10 Things About Breaking Into Comics (That No One Tells You)
8. Listen
If you want to be successful, you have to be prepared to listen to commentary and criticism from a number of levels.
It may seem lately that having an open mind and listening to criticism (well, constructive criticism at least) is not something you need to be a hugely successful creator in mainstream comics, particularly when there are several examples of big name creators, editors and publishers lately who seem to make it a defining point of not wanting to listen to the feedback of others, or even aggressively blasting back at those expressing the mildest of concerns or criticisms, or throwing shade on critics, fans and fellow creators alike.
Nick Spencer, Dan Slott, Frank Cho, Mark Waid, and Howard Chaykin, just to name a few, are hugely successful creators, and yet their online personalities or responses to genuine fans and readers (as well as critics) have been less than receptive or empathetic.
However, there is a sea-change in comics at the moment, particularly with the added connection and accessibility of social media, and fans and critics are really not as ready to put up with that kind of relationship anymore.
Obviously, this kind of trollish attitude works both ways, and a lot of the things being said on the internet will not have any worth, but there is a skill to be found in listening to feedback, both professional from editors and otherwise from fans and fellow creators, discerning what is useful to you, and when needed, being able to employ a little empathy in responding when needed.
Listening, and especially listening and being able to filter the useful from the useless, will help you as a creator to improve your work and know your audience.