Jan 05 2009
We’re compiling a list of common mistakes of first-time comic book teams. I’ve got 40 so far, but I’d love to know what you would come up with.
Jan 03 2009
Only a few weeks ago, Dark Horse required writers to have artists on-board before their stories could be considered. However, according to Dark Horse’s Submissions page, it seems like Dark Horse has nixed that requirement. In the miscellaneous notes, it says that “If a submitted project has an artist collaborator, samples of the artist’s continuity work must be included.” That suggests that DH will consider submitted projects that don’t yet have an artist. That should make it much cheaper for writers to prepare a script for DH.
However, if you’re applying to DH, I would really recommend getting an artist anyway even though it’s not required. Preparing a sample of 5 pages and a cover will probably set you back $400-500 (colored) or maybe $250-350 (inked). That’s a major investment. However, if you’re serious about your application, having art accompany your writing could really help you. Providing pages that have been inked (preferably colored) will make it very easy for the editors to decide if you’re worth hiring. If all you have is your script, it won’t be nearly as clear whether your team has the style and skill to convey the story on the page. Remember, businesses hate risks. When they put money down, they want to know they’re getting quality.
Dec 30 2008
We have page 2 fully colored. What do you think? (The main thing from page 1 is that we know someone’s trying to kill the protagonist here).
The rest of our query will include 4 more colored pages, the script for the rest of the first issue, the cover for the first issue, the synopsis for the series, and the query letter. I think the main obstacle at this point is the cover.
Dec 24 2008
This is the inked version of the second page of our comic. On page 1, we just establish that someone’s trying to kill the main character.
I like our artist a lot, but I’m a bit concerned that his depiction of the bystander might be a bit, umm, insensitive to black people. Yeah. We’re probably going to have to cut those lips by a third or so and shrink the nose a bit to make them look more realistic. It would probably be best to clear up these cultural issues sooner rather than later. Aside from that, I think it’s generally well-inked. I especially appreciate some of the stylistic notes like the squirrel falling out of the tree in the bottom panel.
In the final version, the bystander will be thinking “Should have bought a Honda.”
If you have any tips or comments, I’d love to hear them. What do you think?
Dec 16 2008
Let’s see if this works…
Continue Reading »
Dec 07 2008
I found this article on storyboarding comic books very useful.
UPDATE: This article describes some of the terminology in laying out comic book pages.
Oct 11 2008
War Heroes held a contest where fans could pick the cover they’d end up using. Many of the submissions were quite good.
Oct 07 2008
Now that is a revolution in military affairs. Picture courtesy of fugly.com.
Oct 03 2008
On art-sites like DeviantArt, if you do searches for things like “superhero” or “book cover,” more than 90% of the results will be utter garbage or half-past-strange. If you think that searching for visual references shouldn’t feel like a creepy waste of time, you might like our new DeviantArt wall of favorites. You can use that to check out hundreds of visuals we’ve found impressive. We have separate folders for superhero stuff, fantasy and sci-fi, depending on what you need your visual for.
You can also see some of the artwork we’ve had commissioned for our novel and webcomic.
Oct 02 2008
This trailer sells an unusual premise effectively. It also makes a skillful pitch to its target audience with reviews that specifically say that geeks will enjoy the book. I found its comparisons to other works of geek-culture helpful. However, I thought that its emotional cues were a bit mixed. The book-cover makes this look like a light-hearted comedy, but but the only clear emotional image in the trailer is her sobbing as mushroom clouds loom in the background. There isn’t very much in the trailer that suggests the book is actually funny, or what kind of humor it uses. For example, if this is a dark comedy about the protagonist and her failure friend trying to survive, it might have helped to show us a glimpse of the comedic relationship between the two characters.
The cover-art was very eye-catching, even though it rips off a famous scene from Dr. Strangelove. My main question is that she appears to have wings on the cover, but the trailer doesn’t mention that strange detail at all. (My guess is that it’s a nuclear mutation).
Sep 24 2008
Thinking about what to put on your novel’s cover? Jacob grades six covers.
Sep 18 2008
My dictatorship will allow the purchase of daschunds for only one purpose.
Aug 23 2008
Picture taken from one of the Marvel Civil War comics. #1, I think.
Aug 21 2008
(This comic had a convoluted plot; Batman wore funky costumes to prevent anyone from noticing that Robin’s arm was in a cast).
Aug 19 2008
B. Mac, a regular customer of freelance art, offers this article for freelance artists that want to maximize their sales.
Jul 29 2008
Fans of trippy science-fiction novels everywhere can rejoice that Neuromancer is getting a movie. In other good news, the movie poster shown by i09.com looks pretty stylish and suggests that it won’t be a remake of Swordfish.
The bad news is that Hayden Christensen, the same “actor” that ruined Star Wars and Jumper, is starring as Case. Dare I say that John Travolta could do this better? Egads. How could we have come to the point where John Travolta is the lesser of two acting evils? Hayden [censored]ing Christensen.
Jul 19 2008
I just got back from an art show where I was most impressed by the landscapes of Amy Taylor.
Jul 16 2008
This article gives nine tips to writing a title that grips readers and sells your book.
1. Tell us enough about the book to make us want to read it.This is what separates bland, forgettable titles like The Dragon from classics like His Majesty’s Dragon. The more we can surmise about the plot, the better.
2. Do not use imaginary place names.Readers haven’t heard of Asgardia, Lukawanda, or whatever your fictional kingdom or city is called.Your invented words won’t interest us because they don’t mean anything to us.I think the place names most appealing to prospective readers are those that use English words, like the Temple of Doom. We can guess what a temple of doom is.
Continue Reading »
Jul 03 2008
Picture of Earth courtesy of the HSCD School Board, atomic bomb courtesy of the Department of Energy, and Bill Nye courtesy of TVgasm. All blame for the low quality Photoshopping is ours.
Jun 18 2008
I’m tempted to add some snarky comment about unemployment causing Mewtwo to cling to guns…
Picture taken from Path-e-tech-graphics.
May 31 2008
In this article, Jacob walks you through how to illustrate speech and thought bubbles for comic books, webcomics and header art. He also has a few free samples for your convenience.
May 28 2008
Picture c/o simplydumb.com, caption courtesy of me (inserted with the help of ICanHas Cheezburger.com
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