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Terry Hooper-Scharf

Sunday 15 January 2017

Why YOU Must Decide On Whether Your Idea Is Worth Publishing AND Take Responsibility

Well, here I am back at the CBO chamber within the Black Tower.  Getting dusty in here. But I want to actually point a couple things out.

I heard recently that someone who was trying to put together a British super hero comic asked around at comic events -you know, "do you think it's worth it?" and so on.

MORON

ahem. Sorry. Harsh. Look, the person involved apparently got torn to shreds and the idea was joked about to his face and the killer line was "You can't have super heroes in the UK -it doesn't work!"  I dealt with all of this here:

http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/terry-hooper-scharf-on-improbability-of.html

And then we have super heroes in Germany, because I hear things VERY similar to what that poor British comic wannabe got are said in Germany, too:

http://hoopercomicart.blogspot.co.uk/2016/11/on-german-super-heroes-and-why-i-am.html

Mud-Man, Jack Staff -two British super heroes created by Paul Grist and thought of with a lot of regard because both are fun.  "So-and-so" told that British creator how the very idea of British super heroes sucked.  Repeated by another "name".  Two names I recognised as having hailed Jack Staff as a great British super hero comic/

You will not get any form of support talking to people "within the comics community" because their whole thing is that they are "names" (they write and draw comics ffs) and they are negative about anything unless it gets their names mentioned (they'll still stab you in the back).

Here is the point. You have an idea.  You have a character.  You have a setting -some place you know like the city, town or part of UK you live in.  Go for it. DO NOT go the whole round of "do you think this is a good idea -will it work?"

Firstly, your idea will be stolen by the "names."  I know, most of them do no work these days and live off past glories but they'll steal just the same -and I have witnessed this as a third party.

Secondly, by asking those questions you are saying "I don't really want to do this. I'll pretend I'm serious."

This is the time of Print On Demand (POD). Lulu or even Ka-Blam! -print what you need or have their online store so people can buy -or not. The chance of a big comic company grabbing you and your idea is very, very slim. More chance of you winning the lottery.  If they do grab you and your idea it'll end up with you signing something that gives it all away...and then you are "surplus to requirements".  There's hot new 'talent' they want to give the character to for a reboot to "get it right". With Image you keep your copyright but you don't get paid a page rate -it depends on sales.

Write and draw your comic -either yourself or with a friend who is an artist (but be very clear about who owns what).  Sort out the format -a colour or black and white comic? Monthly? Bi-monthly? Or, rather than do that and try to keep to a schedule, publish the entire thing as a graphic novel or comic album  (we've been over this before but comic albums are A4 -like Cinebook produce- and fall between 48 (standard) to 80pp.  Graphic novels are books. Over 100pp and a complete story -not a trade which collects series' issues together in a book so you might get 1-2 or 3 stories in them.

Find which POD seems best for what you want to publish and get to it.  Diamond are NOT going to carry your book. They are solely interested in Marvel and DC, Image and to a degree Dark Horse but only big companies that make them money. You think you will have the one book out of a couple hundred they'll take? Get a day job.

Your main outlet will be comic events and an online store.

It is your comic. Your creation. And You should be the person who profits from it not just takes a small percentage.  Take full responsibility for your books from start to finish.  Succeed or fail only one person will be responsible: You.

So, whether you are in the UK, Germany, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Italy it does not matter: go for it and at least you will have tried.

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