Independent comics are tough to sell. Distribution is limited and marketing budgets at indie publishers are practically nonexistent. Many creators have to take it upon themselves to make sure their books get noticed.

Such was the case with my last project - Borrowed Time from Oni Press. Rather than settle for the usual routes, I looked for creative ways to try something different.

Prior to the book artist (Joe Infurnari) beginning his work, I contacted designer Tony Larson and brought him on to do a t-shirt graphic that tied into the story. I then had Joe draw the main character wearing a t-shirt featuring Tony’s graphic throughout the story — grassroots product placement.

We printed a limited run of 200 of those shirts, and offered them to the public as a way to participate and engage with the comics medium.

Nothing like this had ever been tried in comics before, but it worked. We quickly sold out of the t-shirts, and ultimately came close to selling out of the first printing of the book. We were able to generate interest from channels outside of the usual comics press, and the project helped non-comics fans get introduced to a form of storytelling they might not have otherwise encountered.