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.

Speaking of Comics…

Have I told you lately how awesome comics are? Seriously. It is probably the last major media outlet that is not totally owned by a handful of suits that require an absolute formula for all properties. Sure, Hollywood can occasionally make a movie worth watching, but it’s mostly the same old crap over and over again. Like mainstream radio music. It’s the same crap written by the same crappy songwriters with the same lyrical cliches being spouted by the flavor of the month singer. Yes, once in a while you hear a radio song that doesn’t make your ears bleed, but it is rare.

But in comics, there is still enough independence to allow for stories of all types. Horror, super-heroes, neo noir, coming of age college girls, retellings of fairy tales featuring scantily clad young ladies…Great stuff. There are stories for music fans, gambling fans,  monte carlo fans, anime fans, detective fiction fans…hell, even ceiling fans. Trust me. Some of the best creative writing you can find right now is in comic books. You should check it out.

e-comics

Long-time friends…I mean really really long-time friends, will remember my brief foray into an attempt at comic book writing many years ago. Many many. Recently, I’ve been making notes and considering a return to the attempt. I figure what the hell, I’m a failed rock star, why not be a failed comic writer too? I’ve been reading them a ton lately, and I’ve really found my love for the medium…again. Um, re-found my love? I don’t know exactly how to say, but you get the point.

Anyway, one of the great new innovations in the world of comic books is digital comics. Yup, you can get online subscriptions and all that. Not too shabby if you are a pure reader and not so much into collecting the books and accumulating all that dead plant matter. Me…I like the dead plants. Sorry. I just like to hold ’em.

Thing is, there are apps for cellphones from the various publishers of note (and these days there are a lot of them) that allow you to read the comics on your iPhone or Droid or whatever. It’s very cool…conceptually, but WAY too small of a canvas. You need Nikon binoculars to read the text. It’s just not there yet. But maybe…soon…digi-comics will be a happening option.