Catching a Vision 01
Introduction
Catching a Vision, the weekly column on Comic Related from C. Edward Sellner, Founder and Creative Director of Visionary Comics Studio, provides practical guidance on how to break into the comics industry, as well as insights into this medium we all love. With resources you can order online, interviews and debates with comic professionals, and online workshops, this is your best introduction into the wonders of creating comics!
So, you've decided you want to break into comics! Great! What's the first step? Firing submissions at all your favorite publishers? Getting together a team to create an actual full submission package? Or maybe to self-publish? Wait! I know... submit to Visionary! They're a teaching studio, they'll help you out!
No.
There are actually several very large, very major and very critical steps prior to even thinking about any of these steps in the process. Surprised? Well, you're probably not alone in that reaction, so let's talk about that all-important first step, shall we?
The First Step... Learn the Craft
One of the most common and most damaging mistakes aspiring comic creators make, no matter what their focus is, is to treat it like it's not a professional job. I've had numerous folks who submit to me at VCS and yet have done nothing to prepare themselves to enter their chosen profession. Being a fan of comics since you could walk is NOT a professional qualification. How simple, obvious, yet misunderstood is this? Well, let's do a little exercise and replace the profession of "Comic Creator" with another profession, and for fun, let's make it a major difference...say... "Doctor."
"I'm ready to be a doctor," says the young, aspiring professional.
The Hospital Personnel Director smiles. "Really? Tell me, where did you study medicine?"
"Study medicine?" The hopeful shrugs. "Well, I've gone for regular checkups all my life..."
"Um."
"I've watched every episode of ER...three times!"
"Uh, have you ever had any practical experience?"
"Weeelll, I was REAL good at that OPERATION game when I was a kid, and I played doctor with-"
"Not THAT kind...practical experience. Have you ever actually PRACTICED the craft of medicine?"
"Well...no," the young hopeful whispers.
"Have you read any medical books or journals?"
"no." A lower whisper.
"Do you even have any idea of what you would do in the medical field?"
"I'm thinking of being a foot doctor!"
"You mean, a Podiatrist?"
"No, a foot doctor!"
Now...of course, in the real world, that Director would have called security after the first answer and yes, I know, being a comics creator and being a Doctor is like comparing apples and, say, mid-sized hybrid cars. Yet aspiring comics creators do the functional equivalent of this all the time.
Well, folks, for those of us who love the medium, we should respect the medium a little more. We need to recognize if we're serious about creating comics, we need to be willing to do more than create based off our enjoyment.
Now keep in mind, if your goal IS to just create your own vision for the fun of it, post it online, publish it via Xerox for your buddies and the local convention... great go for it. If you want to do something more, read on.
In professional, mainstream comics, we all need to remember that it is a business, an entertainment business and that means publishers shoot for the highest level of quality in the product they are hoping several thousand people will plunk down money for. Crazy I know, but there it is.
There are also a very limited number of slots in the comic creator world, no matter what arena you want to pursue, and far more folks wishing to fill them then slots needing filled. This translates as competition. Even more, this often translates as competition with people who probably know far more about the medium then you do, because often, they've been involved in it already and are looking for new work. Creative work is fickle business and creators move around. It's not like a lot of other jobs where one might write X-Men for 50 years, get a nice gold watch and retire.
What does this mean? While there may be some folks so insanely talented and gifted they can create without any training, chances are slim of this being the reality for any given individual. For the rest of us, there is training and preparation that has to go into this process. Either that or getting particularly good dirt on an editor. Given the normal behavior of many folks in comics that gets bragged about on Twitter, that second one may actually be harder to do.
A ton of people competing for a very limited number of slots makes it very easy for editors to outright reject anyone who doesn't show a good command of the skill-set needed for this industry. But don't despair there are several ways to go about getting the insights and skills you need!
At the very least, become familiar with the mechanics of the medium. There are websites and books galore that expound on every aspect of the comic book medium. READ them. You should know the technical terms and the general approach to how different things are done in comics LONG before you actually try submitting. Anyone who submits work that does not even show a basic understanding of the tools, forms, formats and technical aspects of the job are actually embarrassing themselves almost as bad as our wannabe doctor above.
Why? Well, because what you're really saying is "I want to create comics, but I have no actual idea how to do just that, nor can I be bothered to actually research it and learn, but I'm assuming I'm just so gosh darned talented you're going to see past all that and hire me anyway!" Well, sure that could actually happen if, for example, a meteor hit the San Diego Convention Center on the right day, or you get your hands on those incriminating photos of Joe Quesada, but otherwise you're going to be out of luck.
If you're even more serious and determined, then give yourself an even greater edge by doing more then just reading some books. One option...Take a class. Check the class list at your local community college, or look up special programs that may be offered at Libraries, Art Studios, etc. Check online for potential classes you can take. Some of these may not be comic specific but would be good anyway. Any writing course will help an aspiring comics writer, just as any type of illustration or art course will help an aspiring artist. If you don't know the fundamentals of story, or illustration, you won't be able to make good comics.
Another option...Get a Mentor or an Editor! Find someone you know that might be willing to teach you. There are quite a few online places where you can get free feedback from other creators on your work by posting and participating in the online community. Or you may know someone who has some comics background, or general editing background. This does not even have to be one consistent person (though that's best). You could hit local comic shows and show your work to professionals in attendance who are willing to do critiques, or submit to places that give you more in-depth feedback, like Visionary. Then do something VERY important... FOLLOW THE GIVEN ADVICE! Basic right? You would be surprised how many don't. As a matter of fact, you would be absolutely stunned how many go to the other extreme. I've had aspiring creators show me their portfolio, I start gently pointing out things they need to work on, only to have the aspiring creator then argue with me. It's about that point that I wonder if I've somehow stumbled into Bizarro World without my "ME AM EDITOR" sign.
Now, that's the basic overview. In the next few columns I will be outlining some specific ways for aspiring writers, pencilers, inkers, colorists and letterers to focus in and hone their individual craft. In the meantime, I've included some resources for aspiring creators to check out. These focus more on learning about the medium in general and while they may lean toward story vs. art or vice-versa, they cover both. This includes some excellent books on the topic and some online resources. Go. Learn.
BOOKS
These are all classic and very helpful books in understanding the medium of comics. They explain how comics work and what the unique aspects of the medium are. Anyone working in comics, or wanting to, should know these books inside and out.
ONLINE RESOURCES
Creating Comics by Dave A. Law is a fairly comprehensive site that has sections on every aspect of creating comics. These include helpful how to articles and links to other resources and tips. If you cannot find it here, you're not looking.
Our Own Comic Related Links has somewhere over 2,000 links to comics related sites. There are not many that deal directly with creating comics but there are ones that will introduce you to the wide world of comics in general. These include a host of sites from creators that will often contain their own thoughts about the profession, and publishers, who usually have guidelines of what they are looking for in new creators or books.
SCHOOLS
The Center for Cartoon Studies is a college level program that offers courses in creating comics. They offer a rounded curriculum that includes learning the history of the medium and then everything from writing, to illustrating and finally self-publishing and marketing a comic book.
Joe Kubert's World of Cartooning is exclusively for aspiring comic book artists. They offer a full range of classes and include correspondence courses.
The Art School Directory is a great place to do research into various other comic and graphic art schools or programs. Search by State, degree, or specialty through dozens of schools and programs in larger universities.
Next Week...
We focus on writers and what they need to know before trying to break in. Join us!
Join the discussion and add your thoughts on this edition, or the column in general. If you have any questions or suggestions for resources, post them or email them to Sellner so they can be included in future columns.
C. Edward Sellner is the co-founder and Creative Director of Visionary Comics Studio, a studio that within its first two years has drawn high praise from the media and attracted the attention of legendary creators in the comics industry. They have been digitally and print published in the mainstream market and their creators currently work with over a dozen different publishers. Their work has been featured on television news shows, radio programs and internet podcasts as well as featured in every major comics news site online.
Contact him directly at cedwardsellner@aol.com
You can find him at...
Comic Related Forums
Facebook
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ComicSpace
Visionary Comics Studio
The official site of the Studio where Sellner serves as Creative Director.
Visionary's Networking Sites:
VCS' Facebook Group
VCS' MySpace Page
VCS' ComicSpace Page
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