(Image produced with Grok on X.com)
WAR IS HECK
I'm a veteran of the United States Army, so when YouTubers misuse the term war, my impulse for mockery is usually fully engaged. When YouTubers say war, they mean a protracted or obsessive fixation on a target channel or individual. The target is ridiculed, usually on a livestream, so that the YouTuber can solicit superchats from their audience. Superchats are a direct monetary contribution that allows the viewer to also place a comment in the YouTube program. Essentially the YouTuber is begging the audience for tips to make fun of someone. This can continue for months or years, or as long as the YouTuber is able to milk the audience for handouts. In the image below the viewer "EVIL ONE" has paid $5.00 to YouTube to post the comment "Your spoiled by superchats E!..."
(Image is a screen capture from a recent Ethan Van Sciver YouTube Livestream)
WHAT'S A COMICSGATE?
First some terms for newcomers - Comicsgate is the brand and promotional banner for YouTuber Ethan Van Sciver. Years ago Van Sciver was a professional comic book artist for DC and Marvel Comics. Since 2018 Van Sciver has been a professional YouTuber and intermittent publisher of crowdfunded of comic books. Van Sciver and his associates primarily use the Indiegogo.com platform. Crowdfunding is essentially the idea that you give money today, and you might get something in a year or four, maybe. Van Sciver has become infamous for launching new crowdfunding campaigns on Indiegogo while having multiple unfulfilled or partially fulfilled campaigns. The comment page of Van Sciver's "Reignbow the Brute" campaign" is littered with angry backers asking for refunds and complaining about delays. Backer "Just Good Comics" observed - "Maybe if you weren't so obsessed with Eric July, you'd finally finish this book." This comment is relevant, because Van Sciver has declared so-called war on Rippaverse Comic Book publisher Eric July and the Rippaverse. Van Sciver has observably focused his YouTube content on Eric July over the past year, chasing superchat revenue on livestreams.
(Screen capture of the comment section for Ethan Van Sciver's "Reignbow the Brute" Indiegogo Campaign)
A DECLARATION OF WAR YOUTUBER STYLE
Van Sciver has a new campaign on Indiegogo (despite being late on multiple campaigns), repacking a previous offering with a different cover. The campaign appears to be low energy at the moment with only 170 backers. StudentofGod, a commentor on X.com shared this clip where Van Sciver mentions he's at "war" with Eric July and "the Dungeoneers" (the Dungeoneers are a label Van Sciver gave to a group of indie comic creators, who distanced themselves from Ethan and Comicsgate).
StudentofGod bluntly states:
Ethan tells us he is at WAR with Eric July and the Rippaverse. This is not true. It's just Ethan harassing and defaming Eric July and his business 24/7 for over a year.
Van Sciver's war with Eric July, more properly a YouTube temper tamtrum, is entirely one-sided. July has adopted a policy of only occasionally obliquely commenting or responding to Ethan. Interestingly enough July had just launched a new pre-order campaign for the comic book Yaira #2. See it here: https://rippaverse.com/collections/yaira-2/
July's Yaira #2 has already garnered 3,706 orders, more than 20 times the number of backers on Van Sciver's crowdfunding campaign. Part of the motivation for Van Sciver attacking Eric July on YouTube may be attributed to their delivery schedules. July takes preorders for comic books that are finished work, and generally delivers the books within a few months of the order. Van Sciver and Comicsgate crowdfund ideas for books that generally are only partially complete at the time of crowdfunding, and backers may have to wait years for delivery of the comic book.
SUMMARY
YouTube theater is a distortion of reality and proportion. Very little of it maps back to, or has any impact on real life. Average, sane people are indifferent to the opinions of YouTube fans, particularly those within the narrow niche of comic book drama. Creatives within adjacent spaces may have to take steps to protect their professional reputations. There are some small percentage of YouTuber fans who may allow their particular obsessions to progress beyond occasional rude comments, in these rare instances the targeted individual should likely take up their concerns with their local law enforcement and ask for assistance or intervention. At least one individual initiated legal proceedings against Van Sciver, that ended in a settlement, and a binding non disclosure, but Van Sciver no longer mentions the particular individual. July or other individuals who perceive that Van Sciver, has moved beyond the limits of free speech, and progressed to harassment or defamation may want to consider legal recourse.
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STOPI used to enjoy EVS short form videos mocking mainstream entertainment. Less interested when he started live streaming all the time. Completely lost me when he devoted his entire channel to live stream trash talking Rippaverse... Really have no idea how people still watch that guy.
It looks like brought over the Dick Masterson audience who's loves seeing Eric July trashed. I agree though I'm not sure what part of that is supposed to be entertainment.
!BBH