Becoming a Comic Book Writer/Publisher - Dream Come True or Absolute Nightmare?

Believe it or not, comic books are not totally created by artists. They're written the same way movie scripts are used to make a film. The writer scripts the comic book, then the penciller fleshes it out like an actor. After that, the inker, colorist and letterer come in to do the post-production work. Just like movies, comic books are created by a collaborative effort. Although, in the case of small-press publishers like myself, you often end up doing double or triple duty to publish your comic book as cheaply as possible. In my case, I write, letter, and sometimes even color my own comic book stories just to save money.

My first comic book story, Emancipation, was published online by Prism Comics the summer of 2006. Shortly thereafter, I sent the same story to Fan-Atic Press who published it in Slam Bang Vol. III, #2. That same summer, I was also selected as one of the top 50 semi-finalists in the Platinum Studios' Comic Book Challenge, but dropped out because I couldn't make the trip to San Diego to pitch my idea in front of the judges.

Flushed with my relative "success", I decided to embark upon publishing my own comic book anthology. I saw a real lack in the Gay & Lesbian market for a non-pornographic comic book anthology and decided to publish a comic book called Queerbait. Queerbait #1 contained four of my own stories, as well as others from different contributors, and took me about 4 months to put together. It was 52 pages of full color comic book glory that I sold online and is actually still available through IndyPlanet.com. The comic book was greeted with rave reviews, but the modest sales that didn't cover even half of what I spent on artists for the book.

With Queerbait #2, I decided to cut the page count and print the book in black and white to lower the cover price. My hope was that it would generate more comic book sales that way. The problem though, is my lack of focus on the project. It's been a year in the making because after getting so much praise for my writing in Queerbait #1, I started trying to get higher paying work from other publishers. I've spent the past twelve months going back and forth with different artists on various mini-series, none of which have yet to make it off the ground. Queerbait #2 keeps getting pushed to the background, and as of this writing, is still six pages away from completion. And, once the comic book is complete, I'm turning it over to another publisher so that I can concentrate on other projects.

So, what else have I accomplished in the comic book field this past year? Well, I did have a short prose piece published in the 2007 Prism Guide to Comics, but mostly I've wrote a lot of great scripts that I haven't found anyone reliable to illustrate yet. There's a very cruel inequity in small-press comic book publishing, and when looking for proposal collaborators, that artists ALWAYS get paid up front and the writers usually don't get paid until the book sells. Which is all fine and good if you have an extra $50 - $100 a page to invest with no guarantee of making the money back.

I entered the Platinum Studios' Comic Book Challenge again this past June, but I didn't make the cut this year. Being the persistent writer than I am though, I e-mailed the editor who liked my idea the year before and asked him if I could pitch it directly. Much to my surprise, he agreed to read my pitch. Unfortunately though, a month later he told me that he loved my idea, but they were too swamped with super hero stories to publish it right now. Nuts! But, he did at least pass my script and a recommendation on to an editor at another company that I may or may not hear back from. Hot on the heels of his kind rejection, I e-mailed him again asking if he'd be willing to look at a non-superhero pitch. I'm still waiting for the response to that one.

So, after I've been rejected once, possibly twice, on a project I thought was a sure sell...and my self-publishing record is so bad that it should be a cautionary tale...am I still writing comic books? Of course I am. Writing a good comic book script gives me the biggest rush I've ever experienced. I may not be ready for the big leagues yet, but I've had enough feedback on my work to know that I may get there someday. It's a slow and very painful process, but it's a wonderful feeling when you type those last words in the script and say, "Damn, I'm good." The keyword for writing comic books is "patience." Do what you love, write as passionately as you make love, and sooner or later...the money will follow.

Oh, and having money saved up to hire good artists doesn't hurt either.