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creating comics
madtitan2112
Posts: 16
I have what is currently a dream that i am trying to work into a plan to create a line of superhero comics. Currently i am working on the background and history of the world and more importantly the super powered individuals in it. As for the specific titles to be created I have a few ideas but would like to collaborate with writers and artists. This is not me wanting to self publish my ideas only, but a desire to create a single continuity super hero universe. I love comics have been reading them for decades and feel I may have something to contribute to the industry and fans. To be upfront and honest i am a normal guy, meaning i don't have a lot of money, and would be looking at kickstarter and good old fashioned borrowing to get things going if i assembled a team and the ball got rolling. There are, of course, no assurances that this would work but even if it does not, we would lose nothing but time and at least have a good time talking about comics. I am only looking for collaborators who are over 18 and have confidence in the seriousness and quality of their work. if you have any questions just ask
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My best suggestion is to start small and with the most impact and intrigue you have. There are so many super heroes and so many more semi-anonymous ones so you really have to bring the A game right out of the gate to garner interest. Even if you can't draw knock out some basic thumbnails to get an idea down in pictures as well as words, that will make it easier for an artist to pick up and run with your ideas or at least have something aside from text. A short 3-10 page one-shot touching on something that makes your idea unique and set apart is the best start.
I agree with Zhurrie, try starting a little smaller. Pick one of your characters in your universe and make it the best possible story then build on that.
http://www.superheronation.com/
Give your co-creators 50% of All Creative Rights and a decent contract and you should have no problem. Althoguh, if you're just 'assembling a team' and bankrolling the project...all the rights go to the creators.
Personally, I have no interest in being 'part' of someone else's concepts or ideas of bringing their 'dream' to life while I have plenty of ideas/dreams of my own.
But that's not to say there aren't people out there that can go along with you for the ride. best advice would be...get the funding first.
Given the state of the economy and the industry, it’s going to be a struggle even with a good business plan. Without one, you’ll be setting yourself up for failure.
If I were you and had limited resources and funds my approach would be this:
1. Hunt around Deviantart for an artist you like the style of that seems pretty much unknown, in fact find about 10-20.
2. Be honest and ask if they have the time or interest.
3. Gauge their response carefully because us artists are known for having bigger dreams and ideas than time or inspiration. (this is true, we're all guilty of it)
4. Have my complete A game material in a concise and neat 1-3 page (so 6-18 panels) package to provide them with to sketch out. (sketch not finished work)
5. If they actually produce anything and it is any good, then start discussing a small project of a 3-6 page finished piece.
6. Either create it digitally or scan it and get it in front of anyone and everyone you can for free.
7. Ask for honest feedback.
8. If the responses are all positive and strong, create a Kickstarter and go back to all those same people and give them the link and ask them to share it/tell friends.
26. See how it goes. :)
I do appreciate all of the advise, and I know you are not attempting to discourage. I understand there a lot of foolish people who try to jump in to this or any industry without thinking. No, i do not have a lot of knowledge on the workings of the industry but this is my first step in trying to learn so i can make my mark. i expect the process to take quite some time, maybe years. I am looking for other aspiring writers and artists so that we can learn together, i believe that the best way to get what you want is to help others get what they want. On the business end, i am already looking into a business plan. if anyone knows a good source for industry data that would be great. your input has been great keep it coming.
P.S. sorry this is so wordy
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/176821/apps-are-people-too-why-the-geeks-at-the-comic-s.html
Look at some successful small publishers and talk to them, often they are very similar to you and willing to share information or help. Independent press/publishers especially. Look at places like Drawn & Quarterly, and publisher "Twelve" (the book world but an amazing success story and excellent model), and the super small/indie comic publishers also.
Money is the big barrier. Advertising, shelf space, conventions, and the whole host of things listed above by @nweathington are all accurate and expensive to do even poorly. That is why using free and digital means like social media, kickstarter (although that is a 10% hit before taxes), forums, art forums, etc. is so important. They may be free but they require tons of time and effort to do well.
I have created, owned, and sold a couple businesses over the years both in the digital realm and traditional all stemming from passions. I'd never want to seem like I was trying to snuff out a dream, you can see that you are passionate and have an idea and sometimes that is all you need. Seriously my best luck to you, I don't really work in a style that lends itself to superhero work or else I'd offer to help you art-wise plus my time is usually tight with work, a family, and my own projects but I could give you some pointers or help on thumbnailing some stuff out or at least point you in some good directions.
Besides deviantart.com, you might try LinkedIn and http://drawingboard.org/index.php in your search for collaborators. My writing is leading me to a place that probably wouldn’t mesh with what you’re trying to establish, but if you ever need editing or production help/advice I may be able to lend a hand.
Simply put, with the exception of someone that writes and rewrites at an excruciating pace, it takes much longer to create a page then to script one.
Again, this is nothing you don't know, but I can only imagine that an artist that can actually afford to draw a comic has to make a very careful decision about who they get in business with (if they choose to not just do it all on their own).
At this early point- with no business plan that has been shared, with no funds yet raised, no specific proposal for a comic to be hired for or to join as a collaborator, and it is unclear from your posts whether you even have a proposal and scripts written yet (which, to be fair, you could be doing without an artist and prior to any fundraising)- I think you have to stop and look at it from the artists point of view: What are you bringing to the table that would make them choose you? I don't say that to be discouraging or cruel. I am just trying to say what it looks like when I imagine myself as an artist looking at the information you've shared so far.
I know you mentioned wanting to have art to use as part of the Kickstarter, but that might be an overhead price you would have to eat to get things going. If you have a concept, and you need an artist to work with on character designs, or even just some promotional key art piece (that may not even feature a character design yet) to accompany a proposal, then it might be worth hiring someone to do so. So that when you approach someone, or catch someone's interest, you can show them that you have done everything you possibly can on your end to be ready to collaborate.
Because otherwise-- (and of course comparisons to other media are never perfect, but I will choose a media I am familiar with)-- at the moment it is like saying you want to write and produce a series of short films and you are looking for a director to collaborate with. But you don't have past films to refer to, there is not a script yet, only a genre. But you want a director to sign on and shoot some promos on their own dime to help get the fundraising going because the series of short films isn't budgeted yet.
Now-- I am not saying you couldn't find a skilled director who would be up for that. But you can imagine they might be entertaining offers for projects that are already further along in development, you know what I mean?
Again-- I don't mean to discourage. In fact the opposite. What I would encourage you to do, before experiencing any rejection or apathy in the process of recruiting collaborators, is to first do any and everything you can do without an artist. Write your script. Make your designs the best you can. Don't treat any of what you come up with as your babies, because a good collaborator can and will bring ideas to the project that will change things and you have to be ready to "kill your darlings" as they say. But before, or alongside, seeking collaborators, you can be doing all the work that you can do. So that when you hear from the right person, or meet an interested person at a con, you have a fully worked out and professionally formatted proposal to show. Show that you are as serious about working hard at this as you want them to be.
When I worked in gaming if I had just a nickel for every person that shared their amazing game idea with me I'd be retired. It is tedious to listen to or care about and usually not worth even 2 minutes of my time let alone the hours and days of my life probably wasted this way. If someone shows me a still mock-up screenshot of something super unique I would get excited and care to hear them out.
As an artist, I can be directly honest and tell you that right off the bat I turned off because it seemed sprawling and grandiose and way more time than I could ever give to some unknown project even if it was awesome. But had I seen a page or two of something that grabbed me and was real, I'd have probably cared more... slick/clean superhero-y stuff isn't my art style so it probably wouldn't have been for me but I may have been apt to pass it past some friends/associates that do that kind of work.
At practically every convention I attend, I'm approached by someone with an idea for a universe of books—an epic, sprawling line of interconnected superhero comics. I listen patiently, give my card at the end of the pitch, and never hear from the person again. And I'm sure I'm not the only creator who hears this time and again.
At this point, I pretty much just tune them out when they're doing their 40-minute monologue of an elevator pitch. And I know I'm not the only creator who does this, as well.
You can say that I'm jaded, cynical, or even a jerk. But there are a number of contributing factors that brought me to this point:
1) Making comics is hard. I know, because I spend 60+ hours every week doing it.
2) It's hard to make a lot money in creator-owned comics (on the web or in print). I know, because I've spent the last decade trying to.
3) Everyone has a dream project—especially the writers and artists who are approached to contribute to these sprawling universes. And, given the choice between working for free (or "for exposure," or for a cut of the back-end) on someone else's idea, and working on their own dream project, creators will choose to follow their own dreams 100% of the time. "I can work on this stranger's dream book, or on my own dream project...either way, I'm making no up front money, but in the case of my comic, I own it outright. No contest."
My advice to you is to start out small. Take the core idea of your universe—your Superman, your Fantastic Four, your Invincible, or your Hellboy—and develop it. Make it into the best book that you can make. Learn the ins and outs of comic production (lettering, pre-press, webcomic hosting, etc). Promote the hell out of your comic on message boards and in podcast interviews. If it's a print comic, cold call every store you can (there are lists of comic shops online) and sell your book—offer incentives and free previews. Submit it for every award nomination you're eligible for. Send it to every reviewer you can find. Attend every convention you can, promoting the book. Share your knowledge with your peers, and listen to the wisdom of their experiences, as well. Turn yourself into an encyclopedia of comic knowledge—not in terms of who Spider-Man fought in issue #142 of Amazing—but an encyclopedia of information about how comics are made, who makes them, who prints them, which software is best used to host them, what reviewers are in tune with your sensibilities, and so on.
And after doing all that—after establishing yourself as a creator—it will be easier for you to get collaborators. And with every collaborator and every book you add on, repeat the steps in the previous paragraph.
Respect and credibility are earned.
Regardless of if you take this advice to heart or blaze your own trail, I wish you the best of luck!
Whoever you work with, make sure you can trust them. Make sure you work well with them, and are on the same page creativity-wise. Do everything in your power to surround yourself with QUALITY people. Not just skilled, but trustworthy, decent people.
And as everyone else has said, try a small project first, to see if you mesh well with the other writers/artists.