Why Should You Buy a Book About the Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing?

As we get closer to the release of The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing* (See What Information Is in The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing?), I’m working on the copy that will appear in the online store and on the back cover of the book. Here’s the current version.

What do you think? Would you consider buying a book like this? Drop a comment and let me know.

The business of comics is chaotic and complex. Becoming an independent comic book publisher isn’t like becoming a doctor or a lawyer. There is no license you can obtain or standard path for you to follow. But there are decisions you need to make and steps you can take if you want to turn your creative ideas into published comics.

The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing will help you understand those decisions. It will walk you through each of the steps, guiding you from your first idea to your finished product. Comic book attorney and business consultant Gamal Hennessy taps into more than twenty years of experience in the industry to help you achieve your goals in comics including:

●      Developing intellectual property that you own and control

●      Creating a business plan tailored for your specific publishing goals

●      Finding and hiring a professional team to create your business and your book

●      Building a long-term relationship with your readers

●      Understanding the distribution process

●      Creating comics you can be proud of on time and under budget

●      Using your comic to generate multiple streams of revenue

The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing is one-part instruction manual, one-part reference guide and one-part inspirational program. It explains the business and legal concepts in the comics industry to maximize your creativity. It removes much of the doubt and frustration from the business and makes the experience of publishing comics more enjoyable. If you want to become a comic book publisher and possibly create the next generation of modern mythology, you need to understand the business of independent comic book publishing.

About the Author

Gamal Hennessy is an entertainment transactions attorney and business consultant with an expertise in comic book publishing and intellectual property licensing. He began his career as the general counsel for the anime company Central Park Media before moving to Marvel Comics to run their international licensing program. After Marvel, he set up a boutique firm called Creative Contract Consulting to serve independent comic creators and publishing clients for more than a decade. He currently serves as the Vice President of Content and general counsel for the digital comics distribution platform GlobalComix.com

Have fun with your comic

Gamal

* The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing is scheduled for release in early October of 2020.

If you have questions about the business or legal aspects of your comic book publishing and you'd like a free consultation, please contact me and we can set something up that fits in with your schedule.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH YOUR COMIC PROPERTY, DISCUSS IT WITH A QUALIFIED CONTRACT ATTORNEY OR CONTACT C3 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

What Can You Do For Your Comic During the Pandemic?

Most aspects of normal life have been disrupted by the novel coronavirus, including the comic book industry. Social distancing has canceled conventions, crippled comic shop income and created confusion across the board.

But for some independent publishers, the pandemic can be a period of progress.

Publishing comics is more than attending shows and trying to sell books. It requires a significant commitment of time and effort before and after the comic is created. Our current period of social distancing can provide an opportunity to devote time to your comic that you might not have in normal life.

Depending on your personal circumstances and the stage of your book’s development, the following suggestions from my upcoming book might be helpful to you. They demand time and attention, but they don’t require money or direct interaction with other people. Since you might be stuck in your house anyway, consider the following developmental aspects to your comic publishing.

1.     The Foundation

a.     Stop and reflect on why you want to make comics in the first place (See What Are You Trying to Do?)

b.     Identify your ultimate goal in comics

2.     Intellectual Property Management

a.     Make sure you have the right to make your comic (ownership, licensing or public domain)

b.     Develop your synopsis, pitch, hook, setting, and characters

3.     Investment

a.     Develop a budget for your comic

b.     Figure out where the money will come from to develop your comic before it’s made

         i.     Your money

         ii.     OPM (other people’s money)

4.     Business Management

a.     Decide whether you want to form a company for your comic (See The Benefits of Forming an LLC)

b.     Search for professionals (accountant, attorney, editor) who can help protect your idea, your investment and you.

5.     Talent Management

a.     Decide who you are going to need to publish your comic (See You Need Two Teams)

b.     Decide if you are going to use collaborators (See Collaboration Agreement) or Work For Hire (See WFH Agreement)

c.      Search for possible candidates

6.     Marketing*

a.     Identify your ideal reader (See Who Is Your Ideal Reader?)

b.     Identify your competition (See Who Is Your Competition?)

c.      Build a relationship with your target market (See Building a Relationship with Your Reader)

7.     Distribution

a.     Research the requirements for each distribution channel

b.     Decide how readers will get your comic

8.      Production

a.     Improve your creative skills

b.     Research the impact of each comic form on your market

c.      Develop a production schedule

d.     Develop communication methods and contingencies

e.     Research different digital asset management options

9.     Advertising

a.     Develop advertising sell sheet

b.     Leverage endorsements and reviews

c.      Research the comic book press

d.     Explore paid advertising options

e.     Understand advertising timing

10.  Sales

a.     Understand profit, loss, and breakeven for your comic

b.     Decide how you will generate money with your comic

         i.     Monetization

         ii.     Crowdfunding

iii.     Sales

11.  Revenue

a.     Understand all your revenue sources based on your distribution and sales

b.     Understand all your payment liabilities based on profit splits, royalties, and outstanding payments

12.  Growth

a.     Consider what you will do after your comic is published

b.     Consider changes in the market (See Are Comics Worth Publishing If Marvel Stops?)

c.      Consider what happens to your comic after you are gone

In his book Unnatural Talent, comic creator Jason Brubaker said that the best way to publish a comic is to do one thing every day to move the process forward. In this period of uncertainty, there are more important things in life than comics. But if you’re safe, healthy and find yourself wondering how to spend some of the days and weeks of this crisis, spending time developing the business of your comic can put you in a better position when the world emerges from its forced isolation.

Stay safe and have fun with your comic.

Gamal

* If you want even more information on comic book marketing, you can get a PDF of my free guide here.

If you have questions about the business or legal aspects of your comic book publishing and you'd like a free consultation, please contact me and we can set something up that fits in with your schedule.

PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH YOUR COMIC PROPERTY, DISCUSS IT WITH A QUALIFIED CONTRACT ATTORNEY OR CONTACT C3 FOR A FREE CONSULTATION

How Can You Learn the Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing?

This is a modified introduction to the book I plan to release this summer called The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing. It attempts to explain the problem in the comics industry I’m trying to solve, provides an overview of the contents of the book and, what it can and can’t do for you. 

If you have specific questions about this project, please feel free to let me know. 

________________________________

The business of comics is chaotic, complex, and on a certain level, crazy. Few other industries transform fantasies and nightmares into potentially profitable products. 

So having a career in comics isn’t like becoming a doctor or a lawyer. There is no license you can obtain or a standard path for you to take to superstardom. Everyone who works in comics has a unique story on how they got to their position. Everyone in the industry used some combination of talent, perseverance, connections, and luck in order to succeed. 

Some people find their way into comics through other forms of professional illustration or visual art. Some began their careers in theater. Some have been found through art portfolio reviews at conventions or through a formal story submission process.

There have been people who learned their craft in staff jobs at established publishers and some who broke into the business working at retail stores. There is no one door that you can open to get into comics. Everyone has to find their own key. 

But if there is one common thread I’ve heard from successful creators, established publishers, and industry watchers, it can be summed up by a statement Matt Hawkins, President of Top Cow: 

 “You need to self-publish and get work out into the public. Many good creators never get anywhere. You have to be good, but you also have to be persistent and lucky” 

The problem is that there are very few ways for an aspiring creator to learn the business and legal aspects of publishing comics. There are dozens of amazing books on the artistic craft of writing and drawing comics, but the nuts and bolts of the industry hasn't been explored in depth… until now. 

The Business of Independent Comic Book Publishing (ICP for short), is designed to help you understand both the comic book publishing industry in general and the needs of your comic book in particular. While ICP can’t guarantee your story will be good, it can facilitate your persistence and help you capitalize on your luck. It can’t teach you how to create comics, but it can teach you how to become an independent comic book publisher.  

How is the Book Structured?

I'm an attorney. A big part of that job is asking and answering questions (See What is Comic Book Law?), so I’m going to stick with what I know. In each chapter of the book, I’ll pose basic and important questions about various aspects of independent publishing. Then, I’ll attempt to provide information and ideas you can use to create your specific publishing program in order to help you get books out the door. 

The book is broken down into twelve sections: 

1. The Foundation: Understanding your overall goals for making comics

2. Intellectual Property Management: Turning your ideas into legal assets

3. Investment: Finding the funds to pay for your book before it is published

4. Business Management: Securing legal and financial protection for your idea and investment

5. Talent Management: Finding the best team possible for your book

6. Marketing: Finding the right readers for your book

7. Distribution: Finding the best way to get your book to your readers

8. Production: Making the best comic you can on time and under budget. 

9. Advertising: Informing your readers about your book

10. Sales: Generating revenue from your intellectual property

11. Revenue: Managing the money your book makes

12. Growth: Deciding how to use your book to create a life in comics

But ICP is not all questions and answers. Publishing comics is not a one size fits all process, so the book tries to explain the different options you have at each stage of your story’s development, as well as the positive and negative aspects of each choice so you can decide what is best for your unique situation. 

ICP also includes ideas, theories, aspirations, and possible outcomes in a multiverse of futures for you and the industry. You can use this book not just as a guide to what is, but also what might be possible. After all, comics are about exploring your imagination.

How Should I Read ICP?

ICP is one part instruction manual, one part reference guide, and one part inspirational program. I’ve combined practice and theory to create something you can use from the moment you decide to publish comics to the point your business is running like a well-oiled machine. Because of the range of topics it covers, this is a book that needs to be read, consulted and questioned. 

I wrote ICP under the presumption that the reader has no business or legal background, so MBA’s or a hedge fund investors reading it to understand the comic book industry will have to forgive the time I take explaining the fundamentals.

You might not agree with the ideas and concepts in this book and I'm not trying to claim any authority as the absolute truth when it comes to publishing independent comics. As long as you understand the options I offer in this book and why you might reject them for your own projects, ICP can still be helpful to you.

What Can This Book Do for Me? 

A book on independent comic publishing isn’t necessarily a book you’re going to read for fun (although I hope you’ll at least find it interesting). If you read this book and follow its process to a reasonable degree, here’s what you’ll get for your purchase price and time spent reading:

• Intellectual property (in terms of characters and stories) that you own

• A business plan for publishing comics

• Experience in the comics publishing industry

• Contacts within the industry

• A market for your ideas

• A process you can replicate with other books

• A finished product

• A little cash left over...maybe.

What Can’t This Book Do for Me?

This book is not the Infinity Gauntlet. It can’t do everything for your independent comic. As a general concept, this book does not guarantee:

• That your book will be profitable

• That your book will be popular

• That your book will be successful (depending on your definition of success)

• That the things you read in this book will be applicable outside the United States. 

Specifically, while I cover a lot of legal concepts in this book, this isn’t legal advice. If you have particular questions about your situation or a project you’re working on, you need to contact a legal professional. 

Finally, this book shouldn’t stifle your creative impulses. There is no contradiction between being creative and understanding the business of creativity. Some comic creators feel that they need to avoid business and legal issues to focus on their art. Others feel that treating comics as a business will suck the fun out of comics. But in reality, it is the creators who have the opportunity to turn their publishing into a viable full-time business that can have just as much fun as the part-time publisher. In fact, gaining a grasp of the business of comics can remove doubt and frustration from the process and make the experience of comics more enjoyable in the long run.

If you want to publish comics and possibly create the next generation of modern mythology, you need to learn the business as well as the art.

ICP is scheduled for release in the summer of 2020. If you’d like to keep up on developments, pre-orders or other news in the comic book industry, feel free to join my mailing list or Facebook group.

Have fun with your comic

Gamal

Fighting the Demons of Independent Comics Publishing

Publishing your own comics, like any type of independent creative endeavor, can be an exciting journey of achievement. It can also be a descent into poor health, isolation, and financial stress. Creators who can balance the love for their book with their long term well being have a better chance of enjoying the experience. 

Jessica Bruder wrote a thoughtful piece in Inc. Magazine called "The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship." While publishing an independent comic isn't the same as launching a Fortune 500 company, there are simple lessons in this post creators can learn like:

• Make time for friends and family

• Ask for help if depression or hopelessness sets in

• Take care of your body (sleep, exercise, etc.)

• Don't bankrupt yourself to make your book

• Don't define yourself only by your book

Publishing independent comics can feel like being a superhero with a secret identity. Both your passion project and your alter ego need to be protected. Neglecting either one can create an imbalance that destroys both.

 PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE AN ISSUE WITH YOUR COMIC PROPERTY, DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR LEGAL ADVISOR OR CONTACT C3 AT gamalhennessy@gmail.com FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.

Your Career in Comics: What Are You Trying to Do?

By Gamal Hennessy

I’m in the process of writing a book about the business and legal aspects of making independent comics (See Your Career in Comics). As the book develops, I plan to share parts of it here for your reaction and feedback.

Since this is the first post, I’m going to start with an existential question:

Why do you want to make comics?

Before you start thinking about drawing, sales or social media, it is important to figure out exactly what you’re trying to accomplish and why. Making comics, like any artistic or business endeavor, involves substantial sacrifice and investment. If you’re going to make comics a part of your life beyond the Wednesday ritual of picking up your pull box, it makes sense to take a step back and look at the big picture.

To answer this question, I suggest you take yourself out for a cup of coffee or a cocktail (if you’re old enough, of course) and figure out the answers to the following questions. Keep in mind that the answers can and will change over time, so don’t be afraid to revisit these questions as your circumstances and the industry changes.

Goals (or What Do You Want to Do in Comics?): “I want to make comics” is a start, but there are different aspects to the industry, and figuring out where you want to be will help you make decisions on which opportunities to pursue and which ones to avoid. Maybe you want to make your own books and sell them at cons. Maybe you want to work for the Big Two. Maybe you want to be the next Stan Lee or Todd McFarlane. Maybe you want it all. You can have any goals you want. The purpose of goals isn’t to limit you. They just guide you on your path.

Reasons (or Why Do You Want a Career in Comics?): It’s one thing to know what you want to do. Knowing why is a different type of insight. Are you doing this because you have a story to tell, because you want to be a part of the comics community, or because you want more money than Tony Stark?

Like your goals, your reasons are personal. They don’t have to define you, but keeping them in mind can motivate you to overcome the inevitable setbacks and pitfalls. You can have any reason or motivation you want for getting into comics. There are opportunities for artistry, creativity, and profit at almost every level of the industry, but at the end of the day, a love of the art form will keep you going.  

Plan (or How Are You Going to Get into Comics?) After you understand your goals and your reasons for wanting those goals, you need to develop a plan to help you get from where you are to where you want to go. As you follow along with this blog and hopefully read my book, you can begin to figure out which path you want to adopt for your own purposes and take the appropriate steps.

Of course, no plan survives contact with reality. The industry is in a state of constant flux. The impact of changing trends will often be outside of your control. You’re going to need to modify your plan to adapt to new conditions, so the plan you make might not be the path you ultimately take. But you have to start somewhere and making your own comic is a good place to begin, no matter where you ultimately want to go.

Resources (or What Do You Have to Offer the Industry?) The secret to success in the comics business involves making consistent ritual sacrifices on the altar of the industry. What you get from comics is based in large part on what you put in. Your offering might be a creative vision, artistic skill, a network of eager professionals, or an investment of time and finances. In many cases, the creators who came before you had to offer all these things and more. Now is the time to figure out what you bring to the table and what you need to find in the community to make your goals real.

Milestones (or How Will You Track the Progress of Your Plan?) No one goes to sleep wanting a career in comics and wakes up where they want to be. Your development as a creator will grow in stages. You get to determine what those stages are and to a large extent, in what order you want them to happen. You can start with putting your first team together, getting your first issue online, or any other basis that’s right for you. You can decide whether your goals are books created, copies sold, or views on your website. Milestones give your goals concrete structure you can use to measure your efforts.

Motivation (or What Gets You Started and Keeps You Going?) Despite the view from the outside, the art and business of comics are not easy. It can be a long road from your initial inspiration to holding your book in your hands and the road isn’t a straight line. There will be obstacles and pressures to stop. This isn’t just true in comics. It’s true in life.

Even if you get your vision into the world, success (whatever your definition of it is) may not come quickly. It is not hyperbole to say some creators did not live long enough to see the characters they created become a fixture in mainstream culture.

So what is it about your comic that’s going to bring you back to the project month after month and year after year? What is going to pick you up when life knocks you down? What drives you might be very personal or it could be the universal desire for fame and fortune.

Yes, they’re movies, merchandise, and money to be made. Yes, comics are one of the driving forces in 21st-century pop culture. But the comics business is not a get rich quick industry. For every Walking Dead, there are thousands of other titles that lose money or never get off the ground. If you don’t love comics, it might not make sense to spend the time and effort of getting into the business.

In the next installment of Your Career in Comics, I plan to talk about the framework for an independent comics company and break down the process into manageable parts. If you’d like to read more about the business and legal aspects of making comics, like my Facebook page or sign up for my free newsletter.

Have fun with your comic...

Gamal  

 PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE A ISSUE WITH YOUR COMIC PROPERTY, DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR LEGAL ADVISOR OR CONTACT C3 AT gamalhennessy@gmail.com FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.  

Top 10 Professional Panels for New York Comic Con 2016

by Gamal Hennessy

As one of the major pop culture gatherings in America, New York Comic Con (NYCC) is a great place for fans to connect, companies to promote their franchises and media to be consumed.  But it is also a good place for creators of all levels to connect, learn and network.

There are going to be hundreds of panels at this year’s NYCC. I’ve tried to spotlight five per day that will offer you the advice, ideas and tips that can enhance your professional career.

Thursday, October 6th                                            

1)     Writers Unite: Writing and Pitching Comic Stories with Charles Soule: 11:00 am in Room 1A18

2)     From Panel to Publisher: An In-Depth Look at Transactional Law for Comic Book Creators with Thomas Crowell, Esq. 12:15 pm in Room 1A02

3)     Using Tumblr to Sell Your Idea Panel: 5:30 PM in Room 1A24

4)     From Press to Social Media: Marketing Your Comic Book with Michael Molcher and Alex Segura 6:30 pm in Room 1B03

Friday, October 7th  

5)     How to Succeed in Self-Publishing Panel 11:00 am in Room 1A02

6)     Keeping Control of Your Comic Panel 11:15 am in Room 1A05

7)     Creator Connection: Facilitated Professional Networking Panel 2:30 pm in Room 1A18

8)     Breaking Into Comics with Andy Schmidt 7:45 pm in room 1B03

Saturday, October 8th

9)     Breaking In: How They Did It and How You Can Do It: 1:45 pm in Room 1A05

Sunday, October 9th

10)  From the Printed Page to the Silver Screen: Licensing Comics for Film and Television with Thomas Crowell 12:15 pm in Room 1A05

While I won’t be on any panels this year, I do plan to be in Artist’s Alley after 4:00 pm on Thursday October, 6th. If you’d like to meet me for a free consultation or just to say hello, please contact me and we can set something up.

It’s easy to be overwhelmed at an event like NYCC. I hope this list helps you find the information you need to understand the legal and business aspects of comics and make the most of your creativity.

Have fun.
Gamal

Success in the comics industry requires an understanding of the business, creative, and legal aspects of the medium.

Sign up for The Professional Comics Creator to get monthly e-mail news, tips and advice on how to get the most from your characters and stories

PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE A LICENSEING OR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUE, DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR LEGAL ADVISOR OR CONTACT C3 AT gamalhennessy@gmail.com FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.

Your Career in Comics: An Introduction

by Gamal Hennessy

The business of comics is chaotic, complex and on a certain level, crazy. Few other industries transform fantasies and nightmares into profitable communities. Almost every fan of comics has imagined themselves working in the industry. Some of us are insane enough to pursue our passion as a profession.

But having a career in comics isn’t like becoming a doctor or a lawyer. There is no license you can get or set path for you to take to superstardom. Everyone who works in comics has a unique story on how they got their position. Everyone in the industry used some combination of talent, perseverance, connections and luck. Everyone had to find their own way.

I’m planning to write a book to help finding your way a little easier. Your Career in Comics: A Business, Creative and Legal Framework for Professional Sequential Artists (which I’m calling YCC for short) will go into granular detail on the four major creative positions in modern comics. My goal is to explore aspects of each position to help you navigate your way between and within each step. With luck, this framework, added to your talent, determination and fortune, will lead you to a fulfilling career in the complex world of comics.

This is not going to be a book about comic book case law, creating professional artwork, or a book about pitching to an editor. There are several excellent books on all those subjects and I plan to reference them . This book is meant to be more of a comprehensive guide. I’m in a unique position because of my experience as a lawyer, business manager, and author. I’m going to use all those different perspectives to help you see your comic career as a whole, instead of focusing on one aspect.

YCC is going to be a journey that I'll write about in this blog in the coming weeks and months, As you read these posts, please keep three things in mind:

First, the four major roles in comics are broad conceptual categories and not rigid definitions. You don’t necessarily have to complete one position to move to the next. You could try and explore all of them at once, or you can bounce from one to another as your interests and circumstances dictate.

Second, understand that while I describe these positions in a specific order, I’m not suggesting a successful comic career is defined by moving from one position to the next. You can have a creative, exciting and profitable comic career by picking one position and staying there for decades. Comics allow you to go wide or deep. Your only limit is your talent, perseverance, connections and luck. A little bit of crazy will probably be helpful too.

Finally, and most importantly, a career in comics is based on selling what you own. A lot of what you “sell” will be intangible; time, skill, audience, intellectual property rights, etc., but the basic premise is the same You Can’t Sell What You Don’t Own. If you remember nothing else I say, you’ll still get the main point if you apply this simple concept to your work.

I hope you enjoy and get involved in the development of this book, If I’ve make the complex world of comics a little easier to understand, then I’ve done my job.

Have fun.

Gamal

Success in the comics industry requires an understanding of the business, creative, and legal aspects of the medium.

Sign up forThe Professional Comics Creator to get monthly e-mail news, tips and advice on how to get the most from your characters and stories

PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE A LICENSEING OR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUE, DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR LEGAL ADVISOR OR CONTACT C3 AT gamalhennessy@gmail.com FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.

My Podcast Interview with Comics Pros and Cons

by Gamal Hennessy

Comics Pros and Cons is a podcast hosted by Derek Becker about the craft and creativity of comics. While most of his guests have been comics creators, he decided to bring me on to talk about the business and legal aspects of the industry. 

Our conversation covered a lot of ground, including a discussion of:

• Copyrights and trademarks
• The four types of comic book professional
• The fan art controversy
• When comics creators need to have a contract

We had a lot of fun recording the podcast and the topics will be of interest to anyone interested in the comic book industry. Feel free to click on the link below and subscribe to Comics Pros and Cons while you're there.

Gamal Hennessy interview with Comics Pros and Cons

Have fun.

GH

C3 Spotlight: Mike Marts, Editor in Chief of AfterShock Comics

By Gamal Hennessy

The world of comics, film and licensing is full of professionals with years of experience, deep affection for their craft and a practical understanding of the business. To help all my readers and prospective clients, I’m planning an ongoing series of interviews with people I’ve met in the industry to get their perspectives on contracts, career growth and where they see the entertainment world going.

I wanted to start off this series with a friend of mine who has helped shape the current explosion of comic book properties. Mike Marts has worked for both Marvel and DC, successfully guiding flagship properties for both companies. I met Mike back in 2002 when he was the editor for the X-Men line of books. He would go on to edit the Batman line and Guardians of the Galaxy as well. Just before he left for this year’s San Diego Comic Con, I caught up with Mike to talk about his new role as Editor in Chief for Aftershock Comics.

Gamal Hennessy: You’ve worked on the biggest properties at both major publishers, and you’ve also worked for smaller players in the industry. How have you seen the business change in the wake of the film and TV explosion we’re currently seeing? (See Making Comics Isn’t Really About Comics Anymore)

Mike Marts: Comics always had a foothold in movies and TV, but that space was usually reserved for characters like Batman, Superman, Spider-Man and Hulk. Every once in a while you’d see a book like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles or Men in Black crossover, but no one thought Flash, Constantine, SHIELD, iZombie, and Daredevil would find success on TV at the same time both major companies are planning six year release cycles for films and still leaving room for independent publishers to get movies made. We’ve come a long way from the downsizing of the late 1990’s.

GH: True story. In addition to your expertise in publishing, Aftershock’s executive board brings together professionals from film, TV and Silicon Valley. Did you come together to reap the rewards of the current comic book mystique? Do you plan to create a new cinematic universe along the lines of Marvel, DC, and Valiant? (See What Does the Valiant Deal Mean for Comics, Movies and You?)

MM: In terms of connections, experience, and resources, we’re certainly in a position to translate a property from comics to the screen, but that’s not our focus or our main reason for existence. We see an opportunity to create great and unique stories. That’s our goal. If the timing and opportunity comes up for a show or a movie, we can pursue it. But good stories and quality comics come first.

GH: So what genres of stories will you focus on? Will it be an American type superhero line, or will you explore other genres?

MM: Japanese and French comics have a strong tradition of books from multiple genres and I think there’s space for something similar here. It isn’t our goal to stand out in the superhero genre because the big two have decades of history and thousands of characters, but a lot of other genres are wide open. We’ll probably start with science fiction, crime, fantasy and horror titles because they have a rich history in the medium, but I’d love to see us doing sports, romance and comedy related work too.

GH: Let’s talk about the business side of where Aftershock is going. Are you planning on publishing creator-owned properties, or will it mostly be work for hire on Aftershock created IP? (See Entertainment Contracts 101: Creator Owned vs. Work for Hire)

MM: We’re looking at a creator-owned model in the beginning. We want writers and artists to pitch their best work and grow a strong stable of properties from a lot of different minds.

GH: Talk about your experience of working with writers and artists on contracts. Have you found a tendency for creatives to try and negotiate their deals, or do they come to the table with very few demands? (See David vs. Goliath: Negotiating Power in Creative Contracts)

MM: There’s a tendency for people to see larger publishers as more stable and less prone to business misunderstandings. They think “these guys have been doing it for so long, their system must be locked in.” Artists and writers tend to be more wary of smaller publishers, especially when it comes to creator-owned deals because there’s more at stake and the pedigree of the big boys isn’t there. The negotiations tend to be longer when smaller companies are involved, and a lot of times creatives feel comfortable asking for more.

GH: What’s the best path for an up and coming writer or artist in 2015? (See How to Break Into Comics)

MM: I don’t think there’s any one path. Almost everyone in comics you meet has a strange story of how they broke into the business. The most important thing, no matter how you get in, is showing a consistent body of work. You could be the best artist ever, but no editor or publisher can take a chance on someone who will only finish one book a year or who misses deadlines. Quality production over time is what everyone is looking for.

GH: So how can writers and artists submit their ideas to Aftershock for consideration?

MM: All of our submission guidelines will be available on our website very soon. People can just jump to that page and show me what they’ve got.

Have fun

Gamal

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“Professional Timeline for Mike Marts, EIC AfterShock Comics

1993:
Began as an editorial intern at Marvel Comics while still in college and became an assistant editor for books including Fantastic Four and Iron Man in the same year

1997:
Moved to Wizard Entertainment to manage promotions and publicity

1997-1999:
Editor at Acclaim Comics

1999-2006:
Senior Editor at Marvel for the X-Men universe

2006-2014:
Group Editor at DC for Batman universe

2014:
Executive Editor at Marvel for X-Men universe and Guardians of the Galaxy

2015:
Editor in Chief at AfterShock Comics”

PLEASE NOTE: THIS BLOG POST IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR LEGAL ADVICE. IF YOU HAVE A LICENSING OR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ISSUE, DISCUSS IT WITH YOUR LEGAL ADVISOR OR CONTACT C3 AT gamalhennessy@gmail.com FOR A FREE CONSULTATION.