Legacy Comix is here. Saying I’m excited is the understatement of the century. I’ve written seven books (and counting), done lead voiceover for two video games (and counting) I have a successful website and have taught college for 15 years and all of that pales in comparison to the rush this new endeavor has given me.
I don’t want anyone to think that this was done as a spur of the moment thing. Anyone that knows me knows that behind every decision I make, there is thought behind it. Condrey was a comic book series 20 years in the making and once the ball started rolling this year, I knew we were on to something.
The creation of Legacy Comix alongside John Svedese was a direct result of my time at Lesser Known Comics, which had its share of ups and downs. It was an experience I learned a lot from. It was like going to business school. So many meetings. So many meetings. Yes, I said it twice. But ultimately, there were more things said than done. That is ultimately why I’m here- and not there.
As of this writing, Legacy Comix, without a comic book on store shelves (even though Condrey 0-3, now a Legacy book, is on plenty of shelves) has a working store, with merchandise. Our comics will be on Comixology when they are finished. We have avenues for monetization. We can clearly grow. We have people that I have faith in making decisions about the future of my work and the work of other people I trust.
While intentions were always in the right place, my time at LKC was mired by the fact that many decisions that needed to be made- that would ensure my IP made money and was exposed to as many people as possible, weren’t being made and no one was held accountable. There were no deadlines. No competition. For me, it was a creative purgatory. I loved the intention, but knew I needed more.
Now here at Legacy, I find myself in this position- I’d rather fail having tried, than sit around and wait for other people to make decisions over my future.
This mindset is far from a lack of long-term version. It’s far from a lack of patience. It’s just time for me to start my own Legacy, in comics.
Again, anyone that knows me, they know. That’s not the way I operate. If I’m quiet, there’s a problem. When I don’t want to speak, it’s because I know I’m not being listened to. That will never be the case here. My first goal at Legacy is to set the standard as high as I possibly can. My biggest goal; however, is to make anyone signed to this brand feel like they are in a position to make money and grow. This isn’t a hobby. This is a career. I’m here to do great things, not talk about it.
So that brings me to here. Legacy Comix had to be created because Condrey would have died otherwise. At Legacy, however, the series will be successful and I will do what I have to do to make it so. At the same time, this is about so much more than Condrey. I want to create more characters. More stories. That’s something I would have never had an opportunity to do at Lesser Known. That’s another reason why Legacy Comix means so much to me. Here, I can help build a universe.
But that’s not all. As I said before, I want to also give other people the tools to do the things they want to do in the industry. As a matter of fact, you can even say that one of the reasons why Legend of the Night Owl will exist is because Afrim Gjonbalaj and I ended up taking a car ride where he pitched it to me and sold me with his passion. If I was just writing a comic somewhere else, I’d never be in this position today. That means something to me.
I know that everyone is counting on me here and it’s raised the stakes. I’m ready. A seasoned editor, I won’t take their success as my own failures. If John and I pick you to be a part of this team, we have the faith in you to be as successful as you want to be. I’ve been an Editor at NBC and ReviewFix and several other publications over the last 15 years. I know what it takes to build a team and to be successful. This is my time to do it- in a brand new medium. With the support of John handling the art and a bulk of the tech (He’s a rockstar, just wait until you see everything he’s done for this brand already.), I feel like we can do anything.
When I first signed to Lesser Known Comics in February, that’s how I originally felt. I was enthralled. Someone else was willing to invest in me. That was the reason why Kieran X. Quinn and I signed with them. We finished Condrey #0 in August of 2019 and pitched to places like Dark Horse and Image because we felt like the comic was good enough to be published there- and we still believe that’s the case. We could have easily self-published like thousands of creators. But we wanted to have someone else push us. We wanted support on social media. We wanted merchandise. We wanted it all. In the nine months I was at LKC, we published four issues and met some amazing people- all talented and all with huge hearts. Mark Bernal gave me an opportunity that I will never forget and I’m happy Kieran is still there. He’s an amazing artist that can only elevate their product. I want them to succeed. But I know that in order for my career in comics to go where I want it, I cannot stay at a company that cannot push me to be my best.
My Legacy is different. This is my Legacy- to push myself as hard as I possibly can and to surround myself with the type of people that don’t make excuses. I’m not going to be the easiest person to work with because I have a high standard and I’m stubborn- two things I think my teammates know already.
I’m was just done feeling trapped while someone else published my work and didn’t know that the creator of the comic’s name always goes first, or that you don’t put two pages of advertisements on the first two pages of your comic. I’m don’t want to fight to have things the right way anymore.
Those days are over.
John Svedese and I have read comics our entire lives. John has lettered other people’s books. He knows the way a book is supposed to look. So do I. We will make sure that every creator here has a book that looks the way they want it to- and the way it’s supposed to look. As you can guess, I cannot wait for us to rerelease Condrey issues 0-3 via Legacy. Those “remastered” editions will be a step above what has been previously been released. Those new editions of those previously released comics will be a part of our first Kickstarter and again, I cannot wait for you to see them. Away from my wife and two children, what I am building with John and the members of this team means everything to me.
But back to business. With myself as the Editor-In-Chief of this publication, Legacy will not be a workplace where repercussions for mistakes that affect a whole company are tolerated. Legacy will be a place where artists and writers are held to deadlines. Legacy will not be a place where disorder is accepted. Simply put, writers and artists at Legacy are members of a team. John Svedese and I will not be referred to as “Clients.” We are building a company that will be sustainable, thanks to the efforts of everyone involved. We are not an “Artist-First” company. We are a “Creator-First” company. We will embolden our creators, ourselves and our readers by making sure our content is held to a high standard and is available wherever our audience wants it. We are willing to work with anyone who wants to make that happen.
We hope that you join us early on this adventure and create your own memories with our stories and characters. That, in the end, will be our greatest Legacy of all.
We hope that you support our Kickstarter and get on the ground floor. It’s going to be special.
-Patrick Hickey Jr.
Editor-In-Chief, Co-Founder
Legacy Comix
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