hudsonwrites.com

One of my best friends, and ex-band mate, Trevor Dowdy has just released an album called “Mood Music” (FREE for a limited time) on his myspace page. He has a new album coming out in June, and between now and the release, he’s going to release all of his old stuff for free download.

His band is called I Married My Highschool Sweetheart and it’s some of the best music I’ve ever heard in my life. If you like traditional songwriting with catchy melodies, but music that pushes the electronic envelope, then give it a shot… it’s FREE!

“Mood Music” is a great album for fans of the Postal Service, Joy Electirc, the Notwist, the Format, or even Daft Punk.

You can download I Married My Highschool Sweetheart’s “Mood Music” for free here: myspace.com/imarriedmyhighschoolsweetheart

Hope you enjoy!

This is a guide for writers, who (like me) can’t draw, but still want to create a comic. The task of creating a comic book as “only a writer” can be daunting. (As a disclaimer, I have never published a comic… but I’m new to this so, give me a break. I do hope to have at least one book picked by the end of the year.) I have done my research, and have lots of experience with at least the first 4 steps that I think others might benefit from. (And hopefully we’ll cross that magic number 5 together.)

Without further ado…

The writer’s guide to creating a comic book, from concept to publishing, in 5 easy steps:

1. COME UP WITH A KILLER IDEA

It doesn’t matter how great a writer you are - your unique, original idea is what’s going to get you published.

A. Do Your Homework.

Hopefully if you are wanting to create a comic book, you already read comics. That’s the first place to start. The comic book is a different world than the movie, TV show, or book, so get to know it, backwards and forwards. Study your favorite comics. What is it that you like about them? Pay attention to pacing and story and scene breaks. Where are the cliffhangers? Where is the action? Where are the personal moments? How much dialog can you comfortably fit on a page? How many panels per page? How many pages per issue? How many pages to a “scene”?

Get online, look for comic scripts. Learn the format. The weird thing about comic book writing, as opposed to screenwriting, is that the format varies quite a bit, so figure out what you’re comfortable with. Learn how to write for artists. Practice.

B. Create Your World

A great concept equals a great world. Create a world that is unique, that offers infinite story possibilities, & is something you haven’t seen before. The best concept is one that the story ideas write themselves. Look at Y: the Last Man. All the men die except for one. What does a world without men look like? There is so much to explore in that world…. the series could’ve gone on forever and he never would’ve run out of story because it is a fully-formed world. And it doesn’t have to be that elaborate. Maybe your fully-formed unique world could be “competitive high school cheerleading”, or “the secret lives of soccer moms”.

What is your emotional story? It’s not enough to just have a cool super hero idea or a cool serial killer idea. Who are your characters? Who is going to introduce you to this world? What is their story? My favorite comics are the ones that spend as much time on character as they do on plot… and vice versa. You can’t have one without the other. Again, with Y: The Last Man, the book wouldn’t be much if it was just random stories of a world without men, but you are introduced to this world through the eyes of Yorick - the last man on earth. From the first issue you are introduced to an overarching plot & to a character that you are interested in following emotionally.

C. Let it Marinade.

Your initial reaction will be to jump into it immediately, but be patient, let the ideas percolate. Run them through your head over and over… look for loopholes, ask yourself hard questions, get to know your characters. Share your concept with others, get feedback. My first book went through major changes after getting comments from friends and colleagues, and it got a ton better. Before you move onto the next step, make sure you have fully realized main and secondary characters (each with their own emotional stories), a world for you to play in, an overarching plot that can carry your series for 50 issues or more (or, if it’s a single story, fill a 100+ page OGN), and a number of smaller stories, ready to go, that will carry you along the way. The more time you spend in the world of your concept, the more realized it will be.

2. CREATE YOUR PITCH.

For an unknown writer, the pitch is everything. The pitch is what you use to get your name out there, to attach an artist, and to get published.

A. What’s It About?

You should be able to sum up your concept in about 2 sentences. You should be able to cover your first story arc (or entire OGN) in just one page. People aren’t going to be willing to read more than that. (We live in a lazy society, what are you going to do…) A good pitch should have your concept or world presented right up front, and then pull us in with your important character & plot beats.

Imagine that you’ve just read your entire series and you were summing it up for someone. That’s what your pitch is. And give away the ending. Don’t tantalize with “what will danny do now that his dog is stuck in the well?” Whoever is reading your pitch needs to know what’s going to happen from beginning to end. This isn’t for the masses - just for those who will be creating the book with you.

B. What Does It Look Like?

What style are you going for? What other books are out that have a similar tone? Can you describe it as quickly as “Superman meets Bourne Identity” to help create a picture? Who is your audience? If you say “everyone”, then try again. Look for books similar to yours on the market. Try to find out who they market to. Is it horror fans? Young adults? A Manga audience? Your entire package needs to be aimed at that audience and everything, from your pitch, to your writing style, to your artist needs to reflect that.

C. Can You Write?

If an artist is going to take a chance on you, they are going to want to know if you can deliver the goods or not. So, have at least a first issue (or first chapter if an OGN) ready to show them. They’ll want to know if your script is easy to work from and they’ll want to know if you are easy to work with. Again, really take the time to hone yourself as a writer, and make sure that your script is the best it can be. First impressions are everything.

3. FIND AN ARTIST.

Okay, now comes the hard part. You can’t create a comic without an artist. Every artist out there probably has their own stories they want to tell, and if they don’t, they probably have a few dozen writers wanting to work with them. So, how do you pull it off?

A. Where to Look.

Luckily, nearly every single artist in the world can be found in one place - the internet. You can search for artists portfolios and blogs, but the greatest resource I’ve found for artists on the internet is deviantart.com. Every artist I’ve worked with so far has had a presence on deviantart. It’s basically a portfolio & social networking site for artists. You can get on there and browse thousands of artists and look at their bodies of work. Many of them are also photographers or painters, but it has a fantastic comic artist presence.

B. What to Look For.

You should have decided by now what type of art you want in your book. Think about your audience & your voice. Once you decide on the style of art you’re looking for, you can start your search for an artist that fits that look.

The most important thing you want to find are sequential pages. Just because someone can draw a pin-up doesn’t mean they can draw a comic book. Also, just an observation, in my experience, the best artists are the ones with an education background. Look for artists who went to school for art. There are plenty of exceptions to that, many of the greatest artists of all time are self-taught, but a formal training does help.

C. What to Expect.

You have to make it worth the artist’s while. If they are going to put time into your project, they are going to want certain things in return. Comics are a collaborative process. You can’t just tell an artist exactly what you want exactly like you want it. Get your vision across and then step out of the way. Be open to their suggestions. They understand the artists process more than you.

In addition to creative input, they’ll want some compensation. You can do this in one of two ways - I) Pay them up front. Artists can range from about $50-$200 per page. So, a 22 page comic is quite a bit of scratch. II) Work out a back end deal. With most indie comics, this is how you make your money. Your book is published, if it sells, you make money, if it doesn’t, you don’t. It’s a risk, so you need to decide ahead of time who is going to make what percentage of the back end.

4. CREATE YOUR PROPOSAL.

We’ve covered a lot of this territory in the previous sections. But now that you’ve got your pitch & the pages from your artist, how to you pull it all together in a proposal for you to send to publishers?

A. The Personality.

I’m a firm believer that personality sells. So, include a bio of yourself & your creative team. Keep it VERY short. Just a couple of sentences for each. Make your proposal look good. Put some time into it. Hire a designer to spruce it up, if that’s not your thing.

B. The Pitch.

A one-page description of your story from beginning to end. This is the same exact pitch that you sent to your artist (maybe with some tweaks based on your collaboration with the artist).

A publisher is also going to want to know that you’ve thought about your market and that you have a good grasp on what that market is looking for.

C. The Pages.

The goal here is to provide some preview pages of your book. This is more important than anything. Publisher’s need to know that you can tell a good story.

Take (at least) the first 5 pages or so of your project and create a fully drawn, lettered, and colored (if it’s in color) comic of those pages. You can find colorists & letterers by doing a search online. And you’ll want to pay them up front. Create a cover for your book with a logo that shows that you know your audience. Package it all together nicely with your pitch & bio. It’s a lot of work, but so is everything worth while in life.

5. GET PUBLISHED.

A. Where to Look

Let’s assume that you are not Joss Whedon or Kevin Smith. In that case, your first book is not going to be published by Marvel or DC. Luckily, there are lots of amazing smaller publishers out there… many who let you keep the creative rights to your properties. This means, if your idea is optioned into a movie, then you get credit and you get paid. Which, really should make writing for a smaller publisher way more enticing than the “big two,” who keep all the rights to what you create. Do your research. Look at the logos on the books that you most enjoy. Hopefully you already have publishers in mind. Get online, browse for smaller publishers. Find a publisher that is already publishing the types of books you want to make.

B. What to Send.

Most every publisher has a web page. And on this web page they will have a section on “submissions.” Every publisher asks for different specifics, so make sure you check their submission pages and follow it to the T. Don’t try to be clever, just let your work speak for itself.

And, it goes without saying… be respectful. Don’t try to pitch your book to a publisher at a Con. They get that all the time, and you’re just going to be one more face they’ll forget. Don’t try to get other comics creators to read your pitch (most of the time they can’t for legal reasons). Don’t email the publisher every day to see if they liked your pitch. If they like it, they’ll respond. If they didn’t, they may not. Just work hard, be respectful, and put your best foot forward.

C. Plan B.

Publish it yourself. This is not something I have a lot of experience with, but you have a few options - I) Become your own publishing company. Find a printer (there are some amazingly cheap ones online) or print it yourself down at your local Kinko’s. Put up a website, and market the hell out of your product. Go to your local comic shops, see if they’ll carry your books on consignment. Send free copies to comics reviewers online and comics podcasts. Try and get as many people as possible to take a look at your book and review it. Reviewers love getting free books, and you’ll love the publicity it gets you. II) Publish your book on the web. This area is still a little hazy… You really have to commit to updating your web comic regularly and really work on building a loyal audience. You’ll see no money up front for this, but it could work out in the long run. Maybe offer a “pay what you want” paypal account on your site where people can donate what they feel your work is worth… if they want.

I hope this helps any aspiring writers as they move forward with their dream projects. Please comment below if you have anything to add. Now, go create.

I have an addiction. And that addiction is podcasts. I’m not a TV guy. I’m not a video game guy. I love a good book, but I find myself on walks and in the car where a book isn’t feasible (and believe me, I’ve tried.) And, I love music as much as the next guy, but there is a part of me that feels lazy when all I do with my time is listen to music. So, I discovered the world of podcasts, an AM dial with infinate talk radio shows, where I can find shows that I feel were tailor-made just for me. It’s a beautiful thing.

Now, as a disclaimer, I have never created a podcast. I’d love to, but the amount of time and energy it would take, I’d rather put towards higher callings in my life, such as writing. But I’ve listened to a lot of them, and, to be honest… most of them suck. So, here are my 5 Steps to Creating a Great Podcast:

1. HAVE A PERSONALITY.

Let’s face it. You’re boring. It’s nothing to be ashamed of… most people are. So unless you’re the one in a thousand with that charming, witty, winning personality, then you’ll need some help. I have yet to find a podcast where just one person talking has won me over. Because the truth is, even if you can charm the pants off of me, I won’t know it unless you have someone to interact with. It’s an important storytelling principle: our personalities come out through our interactions.

So, don’t go it alone. But… don’t find someone just like you. You don’t want to agree on everything. The reason Ebert & Roeper works is because they don’t agree. You want to see the two sides of every coin. Maybe you’re funny… find a straight guy… maybe you’re cynical, find someone who sees the cup as half-full… maybe you’re left-brained, find someone who’s right.

This also includes not just your personality, but the personality of the podcast itself. This podcast personality is created by the artwork you choose, the intro song, the format… all the little things you can do to make it stand out and make it your own.

2. HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.

All the personality in the world won’t do a thing unless you have something UNIQUE to say. What does your personality & experience bring to the subject you’re discussing? Play that up. There are a million “review” shows out there… if that’s what you want to do, what can you bring to it that’s new? Maybe you do a video game podcast from the perspective of a house-wife… Maybe you do a comics podcast where you look at the realistic possibilities of the science fiction & fantasy in the books… Maybe you do a movie podcast where you come up with a new ending of each movie… the possibilities are endless.

Before you start your podcast, really sit down and ask the question “What am I bringing to this?” If it’s nothing new, then quit and start over.

3. KEEP IT SIMPLE.

This is my biggest pet peeve. I don’t care how good your show is, if it’s 2 hours long, I’m not even going to give it a try. Because I know that it’s not going to be packed from beginning to end with unique content. It’s going to be a lot of babbling and conversational things that I could get by eavesdropping on any conversation anywhere in the world. Get in there, give us what you got, and then get out.

If it’s good, I can handle an hour. But most podcasts, I would say stick with 30 minutes or less. Especially if you are starting off. I really think people are more willing to give something a chance if they can sample it in small bites.

4. MAKE IT EASY TO NAVIGATE.

This is especially true if you have a longer podcast. Maybe I don’t want to hear the whole thing. Give us “show notes.” That is, in the notes of the show, tell us the timing points where you change the subject. 3:08 - recipe for jalapeno cheese fries, 8:42 - recommended heartburn medication, 13:29 - tips for unclogging a toilet. That kind of thing. Make it easy for the listener to find what they want to hear and skip the parts they don’t.

Another fantastic way to do this (if you really want to impress people, use both) is to create “chapter headings.” I’ve been told that this is pretty easy to do with podcast recording software, so figure it out. With chapter headings, you can skip ahead to certain points that you set ahead of time. You can also change out the picture with each chapter to make it more of an interactive experience.

5. KEEP IT CONSISTENT.

The most important rule off all - make sure you consistently release an episode at the same time every day, week, month, quarter… whenever you update. Nothing will make an avid listener fall off the map quicker than lack of updates. There is so much competition out there that listeners will lose interest very quickly if you are not meeting their needs.

So make sure you’re committed. It might seem like a good idea to do a podcast on the political views of Green Day, but are you going to have enough material to fill an episode week after week (and will you want to?)

Set a schedule and stick to it. This might mean that you record a half-dozen episodes up front so that you’re sure you have a stockpile if you get off track, or simply creating a realistic schedule of bi-weekly instead of every single day.

That’s it. Now go create. Make my world a better place.

Paul over at Fuzzy Typewriter posted a bit of a bio over on this blog. I thought it might be a good idea to do the same… maybe make things a little more personal around here. So, here goes..

• I’m Hudson Phillips.
• I’m 2…., okay 30. I’m thirty and I hate the sound of that. I turned this magically depressing number on April 11.

• This is me:

• I grew up in south Georgia, but luckily lost my accent by spending part of my childhood in the country of Haiti (where I played with tarantulas, took cold showers, and ate fish with the heads still on them) and moving to Atlanta at the age of 11.
• I am not only a college drop out, I’m also a high school drop out (it’s not as bad as it sounds). Went to a private school from 6th-9th grade, was loosely home-schooled for 2 years after that, then got my GED. From there, I studied marketing for about a year and a half before I realized I didn’t have to go to school if I didn’t want to.
• I grew up wanting to be a writer. I loved creating things. Post-high school I got involved in helping high-schoolers out at my church. Was interested in doing ministry full-time, but I just didn’t feel cut out for it. I then fell in love with design, which I did for the next 8 or so years… I have been cheating on design with writing (my one true love) for the past 3 years, and I plan on leaving design for good sometime in the next year (don’t tell her).
• I live in Roswell, GA. A suburb of Atlanta. It’s a nice place where I can ride my bike to a river, hike up a “mountain,” and walk to Krispy Kreme, a BBQ place, and a library (if only we had a blockbuster, comic book store, & grocery store, I wouldn’t need a car).
• I made some mistakes along the way and I am now divorced.
• I have a 4 year-old son named Julien (not one of those mistakes).
• I am in a 2.5 year long relationship with a perfect girl named Anna Kate (also not one of those mistakes).
• I love movies. My favorite movies are those that blend natural characters with supernatural surroundings… with a little bit of style. I ADORE blockbusters. I also have a soft spot for teen movies & romantic comedies. My favorite filmmaker is M. Night Shyamalan. (With a lifetime achievement award to Spielberg.)
• I love comic books. I look for the same thing in comics that I look for in movies. My favorite comic writer is Brian K. Vaughan. Comics readers are, surprisingly, some of the nicest people I’ve ever met.
• The sections of Barnes & Noble I regularly visit are: Graphic Novels/Manga, Magazines, Theology, Writing, & Essays.
• My heroes are Rich Mullins, a musician/writer, (who died in 1997, shortly after I got to seem him play for the first and last time) and author, C.S. Lewis. I believe they were two very different people yet I can’t think of two people I (long to) have more in common with.
• I engulfed myself with music in the late 90’s - early 00’s and that’s still where my taste resides. My all-time favorite albums come from bands like the Get Up Kids, Jimmy Eat World, Blink-182, & Saves the Day.
• I played in two bands in the early 00’s as well. The first was called Three Alarm Fire, the 2nd, Two Week Notice. Over the course of 4 years the bands rotated 12 members in and out. However, they always consisted of me, a girl singer, and a pop-punk sound. I feel like I only have two great regrets in life. One of them is allowing this band to break up.
• I’m addicted to going to the movies, eating out, reading comics & books, flipping through magazines, and listening to podcasts,
• I have a best friend named Marcus Ray who died in 2000. Ever since, me and a group of our friends get together once a year to remember our friend and to make sure we stay in touch. It is the highlight of my year.
• I want a tattoo. Or a series of them. However, I feel like it’s taken me too long to decide what to get and getting a tattoo at 30 feels a bit like getting a sports car at 50.
• My biggest fear is that I can’t make my dreams a reality.
• I want to change lives, but I have no desire to leave a legacy.

iFANBOY (daily 5-minute video, weekly half-hour long video, & weekly hour-long audio podcast) - Hosted by Ron Richards, Conor Kilpatrick, & Josh Flanagan, iFanboy blends personality with professionalism. These guys are work-aholics, with 6 video shows & one audio show every single week. The daily video show deals with everything from reviews to interviews to opinion pieces and the audio show is a Pick of the Week from the week’s comics, and also features fun Q&A’s. While they occasionally have great interviews, it’s the personalities that keep me coming back, as personality is something that is sorely missing from most podcasts, including comics.

Recommended Episode - iFanboy Video Podcast - Episode #27 “Appletini” - Ron sits at letterer-eextraordinaire Chris Eliopoulos’s house, by his pool, in a very laid back conversation about how he got into the business. They also take a fascinating, rare look at just how someone letters a comic.

Their convention coverage is better than anyone, anywhere, so look for their upcoming podcast from New York. (Or check out Video Podcast episodes #30 & #31 to view their San Diego ComicCon coverage from last year.)

FRESH INK (weekly video podcast) - Hosted by Blair Butler, Fresh Ink is produced by the folks at the G4 network, so it’s always very high quality. The show mostly covers her reviews and picks, but occasionally delves into interviews. I think she has a unique perspective on comics and it’s always a pleasure to see what she recommends.

Recommended Episode - Fresh Ink: Best of 2007 - Online Edition - Blair picks her top books from 2007, which will give you a good idea of her personality and the broad range of what she’s into.

IT CAME OUT ON WEDNESDAY (weekly, half-hour long audio podcast) - Peter Jaffe hosts this interview podcast with a great range of indie comics creators from Jonathan Hickman to Matt Wagner to Antony Johnston to David Petersen to Brian Wood to Jeff Smith. The interviews are book-specific, so they don’t spend a lot of time talking about the comics world in general, but they do delve into influences and project origins.

Recommended Episode - The Killer with Matz - This informative interview with Matz, the French writer of “the Killer”, gives some interesting insight into the international world of French comics.

FANBOY RADIO (twice-weekly, hour-long audio podcast) - A local Texas radio show, hosted by the overly enthusiastic Scott Hinze. Fanboy Radio is the first podcast I began listening to, as they were able to secure a massive amount of high profile guests including Stan Lee, Joe Quesada, Thomas Jane, Patton Oswalt, Alan Moore, Joss Whedon, Mike Mignola, Todd McFarlane, Zack Snyder, Grant Morrison, Paul Dini, the RZA, Mike Allred, Erik Larsen, Mark Millar, Rob Liefeld, Bryan Lee O’Malley, Scott McCloud, Douglas Wolk, Terry Moore, Steve Niles, Brian Michael Bendis, Matt Fraction, Marc Silvestri, Geoff Johns, Tom Brevoort, Allan Heinberg, Brian K. Vaughan, Mark Waid, Alex Ross, Peter David and many, many, many more (phew!). Hinze oozes excitement as he asks not-so-hard-hitting, but informative questions. Also features a panel called “Sub or Flub” where guests join the hosts in discussing pop-culture news and either “sub”-ing it (you like it) or “flub”-ing it (you don’t).

Recommended Episode: Fanboy Radio #144 - Scott Kurtz, Robert Kirkman, & Mike Wieringo - A great, loose, & very funny discussion with the very funny combo of Kurtz & Kirkman and the late Mike Wieringo.

WORD BALLOON (weekly, hour-ish long audio podcast) - A great interview show with the “professional radio personality” of John Siuntres. Siuntres is a great interviewer and really knows what he’s talking about. Occasionally the show plays like an advertisement for any given book, but for the most part, some great questions are asked. Has in-depth conversations with some of the biggest names in comics including Brad Meltzer, Ed Brubaker, Joe Quesada, Mike Mignola, Geoff Johns, Mark Waid, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Chrisos Gage, Gail Simone, Jay Faerber, Rick Remender, Sean McKeever, Allan Heinberg, Robert Kirkman, Chuck Dixon and more…. Also has 3-hour (at least) long conversations (each) with Brian Michael Bendis & Jeph Loeb where they answer fan questions.

Recommended Episode: “The Future of Graphic Literature” - (Oddly doesn’t feature Sintres) A panel, in two parts, featuring Josh Fialkov (Elks Run), Ross Ritchie (Boom! Studios), Mark Waid (The Brave and the Bold), Christos Gage (Wildstorm: Armageddon), Kazu Kabuishi (Flight), and Tony Fleece (In My Lifetime) as they discuss how the comics industry is changing to meet a new market. Probably the best panel on comics I’ve ever listened to, period.

You can check out all of these great podcasts by clicking on their links or searching for them on iTunes.

It’s been a while since I posted the 7-page Strongsville preview, and many of you may have noticed that it has now disappeared.

Well, I was working with artist Rebekah Isaacs on the project, and shortly after finishing the preview, she left to move onto bigger things. She drew a great run for Hack/Slash and is now working on Drafted, both from Devil’s Due.

So, I began the search for a new artist and discovered the amazing talent of Chrissy Delk. Like Rebekah, Chrissy is a graduate of Savannah College of Art & Design. She was a Rising Stars of Manga finalist, has an original graphic novel published through Iris called Paintings of You, and did beautiful guest-art for TokyoPop’s Labyrinth & Dark Crystal series.

I am very happy to announce Chrissy Delk as the new artist of Strongsville. I feel like Chrissy really captures the look and tone of Strongsville exactly as I pictured, and I’m very excited about her work. A new 7-page preview is coming soon, but here is Chrissy’s fantastic take on the 5 main characters in the story:

I’ve only read one issue, yet I think it’s fair to say it’s true. And apparently a lot of people agree: • Comic Foundry #2 - Comics Worth Reading, • Variety.com - Bags and Boards: ‘Comic Foundry is the new must-read comics mag,’ • Funnybook Babylon - Comic Foundry Spring 2008 Review, • Living Between Wednesdays: Comic Foundry Rules, • Go Read Comic Foundry… Now. - Graphic Fiction, • Fresh Ink Online, • Variant Edition - 7

It’s basically a comics lifestyle magazine which covers mainstream comics, manga, & indie comics equally. It has a section of fashion for guys and girls. It’s got a number of female writers & interviews. It shows that comic readers & creators are the hip normal people that they are.

My first thought was “why didn’t I think of that?” quickly followed by “I’d never be able to pull it off this well as Tim Leong has.”

The Spring 2008 issues is now on stands. This is only the 2nd issue to be printed. I had read about the first, but my store was sold out when I went to get it. I suppose that selling out was a good thing for the magazine as they not only made it to a 2nd issue, but are now printing in full-color (the first issue was apparently black & white).

It has Matt Fraction on the cover. If you know who Matt Fraction is, you should buy this magazine. If you don’t, you should learn who Matt Fraction is and then buy this magazine.

As happy as I am about the magazine, there are some issues that I think they could work on:

1. As it grows, I’m sure the magazine will get thicker. For a $5.98 cover price, you get 64 pages chocked-full of material. But it’d be nice to see a few more pages for that price. And there is only about 4 articles that run over 1-page in length. I’d like to see more in-depth interviews.

2. The cover photo of Matt Fraction looks like he just woke up in the clothes he slept in, splashed some water on his hair and posed for the photo. No make up, no wardrobe, no touch-ups. I’m not saying it needs to look like the cover of Vanity Fair, but it’d be nice to see them have a little more fun with the cover photo.

3. The tagline - It reads “The #1 Men’s & Women’s Pop Culture Magazine”. I had no idea what this was supposed to mean other than the fact that they were making an effort to recognize the growing female comics readership. However, apparently the tagline is in response to Wizard magazine posting a tagline which reads “The #1 Men’s Pop Culture Magazine.” Which, in turn, completely ignores the female readership. So, while I appreciate the effort, it doesn’t really make sense without knowing the context… which I didn’t.

4. There are a couple of things that, for my taste at least, come off a little dorky: A) Toys - there’s only one small blurb on toys, but it just conjures up images of the “comic book guy” that the rest of the magazine works so hard to avoid. B)Live Action Role Playing - in a magazine like Nylon or Details, this article would play with a bit of irony, but here, because of the strong association with “playing dress-up” at comic conventions and such, it comes off just lame.

5. There are some blaring typos in the cover article. Not really an excuse for that.

So, please go out and grab a copy. I’d love to see this magazine grow larger and have a shelf-life at Barnes & Noble, Borders, and other major chains. It could do a lot to help change the face of comics.

You can find the issue at your local comic book store. (If they don’t have it they can order it - Diamond # JAN084021)

Or subscribe online at comicfoundry.com.

I love comics. I love writing. So, one would think the dream job for me would be a comic book writer. And one would be right. I’m currently piecing together a couple of different projects, and along the way learn as much as I can about the uniqueness of the medium and how to tell great stories by embracing that uniqueness.

Over the past few years, I’ve been soaking up as many comics as possible, and here are the 5 writers who have influenced me the most as a writer and why:

1) Brian K. Vaughan (Recommended Reading - Y: the Last Man, Runaways, Dr. Strange: the Oath)

I just adore every single thing written by Vaughan. He’s a master at balancing plot, characters, & theme.

He taught me that “world-creation” is key to a great series. The idea that you create something like Y: the Last Man, where all the men in the world have died… except for one. What does a world without men look like? What are the political, social, sexual, physical changes that take place in the world as a result of that? What stories arise from that world? It’s not just a premise, it’s a world.

This has encouraged me to look at my own projects: What does the world look like? How is it different than a world I’ve seen before? What are the stories I can tell that are unique to this world?

2) Robert Kirkman (Recommended Reading - Invincible)

Kirkman taught me that superhero comics should be fun. No one has as much fun writing comics as Robert Kirkman, and it shows on the page.

Reading Invincible made me realize that you can get away with things in comics that you can’t in movies, TV, & books. You can have 100 wacky supporting characters, introduce a popular character, kill him, and bring him back, you can have a kid worried about his relationship with his girlfriend on one page and have him flying to Mars on the next, you can have a man having a baby with a bug woman, or a man who travels through different portals in time. In comics anything is possible.

On my projects, this opened up a lot of possibilities for me. I began to think in these “anything is possible” terms and it really expanded the stories that I could tell.

3) Jeph Loeb (Recommended Reading - Hulk: Grey, Daredevil: Yellow, Superman: For All Seasons)

Nearly everything Loeb’s done with artist Tim Sale has blown me away. Probably my favorite writer/artist team of all time.

He taught me that you can embrace the super hero genre and still make it deeply human. He’s great at balancing that. He loves the super hero genre, and doesn’t try to make it dark or angsty… his books are fun. But at the same time, there is a deep emotional core to his stories. It’s a good lesson in all story-telling that something doesn’t have to be dark to be

He’s also a master at coming up with creative ways to frame stories - Hulk: Grey is told as a story from Bruce Banner to his Psychiatrist, dealing with the “grey” nature of his psyche. Superman: For All Seasons is written with each chapter physically and thematically representing a different season.

I really wanna capture that emotional core that he explores in each of his characters on my projects. And his framing devices have challenged me in my screenwriting as well.

4) Bryan Lee O’Malley (Recommended Reading - Scott Pilgrim)

O’Malley captures the voice of a generation. Scott Pilgrim has me hooked. I have more fun reading a Scott Pilgrim book than I do with almost any other media. Reading this series is like hanging out with friends.

He taught me that people connect with natural dialog, personal stories, and inside jokes. That even though my relationships & my friendships & my sense of humor is so personal to me, that’s what people want.

The more personal you write, the more universal it will be. I’ve always heard this, but it’s hard to put into practice because you always 2nd guess yourself. O’Malley has challenged me to be honest in my work, from dialog, to jokes, to plots that, on the surface, might seem petty

5) Gerard Way (Recommended Reading - the Umbrella Academy)

Way has only written one book so far, but it was my favorite book of this past year. A lot of people say that he’s just channeling Grant Morrison, but I haven’t read much Grant Morrison, so I’ll give Way the credit. He’s the one that’s influenced me.

He taught me that, in comics, you can let your creativity run wild and still make it work. The Umbrella Academy is a quirky book. It’s super heroes, but not. A lot of times I limit my creativity and quirkiness on a project, because you feel that people may not “get it.” The success of Umbrella Academy has proven that people will “get it” no matter how “out there” you go with it.

I feel like this is something that is unique to comics. Maybe it’s because comic readers are more prone to wackiness or maybe it’s because it’s such a small niche audience. Either way, it’s encouraged me to really push myself creatively and to not be afraid to try new things and put out whatever pops into my head.

A huge thank you to all these authors for letting me “take their classes.”

The Spring 08 Issue of Nylon Guys has a great article:

“Comic Relief: Comics aren’t just made by a bunch of nerds. Here, meet five artists with some of the coolest jobs on the planet.“

They interview 5 artists including Alexander Maleev (Daredevil), Paul Pope (Batman:Year 100), Cliff Chiang (Green Arrow / Black Canary), Gabriel Ba (Umbrella Academy), & Ronald Wimberly (Sentences: The Life of MF Grimm). It’s a wide range of artists from all different genres. The article has a photo of each artist as well as a sample of their work. It’s a beautiful thing to see such varied, yet impressive artwork on display right next to each other.

This article, along with those we’ve already seen in other magazines from EW to GQ, verify what many of us already know: comics are cool.

It also helps show off the diversity of comics’ creators & readers: Maleev is Bulgarian, Pope is Caucasian-American, Chiang is Asian-American, Ba is Brazilian, & Wimberly is African-American.

Some highlights:

“In the old days, it was embarrasing to tell people you were a cartoonist because they would automatically assume you were a weirdo or a bum without a job. Now it can get you into nightclubs.” - Paul Pope

“I had a Batman T-shirt, Spiderman pajamas with the slipper feet, I played the hell out of every Marvel Comics-themed arcade game and I rushed home after school every day to watch the Batman series. The iconography hit me like Campbell’s soup cans must’ve hit a young Andy Warhol.” - Ronald Wimberly

“It’s like being in a giant nerdy candy store” - Cliff Chiang (on comic conventions)

Seen any other great articles about comics? COMMENT BELOW.

“I have lived such a wonderful life! I’ve lived enough for two people.” - Charlton Heston

Both will be missed.

Harry Knowles remembers the films behind the icon that is Heston.

The WonderCon 2008 Podcast Panel featured personalities from the podcasts “iFanboy”, “Around Comics”, “Comic Geek Speak”, and “I Read Comics” discussing the state of comics podcasting and comics in general.

One of the highlights was when the moderator asked the panelists what they thought were the most encouraging trends in comics today. Here are their answers, (along with my comments in italics):

1) “More Collected Editions.” Brian Deemer (Comic Geek Speak)

“Books in bookstores, because they reach a much huger audience than the comic book stores ever will. Original graphic novels, cheap trade paperbacks, all of that stuff is very, very, important. I think that’s the future of comics. I think the floppies’ days are numbered. It’s all going to be books in a bookstore.”

Ron Richards (iFanboy): “I love single issues, but we look at success by the number of comics sold on single issues in the top 300, but we don’t see any reporting on how many Amazon is selling or how many Barnes & Noble is selling or how many borders is selling and that’s going to be the real key.”

HP - If the floppies do disappear, this would be a major shift in the financial model of comic book companies… and it would shut down all the “mom & pop” comic book stores. It would make it harder on publishers because it would be more money up front to pay the creators for 144 pages instead of just 22.

And you would reduce two financial models into one - these companies make money twice from the same story - once from the floppies, then again from the collected editions. If this shifts, it’d be like television shows being released straight to DVD in entire seasons. You find that many readers buy the same story twice, much like television viewers will watch it on TV and then buy the DVD.

Most companies offer original graphic novels (OGNs) already, that is, they aren’t collected single comics, but a story meant to be printed all together… Except for (as far as I know) the big two (Marvel & DC). Some companies, like TokyoPop release only OGNs and their sales are through the roof.

I’m not sure this shift will ever take place, but it could be heading that way. I suppose it all depends on if the chain bookstores are ready to embrace the floppies. History has shown they aren’t. It’s a very small profit margin for a large amount of in-and-out inventory and floor space.

2. “The best trend in the past 5 years is the return to quality.” Ron Richards (iFanboy):

“You can put as much as you want out there, but if it’s crap, no one is going to buy it. You can have 17 “X” titles and if only one of them is worth reading, then the whole line is not worth anything. It’s got to be really good creators writing, drawing, & making good comics.”

HP - This, of course, is everything. There are some great comic books out there. And there is some crap out there. I wish that comic readers would be harsher with their purchases. Many readers will buy a book just because of the character or to have a complete set, even if the story sucks. This creates a model where publishers can put out any so-so story and readers will buy it. Money talks and if readers stop buying crappy books, then publishers will stop making them. I find that the more willing you are to explore smaller publishers, Top Shelf, Oni, Image, TokyoPop, the better stories you’ll find.

3. “Borders is doing the comic book store inside a store, folks, that’s the future.” Christopher Neseman (Around Comics)

“The Local Comic Book Store’s I love them, I go every week, but that business does not have a real bright future to it. It comes down to foot traffic. Plain and simple. The internet is cutting into that. Other entertainment forms is cutting into it. The bookstores are really looking like they will be the future of mass market sequential art. I firmly believe that’s where it’s going. And that’s a good thing.”

Ron Richards (iFanboy): “We all just lived through the music revolution of the late 90’s to early 00’s and it’s going to be the same thing. You’re going to see the mom & pop stores go under, unfortunately, which I hate because there’s stores like Isotope here in San Francisco, Meltdown in L.A., Rocketship in Brooklyn, that are just awesome stores , but as soon as the big boxes get involved you’re going to see the small stores go and you’ll see the internet cut in.”

HP - I’ve talked about this on numerous occasions and I completely agree. It is time that comics moved past the geeky little subculture it is and become a media in the forefront. The main reason I got into writing this blog is for this very reason. I want to see the comics I love be loved by millions. In order to break past that stereotypical subculture (whether it lives up to that stereotype or not) the industry needs to prominately settle itself where the majority of people already are - the chain bookstores.

4. “Digital Comics.” Ron Richards (iFanboy)

“I know the digital comics thing is a hot topic and we don’t know how that will play out but you can’t avoid that. The moment someone figures out how to read a cood comic on the iPhone, you’re going to watch it explode”

HP - This is a big “wait and see.” I personally can’t imagine reading comics on an iPhone, or Kindle or any device. But if the quality grows and the size, it may be a very natural transition. I’m excited about those that are experimenting with this. It will be fun to follow.

5. “There’s a lot more diversity in the comics you’re reading.” Josh Flannigan (iFanboy)

“Most comics are still superhero comics, but there’s stories about other things than super heroes. Y: The Last Man was a huge book, and having stories like that and having places like Vertigo and Oni and Image. They’re doing all sort of different things. I love that there are books that you can give to people or recommend to people that can challenge all the expectations of what it is. “Read this comic book.” “Well I don’t like superheroes.” This is a story, it moves you like any movie or any book you’ve ever read. I think that when you wanna talk about growing the whole base of everything like like putting them in bookstores and having collected editions, that’s really important.”

HP - This also plays a huge part in marketing comics to a larger audience. Comics need to be easy to find, easy to access, high quality, and of a diverse amount of genres. A lot of people still consider comics books Superhero-only. But this hasn’t be the case… well, ever. But that still sits at the forefront (in public opinion, and sales). But Josh is right, there are graphic novels out there that rival anything in movies, TV, or books. And more and more publishers & creators are embracing other genre’s, from romantic comedy, to horror, to drama, to action.

6. “I think in mainstream comics, the move to other media has been huge.” Lene Taylor (I Read Comics)

“Especially DC doing the direct to DVD stuff that they finally figured out that they should be making animated movies that aren’t shit.”

HP - This, of course, includes comic book movies on the big screen, not just with the big superhero movies (Spiderman, X-men, Batman) but also the smaller graphic novels being adapted well (V for Vendetta, 300, 30 Days of Night, Stardust, Sin City, A History of Violence) This could also be said of books that cross over into superhero territory & television shows like Heroes. I’m not sure how much these works bring in new readers, but I know with movies like Sin City & 300, where you can pick up the stories easily in collected editions, sales have sky-rocketed.

You can view the entire panel at iFanboy.com.

My writing partners and I have been writing screenplays for about 3 years now. We’ve found moderate success. We’ve written 3 screenplays and one TV show. We’ve sold an option on a script. We’re in talks for a couple of other things. We have a great attorney, but no manager and no agent… yet. We’re not WGA… yet.

We assumed that once we sold a script, we’d be “in” and that it’d be “easy” from there on in. We were wrong.

It has been the most passionate, challenging, encouraging, pulse-pounding, smile-inducing, hand-raising, heart-racing, head-scratching, hair-pulling, wrist-slitting, higher-power-questioning, mind-numbing experience I’ve ever gone through. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

As we continue our journey, 4 things have consistently popped out in my head as the “building blocks” of a screenwriter. Without these 4 things, you will never make it in this crazy world. (It’s yet to be seen if we truly have these 4 things or not.)

1) PASSION

Trying to break into screenwriting is a long and hard road. Notice that I said just “trying” to break in is a long and hard road… not breaking in. There is no guarantee at the end of the journey. So, you better be sure that you are passionate about, not only movies, but writing. If you are not truly and deeply passionate about what you are doing, you will not sustain.

We’ve gone through a lot in our 3 short years… from bad script notes to rewrites to being replaced to falling-outs to lies & deception to long drawn out contract negotiations… The only thing that has kept us going is the fact that we LOVE writing.

I feel like I have stories within me that need to be told. I love movies. I love the power they hold. The power to entertain, to take you to worlds you never dreamed, the power to challenge, and the power of escape. To have written a screenplay is like learning a magic trick to me. I feel like I’ve been let into this world of creation, shared by Steven Spielberg, William Shakespeare, and God himself.

The first thing I want to do in the morning is write. The last thing I want to do at night is write. I want to write movies that show my girlfriend how much I love her, to teach my son a lesson, and to tell my friends how much they mean to me. It’s in me and I have to get it out or I don’t feel like I’ve lived.

Because of this, no matter what obstacle comes my way, I will be writing today, tomorrow, and every day for the rest of my life, even if it takes that long to “break in.”

2) PREPARATION

You’ve got to know what you’re doing. I think there are many people who are born talented writers. Others have to work at it. Everyone strikes that balance to some degree. No matter where you lie in the talent department, you need some education.

I have not been to school for screenwriting, so I can’t speak to that. But I have read basically everything I can get my hands on.

It’s important, first of all (of course), to get a handle on what a screenplay looks like. Learn the rules. There are any number of books out there about the how-to’s of screenwriting… or you could just pick up a script and “see how they did it.” That’s how I first learned the proper screenwriting format. Buying software such as Final Draft or Movie Magic Screenwriter does this for you.

But secondly, you need to learn the “secrets” of screenwriting. Screenwriting is unique in a number of ways and you only realize this as you start writing.

The first step is to watch a lot of movies. The more movies you watch, the more storytelling comes naturally to you.

The 2nd step is to read a lot of scripts. What better way of learning the craft than seeing how the greats have done it before you.

The 3rd step is to read a lot of books. I’m going to recommend a couple of resources here that aren’t books, but to me are way more important.

wordplayer.com - this is the single greatest resource I’ve found anywhere on screenwriting. 48 columns written by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, the screenwriting team behind Aladdin, Shrek, the Mask of Zorro, & the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. These columns opened my eyes to that “new level” of writing. Ted & Terry share some amazing inside information here from their many years in the business.

Artful Writer Forums - In a very close 2nd to wordplayer is Artful Writer, a website started by Craig Mazin (Scary Movie 3&4, Superhero Movie). Part of his website features a forum with a section called “Ask A Pro.”

In this section, people have posted questions for professional writers, and each thread on there is like taking a class. The professionals posting their thoughts include John Turman (Hulk, Silver Surfer), Mike France (GoldenEye, Fantastic Four), the Wibberleys (National Treasure, the 6th Day), Jeff Lowell (Sport Night, Spin City), Tim O’Donnell (Growing Pains, Phil of the Future), Tim Talbott (South Park, the Stanford Prison Experiment), Derek Haas (3:10 to Yuma, Wanted), Ted Elliott (Shrek, Pirates of the Caribbean), and Brian Koppelman (Rounders, Runaway Jury.

Go there and you can spend days getting a free education.

3) PEOPLE

The old saying, “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know?” Well, it’s true. When it comes down to it, you could write the best screenplay this side of Casablanca, and if you have no one with connections to give it to, no one will ever see it.

This has been tricky for us as we’re still in Atlanta. The way we’ve gotten around it is just asking around… following every lead we can. Following up on every friend who says “hey, I’ve got a cousin who worked on this show…” No one you meet is not worth meeting. Get to know people. Don’t just take advantage of them, befriend them. No matter how low on the totem pole they are, they could be running things down the line. If you’re outside of L.A. find people in your own area who share common interests. Hollywood is a collaborative business, so collaborate.

The other way we meet people, more than any other, is through the wonders of the world wide web. Get on a forum of other filmmakers. I think you’ll be surprised by how willing some people are to help you. Find out emails of Agents, Managers, Producers, Execs, and just give it a shot. We’ve blindly emailed over 100 “business folk” and got about a 10% response rate. (That is 10% actually returned my email). Part of this is due to our having sold something before, but I believe nearly as many would respond to a quality script.

All this is moot of course if you don’t have a great product. You’re only as good as your latest script. So, make sure you have something of quality to present before you contact those directly involved. They can’t help you if you can’t help them.

4) PERSISTENCE

Writing is 90% observation, 90% persistence, and 0% math.

This screenwriting thing is a long and bumpy ride. You’ve got to be in for the long haul. And I mean really long.

Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio gave themselves 10 years to break into the business. Rossio made the observation that “anyone who worked at a job for 10 years invariably became an expert at that job.” Therefore, they would give themselves 10 years to become experts and if they didn’t break in by then… well, who knows what would’ve happened. They did it in five.

Five Years is still a long time. Remember how long High School was? Add to that Freshman in college.

If you’re not willing to give it that much time, at least, you’re probably not cut out for it.

For me, part of what keeps me going, besides my love for the craft, is having writing partners that encourage me… having parents that encourage me… a girlfriend that encourages me. It’s important to surround yourself with people who keep you going.

I have a feeling that I’ll always be writing to some degree… and I hope the Hollywood thing happens soon. It would be really hard to hang around for another 7 years with nothing to show for it, but I can’t imagine doing anything else.