ComixStreet Recap #2
Item #1- ShishKaboom: New Publisher, Sound Familiar?
I received an e-mail recently from Scott Davis, founder of ShishKaboom, a self-described “independent competition-based comics publishing company,” alerting me that they were now accepting submissions for new comic properties from creators. Scott explained the following in the email:
How It Works:
1. Creators share their comics.
2. Fans rate the submissions and help decide the “winner”.
3. Winners get a cash prize ($500), retain their ownership, and get a publishing deal with ShishKaboom.
4. We get to make cool stuff together.
This model sounded oddly familiar (ahem, Zuda), so I went to the ShishKaboom website to take a closer look. As many of you know, I’ve been involved in a few Zuda Comics competitions, and the similarities between their approach, the competition model, and even language in the contracts were striking. While I generally try not to be a skeptic, my initial response was that ShishKaboom is Zuda without:
- The DC Comics connection
- $500 for making it into an online competition
- $1000 for winning a competition and signing the services agreement (They offer $500)
- A page rate for further work AFTER winning the competition
- A clear picture of what happens AFTER signing on with ShishKaboom.
I wrote Scott an email with a number of questions I (and likely other creators) have about ShishKaboom. Here are the questions I asked him:
1.) You’ve mentioned that the Zuda Comics publishing model was an inspiration for ShishKaboom, and the language and similarities in the contract and approach are very similar. Besides Zuda, there are other competition based publishers (ex. Dimestore’s Small Press Idol.) How is ShishKaboom’s approach different than these other publishers, and what is ShishKaboom’s unique value proposition for creators that should make them give you guys a shot.
2.) Your site recently launched and you are now soliciting submissions for your inaugural competition. When do you expect this competition to go live? Are you planning on making the competition for future contests a monthly thing? Yearly? Does it all depend on the relative success of the inaugural competition?
3.) What means of distribution is ShishKaboom planning on pursuing? Print? Webcomics? Mobile?
4.) The comic market is a very crowded and extremely competitive one. What successes or experience in publishing comics does the ShishKaboom team bring to the table that would make a comic creator interested in partnering with ShishKaboom, rather than going at it alone?
5.) Your site is very ambiguous about what happens after a competition winner is selected. It’s not clear whether you expect the winner to produce an ongoing series, a mini-series, a graphic novel, etc. The Zuda contract, by comparison, clearly sets up the terms that winners are offered a additional 52 pages of contracted work. So, what are you looking for from your winners?
6.) Your tagline is “Destroying the barrier between indy comic creators and their fans, one contest at a time.” What, in your opinion, are the biggest barriers indy comic creators are facing today? What’s the top thing ShishKaboom is going to do to help break down those barriers?
Scott did get back to me, saying he planned on answering those questions eventually, and:
I appreciate your interest, and think you’ll find upon closer comparison that we’re pretty different from Zuda outside of the competition format. For some, that will make us a better choice–as we provide better ownership terms, royalties, and freedom/flexibility, but for others seeking a bigger guaranteed paycheck and the chance to work for DC, we won’t be a good fit.
I told Scott this article would post today, and I welcome him to still respond to my questions, either in the comments thread here, or via email. I will update this post if he does so. But, until then, here’s more of my analysis.
After getting Scott’s reply, I decided to do a comparison of the “better ownership terms and royalties, and freedom/flexibility” between Zuda and ShishKaboom that Scott mentioned. To both companies’ credit, they put their contracts online for anyone to read. (Read Zuda‘s Submission Agreements, Rights Agreement and Services Agreement. Read ShishKaboom‘s Submissions Guidelines and Rights Agreement.) I dug into the language of both companies’ contracts, and here is what I’ve gleaned:
|
|
Zuda |
ShishKaboom |
| Ownership of copyright | Creator retains copyright | Creator retains copyright. |
| Grant of Rights | All print and electric publications, audio/visual recording rights, Internet and mobile device rights, live stage, and commercial tie-ins relating to the material, right to publicize and promote material in connection with Zuda. | All print and electric publications, audio/visual recording rights, Internet and mobile devide rights, live stage, and commercial tie-ins relating to the material, right to publicize and promote material in connection with ShishKaboom. |
| Rights to Other Adaptations | Zuda has rights to other adaptations of your material, whether created by You, Zuda, or third parties. | ShishKaboom’s rights do not include the right to utilize other authors or creators to create printed or electronic derivative works of the Material without your consent |
| Exceptions | Creator has the right to sell each piece of Original Artwork, and up to 100 reproductions of Original Artwork. | Creator may (and is encouraged) request exceptions from the exclusive grant of rights for promotional purposes. ShishKaboom will consider all requests. |
| Royalties- Development of Work to date | $1000 for development of Material to date, and right to publish. (One time payment, within 30 days of signed contract) | $500 for development of Material to date, and right to publish. (One time payment, within 30 days of signed contract) |
| Page Rate for Additional Work | $250 per page (initial contract for 52 additional pages)- $13,000 total | No page rate for additional work. |
| Royalties- Print Work (A physical print format publication) | 1% of the cover price of the Print Work multiplied by the Net Print Work Sales (the number of copies actually sold through wholesale and distribution channels) | 5% of the cover price of the Print Work multiplied by the Net Print Work Sales (as defined below) for the Print Work. |
| Royalties- Retail Product (item merchandise based on material) | 1.6% of the suggested retail selling price of the Retail Product multiplied by the Net Retail Product Sales OR if there is no suggested retail selling price, an amount equal to 5% of Zuda’s gross receipts derived for the Retail Product. | 5% of the suggested retail selling price of the Retail Product multiplied by the Net Retail Product Sales |
| Royalties- Licensed Reprint Edition (Foreign languages) | 20% of Net Receipts for the Licensed Reprint Edition. | 50% of Net Receipts for the Licensed Publication. |
| Royalties- Licensed Publication (hardcover or softcover book, magazine, novelization) | 20% of Net Receipts for the Licensed Publication | 50% of Net Receipts for the Licensed Publication. |
| Royalties- Media Work and Licensed Merchandise | 40% of Net Receipts for the Media Work and 40% of Net Receipts for the Licensed Merchandise. | 50% of Net Receipts for the Media Work and 50% of Net Receipts for the Licensed Merchandise. |
| Accountings | Accountings and accompanying royalty payments shall be made twice annually within 90 days of the close of each six month period. Zuda shall not issue an accounting statement or royalties payment hereunder until a payment of at least $200, in total, is due | Accountings and accompanying royalty payments shall be made quarterly within 45 days of the close of each calendar quarter. ShishKaboom shall not issue an accounting statement or royalties payment hereunder until a payment of at least $50 |
| Reversion Rights | You may request in writing reversion of rights four years from the date of Zuda’s ignition exploitation on the website of the LAST piece of Material created by you, IF Zuda has failed to pay at least $2,000 in connection with the Material over the two years prior to the request. Within 6 months of the request, Zuda can either grant the request, commission new services, or pay you at least $2000 in connection with the material. Zuda retains non-exclusive rights to publish and display material. Any option to acquire film, TV, rights in affect at time of reversion will stay in effect. | You may request in writing reversion of rights one year from the date of the rights agreement. ShishKaboom will perpetually retain exclusive right to publish all material delivered to ShishKaboom prior to the reversion. Any option to acquire film, TV, rights in affect at time of reversion will stay in effect. |
Looking at the Zuda and ShishKaboom terms side by side, Scott is correct that ShishKaboom is offering better back-end terms than Zuda. I’ve always thought that most Zuda creators would struggle to cash in on the back end. With Zuda currently only publishing one print collection per year, and those lucky creators reaping just 1% of net print work sales, the promise of the back end doesn’t seem to lead to a big payday. (Now, when High Moon becomes a big budget movie franchaise, I may eat my words.) But for now, earning potential for Zuda creators comes from the page rate, and parlaying the exposure into other opportunities for work, as High Moon’s Gallaher and Ellis have done quite nicely.
For ShishKaboom, there is no pay rate. While their back end terms are better for creators (%5 of net print work sales vs. 1%), 5% of nothing is still nothing, last I checked. In addition to the financial reserves that Zuda has to pay creators for their work and the rights to publish it, Zuda has the connections of DC/Warner Bros. to actually get books to print, to license and distribute. I’m not sure what, if anything, ShishKaboom has, besides a $500 bonus check for the “winning” submission.
I hope Scott will answer my questions and clarify why creators should give ShishKaboom a chance. Sure, winning a competition is nice, and who wouldn’t love $500? But giving up a big percentage to a publisher with an unproven track record of success is something I’d be very cautious about.
Item #2: Comics Grammar Rules Courtesy of Webcomics.com
I’ve never been a fan of grammar. Diagramming sentences was never my thing. When I taught elementary school for a few years, I had to teach the stuff, and there were certainly times I was scratching my head at the rules of our our magical language.
But if you want to write comics, you need to know your grammar rules. (No, it’s not good enough to say you’re editor will fix that stuff.) Writers need to be highly proficient at their craft, and comic book writers are no different.
There are some grammatical errors that seem to be particularly prevalent for comic writers. Recently Brad Guigar highlighted some of them over at the always informative Webcomics.com. Here are your lessons for the day:
Pet peeve: Yeah, Yay, Yea and Ya
Item #3: Character Matters
Came across a great YouTube series deconstructing why Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was such a pile of dung.
The guy doing the voice over work is no Morgan Freeman, but he kind of grows on you after a while. And watching people near the end struggle to describe the characters in Episode 1 is a hoot.
Item 4: Read Old Man Logan, Bub
I don’t often gush about comics. I’m enthusiastic about them, sure. And I’m almost always positive about them. (Generally, if I don’t have something nice to say about a particular comic, I don’t say much at all.) But rarely do I talk in superlatives.
Breaking that trend here, however. Pick up the Old Man Logan hardcover ASAP. It is far and away the best damn Marvel graphic novel I’ve read in a long, long time.
Old Man Logan is a classic western taking place in a post-apocalyptic future of the Marvel Universe where the villains won and all the heroes are gone. Well, almost all of them. Wolverine is now an “old man” living the simple life, struggling to make ends meet and take care of his family. Wracked by guilt over what happened the day the heroes fell, Logan hasn’t broke out the claws in years. But when a blind Hawkeye shows up, needing his help on a cross country errand that will bring them through this dystopian future world carved up by super-villains, that resolve will be put to the test. And before it’s all over, SNKT! he will.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, through and through. The most I’ve enjoyed Mark Millar’s writing, who basically decided to write Unforgiven, with Wolverine stepping in for Clint. It is a gorgeous book, drawn by Steve McNiven (who may be my favorite artist at the moment), Dexter Vines, and Morry Hollowell (aka Team Civil War.) The art in this book is BETTER than Civil War. I can already tell, this is a book I’ll be pulling off my shelf frequently.
Item 5: Indy Comic Book Week is Here!
I mentioned it in the last installment of The ComixStreet Recap, and I’m mentioning it again- Indy Comic Book Week is here!
Diamond balked on shipping their usual allotment of books this week, but independent creators around the country are filling the void. New books from creators doing it themselves will be stocked on the shelves of finer comic shops around the country. Do yourself a favor, and give some of these books a shot.
Check here for a list of stores supporting Indy Comic Book Week.
Read The Blog for more details on the books you might find at an ICBW supporting store near you.
And follow the hashtag #indycomicbookweek on Twitter for the latest buzz about this cool, community-driven event.
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The ComixStreet Recap posts every other Thursday at TylerJamesComics.com. Pass it along if you know someone who might enjoy it. And If you’ve got a story or a link you think might interest me and the readers of ComixStreet, feel free to email me at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com, send me a Tweet@tylerjamescomic, or leave a comment below.
Previous Columns
ComixStreet Recap #1: Welcome to ComixStreet…Lee Nordling’s ComicsProPrep…DC’s Earth One…JAVILAND Podcast…Indy Comic Book Week
Filed Under: ComixTribe
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[...] ComixStreet Recap #2: ShishKaboom…Comics Grammar…Character…Old Man Logan…Indy Comic Book Wee… [...]