March 9, 2012 1:11 pm The first NEW WARRIORS series stands out as one of my all-time favorites. Even after Bagley left, we got a young Darick Robertson, stayed for a gorgeous run.
A few years ago I was hired to do an 18-page NW story for Marvel's digital line. It was set during the early days of the team. It turned out kinda cool and while I finished the script, I don't think the art was ever finished and I doubt it'll ever see the light of day at this point.
December 3, 2011 10:43 am @Kmanifesto - I guess the latest issue of Near Death would benefit me the most, since that's the only book I'm currently working on.
December 2, 2011 3:38 pm @Kmanifesto - I just hope my comic book cred is never in doubt. ;-) I've been writing comics for over 10 years, and I've been working in television for less than a year.
And yes, it's not lost on me that Near Death would be pretty easy to translate to TV. My agents are certainly shopping it around. But that's just gravy -- the comic book is the meal, as far as I'm concerned.
December 2, 2011 1:08 am @Kmanifesto says: Near Death is a television ‘spec script’ in the guise of a comic book.
Just wanted to say that is 100% not true. Whether you enjoy the book or not is one thing, but it's meant to be a comic, first and foremost. Yes, I work in television so it's not inconceivable that Near Death could make the leap from comics to TV, but that's not the purpose for the book. It's a comic -- if it's never anything but a comic, it'll still be a success in my eyes.
I'm only having a strong reaction to your innocent comment because, as a comic book fan, I can't stand books that are obviously thinly-veiled TV or movie pitches. You know, stuff like Cowboys & Aliens, where they do the bare minimum necessary to create a comic and then use it as a movie pitch.
December 17, 2010 1:57 pm @Cormac - Yeah, I get what you're saying. And I'm glad Millar is putting so much emphasis on his creator-owned work. I wish all creators would do that!
December 16, 2010 10:08 am @Cormac - While THE WALKING DEAD is Kirkman's biggest success, I know he makes a nice profit on INVINCIBLE, too. And it was optioned for film at one point, a few years ago. Kirkman was even able to negotiate the deal where he wrote the screenplay -- which is pretty impressive.
December 15, 2010 10:23 pm @wallythegreenmonster - I realize I'm coming across as defensive on Image's behalf, but a difference between them and traditional book publishers is that book publishers are in it to make a profit. Image isn't. Image's fee is a flat fee for all their books, and it covers their office space and staff, that sort of thing. So they make as much money on THE WALKING DEAD as they do on their worst-selling title.
But yeah -- the less creators you have in your creative team, the more profit there is to split between them. I know Alex Grecian does his own lettering on PROOF and Kirkman used to letter all his own books before they got so successful that he could pay someone else to do it.
Image isn't the place for everyone. Some creators don't mind giving up some control and some media rights if it means they get a page rate. But if you want maximum creative control with maximum market exposure, Image is where it's at.
December 15, 2010 9:38 pm @wallythegreenmonster - I take your point, but I wouldn't really call coloring and lettering "production costs." Those are more like creative costs, since the colorist and letterer are part of the creative team. Production costs would be pre-press formatting, and actual printing. That sort of thing. Which Image handles. Don't get me wrong -- it IS a sad state of affairs that profits are so low on most creator-owned books that publishers can't normally afford to offer any kind of advance without owning part of the property. It's very tough out there. But I don't think writers and artists should pay colorists and letterers out of their own pocket. They should instead look for colorists and letterers that are willing to work for a percentage of the profits (or partial ownership, or both). That way, no one's paying anything upfront. But hey, different people have different ways of doing things.
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But yeah -- the less creators you have in your creative team, the more profit there is to split between them. I know Alex Grecian does his own lettering on PROOF and Kirkman used to letter all his own books before they got so successful that he could pay someone else to do it.
Image isn't the place for everyone. Some creators don't mind giving up some control and some media rights if it means they get a page rate. But if you want maximum creative control with maximum market exposure, Image is where it's at.