Whitechapel - Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/ Lussumo Vanilla & Feed Publisher Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=286970#Comment_286970 2011-03-15T14:10:57-07:00 2011-03-15T19:20:05-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 My mind is thinking about pitching something to a larger smaller press (maybe Viz itself?), a newsprint anthology with creator-owned content and I'm sniffing around to see whether people would be ...
What do creators think about something like this? Would it be cool? Would it be plausible? What do you think? Would you be up to it?

Let me know.

mjmartinejohn@gmail.com]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=286990#Comment_286990 2011-03-15T17:03:40-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 warrenellis http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2 Large as in thick, or large as in big? People have been thinking about this forever. Viz, of course, did PULP, and I believe still do SHONEN JUMP, for the Anglophone market. This post is a real ...
People have been thinking about this forever. Viz, of course, did PULP, and I believe still do SHONEN JUMP, for the Anglophone market. This post is a real WEF-flashback for me.

Do you know much about newsstand/"magazine store" distribution and bookstore distribution?]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287001#Comment_287001 2011-03-15T18:31:30-07:00 2011-03-15T19:21:42-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Large as in big. I think it would be great to do a monthly of about 100 pages or so, 10 different 10 page stories with different teams attached, perhaps all in the same genre, with the intention of ...
I know nothing about bookstore distribution at all. What I do know I learned today while reading about some other anthologies, and a little of what I just read in an overview, it sounds like a horrible time waiting to happen. Getting word out about a magazine and getting the public to buy it would be insane, but I think that the traditional system of comics needs something different. I am not an expert in such matters which is why I am fostering a discussion about it.

The online model seems like the best way to hit the public, but how do you popularize comics in such a way that the general public takes interest? My idea is that something cheaper and more accessible would appeal to a broader spectrum. There are so many rules around comic production and how they are distributed that seem to not work that great. The direct market appeals to long-time fans, particularly white male fans over the age of twenty-five, or it seems that way. There are more choices now then ever, and manga seems to be bringing a lot of people in shops, but how do you market to people that don't go into shops.

I think a lot of people still want something to hold in their hands. This is how I became so attached to the idea of a cheap publication with great content. Draw the audience in with something spectacular that is not draining their pockets, forget glossy paper, forget all the bells and whistles, keep them there with story.

A few color pages to draw you in (Shonen again), and there you have it, my idea for an anthology.

Anyone think that this is an idea that merits exploration? Or will this crash and burn?]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287009#Comment_287009 2011-03-15T19:34:37-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Magazine distribution seems like it is crazy. It is all about subscriptions, with the newstands basically just being used to promote you, if you can even break into that market. Having a niche ...
Unless there is an online model that can be built around something like this, and a large amount of hype can be introduced into the project (from creators involved I'm guessing). Perhaps there are ways of tying it into the cartoon network, or MTV, creating cool content for those aware, tying in some animated property or some such thing. There is love for the comics genre in the world, how can you use this in order to expose the general populace to a comic.

Food for thought. Movies, television, the internet, celebrity endorsement, these are things that could possibly create a comic that would be more accessible to the majority of people. How do you get this to happen?

Or is this all just spinning wheels?]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287076#Comment_287076 2011-03-16T11:44:53-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Emperor http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1503 No, I think it is an interesting idea and would love to see someone give it a try. My only concerns would be: You might not make much of a cost saving going for cheaper paper stock, but it ...
My only concerns would be:


  • You might not make much of a cost saving going for cheaper paper stock, but it is worth pricing it up.

  • There might be a general resistance in the American market to both B&W and anthologies (at least going by the comments of some folks who have given 2000AD a spin and not liked it for those reasons), but I do think things like Popgun might be changing people's ideas about the latter at least. 10 pages would also give people more of a solid chunk of story to get their teeth into which might alleviate the former issue.

  • You might struggle to get someone like Viz interested, if they thought there was a big market for this then they'd already be doing it. Then again, if you can come up with the right pitch and a solid dummy issue, you might be able to hook a decent publisher.



However, none of these should be a reason to not go for it. It is a publication route that I do think needs to be tried.

Get it out on a regular basis, perhaps get an ISBN on each volume so you can punt it through places like Amazon too. If it takes off you could look at collecting them as you go along, perhaps offer a digest (small, cheap paper) and an album (hardcover, large pages on a better paper stock and possibly coloured), with a larger trade paperback further down the line.

I know I'd be interested in this as a reader and I might be interesting in pitching you something depending on what you were looking for or what your target audience is. I imagine it'd be easy enough to rummage together enough interest from creators (the trick being getting enough decent artists interested, especially if it is a backend deal as it is quite a commitment from an artist. If you can swing a page rate up front then you'd greatly increase the talent pool there).]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287079#Comment_287079 2011-03-16T12:01:59-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 warrenellis http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2 Or is this all just spinning wheels? Utterly. But, hey, knock yourself out. Or is this all just spinning wheels?

Utterly. But, hey, knock yourself out.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287081#Comment_287081 2011-03-16T12:40:50-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 John Skylar http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8976 Is there a newsprint POD service in existence? spin spin.
spin spin.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287083#Comment_287083 2011-03-16T12:58:44-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 warrenellis http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2 "Is there a newsprint POD service in existence?" No. The closest thing you get is Newspaper Club.
No. The closest thing you get is Newspaper Club.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287103#Comment_287103 2011-03-16T14:44:48-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Or I could just pimp DHP which seems to be the closest thing to what I can imagine at the moment from major publishers. Now I remember someone saying that newsprint is not that much less ... DHP which seems to be the closest thing to what I can imagine at the moment from major publishers.

Now I remember someone saying that newsprint is not that much less expensive then other alternatives (my brain does not function that great sometimes), and I think that people probably consider color to be "more worth their money" that are used to buying comics, not to the people that are buying digest sized black and white products in the millions.

Creating a mock issue would be interesting just to see the feedback that is involved from publishers. I am willing to front a ten page story that is sci-fi horror in the name of beginning a process that would facilitate some exploration into what might happen if you shopped this around, as well as doing leg work for everyone involved, finding a graphic designer to give it a look, plus the possibility of providing a cover, etc., if other people were interested. Or I could just coordinate some things if enough people were interested in thinking and trying something different.

But I would have to research it a lot more to discover what seems viable, and get some feedback from people with more experience in the field.

How would you appeal to a broader market then the direct market?]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287117#Comment_287117 2011-03-16T16:27:07-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Why would the comics industry not try to do something different? Invest some money into something and promote it. Doesn't that seem like something that the whole community could get excited about? Or ...
It would sell, I seriously think it would sell millions.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287119#Comment_287119 2011-03-16T16:36:52-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 warrenellis http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2 Oh dear. Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287123#Comment_287123 2011-03-16T16:57:04-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Okay I might have gone mad, but doesn't it kind of make sense. Or am I thinking too big. Fuck it, I would rather think too big then not at all. Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287126#Comment_287126 2011-03-16T17:14:58-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 The ultimate comic anthology. Creators list: Stephen King Peter Straub Michael Chabon Darren Aronofsky Neil Gaiman Bieber. All joking aside. Whom else?
Stephen King
Peter Straub
Michael Chabon
Darren Aronofsky
Neil Gaiman
Bieber.

All joking aside.

Whom else?]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287127#Comment_287127 2011-03-16T17:24:43-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 warrenellis http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2 Now explain to me why those people would spend their time writing comics for a new anthology entering either a direct market where sales have a current ceiling of some 90K units per issue -- or, put ...
Then you can tell me how you're going to pay your wishlist.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287135#Comment_287135 2011-03-16T18:33:45-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Find a way to make a production deal with film and television producers that provides money to talent for exclusive first look at rights and etcetra? This way you would have the money to pay the ...
Would that work??]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287136#Comment_287136 2011-03-16T18:37:59-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 warrenellis http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2 All the people you mentioned already have agents. The creators aren't going to give you the rights, so you have nothing to broker. I mean, seriously, you think you can do a better job selling Neil ... Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287137#Comment_287137 2011-03-16T18:40:37-07:00 2011-03-16T18:42:50-07:00 oddbill http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4272 All of the authors you've listed have better connections to Hollywood and television than a magazine could ever hope to facilitate. Any of them could write a single article for a major magazine ...
Any of them could write a single article for a major magazine and be paid better for that one article than a startup comics anthology could afford to pay for the script to an entire serrialized story. And they'd be able to retain rights to any options for film or television adaptation of their article without the assistance of the publication.

Edited : Oops, scooped by the gentleman proprietor!]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287138#Comment_287138 2011-03-16T18:41:18-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Something like this could be a Hollywood showcase, a visual guide to hot ideas and properties that could make the public feel as though they are getting an inside track into what is next, or the next ... Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287141#Comment_287141 2011-03-16T18:48:44-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 True. Oh well. Can't blame my brain for trying. I would like to say that people would do it for the love of the genre if you could appeal to that but dolla bills y'all dolla bills. Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287142#Comment_287142 2011-03-16T18:52:25-07:00 2011-03-16T18:58:34-07:00 oddbill http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=4272 Neither the creators, who do not need the magazine to sell stories to Big Entertainment, nor the entertainment companies, who have no incentive to publish early development material for multimillion ...
There are plenty of venues for publishing work for the love of it. That is a respectable amateur pursuit. Your dream list is composed of professionals. If you have made something your profession, it is your job. You need to insist on your fair market pay. It's a cliche to say it, but would you ask an electrician to wire your building for the love of wiring?]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287144#Comment_287144 2011-03-16T19:01:17-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Well my brain is tapped. I have had this discussion, and I've had a discussion with Erik Larsen on the topic on twitter, and it seems that the idea is something that would take a lot of money to get ...
It might take awhile but I think it could catch on if the stories were solid, the art solid it had something to offer that was a little different then what you regularly get between the pages of a comic magazine.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287148#Comment_287148 2011-03-16T19:56:51-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 alexwilson http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=43 @mjmartinejohn Ditto the responses above (and I'd suggest that any exhaustion you sense with this topic is likely more with the weight of previous discussions here and elsewhere about this kind ...
Ditto the responses above (and I'd suggest that any exhaustion you sense with this topic is likely more with the weight of previous discussions here and elsewhere about this kind of thing rather than with any particular point you've contributed).

I recommend checking out McSweeney's, which has tried a model with a few similarities to the one you're talking about. Though they've published comics, I'm thinking specifically of Michael Chabon's attempts to do for genre fiction (whose "woes"/complaints have parallels to comics when compared to more popular publishing) what you're interested in applying to comics. Take a look at Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales and Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories. They've also published on newsprint, but that was for a different project.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287151#Comment_287151 2011-03-16T20:23:47-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 I hadn't thought of Mcsweeney's, that might be interesting, and so is the format of paperback books. Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and a couple of others have done well in that format. Might be interesting. ... Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287160#Comment_287160 2011-03-16T21:48:12-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Emperor http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1503 Okay I might have gone mad Wellllll you are overreaching yourself. The idea of getting "names" in to write stories is something Mark Millar is exploring with CLiNT, where he has the ... Okay I might have gone mad

Wellllll you are overreaching yourself. The idea of getting "names" in to write stories is something Mark Millar is exploring with CLiNT, where he has the backing of a big magazine publishers and it is bulked out with rather throwaway articles and reprints of Millar's creator-owned work, plus he has considerable more clout than most people in this game. Despite this, even he hasn't been able to approach your dream line-up.

You can always give the format a shot but I think you are going to need to be a bit more... modest in your aims.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287167#Comment_287167 2011-03-17T03:47:56-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Kosmopolit http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1346 Deoes anyone know how Clint is selling? Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287176#Comment_287176 2011-03-17T06:45:25-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 I have always been modest in my aims with this, but I started to think and wanted to bounce ideas off of people. I've only been creating comics for about two years and don't have a huge understanding ...
I've had some interest from people who are interested in the format, and I even brought some of the discussion to Mark over on his boards to see what he has to say about his experience with Clint. I will see where that brings this conversation.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287178#Comment_287178 2011-03-17T07:00:25-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 This is not impossible, nor is it insane, but how do you make comics mainstream? How do you make North America, and hell, the rest of the world interested in what I believe is one of the best ways of ...
1. Make it cheaper. Cut costs wherever you can, make the paper cheaper newsprint, make the covers less glossy, cut out the color. Make the magazines bigger, for a price that makes money when it is sold wholesale.

2. Make it more accessible. Magazine distribution in bookstores and specialty shops, but pushing a system where subscription is key. Sell in the direct market as well, with pamphlets in the magazine highlighting local comics shops in the area.

3. Original content and content that has already been published. As long as the book is pushing 200 pages each month then include whatever you can, whatever is amazing and whatever keeps the readers coming back.

4. Content other then comics content, but kept to a dull roar. Add in whatever other things that are interesting to the demographic you are pushing for. Be it fall fashion or video games, as long as it hold the interests of the target market and keeps them coming back.

5. Online presence. Digital copies for digital readers on all platforms. Having too many people reading it is not a bad thing. Day and date release coinciding with the magazine release. Have a google map point to the closest place where you can buy a copy.

6. Celebrity endorsements. Do whatever you can to get the people that like comics involved in them. Give Nic Cage's son another comic to write, give Oprah an endorsed comic book, give Letterman a comedy book, whatever. Tie-in what you can where you can.

All of this makes too much sense to me, why are we not doing things like this? Why does the comics community sit around and bemoan the death of the comic book when they could get off their asses and do something about it.

Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Viz, Boom, Dynamite are you listening? You should be.

I wrote this yesterday. What would you add or change??]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287180#Comment_287180 2011-03-17T07:36:34-07:00 2011-03-17T07:39:03-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Okay, here is another way to approach it. Does anyone know what the biggest online bookstore, or E-reader is? I've read an article that the kindle kills the market for comics by charging the creator ...
If you create an online monster (I now it is not easy, but it is cheaper as a startup), something that is like what I have been discussing, and then if it becomes popular enough by selling it on whatever bookseller, magazine seller, comic application, etc., move it over into print. and go from there.

As an approach to a magazine/comic this seems like the most appropriate thing to do, the best as far as price goes, and one that would reach a larger market without as much financial risk.

If you made a mock issue of your magazine and brought it around to online booksellers, online magazine sellers, and online magazine apps, as well as making your presence known within the internet with web-based social networking and pages, it could be far more reaching initially. If you make sure that the files that you are producing are printable afterward then you have a step up when you take your ideas to print.

Much more feasible, no?]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287181#Comment_287181 2011-03-17T07:46:26-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 warrenellis http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=2 I've only been creating comics for about two years and don't have a huge understanding about the industry and how it works. Then it's way past time you did your research. You're on the internet, ... I've only been creating comics for about two years and don't have a huge understanding about the industry and how it works.

Then it's way past time you did your research. You're on the internet, man. It's easier than it's ever been.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287185#Comment_287185 2011-03-17T08:24:25-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Emperor http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1503 Deoes anyone know how Clint is selling? There are no actual sales figures available but I worry sales might be taking quite a hit. There was a big delay after #4 (which will generate fines - this ... Deoes anyone know how Clint is selling?

There are no actual sales figures available but I worry sales might be taking quite a hit. There was a big delay after #4 (which will generate fines - this isn't the Direct Market and they aren't tolerant of delays) and a quick informal check suggests that an awful lot of newsagents have dropped the title, possibly leaving them with smaller independent outlets and WH Smiths (who they paid quite a lot of money to for shelf space*). I also can't imagine the erratic line-up has helped, with stories stopping and starting because the next instalment isn't ready. So it makes me a little worried - if CLiNT can't make it, then it might make it very difficult to start another mainstream title for years. It being largely reprint material and poor quality articles probably means the costs are low and it can keep the wheels from falling off for a while but it will be interesting to see the sales numbers when they do emerge (although I can't seem to find circulation figures for any of Titan's magazines so it may be they aren't registered with ABC).

* This seems to be a problem with John Freeman's Strip magazine (the next new mainstream British comic to launch), the newsagents seem to think it is a good idea to gouge publishers rather than make their profits selling the items themselves.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287192#Comment_287192 2011-03-17T09:04:39-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Emperor http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1503 Much more feasible, no? My gut tells me an anthology might be the way to go online (I've had a couple of different ideas along that front) but I think the critical factor is that you don't have ... Much more feasible, no?

My gut tells me an anthology might be the way to go online (I've had a couple of different ideas along that front) but I think the critical factor is that you don't have to think about it as a single physical artefact if you are leading with digital.

For example, you mention the Kindle - I suspect they'll have to compromise on this (after all it isn't like comics contribute much to the Amazon's bandwidth usage, I'd have thought MP3 downloads are the main contributor there) but even if they don't there is a solution, other than trying to jam a 100 page "book" down their constructed pipe. You break the anthology up into the individual stories and use the anthology as a stamp of quality - if you like one story then you know the others will tend to be well edited and up to a certain standard. It does mean each story would have to be relatively self-contained, even if it is part of a larger story but that shouldn't be too much trouble.

Selling the stories individually then means you can set a low price, which does seem to be a key factor as it will lead to impulse sales as people are prepared to take a punt on it. If they like it they could check out other titles you have to offer or they could rummage up the next instalment of the stories. So they would then be able to essentially build their own digital anthology to suit their tastes, which circumvents some of the complaints about anthologies, in that you might end up buying 5 stories but only liking 2 or 3 (however, you could keep the strength of the anthology in that it might encourage people to check out stories they might not usually pick up and they could find they enjoy those too - which is my experience of anthologies, I've discovered great stories I'd have not thought about trying if it was just a random comic book on a shelf). Eventually this could extend to the print version too - I don't believe the technology is quite there yet but you could allow the reader to create their own bespoke volume of stories they like (or offer them a number of pre-mixed volumes) and get the printed out. With something like Lightning Source, you can get in-store POD, so people could specify what they want in the book, punt it over to the shop to print and pick it up an hour or so later when you are passing by (or during your lunch break), the beauty of that being you are also helping to use digital to drive sales to bricks and mortar shops (if comics shops wanted in that'd help them too - you could get help and advice in the shop, start it printing, have a coffee and pick up your book).

10 page nuggets of comics also seems ideal for modern life with our shorter attention spans - you are bored and standing in a queue or on the bus home, then you could summon up a quick blast of comics, rather than having to lay out a lot more money for a 100 page volume you'd have to work your way through. Get your "comix blitz" (just trying out different names), hammer through it, write a quick review or hit a button to recommend it to a friend and then move on to the next thing you were going to do. Keep it quick, cheap and disposable.

You could punt it out through Kindle or iTunes but also have your own web site that has added value (making it easier to find stories by the same author, or a series you were interested in, as well as a larger interactive element where you can write longer reviews, press a button to send a Tweet about a story you liked, that kind of thing. If you get the added value right (perhaps offer DRM-free downloads, free stuff, exclusives) then you can sell the stories directly to the reader, which means you'd take home a much larger slice of the pie.

Soooooooo in summary - going digital and taking an "anthology" approach might give you a lot of flexibility to deliver comics in a range of ways that might just be the "killer app" for this kind of affair (as long as you keep the quality up and costs down).]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287194#Comment_287194 2011-03-17T09:38:56-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 @warren Doing that. The comics journal has a pretty extensive history of direct market publishing as well as how a lot of other print options work, plus other articles. I do have a rough idea to ...
@emperor Thanks for that. That is entirely helpful in so many ways. There are a lot of useful chunks of information and ideas to absorb in your comments. I love the idea of an anthology that you can edit and explore, it takes all good points out of the anthology and drops some of the bad. Self-contained stories were mentioned when I was talking to Erik, who bemoaned the fact that you could no longer get cheap self-contained stories in comics, but it turns out that there can be a way of doing that. Also, the idea of POD anthologies with the stories you want in them makes a lot of sense as well. While it might be more expensive for the consumer, it allows them to tailor make something to their specified needs, or to tailor make something for someone they are buying for.

The idea of a flagship anthology/distributor that you can blanket the stories under is a great idea as well.

Next up is genre. Do you go there? I foolishly started thinking about "Chicken Soup" books and how the stories all relate to one idea, or common theme. I think that might be interesting to think about, allowing whatever creators involved to make what they would with a theme, in whatever way they would want to tell it. The Universality of the common themes might appeal to a broader base, allowing people to pick and choose from themes that they are interested in.

That might allow for tie-ins to sports (one page stories about national athletes ghost written and drawn), politics (coverage of what is happening on a national level down to a municipal one, or interesting stories involving), true life adventure (128 hours like things), plus whatever else that may cause interest in the general public.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287195#Comment_287195 2011-03-17T09:40:11-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 All going well. I don't know the US newsstand market at all so can't advise, but 60% of mags now sold through supermarkets, which was the big surprise to me. WH Smith makes up the bulk of our ...
MM

Direct from the mouth of the man in charge.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287208#Comment_287208 2011-03-17T11:04:16-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Emperor http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1503 One of the other pluses of doing a digital anthology broken up into parts is you avoid one of the big downsides, getting everything in for a specific day. Tharg makes it look easy with 2000 AD, but ...
Next up is genre. Do you go there? I foolishly started thinking about "Chicken Soup" books and how the stories all relate to one idea, or common theme. I think that might be interesting to think about, allowing whatever creators involved to make what they would with a theme, in whatever way they would want to tell it. The Universality of the common themes might appeal to a broader base, allowing people to pick and choose from themes that they are interested in.


Basically you have two general approaches*:


  • You can go for a more classic anthology, so you have continuing characters with more self-contained stories which might build up a larger story. This is a good way of going that'd allow you to hook the reader in and turn them into a repeat visitor. You might want a bit of an over-arching idea so it'd be genre-based or autobiographical or some other broad brush approach, so people would know what to expect so they wouldn't jump from a splatterpunk western to a gentle love story about two owls.

  • You can make it themed and then you have the optioned of putting out a trade paperback that could have wider appeal outside of comics, so Image's Outlaw Territory would have possible crossover with fans of the western, Accent UK puts out a themed anthology once or twice a year and is doing their second one on zombies as the first one clearly proved popular with comics buyers and horror fans. I do like this idea but my personal preference would be to freak things up a bit and make the theme suitably weird or enticing that creators would feel they had to contribute and the readers would be intrigued in what direction the next story would go. I also had the idea of a shared universe anthology that was big and varied enough to accommodate a range of genres and ideas. So plenty of ways you can run with that one.


    • I think either approach can work as long as you stick to it. As a reader I know I'd be interested in checking out something like that (as long as it wasn't all owl love stories I suppose), but, then again, I have been mulling this whole thing over for a while now so I suspect I'm biased.

    * You could also make it a bit of a free-for-all like Popgun (and possibly Flight), which also seems to do well.
]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287354#Comment_287354 2011-03-18T20:22:47-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Thanks for the food for thought guys. I will continue to pursue this. An interesting sidenote, I went and saw Joe Sacco speak last night and he stated that he once tried to put out a monthly, but the ...
Why is that? A different topic and genre? Food for thought.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287452#Comment_287452 2011-03-19T20:11:10-07:00 2011-03-19T20:12:00-07:00 adrian r http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=619 Short prose stories and short films are less popular than long works in either medium, and the same seems to be true of comics. One reason may be that each is associated with the novice creator, and ... 2000AD is a notable exception, following as it does in the British tradition of anthology titles for children (Beano, Dandy, etc). Maybe young audiences are less swayed by received notions of a creator's popularity (writers and artists were uncredited in British humour titles for years) than the sheer enjoyability of their work.

youdothatvoodoo -- enthusiastic about comics, films, tv, and the business of writing]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287458#Comment_287458 2011-03-19T20:41:58-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 MikeLuoma http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6245 Stumbled across this discussion meandering across the threads tonight. As coincidence, synchronicity, what have you, would have it, I initiated an experiment earlier this week which relates in terms ...
Lulu offers a couple of publisher grade paper options for books, less expensive paper than the rest of their books (once wondered about the "cheap" newsprint comic book idea myself, but saw it brought up many times - and shot down many times). This seemed a slightly better option. The size selection using this paper is limited. Closest to comic size dimension-wize is a 5.5 x 8.5 size, sort of small. However, with a small margin I can put out a 123 page black and white book for $4.99.

I bundled 5 comic books under one cover - calling it The Glow-in-the-Dark Radio Comics Sampler - 5 comic books for under 5 bucks. It's an experiment - I have not yet received the proof copy. Can't tell you if the reproduction is quality and if the text is all readable at the slightly smaller size. Now that I know it may be germane to this discussion, I'll report back and let you know how it looks when it arrives, probably Monday.

If it does work out, I may try some bundle of the digital versions of the books with the print version, still pondering that.

If curious, here's the book on lulu: http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-glow-in-the-dark-radio-comics-sampler-2011/15150477]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287503#Comment_287503 2011-03-20T06:07:21-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 Can't really beat that price with a stick now can you. I'm wondering about lettering and how it holds up under such small sizes? What font size did you use for the lettering? But this is quite ...
But this is quite interesting. It gives me some hope.

Ah, for a free webmaster, and a free graphic designer, and some free content. Alas, nothing is free in this world and all my money is tied up in making comics.

One day or other.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287548#Comment_287548 2011-03-20T16:12:38-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Emperor http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1503 However, with a small margin I can put out a 123 page black and white book for $4.99. That is pretty impressive, it'd suggest you can actually make a bit on a cheaper B&W digest volume. Let ... However, with a small margin I can put out a 123 page black and white book for $4.99.

That is pretty impressive, it'd suggest you can actually make a bit on a cheaper B&W digest volume.

Let us know how it goes.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287591#Comment_287591 2011-03-21T08:46:27-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 staticgirl http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8537 a gentle love story about two owls awwwww *gets card out* Interesting discussion... a gentle love story about two owls

awwwww

*gets card out*

Interesting discussion...]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287636#Comment_287636 2011-03-21T19:54:59-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Emperor http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=1503 awwwww *gets card out* Interesting discussion... Yeah, you're not distracting me with owl romance comics (I am having weird flashbacks to an unusual Tunisian comedy routine, but that is a ... awwwww

*gets card out*

Interesting discussion...

Yeah, you're not distracting me with owl romance comics (I am having weird flashbacks to an unusual Tunisian comedy routine, but that is a story for another day), I know what you are destined to do and will be giving you the occasional nudge until it happens ;)]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287639#Comment_287639 2011-03-21T20:26:22-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 MikeLuoma http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=6245 Well, got the book today. It's okay. Wanted it to be GREAT, but it's just good. Some of the book's pages came out better than others. The lettering is mostly readable, especially on the pages that ...
I think these things are fixable - lighter grayscale will help a bit. For the price, i can tinker with it and try again.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287798#Comment_287798 2011-03-23T14:29:14-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 300 ppi? Vector lettering? What kind of coloring was it? Was everything trapped properly? Could be many issues, but if they printed at larger sizes better, then it could just be poorly printed.
Could be many issues, but if they printed at larger sizes better, then it could just be poorly printed.]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287824#Comment_287824 2011-03-23T18:12:38-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 Peter Kelly http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=3000 Quick Comment on Joe Sacco. One of the reason's his comics sold sold poorly, is he is most of his stuff is reporting. Actual news reporting. It's an odd fit for comics (It's great, but when you ... One of the reason's his comics sold sold poorly, is he is most of his stuff is reporting. Actual news reporting.
It's an odd fit for comics (It's great, but when you think comics you tend to think fiction or biographical, not "news")

So his issues with individual comic sales vs trades is a bit different then most, mainly because the people buying individual comics are not the audience for his work. And I'd hazard a guess that his audience would not be yours (though I could be wrong, depending on the what your final product is)

Not saying you should discount what he said, just that you should keep in mind a lot of may not apply to you (at least directly)]]> Anthology Title - Newsprint Comic Magazine - Viable? http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/comments.php?DiscussionID=9656&Focus=287894#Comment_287894 2011-03-24T08:00:17-07:00 2013-05-24T03:26:35-07:00 mjmartinejohn http://freakangels.com/whitechapel/account.php?u=8529 @peter I know, I was just using it to point out that something different can be successful. I am also reading Eddie Campbell's huge omnibus at the moment and he and many of his contemporaries ...
I know, I was just using it to point out that something different can be successful. I am also reading Eddie Campbell's huge omnibus at the moment and he and many of his contemporaries seemed to just keep putting it out until it hit. You have to be somewhat crazy for that though, and willing to starve a bit.]]>