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Hanzo the Razor
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:18 pm |
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Ancient Alien Theorist
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Joined: | 24 Jun 2007 |
Posts: | 105341 |
Location: | The Fourth World |
Bannings: | 2001 |
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Let's forget about "saving the industry" and creators' rights and "every issue is someone's first" -- we've drove that topic into the ground. Also, let's not do the old "I'd get Alan Moore and Alan Davis on X-Men!" routine.
Overall, what would your creative approach be to a line of comic books? All superheroes, all the time? Go a "smart sci-fi" route with a Vertigo kinda thing? Would you diversify genres to a great extent? What would your brand be? More horror or Western titles? Romance comics?
What would your ultimate line of books be like?
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Ronny Sr.
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:34 pm |
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There's a beverage here, man!
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Joined: | 20 Aug 2004 |
Posts: | 4451 |
Location: | Weekday? What day is this? |
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Which do I post in? I pick this one, I think it has more views ...
I would diversify. I would have superheroes, but it wouldn't be the main focus of the line. I'd want to do things in the vein of Bone, Preacher, sci-fi, slice of life drama, anything really. That's what I love about the medium. Genre wouldn't matter, but quality would. I wouldn't pander (my Batman would not be having any encounters with anyone on any roofs).
The main thing I think I would do is change the format and the distribution. Get away from LCS's. Digital and big book retail chains.
In other threads, regarding the formatting and numbering of collections, I agree with the statements that trade dress has to be consistent and numbering clear. Always in print, and the reader knows exactly where to start. This might be my primary format, instead of monthlies / floppies.
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Bolgani Gogo
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:35 pm |
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Joined: | 11 Aug 2004 |
Posts: | 22582 |
Location: | Fredericton, New Brunswick |
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1. I wouldn't focus on any particular niche, but publish the best comics possible. Choose from actual submissions, not pitches. I wouldn't be genre-centric at all. 2. Deals would be set up similar to the Watchmen deal. As long as the book is in print, I'd have exclusive rights. If it goes out of print for a year, it reverts back to the artist. Creative would get an impressive enough royalties package to give them serious incentives for success. 3. To hell with writers, they are ruining the art of sequential storytelling. Hire the best comics artists possible - those who are masters of comics (not necessarily the best illustrators). Artists would write their own stories. If they absolutely insist on working with a particular writer, that's fine, but I'd prefer not. 4. Publish in album format, like a Tin Tin volume or those early Marvel Graphic Novel series (God Loves, Man Kills etc.). Small enough to be relatively inexpensive and to have a few books in a series to come out a year, but large enough to be worth the money the customer spends. 5. Look back at the first few years of Heavy Metal Magazine to remember how good comics can be. Have high standards. Don't publish something just to have something on the stands that month. Don't flood the market with crap. Be significantly better than every other publisher - almost as good, just as good or a little better can't cut it. Publish only the best stuff.
That's where my head is at right now.
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Monk
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:49 pm |
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Joined: | 19 Jun 2006 |
Posts: | 35552 |
Location: | Between the thumb and the wrist. |
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Original graphic novels/digests. Ideally, something along the lines of Cooke's Parker novels would be the model, covering a range of genres. Targeted to Amazon and book stores. Digital editions for the tablet market, as well. Graphic novels would be serialized after the fact as single issue comics sold to comic shops.
Have both a fiction and non-fiction line. Non-fiction GNs would be heavily marketed to schools. Fiction would be further broken down into Kids, YA, General, Mystery, Western, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Horror.
Essentially, run it as much like a book publisher as possible, with the end product being graphic novels.
_________________ Daily art blog Very Short Drawings
Pay a visit to The Writers' Block, where writers, uh...write stuff!
Read my comic strip A Boy Called Monk
Read my comic book Town of Shadows
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Linda
IMWAN Admin |
Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:48 pm |
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Helpful Librarian
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Joined: | Day WAN |
Posts: | 197060 |
Location: | IMWAN Towers |
Bannings: | If you're not nice |
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Hire that guy from Parks And Recreation to write a kawaii manga series entitled Yes.
What I'm saying is: If I were running a comic company, I would buy Lowe and sell Hai.
_________________
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Bolgani Gogo
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:50 pm |
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Joined: | 11 Aug 2004 |
Posts: | 22582 |
Location: | Fredericton, New Brunswick |
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Linda wrote: Hire that guy from Parks And Recreation to write a kawaii manga series entitled Yes.
What I'm saying is: If I were running a comic company, I would buy Lowe and sell Hai. Ouch.
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Hanzo the Razor
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:58 pm |
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Ancient Alien Theorist
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Joined: | 24 Jun 2007 |
Posts: | 105341 |
Location: | The Fourth World |
Bannings: | 2001 |
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I'd go the Image route of all genres, with creator ownership.
So, basically, I wouldn't need to run it, Image is already there. I guess I'm just stupid.
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Hanzo the Razor
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:01 pm |
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Ancient Alien Theorist
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Joined: | 24 Jun 2007 |
Posts: | 105341 |
Location: | The Fourth World |
Bannings: | 2001 |
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Okay, to sweeten the deal -- you can pick any 7 comic creators to launch your company with. Only 7 -- theoretically, you'd have to go with whoever's available outside of those seven 
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Marcus
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:03 pm |
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Joined: | 27 Nov 2004 |
Posts: | 44599 |
Location: | Now in CHARLOTTE, NC!! |
Bannings: | 1 |
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Bolgani Gogo wrote: 1. I wouldn't focus on any particular niche, but publish the best comics possible. Choose from actual submissions, not pitches. I wouldn't be genre-centric at all. 2. Deals would be set up similar to the Watchmen deal. As long as the book is in print, I'd have exclusive rights. If it goes out of print for a year, it reverts back to the artist. Creative would get an impressive enough royalties package to give them serious incentives for success. 3. To hell with writers, they are ruining the art of sequential storytelling. Hire the best comics artists possible - those who are masters of comics (not necessarily the best illustrators). Artists would write their own stories. If they absolutely insist on working with a particular writer, that's fine, but I'd prefer not. 4. Publish in album format, like a Tin Tin volume or those early Marvel Graphic Novel series (God Loves, Man Kills etc.). Small enough to be relatively inexpensive and to have a few books in a series to come out a year, but large enough to be worth the money the customer spends. 5. Look back at the first few years of Heavy Metal Magazine to remember how good comics can be. Have high standards. Don't publish something just to have something on the stands that month. Don't flood the market with crap. Be significantly better than every other publisher - almost as good, just as good or a little better can't cut it. Publish only the best stuff.
That's where my head is at right now. I like this.
_________________ IT IS HIGH!! IT IS FAR!! IT IS GONE!! http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDeta ... GCat=24206 http://capcourage.deviantart.com/gallery/
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Bolgani Gogo
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:17 pm |
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Joined: | 11 Aug 2004 |
Posts: | 22582 |
Location: | Fredericton, New Brunswick |
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Hanzo the Razor wrote: Okay, to sweeten the deal -- you can pick any 7 comic creators to launch your company with. Only 7 -- theoretically, you'd have to go with whoever's available outside of those seven  Walt Simonson Steven Bissette Howard Chaykin Ben Templesmith Eduardo Risso Jess Fink Bernie Wrightson This ties into my list of things to do above - everything is in album format like European Comics and those first Marvel Graphic Novels (God Loves, Man Kills, etc.). Nice 64-page (or so) packages, full color. Sell digitally of course, but make sure the physical product is something the customer would be proud to own and have on their bookshelf. And no writers! The artists are their own writers.
Last edited by Bolgani Gogo on Tue May 15, 2012 3:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Li'l Jay
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:20 pm |
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It scorched
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Joined: | 28 May 2006 |
Posts: | 68689 |
Bannings: | One too few . . . |
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I would pay a lot but crack down big time. Ride herd, and whatnot. Brilliance comes out when there are constraints upon it.
I would be in charge of covers, like Stan was.
I would cancel books that weren't selling, quickly. And replace them with new ones that look like what was selling.
_________________ Rom's kiss turned Rogue a hero.
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TS Garp
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:22 pm |
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Manchester City Fan
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Joined: | 29 Dec 2006 |
Posts: | 32250 |
Location: | MN |
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Hire Jay and go play golf.
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RobertSwanderson
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:24 pm |
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Bigger and Better!
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Joined: | 01 Jan 2007 |
Posts: | 52207 |
Location: | WGBS |
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I'd bring some non-fan creators in from film, television, and print. People that are set on creating good stories and not necessarily good comic books stories. Leave the superheroes to the fanboys. That genre is a giant turd peppered with the occasional gems. Bring in sci-fi writers, romance writers, comedy writers... build back what we lost.
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Marcus
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:25 pm |
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Joined: | 27 Nov 2004 |
Posts: | 44599 |
Location: | Now in CHARLOTTE, NC!! |
Bannings: | 1 |
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Hanzo the Razor
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:43 pm |
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Ancient Alien Theorist
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Joined: | 24 Jun 2007 |
Posts: | 105341 |
Location: | The Fourth World |
Bannings: | 2001 |
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TS Garp wrote: Hire Jay and go play golf. I didn't realize he made his golf services available.
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Bolgani Gogo
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:44 pm |
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Joined: | 11 Aug 2004 |
Posts: | 22582 |
Location: | Fredericton, New Brunswick |
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Marcus wrote: I have no interest in current comic creators for these exercises. We know what they can do. I vwant to see what guys like us would do with a comic company. So, Monk Hanzo Trevor Rob-el Swanderson Ian Myself (if I may) Dunno if I deserve to be a list with these guys, but I'd like to see this too.
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Beachy
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:49 pm |
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Mr. IMWANKO
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Joined: | 18 Sep 2005 |
Posts: | 73855 |
Location: | the Moist Periphery of Pendulum Tide |
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Hanzo the Razor
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:50 pm |
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Ancient Alien Theorist
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Joined: | 24 Jun 2007 |
Posts: | 105341 |
Location: | The Fourth World |
Bannings: | 2001 |
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I could finally dust off my childhood creations, DeathShadow and Kill-Blade.
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Bolgani Gogo
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:55 pm |
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Joined: | 11 Aug 2004 |
Posts: | 22582 |
Location: | Fredericton, New Brunswick |
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Hanzo the Razor wrote: I could finally dust off my childhood creations, DeathShadow and Kill-Blade. Pouches, shoulder pads, speed lines for backgrounds and no feet?
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Marcus
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:59 pm |
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Joined: | 27 Nov 2004 |
Posts: | 44599 |
Location: | Now in CHARLOTTE, NC!! |
Bannings: | 1 |
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Marcus
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:59 pm |
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Joined: | 27 Nov 2004 |
Posts: | 44599 |
Location: | Now in CHARLOTTE, NC!! |
Bannings: | 1 |
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Fraxon!
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Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively? Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 4:03 pm |
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Joined: | 22 Aug 2004 |
Posts: | 40603 |
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What IS Marcus talking about?
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