COMICS WILL BREAK YOUR HEART_PART 1_0013

 

  

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_0012

 

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.

...not intended to be published as a stand-alone...

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.

Comics are not TV, not film, not plays,

not videos, not music, not prose writing.

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 your 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 structural 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.

Always consider who comes next in your collaboration

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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THE FUTURE IS VERY BRIGHT_0011

 

  

We have been waging a war in our everyday lives between safety/security and freedom. This unchecked discussion plays out in the headlines of newspapers, on the internet, and on TV news programs. We see poverty, disease, mass shootings, religious freedom, voting rights, immigration, prison reform, police reform, tax reform, mental health, drug addiction, sexual assault, gender identity, political corruption, monetary policy, the stock market, Bitcoin, the entire legal profession, healthcare, jobs, the price of gas, the price of food, homelessness, the role of the police, the military, religion, science, and more... Covid has killed more than one million Americans and we are lucky to have a vaccine. We grapple with the right to own a gun in this society and the apparent lack of restrictions or responsibilities attached to that right. Where are we headed?

"The future is very bright - - - and the food is delicious there"

Rights. The right to own firearms. The right to Life and Liberty. We are told by those who value the right to a gun that their right to do so carries no restrictions and NO responsibilities. We are told that there would be no freedom without unrestricted, unregulated gun ownership. That the government would move, at any moment, to TAKE AWAY guns and pacify its citizens into submission. We are told that tyranny is the exact opposite of open carry. We are told that there is nothing that can be done to curb violence and that it is the price we pay for freedom in this country. We are reminded constantly that guns do not kill and that we should compare these deaths to car accidents or the flu. We are told that mentally ill people kill. We are told that ONLY criminals will be able to get guns. We are told that the good guys just need to arm themselves. We are told that, paradoxically, we need to worship the police AND take matters into our own hands. We are told that armed insurrection is equivalent to political discourse and a redress of grievances. We are told that our FEELINGS don't matter and then offered thoughts and prayers. We are meant to be written off as morally empty and evil if we disagree or want these topics opened up for discussion.

My life is very important. My family is very important. My way of life is very important. My life is more important than yours. I am special. I am privileged. I am unique. The rules don't apply to me, but they damn well better apply to you. I want what belongs to me. I want mine. I deserve everything and you don't matter. I don't care what you think, feel, say, or do. You are different. You don't belong. Go back to where you came from. I was here first. I am a real person, and you are not. You are a joke, a punchline, a meme. You are coming to steal everything and take everything away. I am a winner, and you are a loser. You smell. You look funny, talk funny, pray funny. You suck. You are stupid. You are evil. I don't trust you. You seem to be everywhere, and I wish I could snap my fingers and make you go away. You are lazy, shiftless, rapists, murderers, thieves, drug dealers, prostitutes, and deadbeats. You don't pay your own way. You want free stuff. You are leeches. You are not "real." You are here to lie, steal, cheat, and kill me in my sleep. You break into my house. You rape my daughters. You get my sons hooked on drugs. You deliberately destroy the economy, wreck schools, take away jobs. You don't want to work.

We need to go back to a simpler time of right and wrong. We need to go back to family values. We need to go back to church and put God in the classroom. We need everyone else to shut the $#%& up and go away. We need a strong leader who will make you pay for what you have done, who will crush you and put you back in your place...

I need protection. I need to be prepared. Everyone else is stupid. I am smart. I am never wrong because I know what is right and wrong. I can tell the difference. I have common sense. My bible tells me everything I need to know even though I barely read it. I don't have to. I was here first. You are an invader. You loot stores, burn cities, kill each other over drugs, and do nothing but whine. I need protection from you. You are different. You are not like me. You vote for the wrong guys. You have the wrong friends. You think bad thoughts. You are liars. The lying is constant and loud. The lies are everywhere. I need to make you go away and make everything go back to being right.

I have a right to defend myself. I have a right to own a gun. I have a right to my own opinion. I have a right to protect myself and my family. I have a right to carry a gun anywhere I want to, whenever I want, and shoot anyone who tries to harm me. I am in charge. I am in control. No one is going to tell me what to do. No one. Especially if you are not like me - and you are not like me. We are not the same. We are different. You don't belong here. I do. You don't agree with me? Then #$%$# you. I wish you were gone.

In our country we have lived through a great deal of violence. We wiped out 90% of the indigenous population and forced them from their lands. We brought slaves in to be chained, worked to death, and raped for generations, forced to toil in the fields and later in factories, ghettos, and prisons. We fought an open civil war.  We rounded up Asians and put them in camps. We discriminated against the Irish, the Poles, the Italians, the Jews, the Blacks, the Muslims, the Chinese and more, much more. You name it. 

We poisoned the water, the air, and devalued people in the name of progress and "freedom." We let big corporations take away our jobs and plunder our natural resources. We grew our military complex into something hideous that was too big to fail. We drew red lines on maps and told poor people where they could live, who to vote for, and what education they could get. We let lawyers and lobbyists run roughshod over every facet of our daily life. We held out the promise of an American dream and turned it constantly into a nightmare of moving goal posts. We divided each other into groups and then divided again and again and again - hoping that each time, we would come out on top.

"We assumed that everyone cheated, stole, lied, and would stab us in the back."

We talked about love but had none in our hearts. We talked about justice but had no empathy or compassion. We talked about being great but never wanted to put in the work. We let lawyers find ways to screw us out of everything. We assumed that everyone cheated, everyone stole, everyone lied, everyone would stab us in the back. We let it happen. We never read the fine print or understood what we were signing. We never understood what consequences would come and everything could be fixed with easy credit. We just wanted things to make sense again. We wanted to believe in something important and larger than ourselves. We wanted to believe in equality, truth, justice, hope, love, and we wanted it all now, the easy way. My way or the highway. Like it or leave it. Put up or shut up. Agree or go home. No compromise. No discussion. No surrender. Do not give an inch or they will take a mile....

A blend of fear and paranoia. When we talk about a melting pot society, we talk about taking all the best from everywhere in the world and letting it flourish here in a land of opportunity and freedom. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. People are generally good. People are generally hard working, generous, friendly, kind, caring, and open. They want good things for themselves and their families. They want to follow their dreams and build something for the future. They want peace, security, and cooperation. People want respect, dignity, and to be heard and seen. People want to freely express themselves. People want to be in love. People want to live and enjoy their lives, to share moments with family, with friends, with community. People want to achieve great things and feel valued. People want to live without fear of being shot while picking up groceries, while sitting at prayer, while sending kids to school.

People don't want to be alone. People don't want to be isolated. People don't want to be divided. People want to see other smiling faces. People want to be happy. People want to live. People have a right to live. People have a right to pursue their happiness. People have a responsibility to each other. People have a responsibility, a duty to their communities, their states, their nation, their world. People can solve any problem they put their mind to. People can work together to do just about anything and everything and where they focus their time, effort, and energy, seeming miracles can happen. Cures can be found. Space can be explored. Nations can be healed. Nature can be restored.

People can decide to respect each other. People can each decide to be kind to one another, to forgive one another their small differences. People can embrace a future made by individuals who treat each other fairly and expect to be treated the same. The future is very bright (and the food is delicious there). Think about being less cynical today. Think about what it means to be a friend to someone in need. Think about what you can do to help....... 

We can and must do better.

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

The Power of Storytelling

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

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GREEN BE THY HILLS_0010

 

  Places in New York or the surrounding area where I have lived, worked, biked, hiked, or fallen in love, plus neighboring states and my good pal, Canada. So - New York State, Buffalo, Corning, Ithaca, Utica, Morrisville, Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Lake George, Ticonderoga, Rochester, Binghampton, Cornell, Wells College, Toronto, Montreal, Northampton, MA, Boston, Portland, Maine, New Hampshire, Dover, Lake Hopatcong, Manhattan, Cobleskill, and more, much more... 

"A New York Strip Steak And A Pint Of Beer. What Could Be Better?"

Not everyone likes New York. Taxes are too high, they tell me. It gets trashed by a lot of people, especially those who have never really been there or believe the emotionally charged images they see on the evening news. Housing is too expensive. And yet, New York State is a wonderful place. Having been all over the country - living and working, there is a lot of beauty out there. For me, I have lived in cities, suburbs, and country settings from western to central to eastern New York most of my life. I worked for a time in Manhattan and went to art school in north Jersey, often taking the train into NYC to go gallery hopping, watch movies, or meet friends at comic shows. My grandparents and parents were from a tiny town of 2K in the Adirondack mountains on Lake George. New York is brimming with cities, farms, mountains, lakes and rivers, forests, and every kind of people you can possibly imagine. All countries make their home here, all faiths, all languages, all income classes. The food is fantastic. The people are friendly and generous. To me it is home in a way that few other places (I see you New Mexico...) could ever be.

On 9/11 - I was loading fifty pounds of paper into a Xerox "mini-doc" proof printer at Integrated Book Technology in Troy, NY when someone from one of the main presses came in with a small radio and we all huddled around listening as one, then two, planes struck the Trade Center towers.

I have been away from NY for nine years and lived the last three out in Los Angeles, a chunk of which involved my father dying here, back east, and then Covid, being stuck indoors. New York has always been my home, in my head and heart (I see you again New Mexico...) and I am very happy to be back on the same coast as family and friends and to at least have the possibility of seeing people again. I am very lucky in that regard. For all the struggles I have had, I always knew there were people out there who loved me, who were rooting for me, who would help if I asked. Being here gives renews my hope. Meeting old friends and new, gives me hope. I do not know what the future brings but getting a chance to watch snow fall, rain cascade, and trees pop open with green leaves gives me tremendous peace.

Thank you.

RICK

Billion Hero Studios

The Power of Storytelling

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RONIN_STOP POSING BOY!_0009

Frank Miller's Ronin, breaking ground and expanding horizons in the comic world. Image copyright by right's holder. Miller smashes expectations with a stunning and visionary exploration in comic storytelling. Color by Lynn Varley.

"I am here! And you can't stop me!"

Ronin is an odd story for Miller. It was a risk. Working on Daredevil as artist and writer for as long as he did built expectations in his audience for gritty, noir-style, crime soaked, superhero comics with a touch of romance/tragedy. Ronin looked and felt radically different. Who was expecting a sci-fi/samurai/romance closer to European and Japanese graphic albums than American pop?

Ronin was experimental. Miller pushed his own boundaries and flexed his creative muscles. The writing and pacing were uneven. In some spots, the story flowed easily and in others Miller struggled to get his ideas across. The plot meandered. Can anyone describe what it was really about? In some sections, the art slid from stylized toward being sloppy. His characters had trouble holding their appearance. Some dialogue exchanges were too wordy. Ronin is not a slick, polished presentation and yet, it is a thunder bolt.

You have to remember that in American comics during this period, superheroes ruled the roost with series writing that never came to any conclusion or allowed characters to change and grow. The artwork felt homogenized and interchangeable. Plots and characters were thin. Marvel and DC were interested in blockbuster event comics and cross overs. Continuity was a quagmire. Readership sputtered. Distribution was migrating to the direct market. Miller jumped on Daredevil, reinvented that character, and pumped new blood into a c-list hero by building his supporting cast and fleshing out Hell's Kitchen. Most color in comics was also still done on newsprint using a limited palette and hand separations.

Frank Miller's Ronin came along at a time when few in the American comic reading crowd had ever been exposed to Japanese manga or European graphic albums. Master cartoonists like Moebius were ignored by the American masses because they didn't produce superheroes. Miller challenged his Daredevil fans from Marvel to follow him to another company and invest in brand new characters that no one had ever seen before in a style that Miller had never worked in before and in a design and printing style that had not been successfully tried here in the States. It can also not be stressed enough how radical the color by Lynn Varley in the Ronin comic was in comparison to what monthly superhero comics looked like. Ronin was a departure in every aspect of comic making from what Miller had been tinkering with on the monthly Daredevil.  

What we saw in Ronin was Miller expressing his energy, thoughtfulness, and daring in the writing and drawing. Miller took chances and built a unique vision of the future that mashed different genres and exposed us to his raw thinking. Ronin was like looking at the wild ambition that Miller has for his own cartooning and where he wanted to go as a writer/artist/creator.

Ronin was not his best work or his most well-known, but it was probably the most crucial in his artistic journey. Many experiments and masterpieces would come in the future: Elektra; Born Again; Dark Knight; 300; Give Me Liberty; Hard Boiled; Year One; and his own passion project, Sin City. This is a phenomenal body of work. Without Daredevil, there would be no Ronin or Dark Kight or Sin City. Without Ronin, Miller would have had to wait around for other opportunities to open up to tell this type of unique story - if that chance ever came. The pressure for Miller to sit back and repeat what he had been doing with Daredevil must have been great. It takes courage to do something that no one else was doing. Daredevil was Miller as a storyteller learning to draw, write, and gain confidence. Ronin was Miller arriving, busting the doors down, and declaring "I am here! And you can't stop me!" Once Ronin was complete, he would trust himself more in each project. 

NOTE: I had this post in a que to make its way out into the world after a little editing. Recently, Frank Miller announced that he would be forming his own independent comic and media imprint called Frank Miller Presents. A sequel to Ronin was discussed as a new project to come out from him as he gears up to publish 3-4 titles per year. Amazing. No other details were given about the Ronin: Book II project. Wasn't I JUST talking about Ronin yesterday? Love that story, flaws and all. It will be interesting to see how Miller applies what he has learned about storytelling to these characters and situations. An exciting time for comics.

Update... Miller will be writing a sequel, Ronin: Book Two, with some of the main Ronin characters to be penciled by Philip Tan from Miller's layouts and inked by Daniel Henriques. It will be 48-page bimonthly book with a $7.99 cover price debuting in November of 2022 under the new Frank Miller Presents banner. See sample below. Enjoy.

Frank Miller Presents, Ronin: Book Two with Miller writing and layouts, Tan on pencils and Henriques inks. Image copyright respective owner.

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!).
Share your favorite posts with like-minded creatives.
Comment and ask questions or make requests.

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

Thank you for visiting, participating, and collaborating in the storytelling experience.

Thank you for visiting, participating, and collaborating in the storytelling experience.