Do you believe that your webcomic if submtted to one of the big three would be picked up? Would one of these compaines say, "yea this comic would sell lets call this creator up and give him a contract"!

POLO i don't beleieve they would except it!

Well, I couldn't work for Marvel or D.C. so I guess I would be stuck with Image (whatever that is).

And no, they would never give me a contract.

No, I doubt it.

There's not a lot of fantasy comics on the print market, and even fewer anthro comics (even though I really hate identifying myself as that, I know that's how a publisher would view it).

silentkitty
There's not a lot of fantasy comics on the print market, and even fewer anthro comics (even though I really hate identifying myself as that, I know that's how a publisher would view it).

You wonder why... People LOVE it! Heh, no wonder those companies are losing market share, they've no idea what people want.

Eh, on that note, Pinky TA probably could work out as a corporate comic... I dunno, I don't read them, but I was reading an old phantom comic the other day and the sort of thing I do isn't so far removed from that. Eh, the market's probably glutted with things that look like Pinky TA anyway. (I'm guessing here.)

I don't know anything about comic publishers. I read only a select few mangas and no American comics. If I actually had a professional artist redraw my pages (the only way anything from my head could potentially be published in paper form), I don't think anyone would want to give me a contract. The story is too, um, different. (I can't even identify the genre of my comic. o.O )

Well Shades plays around with a lot of super hero conventions but it's a long way from being "mainstream", so I really don't think DC or Marvel would give it a first let alone a second look. Which suits me fine because I have no intention of signing all my rights away.

With Image, I think it would depend on whether an editor was prepared to read the damn thing. If someone did, I think it could be something that would fit their line-up but - since we've deliberately tried to make it look different from the usual high-gloss US fare - I don't think they'd take it on the strength of a few sample pages and a pitch.

I must be the only crazy person here...(just kidding people) I love making comics( For the love of the game and all that) BUT... it's my dream to be picked up by one of the big 5...(I think Dark Horse and IDW were left out)

If Marvel had any interest it would have to be under the MAX series as my book is geared for mature readers

DC would be Vertigo for the same reason

IDW and Dark Horse just slap the old "Suggested for Mature Readers" on the cover

So I guess my answer would be anybody who wants to cut me a check to stay home and do something I love to do...That is the American Dream isn't it????


Byron (writer)
The Devilfish Project
http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Devilfish_Project/index.php?p=114867
I need to learn how to make a cool banner in a bad way!!!

Here's what I see. I know the big print companies have a certain standard when it comes to art quality and art style. And most ppl on DD don't reach that standard, either because they can't and/or because they won't.

I don't think mine will be picked up even if I got Buscema's ghost to redraw every single page. Because even Marvel would have a huge headache negotiating for creative control of every single copyrighted character.

Even though my stories are technically fan stories, they would work just fine if all the characters are modified into original characters, because my story is that original. Hell I can do that in a day, if I wanted to. And Marvel would insist on that. But that loses the entire point of my stories IMO.

Because even Marvel would have a huge headache negotiating for creative control of every single copyrighted character.

Mali I don't think you understand how it works with Marvel...They cut you check and they own your story all of it...The characters the story they reserve the right to exclude you from it in anyway. Example they own the rights to Spiderman not Jack Kirby not Stan Lee but Marvel. They own who writes it and who draws it and every dime made off it. Once you cash you're check they own you're story. They do very little creator owned projects. Which would be more like Image and Dark Horse comics. When they do buy a project they (Marvel)probably cut the biggest check out of the big 5. But say Marvel gives you x amount of dollars for you're book (with out any royalties stipulations in the contract) Now 5 years down the line they make a block buster movie grossing a gazillion dollars out of You're BOOK...You get none of that...on the other hand if you're book flops after the 2nd issue (And Marvel doesn't even make back what they paid you) You can say hey tough luck Marvel My money's in the bank. Marvel has the same stance as the U.S does on hostage situations. The don't negotiate

This is what a little bird told me at New York Comic com last year on how Marvel works

Byron

Heh, Darkmax, you actually misunderstood Mlai. He means that the characters aren't his to begin with; they belong to other already copyrighted projects by other producers. (as I understand it)

AHHHH Disregard the above

polo
Do you believe that your webcomic if submtted to one of the big three would be picked up? Would one of these compaines say, "yea this comic would sell lets call this creator up and give him a contract"!

POLO i don't beleieve they would except it!

Marvel would not publish Superchum. Marvel doesn't publish light, funny satire.

DC might publish it. They at least have the Johnny DC line, and I could probably alter my comic to fit in with that line.

Image? Well, I'd like to find out the answer to that one!

Darkmax:

That's exactly the reason why Todd McFarlane, Jim Lee, Erik Larsen et al. left Marvel - because Marvel always believed it's the brand that counts, not the artist. And that's why Image was formed under completely different rules - each author owns the rights to his character. Image will slap its logo on the comic's cover, but that's about it, Spawn still belongs to McFarlane, period.

I'd sell out to anyone. I don't care, I'm for sale.

I was in talks a year or two ago with Image, but it never went anywhere. All my submissions to marvel and DC have gone with no responses. Some smaller labels are more welcoming to stuff like the Sales Goblin and Big Angry Black Guy.

ozoneocean

silentkitty
There's not a lot of fantasy comics on the print market, and even fewer anthro comics (even though I really hate identifying myself as that, I know that's how a publisher would view it).

You wonder why... People LOVE it! Heh, no wonder those companies are losing market share, they've no idea what people want.

Eh, on that note, Pinky TA probably could work out as a corporate comic... I dunno, I don't read them, but I was reading an old phantom comic the other day and the sort of thing I do isn't so far removed from that. Eh, the market's probably glutted with things that look like Pinky TA anyway. (I'm guessing here.)

IMO with the quality of pinky ta you should give image a try! Pinky the babe will still belong to you at the end of the day!

Image is pretty good when it comes to independent developers and they're definitely 10x better than Marvel or DC although Marvel did open their "Zuda" line of webcomics were people can submit their work and if picked up, they get a contract requesting 52 comics a week for 250$ each.

But most of us would have more of a chance with SLG, Dark Horse, or Oni. I don't think I've seen anyone here who stoops to the generic level of the more mainstream stuff.

i dont think many of the comics on DD would make it to print. the big comics companies don't print stuff unless it's drawn like the comic books. Pinky TA might work in print but there's no way my comic would ever be picked up by a marvel or DC. they just dont publish "alternative" styles. it's comic book style or nothing.

The only company that would come near my stuff would be DC Vertigo, because it's pretty violent. I have a better comic for them to publish, though, if they ever wanted (about an assassin).

I do have a story that would work for Marvel or DC, but they'd probably never go for it. My best bet would be Dark Horse or Platinum Studios (plug!). That one's about modern-day witches!

Not even Pinky TA would get picked up easily by the 3 big guys. It's not drawn to cater to the usual comic book standard, nor is it drawn in the currently "hip" styles.

I post on the Image board a lot, and I think I have a pretty good handle on what Larsen looks for in a submission. Bulletproof would NOT make the cut. If I thought it did, I would submit it. But it's not good enough. Maybe someday I will be capable of producing something that Image might consider publishing, but right now... nope. But to me, that's just incentive to try harder, so it's all good.

The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allen Poo was recently published by Image.

um... no it wouldn't

I use alot of profane language and the art in Mercs is NO WHERE NEAR a mainstream level. I'd hope for Marvel since I'm a Marvel Fanboy but no I would never get picked up.

I'd imagine one reason there are few heroic fantasy comics published is because the print comic industry is collapsing. Periodical print comics are dying as a medium.
The publishers of mainstream print comics are not going to risk money on other genres
when they can barely get by with Batman or the X-Men.

Ten years from now, I predict, no new print comics will be produced, aside from graphic novels.

angry_black_guy
The Surreal Adventures of Edgar Allen Poo was recently published by Image.

That's not toooooo much of a shock though, I was following that before it even started and I knew from the inception that it was planned as a fully pro project. Unlike most of the comics here that are more love labours, there's another sort of "web comic" these days that is actually about putting professional projects on the net to show as a sort of portfolio. You know, like debuting pro video pieces and proper short films on Youtube; it's exactly the same sort of thing :)

That's an interesting trend. ;)

About Pinky: Mlai's pretty right, at the level it is it couldn't be a pro work. I think I could probably get someone to publish it, but it'd need a lot of fixing... And those so called "big three" wouldn't be good targets for it.

The big boys would totally publish my comics. And they would make zillions of dollars from doing so. Unfortunately, I'm too painfully shy, sensitive, and afraid of rejection to ever submit anything to them.

mlai
they would work just fine if all the characters are modified into original characters, because my story is that original.

And you're so delightfully modest about it too :P


Aaaaanyway, for E&A I think the only company that would be willing to touch it is Image. Marvel and DC have a specific style for their main series', and even though DC does have the Vertigo imprint, it's really not big on humor comics. Image really isn't either, for that matter, but they do publish stuff like PVP.

Inkmonkey
And you're so delightfully modest about it too :P

I wanna be like Marine cuz he's so badass.

Humor comics... Are those still around? The only one I know that still kinda exists is Archie. Has it been changing hands? Because I remember when it was still in comic books, but nowadays it's like only in those x-word puzzle format supermarket books right?

Well, there are some Marvel titles that embrace humor, such as the She-Hulk and Deadpool series'. DC does humor sometimes, but usually in one-shot formats, such as a Plastic Man miniseries now and then or the "Bizarro Comics", which are just a series of unrelated comedy pages drawn by various independant artists. Very little pure comedy comes out of Marvel, DC, or Image unless it has action as well. Slave Labor is one of the bigger companies that works largely on humor, though it caters largely to the "Hot Topic" crowd whenever possible. Dark Horse also has a few comedy series' (just for example, they publish the Penny Arcade books), but they don't really have a focus on it.

These days the comics easiest to find humor in are manga, since, for whatever reason, the Japanese are just peachy keen with having comics be about damn near anything, as opposed to America, where someone needs to kick someone's ass in a comic or it doesn't count.

Everybody always forgets the GLA (Great Lakes Avengers). They are a totally awesome comedy seris that Marvel puts out, albiet not on a regular basis. But GLA: Missasembled was really funny.

But for my comics, Paranormal would be the only one that would have a chance at becoming published, prolly by Dark Horse or Image more than DC or Marvel and that would only be if someone who wasn't me was drawing it. It has a lot of dark humour and I haven't updated it in a long time.