I've talked a lot in this blog about why you should be creating your own comic books instead of trying to work your way into the larger comic book companies like Marvel and DC. Why would I suggest that when clearly these companies are the biggest brands that comics have to offer? They're big enough that they have Hollywood blockbuster movies, action figures, Halloween costumes, and every type of merchandise you can think of. There are certainly pros and cons to working for big companies like Marvel or DC.
Working for a big company like Marvel sounds great on paper, it really does. Many artists and writers struggle most of their lives to find work. They constantly chase it and just when things are going well, sales start to slow down and you're expected to revive it with the next big piece of art or story. When you're at Marvel, you have a regular 9-5 job and a steady paycheck. You don't have to worry as much about whether or not you'll have something to do the next day, because they tell you exactly what panels you will be drawing or what scene you need to be writing.
Another perk to working for these companies is that you're working with some of the best talent in the industry. The highest paid, most prestigious illustrators and writers in the business, all under the same roof. The amount of talent pool that you're drawing from is enormous. You get the chance to collaborate with these geniuses and at the same time, Marvel is the one paying for all your exposure. They will fund the comic's release, publishing, distribution, marketing and everything that goes into it.
This all sounds fine and dandy, but isn't one of the most important part about creating these comic books the fact that you're creating something that you get to call your own? When you sign a contract with companies like Marvel and DC, you are signing over everything that you make. Your characters, your stories, your artwork, it all belongs to them. They tell you what you can and cannot put into a story and they tell you what direction to take your story.
The contracts you sign for big comic book companies not only limit the work you do for their company, but completely restricts the work you do for other companies. A writer at DC is legally binded, and thus they cannot write for other companies like Marvel and Dark Horse. When you sign that contract, you make a deal to hand over everything you do and completely dedicate yourself to one company and one company only.
Marvel certainly takes away your freedom as a creator or owner of a comic and it forces you to make a decision: sacrifice the steady job for ownership within the underground comic scene or sacrifice that ownership for a chance to enter the world of mainstream comics. Ultimately, the decision is yours but when it boils down to it, I am a creator because I enjoy the freedom of being able to do whatever the hell I want with what I create. I can give it out for free or I can burn it, it doesn't matter but what's important is that the options are all available to me. They should be for you as well.
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Creating Your Own User-Owned Comic
It's the age of do it yourself, be it producing music or creating video games from scratch. As technology has advanced, many people are working on projects independently from home. Comic book creators are no exception to this shift in independence.
So let's say you're an aspiring comic book writer or artist, but you don't have the first clue on how to enter the industry. You know you have the talent and drive for it, but you don't know who to talk to or where to start. Robert Kirkman was in this same boat when he first started out as a comic book writer. His first published work was called Battle Pope, created in 2000 with his friend Tony Moore. Battle Pope was self-published under the Funk-O-Tron label. From Battle Pope, Kirkman began writing a mini series for Image Comics called SuperPatriot, which led to him meeting Cory Walker. Together, they pitched the idea of a super hero comic titled Invincible to Image and it was accepted in 2003. Image is the company that Kirkman still works for today and since joining, he has also become a partner to the business.
The basics for starting up your own comic are basically to have an idea, find people to work with you and help develop that idea, such as writers and artists, and then to get the comic out into the world. As far as the idea goes, it's completely up to you. With the increasing popularity of comic books, there is pretty much a comic for every genre. During a panel at the Los Angeles Festival of Books (below),
Kirkman gave advice to those entering the comic book world, "Try to make your book as original as possible, but not too weird. I mean, that's very important. Don't do something that's already on the racks. Nobody wants to read another story about a barbarian that's like Conan or a superhero that's like Spider-Man. You have to have some kind of hook."
Whether you have the idea yet or not, one of the biggest issues people have when they first start working on a comic book is finding what I will refer to as "the other half." Some folks have so much talent that they can writer their own stories and illustrate them. But for most people, you have one or the other. You can use websites to find artists like DeviantArt.com or a site that combines the community all in one, writers, artists and the like, such as PencilJack.com. Generally speaking, a comic book can be completed, start to finish, with just a writer and the artist. Often times there are more people that add to the mix to speed up the process and make deadlines, such as colorists and letterers. These sorts of people are used especially in bigger companies. Although, if you're limited with your on-hand staff, like many people who create user-owned comics, then you are likely to just have your writer and artist.
Many people that create their own comics start up their own website or find publishers to print their work. This is definitely a good way to get your work out there, especially with comics being so reachable on the internet. This method requires a lot of effort and knowledge, such as knowing how to do web design (or paying someone to do it for you), finding a publisher and printing on your own dime, having the ability to market yourself and also just placing your comic in the right place at the right time. In the video above from the Los Angeles Festival of Books, Kirkman gave several very strong tips on how to pitch your comic book to an established company. His example was with the company he is most familiar, Image Comics. He suggests that you pitch your comic in a very succinct manner; five pages of the actual comic and a one page synopsis. You want to make sure that the 5-pages of the comic aren't just the first five pages, but rather, the most crucial, most captivating or most important 5 pages that you can use to display how the comic will carry in its series. This is very important because just as Kirkman mentioned, everyone wants to find the next best comic, but no one actually wants to look for it.
So be sure to grab your other half, sit down and plan this all out in a very calculated manner as you plan to pitch your idea or start up an independent web comic. You want to establish yourselves in a very profound way that will set you apart from every other creator, writer or artist trying to squeeze their way in. Keep it original, but have fun. Work diligently, but work smart. Remember, comic books are a form of expression, just like music or dancing. Let your ideas bleed out onto the page, because this business, just like most things in life, is a risk. In the words of Anais Nin, "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Put yourself out there or you will never know if you have the opportunity to become successful in the comic industry!
So let's say you're an aspiring comic book writer or artist, but you don't have the first clue on how to enter the industry. You know you have the talent and drive for it, but you don't know who to talk to or where to start. Robert Kirkman was in this same boat when he first started out as a comic book writer. His first published work was called Battle Pope, created in 2000 with his friend Tony Moore. Battle Pope was self-published under the Funk-O-Tron label. From Battle Pope, Kirkman began writing a mini series for Image Comics called SuperPatriot, which led to him meeting Cory Walker. Together, they pitched the idea of a super hero comic titled Invincible to Image and it was accepted in 2003. Image is the company that Kirkman still works for today and since joining, he has also become a partner to the business.
The basics for starting up your own comic are basically to have an idea, find people to work with you and help develop that idea, such as writers and artists, and then to get the comic out into the world. As far as the idea goes, it's completely up to you. With the increasing popularity of comic books, there is pretty much a comic for every genre. During a panel at the Los Angeles Festival of Books (below),
Kirkman gave advice to those entering the comic book world, "Try to make your book as original as possible, but not too weird. I mean, that's very important. Don't do something that's already on the racks. Nobody wants to read another story about a barbarian that's like Conan or a superhero that's like Spider-Man. You have to have some kind of hook."
Whether you have the idea yet or not, one of the biggest issues people have when they first start working on a comic book is finding what I will refer to as "the other half." Some folks have so much talent that they can writer their own stories and illustrate them. But for most people, you have one or the other. You can use websites to find artists like DeviantArt.com or a site that combines the community all in one, writers, artists and the like, such as PencilJack.com. Generally speaking, a comic book can be completed, start to finish, with just a writer and the artist. Often times there are more people that add to the mix to speed up the process and make deadlines, such as colorists and letterers. These sorts of people are used especially in bigger companies. Although, if you're limited with your on-hand staff, like many people who create user-owned comics, then you are likely to just have your writer and artist.
Many people that create their own comics start up their own website or find publishers to print their work. This is definitely a good way to get your work out there, especially with comics being so reachable on the internet. This method requires a lot of effort and knowledge, such as knowing how to do web design (or paying someone to do it for you), finding a publisher and printing on your own dime, having the ability to market yourself and also just placing your comic in the right place at the right time. In the video above from the Los Angeles Festival of Books, Kirkman gave several very strong tips on how to pitch your comic book to an established company. His example was with the company he is most familiar, Image Comics. He suggests that you pitch your comic in a very succinct manner; five pages of the actual comic and a one page synopsis. You want to make sure that the 5-pages of the comic aren't just the first five pages, but rather, the most crucial, most captivating or most important 5 pages that you can use to display how the comic will carry in its series. This is very important because just as Kirkman mentioned, everyone wants to find the next best comic, but no one actually wants to look for it.
So be sure to grab your other half, sit down and plan this all out in a very calculated manner as you plan to pitch your idea or start up an independent web comic. You want to establish yourselves in a very profound way that will set you apart from every other creator, writer or artist trying to squeeze their way in. Keep it original, but have fun. Work diligently, but work smart. Remember, comic books are a form of expression, just like music or dancing. Let your ideas bleed out onto the page, because this business, just like most things in life, is a risk. In the words of Anais Nin, "And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." Put yourself out there or you will never know if you have the opportunity to become successful in the comic industry!
Monday, October 8, 2012
Putting the Pen to Paper
The Author & The Ink is a blog created to promote comic books and graphic novels created and published by
independent developers. For the most part, this only excludes the "big
two" in comic companies: Marvel and DC. The main focus of this blog will
be to take a closer look at the writers and illustrators behind the
comic books created independently or from independent companies. This will include an in-depth look at the work put in by both the writers and artists that create these books what it takes to meet deadlines and maintain your spot in this business.
Many authors and artists alike know deep down that they have the skill and knowledge to make great graphic novels, but it's a very tough field to get into. The lack of confidence can be overwhelming but it's those who dedicate themselves fully to their work that make it big in this industry. Author Robert Kirkman is a prime example. Kirkman started out writing independent stories for comics and eventually pitched one of his ideas to Image Comics. Since then, Kirkman released a comic book series called The Walking Dead, which is now a featured show on AMC that has much critically acclaimed success.
Robert Kirkman is definitely a hero to all of those aspiring comic book writers and illustrators who want nothing more than to share a brilliant idea with the world. The Author & The Ink will cover the rise of people like Kirkman as well as many others in their endeavors to become successful in the world of comics indie comics.
Robert Kirkman discussing his comic book Invincible, by Image Comics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2TNAhdWK0I
Many authors and artists alike know deep down that they have the skill and knowledge to make great graphic novels, but it's a very tough field to get into. The lack of confidence can be overwhelming but it's those who dedicate themselves fully to their work that make it big in this industry. Author Robert Kirkman is a prime example. Kirkman started out writing independent stories for comics and eventually pitched one of his ideas to Image Comics. Since then, Kirkman released a comic book series called The Walking Dead, which is now a featured show on AMC that has much critically acclaimed success.
Robert Kirkman is definitely a hero to all of those aspiring comic book writers and illustrators who want nothing more than to share a brilliant idea with the world. The Author & The Ink will cover the rise of people like Kirkman as well as many others in their endeavors to become successful in the world of comics indie comics.
Robert Kirkman discussing his comic book Invincible, by Image Comics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2TNAhdWK0I
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)