Mark your calendars, boys and girls…Tears of the Dragon returns March 26!

Chapter 2: Torvuld’s Plight will continue the fantasy epic that began last July.  They say heavy is the head of he who wears the crown, and it’s never been truer.  The early days of Torvuld’s reign should have been joyous…a beautiful wife, a strong daughter, a kingdom in peace.  Yet sinister forces are at play, hellbent on his destruction.

Tears of the Dragon is an epic fantasy webcomic written by Tyler James, with art by Koko Amboro.

Read Tears of the Dragon Chapter 1: To Become King in it’s entirety online here, purchase the standard edition of Chapter 1 from Indy Planet, or get a limited Artist’s Edition version here.

Now available for purchase is the Artist’s Edition of Tears of the Dragon – Book One: To Become King.  These are exclusive collectors items,  each featuring an original, one-of-a-kind “Dragon” sketch cover drawn by me.  I’m only making 100 of these books…ever!  I expect them to move pretty quickly during con season, which starts for me in April with the Boston Comic Con.  This book with be debuting in Boston, and I expect the TOTD- Artist’s Editions to sell very well.  I’m making them available for purchase online for those of you who won’t be able to get to the show.

These books feature the full color first chapter of the Tears of the Dragon saga, written by me and drawn by the incredible Koko Amboro.  Artist’s Editions feature a cardstock cover with a penciled, inked and marker toned original dragon sketch, that I’m having a blast drawing.  The back cover features the brilliant image featured on the standard edition cover.

These books are priced to move at just $15 + shipping.  It’s been added to my online store and you can order directly by clicking the link below.

Also available is the standard edition of Tears of the Dragon Book 1: To Become King.  Order a copy from my friends at Indy Planet!

Item 1- The iPad Cometh

So…The iPad.

On the off chance you’ve been living under a rock and haven’t heard, Apple has finally unveiled its long rumored new tablet/e-book reader/ portable digital media device.  It’s been both lauded as the next must have device and a Kindle killer, and dismissed as a let down…nothing more than an oversized iPod touch.

Regardless of your take, members of the comics creating (and consuming) community are paying major attention to the device.  Is the iPad the future delivery platform of comics?

Why I’m going to get one (eventually)

- I’ve been in the market for a new laptap.  However, when I think about it, I really only want a laptop for portable play- music, internet, that sort of thing. I’d still do the real work (writing, coloring and lettering comics, etc.) tethered to my desktop.   This device looks like it could satisfy my laptop needs and save me from buying one.

- I want an e-book reader- for comics, for PDFs, etc.  I had no interest in the Kindle with its black and white screen, but this…I could get very into.

Why I’m waiting for iPad Rev 2 (at least)

- The price tag- While Apple made a point to price the iPad aggressively, given their history of dropping price points relatively quickly, I’m willing to see if I can get more bang for my buck later.

- No front facing camera- This seemed like a no-brainer.  Given the explosion of live streaming sites like…er, LiveStream and UStream, an integrated front facing camera would allow easy real-time broadcasting and simple video conferencing.  I’m sure this will be coming to the device…and I’m gonna wait for it.

- No multitasking?  This was a major bummer.  Can you really not listen to music and read a book at the same time?  That just seems like a bizarre design decision, given the way people operate these days.  I’ve got to think they’ll fix that immediately.

What I’m worried about

Many comic creators are excited about the iPad as a distribution vehicle for comics, and over the next several months, both indy and mainstream publishers will be rolling out plans to get their stuff on the iPad.  But this Twitter exchange between creator Stephen Lindsay and ComiXology gave me pause:

@comiXology – how come the link to Jesus Hates Zombies on this page no longer works?!? http://tinyurl.com/ygd4dqx

@StephenRL Apple deemed it inappropriate according to their SDK guidelines, unfortunately. We signed on to those guidelines, so… =(

Note, ComiXology was publishing JHZ on it’s iPhone app, but recently removed it, which is what Stephen was asking them about.  What scares me here is that Apple already is censoring comics material that is being released for the iPhone and will likely extend that to the iPad.  And if the iPad becomes the new newstand for comics, I’m worried many great comics will be banned.  Apple reserves the right to reject any comic it determines to be “obscene, pornographic, offensive, or defamatory.”  Jesus Hates Zombies, in their opinion, falls in under that broad umbrella.  Apple could quickly become the defacto arbiter of what makes it on the virtual shelves of its device, and could potentially be more powerful than the comics code authority ever was.  I’ll be keeping my eye on this as it plays out.

BTW, worth a listen is this great podcast featuring some major players in digital comics from Iverse, IDW, and ComiXology.

Item 2- Comic Book Scripts

There is no one way or standard format to write a comic script.  However, some approaches are clearly better than others.  Still, I always encourage writers to not get hung up on issues of formatting at the expense of working on their story.  Find a basic format or approach to scripting that works for you, and roll with it.

The best book I’ve come across as a resource for comic book scripts is Panel One: Comic Book Scripts by Top Writers.  It’s a great book with excerpts from actual comic scripts along with interviews from the authors, including the likes of Kurt Busiek, Neil Gaiman, Greg Rucka, Kevin Smith, Marv Wolfman and more.

Another great online resource is the Comic Book Script Archive, a blog that’s been posting actual scripts from top talent.  There’s some quality content over there, including scripts from Ron Marz, Brian Bendis, B. Clay Moore, and (er) more.  Check it out.

And while you’re looking at scripts, to get a sense of how I do it, check out my script to ICE: Interrogation Control Element, a comic that was featured last summer at Zuda comics.

Item 3- Indy Comic Adverts

Indy Comic Adverts is an idea that seemed to spring on the heels of Independent Comic Book Day.  In their words:

“Indy Comic Adverts is an organization for independent comic book creators. We give free samples of our comics to comic book stores to give out to their customers once a month every month. This gets indie comic book creators into stores and out to the public. By giving stores 1 copy of our comics each month, they can see which comics are doing the best. At that point they can request to purchase your comic directly from you cutting out the distributor!

Joining ICA is easy. There is very small monthly fee of $2 USD. The fee is mainly to help with shipping cost. After that you just send us at least 1 to 5 comics each month to be shipped to the comic shops and fill out a sign up form and you’re done!”

My take:  First, I do love the spirit of ICBW, and I admire any creators in the comics space willing to try new things and think outside the box.  However, I don’t quite see the value premise here.  Paying a middleman a monthly fee to ship your books to a comic shop willing to give your comic away for free doesn’t seem like a great use of your marketing budget.  I really don’t understand the line about stores being able to see which comics are doing the best, because they’re giving them away.  Am I missing something?

Item 4- Public Domain Hero’s

Kid Tyrant by Greg Giordano

Greg Giordano’s been doing a cool project on his blog.  Check out his Public Domain Character of the the Day sketches.

Greg’s been drawing guys like Kid Tyrant, Black Satan, Miss Masque, Atoman, and a host of other characters you and I have probably never heard of.

Who knew all of these characters were free to use and abuse?

Item 5- Great Marketing/Annoying Comic Reading Experience

Great piece recently on Comic Vine.

A rule of good marketing is that it’s something that is “remarkable” or worth talking about.  Clearly, Mass Effect’s campaign in recent DC books did just that.  But boy does it hurt the comics reading experience.

You know, sometimes I belabor price points and such, not wanting to charge more than the cheapest books put out by the Big Two for my comics.  But hey, my books at least offer an uninterrupted reading experience.  And you just can’t get that from Marvel and DC these days.

***

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

ComixStreet Recap #2: ShishKaboom…Comics Grammar…Character…Old Man Logan…Indy Comic Book Week is Here

ComixStreet Special Comment: Webcomics.com Becomes a Subscription Service

ComixStreet Recap #3: .Dan Govar talks Azure 2.0…How to Say Everything E-Book…Sketch-A-Day with Cory Walker…Filling the Webcomics.com void…Pithy advice from a master marketer

Stepping Up the Social Networking

Most of those of you reading this have probably already noticed, but I’ve been putting a lot of time into social media/Web 2.0/whatever it’ll be called tomorrow.  I’m definitely a believer of the power of this stuff, but want to keep it in perspective.  Content is King…I could spend all day long interacting with people online and building awareness for the stuff I’m doing, but at the end of the day, if I’m not putting out great product, it’s a waste of time.  So my primary focus is and always will be making great comics.

That said, I’m really jazzed about the tools out there to expand my audience, and the real friendships I’m making online.  Here’s what I’ve been focusing on lately:

• Facebook Fan Page- Having fun with this.  Been posting some exclusive EPIC stuff here, and connecting with some of the hundreds of millions on FB.  Fan me up if you’re a Facebook fan.

• Twitter- Twitter has quickly become my primary social networking platform.  I recently upgraded my page to have a bit more character.  Check it out and give me a follow.

• Podcasts- I’ve done a few Podcasts this year already and have a few scheduled.  In fact, I’ve been on 3 of the last 4 episodes of the JAVILAND Podcast, most recently talking about Teaching Comics and Making Webcomics.  Had some great feedback on these episodes, so if those topics strike your fancy, give it a listen right here:

EPIC is Coming!

Momentum is really building for EPIC- “Super Teen Hijinx” brought to you by myself and Matt Zolman. Matt recently completed this killer pin-up, which we’ll be using to promote the book, and as a test page to find a colorist to join our team.  I recently posted an ad at Digital Webbing, a site that I’ve had a lot of success finding artists on in the past.  We’re reviewing a number of promising colorists for the gig, and are confident we’ll find the right guy or gal for the job.

Matt is cranking on layouts, and barring any major hiccups, EPIC should be out this summer.  We have a number of cool things things in the works promotion wise, and I’m really thrilled with how this project is taking shape.

Over

Believe it or not, I’ve cranked out more than 100 pages of Over already! While I’ve still a long way to go (estimating the final page count to be somewhere around 165 pages) I’m definitely on the downhill climb.  The readership continues to steadily grow, and the feedback has been largely positive.  I’ve asked a lot of the readers, as Felix’s journey has been quite dour at times.  The good news is, I promise to stay true to the story, tie up all the plotlines, and deliver a satisfying (and happy) ending.  (Okay, that’s a big promise.)  But I’m looking forward to delivering.

In a few months, I’ll be starting to take pre-orders for the Over graphic novel.  The goal will be to secure enough pre-orders to pay for the printing costs upfront, without going too deep into the red.  I’ll be offering some great pre-order incentives, so hopefully I’ll be able to generate enough scratch to do a nice big print run.

Right now, I think I’m a bit behind schedule to have Over printed and on the table in time for New York Comic Con, my original goal.  But I haven’t abandoned that target yet.  Over completed in 2010 or bust!

Tears of the Dragon

Chapter 2 of Tears of the Dragon is well underway on the production side.  Earlier this month, I sent a big check to my main man Koko Amboro who is killing it on the art side, and I already have my hands on some gorgeous new pages.  I’m getting color notes to Miguel Marques for more colors by the end of the month, and while I haven’t announced the return date, sometime mid-March seems likely.

Also of note, Tears of the Dragon: Book 1- To Become King is now available for purchase!  There are two versions of the book.  The Standard Version is being sold through my friends at Indy-Planet.

Also soon available for purchase is an Artist’s Edition of Book 1, featuring a one-of-a-kind Dragon sketch cover by me.  These are going to be limited to 100 and is sure to be a collector’s item.   I’ll solicit the Artist’s Edition version when I have them in hand.

Conventions

This year, I’ll set a new record for the number of conventions I’ll be attending.  I’ve been listing my con schedule at the bottom of this site.  However, con season starts earlier than expected for me, as NEXT WEEKEND I’ll be tabling at at Larry’s Woburn, MA Comic Book Show on February 20, 2010.

Through the magic of social media (see above) I struck up a chat with Larry from Larry’s Comics on Twitter (@LarrysComics), and he invited me to attend his show and is hooking me up with a table.  And guess what?  That’s my birthday! So, I’m much looking forward to kicking off con season on my 31st.  If you’re in the area, you’ve got to stop by!

As for the rest of my schedule, I’ve already sent in my table fees for Boston Comic Con and NESPA and I’m a guest at ComiCONN.  So, I’m definitely getting pumped.  Here’s my schedule:

April 10-11, 2010
Boston Comic Con
May 15, 2010
ComiCONN, New Haven, CT
July 18, 2010
New England Small Press Assembly
August 28-29, 2010
Baltimore Comic-Con
October 08-10, 2010
New York Comic-Con >
November 6-7, 2010
Webcomics Weekend – Easthampton, MA

And a reminder, I’m challenging myself to do 100 FREE SKETCH CARDS this year.  If you’re attending any of the above shows, email me tylerjamescomics@gmail.com and get on the list.

Colosseum X

Colosseum X has taken a back seat as I’ve been pushing EPIC forward.  However, artist Enrique “Z” Savory, Jr. and I are  pushing toward getting the concept art phase finished in time to preview some stuff at the Boston Comic Con.  I’d love to have a pin-up/print ready to go at that show to start getting people fired up.  EPIC will be my lighthearted super hero book, and C-X will give me a chance to do the dark side.  While the books will be aimed at slightly different audiences, I think they’ll compliment one another nicely.

I don’t have much in terms of concept art to show yet, but here is a sketch from Z that’ll help explain why I’m so excited about this project and looking forward to working with him to bring it to life.

Columns and Classes

I’m continuing my run of Creating Comics! The Art + Craft over at Comic Related.  The column still comes out on Mondays, but is now on a bi-weekly schedule.  I’ve done three columns so far in 2010.  Here are links if you missed them:

29: Setting the Table for a New Year of Creating Comics
30: Ready to Script

31: An Artist Ready Script

I’ve also put out several columns for my new series The ComixStreet Recap.  This is a forum for great resources and items of note that I think will interest the comic creating community.  Give it a read if you haven’t yet.

And, I’m two weeks into an eight week session of the Creating Comics Club, a once a week after-school program for 4-5th graders in a  Newburyport elementary school.  I’m having a blast teaching it, and the kids seem to be enjoying themselves, too.  I’ll be sharing some student work soon.

On the Back Burner

Because there is only so much time in the day, Super Seed, ICE: Interrogation Control Element, CounterTerror, and a yet to be titled sci-fi/horror series are on ice for the moment.  I’m optimistic about the future promise of each of those brands, but the above projects are currently prioritized.  When Over frees up, I’ll definitely be moving a few of these forward.

Whew!  I’m exhausted.  Now, back to work!

The fourth chapter of Over, my online graphic novel that started running last June has begun.  It’s been a good 90 pages or so that readers have been following the struggles of Felix, a comic book writer desperate to get over a girl who broke his heart.  Chapter four promises to shake up the status quo, as Felix finally sees the effect his behavior since being dumped is having on the people around him.  Can he turn it around?  Well, you’re just going to have to read to find out.

If you’re new to Over start reading here.

Also of note is the “Jinx’s Sign Contest” I ran last week.  Jinx is the rascally legless bum who always carries a sign around with him to aid in his panhandling.  Over readers contributed a bunch of great Jinx sign ideas.  Funny stuff.  You can check out a slideshow of reader entries right here:

Last time in Creating Comics! I responded to a reader looking for tips on how to get started with the actual scripting part of making comics. I gave a number of tips and suggestions, but the biggest part of the scripting process is just putting your butt into a chair and getting words on a page. (Afraid I can’t help you there…that part is all you.)

This week, I’m going to assume you put in the work, and knocked out a script. I’m also going to assume you then put in the REAL work of re-writing that script, ‘;cause let’s face it, that first draft was a turd. (Go back and read my columns on Re-Writing if you’re sitting with a first draft you’re sure is gold.) You have a draft in your hand and you think you’re ready to hand it to an artist (or draw it yourself) and make the magic happen. But before you, do, I want to give you a few things to think about.

Until 2008, I never really worried all that much about my scripts. I had always done all of my own drawing and lettering, so I never had much need to share my comic scripts with other people. But after making the decision to start working with a few outstanding artists to bring some great new comics to life, this had to change. Now I wasn’t only writing for myself, I was writing for an artist. Because of this, it was important to take my scripts to another level of quality and polish. What follows are some suggestions of things you should do prior to sending your scripts off to an artist.

Proofread. Should go without saying, right? Unfortunately, it needs to be said. You’re the writer. Proofreading is YOUR job. It’s not your artist’s job and it’s not your letterer’s job. It’s not even your editor’s job, if you have one. I’m shocked at how many people post scripts online on sites like Pencil Jack or Digital Webbing looking for feedback that contain loads of God awful errors in spelling, punctuation, sentence structure and syntax. We’re talking scripts that aren’t even fit for a remedial high school English class. I’m not even addressing the content here; I’m simply talking about easily corrected errors. I can’t count how many times I’ve looked at scripts online and haven’t made it past the first line of the script without coming across a typo. And punctuation? From the looks of many of the scripts online, you’d assume there’s a gene common to aspiring comic writers that makes them allergic to commas and periods. I even read one script that was posted online looking for feedback, where the writer said at the top, “Hey, I’m looking for feedback on this script. Don’t worry about the spelling or English mistakes. I’ve got people who will take care of that for me later.” Trust me, I didn’t worry about it. Because after coming across 15+ easily correctable errors on page 1, I stopped reading.

It’s your job to do the best you possibly can at proofreading your script BEFORE you put it in the hands of your artists. Look at it from the artist’s perspective for a moment. If you’re an aspiring writer, you’re likely partnering up with an aspiring comic artist. (I’d suggest partnering up with someone a little more seasoned than yourself…they’ll make you look good.) Realize that when it’s all said and done, they’re probably going to put more time into the comic than you are, simply because it takes longer to draw than it does to write. Also remember, most of the time you’re going to care about the script a lot more than your artist partner will. It’s your baby. It’s going to take the artist a while to get invested. So, if the artist gets a script that has typos and easily corrected errors, what’s he going to think? Well, either:

A.) You’re not a great writer. (This is not good. If I’m an artist trying to make a name for myself, I want to partner with the next undiscovered superstar. I’m looking for the next Matt Fraction or Jason Aaron. I’m NOT looking for some guy who doesn’t know the difference between “there” and “their.”)

B.) You just don’t care that much about this script. (Also not good. If the writer doesn’t care enough to run his script through spell-check, why should the artist care? Your script sets the tone for the project. A lazy script can lead to lazy art, where the artist, instead of doing his or her absolute best work, will cut corners here and there, leave out little details, fake perspective, etc.)

You want the alternative. You want to send the artist a pristine, engaging, dynamic script that inspires him to do his or her best possible work. Be professional. Proofread.

Be clear. When you turn your script over to an artist, you are entrusting your vision of the story to another. The only way to ensure that your story is told the way you want to tell it is to be as clear as possible. When you’re writing descriptions, you need to describe as best as you can, the precise picture of the panel you have in your head. Who is in the panel? What’s the setting? What’s the action? Where is the camera positioned? What is the focal point? The more of these details you include, the more likely it is that your artist will deliver.

Remember, with rich and detailed descriptions, a strong artist can deliver the picture you have in your head. The more details you leave out, the more you’ll get the picture in the artist’s head.

Provide reference. Drawing comics is time consuming work. Think about it. Brian Michael Bendis can write five different comic books a month. How many can Bryan Hitch draw? Ten a year, maybe? Because penciling and inking is so time consuming, as a writer, you want to make things as easy as possible for the talent you’re working with. You want them spending most of their time drawing. But, if you write in your script something like, “The sky is filled with a squadron of World War II-era planes,” and leave it at that, what’s the artist going to do? Most likely, he’s going to spend time Googling old warplanes. Think about it? Do you want your artist Googling, or do you want him drawing?

Since you’ve done research anyway, (and if you haven’t, here is why you should) providing links in your script or creating a shared online photo album on Photobucket or Flickr with potentially helpful reference images should be easy. Cut your artist some slack and do some of this work for him. You may find that a lot of the same reference material that inspires your writing on a particular project will help inspire the artist as well.

On ICE: Interrogation Control Element, for example, I wrote this in the script I sent to the artist, Damian Couceiro:

Panel 1- Full black panel, save a stream of water pouring down the center of the panel.

CAP (TRIP)- There are sixteen authorized interrogation methods consistent with the Geneva Conventions.

Panel 2- Close in on the face of Iraqi prisoner Number 240, HESHAM FARUK. He is strapped down on a table, with a blindfold over his eyes. There is a strap around his forehead, which is attached to the board he’s lying on. The stream of water is filling up in his mouth and he is clearly in panic and pain. He’s being water boarded.

CAP (TRIP)- This is not one of them.

REFERENCE NOTE: This opening approach was first inspired by this short clip. Watch for great reference.http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/apr/22/advertising.humanrights

I was clear about what I wanted and provided reference. And as you can see here, Damian delivered.

Sketch a layout. Sometimes when writing comics, you’re going to ask a lot of an artist. Maybe there’s a particularly tricky action sequence that just has to be done right. Maybe there’s a page with a heavy amount of dialogue, and every word truly matters. Rather than fire that page off to your artist and hope for the best, it’s a good idea to try to layout the page yourself first.

Sure, easy for me to say. I’ve drawn hundreds of pages of comics in my lifetime. Of course, it’s no problem for me to layout a page, but what if you are “just a writer.” Relax. When I’m suggesting you layout a page, I’m not asking for a beautifully rendered piece of art. Anyone can draw rectangular panels and stick figures. Below is a page from one of Jeph Loeb’s scripts for Batman: The Long Halloween. You’ll see Jeph did a quick and dirty layout for his artist, Tim Sale. Don’t tell me you can’t do at least as good a job as Jeph here. (For more on Jeph’s writing process, check out Writers on Comics Scriptwriting by Mark Salisbury.)

By taking a stab at laying out a page, you will better be able to answer questions like: Will it all fit on the page? Will these panels have impact? What’s the most important panel on the page? Where are my word balloons going to go? You want to have confidence that the script you send your artist will work as written. Doing some quick layouts is one way to get that confidence.

Do these things, and you’re script is ready. Once you’ve proofread your work and are sure it would pass muster in Mrs. McCaughey’s English class, once you’ve been as clear as you need to be, once you’ve provided reference where helpful, and once you are confident the pages will work as written by sketching or laying out pages quickly yourself, you’re ready to turn your work over to an artist.

Congrats!

And now things get fun. You get to take off your writer’s hat, and put on your producer’s hat, to shepherd the project from written page to finished comic. This brings up its own set of challenges of course. But trust me, once those pages start showing up in your email box, all the work you’ve put into writing suddenly becomes so worth it.

NEXT: The Dip

Tyler James is a comics creator residing in Newburyport, Massachusetts. He writes and draws Over, a romantic comedy online graphic novel updating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. He also writes Tears of the Dragon, an epic fantasy webcomic. His work has been featured at Zuda Comics, and includes Interrogation Control Element, a political action thriller, and Super Seed, the story of the world’s first super powered fertility clinic. When not making comics, Tyler works as a game designer and content producer for a software company.

Contact Tyler directly at tylerjamescomics@gmail.com, keep up with him at his blog, or follow him on Twitter.

Attention Readers: If you enjoy this column, you might be interested in checking out The ComixStreet Recap. It’s a new series I’ve begun where I share and comment on interesting topics, resources, and events relevant to comic creators. The column is bi-weekly, and posts on Thursdays.

Previous Columns

1: Big Goals
2: Resolutions
3: The Great Idea
4: Research Part I
5: Research Part II
6: The Killer Pitch Part I – The High Concept
7: The Killer Pitch Part II – The Synopsis
8: Pay Your Artists
9: Zuda Comics- A Tale of Five Submissions
10: Creating Great Characters Part I (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
11: Creating Great Characters Part II (Or Why Wolverine is Everywhere)
12: Structurally Sound- The Beginning
13: Your Reputation
14: Structurally Sound- The Middle
15: Structurally Sound – The End
16: Your First Con
17: Beat It
18: Memorable Scenes
19: Mailbag
20: Comics Dialogue – Part I
21: Comics Dialogue – Part II
22: Baltimore Comic Con – Part I
23: Baltimore Comic Con – Part II
24: Is It Worth It?
25: The Re-Write Part I
26: The Re-Write Part II
27: The Re-Write Part III
28: Taking Initiative
29: Setting the Table for a New Year of Creating Comics
30: Ready to Script

My goal for the show was to get Jav himself fired up about getting into the webcomic game, something he admittedly has been hesitating to do.  The rest of the panel and I seemed to do just that, as Jav plans to launch a new webcomic in the near future.  If you missed the show, you can listen to it below, or search JAVILAND on iTunes.

And I might as well mention that I’ll be on the show once again this coming Monday night (Feb 8, 2010) at 11pm EDT, where Jav and I will be talking about teaching comics.  If it’s not too late for you, tune in!

TOTD is written by Tyler James (me!) and Illustrated by Koko Amboro.

Book One: To Become King is the first of seven chapters in the grand Tears of the Dragon epic. The story begins with the tale of Torvuld, a young nobleman with his eyes on the crown. Evoking an old rite of passage, Torvuld sets out to slay a dragon to prove his valor, earning the wrath of the mighty dragon Sythic.

Tears of the Dragon #1 TM and © Tyler James. All rights reserved.

Head on over to Indy Planet and pick up a copy!

You’ll also see I’ve added a widget to the front page of this blog, which will give you the latest feed from the page.

Item 1- Talking Azure 2.0 with Dan Govar

Last week, the post-apocalyptic webcomic Azure started up its second season at Zuda Comics.  I had a chance to check in with series creator Dan Govar about the launch of Azure 2.0.

Dan, congrats on getting another season of Azure at Zuda!  Tease us with something we can look forward to seeing as the story continues this month.

DG: Thanks so much, and to everyone who demanded it! As for a tease with what to expect…Let’s just say it starts with a bang, and things pick up a year after the events of Season 1. This month we get a crash course on the state of the world circa 2023 AD.

I’m deathly afraid of sharks, and damn near soiled myself when I got to page 8 of Azure when it first came out. What’s the shark count looking like in 2.0?

DG: Haha! The shark count…they do make an appearance, and there are many more than in Season 1. I can’t say much more than that.

Do you have any snarky come-backs to people who are still saying they’d check out comics on Zuda if it wasn’t for the flash viewer?

DG: That horse isn’t dead yet? To those nipping at the flash viewer on Zuda, there is little that I haven’t said about my love for it, especially since the new viewer modifications went into effect. The text is legible at any resolution, the images are crisp and non-pixelated, the fullscreen mode has a quick load and is a must for comics like High Moon, Supertron, Deadly, and Azure. I’m a huge fan of the zoom slider, as I and other creators work on the imagery at much higher resolutions than the 800 x 600 the comics on Zuda launch at. Who doesn’t have a relatively high bandwidth connection and FLASH installed on a browser? In this day and age it comes standard with nearly every system produced,  so I’m truly baffled at the gripe. Is it the ability to trade and send the comic pages that you are thirsting for? The comics are free! Why gripe at all?!

You’re a talented all-around artist, but for Azure, you work exclusively digitally.  Tell me about your process?

DG: Why thank you for the kind words. And yes, since page 8, Azure is completely digital.

Here is a process study showing how I generally work to build pages for Azure:

1 – Loose gestural sketch for placement of characters/objects/balloons

2 – Linework or inking pass on individual layers for each object. This allows me to put glows and shadows easily behind objects.

3 – Flat color pass on all layered objects/characters

4 – Detail lighting/shadow pass

5 – Final details with overlay layers of colors to add brightness and warmth to certain areas. By adding specific colors here you can cool or warm certain areas.

Click for Full Image

Any advice for artists thinking about making the switch to digital?

DG: My advice when making the transition or toying with the switch, is:

a.       Invest in a decent tablet – Wacom Intuos 3 or better – the size is your preference, but note that the larger tablets allow you to draw with your arm instead of your wrist.
b.      Figure out your tools for yourself – Everyone has a different technique for working digitally. Looking at Livestreams and Ustream, you will find tons of digital creators who share their process. The key is figuring out how to work faster – the real impetus for my moving to a digital environment.
c.       Brushes and textures – there are tons out there, people give them away, some sell them – find ones you like and don’t just use the standard set that come with Photoshop or Painter. If you just use what comes out of the box, you will lessen the chance of a good digital experience
d.      Use the techniques you know from traditional mediums – Simple principles of composition, perspective, light and shadow, line weight, colour balance, etc, all translate to the digital world. Having a strong traditional foundation will only make you better when working digitally.

Anything else coming up from you we should keep an eye out for?

DG: Hrmm…A few things I can and some I can’t talk about. One big one will be kicking off next month – A Comic Challenge blog. It’s a monthly challenge for artists to hone their skills and ideas. This is actually something that was spawned from your November 30 Characters 30 Days challenge, and during the month of November the Comic Challenge blog will go on hiatus for artists who wish to jump in on the 30/30 challenge that month. I was hoping to kick things off this January, but with Azure’s launch and the holidays, I ran out of time to finish off the blog. The first challenge will begin on February 1st and it’s a doozy. There are a good number of artists I’ve lined up to participate and it is open for any who wish to participate. Information on what to do and when will be up soon. Probably best to follow me on twitter or facebook for the info.

Again, a special thanks to Dan for taking time away from the Wacom to talk about the cool stuff he’s doing.  Make sure to check out Azure each week at Zuda and leave him a comment telling him to keep up the great work!

Item 2 – How To Say Everything E-Book

I stumbled across a free E-book recently that is worth adding to your digital collection.  How to Say Everything by Tom Hart is a great book full of practical tips and exercises for artists and cartoonists.  Later this month, I’ll be starting a new Creating Comics! class for kids in grades 4/5.  I’ve already found a few lessons in this book I’ll be adding to my syllabus.

Check it out.  You can grab the book from this link here, and if you like it, you might as well stumble it forward as well.

Item 3 – Sketch-A-Day Blog with Cory Walker

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions this year?  Cory Walker, co-creator with Robert Kirkman of Invincible (a book I finally got around to reading this month) did.  Cory is doing a sketch-a-day this year.  Okay, so most professional artists draw every day.  But Cory’s posting his sketches each day at his blog. Additionally, Cory posted this offer:

“I’ve added a link list to the sidebar for sketch-a-day (s.a.d.) blogs. If you’ve got one going, let me know and I’ll add it to the list. Doesn’t matter if I’ve already got you linked elsewhere.”

Super Girl by Cory Walker

So, if you’re doing a sketch-a-day blog as well, why not share it with Cory?

Item 4- Who Will Fill the Webcomics.com Void?

It’s been two weeks since Webcomics.com surprised the webcomics community by switching to a paid subscription service.  I thoroughly covered my feelings about the decision in a recent ComixStreet Special Comment, and many creators chimed in on the comments thread, mostly agreeing with my assessment.

As I said I would do in the comment, I subscribed to the new Webcomics.com.  I can say that Brad Guigar has been working to deliver on what he promised the changes would bring.  He’s negotiated a special deal for subscribers at the big C2E2 Convention, already posted an contribution from PVPs Robert Khoo, and written a few columns with some ideas I’ve already put into practice.

I do wonder, however, if by moving to a subscription model, Brad has shifted too much of the burden onto himself.  Prior to this change, Webcomics.com was a great venue for creators to freely submit interesting and informative articles to be read and evaluated by fellow cartoonists.  Getting an article on the front of Webcomics.com was good exposure.  It’s unlikely non-subscribers will be submitting articles, and less likely that subscribers will submit content (why give away content for free to a site you’re already paying for?)  Thus, the burden will be primarily on Brad (and Half-Pixel) to keep the great content coming.  I hope he realizes the challenge he’s taken on here.

And, as I predicted last week, the void for a free webcomics community site is trying to be filled by a number of sites.  Webcomic Planet, We Make Webcomics, and Webcomics Community are three such sites that seem to be stepping up their game to fill the void, and I’m sure there are and will be others.  It’ll take a while before one rises to front runner status.  It’ll be interesting to see which one does.

Item 5- Advice for the Week

I’m currently reading Seth Godin’s Small Is the New Big.  It’s basically a book collection of his better blog posts over the past several years.  I’ve mentioned Godin before, and likely will again.  Here’s a a quote:

“Sales

…in just one easy step: Make something people want to buy.”

He goes on to describe an awful sales pitch he sat in on with Yahoo execs that ended in a multi-million dollar deal.  Why?  Because the product Yahoo had to offer, was just that good.  One of the running themes in Godin’s work…it pays BIGTIME to be the best in the world at something.

This simple advice applies to creating comics:

“Comic Success

…in just one easy step: Make something people want to read.”

It sounds obvious, but I’m not so sure that everyone gets it.  Yes comics (and writing, film, art, etc.) are great forms of self-expression.  And yes, you should do work that you are passionate about and meaningful to you.  But if you want to be successful, if you want to reach an audience, you HAVE to make sure you’re doing work that people want to read.

***

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

ComixStreet Recap #2: ShishKaboom…Comics Grammar…Character…Old Man Logan…Indy Comic Book Week is Here

ComixStreet Special Comment: Webcomics.com Becomes a Subscription Service

Would you like a FREE SKETCH CARD?

The webcomics community received a New Year’s shocker this Monday when Webcomics.com, an exceptional website and probably the premier online resource for webcomics creators, announced that it was now a members-only service for paid subscribers.  This article will examine this decision and its fallout, explain why I believe this was an unwise move, and justify (seemingly contradictory, I know) why I just plunked down my $30 to become a member.

Webcomics.com was, in my mind, the absolute best place to find quality advice on how to make webcomics.  The guys behind it, the Half-Pixel crew, wrote the book on webcomics.  Literally.  While all four members of Half-Pixel have contributed to the site, the heavy lifting on Webcomics.com is done by Editor-in-Chief Brad Guigar.  The site has featured almost daily updates from Brad, or by other webcomicers who freely submit articles that are chosen by Brad to be featured on the site.  The Webcomics.com forum is also a vibrant place for the exchange of ideas, one of the better places for webcomics creators to commiserate on the web.  Personally, I’ve found great value in a number of Brad’s special features, including monthly T0-Do lists, art tutorials, and killer usability analysis of submitted webcomics sites with actionable feedback on how to improve them.  (I would have hyper-linked the features I just mentioned.  But I can’t.  ’Cause they’re now behind the paywall.  But I’ll get to that shortly.)

Before I continue, a word about Brad Guigar.  He is one of the good guys.  I’ve only met him once, but in the short conversation I had with him, he was just as I expected- engaging, encouraging and ebullient. (I had an alliteration thing going, sue me.)  To top it off, he’s got the best laugh in all of comics…if you’re a Webcomics Weekly listener, you know what I’m talking about.  In addition to being probably the single most helpful person to know or listen to when it comes to self-publishing comics on the web, the guy is a HELL of a cartoonist.  Evil, Inc. is incredible, and his other strips are quite good as well.  It’s hard to believe he also holds down another full-time gig, but yup, he does.   So while I’ll be leveling some criticism at his decision, I’m in not criticizing the man.  He’s still A-okay in my book.

The reason formally given for the decision to begin charging a $30-per-year subscription fee for Webcomics.com by Brad was that a fee was necessary “to help support what the site has become — and allow it to achieve its full potential.”  In exchange for the fee, Brad promised all the same great features readers have become accustomed to, along with monthly contributions from PVP’s Scott Kurtz and Penny Arcade’s Robert Khoo, some new tools and features, the lure of more personalized guidance for subscribers’ comics, and a few other bells and whistles.  Defending the decision to charge a subscription fee, as opposed to running ads and selling merchandise (in other words, using the webcomics business model Half-Pixel teaches in their book), Brad called Webcomics.com a “niche site” without much value to advertisers.  He also said that a subscription fee will weed out folks not that serious about webcomics and create a stronger community.

In the comment storm that followed this announcement, it was also suggested by Brad and Scott that had this move not been made, Webcomics.com would have shut down.  In short, the site needed to start generating income in order to justify the hours and time commitment Brad was putting into it.  Afterall, Brad has a family to feed and his time (just like the rest of us) is money…or at least it should be.  At the end of the day, this was a business decision.  While I’ll go on to argue this was a short-sighted business decision, that’s not the primary reason I’m opposed to it.  The main reason this was a wrong decision is this:

Brad and Half-Pixel let their tribe down.

Now, I use the word “tribe” deliberately.  In his latest book, Tribes, Seth Godin- pretty much the sharpest marketing mind on the planet- describes a tribe as a group of people connected to each other, an idea, and a leader.  As I was reading the book about how crucial leadership and community is today, I couldn’t help but think of the tribe that Brad and co. had built at Webcomics.com, a tribe organized around the passion for creating great webcomics and building businesses around them.  Tribes is a book full of advice for anyone looking to lead a tribe, and I remarked at how many of the rules Godin laid out that Brad and Half-Pixel followed while building theirs (whether they realized it or not.)

Until, of course, this decision to erect a pay wall and change Webcomics.com.

Here are a few pithy rules I took from Godin’s book, and my analysis on why the change to a subscription model violates those tenets.

• “Ideas that spread, win, and movements that grow, thrive.” Webcomics.com was still growing. Like most blogs, it was optimized to spread naturally and organically because it featured good content.  Tweetable content.  Content worth blogging about.  Content worth linking to.  Hell, I linked to a Webcomics.com resource in my last ComixStree Recap article, and now that link is no longer good.  (Hate that.)  A pay wall is going to significantly limit the growth of the community.

• “Realize that money is not the point of a movement.” Now, Godin by no means is against monetizing good ideas.  But leaders are always better served putting their community and tribe above the bottom line.  That’s how they remain leaders and keep their tribe’s trust.  As it stands, the sudden subscription wall came across as a jarring move to cash-in on the community.

• “As a leader, transparency is your only option.” In the more than 250 comments on Brad’s announcement as of this writing, there was a palpable sense of shock at the decision.  To many site regulars, this seemed like a sudden decision, made behind closed doors, and one that was sprung on them on a Monday.  (And not just any Monday.  The first Monday of the year after a long weekend and the end of the holiday season.  That’s like a Monday on steroids. ) I’d argue many readers never felt that Webcomics.com was simply Brad’s site.  Frequent article contributers or contributers to the forum I’m sure felt a sense of ownership or at least partnership in the community that was created there.  It’s analogous to a longtime patron of a neighborhood bar suddenly being charged a cover to get in.  At least that’s what it feels like.  This would have been alleviated had Brad been more transparent.  While some members of Half-Pixel argued that the community’s reaction would have been the same whether he told us before or after, I don’t think they’re giving the group enough credit.  Had Brad made a post that expressed his concern that the demands of Webcomics.com were becoming too much and there needed to be changes, the community may have brainstormed some solutions Brad could have adopted.  At the very least, they would have likely been more comfortable with the change in terms, and not felt like the rug was swept out from beneath them.

• “Authenticity is key to leadership.” Now, don’t get me wrong.  I think Brad’s about as real as it gets, and Scott Kurtz is never one to not let his true feelings be known about something.  But the biggest point of contention in the comments was that erecting a paid subscription service clearly contradicted the advice they’d been giving for years!  I get that there’s a difference between the content on Webcomics.com and the webcomics that the Half-Pixel crew make, and Brad and Scott made an argument that that difference is enough to make a subscription-based service make sense.  I just don’t buy that.  In Brad’s own words from How to Make Webcomics:

“Online readers have shown again and again that they’re not willing to pay for content online…You enter a Catch-22 when you try to cash in on your readership by charging them a subscription fee…You’ll have a slow attrition of  readers who stop paying – for all the reasons people normally stop a subscription.  Where do your new readers come from to take the place of those leaving?  More to the point, how will you ever grow readership?…Trust us: As much as we’d love them to, subscription walls don’t work.”

Now, I will point out that in that section Brad mentions the Wall Street Journal Online as an exception to this rule, and that it is a business tool and a tax write off.  And that is how he is positioning the new Webcomics.com.  But it’s a hard pill to swallow for most of us. While there are differences, online content is online content.  And it seems inauthentic, out of character, and disheartening that a vet like Brad Guigar can’t monetize Webcomics.com with the techniques he espouses and instead adopts those he and his crew have actively railed against.  What’s the young webcomicer who would KILL to have the community and traffic stats of a Webcomics.com supposed to think?

I believe it’s the violations of these tenets of leading a tribe that contributed to the roughly 3 to 1 negative to positive reaction in the comments thread.  (Okay, some of that was just people belly aching because the free gravy train is over.  But still.)  The fact is, by making this move, Brad is changing his tribe.

Webcomics.com used to be the best spot on the web for people with an interest in making webcomics to learn how to do it.  Whether you’re a seasoned vet looking to trade advanced techniques, or a guy who read his first webcomic  and thought maybe he’d like to make one himself some day, Webcomics.com was the best place to go.  Brad and Half-Pixel have decided they no longer want that tribe, and have decided to make it a place where only serious, business-minded creators need apply.  Their small niche community just got a lot smaller.

Now, it’s well within their rights to do so.  I get it that Brad and Scott are tired of answering the same questions over and over again.  They’re tired of teaching “Introduction to…” and want to do a “Master’s course.”  I get that.  I really do.  (But guys, that’s not a good enough reason not to do more episodes of Webcomics Weekly.  Your listeners want more of the podcast because they like your personalities and the entertaining conversation that naturally occurs when you four get together, it’s not just the advice you give.  You understand that, don’t you?)  Still, I think it was a bad business move to make the change they did, when other alternatives were available, and I think they dismissed the value and longterm potential of the site they built as it was.  I can tell you this…there is definitely room for another webcomics community site to capitalize on this decision.

What could or should Webcomics.com have done instead?

• Get Brad some help. The guy was clearly overwhelmed, and I imagine had a hard time justifying the hours he was putting into Webcomics.com.  But I know he could have found one or two other capable administrators to pitch in and help him.  All he had to do was ask.

• Annual donation drive. This could have worked and been a big, successful annual event.  Probably even something people would look forward to.  The $30 subscribers are plunking down now is not in anticipation for the information to come, but more a reflection of the value the site has been to them in the past.  Were the Half-Pixel crew to be authentic about the need to support the site, and creative about it’s execution, a donation drive could have been huge.  Imagine Scott doing his best Jerry Lewis in a U-Stream or Talkshoe run telethon.  Special give aways, auctions, and incentives for both individual donors and collective cash milestones reached.  A portion of proceeds going to a charity of some sort, because you guys are good like that.  Not only would such an event be successful, it would continue to raise all of your profiles and grow the community, something a pay wall will not do.

• A Free-mium service model. Keep the site free, but offer a number of paid services.  I’m POSITIVE Brad could have monetized the webcomic site usability consulting service he did as a feature a few months back.  (Knock off $5 in the cost if they allow you to run it as content on the site.)  I’m sure there are other consulting services, print and digital books, t-shirts, merchandise, etc. that the crew could offer successfully that would have allowed the site to continue to run as it had.  You’ve told us it’s not how big the community is, but how passionate they are.  And we webcomic creators are quite the passionate bunch.

• Launch a spin-off. Instead of changing the existing site, Brad could have offered a new, paid service to address the serious, business minded “Master’s class” for webcomicers that Webcomics.com is being repositioned toward.  If this is the tribe Brad wants to focus his efforts on, why not do that too, without shutting the door on a good portion of his existing tribe?  Again, by pulling in others to help administer Webcomics.com, Brad could have switched gears to focus on this new experiment.  Webcomics.com would have continued to grow and thrive, and would in turn be a feeder system to the premium “master’s class.”

These are some alternatives I thought of.  And had Brad brought this up with his community, I’m sure more good ones could have been generated, and he could have tapped into the strength of the community he’s brought together.  I believe one or a combination of these alternatives would have been a better decision than the one he chose.

All that said…I just subscribed to the new Webcomics.com.

Hypocritical?  No, not at all.

A year’s worth of Brad Guigar’s blog posts and advice are worth $30 to ME.

Comics and webcomics are my thing.  It needs to be my business to pick the brains and minds of the top thinkers and doers in this space.  Whether I think it was a smart move or not, the discussions going on behind the Webcomics.com wall are ones I’d like access to.

If I’m wrong, and the move is a whopping success, then I’ll be glad to be a part of it.  If it’s an abject failure, then I’d like to see that from the inside as well. I’m sure there are lessoned to be learned, regardless.  Likely, the move will fall somewhere in between, but as long as Brad is there, I know I’m going to find value in it.

Regardless of what you or I think of the decision, Mr. Guigar is a man of incredible drive, initiative, and insight.  I respect that tremendously.

And yup, I’ll pay for it.

ComiCONN 2010 has invited me as a guest for their 1st annual super-sized show on May 15, 2010!  Looks like my convention schedule is expanding.  Should be a fun show, and of course, I’ll be doing a free sketch promotion, and hopefully debuting a new book or two.

If you’re in New England, I hope to see you there!

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:

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:

Mixed Punctuation.

Uh-oh, More Comics Grammar

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.

Buy it here.  Thank me later.

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

It was a good show, and I was happy to share the things I was grateful for and the “gifts” I’ve received this year.  First on my list was the tremendous support from friends, family, longtime and new readers of my work.  This was a big year in comics for me, and I’m greatly appreciative of all the support I’ve received.

I’ve included a YouTube clip from the show, played over some of the sketches and art I’ve done this year (with an instrumental of “Silent Night” in the background…’cause who doesn’t love that tune?)

If you’d like to listen to the entire show, feel free to search JAVILAND in the podcast section on iTunes, listen to it on the Talkshoe Network, or listen to the show (Episode #30) right here:

The cast of OVER and I just want to take a moment to wish you all a Happy Holiday season.  This has been a big year in comics for me, and I have many of you to thank.  I’ve been blessed with a ton of support and encouragement throughout this amazing year.  It means a ton to me.

And here’s to an even better 2010!

-Ty

(Click HERE for a full-sized image of the Christmas Card.)

Item 1: What is ComixStreet?

Welcome to the first installment of ComixStreet!  ComixStreet is a new brand I’ll be building in 2010 and years to come.  Tied closely to the personal brand I’ve been building for myself, I want ComixStreet to be synonomous with great comics, and more importantly, helping others to make great comics. I have whole host of ideas and plans in the works for what ComixStreet will eventually become, but even big ideas must start with small steps.

And thus, I’m introducing the ComixStreet Recap, a bi-weekly column in which I highlight five key items that catch my eye and seem relevant to the comics creating community.  I make an effort to stay tapped into the the comics community at large (it’s actually not that big a world after all) and often come across things that I find useful, interesting, puzzling or frustrating regarding comics.  The ComixStreet Recap will be the soapbox from which I share these things with you.  Items may range from a column I’ve read, a podcast I’m listening to, a video clip you need to see, or a forum discussion you need to follow.  A new installment of the CSR will post every other Thursday. I hope you’ll enjoy it, and find the things I have to share as useful or interesting as I do.

That said, let’s get on with it…

Item 2: Lee Nordling’s Comics Pro Prep will improve your pitch

I strongly recommend all aspiring comics creators (and hell, even pros wanting to stay in the biz) check out Comics Pro Prep with Lee Nordling, a new column featured over at Project Fanboy.  I must admit, I’ve been going through a bit of withdrawal over the past several weeks since Steven Forbes’ Bolts & Nuts column went on hiatus.  And while I look forward to that column returning, Lee’s column will go a long way to filling the void in weekly comic advice from a pro.

Lee kicked off his new series with a revised and edited version a previously published series of articles on pitching.  This is MUST READ stuff, and I can’t stress that highly enough.  So, give it a read and tell him I sent ya.  For your convenience, here are the links to the three part series:

What It Takes To Sell Your Pitch, Part 1

What It Takes To Sell Your Pitch, Part 2

What It Takes To Sell Your Pitch, Part 3

If you like what you read there, you’ll likely want to tune in to Lee’s column each Tuesday.  I know I will.

Item 3: Reading the tea leaves regarding Earth One, DC’s new Direct-to-Graphic Novel line

Last week, DC announced Earth One, a new publishing initiative relaunching their flagship characters in a real-world setting.  While comic fans will debate the pros and cons of DC’s decision to “Ultimatize” Superman and Batman, that’s not what I want to focus on.

What I find interesting is the fact that DC plans to release these as Direct-to-Graphic Novel books, and not as traditional comic floppies.  This makes me question what this move portends for the future of monthly comics.

Afterall, DC Comics is a business.  Sure they want to tell great stories and entertain you and I every week, but at the end of the day, they’re in it to make a profit.  So logic would say they are making this move because they expect it to be a profitable one, MORE profitable, say, than releasing it first as a monthly series.

Now, I’ve always understood it that graphic novels and trade paperbacks are more profitable than floppies.  They have much longer shelf lives and can be sold through major booksellers and Amazons, not just in the direct market.

What I don’t understand is why DC wouldn’t first put these longer graphic novel stories out in floppy form?  With top talent like J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis on Superman: Earth One and Geoff Johns and Gary Frank on Batman: Earth One, surely these comics would sell extremely well in floppy form.  So why abandon the release as floppies and collect in a trade model that’s been the standard?

What do you think DC is thinking here?  And what does this say about the prospects for independent guys trying to release standard size comics in the mainstream market?  Are the days of the floppy numbered?

Item 4: Take a trip to JAVILAND

Pack you bags and head to JAVILAND!  About a month or so ago, I discovered the JAVILAND Podcast, an informative show hosted by cartoonist Javier Hernandez, and featuring a weekly roundtable of independent (or as Jav likes to call it DIY: Do-It-Yourself) comic creators.  Jav and the gang put on an enjoyable bi-weekly show worth listening to.

In the interest of full-disclosure, I will be a guest on JAVILAND this Sunday, December 20th at 9pm. This will be a first trip to JAVILAND for me, but I look forward to joining Jav and the gang in their end of the year podcast spectacular.  The show is recorded live on the TalkShoe Podcast Network, so feel free to listen in, or join the chat and participate in the show.

For your convenience, listen to an episode of JAVILAND right here:

Item 5: Support Indy Comic Book Week

Indy Comic Book Week is fast approaching.  Diamond will not be shipping its usual allotment of mainstream comic books to stores the last week in December.  However, an army of independent comic creators are working hard to make sure there will in fact be new comics on the shelves that week.

Indy Comic Book Week, the brainchild of a group of independent comic creators including Jake Ekiss, Vinh-Luan Luu, Paul Milligan & Matthew Warlick, was a call to action that’s been answered by indy comic book creators and comic shops around the country.  For a list of participating creators and shops, go here.

I’m impressed and inspired by what the Indy Comic Book Week guys have built here.  Alas, I decided not to put a book out for the week.  The reason was purely financial…I couldn’t justify taking a loss on every book sold, which I would have had to do given the realities of the cost of printing.  Basically, many comic shops are happy to sell indy books…for 50% of the cover price.  It’s certainly understandable…they’ve got to get their cut.  Unfortunately, the current realities of the cost of printing make that impossible for me to turn a profit (or even break even) on books sold through the direct market, since I’m not printing my books in large enough print runs to drive the per book cost lower than 50% of a cover price I could reasonably charge.

While this dilemma was faced by nearly all Indy Comic Book Week creators, I’m very impressed with creators like David Hopkins, who found an extremely clever way to use social media to support his Indy Comic Book Week ambitions and not go broke in the process.

I think it’s highly likely this becomes an annual event, so if you’re like me and weren’t able to get your act together for this year, it’s never to early to start scheming and prepping for ICBW 2010.  As for this year, I’ll be looking to support the event with my wallet, and hopefully discover some cool new independent comics.

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That’s all for now.  Thanks for reading the first installment of ComixStreet!  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 here.

Wow, it’s been a long while since I’ve done a projects update. Guess that means I’m busy, huh? Let’s dive right into it, shall we?

The 30 Characters Challenge

• We’re sitting here on day 24 of the challenge to create a new character each day for 30 days. Though we’ve still a week to go, I have to call the challenge a resounding success. Hundreds of new characters have been created and some of the artwork has been simply astounding. If you haven’t checked it out, what the hell are you waiting for? Click here immediately!

• I am looking forward to the completion of the challenge, however, because, low and behold, it IS a challenge… and I haven’t even been cranking out top caliber artwork like some of the creators. But it’s done exactly what I hoped it would…encourage experimentation and creativity. (Case in point, Jot and Nub here.)

Over

• Over soldiers on. My first foray into online graphic novels continues to pay dividends. Slowly but surely, I’m adding readers and am always surprised to find how many people are digging my story. It’s been a quality experience for me and I’m learning a lot committing to the story and delivering it consistently. Glad people are enjoying it as well.
• That being said, Over will be taking it’s longest break of it’s run shortly. I don’t want to post throughout the Christmas holiday, because let’s face it, people have better things to do than read my comic. And I also want to break on a good stopping point…luckily, I have that stopping point, but it will probably be the second week in December that we pause our update schedule until the new year. The good thing about this is that it will allow me to build my buffer again. And the pages that will start the new year…they’re some of the funniest stuff in the entire book. It’ll start the new year with a bang.
• I’m starting to do some prep work and research into printing costs for the Over graphic novel. My goal is to have the book ready for the New York Comic Con. We’ll see if I can make that happen.

Tears of the Dragon

• I want to finish chapter 1 starting mid-december, and have been coloring the new pages myself. I will probably need to pull on a new color artist to make it happen, and will be looking for one over the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Received some dazzling new pages from Koko Amboro over the weekend. I love his art and I love this book. Hope you all do too.
• If you haven’t read any Tears yet, you can read the first 10 pages with a killer cliffhanger (literally) here.

Colosseum X

• Colosseum X will be my next (and final?) Zuda Comics submission. The script is written and it’s gotten positive feedback from a number of creators, which is great. I’ve delivered it to the artist and co-creator I’m working with, local talent Erique Savory, Jr. He’s been working on concept sketches for characters (there are a TON of characters), and I have too. This is a “go big or go home,” ambitious as hell project. If done right, it could be really huge. So, I guess we better do it right.

Creating Comics! @ Comic Related

• You’ve been reading my articles, haven’t you? If not, here’s the archive. I’m 27 articles in.
• I continue to get a lot of positive comments and feedback from people who tell me the articles are helpful. That means a lot, as do the retweets whenever I tweet a link to my latest column. Thanks guys!
• Haven’t announced it over there yet, but next week’s column will be my final column for 2009. No, it’s not that I’ve run out of things to say…it’s more that I have some other things that I need to direct some effort into that will also help the larger comics community, and I need the writing time to do it. So fear not. If people have found my articles useful this year, just wait until 2010…I’ve got some BIG ideas I want to implement that I think will be a serious help to a lot of creators.

Other Stuff

• TylerJamesComics.com will be getting a total facelift. I hope to unveil a brandnew personal webpage in time for the new year. Blogger has been a great home for the past two years, but it’s time I stepped up my presentation to the world at large. I want a clearer, more professional site that showcases my comics, links more clearly to all of my work, highlights the colloboraters I work with, and has an appealing storefront for me to sell my wares.
• Several projects are still sitting on the backshelf, including Super Seed, ICE, CounterTerror, and a very cool horror/sci-fi/mythology series tentatively titled “The Box” (although probably gonna have to change it since there’s currently a big budget movie out with the same name.) If I had unlimited time and money, I’d be working on them all. Since I have neither, I’m just trying to pace myself. Once I finish the art on Over, I’ll be taking a few months off from drawing to WRITE MY ASS OFF. In that time, I’d like to finish both the Super Seed and ICE screenplays and write at least 64 pages worth of “The Box.” That way, I’ll have those done and out of the way, and can turn my attention to drawing the remaining pages of the Super Seed graphic novel, without being held up by the writing of my other stories. Between that and writing Colosseum X for Zuda next year (play to win, remember) I’ll be very busy.
• Continuing to look to other avenues of getting my name and work out there in the public eye, and am lining up podcast appearances. I also hope to have an aggressive convention schedule in 2010. Should be a big year for me. Can’t wait.

That’ll do it for the update! Thanks for reading!

Those guys put on an enjoyable show. If you’d like to listen to the entire interview, it’s Episode 7, available on the widget below. And, for your added viewing pleasure, I made a video clip from the interview where I discuss 30 Characters along with art from all of the challengers.

It’s never too early to plan, therefore I’m announcing my initial convention appearances for 2010 now! Today I’m announcing four major shows I’ll be attending in the new year.

First up will be the Boston Comic Con.  The Boston show, a local one for me, has always been a successful one for me in the past.  This spring’s Boston show should be the biggest ever, featuring a brand new location and an expanded guest list.  Two words…Jim Lee.

I’m also announcing two major summer shows.  The New England Small Press Assembly in Warwick, RI is a no-brainer.  I’ve heard good things about this indy-friendly show, and look forward to checking it out.  And then, once again, I’ll return to the New York Comic Con (just 300 days away, their website assures me.)  This time, I’m looking to have a spot in artists alley, and hope to debut the Over graphic novel at that show.

And finally, next fall, I’ll be returning to the Baltimore Comic-Con.  I had such a great time at this show last year, that I’d be a fool not to return.

So there it is.  Hope to see many of you at one of these shows.  I’ll also be looking to add additional shows to my schedule where time and cashola permit.

UPDATE:

I’ll also be attending the first annual ComicCONN this year (May 15, North Haven, CT.)  The organizers have been nice enough to invite me as a featured guest.  I’m donating art to their raffle, and much looking forward to the show.

Tears of the Dragon

Readers of TOTD were left hanging in September with a cliffhanger (literally), as Torvuld faced the vengeance of the might dragon Sythic.  After a three month hiatus, the fate of Torvuld will be revealed.

Tears will update weekly on Tuesdays for the next 5 consecutive weeks, which will complete the first of seven chapters.  (I did mention it’s an epic, right?) With page 12, we welcome outstanding new colorist Miguel Marques, who did a great job finishing up the chapter.

If you’re new to Tears of the Dragon, now’s a great time to get caught up!  I hope you enjoy reading the story as much as I enjoy writing it.

READ TEARS OF THE DRAGON NOW!

Approximately 580 characters were created, generating more than 1200 comments, and more than 12,000 page views.  Not bad at all.

Although 30 Characters/30 days was initially my brainchild, opening it up and inviting others to participate really turned it into something special. Here are some quotes in particular from some participants that made me smile:

“What a great experience…The practice made me more comfortable with digital painting in photoshop and with art processes for character creation. It’s been an awesome time exploring outside my comic creation comfort zone.”

- Rob Stenzinger, Art Geek Zoo

“Thanks to everyone who participated and shared their work for me and all to see. Your hard work over the last 30 days has been truly inspirational.”

-Javen Ackerman, The Winchcombe

“Thanks to all the great comments on the characters, both the constructive and positive. Seeing everyone’s awesome work helped keep me motivated.”

-Ralph Contreras

“Genuine comradery is tough to find these days and your constant encouragement has me fired up to create more than ever! I can’t wait to see all of your next and current endeavors come to fruition.”

-Dan Govar, Azure

My sentiments exactly, and I was very touched by all the words of thanks from the fine folks who participated.

I’m also excited about the many great future things that 30 Characters has helped germinate.  Personally, I used the month to start populating new comic book universes, and am really excited about two projects in particular that will prominently feature characters I created for the challenge.  Several other writers and artists clearly have some great comic books in development, and I’m looking forward to seeing many of those characters appear in them.  Atombat is planning to turn a few of his creations into new T-shirt designs, which I can definitely see.  And Dan Govar was inspired by the comradery of the creators in the challenge, and is planning to start a new blog for monthly art challenges.  I imagine many of the participants of 30 Characters will jump at the chance, and I know I’ll be actively helping promote the endeavor.

Creating comics, making art, writing stories…it can a long, laborious and lonely endeavor.   However, the 30 Characters Challenge proved that it doesn’t always have to be. 

As a part of the launch, I’m offering TOTALLY FREE SHIPPING on my comics bundles from now until the end of the year.

And what, pray tell, are in these comics bundles I speak of?  Here are the deets…

The TJC  Bundle

• 5 Comics: (Super Seed #1-3, Over #1, & Tyler James Comics Presents #1)
• A Super Seed Print
• 2 Postcards

All comics come signed and bagged, for the low price of just $25.

A great deal, certainly.  But for an even better deal, consider…

The TJC Artist Bundle

• 5 Comics: (Super Seed #1-3, Over #1, & Tyler James Comics Presents #1)
• Tyler James Comics Sketchbook Vol. 1, featuring an original sketch cover of the character of your choice.
• An original sketchcard, character of your choice
• A Super Seed Print
• 2 Postcards

Comics and art all come signed and bagged, for the low price of $45.

And I mentioned the FREE SHIPPING, didn’t I?

So order some comics and check out what else is available at the STORE where you get a chance.  The great thing about comics…you guys keep buying ‘em, and sure as sugar I’ll keep making ‘em.