My background is in advertising and marketing. I haven't done that full time for eight years but my cockroach antennae are still always there twitching away, looking for opportunities to pitch, to sell, to promote. And wasted opportunities make them despair. And this is one of them. Oh, as reported, it's also a horrendous way to treat a freelance employee, but it could have been a very strong opportunity for a great bit of comics industry PR instead.

I am much in admiration of Alex De Campi as a writer. I think she is one of our very best. But I am equally a fan of her utter straight talking about issues, and a fearlessness over the consequences for herself. And unlike many commentators, she's actually in a position to suffer them.

And I was blown away again by her account of a recently arranged Writers Retreat at an Unnamed Publisher (though I have my very strong suspicion).

Lemme give you an example of how privilege works in comics, and barriers. I get invited to a writer's retreat by a publisher. I say: great! — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

I'm a single mom of a young child, and have no close relatives to look after the kid. So she has to come with. We roll Lone Wolf and Cub. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

They say no, they won't pay for the kid to come out. They cite precedent: nobody involved can think of another pub who flew kids to retreats — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

This is after an editor is like "I know chlidcare is hard, I'm a single mom too" and I am like YOU ARE ON SALARY, MA'AM. I am not. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

And so I ask them: please name another comics publisher WHO HAS INVITED A WOMAN AT ALL to a writer's retreat, much less a single mom. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

::CRICKETS:: — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

I mean, maybe Gail has gone to a DC writer's retreat? Marvel, its "architects" are always men. Valiant doesn't employ women other than Jody. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

But yeah. Fun times. What a day. pic.twitter.com/H2rwzrHChp — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

See, it's not just the reported attitude to Alex. It's that this shouldn't have a problem, it was a real opportunity. For a few hundred bucks more, that's a single mom at your writers retreat able to pose for photos, maybe even with kid, and a chance to show yourselves off as the kind of publisher who does this sort of thing (even if you usually don't). PR gold, and cheap too!

But she wasn't done.

OH WAIT THE WHOLE SITUATION JUST GOT BETTER! You're going to need to sit down for this. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

They're going to take me off the book if I don't teleconference in to the retreat they won't pay for me to go to. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

This… this is why I don't do work for hire. I feel I've entered another dimension where logic does not function. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

Also the retreat is THIS WEEKEND. So they're like YOU HAVE TO DECIDE and I'm like well you made the decision for me, stop stressing me out. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

You know what's super awkward? If they take me off the book at the end of this arc, I'll be off before the 1st ish of my run even comes out. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

Just… has anyone thought this through… even for one second… — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

I have seven issues in the can and two more to go to end this arc. That's nine issues of An Alan Smithee Comic. — Alex de Campi (@alexdecampi) July 5, 2017

I tell you what, I'd really like to be on that teleconference call this weekend… De Campi currently writes (that I know of) for Heavy Metal, Lion Forge, Image Comics, Rebellion and Dark Horse. She is funding writing a novel, Facsimile, on Patreon.