Self-Publish Your Own Comic Book
I draw, ink and self-publish these swash-buckling yarns in my spare time and in the process I’ve pleased the heck out of my daughter and also have met a whole lot of other independent comic book artists and publishers like myself, both in person and on-line. Most are a lot more dedicated than me – and no doubt hoping to come up with the next Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Superman or any other concept that will translate easily into comics and film and generate millions of dollars! My motives aren’t quite so lofty. I do what I do because I enjoy doing it. And you can to!
I’m not about to teach you how to draw, nor tell you whether what you’re drawing is any good. Whether it’s a stick man or a well-chiseled super-hero that would make Batman jealous is entirely up to you! And whether the story you decide to tell is no more literate than “Hulk SMASH..!” or something that Hemingway would admire is also in your hands. What I can do is point out some resources that have helped me get more enjoyment out of what I’m doing, without going broke in the process! And really that’s the most important thing!
A good starting point for the fledging comic book artist /publisher is to follow the links on Yahoo. Follow “Entertainment” to “Comics and Animation” and then open the link to “Small Press Comics”. There are several topics to choose from and one of the most interesting is labeled “FAQ – Small Press Comics” by John MacLeod. This is an old site and hasn’t been updated since about 1999. I’m not even sure if John is still drawing comics any more for that matter. But I do know that the information within the FAQ is as valid now as it was way back then. John gives a good explanation of what small press comics are, and there are links to topics regarding what pencils you should use and the size paper you want to draw on, etc. All good stuff. The only thing I would add is, “There are no rules!” These days, comics come in just about every shape and size imaginable and the contents inside run the gamut from simple drawings to something Leonardo Di Vinci would be jealous of. And again, regarding the writing – make it as simple or as literate as you want it to be. Heck, it’s your comic!
A quick word on material. Lately I’ve been doing all my artwork on paper that is A3 size because it fits right in my scanner. But again, are you doing this for you or one of the major publishers? The industry standard is a working area of 10-by-15 on an 11-by-17 piece of illustration board. A standard comic these days runs 22 pages of art and story. But your comic book can be as long as you want it to be! Yet another great thing about being “independent.
O-k, so you’ve got a stack of paper, a couple of pencils, a few pens and you’ve penciled and inked yet another adventure of “Lots O’ Strength Man” (or whatever you’re character/book is called) and now it’s time to letter the darn thing! Fear not, because if you log on to Blambot.com you can help yourself to a ton of free comic book fonts that you can download onto your computer and use as your own! The fonts range from ones you can use in titles, special effects and word balloons. They’ll make you’re work look more professional regardless of who you’re drawing it for. By comparisdon, there are plenty of comic book font packages that you can pay for, but why pay when you have some decent basics or free?
Another great site for the artist/publisher-wanna-be is digitalwebbing.com and it really is a fan’s paradise. They publish their own comics and promote the heck out of them, but they also have a great link entitled the “Talent Search Engine”. Here you can find independent publishers of all kinds looking for pencilers, inkers, letterers and colorers. There’s a link for “Submissions” and another for “Collaborations”. Plus all the addresses and points of contacts are posted for all the major (and not so major) comic book publishers. There are even fan forums where you can post your work, compare tips and tichniques and even get a critique. All in all a very fun site where you can learn a lot and maybe even find a job (which by the way probably won’t pay much if at all).
Well, at this stage you’ve got some decision making to do. Small press comics mean just that – press runs that range from 1 – 100 or so, often done on a photocopy machine. No overhead and done for fun! An independent publisher on the other hand is trying to make money! He has print runs of nothing less than 1000 to 1500 comics and these comics must be sold! AAAK! Now wonder in the old days this used to separate those that “can” from those that “can’t”. Printing up your comic at a conventional printer – even one that specializes in comics – can cost big money. About $1500.00 for one book. And that’s not including advertising and shipping and anything else that comes up. Need I say more to convince you why I do why I do to please no one but me? (and of course my daughter and other kids in the neighborhood).
But thanks to computer technology there is hope. Check out “printing on demand” – digital printers who specialize in small press runs. A few of the most notable are comiXpress.com, lulu.com, and cafepress.com. Very affordable and they all work off TIF files or JPGs. The great thing about these print-on-demand shops is that you can print one copy or you can print several hundred. All at a fraction of the price of a conventional printer. Check ’em out, and you’ll notice that suddenly the epic adventures of “Stickman” become a lot more affordable!
So you see – you can find a way to “publish” your own work. I use the term loosely because it really depends again on what your motives are. If you do even a haphazard search on Google or Yahoo you’ll notice that there are far more independent publishers than there are mainstream ones. There are far more struggling comic book artists doing what they do because they have a passion for the art form. But don’t stop here, there are plenty of other links to be found on the internet that deal with other facets of making a comic book – – like drawing, inking, writing and coloring.
So jump in the fire and do something your passionate about. At the very least you’ll meet some other creators that are just as enthusiastic as you are!
