PaperbackReader.com

Welcome to another exciting edition of COMICS YOU SHOULD BE READING!  Before we get into this week’s actual COMICS, I’d like to take a minute and welcome my friend Nic Carcieri to the team here at Paperbackreader.Com.  Like Jason DeGroot, Nic is a long-time co-conspirator over at the Repercussion Comics Group.  His small press book RIP (done with rising star artist Randy Kintz) is a one of the genuine treasures out there in the world of small press self-publishers.  I recommend it highly to readers wanting a taste of what’s available out in the scary world of small press comics.

And now I have a small confession to make: I planned this.  It all started maybe six or eight weeks ago when I got to the point where I realized that I was going to have to make a choice.  After three months of predictable weekly columns, I started getting mail.  At that point, a decent number of small press publishers started contacting me about reviewing/recommending their books here.  That was an important event because it created a dilemma.  I had to decide what this column’s true focus would be.  As I saw it, the critical issue was deciding what purpose I wanted to serve with this thing and therefore what audience(s) I wanted to target.  The problem was that with so many small press creators asking for reviews, I realized that I was going to have a hard time giving adequate time and space to their comics while maintaining a determined focus on widely available independent comics, which are to me the decisive market segment for the future of this medium.  Although I have a great love and respect for small press comics and small press creators, I thought then and still think now that it is more important to talk about comics that folks can actually buy in stores.  The critical comic and column for this realization came when I read and recommended Crossover Comics’ NISHA.  For my money, NISHA is as fine a comic as is available on the market anywhere, but it’s also a comic that Diamond refused to carry, and honestly, I can understand why they feel that way.  The simple reality is that although NISHA is excellent, it is also WAY outside the mainstream for this industry.  For better or worse, it isn’t even remotely like the other stuff on the market today, and therefore the vast majority of readers will not be able to buy it.  Thus, covering it is was a sort of difficult decision.  By covering it here, I was asking readers to go out on a limb and order a comic that they’d never heard of from a creator that they’d never heard of via the Internet.  I don’t fool myself about the outcome of such a column; I doubt anyone at all did actually took my advice and ordered NISHA.  And if I give recommendations for totally unknown comics like that every week, I’ll lose a certain percentage of readers, who will come to see this column as totally irrelevant to their perception of the marketplace.  I don’t want that to happen because then I won’t really be able to recommend anything effectively.

So was it wrong to recommend NISHA?  No.  The book is EXCELLENT.  I’m proud to have recommended it here.  If even one reader discovered NISHA because of me, then MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.  Moreover, I think that someone should focus on the little guys and do a real small press column here at PBR.  Although plenty of sites have occasional spotlights on the small press, those events are typically few and far between, and they rarely focus on truly small press comics.  Plus, at the time I covered NISHA, this column was the only consistent weekly column about comics on this site.  A.C. Hall’s excellent Entertainment Round-Up covers comics along with everything else in the world, and I love it, but it won’t sustain your mainstream comic info fix every single week, and honestly, it shouldn’t have to.  That isn’t its purpose.  So I asked Jason DeGroot if he would be interested in coming over and writing about the small press stuff, thereby freeing me up to focus on the more widely available indies that are the bread-and-butter of my personal weekly comics’ reading.  Then, after Small Press Feedback debuted, I mentioned to Nic that all we needed now was a weekly column about the actual comics’ mainstream, and lo-and-behold the plan came together.

So now, briefly, here is the PBR weekly column publishing schedule:

Monday - Jason covers the small press in Small Press Feedback

Tuesday - Nic covers the mainstream in The City Beat

Thursday - A.C. covers the world at large in Entertainment Round-Up

Friday - I cover Indies-in-Previews in Comics You Should Be Reading

All of that stuff is, of course, merely an addition to the daily reviews which are the heart and soul of this site, and then too, there are a whole host of bi-weekly and monthly columns here that help to round out the site and make it what it is.  Right now, Paperbackreader.Com is well on its way to becoming an important daily part of your comics reading diet.  If you can spare 15 minutes from your work or school day every day, then I’d ask you to check in here and see what’s what.  Taken together, this site has a line-up that covers the range of choices available in the marketplace and which therefore can and will make you a better and more informed comics’ reader if you give it a chance.  There’s a lot available out there in the marketplace, and you can’t buy everything, but at least by getting your daily fix here first, you’ll know a little more about what you should at least consider trying out there.

Sean Wang’s Runners

Sean Wang’s Runners is the first project that I’ve seen in almost thirty years that successfully recaptures the spirit and the fun of the original STAR WARS movies.  Since the time I was five years old, I’ve read and watched thousands upon thousands of science fiction books, TV shows, and movies, looking to find something that builds on the promise created by George Lucas’s masterwork.  God knows that there are a lot of imitators out there, but none of them have ever seemed to get the formula right to me.  Most often we see some child of destiny on a Hero’s Journey working his way through a series of challenges amongst various and seemingly random intergalactic settings.  Frequently there is some exciting action.  Often the fate of the world (or the universe!) is on the line.  Sometimes there is a ticking clock such that if we don’t resolve the conflict soon, then it will be too late.  But rarely does a science fiction project capture the essential fun and freewheeling sense of adventure that Harrison Ford’s Han Solo injected into the STAR WARS franchise and that I think made the first movies truly great.  Without the fun, so many of these projects degenerate into little more than action flicks with weird settings and great special effects.  They aren’t bad – in fact, some are even quite good – but they can never, ever stand up to close comparison to the original STAR WARS films.  It’s gotten to the point where I’d started to assume that it was just MUCH tougher than it looks.  These days even George Lucas can’t seem to get it right.  His new STAR WARS movies are exactly like the old ones would be if you were to take the old ones and surgically remove the fun parts.  The great thing about RUNNERS is that it has all of the action and space opera elements that any reader could want, but it retains its sense of humor while avoiding the child-of-destiny/save-the-universe traps that I think get so many of these projects into trouble.

RUNNERS is the story of a group of freewheeling intergalactic smugglers working for a notorious gangster and carrying merchandise about which they’d really rather not know many details.  Ambushed at a meeting with their supplier, the RUNNERS fight their way clear and are then chased across the galaxy by various pirates and competing criminal factions.  Along the way they shoot it out in tight corners, have terrific battles in space, run across a hidden asteroid safe house, and finally are forced to dock for emergency repairs at a space station of questionable repute.  Yes, it’s true that each of these story elements has an easily recognizable parent in the genre, and thus it’s also true that the story itself breaks little new ground, but while the plot elements aren’t particularly unique, the storytelling is. 

Wang’s art here kills.  His characters are expressive and fun.  They move with a sense of energy and motion that ANY creator would envy.  His battle scenes are tense, his pacing is excellent, and the quiet moments of this story propel the characterization of the piece forward convincingly.  That visual characterization, accompanied by sharp dialogue that’s often quite funny, is what sets this book above the legions and legions of science fiction wannabes in both comics and other entertainment media.  Add to that Wang’s repeatedly successful use of time as an element of suspense, and you get a book that is superior in both writing and art to virtually everything on the market today. 

Sean Wang can draw as well as anyone working at the Big 2.  His writing here is clear and funny and dramatic and suspenseful without taking itself too seriously.  Really, it’s amazing how great this book is compared to almost every other science fiction product on the market today.  This is the kind of book that major book publishers like RANDOM HOUSE and/or TOR should be looking for as a means to get into the graphic novel market.  It’s an absolute must-read for sci fi fans.  Seriously, go out and read Sean Wang’s RUNNERS right now.  It’s a COMIC YOU SHOULD BE READING.

And by the way, Sean’s girlfriend also gave me an ashcan preview of the forthcoming THE LAST DAYS OF FLARE prestige-format mini series from IMAGE that Sean is currently illustrating.  Although a totally different type of project, THE LAST DAYS OF FLARE also looks to be a terrific book with terrific art.  Look for it!

How to Break Into Comics Revisited

My comments from two weeks ago brought up a pair of interesting discussions on my two favorite message boards.  Here are some highlights and links.

From Richard Nelson (Warmageddon, Digital Webbing Presents, ASJ-41) via the Ugga Bugga Forum:

Quote:

I don't know that anyone is the "right" person to ask. I don't know who said it, but it's funny (and paraphrased, and true): "Breaking into comics is like breaking into Fort Knox. Every time someone succeeds at breaking in, they found out how the guy got in and make sure no one can do it that way again."

Quote:

That's my bottom line as well. The main thing starting out is to work on something that is being produced.

There's a radar in the comics industry, and all of us creators are little blips on it. Sometimes there are big blips that take up most of the screen -- guys like Bendis or Kirkman or Whedon. You're not going to be that big blip over night (if ever), so just make sure you're a fairly constant little blip. Keep things coming. Once you're firmly established (which is different from being successful in this business) and on the radar, then look to bigger things.

It can be different for artists, if they're good enough. I know few who went to cons, showed pretty pictures, and got hired on here or there (though, that's the exception not the rule, and most of them have worked on smaller projects while building up their skills).

Couple other things to be aware of:

Be emotionally stable: Be strong enough that you can take hundreds of rejections and know that this is still something that you'll be good at doing, but flexible enough that you're comfortable making changes to your ideas/stories/artwork.

Work well with others: There are few people who can "do it all" any more. If you're one of those, GREAT! If not, and you don't work will with others, you'd better be SPECTACULAR at your craft. If you're not, you won't get more than one chance if you're not a team player.

If you say "Yes, I can do that," then you'd better do it, and do it well. Comics is a tiny, tiny community where the ten degrees of separation is often more like two or three degrees of separation. And when that community gets together, it's like a knitting circle. The last thing you want is to have prospective publishers, editors, employers, etc talking badly about you in their knitting circle.

From Ugga himself, founder of ASJ-41:

I too have no clue how to break in.

I would suspect the following would have something to do with it

1. Have a really good body of work
2. Network, network, network
3. Have a reputation of reliability
4. promote yourself
5. Work with others who are at your level.

John Bamber, founder of MamTor Publishing:

Hi there,

It has to be said that I somewhat cheated in this regard and it still hasn't worked completely yet.... I'd been attending every show that you UK had for about 7 or 8 years. This is easy as it's only one..!  I collected original comic art and began to get to know all the artists and eventually became very good friends with Liam Sharp.  I started selling his art and through that started selling art for over 30 artists in Britain like Glenn Fabry, John Bolton etc. etc.
due to the website I began meeting aspirining artists that were asking MY opinion on their art.  Now I couldn't draw my way out of a paper-bag and I'd certainly be beaten in the talent department by a blind drunk mouse dipped in paint and asked to roll around on a piece of paper.  I could at least see if I liked the work and generally if I liked it they had a good chance to get professionals to like it and I could introduce them.  One particular show I met six aspiring artists who were also all fans of Liam's work and after spending several hours in the pub drinking and looking at portfolios Liam and I had the same idea.  MAMTOR was born and while I was unhappy with my effort in the first issue and my artist failed to have the work finished for the second issue I was particularly proud of my third attempt.
Unfortunately we ran out of money and my story was going to be on the cover of a book featuring work by Steve Niles, Brian Holguin, Glenn Fabry, Simon Bisley. I am still upset and desperately trying to find a way to get the book in print.

So, my way of breaking into the comic industry was simple, I started my own company with a good friend and bankrolled it. 'Course now I have no money and have to work in Thailand - Actually that's not too bad :)

Cheers
John

And finally, from Manny Trembley (PX!, Sam Noir: Samurai Detective), via the Repercussion Comics Forum:

I wish there were a straight answer to this question. It reminds me of some other questions, like...

How do I become a millionaire? Or, how do i shed my skin and fly like a sugar glider?

People write books about this stuff. Offering up any number of ways to "break in".

I've published 1 complete comic issue (in print) and that was in '95. I tried pretty hard for many years to "Break in" and failed. So I went else where. Animation and video games. Monetarily, (sp?) I have been able to pay my bills doing something I enjoy. But not until recently when I decide to finally just make a product (PandaXpress!) and damn the consequences, did I start to break in.

The act of making my own book, even without the financial gain that I desire, was catalyst enough to give me some confidence to pursue other avenues.

The biggest key, for me, was to get off my butt, stop asking questions about whether or not I WILL ever break in and just get busy making content. I wager if I'm good enough the world of comics will take note and with alittle luck, maybe...just maybe, I'll get a chance.

And here I am.

The neatest and most frustrating thing about this industry is that there is no ONE way to break in. I'm making books, but I still am not being paid to make them. SO, have i really BROKE INTO the industry...eh...who cares.

I'm having fun.

It’s the Economy, Stupid

I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but it’s been a rough couple of weeks in the financial markets.  With the looming threat of inflation, an uncertain future for the economy’s growth, continued high energy prices, and continually decent but not amazing corporate earnings reports, it has been really hard to know what’s going to happen next.  Most economists predicted that the Fed would raise rates yesterday, and so it was no surprise when that happened.  The Fed’s chief job is to fight inflation, and with a new chairman, they can’t take any chances just now.  They have to prove they can still do it.  Since inflation indicators have been growing, and growth hasn’t slowed as predictably as was initially predicted, there really hasn’t been much choice.  Behold: Higher rates. 

That doesn’t mean that these rates are GOOD.  At 5.25% for overnight loans, short term borrowing is legitimately expensive such that we now have a truly inverted yield curve.  Thus, at least right now, you can make more money loaning for short time periods than you can by making long term loans, and that almost always signals a recession is on the horizon.  I told the folks in my office that I hope it happens soon so that we can at least get over it and get back on track.  And with that in mind, let me also tell you that if the government wasn’t running such huge budget deficits, we’d all be a lot richer in six months.  Companies are making money, and the economy’s fundamentals are good, but with the deficit creating inflation, we really must take a recession now in order to avoid much more serious problems later.  Thus, you can blame our President’s repeated budgetary failures and failures to veto pork-barrel spending for what’s about to happen.  Certainly the coming recession didn’t have to occur.  The folks running this country either don’t know enough or don’t care enough to stop it.  Probably both.

As far as our theoretical $5,000 investment is going, I should tell you that I took my own advice and added a $1000 stake in Marvel Entertainment to the mix the day after Avi Arad quit.  That’s a bet that I wouldn’t (and didn’t) make with my own real money, but it made sense for our purposes here.  Compared to the size of the rest of this portfolio, the Marvel investment is HUGE given that it’s a single non-blue chip stock in a very difficult industry.  I would NEVER advocate investing in any single stock to the point where that single stock becomes 20% of your total portfolio.  However, since this isn’t real money, using a $1000 stake made sense because it makes tracking the overall performance of the stock pretty easy. 

And with that said, we can now see why individual stocks are sometimes very popular with risk-taking investors.  Right now, Marvel is making us money while nothing else is.  All I can say to that is that the name of the game is to buy low and sell high.  Arad’s leaving Marvel promised a low spot in the company’s stock price.  We capitalized.  Now the trick is determining when the high spot will occur and realizing the gain.

It’ll be interesting to see how the coming economic slow down affects indie comics companies.  I’m anticipating a pretty brutal shakeout sometime in the next year.  When consumer discretionary spending goes down, I imagine that the appetite for indie comics is going to go down with it.  That sucks.

Stray Voltage

While I’ve got some time and space left, I’d like to take this opportunity to publicly thank MidTown Comics and Jim Hanley’s Universe for their recent Repercussion Comics orders.  Jim Hanley’s Universe order a couple of copies of my book Bronx Angel: Politics By Another Method and thereby made my day one day last week.  Meanwhile MidTown ordered over 50 books from the rest of the Repercussion Group, leading us all to believe that they must have sold out on their initial order.  At this point, I feel like word is slowly leaking out about the RCG, so that while I doubt we’ll ever make any real money doing this, I also have high hopes that we’ll at least be able to cover our costs and begin building a brand name for ourselves sometime fairly soon.

The second episode of the ASJ-41 spin-off Saiko is now online.  Click the cover to find the link.  It’s only six pages!

I always feel like I have so much to say during the week, and then I get to this point in the column and can never remember what it was that was supposedly so important.  I guess you ought to be pretty happy about that.

Until next week, stay safe.

***

About the columnist:

Dan Head is a utilities analyst and occasional freelance writer and editor.  He is a 2006 graduate of Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business and winner of the school’s prestigious Irving S. Friedman Award for excellence in International Studies.  His ramblings occasionally amuse his wife, but they always amuse his kids.