iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Studio Selfie: Allowed myself to be at least a bit grubby today, which is rare for me, but now I look like a suburban dad who's about to argue with his kid's soccer coach for not putting them in the game more. #MakingComics

A middle aged comic book creator questioning the fashion choices he made that led to this day

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Reposted by Matthew Dow Smith

Matt Garvey @mattgarvey1981.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Remember the follow up to my Ringo award wining book is going live THIS week…so if you wanna know HOW NOT TO BREAK INTO COMICS hit the link below to be notified… www.kickstarter.com/projects/mat...

kickstarter.com

Coming soon: How NOT To Break Into Comics!

Fifteen years, thirty comics, and everything I got wrong trying to make it in the industry

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It was my favorite job outside of comics. But as soon as private equity came in, they started playing their usual private equity games and left it a bankrupt husk of what it had once been.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

But there's a reason WebToons agreed to it. Because they know it might not bring in much profits, YET. But it will. And when it gets to that point, you don't have the infrastructure to take advantage of it. They do. Just saying. I really wish these companies would stop doing stuff like this.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I'm only guessing here, but I suspect running their own platform was just not bringing in big enough profits for them and handing the operating of that over to WebToons seemed like a win/win. Little bit of money without having to do much, if any, of the work.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Okay, but do I get, like, ice punch powers or something?

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

A little bit. But once I get the ball rolling, having the whole book set up so I can just open the next page and start working is such a huge help. I can just flow straight through the story.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Listen, I make comics. I'm an idiot. If I was good at business, I would have a lot more money and be a lot less stressed out all the time. But listen to me on this. DO NOT CEDE THE DIGITAL TERRITORY TO COMPANIES THAT ARE IN ESSENCE YOUR COMPETITION.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

The generations of comic readers coming up now are less resistant to digital formats than my generation. The publishing future is going to be increasingly digital. DO NOT cede that space to other companies because it's complicated.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

You know what killed Border Books? Well, it was private equity, but the thing that opened the door for private equity was Borders ceding the online shopping territory to Amazon by partnering with them because doing it themselves was complicated. It made Amazon stronger and fatally wounded Borders.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I don't have many hills I will die on, but one of them is that comic book companies have to stop ceding publishing territory to third parties and letting them taking over that space WHEN YOU COULD CONTROL IT YOURSELF! Yes, this is about Marvel turning its digital comics stuff over to WebToons.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Behind The Scenes: Believe it or not, in a few months these blank pages are going to be filled with a bunch of strange creatures, teen angst, a little romance, and a final battle with a force of pure evil. #TheOctoberGirlBookFive #MakingComics #BehindTheScenes

All the blank pages that will be THE OCTOBER GIRL Book Five

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Thanks, my friend! (And I do try to be open about the harder stuff in public too, if only so people know that it's not just them and that it's okay.)

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

If you're at NYCC this weekend, make sure to stop by and say hi to my long-time buddy and former X-Files collaborator, Joe! 1) He's a lovely guy, and 2) he has a limited edition X-Files print that I drew!

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Oh, I'm okay. Just, you know... life stuff. It's never NOT complicated. And no patches on the sweater, but if things continue to weigh heavily, I'll break out the many, many blazers with elbow patches. If you see the tweed and patches come out, though... that is a cry for help.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

It is totally and absolutely healthy! *goes back to drawing one of the three comics he is working on at the same time* ABSOLUTELY HEALTHY!!

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

You can read the full chapter here! For FREEEEE!!

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Making Comics Monday: Step-by-step process for a page from this week's chapter of THE AFTER SCHOOL VILLAIN SOCIETY! Layouts Roughs Inks Colors #ASVS #KidsComics #BehindTheScenes

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

(I'm fine, by the way. Just some things on my mind. Things that I am totally going to ignore by making comics. That's healthy... right?!)

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Studio Selfie: Woke up with heavy life things on my mind, so I'm coping the only way I know how -- cozy sweater, my pipe, and making comics in the studio, possible with bagpipe music playing. At least until my studio mate gets here. #ComicBookDad

A middle aged comic book creator. With a pipe. Yes. I smoke a pipe.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

An October night at The Ministry of Brewing with an appropriate book for company.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Thanks, Jeff! I love writing the dialogue for this thing.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

If you missed it yesterday, I posted a brand new chapter of THE AFTER SCHOOL VILLAIN SOCIETY! I'm having so much fun with this story. New chapter coming next Friday!

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

First season was something really interesting that did things you didn't normally see in an American science fiction show -- taking the science seriously, a romantic arc between two older people -- but the other two seasons it tried to do everything we'd already seen a million times before.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

I mean, dogs are cool and all, but can they hiss at you, then scratch you, then throw up a hairball in your slipper, then attack your foot, and then demand to know why you aren't feeding them right... Oh. I have made a terrible, terrible mistake. *screams as cat mistakes his foot for a kick toy*

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In case you missed it this morning, I posted a brand new chapter of THE AFTER SCHOOL VILLAIN SOCIETY!

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Any time you want, my friend! Huge fan of yours, as well!

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

If you need any guidance/encouragement, you know where to find me.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

There's something about UK book covers that I just loooooove. I used to buy UK editions over US editions all the time before all the tariff complications.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Man, I want a kids cosmic horror book from you soooooo bad.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

These people are all so deeply, DEEPLY broken.

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Always here for you with my chess club jokes, my friend!

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Matthew Dow Smith @matthewdowsmith.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

THE AFTER SCHOOL VILLAIN SOCIETY by Matthew Dow Smith Chapter 05 NEW CHAPTER EVERY FRIDAY!

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