Mon Jan 14, 2008 7:07AM16 comments ›
Mon Jan 14, 2008 — by Mike Gold
Editing Comics In The 21st Century, by Mike Gold
Whizzy's Wazoo #49
As you may know, as part of the ComicMix ruling triumvirate I spend my spare time editing comics published on, and soon by, ComicMix. It’s the most fun part of the job, and I really enjoy the catalytic experience. I’ve been editing for a million years, much of that time editing comics, and I try really hard not to get set in my ways. Having a short attention span helps.
So does working on the Internet. Case in point:
I’ve been working with John Ostrander and/or Timothy Truman since the week before fish crawled out of the ocean. It’s one of my happiest experiences; it’s great fun to work with talented people with whom you share culture, worldview and personal history. But I’m always concerned that creatively we’ll fall into a rut and take things for granted. So far, so good.
Our process (and this differs for each creative team as well as on each project) is simple. Either John or Tim comes up with an idea and we kick it around in an endless series of witty and self-referential e-mails. Eventually Tim decides he’s read enough. John and I continue for a bit just to make sure Tim didn’t change his mind (or maybe just to annoy him; I can’t tell anymore). Then John writes up a plot for the first chunk of story. Before the Internet, that would usually be a 22 – 24 page segment; now, it’s whatever John feels like. We kick it around a tiny bit, and Tim takes it away and draws whatever he feels like drawing. John dialogues it. At each step of the way, I make snarky notes and cultural references that would confound Dennis Miller.
John and Tim usually “get” these awesome bon mots. For example, while working on GrimJack: The Manx Cat earlier today John referenced Lord Cumulus; I replied that the situation didn’t require anybody sleeping with Margot Kidder. If you got that without Googling, congratulations: you are as badly in need of a life as I am. Tim either got it or, more likely, decided it was beneath his dignity.
In the same plot – we were actually re-plotting a sequence that we’re just about to run because John’n’Tim came up with some great new ideas – John set up a fight scene to run three panels. I responded with a request that we add a page and let Tim do some real serious shitkicking. Tim responded by adding two. By the time he draws this (knowing Tim, it’s probably penciled already) it could be three.
And that’s the beauty of the Internet. We can do graphic novels as though they were actual novels. If a scene requires a few extra pages, or a few less, we can do that. We don’t have to fit into a 22 page per month format. We don’t have to shorten another scene in order to make room for the new idea. We just add another page or two. No domino effect.
This might not sound like very much, but let me tell you something: it is completely different from the way comic book stories have been plotted since the mid-1930s. It provides an amazing amount of creative freedom.
It’s pretty damn cool. Mark Wheatley and Bob Tinnell figured this out immediately; when we started EZ Street, we weren’t absolutely certain how many pages the thing would run. I’m not certain we are now. Trevor Von Eeden has been telling his story his way as well: only now do I know how long it’ll run. I still don’t know when it’ll start, because Trev’s inking his work and he needed to pencil and write the entire story first. We didn’t have that freedom in traditional comics, either – at least, not to this extent.
Forgive me if I sound like I’m bragging. I’m just having a swell time.
And I hope you are, too.
Mike Gold is editor-in-chief of ComicMix.
Jump to comments (16) 
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Comments (16)
MARK WHEATLEY (8:02 AM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
The interesting thing is that I'm still approaching the EZ STREETstory as if there was a limit to the page count. This has not stopped us from expanding the story where we need to do so - but it has kept us "honest". No padding. What I think it is, is a natural sense that the story needs dramatic tension. We can't spin out from that center thrust too far or we risk slowing the pace.
On the other hand - Bob and I have script though to the climax. But just this weekend we were tossing around a rewrite of the big moment that will add a few pages. The cool part is - it is so much more dramatic this way because it allowed us to get in an extra character moment while also dotting an "i" and crossing a "t" that we had earlier considered unreachable.
Part of the reason we can do that - a big part - is the nature of the internet presentation. But an even bigger part of the reason is that we are working with an editor who understands story, as well as how creative people work, who has the confidence to let the story grow.
Of course we are not even touching on the option to make changes before any of this gets into print. That would make this less about the internet and more about the dying days of vaudeville! There - that's my Marx Bros ref.
Now I do get the Lord Cumulus ref - but not the Kidder connection. But I assume it has something to do with the stage production?
Mike Gold (9:37 AM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
For about a year Margot Kidder was married to John Heard, who created the role of Lord Cumulus in the original production of Warp.
Rick Taylor (1:53 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
Does this mean you'll never print the web comics?
I understand web comics are not limited to a set format but if you plan on printing the material after the fact there will be some limitations as you lay the stuff out in flats.
Not exactly the same but a physical consideration after the fact nonetheless.
Glenn Hauman (1:59 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
Oh, we'll print them, worry not. But we don't have the same constraints as doing "compile the six 22-page issues into a book" . If the story ends at 120 pages, we end it at 120 pages. If it ends at 138, we end it there.
You know, just like a prose novel.
MARK WHEATLEY (2:26 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
Rick, about all I keep track of is maintaining spreads. I want my pages to fall on the right or left as planned. So if I add a page - there are times when that means I have to add another page somewhere in the sequence to maintain the pagination. Beyond that the sky is the limit.
Rick Taylor (2:02 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
Offset, not print on demand, right?
MARK WHEATLEY (2:35 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
I think POD has just about come of age for black & white books. Because the price per copy is low enough to make it a competitive sale. And as long as you are selling direct to the customer over the internet or in a store that offers extended "stock" then it makes sense. But the moment you add in a distributor then longer print runs are about the only way to go. Actually last year I published my first POD book in full color. SIGHTCADELIC is a collection of my color paintings and illustrations. I limited it to 500 copies and signed and numbered the books. They were selling well at conventions and the print price was low enough to allow me to offer it to distributors. Bud Plant ordered a good number of copies and I solicited through Diamond. And that's when the so-called shipping department of the POD printer fell apart. They could not deliver books in quantity on time or intact! The fun part of all this is that my numbers came in so high through outside sales that I ended up taking the book to one of my usual offset printers and finished the run that way. So in that case, POD was a great way to get started and stimulate the market for a book that ended up as an offset book.
I don't know how ComicMix will deal with the options - but we are at a point where the options are many.
Rick Taylor (4:18 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
Mark - Thanks for 'getting' why I asked the questions I did.
Even thought not having be constrained by the traditional writing/drawing of a printed comic there are concerns such as the spread pages Mark mentioned.
The reason I asked about the offset vs. the POD stuff is there can be a case for both if it works and as Mark mentioned, the options are many.
Marilee J. Layman (5:33 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
So, who fixes the typos/writos?
MARK WHEATLEY (6:34 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
Mike and Glenn have caught a few typos along the way so far - and I've made the fix. If you or anyone spots something like that you should post and bring it to our attention. The pages all have to go through a different production output for print rather than for web - so all the pages will be eligible for changes - if changes are needed.
Rick Taylor (7:31 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
Thanks, Mark.
Do you color to print standards and bring them down to web resolution?
MARK WHEATLEY (9:19 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
WARNING if you are not fascinated by technical details - then read no more! Rick and I are about to descend into comic production technobabble!
Yes - I'm working at 450dpi and the final page files are in CMYK. The lettering is vectored - so the 450dpi works fine for the color art. We would have to go up to 600dpi if the lettering was not vectored.
I've been doing web comics since the mid-90s and we have always produced the material to print standards. I figure that even if we eventually get to the point where we are not going to hardcopy on this stuff, the web standards will just keep going up.
Anyway - that's my take on it. Glenn knows far more about it all and has more experience with it than I do.
Rick Taylor (5:30 AM on Tue Jan 15, 2008)
Thanks Mark - That's generally what I figured you were doing. You're working a little higher res on the art files than I figured but having worked with you before I always figured you as a high-res kinda guy. Art integrity and all. The real interesting thing is the vector-based lettering. I mean, it makes sense given chewy lettering was the first bane of the digital comics coloring environment.
Thanks for being so forthcoming about the production end and giving real answers. Most folks aren't as frank.
Mike Gold (9:54 PM on Mon Jan 14, 2008)
Gremlins.
Marilee J. Layman (5:32 PM on Tue Jan 15, 2008)
You should leave them a little more milk.
Mike Gold (7:34 PM on Tue Jan 15, 2008)
At today's prices? I wish.
But you'll note we do have another gremlin...