rippaverse. So I think of all attempts, the power of the Iron Age as something to rally around has a good head of steam. Now we just need to keep the train a-rolling.
"We need stories"
That part in particular spoke right to my soul. Definitely got a subscription from me.
Pleased to have struck a chord. Thanks for joining!
"I consider myself part of something sorely missed in this space; the apolitical."
Hear hear. Left, right, up, down, whatever. Keep it minimal. Let's just tell good fucking stories.
Abso-fucking-lutely. I've often felt driven out of my mind for taking this route, but I'm kinda glad people are coming around to just telling the good story as opposed to just pitching a fit about bad ones.
I get that people need to vent (I'm about to haha), but if it keeps you from actually getting creative maybe it's time to step back, take a deep breath, touch grass etc.
But within the Iron Age movement, like you said it's really positive. Even Razorfist keeps his politics out of his fiction writing (from what I've read) so if he can do it everyone else can haha.
It's also really disappointing that if certain people get attached to a scene (ie: Razorfist) it will likely alienate a lot of people who seem to physically be incapable of removing their own bias against the author and just ENJOY STORIES. If the writing sucks, move on.
Personally I read/watch/listen to artists from every point on the political spectrum. The art matters, who you vote for really, really doesn't IMO.
Yeah, one of my buds had to push me to do the Entering the Iron Age article on 365 Infantry because I was so adamant about keeping politics out of it. Then I realized I didn't have to bring them in to begin with, and I just knocked out the essay lol. Rome was never built in a day, but hopefully we start to see more and more people pulling the political veils from their heads.
I like the dlogan/ motto of become the culture. So I'm doing my part. I'm aiming to be the Tom Clancy of Catalan lit✊😁 because I don't see thrillers. Also I'm mashing it up with scifi. Don't if it'll ever pan out but it's fun to try!👍