From Kirkman's interview.

[joshdahl]

Great interview.

It got me thinking.... and that got me posting.

Here is what I posted in my blog about what kirkman had to say.....

I was listening to Robert Kirkman on Wordballoon this morning on my way to work.
It was an interview from about a year ago in which Kirkman talks about his writing process, his comics, and comics in general.

One young fan asks for advice on making comics and “breaking in”. In his response, Kirkman essentially describes my Rapid City project and says “don’t do that”.
His point is that by writing and writing and writing, you essentially bury yourself under and unpublishable mound of material.
And he is right. No publisher is going to agree to take a risk on a project which is hundreds of pages long. Not from an unknown, unproven, talent.

Instead, Kirkman advises that you find an artist and make comics. This is the best way to show that you can make comics.

He makes a good point, but I do not completely agree.
With this approach, you will learn how to make a comic book, but not how to make comics.
It is like trying to learn how to be a good husband by going on lots of dates.
You can be Mr. Right all night. Super attentive, romantic, sensitive, and funny, but what are you like the next day? And the next day? And all the next days after that?

You can find an artist and develop a one-shot project that you are both really excited about… but what about the next one? And the next one? You learn to work with giddy enthusiasm, but not with drudgery.*

My goal with this project is not to develop a pitchable project. My goal is to develop the much sought-after ability to reliably produce comics month after month. If some of this eventually sees publication, that is fine with me, but that is not the intended purpose.

This is not a pitch.

This is not a way to sell the idea of Rapid City. Rather, Rapid City is a tool with which I can demonstrate my skill and dedication.

Hopefully, there is an editor out there who needs someone who can reliably produce a comic book script on time. And, hopefullier, he is now googling the phrase “someone who can reliably produce a comic book script” and comes across this and sees that I can do what he needs done.

And beyond all that, in all honesty, the fun of doing this and the pride at knowing that I can do it is more than enough to call it a success.

*Beyond that point, the dating/marriage metaphor really breaks down, unless you take it to mean that I am symbolically “married” to this project.

Thoughts?

[Zac Goyette]

Like most Kirkman interviews there was lots of interesting and debatable topics. He is always a good interview. What I would love to ask him and Darwyn Cooke too is why the responsibility to get younger readers has to be Marvel's and DC's exclusively? Why does it have to be in their main titles and why do independent comics get a pass? It just seems like a do as I say and not as I do type of thing. Even when they were doing work for hire at Marvel and DC their work wasn't made for kids or younger readers. I don't think the content is the real problem for young readers. Between the Internet, news, video games, and cable the content in comics is not what I would call for mature content. Kids are not the wide eyed innocents we perceive them to be. They are so far ahead of where we were when we were that age. As has been stated in the Bendis Tapes and a couple other WB interviews, the digital push is definitely the right move to attract new and younger readers.

[joshdahl]

I think that it is easier for the big two to reach kids because there are waves and waves of marketing already breaking down doors for them.

Everyone knows who SpiderMan is, even if you have never heard of a comic book. The same cannot be said for Cerebus.

If an indie book does happen to reach kids, that is great. But for an indie book to seek out that audience might be a bit futile. Something like Akiko can reach the parents who listen to NPR and are seeking out original stuff for their kids.... but it will never be the thing that a kid comes home the playground screaming that he must have.

Case in point, i happened to have a small stack of quarter bin comics with me when I found myself waiting at the local emergency room. Next to me was a woman with a young child. He was maybe 5 and they did not seem to speak English. The kid was bored and getting nuts, plainly adding stress to whatever was going on with his poor mother.

I had a DDP G.I.Joe comic with me that was terrible, but had plenty of exciting fun in it.

I gave it to the kid and when he saw the ninja on the cover, he excitedly yelled "PINA-MAN!".... Spider Man. No matter what you give a kid, they see Spider man.

[sonnylarue]

I think that it is easier for the big two to reach kids because there are waves and waves of marketing already breaking down doors for them.

Everyone knows who SpiderMan is, even if you have never heard of a comic book. The same cannot be said for Cerebus.

If an indie book does happen to reach kids, that is great. But for an indie book to seek out that audience might be a bit futile. Something like Akiko can reach the parents who listen to NPR and are seeking out original stuff for their kids.... but it will never be the thing that a kid comes home the playground screaming that he must have.

Case in point, i happened to have a small stack of quarter bin comics with me when I found myself waiting at the local emergency room. Next to me was a woman with a young child. He was maybe 5 and they did not seem to speak English. The kid was bored and getting nuts, plainly adding stress to whatever was going on with his poor mother.

I had a DDP G.I.Joe comic with me that was terrible, but had plenty of exciting fun in it.

I gave it to the kid and when he saw the ninja on the cover, he excitedly yelled "PINA-MAN!".... Spider Man. No matter what you give a kid, they see Spider man.

all i know is kids knew the CARS and The Incredibles comics from BOOM a lot faster than they did spider-man.

[Zac Goyette]

I think that it is easier for the big two to reach kids because there are waves and waves of marketing already breaking down doors for them.

Everyone knows who SpiderMan is, even if you have never heard of a comic book. The same cannot be said for Cerebus.

If an indie book does happen to reach kids, that is great. But for an indie book to seek out that audience might be a bit futile. Something like Akiko can reach the parents who listen to NPR and are seeking out original stuff for their kids.... but it will never be the thing that a kid comes home the playground screaming that he must have.

Case in point, i happened to have a small stack of quarter bin comics with me when I found myself waiting at the local emergency room. Next to me was a woman with a young child. He was maybe 5 and they did not seem to speak English. The kid was bored and getting nuts, plainly adding stress to whatever was going on with his poor mother.

I had a DDP G.I.Joe comic with me that was terrible, but had plenty of exciting fun in it.

I gave it to the kid and when he saw the ninja on the cover, he excitedly yelled "PINA-MAN!".... Spider Man. No matter what you give a kid, they see Spider man.

I don't entirely agree with that. Because Marvel was fortunate enough to build Spider-Man up to what he is or DC doing the same with Batman doesn't mean it's their responsibility alone to get kids reading comics. As John stated Licensed properties can be just as effective. Digital is the way to go to get new readers. Content is not the problem, it is accessibility.

[Arion]

all i know is kids knew the CARS and The Incredibles comics from BOOM a lot faster than they did spider-man.

Interesting.

[The Funketeer]

I think Marvel and DC make it their responsibility by marketing so heavily towards kids. It's pretty unfair to have that much product on the shelves in toy stores and children's clothing sections and then have people getting ripped in half in books featuring the same characters.

If the movies are PG, the comics they're based on probably should be as well.

[Zac Goyette]

I think Marvel and DC make it their responsibility by marketing so heavily towards kids. It's pretty unfair to have that much product on the shelves in toy stores and children's clothing sections and then have people getting ripped in half in books featuring the same characters.

If the movies are PG, the comics they're based on probably should be as well.

The movies aren't PG.

[Zac Goyette]

If people go back and take a look at the comics when they were first coming out, they would realize that comics were not really directed at children. Batman carried a gun and killed, and Superman wasn't the same character we know now. Comics were forced into being a kids medium by the pressure they getting by Fredric Wertham, and they have had that stigma ever since. Marvel in the 60's and 70's packaged adult ideas and concepts into a superhero packaging. People make a leap in logic that because of the costumes comics are supposed to be a kid's medium. The concepts in comics have never really been kid oriented. Kid's can read them, but some of the concepts go over their heads, but the undertones and concepts become more obvious as you get older.

[Jef UK]

Great interview.

It got me thinking.... and that got me posting.

Here is what I posted in my blog about what kirkman had to say.....



Thoughts?

I think you're missing the point, because editors aren't really looking for a person who can produce a comic book script on time. I mean that's a part of it I guess, but it all starts with the pitch for a specific project, and your reliability is shown in your prior work, and whatever other personal or professional relationships you have with whichever publisher. Which is all to say, there is not an editor out there typing "someone who can reliably produce a comic book script" into Google. If you don't turn in your scripts, then the project breaks down and you get a bad rep. But just writing scripts in some sort of timely manner for your blog isn't going to get your foot in the door, I don't think. The reliability factor comes in to play only once you're hired or get your book approved, not the other way around.

I think you can verify this with any of the writers on Jinxworld that we watch break in and make more comics. I think we'd all share similar viewpoints as to the pitch and publish process. And your very first pitch (usually) is to get an artist interested in your project in the first place. And artists are more willing to work with you if you've shown that you are a source of getting gigs.