Meet Jason Reeves

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jason Reeves a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Jason, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
When you grow up using the change from food stamp purchases as your weekly comic shop money, you learn to make do with a little. You can become very calculating. You learn to save up money, time, and even energy to overcome obstacles. Quiet as its kept, coming up poor builds a kind of conservativeness and a savvy that can navigate you around any ‘No’ response.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
It’s crazy looking back on it. For real, I just wanted to draw superheroes. I just wanted to draw fight scenes and folks that launched themselves into the air and jumped off roofs. I wanted to draw people that saved people…and strangely enough, they saved me. I’m Jason Reeves and 133art is my publishing company. It started out as a freelance illustration business and I’m proud to say we’ve had some distinguished clientele over the years: HASBRO | Esquire Magazine | USA Today | Upper Deck | Wizards of the Coast | Heavy Metal Magazine | Frontline Detroit Coalition | MV Media | Scholastic (…just some friendly flexin’). But I’m most proud of what it is now: 133art Publishing is A Black owned imprint enlisting and co-creating with comic folks who have a passion for storytelling and are dedicated to showcasing the depth and complexity of the Black comics experience. Fresh and unique storytelling, that’s the real flex.

Myself and a growing community of Black creators have grown our own corner of the comics industry affectionately thought of as Black Comix. I get to watch as it becomes fruitful and see my peers come into their own as their own work blows up. We’re having fun and I still feel like the grind has just started.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Building a business from scratch is no easy feat. As a self-taught artist, I’ve had to navigate the worlds of sales, marketing, and printing to establish my comic book brand, 133art.

Collecting clients for freelance or printing jobs doesn’t happen overnight. It takes a continuous effort to put yourself and your work out there, network, and pivot when things aren’t working in your favor. One of the biggest struggles in the indie comics industry, and for 133art specifically, is finding your audience. When I started out, I knew I wanted to create content with Black leads and heroes, but I had to figure out who would be interested in buying that content and where to find them.

Social media has been a key marketing tool for me, with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Peep Game Comics, and my website 133art.com being my go-to places. But in-person events like Black Indie Comic Conventions have been even more effective at drawing in potential customers. MECCA Con in Detroit, Black Comix Day in San Diego, Black Comics Arts Festival in San Francisco, Sol-Con in Ohio, the Black Comics Fest and the Black Comics Collective in New York are just a few of the events where I’ve been able to showcase my work and connect with fans.

But there’s still more work to be done. Wider distribution into bookstores and comic shops is the next step, and it will take time and effort to crack that nut. Building something up from scratch takes perseverance, patience, and a willingness to take things one step at a time. And as I continue to learn and grow, I’m excited to see where the next steps will take me and my brand.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?
Black Comix: African American Independent Comics, Art and Culture.

By John Jennings and Damian Duffy. It was my introduction to the wider Black Comix community when I was starting out. If the amazing art inside doesn’t hook you the bios of some of the best comic creators and artists on the planet will stoke the fires of your creativity.

Many of the luminaries within its pages, who still inspire me today have become cherished friends and peers. Its one of those books that I can crack open to reinvigorate me and remind myself why I’ve taken this journey.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Photo 7 Credit: Michael Young II/NerdSoul Photo 8 Credit: HRDWRKER/ CAAMcon

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