So, about SaGia. Why I've (kinda) neglected it.
The question you might be asking is... what happened. Why have you been avoiding talking about the comic for days, only acknowledging its 2nd anniversary? Why did you scrub "Author of SaGia" in your bios on your socials, your website, and Linktree? Why has the official SaGia site and blog been kinda quiet?
And to finally answer your question: I feel as if no one cares about the series online, since it’s original. Be prepared, as this is a really long blog post and there’s more besides what I said. Read at your own pace.
Origins.
The origins of SaGia: I had started working on the comic all the way back in 2021, before I started my first day of college. Before that, it was originally going to be a video game and it was originally named SaGa, but I changed it to SaGia, to avoid confusion with a comic of the same name and the Square Enix series. Also, I didn't know how to do programming, so SaGia became a comic instead. When I made the comic, I didn't know what I was doing. And I didn't know how comic book templates worked because the first volume's pages were my old iPad's canvas size. When I had finished the comic in 2023, maybe around that year or 2024 when I had found Comix Well Spring and was getting ready to get the books printed, I found out about that I'm supposed to resize my pages to the template. I then release the comic to the public in August and it became a success, leading me to work on the second volume.
SaGia is entirely a one-woman project. Everything: the art, the writing, promotions, is done by me. Managing the website is done by me. I'm the only one working on the project.
The Struggles.
With my independent comic or indie comic, SaGia, having such a small following (and I mean real small), trying to promote it online has been a struggle. It’s every time I post about it, it would get some likes, but 0 interaction. I think I felt worse with promoting the series less when I added my comic to the GlobalComix website last year before volume 2 was released. I had made the first chapter free to read because my mom wanted me to monetize the comic. I barely made any money. Only 300+ views on the first chapter ‘cause it’s free.
I used to promote my comic whenever GlobalComix did a “follow Friday” post. I knew what time they would make a post about it, so, I copy + paste my text with the GlobalComix link, sometimes making some alterations, and paste the text as a reply when GC posted on their Bluesky, Twitter (I refuse to call it X; back when my account was public), and Threads. Not anymore. Sure, people check it out, but, never bother with the other chapters. For those who actually read the first chapter, I would get comments to my reply (I also promoted my comic in one of those “Art Share” posts) like, "I enjoyed this comic!", or "The art style is cute!". And then they never bother checking out the rest of the chapters, maybe checking out the pages that are free (chapter 2 and beyond) and that's it.
Also, whenever you visited my GlobalComix page for my comic, it used to look like this:
My comic (well... volume 1 only) was on a site called Indie Comics Zone, but when I had submitted volume 2 this year... it seems as if the site is dead as a doornail because the site hasn't updated at all. Even their socials was dead. Not active anymore. Sad, because it was a really cool site to promote your indie comic.
Heck, ICZ promoted my comic on their socials when it was added to the website and again somewhere around last year as a boost. Even though both posts had around 10 likes on Bluesky, no one checked out my project. I miss them.
I also participated in Free Comic Book Day last year, where I made the digital version of volume 1 free to read for a limited time. How many people bought my comic? 1 person. They did pay me $3, which was kind of them, but I never did FCBD ever again. It was a complete flop.
I also feel as if no one really "understands my comic". On my last interview I was on (not mentioning the name of said podcast), when they had posted clips from the interview, I saw that the descriptions and titles (the titles coming from their YouTube shorts) sounded AI generated. Sometimes I was referred to as a guy, character names or my name is misspelled, one of the titles or description mentioned that my comic was viral, when really, it wasn't. If it was viral for real, there would be articles and videos about my comic. Someone online (posted 4 months ago before I deleted older posts) told me via a comment on an old post from last year that they care about my project, and then proceeds to give me criticism (don't worry, it's not one of those "your comic sux" type of criticisms) on it in a paragraph comparing it to existing series such as the one I'm mainly inspired by... while I did appreciate the criticism and replied to them kindly, I had said to them I'm not ripping off said series. I felt as if they didn't care anymore, not bothering to read the rest of my comic and judging by what they said, they only read the first chapter.
Bringing up my Linktree, the main reason I used to have my SaGia content at the top + shop when I posted my SaGia merch over at my Ko-fi shop for the first time is because I was hoping people would check out my series. Instead, they would either click on my blog or my socials. Because of people clicking on my socials, I would move my socials to my website. I then brought back my socials temporarily, but then disabled them again.
On my birthday last year, volume 3's chapter, "Mom or Not", releases. It was meant to come out on August 5th to celebrate the series' 1 year anniversary, but I think I was busy and couldn't get it out on time. And how many views does said chapter get?
7.
Maybe it's due to one of my fans and supporters of the comic, buying it. Then, when I start releasing the rest of the chapters of volume 3 this year (I was originally going to start chapter 15 in December, but, this was the time where I felt horrible and depressed that I didn't start drawing it), they all get 0 views (since making this draft back in July, it was at 0, but most of the volume 3 chapters have gone up a bit in views). It made me think, "is my comic not good enough"?. Even when promoting these new chapters online, again, people like it, but never check it out, even the free pages. Chapter 16 took months for me to have the motivation to start it. When I had begun chapter 18, I went from 2 pages to 5 pages, because I felt the stress and frustration from promoting it online, as explained in this Ko-fi post. And when chapter 20, the final chapter of volume 3 was worked on, I was crying in tears, thinking about the sales of my comic when I release this volume. This volume was the first time I didn't feel happy about completing it.
Before I continue with talking about the current state of volume 3, I want to bring up a series I had made via my Ko-fi: the chapter commentaries. It's only for my Ko-fi supporters because anyone who has been following the comic can check out the commentaries just by donating to me one-time or monthly. Well, no one even bothered with the commentaries except for one supporter. I put a lot of love in making these behind-the-scenes commentaries, including the chapters I enjoyed illustrating.
Now, let me bring up how volume 3 is going: horribly, with the physical copy version not yet printed because, in a Ko-fi post I made, Comix Well Spring, the printing company I had trusted for years with their quality printing and nice customer service, put up a message on their website a week after I had finished volume 3 (I completed the volume on July 3rd), saying that they are temporarily suspending and cancelling orders.
I checked Google reviews after that post and they had went from 5 or 4 stars to 3.9, which was a sign that their quality has dropped. Examples: people have complained that their proof copies were messed up and customer service. I didn't even like the new website update and their new mascot design looked unappealing compared to the old one. Not only did CWS update their site, prior to that message, the size that I used for volume one (5 x 7.75, known as the CWS manga size) was gone. So, I now have to resize all the pages for that volume the next time I get it printed. I sadly will have to rely on a new printer.
Besides this, lack of funds. After having way too much fun at a con back in June, overspending it (with one actor I met being the most expensive), I am down to around 100. Plus, I paid for my Ko-fi Gold subscription which is -$72. I mean, the point in Gold is that it takes away the 5% platform fee for commissions and the shop, plus it gives you extra benefits, but just... what's the point anymore when no one has commissioned me or bought from my shop for months. It's the reason I closed my shop temporarily because in my head I said, "screw this".
I also had an overspending problem back in the past since 2021, spending it on vintage stuffed animals and items on eBay because I was trying to fill this gap in my body because I was depressed (for personal reasons, I am not going deeper into it); basically, buyer's remorse and I had regretted some of my purchases - I think two or five items I bought were defective. The final straw was when I had purchased a rare vintage talking clock based on my favorite anime series. That was $100+. When I had got it, it didn't work (even though the seller's video showed that it did), but only the sound did. My dad had shouted at me when I showed him the clock and I never looked back at the clock ever again. Inside that clock, I noticed two dead ants or bugs... gross. It was my last purchase ever on eBay.
My In-Person Events
Let's talk about the three events I attended last year: Gabi's Olympic Cards and Comics Olympic Spring Art Market, the PhinneyWood Comic Book Show, and the Grit City Comic Show 2025.
My very first event was the Olympic Spring Art Market, located at Gabi's Olympic Cards and Comics. At the time, I only had volume 1 to sell. I had also brought my puppet I made of my character of Haido over at the event but, later, I stopped using her during the event, which I will explain later. Dad helped assist me with the set-up.
Once he left, I was all by myself. I also had a table partner and I had told the owner of Gabi about my fear of dogs (since service dogs were allowed). My partner helped me with shielding me from the dogs in case, and if things got too out of hand, I would use the building's elevator to go down. I also remember crying/breaking down because I saw little sales of my comic and felt a little jealous of the person next to me (not my table partner) who had fanart of Resident Evil and other stuff selling well (it was a big booth), that I went downstairs; I was stuttering with my words that my brain was processing that my table partner didn't understand me or “didn’t like me” when they had said to me, "what?". I also recalled some guy who had come up to my table saying he would come back, but he never did. I even saw him pass by my table. Around 2pm, I suddenly saw the sales of my comic go up that it made me happy that my first event was a success.
About the Haido puppet, I had brought her over because I was inspired by a YouTube video from Justin Does Puppets where he had brought over his Gonzo replica to Disney World, and if I recall from the video, it helped with his social anxiety (?). I can't remember because I used to watch him, but I believe I stopped because I had mentioned him in a video when I showed off my very first puppets (Jikiru and Haido), but he never saw at all. Making the Jikiru and Haido puppets: I was mainly inspired by a Japanese YouTuber who showed off the process of her making a puppet of her own V-Tuber. I only cared about the head part because the body was too small. Back to the topic, I was anxious bringing that puppet of Haido and doing her voice at the event. So, when people came up to my table and I had done her voice, I recalled this lady compare Haido to Link from Legend of Zelda when Link has blonde hair (brown if you've seen the LOZ cartoon or in some Zelda artwork), while a girl felt disgusted seeing Haido. Those two moments at the event made me put back Haido in her box and I never used her ever again, even refusing to bring her to future events.
The last time I used the Haido puppet was for a mental health video I made in June of last year. I also never even used Jikiru in a video because she was a rushed puppet, as I was low on felt. She felt ugly to me. To this day, both puppets sit in a corner in my work room near my desk, collecting dust.
Next event: the PhinneyWood Comic Book Show in Seattle. I forgot to mention, this event and the Spring Art Market were free. I don't have much to say about this event, but it was a success than the Olympic Spring Art Market and I had both volumes 1 & 2. I had sales from some people who were selling their own stuff before the event even started. Just one negative thing about the event was with a vendor who actually made me uncomfortable and scared; he kept talking and talking, forcing me to look at his work which was very low quality, and even made me stand and watch a long YouTube video, causing me back problems and when I walked away from his table, he frowned at me. Even my mom saw this from far away. It's like the trope in movies and shows... you think they're a good guy, but they're actually a villain. My mom mentioned that when he was near the guy, he was following her for no reason. I also want to mention that when this random guy came up to my table, and asked if I do autographs after I told him about my comic, as soon as I brought up that I charge for the autographs, he was like, "no thanks", and walked away. I felt embarrassed when my mom, who was there supporting me, told him to come back.
The last event was the Grit City Comic Show 2025, my first big event and the first time I even had merch based on SaGia. Most of it was coming from VistaPrint. I saw some success, with the stickers selling the most and the sales covered my table cost. Prints however, didn't sell. Now, let me repeat what I just said: big event. Even though I had a big booth, the problem, is that there were so many vendors (you can clearly see in the photo above), mainly those selling fanart like K-Pop Demon Hunters and Funko POPs, some with artwork drawn on the side of the box; the person across from me had fanart (he was nice when I chatted with him). Also, there were guests who either worked in comics or animation. It felt like a competition for me, as I was mainly selling original work. You know how fanart sells than original art. No one cares about original work unless the creator is big. I refuse to sell fanart (except commissions, where I draw fanart for others who request it) because I'm afraid of legal trouble. I will be at this year's Grit City, but at the artist alley, meaning my table will be small. I had paid for an AA table because it was a discount (% off), and that they tend to sell out quickly. However, my parents weren't happy with me paying for the Artist Alley table.
Pitching my comic gave me the worst anxiety, mainly at the Grit City Comic Show. When I had struggled to do so in front of a guy after he asked me a question, he just walked away and didn’t care. One thing I felt some embarrassment was giving away cherry flavored lip balm with my business card information on it. It was my mom’s idea. It worked, but I still felt embarrassed of doing it, telling people to take free lip balm if they wanted to.
I tried to get into small events, but those never interested me. I want to mention why I didn't appear at this year's Chibi Chibi Con: I had an incident last year where a male cosplayer who I met at a previous CCC did something uncomfortable to me without my consent; luckily, someone did report and he's banned, but I still feel trauma from that event; worse, my friends not being at the con, I never won last year's poster contest, making me avoid looking at the poster contest winner posted all over the campus, and finally, after submitting an application and hoping I would be accepted, instead I was turned away because the wait list for this year's applications were full. I didn't go because if I did, I would just completely avoid the artist alley; had I went to the AA, I would be sad and depressed, comparing myself to the other artists who got in. I used to go there all the time too when I go to CCC, back when I was feeling happy and my friend would be there, supporting other artists and cosplayers. Chibi Chibi Con, thanks to my best friend, was my first introduction to conventions I believe all the way back in 2019 and now, I don’t want to continue going to the con anymore.
Maybe I don’t want to vend at another event. It will be rare for me to appear/vend at one now after this year’s Grit City Comic Show. I also will be appearing at a virtual convention a week after this year's Grit City Comic Show, and considering that the convention is new as it started back in May of this year, and I found out about it via Bluesky, I'm honestly worried about having no sales at all.
The Future of SaGia. What's gonna happen?
As much as I enjoy editing the trailers and having several voice actors bring my characters to life from the volume 2 final trailer from last year, as much as I enjoy writing and illustrating several chapters, as much as I enjoy being the voice of Haido (and Jikiru, but rarely), as much I enjoyed animating that fake commercial promoting my comic, and as much I enjoy signing physical copies, drawing my characters with my signature... I really hate to say this, but maybe SaGia will be cancelled with no conclusion.
I sadly can't even talk about SaGia online anymore because social media is dead. I already vented about it in a post. Some people online sadly have these low attention spans and it's like, do I have to force myself to keep making these short videos about my comic instead of posts and grab people's attention? I hate and despise short form content because if your short video isn't entertaining enough, people scroll and move on. It's flipping sad. And you have to edit the video by adding auto captions, music, etc... it's too much. Also, bots. Whenever I sometimes post on my Instagram, I usually get these bot comments that I have to delete them every time.
The economy sucks too. I might as well just... work somewhere and get paid enough money instead of continuing with this comic with no one supporting me. This year’s anniversary was a complete flop with no one buying my SaGia merch using the discount I put out. Again, people like my posts, but never really check my stuff out.
It's just that I don't hate SaGia, I already mentioned that I enjoyed working on it. I'll now only talk about it if: asked about it, if I'm working on the official website and blog, rarely on Ko-fi, and in-person, such as an event; I honestly don't want to be on another podcast interview about my comic. Interviews give me anxiety sometimes. The only podcast I enjoyed being on was the United States Department of Nerds because the guy was nice and I drew the thumbnail for the interview that I was in.
And with the issues I mentioned above with volume 3, the comic will be on a long hiatus and said volume will be delayed. I also deal with depression and anxiety issues... I wish I could recover; I haven't reached out to some of my other real life friends since last year... I get paranoid if they have ignored me for good because I haven't reached back. I was too fixated on this comic and social media that it caused me to abandon some of my friends.
As I mentioned earlier, SaGia is a one-woman project. Working on a comic by yourself + doing a lot of promotion also by yourself is stressful. I refuse to work with others because I’m afraid of my idea being ruined.
An animated pilot might be unlikely. Even though I have a storyboard and took an animation class when I was in high school... I don't have the motivation to work on a SaGia pilot, bringing back several VAs from my volume 2 final trailer. I also mentioned in a previous post that the VA for Rena is now inactive online and I still feel sadness from it, since she told me that she was happy to be a part of the cast and it was her first voice acting role. She was a close online friend since 2022 and she's just... gone. I still have hopes of her coming back, but it's just unlikely.
Also, I had worked on an unpublished animation from 2024 based on Jikiru titled Jikiru's Cleanup, with Jikiru being voiced by me. I don't feel ready to publish it because I feel anxious to share it and my voice as Jikiru isn't that good... I think my voice isn't good enough as her.
To all of my SaGia fans, thank you for reading and the support. The fanart that I've gotten of Jikiru and Haido in the past and on my birthday this year (featured on the fanart wall on the official SaGia blog and website) and the support from some fans has made me happy. I will be talking about SaGia on rare occasions online, but for now... the series will be quiet and is on hiatus. The official site and blog will have updates on rare occasions. I apologize for any typos... I typed all of this up based on what I have on my mind and this has been sitting in my drafts since July, waiting for the perfect time to post. My gut wasn’t ready to post this… until now.
SaGia forever...?
-wimbearn