ICONIC Comics – Douglas Ernst Blog

There seems to be something about releasing a new installment of the Soulfinder series that brings me back to this little old blog. My musings on politics and pop culture here opened up job opportunities, introduced me to solid dudes who I’m still in touch with today, and put me on the path that ultimately led to where we are now — the release of Soulfinder: Tunnel Hounds at Iconic Comics.

If you’re a longtime reader who was shocked to receive an email notification today and wondering, “What on earth has that Doug dude been up to for so long? He disappeared from the blog!” the main answer is that Soulfinder and projects related to Iconic Comics takes up the bulk of my days. Time seems to go faster with each passing year, which forces the prioritization of books and merchandise over blogging.

Another reason I don’t blog as much anymore is it feels like everything I wanted to say about politics or the comics industry was said. I struggled for a long time between thinking I was bashing my head into a brick wall with many topics, and the belief that it was important to reach as many people as possible with a message about the importance of virtue.

That leads me to new readers who arrived here because of my involvement with Iconic Comics. In short, my solution to the conundrum about a.) not beating my head against a wall while b.) reaching as many people as possible was to create a series about combat-veteran exorcists and their task of battling the demon Blackfire until the end of time.

One of my biggest regrets regarding this blog was not spending far more time years ago concentrating on spiritual warfare than the ideological, political, and cultural battles that made their way through the news cycles. The various wars we see around the globe are physical manifestations of our spiritual failures. The root of our problems is of a spiritual nature and your friendly neighborhood blogger spent way too much time over the years combating the symptoms rather than the disease. For that, I apologize.

My attempt to make amends for lost time can be found in the pages of Soulfinder: Tunnel Hounds inspired by the famous “Tunnel Rats” of the Vietnam War. I wanted to explore the period in a young man’s life when he must leave home and, ideally, become a leader in his own right. Many ties are never broken with our parents, but connective tissues must be cut once a man has others under his command (particularly in war). As much as a man might love his mother and father, it is healthy to want to lay down his life for others in dangerous situations. Men who have opportunities to leave the battlefield routinely return to the front to be with their brothers and possibly give the ultimate sacrifice on their behalf.

Soulfinder: Tunnel Hounds — with beautiful art by Matt Weldon, covers by Rodrigo Avilés, and letters by Bill Williams — delves into the meaning of leadership, the excruciating moral dilemmas faced by young men deployed to warzones, and the myriad ways Satan exploits the highest echelons of society on all sides of war to create pain, chaos, hopelessness, and sorrow for everyone involved.

Whether you’re new to this blog or a veteran from its earliest days, I invite you to head over to Iconic Comics and check out the fourth installment of the series. Each book offers a standalone story but can be read in any order. Tunnel Hounds happens to take place before all the others in the Soulfinder timeline, so starting with Volume 4 is a great idea!

Also: If you believe in spiritual warfare, I highly suggest picking up one of the Memento Mori rosaries (courtesy of Rugged Rosaries), and praying with it as soon as possible. I’ve spoken about the Holy Rosary before on this blog, but we might be due to revisit the issue in the near future… Happy reading and thanks for your continued support over the years!

It was only a few years ago that your friendly neighborhood writer was regularly critiquing the comic book industry for its unprofessional creators and partisan politics shoehorned into stories. A lot has changed on this blog since then — namely the release of Soulfinder: Demon’s Match and Soulfinder: Black Tide.

Given that, I’d like to share some thoughts on creating comics for anyone who is thinking about taking the plunge.

The indie world is like other endeavors in many ways, in that there are always so-called “experts” who believe they have the definitive roadmap for success. Some creators come from the mainstream industry and charge big bucks for advice. Is it worth it? Overall, the answer appears to be “no.”

First, let us consider some of the advice, both explicit and implicit, floated this way over the years:

Avoid politics and religion at all costs.
Add “sex appeal.”
Creators must have a large YouTube channel or the support of a popular figure on the platform.
All roads to success go through Indiegogo and Kickstarter.

Now, let us consider the Soulfinder series of combat veterans-turned-exorcists:

Father Retter and Father Crane are Catholic priests; the books do not shy away from religious issues at all.
Rosaries are literally sold with Soulfinder books on both the ICONIC Comics and Rugged Rosaries websites.
Soulfinder focuses almost exclusively on male characters and arguably has zero “sex appeal.”
My YouTube channel is not large by any means. The series has grown by positive word-of-mouth through the grassroots efforts of readers.
The Soulfinder: Black Tide launch went directly through ICONIC Comics — http://www.iconiccomics.com — instead of Indiegogo or Kickstarter, and is handily out-pacing the 2019 Soulfinder: Demon’s Match campaign ($33,000) on Indiegogo.

The key to success has far less to do with following a one-size-fits-all blueprint and far more to do with a.) having an objectively good product, b.) creating a clear, concise and personalized definition of success, c.) properly prioritizing important tasks, d.) possessing organizational skills, and e.) having a willingness to take calculated risks.

Readers generally don’t care if politics or religion works its way into stories — provided the author isn’t condescending, rude, or willing to sacrifice good storytelling for partisan (i.e., predictable) propaganda.

Similarly, the man who promotes heroism and virtue in a digital world of vacuous eye candy can do well for himself if he plays his cards right.

One way to stand out from a crowd is to zig while everyone else zags, but doing that requires a certain level of discernment. The more mastery a creator has over smaller and seemingly mundane tasks (e.g., budgeting), the more likely it is that he or she will have an accurate assessment of the “bigger picture” challenges that may be addressed through the aforementioned calculated risks.

If you’re looking to see evidence of this approach in action, then please head to ICONIC Comics and check out Soulfinder: Demon’s Match (2019) and Soulfinder: Black Tide (2021), along with the ongoing Kamen America and Black Hops series by Timothy Lim and Mark Pellegrini.

ICONIC Comics is where you can find creators who are always looking to glean valuable lessons from the successful campaigns of others, yet open to forging their own path when it may be appropriate.

With that said, I’d love to hear your thoughts on creating indie comics. Share your feedback in the comments section below, and please consider spreading the word about Soulfinder if you’ve appreciated the art and storytelling in the first two volumes.