Tagged: editorial

JOHN OSTRANDER: Pro Advice – Hit By a Bus

From time to time I’m going to use this space to talk about professional concerns gleaned from my experiences of the past twenty-five plus years in the industry and pass on words of advice that I got in that time.

For example – if you go to a Convention and you’re a pro, you’re probably going to be asked to autograph copies of your work. Here’s something I didn’t know when I began and was taught by another pro: keep your autograph separate and different from your legal signature (the thing you sign checks and binding contracts with). Walt Simonson, for example, has a great autograph – looks like a dinosaur. I doubt he signs his checks that way. It makes sense. If your autograph is the same as your legal signature, it makes it easier for someone to forge that signature and that’s not good.

Here’s another bit of advice. I was once negotiating a contract at one of the major companies and I had a question about something in the contract that no one could answer. I was told, “Oh, John. Just go ahead and sign it. We’re all family here.”

My answer was – no, we’re not. I know who and what my family is and the company isn’t it. I applied my “Hit By A Bus” theory which goes as follows: if everyone I knew (and liked) at a given company all went out to lunch together and they were all hit by a bus and killed, all I would have would be the contract as written.

I have lots of friends at lots of different companies in lots of different positions ranging from editorial to management to production to the business end. They’re all personnel and can be promoted, demoted, fired, leave, and so on. The company itself can merge with another, change divisions, be sold, be bought, and more than one has gone out of business out from under me. Businesses will make business decisions that are usually based on financial reasons. The famous line from the Godfather, “it’s not personal; it’s just business” remains true.

I don’t fault businesses for that. It’s what they are. I may have friends at a certain business and, yes, I often depend on them to be friends. I never expect a corporation to be my friend. I don’t care what a commercial that’s trying to sell you something tells you to the contrary. A business is not your friend and certainly isn’t your family. They are a corporate entity and they will act like one. Don’t expect anything different.

Short form: read the contract, any contract, and know what you’re getting into. If you need a lawyer to explain it to you, get one. Don’t take the word of anyone working for the company as to what it means; make sure it’s someone who is not part of the corporation. That’s true outside of comics as well as in. If it isn’t in the contract, it doesn’t exist legally. There is no “understanding,” there’s only what’s on paper. Know that before you put your legal signature – not your autograph – on the dotted line. You and your family will be happier as a result.

And watch out for killer buses.

MONDAY: Mindy Newell

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Flesk Prime Spotlights Classical Artists

  • News
  • July 12, 2011

With all the attention paid to the flashy artists of the moment at the major publishers, it’s always refreshing to see that the talented and reliable artists also get their due. Flesh Publications can usually be counted on for classy packages featuting artists who deserve your attention even if they don’t illustrate your favorite monthly titles. Check out this new announcement:

Flesk Publications is proud to announce their latest art book, Flesk Prime.

Flesk Prime serves as a fresh look into the imagery of five exceptional artists: Craig Elliott, Gary Gianni, Petar Meseldzija, Mark Schultz and William Stout. The essence of each craftsman is captured here to satisfy their fans as well as individuals who are enjoying their first glimpse. The section on each artist begins with an introduction and a biography written by Flesk publisher John Fleskes. The five were invited to handpick their pieces for inclusion, to showcase the best representation of their works.

Furthermore, new quotes have been obtained to capture the artists’ own thoughts. Each chapter shows the dynamic range of styles and illustrations and the unique diversity of these five creators. Almost all of the artwork has been reproduced direct from the originals.

Flesk Prime is a full-color 64 page hardbound book with jacket at 8.5 x 11 inches. The cover price is $24.95. ISBN: 978-1-933865-38-6. Pre-orders are being accepted at the Flesk online store. The book will premiere at Comic-Con International in San Diego at the Flesk booth (#5019) on July 20. There you can have Elliott, Gianni, Schultz and Stout sign your copy. All pre-orders will begin shipping on July 26. This title is an exclusive item only available direct from Flesk Publications.

Elliott’s section contains an assortment of fine art, much of it centered on the female form. Also featured are editorial assignments and an enlightening look into the process behind one of his most recent paintings.

Gianni is represented by oil paintings, a pencil sketch, finished pen-and-ink drawings, comic book pages, a Sunday newspaper strip and book illustrations that span the last twenty years. (more…)

National Cartoonist Society Winners Announced

The annual National Cartoonist Society annual awards were awarded Saturday night. The prestigious Reuben Award for cartoonist of the year went to Richard Thompson for the newspaper strip Cul de Sac. Jill Thompson was selected as best comic book artist for Beasts of Burton, beating out Stan Sakai and Chris Samnee, and Joyce Farmer and her Special Exits took home the prize for graphic novel, beating out Daryn Cooke and James Strum.

Jeff Parker and Steve Kelley were designated best newspaper comic strip cartoonists for Dustin, Mike Lester took the book illustration award for The Butt Book, and Glenn McCoy won the newspaper panel cartoon award for The Flying McCoys. Other prize winners included Michael McParlane for newspaper illustration, Gary McCoy for gag cartoons, Jim Benton for greeting cards, Anton Emdin for magazine illustration, Gary Varvel for editorial cartooning, Dave Whamond for advertising illustration, Dave Filoni for television animation (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), and Nicolas Marlet for feature animation (How to Train Your Dragon).

The NCS 65th annual awards dinner was held in Boston over the past several days. The artwork (above) was contributed by Mad Magazine’s Tom Richmond.

 

Twitter Updates for 2011-03-22

Twitter Updates for 2011-03-22

  • News
  • March 22, 2011
Ted Rall Gets Animated

Ted Rall Gets Animated

  • News
  • September 19, 2008

It’s been a good week for cartoonist / columnist / bon vivant Ted Rall.

The Mad Magazine regular and incendiary editorial cartoonist was named president of the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists. GIven how some newspapers are dropping their local editorial cartoonists in an organized effort to trim down their page count while chasing away their readership base, the position is perfect for an advocate/rabble-rouser like Rall (and, of course, I say that with the utmost respect).

Now he’s got himself his first animated editorial cartoon.

Ted wrote and drew a four-minute cartoon revealing what President Barack Obama’s first day in office might be like. In typical Rallian fashion, what you see might not please Obama’s supporters. Or McCain’s, for that matter.

Animation was provided by David Essman, a student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (ahem; my alma mater) and it’s available at YouTube… and, of course, by clicking right here.

 

 

The Comic Book Wedding Program

  • News
  • July 30, 2008

Artist Dusty Higgins recently sent over what is pretty much the coolest thing since the wheel made of sliced bread: a wedding program drawn as a comic book.

Did I mention the bride and groom fight ninjas?

In addition to being an editorial cartoonist and illustrator, Dusty draws some comics. So, naturally, when his wedding was coming up this summer he asked his bride-to-be if he could draw their wedding program.

She agreed, surprisingly enough.

What you see at right is the result, the cover image as Dusty and his now-wife fend off attackers on their way up the aisle.

From what I’ve heard, the wedding went off without a hitch, or a ninja attack.

A larger image and inside pages after the jump.

(more…)

Getting Respect, by Dennis O’Neil

Getting Respect, by Dennis O’Neil

  • News
  • July 22, 2008

Well, it is certainly a superheroic weekend here in New York, and maybe where you are, too. The latest Batman flick has already set one box office record and who knows what others it may yet conquer? The second Hellboy movie is still kicking box office butt. And a while ago, I was paging through the Arts and Leisure section of my Sunday New York Times when I saw a familiar face staring up at me from a photo: my old colleague Frank Miller, grim and determined looking. The accompanying story was about Frank’s writing and directing of The Spirit movie, based on work by yet another old friend, the late Will Eisner, produced by yet another old friend, Michael Uslan. (Good heavens! Whom don’t I know?)

Last week, the loyalists among you, if any, will remember that I strongly recommended a book titled The Ten Cent Plague, by David Hajdu. Since then, I’ve recommended it in conversation a couple of times, and may do so again. Damn good book. One of the points Hajdu makes is that comics were the outsider’s medium: the first bunch of creators and promoters were primarily Jewish, guys who had trouble getting work elsewhere. This is one of the reasons the Establishment may have felt threatened by the four-color trash sprouting from the newsstands like crab grass on a lawn; these were not their kind of people and who knows what kind of anarchy these grubbies might promote, given the opportunity? Decent folk practically had an obligation to put them in their place!

When I entered comics, about a quarter century into their history, the field was still dominated by outsiders, or anyway at least ex-outsiders. As for my cohorts… maybe one of the writers who came into comics at about the same time after I slithered in may have been destined for a respectable career in respectable institutions among respectable citizens, but the rest of us were hippie-rebel, anti-establishment types. If that hadn’t been true, why were we there? Comics publishing didn’t have an established career path, there didn’t seem to be really serious money to be made, at least at the editorial level, and Lord knows we weren’t reputable; only a decade or so earlier, our chosen endeavor had been crucified in magazines and on editorial pages and even in congressional hearings. We weren’t exactly bracketed with axe murderers, but you probably wouldn’t want your daughter marrying one of us.

(more…)

We Will Think For You, by Mike Gold

We Will Think For You, by Mike Gold

  • News
  • July 21, 2008

Here’s what I don’t like about politicians.

Well, actually, even Bill Gates doesn’t have the bandwidth to list all the things I don’t like about politicians – although I’m sure listing it all would generate some great comments. But here’s what’s at the top of my list.

Politicians who are partisan by definition feel completely comfortable speaking on behalf of the entire American public. Not just those of their political persuasion – which would be presumptuous – but everybody. Which is anti-democratic and pro-demagoguery.

Case in point: The Obama campaign felt compelled to issue a statement regarding cartoonist Barry Blitt’s cover to last week’s New Yorker magazine. The artwork speaks for itself, and is represented herewith. Entitled “The Politics of Fear,” the piece is supposed to be a satire of, well, the politics of fear as applied against the Obama campaign.

But the Obama campaign believes we’re too stupid to get it and feels compelled to pass moral judgment on behalf of us dolts. Their spokesman Bill Burton said “The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Sen. Obama’s right-wing critics have tried to create. But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree.” 


Never on to miss an opportunity to stick their right-wing noses in the air, McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds rose to the challenge with “We completely agree with the Obama campaign. It’s tasteless and offensive.”

(more…)

Viz Looking for New Properties

  • News
  • July 15, 2008

Manga publisher Viz Media will be looking to take on new projects, and even possibly some non-Manga content, according to ICv2.

In a Q&A with Marc Weidenbaum and Eric Searleman, editor in chief and vice president respectively, ICv2 finds out more detail about these changes, and how they tie into Viz’s announced talent search at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Are you looking for manga-style properties?

If by "manga" you mean what is generally considered manga in the United States (fantasy and romance aimed at teenagers), then no. If by "manga" you mean what is meant by manga in Japan (a broad range of comics that emphasize serial storytelling, cliffhangers, reader feedback, a supportive editorial process, and a rich creator voice), then yes we are.

The story also addresses the difficulty in selling any non-Japanese content in the Japanese comics market:

Japan remains the toughest market for material from other countries to crack. But even that may be changing, as the U.S. subsidiary of the two largest manga companies in Japan begins its search for original comics. Viz Media’s Marc Weidenbaum, VP Original Publishing, and Eric Searleman, Senior Editor, the execs handling the search for original content answered in the affirmative when we asked whether there is American material that would sell well in Japan. “Certainly,” they said. “Both countries have their own rich, indigenous graphic-storytelling cultures. There are bridges yet to be built.”

(via Blog@)

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