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It’s probably too late at night for this to be useful but I’ve been thinking about barcon and what people seem to think it is and isn’t etc. I can only speak from my own experience but maybe this will be helpful to someone.
There seems to be a perception that barcon is a place to get work from editors or otherwise network with various people with a view to getting work. That’s not the case in my experience. I’ve always known it to be a place for people who already know/work together to socialize.
So if someone says “you gotta go to cons and go to the bar and meet people so you can break in,” I would say that’s not correct. It’s like going to a party where you don’t know anyone. And if you try to talk about work with someone you don’t know, that’s awkward.
Now if you’re already in the biz it is helpful to put names to faces. Maybe you say it would be cool to work together one day, pleasantries like that. But most people are just hanging out, talking about their lives, weird shit they saw at the con, gossip. it’s NOT a job fair.
In fact when someone tries to talk shop and ask about work, at least with me, it feels like a failure to read the room. Even back when I was doing media, I remember a creator cornering me in the bar at 3am to pitch me on covering his book. Like, dude.
Here’s where barcon actually is important for work. It’s not trying to schmooze with pros, it’s forging bonds with your “classmates”. I have cherished memories of countless cons floors and barcons hanging out with other bloggers and creators when we were all coming up together.
Years later when we’ve become pros we have that shared history and respect. So I’d say the con floor is for hustling, but barcon is to hang out with your peers. Support each other. One day you’ll wake up and might be running the joint.
One thing I forgot to add is that you don’t need to do cons to become a comics pro. They can be helpful and even make you money but they’re also a big pain in the ass so don’t do it if it’s not in your budget or you’re not feeling it because it is NOT NECESSARY to become a pro.
Here’s an old thread on how to cold-call editors if you’re an artist. https://twitter.com/andykhouri/status/906220062964461568?s=21 https://twitter.com/andykhouri/status/906220062964461568
How to work in comics as a writer? That’s harder. The answer is really to write comics and get them drawn, but I’ll try to unpack that a little bit.
Assuming you want to write popular IP, there’s a few ways to go but it’s never going to be as simple as an artist’s path. Like, I need an artist, I just go look at pictures of the character i’m working on and hire the person who draws it the best. Not literally, but essentially.
If you’re a writer I can’t look at your fan fic of “my” IP because that’s basically illegal, nor can you send it to me, for the same reason. In fact sending unsolicited spec work is a good way to blackball yourself because that shit is radioactive. Standard in many businesses.
So that means you have to write something original, or at least someone else’s IP. And it has to get drawn, because I (and I think most editors) won’t read a script that we’re not working on. And you shouldn’t want us to, because reading a script is the worst way to read a comic.
Seriously, you can’t tell that much about someone’s comic book potential from a script anyway. You can tell a lot about their scriptwriting. But while that’s important, that’s not really what we do; we’re not publishing scripts. So again, you need to get something drawn.
If you can’t draw, you need to make friends with someone who can. A lot of times young creators make connections online via shared interests, mutual friends, message boards, hashtags, same way all of us “discover” stuff in the 21st century.
Also cons. Like I said above, cons are a good place to bond with your peers. A lot of people meet collaborators by tabling near each other, barcon, etc. When you’re looking at making your first comic, probably for no money, you’re gonna want to like the person you’re working with
IMO the best way to go about it is to pay an artist to draw your script. Pay someone to color it and letter it. Then you’ve got a calling card you can email to anyone. Maybe it’s actually good enough to get published, so try submitting it to a company with a submissions policy.
Jonathan Hickman’s career started by sending five pages of THE NIGHTLY NEWS to Image, per their submission policy. They liked it, they printed it, other pros read it, he got more work.
I cannot overstate the importance of having a comic that people can read.
I cannot overstate the importance of having a comic that people can read.
Sam Humphries broke into writing in a very industrious way. He hired artists to draw his scripts, but self-published the results. That way he had tangible, professional-looking work he could show everybody who was hiring. IIRC his first WFH was Fraggle Rock and grew from there.
Another way for writers to get into WFH comics is to have created a body of work in another area, like prose, TV, media, games, etc. The skills and talents are often transferable, and you feel good about hiring someone with a track record that speaks to their professionalism.
Media is fertile ground for comic book writers/editors. Going back to Paul Levitz, comics has recruited from the “fan press.” I don’t know how healthy that business is right now, but comics is full of people who sharpened their skills as critics, essayists, running websites etc.
Some people think you have to cover publishers favorably if you want to work for them. Maybe? I didn’t seriously consider working for DC until they moved to my city, but had spent years criticizing them (fairly IMO) on popular websites, and paying people to do the same. Hired. 
Historically being a comic book editor was a path to writing. You got a staff job, you learned the craft, you left to go freelance, made room for the next person. Repeat. Doesn’t often work like that anymore. I’d say don’t become an editor if you really want to write.
So while it’s more complicated for writers, the basic necessity is the same as artists: if you want to do WFH you have to get your stuff out there where people can see it. Whether it’s a comic script you get drawn or a novel you get published or articles etc, get it out there.
I honestly don’t know the reason this practice stopped but I do know there are editors who would make fantastic writers and I’d like to see that happen. Denny O’Neil, Marv Wolfman, Mark Waid, Cliff Chiang, Paul Levitz, Dwayne McDuffie, all editor-creators. https://twitter.com/emmahouxbois/status/1279659388119117825?s=21 https://twitter.com/emmahouxbois/status/1279659388119117825
