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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:18 pm 
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Ancient Alien Theorist

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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:34 pm 
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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:35 pm 
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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:49 pm 
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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.

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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:48 pm 
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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:50 pm 
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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:58 pm 
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Ancient Alien Theorist

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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:01 pm 
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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:03 pm 
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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.

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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:17 pm 
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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:20 pm 
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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.

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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:22 pm 
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Hire Jay and go play golf.


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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:24 pm 
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Bigger and Better!

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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:25 pm 
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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)

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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:43 pm 
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Ancient Alien Theorist

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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:44 pm 
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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:49 pm 
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It would be fun to hire a bunch of IMWANkers to just make fun comics.

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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:50 pm 
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Ancient Alien Theorist

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I could finally dust off my childhood creations, DeathShadow and Kill-Blade.


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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:55 pm 
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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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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:59 pm 
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Beachy wrote:
It would be fun to hire a bunch of IMWANkers to just make fun comics.

That's what I'm talking about.

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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:59 pm 
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Beachy wrote:
It would be fun to hire a bunch of IMWANkers to just make fun comics.

That's what I'm talking about.

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 Post subject: How Would You Run a Comic Company -- Creatively?
PostPosted: Tue May 15, 2012 4:03 pm 
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What IS Marcus talking about?


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