Imposter Syndrome

The ongoing battle...

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The Big Guns Stupid Rednecks Collected Edition is on pre-order from Source Point Press, powered by Prana!

After a string of unexplained disappearances in the southern parts of the United States, retired detective Clint searches for his white trash brother. While searching for him he ends up being abducted... by aliens! He is now in the arena for Big Guns Stupid Rednecks. Intergalactic cable’s newest hit show, which puts humans in laser gun gladiatorial combat, and his brother is the reigning champion with 27 kills!

FOC 6/29/26 On Sale 7/22/26 Lunar: 0526PP1136 Universal: PRA04260007

Or you can preorder a signed copy here:

https://www.starfightercomics.com/

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Hey everyone I hope you had a good week. Once again thank you for being here with me and supporting my work. It is super nice out by me today so I’m going to take advantage and get outside.

This week was an odd one for me. I was supposed to be at a con in Kansas, but less than 48 hours before they canceled saying “they couldn’t secure the venue”. It was so odd. For me it was a simple pivot to I guess I’ll be writing more articles this week, but my poor friend Dave…

Dave had taken three days off work and had loaded his van with 75 long boxes. He was gasing it up when he got the email. I have no idea what actually went down with the show, but my week did not go as expected. I did go to a local zine festival and hung out at my friend Alissa’s booth.

I was going to talk a little today about imposter syndrome. It is something all people deal with in some way, shape, or form, but is extremely prominent in creative spaces. It’s basically I’m not good enough and I’ve not done enough.

I have this a lot. I will tell myself I’ve not accomplished anything creatively when in reality I have. I’ve written for large publishers, made a lot of comics, am a professional comic journalist for a website I grew up reading, and my work has been praised by legends in the industry.

I really struggle with looking at what I don’t have instead of what I do have. I have been really trying to take time to appreciate cool moments. Looking at what you don’t have can motivate a person to do better and work harder, but it can also destroy them. I just want more successes then I’ve found, but I fear no matter how much i achieve I will always be that way.

I recently read the entire manga A Drifting Life. It is an autobiographic comic about a manga creator. You are with him from the beginning of him drawing and through most of his career. In the last few pages through narration he talks about how he hasn’t accomplished much.

In reality he had accomplished a lot, he just hadn’t reached the top 1%. He worked in manga, drew a lot of it, worked for successful publishers, and was recognized by his peers. He then thinks to himself no matter what I accomplish I will always drift to the next thing and want it to be bigger. Essential it’ll never be enough and he will never be fully happy. he accepts it and it ok with it in the last panel of the comic.

I have never felt so called out in my entire life. The feeling of being behind causes me to strive to do better an obsess on how I can do it. It has caused me to grow, but has also caused me great depression. It is a cycle I don’t think I will ever be able to escape. I don’t know if I like it, but I accept it.

I love comics. Thanks for reading. Until next time be excellent everyone don’t be a dick.

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Upcoming Events:

July 11th Convention Quad Con Cedar Rapids, Iowa

July 17th-19th Convention O-Con in Council Bluffs, Iowa

July 22nd Signing Day Dreams Comics and Collectables 2-4 PM in Iowa City with John Ira Thomas for the Big Guns Stupid Rednecks Collected Edition

July 27th Signing Rainbow Comics in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with Dylan Jacobson for the Big Guns Stupid Rednecks Collected Edition

August 1st Signing Mayhem Comics in Des Monies, Iowa with Carter Allen for the Big Guns Stupid Rednecks Collected Edition

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Austin Allen Hamblin is a staff writer at CBR. He has written comics for Image, Source Point Press, Cosmic Lion Productions, Orange Cone Productions, and Candle Light Press.