Skateboard Heroes: Chapter 1: Part 3

It’s here, part three of the first Chapter of Genesis, the world’s first (and so far greatest) Skateboard Heroes story ever told. Check it out on the Skateboard Heroes site!

Sk82Liv

Yup. That was an early mantra for me in my skating days. Also Sk84evr and Sk8ordie. You get the point. Anyway, as I tell you about the upcoming Skateboard Heroes comic here and here, let me mention something else. See, my primary actors are the boys, and at 5 and 8, they make for Heroes indeed. They actually look really good after a bunch of Photoshop filtering, and they do both of my skateboards justice.

Both? Yup, I have my checkerboard recent board that’s narrow and has a turned up nose and tail as well as my classic 80s Kevin Staab model from Sims. The latter deck is used by my 5 year old, masquerading as a longboard since he is relatively small.

Back in the day, when I worked on my college thesis, I actually staged a film. The initial process was similar to this current one in that I had actors that I photographed. Of course, back then I was just mocking up “film stills” without the more extensive Photoshop work I now need to do in comic land.

Either way, though, you know what’s great about this kind of project? As long as you are working on the computer, there is the opportunity to deal with a little Photoshop work. People always want to know how to get rid of pimples fast. Here’s how – Photoshop. It’s real fast.

Not that a 5 and 8 year old have much to deal with in the way of acne…

Tell me more you ask?

Right, so I mentioned the Skateboard Heroes recently and I’m already getting questions. Actually, I don’t think I gave the actual title, but I’ve been talking about it so much offline that a lot of folks knew exactly what it is. And yes, as I said, it is a comic book based on photography? What does that mean? Essentially, I take photographs of various actors and then process through Photoshop and Lay it all out in Illustrator so it looks like a “real” comic book.

Basically, when I needed a construction worker in the story I found an almost talented actor (actually it was me) to wear a hard hat and toolbelt. If I need a nurse and you have a nurses uniform, you could be my next star.

So, far, the response to my first draft half issue story has been extremely positive. Comic retailers, readers and semi-pro artists have all embraced it pretty enthusiastically. With a little tweaking, the first few pages will be posted on a new Website (Pope Street affiliated) for your enjoyment.

Wondering why?

So, you want to know why comic writing can be so much superior than other mainstream storytelling – like TV, film, and mass market fiction? Simple – and summed up in 3 words. Print on demand.

See, every issue that is published is distributed primarily through direct sales. That means, with the exception of a few titles from the biggest publishers that you will find in a grocery store or convenience mart, comics are only sold through recognized retailers. Comic shops, toy stores and hobby retailers have the market pretty much sealed up. And everything they sell is based on preorders a couple months before printing. So, with few exceptions, the publishers are printing based on orders. Yes, they do print some excess, but they are not printing, like, a million copies of a new titles because they think it will be big, and then saturating the back issue market with the 500,000 copies that did immediately sell.

This means they are not really speculating, and are very keyed in to the size and scope of particular audiences. It also means that they are not taking the kind of chances that, say, a record label takes with a new artist. The labels spend millions promoting the new artist, buying airtime in stores and Grammy nods and television and movie placements. Every artist has to be a franchise. That’s why every pseudo-diva has to have a clothing line, a fragrance line, a false-diamond jewelry line and a b-movie career to augment all the times they tell you to buy term life insurance and acne medication and exercise gear.

See, the comic publisher are not putting a thousand eggs in one basket. They have may titles and special one-shots and mini series going out every week. They try things – new artists, new writers, different cover treatments. They are constantly reinventing themselves. Quite the opposite of, say, the next Hollywood blockbuster which I can guarantee will feature no fewer than 4 recognized celebrities, 2 up and comers and 2 unknowns with the potential to be up and comers, a racy but not raunchy sex scene, a car chase that involves something other than a car (plane that hasn’t taken off, boat on a trailer, motorcycle, etc. because car chases with just cars have been done too much), and a substantial commercial product tie-in with something you can eat, drink or wear on your feet.

Comics barely even have ads in them anymore. You should totally check it out.