Eric July, 32, has been a fan of comic books since he was a kid. His podcast “For Canon Sake” and YouTube show “YoungRippa59” often center around comics. The comics industry’s creative decline, however, is typically the subject that takes center stage.
Having ingratiated himself into the world of comics and studied the reasons for this decline, he knew there was a demand for comics devoid of political or ideological agendas.
From having his own successful show to being the frontman for the metal band BackWordz, July is a creator—and his creative side has never been more pronounced than when he decided to create not just his own comic book or comic hero, but his own comic universe called “Rippaverse.” The first edition of his new comic series, “Isom,” came out in July.
“I had aspirations to write, but considering the market, I didn’t think I would be able to do it at this age,” he said during an interview on “The Sons of History” podcast. “Maybe when I was in my 40s. I think everyone had a dream of writing for Marvel or DC. That’s definitely not on my list anymore.”
Nor should it ever be at this point.
Eric July is the lead vocalist for rap-metal band BackWordz and author of the comic book series "Isom." Courtesy of Rippaverse
‘Isom’ Far Exceeds Expectations
July had set manageable expectations for the comic’s first pre-order campaign (although they may have seemed lofty at the time): He was expecting to generate about $100,000 in sales. He had spent twice that amount just getting his company, “Rippaverse Comics,” in order, which included costs for lawyers, artwork, printing, employees, and more. “Isom” sales ripped through that ceiling in the first 30 minutes.Within 30 hours, the new comic business had hit $1 million in sales. By the end of the campaign, it had exceeded July’s expectations by more than 3,500 percent, generating more than $3.7 million.
As much as July views the current comic industry with disdain, he’s also thankful for it.
"Isom" by Eric July is a non-political superhero comic series set in the fictional universe called Rippaverse. Courtesy of Rippaverse
Woke Comics Create Opportunity
“I’m not oblivious at all to the fact that I owe a lot of my career to the people who do stupid things that have just turned off their customers,” he said. “You watch these brands that have been straight-up hijacked by a bunch of people who cannot set aside their individual political beliefs. They feel like they have to beat their audience over the head. All I said was I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to beat my audience over the head. I’m just going to make good material. And that’s all people want out of this medium.”July addresses this very issue in the opening pages of his first comic book. He notes that “Rippaverse Comics” was, at least in part, created “for all of the people who have watched their favorite franchises be hijacked.” This hijacking within the comic book world, indeed the arts industry itself, has created an ideological monopoly within the industry, which has led the two leading comic creators, Marvel and DC Comics, into some economic turmoil. July believes that these issues arose from having ideologically driven people make the decisions.
“I think leftists have long infiltrated the arts. A lot of people in powerful positions with control of these entertainment entities had been convinced by people, who probably had no business being in their positions, that this was the market, that this was the wave of the future, and that you gotta get in now,” he said.
July said that worked in the short term because these entities owned trusted and loved household names, such as Superman, Batman, Captain America, and many others. But mixing political correctness with traditional comics was never going to work in the long run. He noted that even Disney has created flops with one of America’s most popular and successful franchises, “Star Wars.”
“You’ve seen in the past couple of years, certainly over this past year, with some of these franchises that couldn’t miss even if it was a bad movie, that they were going to make top dollar, but now that’s not the case,” he said. “There are some projects that have actually lost money, such as the ‘Eternals’ and ‘Solo,’ and that should never happen. You can see that they are starting to feel those economic consequences of catering to a demographic that simply wasn’t there or was overstated.”
Courtesy of Rippaverse
Courtesy of Rippaverse
Courtesy of Rippaverse
Customers Over Peers
One demographic that remains, however, is the one that apparently makes up a larger portion within the industry itself. July’s creation and its resulting success has caught the ire of many of them, and they have made no bones about criticizing his work, even if strictly for ideological reasons. To suggest that the criticism hasn’t worked, however, would be an understatement.“I’m not saying that all criticism is illegitimate, but often what my peers care about, the regular customer does not,” he said. “A lot of folks have fallen victim, even mainstream guys, to trying to impress their peers, whether it be ideologically or even with the art itself, and they often end up broke. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I’m gonna take my customers over my peers nine times out of nine.”
July issued three covers of the first “Isom” comic book. It’s the first in an ongoing series.
