SOAP BOX MEGAPHONE_0016

 

  

There is no way to "solve" the riddle of who "created" the Marvel characters without understanding the power of the megaphone pulpit that Stan wielded. Digital collage by Rick Arthur.

"I felt that comics grew because they became the common man's literature, the common man's art, the common man's publishing" - Jack Kirby

Stan Lee was ahead of his time. There was no internet or social media back in the 60s and 70s, so he invented it on paper - by using a "soap box" to promote his company. Make no mistake that Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and the rest of the artists were NOT equals. Stan held all the power in the relationships, and he "owned" the megaphone he wielded. Stan built the Marvel brand by hawking it to whoever would listen, as often and as loud as he could. The month that the Fantastic Four launched, Kirby penciled over 100 pages of content for Marvel. What captured the imagination of the reading public at that time was how different the Fantastic Four was from the rest of the comics on the stands. The images were bold, larger than life, and fresh takes with sweeping, dynamic, powerful action sequences.

What promises were made to Jack or Steve? We don't hear a lot about Ditko, in comparison, because he always remained relatively silent about his falling out with Marvel. The artists were (and still are...) treated like replaceable cogs by management. Stan built the Marvel brand, no doubt, but it was built on the backs of giants like Jack and Steve. I think of Stan as a cross between PT Barnum and Ray Kroc - but in the tiny, corrupt, brutal cage-match world of comic publishing. So, there is a talent in that, a kind of world-building/brand-building component-type of skill that Stan had which other comic publishers/editors did not have. Stan was a natural huckster, a self-made internet influencer, before the internet. Many picture Stan and Marvel as being interchangeable or Stan and comics as interchangeable, based solely on the wall-to-wall hype he created.

This picture was achieved in a variety of ways. Mostly, having the last and loudest word in terms of narrating the brand on a micro and macro level gives the impression that he created everything. It is a notion that is hard to shake for many and countless books, articles, and documentaries seek to delve into the inner workings of the early 60s Marvel revolution.

Hype started on the covers with bold, commanding blurbs directing readers to pay attention to what was inside. Stan wrote the cover copy and orchestrated how the covers looked. The writing all conformed to one vision and one voice. Popping a comic open, Stan's name appears prominently in the credit boxes and those, too, are playfully worded by Stan. Splash pages often also included introductions to stories that guided the reader into the experience and told them what to expect. Again, one voice speaking directly to the reader and creating an emotional bond. You can't fault Stan Lee for good, catchy blurb writing and brand building. 

Perhaps his biggest contribution was Stan Lee's Soap Box, a space in the early comics that allowed Stan to really connect with readers personally. He hyped an imaginary "bullpen" of merry but hard-working artists and gave them all colorful nicknames, a shorthand to intimacy. Lee touted upcoming projects and both social and personal topics that appealed to him. He did this by congratulating and conspiring with his audience. Each soap box column also ended with Stan's distinctive signature which again cemented the emotional bond readers had with him and Marvel. Excelsior! Face front, true believers! Stan even popularized Marvel with a distinctive series of catch-phrases. In effect, his voice became a giant, loud, consistent component of the Marvel brand.

The potential problem here is that of accepting the words coming out of the megaphone as true. Based on Stan's position in the company as a dialogue writer, editor, and company figurehead, it can easily be forgotten that freelance artists and writers had no voice and no power in the relationship. They could not speak out and were treated as replaceable, being dependent on a page rate that kept many chained to the drawing table for ten plus hours a day, seven days a week. Voicing concerns might see an artist lose assignments or even be black balled in a tiny industry chugging away at the edge of oblivion. 

There were no safety nets for artists. No health insurance. No ownership. No profit sharing. No cut of licensing...

...And the continued message was always that everyone was replaceable - which kept wages down.

Readers did not understand this economic and power dynamic. In their minds, the hierarchy was clear. Stan made the comics. Everyone else, no matter how talented, drifted in and out but Stan's contribution was outsized, ever present, and constant. This is what you believed if you read the soap boxes.  

I know this is a brutal take on the situation. My view has shifted over time. I still love Stan. He contributed mightily to the development and outreach of comics as a pop culture form. Comics would not have grown without someone tirelessly fanning the flames. Comics and other industries are piled high with companies that failed to connect with audiences despite having quality products. Stan's hype helped fuel the reader's imagination. I won't entertain how Stan positioned himself in lectures, magazine articles, print interviews, on TV, and even in cameos in Marvel movies. He will forever be connected to comics and Marvel in an indelible way.

There is one last important area to touch on and that is the power of having the last word.

The Marvel Method ONLY works

if the artists are exceptionally strong storytellers.

A large part of the success of Marvel during the explosive period of the 60s was due to something called The Marvel Method. It sounds simple enough. A plot outline, often verbal and sometimes being just one or two sentences, would be given to an artist who would disappear and come back with finished pencil artwork fleshing out the entire story, all the visual elements, all the story beats, all the action. Having the story as artwork, the "writer", Stan, would dialogue the pages, get them off to letterers, inkers, and colorists then printing for the newsstands.

This was an important "innovation" for a variety of reasons. In a visual medium, it is a hundred times easier to stroke in dialogue with completed artwork in hand. The burden of crafting the story was shifted entirely to the artists. They did all the heavy lifting in terms of problem solving. There are many instances of the artists scrawling in key dialogue on the page margins of the original comic pages so that Stan could "read" the story before adding dialogue. This was a method that was custom suited to Stan and allowed him to say whatever he wanted over the top of the art and after the fact. In the comics' production line, he would have the last word.

It should be noted that there is a reason why this method was able to flourish during a certain period of time at Marvel. Stan held all the keys. Artists that he was working with already knew how to tell compelling visual stories. Kirby and Ditko in particular were products of art studios that encouraged independence. Kirby was already an innovator and large figure in the industry having invented or invigorated monster comics, horror, westerns, and romance comics before turning his sights back to his passion for science fiction/fantasy. Stan was not surrounding himself with blank-minded artists who needed their hand held. The early crew were independent, voracious readers, and brimming with experience in narrative storytelling. When given a chance to create, they stepped up to the drawing table and did.

This is the part that loses a lot of people in the conversation about "what is writing" in comics. Many people cannot wrap their heads around the lopsided contribution that the artwork makes in telling a story in a visual medium, especially if it is coming first in the creative process. It is totally misunderstood. Part of that misunderstanding is that the narrative about how comics are made, and the collaboration involved has been communicated solely by the writer, editor, or publisher. In Stan's case, he was using the megaphone of his soap box and other techniques to tell the story of "who" made the comics and how. He controlled every aspect of that message. It was a charming but wholly inaccurate representation and one that the artists never had the power or voice to rebut. The only options were to grin and bear exploitation by the boss or quit. Many quit.

This post is not meant to "prove" or "solve" anything in the debate about Stan, Jack, Steve, or early Marvel. It is an opinion, just a perspective and one that I have grown into over an extended period of time. Paradoxically, Stan's writing will always be overshadowed and indistinguishable from his hype and we can and should revisit his dialogue and determine how well he was able to write after the story was already there.

'Nuff said.

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

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VAN GOGH_ARE YOU EXPERIENCED?_015

 

  

Noted painting pioneer and one-eared madman Vincent van Gogh. From the Sunflowers series. A new way of applying paint and communicating emotion to viewers cobbled together from a few different influences.

"Art demands dogged work. Work in spite of everything and continuous observation"

Vincent van Gogh believed that nature holds beauty out to us in abundance.

Vincent had well-documented challenges with depression, schizophrenia, and epilepsy punctuated by an incident where he mutilated his own ear. He could be very aggressive and argumentative and destroyed many of his relationships in life including with contemporary Paul Gauguin. He took his own life, succumbing to a pistol shot.

Vincent, dead at the tragic age of 37. He never suffered through social media, shared a video chat, or checked restaurant listings online and yet he was well ahead of his time. Perhaps Vincent's greatest achievement was producing a body of work that would continue to catch the imagination of museum goers and artists for a century. Vincent's use of bright color and bold brush strokes, in sharp contrast to the prevailing art trends during his lifetime, have continued to strike an emotional chord. During a concentrated period of ten years, Vincent created most of his whopping 2,100 works including some of the most well-known paintings in history. His art was dedicated to the proposition that one could find beauty in observing and painting nature, revealing it honestly even in exaggeration.

Everyone should have the opportunity to see his work at a gallery as was intended. Recently, there has been a movement to re-think what a gallery should be and how an audience interacts with artworks. New exhibits tinker with the boundaries between artist, work, and audience and a movement toward interactive exhibits, utilizing multi-media techniques, has taken hold. This provides a new way to absorb artwork.

Still life, portraits, and nature painting consumed van Gogh. He strove to see and paint the beauty that was everywhere around him. His more expressive works utilized bold color, quick brushstrokes, and observed compositions rather than relying on imagination.

Not everyone will have the opportunity to go to either Amsterdam or Paris where a majority of van Gogh original paintings are housed. His works can be seen at important museums around the world in a variety of collections and traveling exhibitions. It is to be noted that van Gogh worked on canvases that were "portable" in scale as he commonly set himself up to paint in nature and carted with him all his materials. A keen look at his artistic development will reveal he was influenced by many sources including Japanese block prints, known for bold use of color to evoke symbolism and emotion.

A recent visit to the Vincent van Gogh Experience in Schenectady, NY was billed as an immersive experience and the exhibit featured sculpture, music, light shows, voice-over narration, a virtual reality "tour" and dozens of reproductions of Vincent's work projected onto 3-dimensional objects such as a bust or a giant vase. The overall effect was stunning, particularly the giant 360-degree room where his paintings were projected on every surface. Combined with detailed information about Vincent's short life, the exhibit-goer was indeed treated to a comprehensive dive into the art and the artist. You come away feeling engaged with Vincent's philosophy about painting and life.

A good experience at a museum will leave you feeling inspired and this was no exception

Inevitably, you start to ask questions. What if he had gotten the treatment he needed? So little was known at that time about epilepsy or mental illness and we take for granted medications and treatments that are available today. Could he have painted for another thirty, forty or more years? What might his work evolved into? Many artists explode with energy in their youth but find their artistic footing much later in life after spending time observing and creating. He was just 37 went he died. Could he ever find calm or happiness? Would being more "stable" have destroyed his ability to channel nature onto his canvases?

There was a controversy tucked away in the exhibit that I had not known before. Was van Gogh color blind? It boggles the mind to think that someone who used such powerful color combinations could have a deficiency so cruel. Art historians do not fully agree and the website for the van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam which houses many of his original works suggests that he followed a more deliberate path with using contrasting color to add additional vibrancy to his works. See link:

Looking for Contrast - Van Gogh Museum

While there are many positives about the virtual, immersive van Gogh experience, you might be left with additional questions. Many of the reproductions of Vincent's work in the exhibit were printed out onto fake canvases and to be honest, not well. Especially having seen many of the originals close up in Amsterdam, the reproductions felt dark, flat, and cheap - like decidedly poor imitations. For someone not familiar with his works, this might be a limited introduction to his use of color. Color is primarily what van Gogh is known for and yet not as evidenced by the reproductions. Additionally, while it was a tremendously visceral to have paintings and color swatches projected onto walls and objects, this kind of multi-media display also waters down and drowns out the color of his works. I am not sure that projecting images fifty feet high has anywhere near the impact of the original canvases.

Apples and oranges. The immersive experience is recommended because it creates a strong feeling about the man's life and philosophy. To get the real experience of van Gogh paintings, visit a museum that has originals on display and get as close as security will allow you so you can get a good look at the intimacy and warmth van Gogh's work communicates.

Despite his emotional struggles, Vincent believed that the world around us is a beautiful place just waiting to be discovered. Explore van Gogh and other artists for yourself. Make museum-going a part of your own journey in life. Be inspired by nature. Be inspired by creative works of every kind.

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

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BEHIND the SCENES_THE PROMISE_PART 01_014

 

  

Colorized version (detail) of panel from TMNT: The Shredder, The Promise. Artwork by Rick Arthur.

Pen and ink on bristol paper with digital colors.

"We lost him. He's gone."

Raphael and Lucindra. In a race against time, Raph must deliver some grave news to his sparring partner. I am going to use some of my blog space to detail how this project came to be and what some of the hurdles were that needed clearing before it could be completed. For those engaged by the process of creativity, I will break down each page with explanations on how I navigated this story.

Completed BW version of PG 01 from TMNT: The Shredder, The Promise. One chapter out of a hardcover book featuring Jim Lawson. Lucindra c. Rick Arthur. Artwork by Rick Arthur. Pen and ink with digital grey tones. 

Raph scrambles over the rooftops of the city for an urgent meet-up with his long-time sparring partner, Lucindra. She hasn't heard from him in a few years and wastes no time letting the reader know about it in voice-over narration. It soon becomes obvious that Raph is holding onto some serious, emotional news.

This is the first page in my chapter which would become The Promise. It was intended to be a follow-up to a previous 5-page tale from the graphic novel, TMNT: Odyssey set in a future Ninja Turtle storyline. Both TMNT: Odyssey and TMNT: The Shredder showcase the fantastic cartooning of the legendary Jim Lawson and I cannot express how fantastic it is to be sharing some space with him in this publication. I was fortunate enough to get a chapter out of the book, primarily because my character was one that only I could write and draw.

I did have a tricky story proposition to navigate, however. While The Promise would stand alone as its own chapter, yet could not conflict with the larger narrative which I would have no involvement in. I got a basic premise but no other restrictions. I then had to write and draw something which could be inserted into a space somewhere in the larger script. Set a few years after the "flood" events of Odyssey, the Ninja Turtles would take on a new, lethal incarnation of their most powerful enemy, The Shredder. I just began to put pen to paper, sketching to see where my ideas would roam and tended to focus on the characters meeting.

Unused sketches for TMNT: The Shredder, The Promise. One chapter out of a hardcover book

featuring Jim Lawson. Lucindra c. Rick Arthur. Sketches by Rick Arthur.

Standard office pen on 8.5x11 inch bond paper.

My first concern is always "how much space do I have to tell my story?" I have a pre-disposition for world building which usually means that my stories are "too big" and too sweeping. You cannot tell the entire Galactus saga in just six panels without leaving out all the nuance and detail, for example. I also wanted to up the ante. In my previous outing, I used five pages. So, this time, I wanted to expand and create seven pages. Why not more? My working methods can be very explorative and exacting. To shoot for a higher page count might mean impacting the overall length of time on the project. I wanted something I could finish and not have smashing into other projects. After extensive sketching, I mapped out the story at a robust nine pages - which I was not sure how long it would take. I began layouts and pencil art with that page count cemented and had a few other freelance projects trying to finish up before I could start in earnest. I was about ready to begin inks, which is my favorite part, where the artwork really comes alive, and I can see how close I get to my original vision.

That's when a problem cropped up. Raph appeared in the rest of the story outside of my chapter wearing a trench coat. It was firmly established by Jim Lawson but not communicated to me until I was many weeks into the project. I wasn't about to redraw my completed nine pages of pencils. The addition of a trench coat would have ruined the fight scenes for example as the choreography had been meticulously worked out. I was stumped for a week before I decided to bite the bullet and add two brand new pages at the beginning that would transition Raph and his trench coat. My new page count stood at eleven, hefty for a short piece. Little did I know that my schedule was about to be pushed beyond its limit.

My problems were just beginning...

More "Behind the Scenes" in upcoming posts. Keep an eye open.

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

The Power of Storytelling

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COMICS WILL BREAK YOUR HEART_PART 1_013

 

  

What's in a name? Newest test shirt promoting independent comic creators who paved the way

for a revolution in comic storytelling. Merch - T-Shirts by Billion Hero Studios | TeePublic

"Comics will break your heart kid." - Jack Kirby

Will wonders never cease? New production equipment and drop shipping have combined to create a revolution in Print On Demand products that could never have been foreseen by comic creators of old.

Jack Kirby has been quoted as saying that "Comics will break your heart." He worked and struggled inside a broken, corrupt system where the playing field was always tilted toward the big publishing houses. Artists could be easily blackballed, denied work or opportunities to advance. Publishers used their power of scale to crush artist studios and divide comics into replaceable tasks and used something called "work for hire" to grind freelancers into the ground. Innovation and creativity were not rewarded. Meeting impossible deadlines combined with low pay in a race to the bottom. How could any artform hope to survive?

Without countless individuals dreaming that comics could be an artform, no progress could ever be made. Will Eisner was a pioneer. Kirby, along with collaborator Joe SImon, also challenged the system. They dared to expand the boundaries of what comics could be, especially after the chill that the Comic Code Authority had on comic publishing.

What is painful to understand is how small and weak the comic industry has always been. While valuable IP first finds its way into the public sphere through the gateway of comics, untold billions have been earned on merchandising and licensing. Little of that wealth has trickled down to the creators who have found themselves out-matched and out-lawyered at every turn. Page rates for artists have been pretty much stagnant for decades. The industry itself continues to shrink while simultaneously film, merchandising, and "legitimate" booksellers profit. Graphic novels and trade paperback collections enjoy year after year of growth. Crowd funding for comic projects has also exploded in popularity - bringing projects directly to fans.

New genres seem to bubble up from the ground.

Still, despite an expansion of tools to produce comics and get them in front of fans, making a living in comics is next to impossible. Not too much has changed in the last few decades since Kirby and others fought the system. Fraud still exists. Artists are still exploited. Wages are still pushed down. After the recent death of a well-liked young cartoonist, a trend appeared on social media in the form of a hashtag - #ComicsBrokeMe. Hundreds of artists poured out their stories about getting ripped off by comic companies, having their artwork or IP stolen, and suffering long hours with no benefits or health insurance.

Artists have been conditioned over time to expect poor treatment. A wave of fresh young talent always threatens to wash away any advances artists can make working for established companies. Why should they pay higher wages or offer royalties when a hundred newcomers are eager to take the spots of established pros? Downward pressure.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the status quo came in the form of Image Comics. When the top talent at Marvel decided to quit working for the majors and strike out on their own in the 1990s, publishers scrambled to secure their remaining talent. Over time, however, the backlash has been severe. Deeply hurt by the exodus of top selling names, the big comic companies decided that they would no longer "promote" artists to "star" levels ever again. Writing was now emphasized. Comics became much more text heavy. Writers could easily be replaced. Art chores were increasingly being farmed out to workers in foreign countries.

There are two things to consider. First, as an artform, comics advances in fits and starts, often fueled by tremendously talented and ambitious individuals. The independents. The rebels. The rule breakers. Independent cartoonists with guts to navigate the labyrinth of corrupt publishing systems have always fought on the leading edge of innovation in comic publishing. They told new kinds of stories, in new ways, for new audiences. When everyone said "it can't be done," they sharpened their pencils, stirred their ink, and dug in. They pioneered new techniques, new attitudes, and new directions.

Who can forget the "grim and gritty" comics being produced after Frank Miller and Alan Moore kicked the doors in?

Secondly, money. The economics of publishing comics is still a crap shoot. The margins are slim, and the lead time is too great with little guarantee of reward at the end. The books themselves only make money if they come out on time or shatter sales benchmarks. It is really in the merchandising and licensing that the real money gets made, has ever been made. Selling individual copies will never get it done. Shirts, stickers, lunch boxes, pajamas, games, toys, cartoons, TV shows, and movies all rake in the money that sales of books never can.

What should keep publishers up at night...

...is the fact that a small handful of people, with the help of digital equipment, social media, and crowdfunding, can produce professional-level stories that are basically indistinguishable from works only able to be produced until recently on big presses, through big distributors, at big companies. Comics have oozed out of the panel shapes corporations have wanted to continue placing them in. Storytelling has become more democratized and decentralized. Creators are finding their own audiences and cutting out the middleman. It is happening right before our eyes. As Disney stoops to gobble up all the entertainment IP on the planet, the grass roots are finding a way. This should scare the crap out of executives.

At the top of the blog, you will see a sample of a test shirt. It is being produced using readily available POD services. The names on the shirt represent a tiny handful of troublemakers, stubborn idealists, and dreamers. There are countless others. They dedicated their time, effort, and energy to the idea that comics could be an artform, if given a chance.

Consider who you want to support in the struggle for artistic expression. Vote with your dollars. Take some risks with what you consume. Buy some oddball comics, some unique stories, and be open to the idea that changing the system is as easy as changing our minds.

T-Shirts by Billion Hero Studios | TeePublic

Persist!

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

The Power of Storytelling

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WRITING for COMICS_PART 1_012

 

Writing for comics is more about the FEELS than technical aspects and the visceral appeal of combining words and pictures in a collaborative medium has its own set of challenges not faced by other artforms. Image borrowed from the internet - copyright respective owner and used for educational purposes only.

"The script does not exist on its own..."

Response to a request by a writer...

This post about writing for comics comes from a request by a writer to review his work. I am posting a lightly edited version here so people can see/peer into the process a little. There are no right and wrong answers. 

xxxxx

I have had a chance to read a good chunk of the script for XXXXXXXX#0. I like the story and it moves right along in cinematic fashion.

I have a few observations I will share with you.

First, there is no right way or wrong way to write a comic script. The writer is the first leg in the collaborative process of getting the comic created. In a collaboration of this nature in a visual medium, a lot of the "writing" will simply go to give the art team context for what they will be creating. If I were looking at this cold (which I am), I would read it with an eye as to how the words will be interpreted into images and visual narrative. I like the fact that your writing seems very visual in nature. I feel this is the right approach. You may want to understand that once your words leave your hands, whoever picks them up will need to create the drawings that are going to move the story. To that end, I feel like the writing is very tight.

What do I mean by "very tight?"

From the writer's point of view, a tight script is quite direct, even demanding for an artist to produce. The descriptions are precise, detailed, and additive. What this means is that the script leaves little wiggle room for the artist to imagine the story and characters. It does not necessarily take advantage of what the artist can bring to the table in terms of telling the story. I noticed that every panel has camera angle descriptions, for example. I might only indicate angles when it is really needed in a few spots and let the artist imagine the rest. Right now, the script reads like a TV script or movie script with the writing serving as the guide for the director. You may be pleasantly surprised at what relinquishing control over the visuals will allow the art team to come up with and it will become more of a collaboration than a set of illustrations to be wedged into the script.

This is not a good or bad thing. What you have done is perfectly fine in its own context. The script does not exist on its own and is not intended to be published as a stand-alone. Whatever arrangement you make with the art team in producing the finished work of a comic is perfectly acceptable. Some authors use bullet points or summaries. Some draw stick figures in the margins of a script. Others want very specific references used. Some "sketch out" the narrative and leave more to the art team. All approaches can become valid if the team adopts them. My concern/advice is to always allow the rest of the team to do their job. From a writing perspective, this may be a difficult task since the writing may come first in the process and the urge to "dictate" what needs to be done in later stages of the process will be strong.

Remember that you are building a story where others are going to step in and contribute. The art team on any visual-based narrative form will have a great impact on how the story looks and feels in the end. One way you can understand this is to have multiple individuals or teams draw independently from the same script. You will immediately see that each has a unique approach to interpreting the words. Comics in particular have their own quirks which other mediums do not have in terms of composition and pacing. Always try to take advantage of these differences. Comics are not TV, not film, not plays, not videos, not music, not prose writing. Comics are a unique blend of words and pictures which the reader will create their own associations and make personal.

My other observation is also small, maybe even petty.

Write the script so the letterer can easily copy and paste the script into a visual program. What does that mean? I like to use a format that has text on separate lines. I will explain.

EXAMPLE #1 - less letterer friendly

Description: Joseph hands the documents over to Maria and her eyes grow wide. Camera overhead shot. Dialogue: "These are for your eyes only."

EXAMPLE#2 - more letterer friendly

[Joseph hands Maria documents and we see her reaction. She is surprised]

Joseph (balloon):

These are for your eyes only.

EXPLANATION:

In the second example, I have used brackets [  ] to indicate action or description. It is just enough information to get the art team started. They may decide to break this action down into two or three panels for example depending on the visual pacing they establish on the page and in the rest of the story. I use a [bold] to show where text is indicated and who is talking.

I put the actual text/dialogue that will appear on the comic page on a separate line.

This allows the letterer to swoop in, find the bolds, then copy and paste just the full line below instead of "searching" for the start and end of dialogue in a paragraph.

All authors work differently. Always consider who comes next in your collaboration.  It is certainly okay to indicate just about anything when you are writing. I even include some color or production notes where appropriate. The idea is to get the team on the same page so they are in harmony as to what the project should look and feel like.

For the reader, combining elements in their head in real time and at their own pace is a subjective experience. In the end, the goal is to make memorable characters that make the readers FEEL something. Writing and comics are both visceral experiences and not a string of plot points threaded together in daisy-chain fashion. It is about provoking thought, feeling, and curiosity.

My own comic writing style is done through thumbnail layouts which look very different. I never expect my artists to follow them exactly (unless indicated) and want them to MAKE GOOD COMICS. The script should not be so focused that it does not allow for the imagination and innovation and sometimes spontaneousness of the art to shine through. Comics are visual.

I hope this makes a little bit of sense.

I like your script and the action seems to move along at a pretty good clip! Mastering comic scripting takes time and patience. Each one will turn out differently. When I have more time, I will look even further into your writing. My observations are actually not too important. You are definitely on the right track and the main thing is to get the scripts done and the art completed and out to the readers. Producing as much quality work as you can, as often as you can, is the way to build your confidence and experience.

As always, good luck and if possible, keep me in the loop. I want to see you growing over time!

Best always,

RICK

I have decided to use my comments here as the basis for a post on my blog so others interested in the comic making process can get a bit of insight. I will edit my remarks and remove your name. I think you should be proud of the work you are doing and push on and do more of it. Think of your storytelling skills as a muscle that needs reps and increased difficulty over time in order to grow.

Persist!

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

The Power of Storytelling

If you love storytelling, be involved, engaged, and informed.

Subscribe to this blog to receive notifications (so you never miss a post!).
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Sign-Up for the unofficial Billion Hero Studios Newsletter by sending an email with the word "Newsletter" in the subject line to: billionherostudios@gmail.com

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