Marvel.com Blogs - Blah Blah Blog by Tom Brevoort

web marvel.com

BLOGS HOME|COMIC BLOGS|VIDEO GAME BLOGS|OTHER BLOGS|MARVEL NEWS

Reader Mail
2007-09-13 18:27:18

Another crazy week of stuff, but I think I still have just enough time to tackle some of the responses posted to the last couple of blog entries. So here goes:

>What else is required to get in the door? I'm sure a portfolio of work would be expected, but is there anything else? What type of college degree is expected if any?

Posted by doncorswhazie on 2007-09-05 17:37:39>

No specific college degree is required, but some amount of experience writing professionally is virtually mandatory. I think you can count the number of people whose first professional job as a writer was writing for Marvel on one hand.

>One thing I wonder when I read this is how important the 'consequences on the future of the character' are when evaluating projects. Having read some of the blogs and listened to the podcasts etc on this site, I seem to have understood that you already think ahead for the next 4 to 5 years (in which the details diminish as the future is farther ahead), but how much attention is given to the next say 10 to 50 years?

The reason why I'm saying this is the fact that I have heard you guys say that you wanted to break the status quo. And that has been done and quit masterfully, if I may say so. I really love the enormous dynamics in the current MU. But ... isn't there a danger that the characters evolve TOO much away from what they once were? Spider-Man minus 5 years was basically the same character as he was decades ago... So in a way, youth now got the same gift of marvel and fantasy that we had when we were young and some generations before us. Aren't you afraid that say in 10 years the next generation kids will no longer be able to experience the same wonder and amazement of seeing Spider-Man swing into action for the same time?

Posted by Zigy on 2007-09-06 06:37:56>

There's always the risk of doing something that permanently puts a mark on a character, for good or ill. So you try to make such decisions advisedly. You try to bear in mind the facets of the character that are crucial to the character's long-term success, and not to mess around with them too much on a permanent basis. But you can't always predict what stories are going to become sacrosant, or have such a lasting impact on a character. While they were trying to tell a compelling story, I don't think that the creators responsible for having Hank Pym strike the Wasp realized that that one action would become the character's defining moment for the next two and a half decades.

>Since you referred to "new writers trying to get into the business" at the beginning, I'm curious how much of an impact the Creator has on the project. You seem to imply with the three Cs that a new writer couldn't possibly sell a project, because they would never be well known or tried enough to balance out that part, no matter how good the concept and characters might be.

It seems to me from my own attempts to get into comic writing that a Creator must already have a fair amount of comic-writing experience before they can write for comics. In other words, the old experience Catch-22.

Am I wrong in this?

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-09-06 09:53:38>

Creator has a lot of impact, but it's not the only piece of the puzzle. But there's absolutely no denying that the Creators are a big part of what creates interest in a project. For example, the MOON KNIGHT revival by Charlie Huston and David Finch revived interest in that character, whereas different, less well-regarded creators quite probably would have bombed. But there are times when the opposite is true--when the Characters and the Concept are strong enough that the pedigree of the writer or artist isn't as much a question. (In such cases, we'll often try to pair a less seasoned writer with an artist who's got a bit f draw power, and vice versa.)

But it seems like what you're really asking about is brand new, never-before-published writers walking in cold and pitching something, without any appreciable experience anywhere else. And the frank answer to that question is no, at a major firm like Marvel, you don't really have a whole lot of chance of that happening. At Marvel, you're up against everybody else in teh field and everybody else who wants to be in the field for that shot at selling your story--and that includes a lot of guys with a lot more juice.

But that doesn't mean there's no way to enter the comics business. It's just like in any other field, you simply can't expect to start at the top. Right now, there are tons of opportunities for skilled creators learning the ropes at smaller outfits, places where you can hone your talents and abilities and get your work seen by people who might like it and be in a position to offer you a gig. Heck, with the rise of webcomics, anybody with a scanner and a web page can potentially make their own comics and show them off to a worldwide audience. That sort of exposure can be invaluable--at least if you've actually got the chops.

Inherent in this question is a sense of entitlement, though, a feeling as though you don't want to "slum" with the smaller guys, or work your way up through the trenches, or another field, or whatever. "I just want to write Spider-Man!" Well, sadly, the world doesn't work that way. Practically every reader who follows comics secretly believes that they could write a comic--and virtually none of them statistically really have the necessary chops. It takes a lot more than raw enthusiasm to turn somebody into a writer; it takes a hell of a lot of hard work and development.

>Transformers/Avengers
How does this fit in?

Posted by RichJohnston on 2007-09-06 10:10:03>

I would have thought that was obvious, Rich. AVENGERS/TRANSFORMERS wasn't a pitch; it was what we'd call "top-down generated", an idea that was hatched between IDW's guys and Marvel's. That's a completely different animal--and unless you happen to be the rights-holder, or a creator with a vast amount of clout, you're simply not going to be able to generate a crossover like this yourself as a pitch.

>Is it fair to say I should just give up now?

Posted by dugdale24 on 2007-09-07 14:55:18>

No. But it is fair to say that you'er going to have to put in a hell of a lot of effort; blood and sweat and tears and time. And, even then, there's no guarantee that you'll succeed. The folks who really want it and who have the chops do this.

More later.

Tom B

So to summarize this, it's:
1) No college degree is required, but unless we have some serious skill we shouldn't expect to land a job without experience.
2) Plan ahead.
3) Again, previous experience elsewhere is needed.
4) Not all decisions are creator decisions, some are executive decisions.
5) Don't give up.

Posted by doncorswhazie on 2007-09-13 21:49:36

Working out way up
I find myself doing what you describe, Tom. I think about writing comics sometimes, but I only think about the big two.

I think part of it is that I don't read anything except what the big two puts out. So to me, "comics" means Marvel and DC. On the other hand, I have made a webcomic in the past, and probably will again. It's an odd thing, somehow webcomics seem more real because I read them, despite the fact that I know plenty of people read comics from companies other than Marvel and DC.

Here's a follow up question to your comments about experience. Would webcomics count? There are thousands of webcomics out there that obviously don't. However, there are some that are quite good. They show a significant amount of talent in the authors. Some of them have been publishing on very regular schedules for years, showing a lot of professionalism. The Australian comic "Magellan" comes to mind as an example of these, since it is a superhero comic. Some of these webcomics even have readerships in the tens of thousands, and the best have much higher than that. So would that be something you'd consider significant?

Posted by CodeGuy on 2007-09-13 22:02:57

our
The title of my last post should be "working *our* way up." I wish we could edit our posts.

-Jason M. Bryant

Posted by CodeGuy on 2007-09-13 22:10:56

Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions!

I guess I'll just have to read the MU comics for the next say 60 years or so to see what the end result will be. The results NOW at least are absolutely stunning. The Civil War events got me started reading comics again after a period of ten 10 years and I've witnessed an enormous increase in quality ever since. The stories really suck you into the whole Marvel universe making you wonder and marvel at the sight of it all. Yes, I AM that psyched about it all.

And perhaps ... (I've kept thinking about the matter myself) leaving everything as it was would actually kill the magic. If you are too afraid to touch something almost 'religious', in the end you alienate yourself from it all and second you WILL get tired of it all ... It gets boresome, doesn't it?

Still ... I'm glad people with a lot of love for the characters and the fans are at the head of MU, so ... at least I know they're in good hands.

***
No, as for something else ... Has Marvel Comics changed their writer-staffing strategy? Writers nowadays such as Neil Gaiman and Orson Scott Cars have won hugo awards and nebula awards (and for a good reason!!!) Writers of the 'old garde' hadn't. I have the impression that the bar has been raised. Which, for the readers is a good thing of course, but for new aspiring writers is a bit of a 'depressing' matter .... The mountain that needs to be climbed is extremely high nowadays.

In the end TRUE writers WILL write... And as a Belgian writer 'Tom Lanoye' (I seriously doubt anyone here will ever have heard of him) once said (translation): "quality will eventually float to the top".

But ... Do you think it could be possible for Marvel to somehow stimulate creativity even more?? I think most of the people here have some creativity in them. I read about people that want to break into comics here all the time. Heck, even I write and draw (not comics though... my last story was a fantasy wrapped in a scifi detective :-) ) ...

There was this coloring competition of which the results were published recently. How about mere of those? It shouldn't even have to include big prizes I think.

Example: A Mark Millar or Bendis could write a small story that needs to be drawn. Winner gets published here online etc etc.
And the writers get to see some of their pages drawn and published online.

It would increase the bonding with the audience on the one hand and might help stimulate and scout for new talents.

Just an idea. :-)

Posted by Zigy on 2007-09-14 06:53:09

Orson Scott Card
Sorry about the spelling error in my last post. That should have been "Orscon Scott Card" obviously and not "Orson Scott Cars".

Sorry about that!!!

Posted by Zigy on 2007-09-14 06:55:36

Slumming
I realize that my question does come off in a way that implies that I wouldn't bother trying anything but Marvel, but no, I looked up and researched every comic book company I could find. Strangely, some of the smaller ones tended to not accept any submissions at all. I actually sent e-mails and submissions to every single company that would let me, and some that wouldn't, and never got even the slightest response back.

That's where I got the feeling that it seemed to be a case of having to write comics before being able to write comics. Unless you want to go to the self-publishing route, which I certainly can't afford.

At first I may have set my sights only on Marvel, but eventually - like I said - I tried everyone. The only point at which I felt like I was slumming was when I found a company that I won't name (partly because I can't remember it) that put out anthologies with fan art that looked like something I could have drawn even with my unpracticed abilities. At that point I started feeling pathetic and icky, but everything right above cheap fan produced pastiches seems to be pretty well locked down.

I suppose, as has been mentioned by many writers/creators, it usually comes down to a fluke/stroke of luck... Which is hard to encourage new, promising writers with.

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-09-14 08:36:06

Hey,

"Pseudo Sherlock" do you have anything online that we could see?

And 'good luck' with finding an entry ...

Posted by Zigy on 2007-09-14 08:56:02

Suggestions for new Comic Writers
Well, just because I couldn't get into the Comic Writing industry doesn't mean someone else can't. So, for those of you that are looking into it, and think that Marvel and DC (DC won't even take writer submissions, anyway, only art submissions at conventions) are the only ones, here are some submission suggestions:

Dark Horse Comics - They actually accept unsolicited story/concept packages with or without an attached artist!

Dynamite Entertainment - Their submission policy is identical to Marvel's, suspiciously so, but you might have a slightly better chance there.

Avatar Press - They accept story submissions pretty openly, though you'll have to figure out on your own what an "Avatar Press-owned character" is.

Antarctic Press - They accept story synopsises (is that a word?) of 1-4 pages.

Well, there you go. Those are the most notable companies that will accept writing submissions. Don't bother with many others such as DC, Image, Archie Comics, Boom! Studios, Devil's Due Publishing, or Top Cow; they don't accept anything and will only pick writers up who are already in the industry. They usually already have their own set of current projects, and have no more room for new ones. And if you've heard of a character that you like, and it's not owned by Marvel/DC, it's probably owned by a single person and you won't be able to write for their book, trust me.

Your best bet as a writer is to come up with an original concept that's heavily saleable and then hunt down an artist who is equally professional. You'll probably end up having to pay someone, unless you can arrange something with another person who is equally hungry, and then shop around at the even smaller companies to get your idea published.

Wikipedia has a handy article entitled "List of comic book publishing companies" that will show you pretty much all the comic book companies that have more than two dollars to burn. Then, if they don't have a page on them, look them up on google.com. And then pitch your idea to every single freakin' one of them.

Though if you're like me and you would just like an actual job writing comics for someone who wants a writer, and you aren't creating and selling (in every sense of the word) your own ideas, you're probably out of luck. Even if you can figure out the e-mail address of every single Marvel Editor, and e-mail them all, you'll still be wasting your time...ahem. It's an industry that runs on brilliant, starving artists frantically pushing their babies for the notice of only a few real outlets. The characters you love won't pay you, only your own product.

So please go into the Industry with an idea that you love and are willing to fight for, for years. And if you're good enough, you'll do well. Cause Tom is right, forget about Spider-Man for a while.

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-09-14 09:12:14

Zigy
Nah, the closest I came with online comic publishing was a group who was putting out an online comic anthology. I had submitted a story with regular characters of mine that was accepted. Unfortunately, they kept getting so distracted by other fancy stuff, and the people working on it kept coming and going, that not much happened.

Which is a good addition to my comment: Beware of fan-based projects that involve too many people! The less fingers in the pot, the better, unless they're all paid professionals.

The only thing I have online is a short story or two (I think one is down).

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-09-14 09:18:03

I'd love to read it. If you'll post the URL.

A news item was also just published, on the Baltimore Retailer Summit. You can see it yourself here:

http://www.marvel.com/news/comicstories.1511.Baltimore_Retailer_Summit_2007_Mondo_Marvel

And there seems to be some sort of talent search.
See also:

http://chesterquest.blogspot.com/

There are some details on how to submit your work. And this is also stated there:

The Rule of Four Ps" when submitting your artwork to any company:

Be Professional
Be Persistent
Don't be Pestering.
Don't be a Prick.

Posted by Zigy on 2007-09-14 09:52:17

One image I made
I do have some stuff online on my site, but it's currently password protected (for friends) and my stories are dutch ... so .. you wouldn't be able to read it anyway.

But this is an image that actually HAS been published in a Marvel comic. Seriously. :-) As fan art in a recent Ghostrider issue. Unfortunately it was printed extremely small. I was rather proud nonetheless... So far all my fans (including myself that makes a total of 1) here goes:

http://creaminders.com/images/HardWork/ghostrider-a%20good%20friend%20to%20have%20around.jpg

Posted by Zigy on 2007-09-14 10:01:30

Story
Here's the URL to my existing story:

http://www.moonlit-path.com/fiction/kreitner-10-13-06.htm

If you google my name you'll see a suggestion of a second that seems to be off the 'net, and a mention of a story of mine in an anthology.

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-09-14 10:28:38

Ghost Rider
By that way, that's quite a nice Ghost Rider pic! You have a very sharp comic style. I hope you do some cartoon work somewhere, even if it is in incomprehensible Dutch. :)

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-09-14 10:29:44

Disturbing
It took me some time to read the story between working etc (I'm an IT consultant), but got to do it at last: nice! Upsettling as one might say! Upsetting and unsettling .. but in a good way. It's a word Neil Gaiman used in a book of short fictions and wonders (Fragile Things) ... and that book also contains fictions on horror etc. I liked it ... the story seems predictable only to change right at the end. :-)

One question though ... how can he throw up if he's gagged??

I liked the sterile attitude of the teacher changing into a maniac as well. That explanation about ohm, resistance was a cool idea!!

And thank you for the compliment! I don't do cartoon work. I do publish a small magazine irregularly with all sorts of "creative explosions". The latest issue has 110 pages. (every issue gets thicker!! :-) ) but I only distribute it amongst friends. No real ambition there. I just like to 'be creative' you know ... Even when I publish it online, I still password protect it! :-) Maybe I should put it out there and ask for some opinions. :-)

I do have some 100 gags on a talking bowl of fruit, though... well ... .. actually it's about talking fruit IN a bowl ... Unfortunately the fruit talks dutch as well. :-)

I did use them (the talking fruit) in an small online comic about a year ago:

http://creaminders.com/images/stripMee/fruitschaal_prentje6.jpg
http://creaminders.com/images/stripMee/fruitschaal_prentje7.jpg
http://creaminders.com/images/stripMee/fruitschaal_prentje10.jpg

Other than that ... Some of my images are somewhat arty farty ... Such as the following "The revolution" (the text "Revolutie" is dutch for "Revolution")
http://creaminders.com/images/HardWork/revolutie.jpg

Some more cartoony such as:
http://creaminders.com/images/HardWork/cuba.gif

Sometimes fantasy or fantastic:
http://creaminders.com/images/HardWork/hellebaardMan.gif
http://creaminders.com/images/HardWork/fallenOne.gif

And sometimes it is about superheros as well
http://creaminders.com/images/stripMee/superheld_prentje9.jpg
http://creaminders.com/images/stripMee/superheld_prentje11.jpg

Not good enough to get published, but it's fun to do! :-)

Posted by Zigy on 2007-09-14 11:19:13

Story Response
Ahem...I'll respond to your art as soon as your comment comes back...I was putting up a reply and intending to copy/paste them to check them out/respond, but then it disappeared.

As for my story...you noticed the gag thing, huh? I actually polished up that story a couple days ago (it appears to be about a year old) to send to an employer as a "writing example," and I noticed the gag thing. I tweaked it...but much too late for the online version.

It's a pretty good story, I'm relatively proud of it, though I realized while reading it that the scientific explanation gets a little wordy and convoluted. But it was pretty experimental.

Anyway, I'll check your art once it's magically brought back. :)

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-09-14 11:33:22

Offensive?
Probably marked offensive?? That shall teach me to post url's. :-)

Anyhow; I PM'ed you!

Posted by Zigy on 2007-09-14 11:44:08

Offensive, indeed.
Of course, the biggest offense, selling yourself when others are already busy trying to do it.

Thanks for the PM! And nice art!

Posted by PseudoSherlock on 2007-09-14 11:52:03

"A list?"
I was wondering if anyone had considered quantifying what it means to be an "A list" creator or character? Perhaps in terms of units moved per month? I realize it would be hard to break down why a book sells, in terms of attributing it to the writer or the art team, but I know you have highly professional marketing people who might know a way to figure it that I don't know about. It might be easier in terms of characters, especially those who have (or have recently had) solo titles.

Posted by ted_dahlman on 2007-09-17 22:03:39

Array

Enter a response to this blog post:

About this blog:
Ramblings and musings from the mind of Tom Brevoort. "It won’t be clean. It won’t be fun. It mostly won’t be coherent."

About the author:
Tom Brevoort is Executive Editor for Marvel Comics, and oversees such titles as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four.


save this link

More entries by this author:
From a... (2008-09-06) (9 responses)
Received the... (2008-09-03) (23 responses)
…if you can... (2008-09-02) (44 responses)
All right,... (2008-08-29) (162 responses)
Feeling a... (2008-08-26) (93 responses)