Comics Career

We've Moved

2008-06-22T23:39:00.003-05:00

Okay, this blog is on the way out. Join us as we settle in at www.comicscareer.com.

We've already imported this content to the new site. Plus, we've added some initial content, including the Comics Industry Yellow Pages and interviews with Mike Gold and Tom DeFalco.

You're sure to see much more to come in the next few days as we continue to experiment with new tools and content.

One small step

2008-06-15T12:24:00.002-05:00

The hosting for our new site is up and running. For now though, it simply redirects your browser right back to this blog. Also, we've completed our initial legal and accounting meetings. Monday we will give the lawyer the go-ahead to create our new legal entity!

Ping Ping Ping Ping

2008-05-30T21:53:00.005-05:00

Expect Comics Career to come out of silent running mode here on the blog gradually over the next several weeks. I've been on vacation from my day job for the past week, and Kelly and I have used the time to make giants steps toward the launch of the new Comics Career site. The work so far is the behind-the-scenes, necessary-but-boring part of launching a new company: meetings with lawyers and accountants, preparing to incorporate, lining up office space, etc.

Once the behind-the-scenes part is done we will ramp up the launch of the full website. ComicsCareer.Com will feature an ever-growing amount of content for established and aspiring comics creators. The details aren't 100% set, but here's some of what you can expect:

Articles and interviews about the craft of creating comics and the business of managing a career as a comics creator.
Reviews and recommendations of the books and other media that make up the Essential Library for comics creators.
A forum where creators can meet, socialize, and comment of industry events and trends.

It's going to be a lot of work, but Kelly and I are moving full speed ahead. Watch this space for more news.

Learning about Fractions

2008-05-04T10:23:00.005-05:00

Matt Fraction is the focus on an extensive page one article about area comic book creators in today's Kansas City Star. Brian McTavish is one of the most comics-friendly writers in mainstream journalism, and lately the Star has been unbelievably supportive of comics in every form. I raved about their support of Planet Comicon just a month or so ago.

The article covers starts with Fraction's new Iron Man series and uses it as a jumping off point to talk about the explosion of Kansas City talent that is currently taking the industry by storm. It includes quotes from Tony Moore, Nathan Fox, B. Clay Moore, Jason Aaron, and Jai Nitz.

Well, enough of me telling you about it. Go read it for yourself!

Here we come again

2008-05-04T10:18:00.004-05:00

It's time to gear back up on the blog as Kelly and I are getting closer to the launch of the upcoming Comics Career website. We've been working out the details of an extensive business plan, lining up legal and financial services, creating new office space in our basement, developing the technical specifications of the site, and creating an initial editorial calendar. We still have many hurdles to cross before we go live, but it's getting closer every day. Watch this space for further announcements.

Silent Running

2008-04-22T22:48:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. Kelly and I are hatching plans for the new and improved Comics Career site...

On the mend

2008-04-17T19:49:00.003-05:00

My favorite Planet Comicon 2008 passenger, Star Wars' Kenny Baker, is recovering from his near-death health scare. This story from the Lancashire Evening Post has quotes from him plus a link to a short video clip from the interview.

I hate that he had such a dire medical crisis as a result of his U.S. trip. And those of us who got to interact with him were involved in what's likely to be his last Western Hemisphere appearance. The paper quotes him as saying that we will probably not travel outside of Europe any more.

Eisner nods announced

2008-04-17T19:47:00.001-05:00

No big comments, just the note that the Eisner Awards nominees have been announced.

A previous Bever-Chritton joke

2008-04-13T22:41:00.003-05:00

Kelly reminds me that I should post this joke created by Patrick:

Q. Why did Hillary Clinton get rid of her chickens?

A. Because they were always saying "Barack, Barack, Barack!"

Joke of the Week

2008-04-13T22:35:00.004-05:00

This one is a Bever-Chritton original from the demented mind of Sarah Jane:

Q. Why couldn't the medical examiner have in-vitro fertilization?

A. Because nobody puts baby in a coroner.

Of course this joke only works if you're up on your Dirty Dancing catch phrases!

Get Well Soon, Kenny Baker

2008-04-11T20:47:00.003-05:00

According to press reports, like this one from the BBC, Kenny Baker was admitted to the hospital just after returning from his trip to the U.S. for Planet Comicon...

Panel Perils

2008-04-10T22:54:00.003-05:00

Daniel Spottswood has immortalized his Planet Comicon experience – including the panel I moderated – here.

I'm a huge fan of Daniel's Disquietville work, by the way. This poster-like image is one of the most amazing works of cartoon art I've ever seen.

Burne, baby, Burne!

2008-04-10T20:32:00.008-05:00

I just noticed the label to the right that says "Burne Hogarth" and couldn't remember what I'd written about him. It turns out that it was a listing of a review in my index of Comics Career Newsletter #1.

Well, I need to do another Burne Hogarth item just for good measure. Since I spent the past weekend playing chauffeur to convention guests, it's a natural segue to my single Hogarth experience.

Burne Hogarth, for those of you unaware, was a legendary illustrator, teacher, and author who is best known for (1) a classic run on the Tarzan comic strip in the 30s and 40s, and (2) creating influential art instruction books including Dynamic Anatomy, Drawing the Human Head, and Dynamic Figure Drawing.

He was a guest at Kansas City's Mo-Kan Comics Convention circa 1990 – back in the days when Comics Career Newsletter was in full swing. At the time, Mr. Hogarth was about 80-years-old, hard-of-hearing, soft-spoken, but stern. I actually don't recall interacting with him very much during the show, because I'd spent the full day Saturday selling CCN subscriptions, reviewing the portfolios of aspiring pros, and socializing with the usual gang.

One of the nice traditions of the Mo-Kan show was the Saturday evening banquet they threw for the guests, dealers, and selected special friends. I don't remember the specifics of that year. I just remember that at some point the club members needed someone to help transport guests from one place to another. Somehow I was drafted to drive Burne Hogarth and Jon (Adventures of Superman) Bogdonave back to their hotel.

That's fine. No problem.

Did I mention that Kelly, my wonderful wife, was also along? And old buddy Mark Runyan?

Oh, wait, did I mention that our car was a Dodge Omni? Remember the Dodge Omni? If you don't, let me give you an idea of how tiny it was. A Dodge Omni is approximately the size of the little battery powered cars that 4-year-olds drive around the back yard.

We were at least respectful enough to let the 80-year-old legend ride in the front passenger seat instead of squeezing into a backseat not suitable for a single adult human with two other adult humans. That fate was reserved for Kelly, Mark, and the big time Superman artist.

Classy.

The wrap up? Burne Hogarth was very kind and polite, was interested in Comics Career, and took a copy to his hotel room. On day two of the convention, he sought me out, assured me that he had read it carefully, and liked it very much.

Wow. I was pleased at the time, and I was largely unaware of how important Burne Hogarth was. Now I have Wikipedia, and I'm blown away to understand that:

"over the years, he was an instructor of drawing to a variety of students at a number of institutions and by 1944 Hogarth had in mind a school for returning World War II veterans. The Manhattan Academy of Newspaper Art was Hogarth’s first formal effort, and by 1947 he had transformed it into the Cartoonists and Illustrators School. This academy continued to grow, and in 1956 was again renamed, as the School of Visual Arts (SVA). It is now the world's largest private institution of art. Hogarth designed the curriculum, served as an administrator, and taught a full schedule that included drawing, writing, and art history. It was in Hogarth's classes that many of the Silver Age of comic books' artists learned the advanced drawing techniques that formed a style still defining the superhero genre today."

And he was in my Dodge Omni...

It's great to be a kid...

2008-04-09T18:43:00.002-05:00

As much fun as I had a Planet Comicon, YouTube has proof that some people outdid me.

If only we'd had digital video when I was 14...

On Beyond the Planet

2008-04-07T19:40:00.012-05:00

As far as I'm concerned, this past weekend's Planet Comicon was a great success. There were far too many highlights for me to possibly cover them all, but I'm going to ramble through what comes to mind. I'll just have to fill in the rest later.

First, my biggest regret: I was so busy that I didn't manage to take many photos. I guess it will just have to live in my memory (but if anyone's got photos they'd like to share, I'd love to have some.) I was constantly scrambling during the show because I did double duty, serving as Panel Coordinator and also making courtesy car runs to transport our out-of-town guests between the hotel and convention center. The courtesy car service meant that I always hit the convention hall after the show was up and running, so I never managed to catch up with all of the programming duties. Next year I'll have to do one or the other.

Thanks to Seth Wolfshorndl for allowing my to swipe this image of Kenny Baker at Planet Comicon!!

Next, the most special memory: I had the pleasure of driving Kenny (R2-D2) Baker and Valerie Gale during the convention. My Chrysler Concorde, it turns out, is well-suited for Kenny's needs. It's low enough to the ground for easy entry and also has a large trunk to hold the rented wheelchair that helped him get around. They are an absolutely charming couple and were wonderful to escort. My kids were delighted that Kenny gave them signed photos. I was thrilled when Valerie kissed me on both cheeks as we said our goodbyes – and she got quite a razzing from Kenny for that!

The parade of courtesy cars: I also provided transport for sci-fi icon Walter Koenig, scream queen Brinke Stevens (who "liked my chariot"), editor/publisher/artist representative Renee Witterstaetter, and artists Angel Medina and Bernie Wrightson. Each and every trip was a pleasure and it was great to get a chance to spend some one-on-one time with some very talented and interesting people.

The parade of panels: As coordinator of the panels, I was happy that promoter Chris Jackson and I were able to come up with a well-rounded roster of presentations. Walter Koenig was kind enough to handle an hour on Saturday and then a second full solo session on Sunday. He had the crowd enthralled for the whole time. (Thanks to Rob Davis who oversaw both Koenig events and also to Victor Péna, Phill Dutcher, and Mark Runyan for wrangling the sound system)

Through pure coincidence we had a terrific assemblage of Ghost Rider talent on hand for a fabulous panel (pictured above). Ghost Rider co-creator Gary Friedrich, current series writer Jason Aaron, long-time GR artist Javier Saltares were interviewed by Jai Nitz (with the microphone in the photo). Another definitive GR artist, Mark Texeira, was slated for the panel, but unfortunately a delayed flight kept him from making it in time.

Jai Nitz also interviewed Kurt Busiek on Sunday. Unfortunately I wasn't able to see more than a few seconds that panel, but they ran long, so the large crowd must have been enjoying it.

I got the chance to moderate three panels. Panel one featured local talents Hector Casanova, Travis Fox, and Daniel Spottswood. Panel two had the current Superman Confidential creative team B. Clay Moore, Phil Hester, and Ande Parks. Panel three featured the terrific artistic talent of Eric Powell, Tony Moore, and last minute pinch hitter Jeremy Haun.

The last panel of the weekend featured your truly and Renee Witterstaetter providing tips to aspiring creators about how to crack into the comics biz. The session was modestly attended but seemed to be received well. Those in attendance were the first to hear an announcement that affects this blog.

My wife and I are drafting a business plan to launch a full-scale ad supported site for comics creators. I'll finally make use of the comicscareer.com URL that I've had parked for ages (if you go to it now you'll just be redirected back to this blog). The plan is for Kelly to run the day-to-day operations for the foreseeable future while I maintain my "real job" as Marketing Director of MCH, Inc. There will be much more to announce as we finalize the business plan and move toward a launch date. Check back regularly. If you would like to get our upcoming weekly e-newsletter for comics professionals and aspiring professionals, just send your name and email address to us at comicscareer@yahoo.com.

Whew. Now it's bedtime!

Pre-Planet Planning Push

2008-04-02T22:58:00.003-05:00

Soon I'll be able to stop chattering about getting ready for this weekend's Planet Comicon and start chattering about all of the fun and exciting things that happened at Planet Comicon.

On Monday, the show got a wonderful publicity boost with front page coverage in the Kansas City Star. In a brief "The Week Ahead" segment, PlanetComicon was promoted with a sizable headline and photo. The Star is very supportive of the show. It also got lead placement in a Tuesday upcoming event calendar and I understand that tomorrow's Preview weekend entertainment magazine will have a cover feature on the show.

Others are posting about it, too: Jason Aaron, comicbitsonline.com, Old School, Mid-Missouri Comics Collective, and Larry Litle are just a few of folks who are posting about the show.

You'll find me at the panel rooms most of the time. I'll be moderating, introducing, or participating in panels throughout the weekend. Check out the most recent schedule of events.

Bad joke of the day

2008-03-29T22:02:00.005-05:00

Hate to admit it, but this is a Kirk Chritton original that popped into my mind while helping my son get ready for his shower tonight.

Q: How do Kryptonians dry off after a shower?

A: They use a Tow-El.

Don't say I didn't warn you it was bad...

Powerful Planet Panel Posts

2008-03-26T21:01:00.006-05:00

As I've mentioned recently, I'm helping set up panels for Planet Comicon. We've got most of them confirmed enough to post a tentative schedule of events. Things are sure to change on the schedule as it is now. At a minimum, some blank spots will be filled in once the participants have confirmed.

The events of Saturday, April 5, include sessions with Kenny Baker (Star Wars' R2-D2), Walter Koenig (Star Trek's Chekov), a Ghost Rider session featuring the character's creator (Gary Friedrich) and current writer (Kansas City's Jason Aaron) and two long-time GR artists (Mark Texeira and Javier Saltares).

To round out the first day, my long-time pals Phil Hester and Ande Parks will take the stage with writer B. Clay Moore to discuss their current run on Superman Confidential. I'll be moderating, so expect me to give them a grilling that would make 60 Minutes proud.

Sunday highlights include Eric Powell, David Finch, Tony Moore, and Kurt Busiek. In addition, I'll lead a session on "Going Pro" that will include plenty of tips for aspiring comics creators. The plan is to include some of the show guests on the panel, but we haven't made confirmations on who'll be there yet. You'll get a sneak peek at the points that I intend to make at the session here on the blog. Of course, it'll be better in person.

Comics writers featured on NPR

2008-03-25T18:44:00.005-05:00

Today's broadcast of NPR's Morning Edition new program featured a seven-minute feature on comics writers who are better known for the their work in other media. The piece by comics writer, novelist, and NPR contributor John Ridley focused on the work of Buffy creator Joss Whedon, novelist Jodi Picoult and rapper Percy Carey. You can listen at the link above.

I long for a day comics writers can get regular media coverage without being recognized for outside credits. That said, NPR's piece does a great job of showing that storytellers from a wide variety of backgrounds see comics as a valid, valuable medium to tell serious stories. Stories like these should advance the concept of comics as a legitimate platform in the minds of many non-comics readers.

I suspect that my daughter, who reads comics only sporadically, will be very excited to discover that Jodi Picoult is writing Wonder Woman. She recently discovered Picoult's novels and is busily consuming every word the author ever committed to paper.

Prisoners of Planet Comicon

2008-03-21T21:30:00.002-05:00

I am tentatively scheduled to play anchorman for a panel about "Going Pro" at Kansas City's upcoming Planet Comicon. I expect to rope a few long-established and just-getting-established creators into sharing the stage with me. If you have topics you'd like to see us cover, please shoot me an email at comicscareer@yahoo.com.

Scheduled guests of the show include actors Walter Koenig, Kenny Baker, and Brinke Stevens. Also, comics creators of various stripes will be in attendance, including Kurt Busiek, Gary Friedrich, Eric Powell, Mark Texeira, Renee Witterstaetter, Bernie Wrightson (Saturday), Phil Hester, Jason Aaron, Ande Parks, Matt Fraction, Rich Burchett, B. Clay Moore, and a whole bunch of others that I should be mentioning.

Come see us at the Overland Park International Trade Center on April 5th and 6th.

Planet Comicon and the Panels of Doom

2008-03-19T21:28:00.004-05:00

We're just a few short weeks from Kansas City's largest comics show, Planet Comicon. I've been going to Kansas City conventions for nearly two decades now, and Christopher Jackson and his team put together a terrific show that builds on the past successes of the legendary Mo-Kan conventions of the 80s and 90s.

I have many a story to tell of those past conventions (which now famous comics pro was known as "Sylvester" and why?), but I'll save them for another day. For now, I'm concentrating on the upcoming weekend of April 5 and 6.

I've offered to help develop the line-up for panel presentations for the show. Plus, I might also be moderating some of the panels. After hearing this I went directly to Mark Evanier's panel moderator tips over on his blog. With Evanier's expert advice, I hope to avoid making an utter fool of myself.

Of course, nothing's set yet. Even if I just end up filling the water glasses, I'll be happy to participate and help out.

Any catastrophe I might cause aside, it'll be a great show. Be sure to attend and track me down to say "Hi" while you're there.

Sim Antics

2008-03-16T21:32:00.005-05:00

Over on Rantz Hoseley's Panel and Pixel message boards, Dave Sim made an appearance. It was kind of a virtual convention panel. The topic was creating and promoting comics. He said many interesting things, but this one jumped out at me as great advice:

The ranks of failed comic artists are filled with "planners". The successful guys are usually "doers". Stop planning and start drawing. Get the drawing done and get it printed. And then start drawing again. It's pretty basic. Whatever you're doing the clock is ticking and you are rapidly running out of time. Make the best use of the time that you can.

Wonderful WorleyToons

2008-03-14T21:20:00.005-05:00

I really got a kick out of some work that my friend (and former collaborator) Mike Worley has posted over on his blog. It's The Sopranos drawn as Flintstones characters. Check it out here.

Mike's a wonderful cartoonist and caricaturist whose credits include drawing Homer, Bart, and other denizens Springfield for Bongo Comics. He's truly a comics renaissance man with credits as a penciller, inker, colorist, and letterer. Don't believe me? Check out his comicbookdb.com listing!

My first night in fandom

2008-03-14T19:51:00.008-05:00

The fine folks at the Mid-Missouri Comics Collective asked me for information about the comics history of Columbia, Missouri. Since Eclipse Comics' offices were located in Columbia for a while, I dashed off an e-mail to cat yronwode, the no-capital-letters-in-her-name former editor-in-chief of Eclipse Comics, to pose a few questions.

That email took me on a trip down memory lane to my first meeting with cat. I was just 15-years-old. My buddies Mark Runyan, Robb Cox, and I just had become aware of a local group of grown-up comics fans who had a club named "Ozark Fandom" near my hometown of Willow Springs, Missouri. Through the mail, the group's leader – a really nice guy named Chris Rock (but not that Chris Rock) – invited us to a club meeting.

It ended up being one of the most memorable evenings of my life. The meeting was held in a log cabin at the end of a dirt trail in rural Howell County. At that meeting we met Chris, cat, and a number of other local fans, including Ronn Foss who was a pioneer of small press comics fanzines. I have to say that cat was the most dynamic personality of the evening, educating, entertaining, and challenging a trio of pimple-faced adolescents.

At the time, cat was writing a comics news and reviews column in the weekly adzine The Buyer's Guide for Comics Fandom (now known as the magazine Comics Buyer's Guide). As a result, she had a boatload of review copies that she gave away at the meetings – including a bunch of small press comics fanzines. Those were the first real amateur comics zines I'd ever seen. The significance of that gift on my life is not measurable. Because of those free zines I discovered a whole new perspective on comics and publishing. My eyes were opened by terrific zines including Bill-Dale Marcinko's AFTA, David Heath, Jr's No Sex, and Gene Kehoe's It's a Fanzine.

I'm sure it's impossible for kids in today's Internet-driven and comics-saturated pop culture to understand, but my friends and I had had almost no direct exposure to other comics fans, let alone involvement in any sort of organized fandom. While Robb, Mark, and I had already been creating our own amateur comic books, cat's fanzines introduced us to a wonderful, fascinating new world.

Those freebies led to more zines produced by Kirk… and extensive contact with other zine publishers… and comics and articles published by others… and my first professional writing… and my first professional comics work… and to the creation of Comics Career Newsletter itself. By then, cat was editing the Eclipse Comics line and agreed to be interviewed for the CCN's first issue.

I haven't scratched the surface of my wonderful memories of that magical night in 1979 when cat yronwode, Ronn Foss, Chris Rock and the rest of the Ozark Fandom gang threw open the doors of comics fandom and welcomed me in. Thanks to them all for the first night of the rest of my life.

Midmococo-a-go-go

2008-01-29T17:05:00.001-06:00

I lived in Columbia, Missouri, for over ten years and loved nearly every minute of it.

Columbia is the home of the University of Missouri and the Mizzou Tigers. It also has a surprising amount of comics history. After all, how many cities can boast that one of its high schools has a cartoon character mascot? (Hickman High School's athletes are known as the Kewpies.)

The folks at the Mid-Missouri Comics Collective (Midmococo) have put up an extensive history of Columbia's comics connections. Some of the highlights from Midmococo's page include Mort Walker's tenure as an MU student, the introduction of Miss Mizzou in Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon strip, and Eclipse Comics moving its headquarters to and from the area. They even mention Comics Career Newsletter.

It's well worth a visit if you have any interest in the local region. I think the history could be a model for other local comics groups to emulate. We're getting to a point where some comics history could be lost forever unless interested amateur historians begin documenting it.

Drawing a comics script

2008-01-29T16:51:00.000-06:00

Books about "how to create comics" often talk about the two ways to write a comics story: "full script" and "plot first/Marvel-style." These discussions leave out a third method.

Throughout the past century thousands of comics scripts have been generated by sketching the pictures on the page and handwriting or typing the dialogue on it. You can see a dramatization of Harvey Pekar using this method in the movie American Splendor. According to Mark Evanier, this script method was common practice in funny animal comics, and at Western (a.k.a. Dell, Gold Key, Whitman). At times, Archie Comics has required writers to provide thumbnail sketches of page.

Michael Barrier has posted a terrific look at a 1948 Porky Pig script by Chase Craig on his blog. It's a fascinating look at the creation of a classic era comic book story. Check it out.

New Top Cow Publisher and Marketing VP

2008-01-10T19:19:00.000-06:00

Top Cow Productions, Inc. announced the promotion of Filip Sablik to the position of Publisher on January 7. Two days later, they announced that Mel Caylo has been hired as Vice President of Marketing and Sales.

Sablik previously held the VP position. Caylo comes from Wizard Entertainment, where he served as Editorial Director since 2004. The press releases from Top Cow are available here.

Dave McKean interview posted

2008-01-09T21:58:00.000-06:00

I've posted the first part of an interview with artist, writer, painter, director, genius Dave McKean back in the early 90s. You can read it here. At the time of the interview, I found McKean's evaluation of his own work to be startling. He wasn't completely happy with anything he'd done in comics to that point. He's was especially hard on Arkham Asylum – his best known work at the time.

Comic Book Publisher Yellow Pages

2008-01-06T21:09:00.000-06:00

Okay, I've started a massive project. It'll either be one of the best things I've done or I'll regret it tremendously.

I have just started compiling an online directory of the staff of comic book publishers over on my Comicspace page. Once I get the content to critical mass, I think this directory will be indispensable for almost anyone who is creatively involved in the industry. I'd like to have extensive listings for the editorial and business staff of the major and semi-major publishers. So far, I've got a fair amount of name listings for DC, Dark Horse, and Image, plus links to the submissions guidelines of each of the big four.

I'll attempt to find the home pages, published email addresses, Comicspace pages, Myspace pages, forums, and any other common ways of interacting with these influential members of the comics industry.

Zip on over and let me know what you think (keeping in mind that it's in its infancy). While you're there, be sure to "befriend" me on Comicspace!

Comics Career Newsletter #1 - Index Mania!

2008-01-05T23:29:00.001-06:00

I'm going work my way through the various issues of Comics Career, indexing articles and significant illustrations. I'm not sure anyone will care, but if you do, here it is. Once I get several of them posted, you should be able to use the label links (Index Mania) to pull up all of the listings.

Comics Career Newsletter #1
April, 1988 - 20 pages

Cover: Rob Davis
Interview: cat yronwode interviewed by Kirk Chritton.
"Inside Eclipse: All the Interview that's Fit to Print with Eclipse Comics Editor-in-Chief cat yronwode"
Article: "Eclipse's Submissions Director Sean Demming"
Article: "Eclipse Comics: Artists' and Writers' Guidelines"
Article: "Odds and Ends" - Short quotations from Al Sirois, Steve Lightle, and cat yronwode
CCN Portfolio: Terry Staton
Reviews: Grey's Anatomy; Drawing the Head and Figure by Jack Hamm; The Human Figure, an Anatomy for Artists by David K. Rubins; Dynamic Anatomy by Burne Hogarth. Reviewed by Rob Davis.
Spot Illustrations: Kirk Chritton

Final article installment posted

2008-01-05T23:22:00.000-06:00

The fourth and final installment of the "Getting Established" article has been posted on the Comics Creators Network message board. This one covers conventions and getting published in the fan press.

Create a superheroine for Shadowline contest

2008-01-05T19:00:00.000-06:00

Shadowline is giving aspiring comics writers a chance to create a new superheroine for a series the Image imprint will publish. Editor Kristen Simon says, "I'd been hoping to see a super-hero book with a strong female lead to act as a counter-point to our popular Bomb Queen series, but none were forthcoming. So I decided to come up with a contest to create a super-heroine for the 21st Century."

Some of the highlights based on the Newarama announcement:

They are looking for a superheroine to counter-balance the villainous Bomb Queen.
Bomb Queen can be used in the first story if the creator wants.
The winning entry will be published as three-issue limited series.
The series will be drawn by Franchesco.
The property will be 100% creator-owned: 50% by the writer and 50% by Franchesco, who will design the visual look of the property.
The initial submission will be a one-paragraph pitch that sums up the character and plot of the first storyline Due by January 31, 2008.
Ten semi-finalists will be asked to submit five fully scripted pages by February 29, 2008.
Five finalists will be selected and their synopses will be published on March 10, 2008. Readers will vote on their favorite to pick the winner.
The first issue of the winning series will have a November, 2008 cover date.

Kristen Simon has answered many questions about the rules, terms, and expectations in the Newsarama forum about the contest. Get more information at Shadowline's myspace site or at the official announcement of the contest at Newsarama.

Full disclosure: I've got some ideas, and I plan to enter a submission.

The Davis Squadron invades Blue Springs

2008-01-05T18:39:00.000-06:00

We just enjoyed a wonderful day with Rob Davis and his family. As I mentioned in a previous post, Rob's an old friend and collaborator. What's especially great, though, is that we all get along so well. Our wives are pals, our young sons play together, and our teenage daughters have been fabulous friends since before birth.

Rob and writer Ron Fortier have just released a new graphic novel called Daughter of Dracula. You won't find it in comics shops. It's available by order from IndyPlanet for $10.00. The cover by Mark Maddox (above) is absolutely breathtaking and Rob does his usual knockout job on the interiors.

Rob just handed me a copy a short time ago, so I haven't had a chance to sit and enjoy Ron Fortier's story, but I'm looking forward to it. Be forewarned though that it does feature nudity and strong sexual content, so it's definitely not for the kiddies.

Exploring Comics Connections on the Net

2008-01-01T20:00:00.001-06:00

To practice what I preach, I'm starting to use the Internet to network in the world of comics creators. This blog, of course, is part of that effort. In addition, I've just carved out a piece of Comicspace.com for Comics Career.

I'm looking to make contacts with new friends. Plus, I've already come across two old Comics Career contributors, John Holland and Charles Novinskie. I've reached out to "befriend" them, but haven't made contact yet by email. John and Charlie both contributed numerous articles to CCN and made my life much, much easier. As an editor, it's great to know that you can count on solid, informative, entertaining content to arrive month after month!

John and I were briefly in touch a few years ago, but haven't communicated in detail since Hurricane Katrina ravaged his home in Louisiana.

I'm in touch with some CCN contributors. Like I mentioned in a previous post, Rob Davis, Mark Runyan, and Ande Parks are still very much in my circle. Plus, I ran into David Campiti at the 2006 WizardWorld Chicago and caught up on old times.

There are other CCN contributors I'd love to reconnect with. Charles Marshall was one of those good-as-gold regular columnists and Al Bigley was easily the most prolific CCN cover and spot illustration artist for the mag.

I refuse to focus exclusively on the past, though. I'm looking for the new connections that will make 2008 great. Take a moment, please, and post a comment on the blog or make a connection with me through my Comicspace.com page.

Article Particle the Third

2008-01-01T19:57:00.000-06:00

Yes, part three of the article is on the Comics Creators Network message board.

Another article particle on the CCN message board

2007-12-31T22:48:00.000-06:00

I've posted part two of the "Getting Established" article on the Comics Creators Network message board. Hopefully this link will get you there.

This portion covers how my networking and my wife's birthday sacrifice led to my first professional comics writing gig.

My previous writing had including news articles for Comics Buyer's Guide, some fanzine features for Mark Waid at Four Color Weekly, and even a short stint working with Jim Steranko as Associate Editor on Prevue magazine, but writing my first real-life, professional, getting paid funny books was a big, big deal to me.

Getting Established

2007-12-30T20:17:00.000-06:00

I'm posting excerpts of an article that I wrote for Comics Career Newsletter #6 over at the message board of The Comics Creators' Network. That "CCN" – there's officially too many CCN's in this post – is an informal collection of creators mostly in the Kansas City area.

The traffic on the message board has been way, way off and I'd like to help get it hustling again. I'm not entirely sure that I know how to link directly to my post, but we'll give it a try here. If that doesn't work, just go to the main page and look around for it. My user name is the oh-so-creative "chritton".

The article is titled "Getting Established" and covers tips for how to network, get your name known, and get in the good graces of comics editors. I'll be posting it in installments, so you'll want to visit the message board regularly.

Auld Lang Syne

2007-12-27T14:40:00.000-06:00

As we approach the new year, my thoughts are drawn to the long friendships that I've made in comics circles. Sure, I've lost touch with a number of folks throughout the years — especially since I all but dropped out of the comics scene for quite a while. That said, I've just had a great holiday visit with my Velvet collaborator Mark Runyan, and my Dai Kamikaze buddy Rob Davis and his family will be at our house January 5th for our annual "new year's" visit. I'll meet up with other friends including Phil Hester and Ande Parks as convention season hits up. In particular, I'm looking forward to Kansas City's Planet Comicon this Spring.

As you work to break into the comics market, I encourage you to take the time to make as many true friends in the business as possible. Not every friendship will survive the decades ahead, but those that do will mean more to you can realize at the time.

Nine Writing Basics

2007-12-25T20:27:00.000-06:00

I wrote the article below for Comics Career Newsletter #1.

ONE: Read Everything.
A good writer starts as a great reader. Reading teaches you proper form, helps you become a better speller, and stretches your thinking power. When you read, you'll continually come across ideas and facts that will spark a story idea in your head. These are absolutely essential if you're going to be a writer. It helps to keep a pencil and paper handy to jot your ideas down. I've forgotten enough great ideas to keep me writing for 25 years. Since I didn't put them down on paper, they'll never do me any good.

Reading also makes you more knowledgeable, and the more facts you know the more true-to-life you can make your stories.

TWO: Always Tell a Story.
Well, almost always. Later on, you'll be able to stretch into other formats, but it's best for a beginning writer to learn the ropes with straight forward, plot-based stories. Trying to get fancy with stream of consciousness ramblings or psychedelic think pieces can get you confused and on the wrong path. Save them for later.

How do you tell a story? It seems simple, but structuring a dramatic, well-balanced tale can be one of the most challenging aspects of writing. you've got to have a beginning (but which scene will make the best opening?), a middle (now what elements represent the true conflicts of the story?), and an end (how do I resolve the events logically and with impact?). Simple, right? Ha!
For the beginner, it might be best to stick to a couple of formula plots (mysteries, horror stories) until you get your feet wet. After you're feeling a bit more comfortable, it's time to challenge yourself by taking your characters into uncharted waters.

Keep in mind that in your opening you need to clearly establish your protagonist or "hero" and give the reader a reason to sympathize with him. Also, you should establish your antagonist or "villain" and vie the reader reasons to distrust or dislike him.

In the main body of your story, you need to bring the two main players together and let their two points-of-view clash, either physically or emotionally.

Finally, you must resolve your story by logically having the protagonist either win or lose against the antagonist and show the reader how the hero has changed because of your story.

THREE: Have an Ending.
Didn't we just cover this? Well, it bears repeating. Don't continue your story endlessly over dozens of installments. Leave the 300-issue novels to Dave Sim for now. Even he did short stories before diving into the 6,000 page ones.

FOUR: The Villain is as Important as the Hero.
It seems crazy, but its true. In fact, in many stories, the villain is more memorable that the hero. Think about it. Who is the general person 100 years from now more likely to know by name: Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader?

Heroes, by nature, tend to be fairly generic and interchangeable. Villains, on the other hand, should be eccentric and have a sinister charisma. Work on giving your villain a good motivation for endangering the life and loved ones of your hero. Your story will be better for it.

FIVE: Characterization Works for You.
Not just for villain, but for every major character in your story. If each person you tell about has a believable personality and a consistent set of ethics, he will seem far more real to the reader and come alive.

A nice bonus is that if you think of your characters as real, breathing people, they will write most of your story for you. There's no need to laboriously decide on each point of the plot because you will automatically know what each character will do in any given situation. Sometimes I've sworn that I've heard my characters' voices tell me a secret about them that I've never known!

SIX: Spell It Out -- At Least At First.
It really works best for you to be more obvious about events in your story than to be overly covert and "artsy." Beginning writers often fall into the trap of masking events and motivation in their stories too well. A more experienced writer might be able to subtly reveal an important plot point, but until you've been writing a while, you might be so subtle that no one will ever be able to figure out what's going on and why.

SEVEN: Use As Few Words and Panels As Possible.
It's simply a matter of space. Comics take lots of pages to cover action that film could do in moments or prose in a few sentences. When writing in comics, you've got to learn to be minimalist -- using only the essential words and scenes. If you don't, your artist and letterer are going to curse you, kill you, and spit on your grave.

EIGHT: Spelling Counts.
You wouldn't know it by looking at a lot of comics – from either the major companies or the smaller ones. There's no need to make excuses for being a poor speller. Perfect spellers have only one thing you don't: a dictionary.

NINE: Let the Artist Show Your Story.
That's why we have them. If you're going to tell your story in a hundred captions, you might as well be writing prose. There's no need to write "Bill dove into the swimming pool" when you have a perfectly capable artist to draw that for you. You'd be better off using that space to describe something the reader can't see: the smell of the concession stand, Bill's innermost desires, or pangs of hunger shooting through his belly. Then again, you might combine the three.

(c) Kirk Chritton, all rights reserved.

Some of my frequently visited sites

2007-12-25T20:02:00.000-06:00

I'll have more information about me and my background in future posts. For now, I'm going to include a few links to comics creator sites that I enjoy.

Comics artist Rob Davis is a long-time friend and collaborator of mine. In fact, he is directly responsible for my first professional comics writing gig on Now Comics' Dai Kamikaze. This series hold a special place in my memory because it was my first assignment, but it's not Rob's favorite work. Rob's blog always features sneak peeks of his recent work.

Like many media geeks, I'm hooked on Mark Evanier's fabulous blog. He generally posts several times a day, often with YouTube links to obscure treasures of comedy or animation. Evanier's writing career has spanned comics, animation, comedy, television, film, and probably the ingredient labels on food boxes. Take the time to explore his sites archives of articles about comics and hollywood. Evanier is an amazingly engaging blogger.

I'm also a regular reader of the blogs of comics creators Neil Gaiman, Peter David, Marv Wolfman, and Len Wein.

There are more great sites which I'll get to in future posts.

All well that starts well

2007-12-25T19:41:00.000-06:00

Welcome to the Comics Career blog by Kirk Chritton. I'm going to use this space to post information of interest to aspiring comics creators. That includes articles that I previously seen in Comics Career Newsletter, a publication I published in the late 80s and early 90s. That includes how-to articles and interviews I conducted with various creators and editors. I'll also be posting new information and links to as much interesting stuff on the web as I can manage. I welcome your comments, critiques, and participation in all forms.