Customer Reviews

Countdown to Wednesday: Inside Look at Comic Book

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For anyone with ANY interest (AT ALL) in breaking into the comic book industry as an artist, or writer this should be in your library. Put it on, take notes and learn how the comic book world REALLY works from the people who make it turn.
This was far more forthcoming than I expected. I expect a lot of cryptic answers to the question of how to get your foot in the door, I've become so used to people and publishers at conventions saying stuff like "Persevere, persevere, persevere!" Yeah thanks Yoda, care to be more specific?

Well these guys are! And the whole thing starts with STAN LEE saying, "If you're a creative person, you can't stop yourself from being creative!" This whole DVD gives me hope for the future! They tell you exactly what people in the comic world want to know about you, if you're a writer or an artist. They take you down the line from, writing, to inking, to backgrounds. I've paid hundreds of dollars on clinics, workshops, etc. to hear what these guys have to say for less than the cost of this dvd, and the whole tone of the DVD as you learn is to "Go for it!"

This is a great learning reference from the masters.

I'm a huge fan with even bigger dreams of breaking in. This DVD had some of my heroes (Stan the Man!) talking about what it takes. Don't hit the "play all" feature - it was much better surfing through the chapters.

This one has some great tips. However I have to say...why work for Marvel? Where you can be replaced by the next "flavor of the month artist"; who will take all your ideas. Wendy Pini and her husband published Elfquest. Dave Sim did his Cerebus thing. Kevin Eastman and Laird made Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles...all without the help of Marvel or DC!

I would keep learning how to put down fantastic images by going to classes. Don't work for a major publisher ...you'll be sorry when they make that hit feature film. The company will tell you it didn't make a profit.
Just ask Stan Lee when the grosses started coming in for Spiderman.

Tips and anecdotes about the comic industry are great, especially when many come from Stan "the man" Lee himself, but nowadays it strikes most people as just another rehash of the bygone days when comics was king.

This century, most enlightened artists publish on the internet, including myself. All webpage material contains date stamps and other editing evidence, so upon investigation in any future copyright hassle, you are fullly covered as the sole creator in regard to whatever you invent online.

Not so in the old print world of comics, where any editor can still shove you aside in favor of the new "hot artist," whereupon your original concepts and embellishments (done under their bizarre "work for hire" contracts) are all co-opted for the "greater good" (aka "greater greed") of the company, meaning that you get nada for your characters and/or plots if a movie deal is struck.

BTW, what IS with that dumb "work for hire" misnomer anyway? Isn't everyone hired for work? Otherwise they wouldn't be doing it! Duh!