Possum Press

Anthony Coffey, Mike Kitchen, Blair Kitchen, Troy Little, Jesse Labbe

Ever since I returned home from the San Diego Comicon, my mind has been thinking non stop.  Mix that with the fact that Dave Sim’s new edition of  ’Cerebus’ Guide to Self Publishing’ has just been released, (and I’ve been reading it non stop) it’s amazing that I can still sleep at night with all that is bouncing around in my head.

The highlight of San Diego was talking with all of the like minded creators and artists that Mike and I met (some very successful, and some who are just plugging away at what they love to do).  I loved discussing and hearing about what strategies or opinions everyone had about publishing and making comic books.  We talked a lot about the merits of finding a publisher such as IDW or Archaia and what those publishers had to offer.  Like all things, there’s some definite ups and some definite downs to going with a publisher as opposed to self publishing.  A big upside is the fact that people tend to take you more seriously.  A downside would be that I’ve talked to very few creators that have actually seen any money from the books that have been sold (only because the publisher has to pay for their printing costs first, and only after that is paid for does the artist/creator get a percentage).  I figure if I’m not going to be getting paid, I might as well have complete control over my books, but there’s something to be said about working with a publisher to establish a fan base and then keeping the option of self publishing future books open.  (It’s not something I want to do personally, though).

The other great thing about getting together with like minded people is seeing how much passion and how much energy everyone is putting into their work.  That energy is transferable, and I definitely feel inspired to work on my own comics now, more than ever.  I often wonder why there are so few successful self published titles (and by successful, I mean financially successful in the fact that self publishing pays the bills and you can do it as full-time work rather than doing it part-time, while your ‘day job’ pays for your self publishing, like most).  Are most self publishers not successful because they quit, or do they quit because they can’t be successful?  Dave Sim talks a lot about the need to have your comic come out on a regular schedule and not make people wait too long between issues.  This is such a hard thing to crack with print comics, because of the cost of printing and the need to pay for it.  It’s a huge accomplishment for most people to find the time to draw the comics between their ‘day job’, but it’s another thing to squeeze in extra ‘day job’ freelance work to pay for the printing of the comic work.  If you want to avoid going into debt, until your comics start making some money you really have to hold down three jobs (your regular job to pay the bills and feed the family, drawing your self published comic, and freelance work to pay for the printing bills, etc.)  Is it wise to dive headfirst into this business and take a year off, go $80,000 in debt and put out 12 comics in 12 months and hope to eventually start making money off each comic (treating it as getting a business loan), or is it better to plug away at a webcomic, where the costs to publish are much less, but there’s no physical comic right away?  Can you do both at the same time?

One thing for sure is it takes discipline, hard work, and commitment.  There’s so much to think about, but thinking will only get you so far.   I’m going to put a big sign up over my drawing desk that says “Draw comics every day!!!” and I’m going to do what the sign says.

Terry Lenko informed me of this, this morning.  (Thanks Terry)

Possum Press and Ultraist Studios were in attendance at this year’s Word on the Street Festival in Toronto last Sunday, and the Spy Guy and Possum comics were a big hit.  (proof is below).

The caption below the picture reads: “Dante Petitti reads amid festival-goers at The Word on The Street literary festival, held in and around Queen’s Park. He was reading a comic called The Possum, by Blair Kitchen. This is the festival’s 20th year.”

The article is short, and is about digital books, but Terry Green’s comments in the last paragraph echo my thoughts on where digital fits in next to paper in the whole digital publishing debate.  Click here for the article on the Metro website.

There is nothing like the smell of a newsprint comic book, and the feel of it as you turn the pages, as all of your senses are engaged in the reading experience.  With paper, you can get close and study every detail on the page as you sit comfortabley in bed, on the couch, or in the grass at a book fair.  It feels more intimate and is a warmer experience to me.  I can’t explain it exactly, and maybe it’s just because it invokes memories from my childhood, but nothing can replace paper comics.  Digital comics are great for getting your stories and artwork circulated to as many people as possible, and peeking the interest of your readers, but it just doesn’t replace paper.  

I’ll be posting some photos from The Word on the Street Festival soon. 

UPDATE:  Chuck Palahniuk is asked about digital vs. paper here.  I like his answer.

Work, work, work, work, work, work, work, work…….

Due to script delays for the cartoon show that I’m currently storyboarding on, I found myself with a 3 week break between storyboards.  Much to the disaproval of my bank account, rather than panic and try to find work to fill the gap, I’m going to try something that I haven’t really done before….. I’m going to focus on some projects of mine that I have been neglecting.  (One of those being The Possum #4). 

So that means for the next 3 weeks I will be attempting to get as much inking done on The Possum as is possible, as well as begin animating a little 30 second pitch for an educational childrens cartoon that could be pitched as interstitials.  (I’ll also be flooding the rink that I have made in my backyard, and taking the odd skating break:).  

Usually when I set goals for myself, they are totally unrealistic, but if I get half of what I wanted to get finished, completed, then I’ve exceded any sort of realistic expectations.  With that said, I don’t usually make New Years resolutions, but I do hope to focus more energy on my own projects in 2009.  I feel like I hit a brick wall in 2008, as my focus shifted from comics that don’t pay, to storyboards that do pay, so I could attempt to pay off some debts that I aquired from moving, having babies, and buying new cars in 2007.   I’ve gotta find a way to transition out of mindless work for hire, into doing my own work, which is much more fulfilling.  I need to make drawing fun again. 

Stay tuned…….

Are you an American? Have you heard of Ron Paul? (If you get your news from the mainstream media, you probably don’t know much about him). He is the man that the people in charge don’t want you to know about. He is my new hero.

Have you ever dreamt about having an honest president. One that has your best interests in mind, rather than their own? Would you like to not pay income tax? Have a currency that is worth something again? Be a peaceful nation, rather than a nation that polices the world, and invites hatred towards it? How would you like to be able to proudly travel with an American flag on your your backpack? (you may have noticed that Canadians wear their flag on their backpacks so they aren’t mistaken for Americans……. It’s not your fault. It’s your government’s foreign policy). Would you like your government to stop spying on you?

If you have ever complained about any of these things, then you have no right to, unless you vote for Ron Paul for President. If you think that you would be better with Obama, Clinton, Romney or McCain, then you deserve what you get. It won’t be pretty.

I’m scared for my children’s future, but we don’t have to be. Vote for Ron Paul!!

Take a few minutes to watch these clips, and learn who should be running your country:

Why is the controlled media so scared of Ron Paul? (9 min)

Ron Paul and Martin Luther King (9 min)

Candidates@Google: Ron Paul (1 hr 6 min)

Ron Paul DVD (3 hrs 34 min)

Here’s to the revolution! God knows we need one.

Tell all of your friends about Ron Paul!

All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy. All work and no play, makes Blair a dull boy.

Have you ever tried working 2 or 3 jobs, making a comic book in your spare time, and trying to spend time with your family all at once? I’m sure all of those freelance artists out there know what I mean.
Sometimes I dream of just being able to concentrate 100% on one thing, instead of having 4 or 5 things on the go at all times. I like being productive, but this is getting a little rediculous……

……There. That’s out of my system……… Right! back to work then.

I went to a used book store at lunch today, called BMV, here in Toronto.  They have a pretty good selection of used comic books, and as I was sifting through the “P” section, I found a copy of the Possum #1 for $2.99, right next to some old “Plop” comics!  HA!  The Possum has hit the big time!  It was even signed!  It was actually kind of neat seeing it pop up somewhere that I shop at, every now and then.  (Especially because it isn’t actually being distributed yet).  At least it wasn’t in the quarter bin. 

Each studio is unique in the way it produces it’s cartoons.  How does your favorite studio operate?

Well, Halloween is coming up, and a lot of people have been posting scary things, to get people in the mood.  So, if you want to be scared, check out these documentaries.  If these don’t scare you, then nothing will.  Do yourself a favour and try to get through them, and remember, “Truth is Stranger than Fiction”!!!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2500924140588760933

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1358319439993514946

  When I tell people that I am making a comic book, the first thing that most artists say to me is that I should send it to Image, or try to get it published by a publisher, as though that is what you are supposed to do.  When I tell them that I paid for the printing out of my own pocket, they almost offer their condolences, like it is a horrible thing.  I would much rather have boxes of my own comic in my basement, waiting for me to sell, promote, or even collect dust, than to wait for DC or Marvel to allow me to make my own comic.   For some strange reason, so many artists are horrified at the thought of investing in their own ideas.  They feel like they need someone with money to tell them that it is OK for them to carry on with their vision.  They complain that no one will invest their money in their idea, when they aren’t even willing to invest in it themselves.  I don’t get it.  Why would anyone want to give their project away to some big studio or publisher?  As an artist, we are in the perfect position, because we are capable of doing the work ourselves.  We don’t need to hire someone to draw the pretty pictures for us.  We just have to sit down and do it.  Everyone is spending countless hours on pitches so they can see if some executive will tell them that their idea is great, and then they sell it to this executive for nothing, lose all creative control, and walk away from the deal making millions for some company, and maybe a fraction of that for themselves.  After 5, 10, or 30 years, what do most artists have to show for the countless hours they have invested into their own, or other people’s projects.  Not a heck of a lot.  Why do you think publishers publish?  Because they care about the artist’s vision, and they want to see the looks on little girl’s and boy’s faces as they enjoy the wonderful art and stories that are produced?  Or is it because there is a lot of money to be made off of insecure artists and their ideas? 

  And you know what?  My comic book may flop.  I may be stuck with 5 thousand dollars worth of black and white comics in my basement collecting dust.  At least my grandchildren will have lots of colouring books to colour.  Or maybe I’ll be able to sell a few.  Maybe if I work really hard, I can save up some money to publish a 5th or 6th issue.  Maybe people will actually like it, and I can take 3 or 4 months off of my day job a year and make a few more.  Maybe I can make it to issue 50.  Then maybe the comics that are sitting in my basement will be worth a couple bucks each, and I’ll actually have to do a second printing.  Success doesn’t happen over night, and the first investment most people make doesn’t always triple or quadruple.  But with a lot of persistence and a lot of work, who knows what will happen?  Who better to invest in than yourself?  Unless you don’t think your idea is any good, but then why would you expect anyone else to invest in it?

Drawing by Dave Sim.

  Now I’m not saying that you should put a second mortgage on your house, and foolishly drive yourself into bankruptcy.  Some common sense is required.  What I am saying is that you should start out small, and grow at a comfortable pace.  Instead of making a 40 page bible with character designs, story synopsis’, locations etc., why not make a 40 page book, telling one of those stories.  Or maybe a 4 minute short film.  Test it out, and see if it sparks interest (not from executives, but from audiences).  Get a small following first, before you try to make a feature film.  Sell your book, and make another one with any profits that you make.  Once an actual product such as a book or short film is made, if you wish to go to a studio or a publisher, at least you have something solid to present to them, and you can actually sell a product rather than an idea that can easily be changed and manipulated by executives that “know what the kids want”.  I’m new to all of this myself.  I haven’t self published 300 comic books like Dave Sim, or made my own feature film or anything.  I have self published one comic, with a second one on the way, and I have invested $4000 dollars in my company and have made about $400.  Maybe I won’t make that money back.  If I don’t, I’ll live.  I would much rather take a shot at something than complain that Image discontinued my comic after 4 issues…. just as I was building a fan base and getting somewhere with the story.  Logically, you shouldn’t expect to make any money off of the first comic, or the second, or the third.  But once you have 10 comics in print, each one can start making a little bit of money for you.  When you have 50 comics self published, a little bit times 50 could be a lot.  It is called investing because you put in your own time and money into something that you believe in, not because money magically appears in your bank account without any sacrifice on your part. 

  Maybe I don’t know what the heck I’m talking about.  Maybe I am just being naive.  I don’t think I am, and I’m going to give this a shot.  If you don’t try, how will you know? 

  Amid Amidi (Cartoon Brew) and John Kricfalusi had some really interesting things to say about pitches and executives on their blogs, and Mike Kitchen posted about the direct comicbook market a while back on his blog.  Check them out on the links below.

Cartoon Brew’s Amid Amidi: Comentary: To pitch or not to pitch.

Joh Kricfalusi : Why rock stars should be animation executives.

Mike kitchen:  Times they are a’changing.