first steps to organizing the guild

Mark Badger

You can't do it. That's what the smart set will say. Creators won't work together, won't be political, won't make things happen. You can't organize a guild or a union of artists and writers, it's like "herding cats".

That's what the smart set will say.

Now, I'm not as smart as the smart set, but I did spend 4 years working with graphic designers, illustrators, some cartoonists and writers. This rag tag band of 125 artists grew to over 400 during those 4 years. We took on California's sales tax laws, went to the legislature and worked with powerful people and compelled the California State Government to rewrite it's sales tax laws for artists. We even received a little bit of help from The United Auto Workers. So, I'm not as smart as the smart set who say you can't herd cats, but that experience looked like lots of little kitty cat paws stampeding together, to me.

When I started working with the Northern California Graphic Artists Guild, it constituted 125 people who were bickering, sniping and about to collapse in feuds and pissy little cat fights. It was the first time I heard the "herding cats" line - but not the last. During the nineties, I spent my royalty checks working with community groups for peace in El Salvador, and later, Health Care issues. My feeling was that if you're going to work with artists, they should do this political stuff just like left wing commies do. The weird thing about left wing commies is they have this value called democracy and working together, respect for each other and letting people talk. The puppy like college students' voice is equal to the grizzled demonstration veteran. Those left wing commies in El Salvador and America slowed a US war machine to a halt with a lot of sweat, tears, lives and some money from DC Comics. When I was asked to work with the guild, I said okay, if we organize with democracy. They did. It worked - and we changed the law.


What did I bring from The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador to the Graphic Artists Guild?

1. We established a big vision of transforming society for the betterment of the artists' life. In California we were fighting sales tax legislation and the wickedest elements of our Government in every way we could. In other words, because with great power comes great responsibility, you gotta fight for truth justice and the American way. That vision gave significance to every little thing we did, from silly parties to lobbying the legislature - and gave us the strength to go on.

2. The driving force of a group is social interaction, small parties and events are the building blocks for accomplishing a wide range of things, from how to do your taxes to how to brush up on drawing techniques. Making sure people met face to face or on the phone and not just in cyberspace, is very crucial. Yes having a beer with friends can be political if you have a goal for the meeting and strive to accomplish something.

3. Training in democracy and how to work together. Meetings were run with an agenda, facilitators and time limits that were the same for lawyers and doodlers. Meetings do not have to be listening to the one insufferable person go on and on and on. In comics, compare this to a convention panel like the ones at the Pro-Con. I would cringe at having to suffer through those in order to accomplish anything.

4. Affiliating with the UAW gave us a huge amount of legislative power we would not have had any other way. If a Comics Creators' Guild was to succeed, affiliating with a larger organization would jump start the group significantly. We should open discussions with The Graphic Artist Guild and other real unions to see what they can offer.

5. Hard work and practice. Organizing is a lot of hard work, patience and skill built over time. Nothing works perfectly the first time no matter what you think you're doing. My time in The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador was like college grad school - and the first ten years in the comics business was training. Don't expect miracles to happen overnight but celebrate every small victory - like getting five people together to discuss this.


How to Start?

1. Make a commitment: A list of 200 creators who would pay yearly dues of 300 dollars would make us an interesting group to any Union or Guild that now exists.

2. Speak up: Have a beer with three friends and ask yourselves what the biggest issues you face in your lives as free-lance cartoonists are? After the family and getting work, the biggest issue in my life is paying the Health Insurance bill. Health Care sucks for all Americans these days and we all continue to pay exorbitant prices for health care while many other western countries are paying less and receiving better coverage. If comics creators want to improve the conditions of this huge issue for most Americans, they can - by working together.

3. Get educated: The best book you can get a hold of is Organizing by Si Kahn. I met him at a meeting held by a group of Bay Area organizers. They all spoke movingly of his skill and the help he gave them in learning the craft of organ zing. He then ran a small training session for us and a I saw that skill in action. Later, I was totally flabbergasted when he asked me if I knew, for you old farts,  Jeanette Kahn, his sister.


With over 500,000 visual media professionals in the United States, there is no reason a Comics Creators' Guild could not be huge. Most members of The Graphic Artists Guild started out in comics, almost all of my students started in comics. It would be the first place most of them would look to join as they begin their careers. As more and more corporations move to hiring "contractors" like us, there is going to be a greater need for "us" to speak.

Health Care is a burning issue for all Americans and our voice should be out there to help inspire a change in the health care system for everyone.

I'm not as smart as the smart set, but I've seen a herd of cats perform some great wonders together.

- Mark Badger drew a whole bunch of comics for Marvel and DC in the nineties, from Batman to Greenberg the Vampire, and eventually became one of the first artists to adapt the computer to comics. As Howard Chaykin said "He drew like he's from another planet"  which probably explains why he doesn't draw for DC and Marvel anymore. Currently he is an evil landlord in Oakland, California and an instructor in XML, Object Oriented Programming and Comics at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.