JOAMETTE GIL

In “A Dream Of A Thousand Stars,” by Alberto Rayo and Sebastian Carrillo, an Andean Empire harnesses the power of countless suns… but at what cost? 

The past 10 days were a mad rally to bring a seemingly doomed campaign back to life, and just like that we were fully funded with 5 hours to spare. If that’s not power and magic, I don’t know what is! THANK YOU ALL. 

POWER & MAGIC: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology Series is back for a second volume of Young Adult fantasy comics starring queer witches of color! In addition to this 200+ page, black-and-white, softcover anthology, we’re also reviving the long-out-of-stock POWER & MAGIC VOLUME 1 with its first ever reprinting.

The witch is a symbol of power for women across the world. She represents defiance, transcendence, healing, feminine monstrosity, and connection with the natural and supernatural worlds. From her wands and flora, to her bonds of kinship, POWER & MAGIC VOLUME 2 explores what gives each witch her power and how she’ll choose to use it.

MAÑANA: Latinx Comics From the 25th Century is now open for submissions.

[Noten: Toda esta información también está disponible en español a pedido.]

“In 1492, Christopher Columbus sailed to the islands of the Caribbean. That single event led to the radical transformation of the region, the hemisphere, and eventually the entire world.

Indigenous peoples were decimated. Lands were colonized. African peoples were displaced and enslaved. Race, as a concept, took root. Black women and indigenous women were subjugated. Cultures died, fused, changed, and were, sometimes, reborn. Art, music, foods, and faiths echoed these tangled pasts. Immigrants from across the planet flocked to the newly christened "Latin America.” A caste system based on race and color reigned. Liberation struggles were fought. Revolutions were won. Wars of independence were waged. Coups were orchestrated. Global capitalism ran amok, fueling the mass exodus… And we survived it all.

That all seems so far away now.“

MAÑANA: Latinx Comics From the 25th Century is a speculative fiction comics anthology set throughout Latin America in the 2490s, roughly one thousand years from the voyage that changed the world. It took 500 years to get us where we are now – where could 500 more take us?

Submission Period

Submissions will be open to the public from May 27th - July 7th, 2019 (11:59 PM Pacific Time).

Who Can Participate

To pitch a story to MAÑANA, you must be Latinx or Latin American. We define Latinx as "a person living outside of Latin America whose cultural background includes any of the Spanish, Portuguese, or French-colonized countries of the Americas and the Caribbean.” We define Latin American as anyone born, raised, and currently living in any of those same countries.

You may pitch as a SOLO CREATOR (making the whole comic by yourself), as a WRITER ONLY (story writer who we will pair with an artist), or as an ARTIST ONLY (a comics artist who we will pair with a script).

Solo Creators with a strong story idea but not-as-strong artwork may receive an offer to be paired with a different artist (vice versa for pitches with stronger art than story).

“Writers Only” may request to be paired with a specific artist. The artist they request must be someone they know for a fact is filling out the “Artist Only” submission form. The reverse applies to “Artists Only” requesting a specific writer.

Age Restrictions

All contributors must be 18 years of age or older. All content must be suitable for readers as young as 14 years old.

Specifications

Comics from 2 - 12 pages long (must be an even number)

6.625” x 10.25” trim size (template will be provided)

Bleed? Yes.

Black & White, or Grayscale (no screen tones)

600 dpi

.PSD final files

Timeline

Selection Process (May 2019 - Aug 2019)

Open Submissions: 5.27 - 7.07 (6 weeks)

Selection Period: 7.08 - 7.28 (3 weeks)

Acceptance Emails & Feedback: 7.29 - 8.08 (1 week)

Paperwork: 8.09 - 8.15 (1 week)

Creation Period (Apr 2019 - Sep 2019)

Script: 8.16 - 9.15 (4 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 9.16 - 9.29 (2 weeks)

Thumbnails: 9.30 - 10.20 (3 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 10.21 - 11.03 (2 weeks)

Pencils: 11.04 - 12.15 (6 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 12.16 - 12.29 (2 weeks)

Inks: 12.30 - 1.26 (4 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 1.27 - 2.09 (2 weeks)

Toning & Shading: 2.10 - 3.01 (3 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 3.10 - 3.15 (2 weeks)

Lettering: 3.16 - 4.05 (3 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 4.06 - 4.19 (2 weeks)

Final Files Due: May 3rd, 2020

Kickstarter (May 2020)

Payment (June 2020)

Compensation

Contributors will be compensated at a rate of $107/page plus any Kickstarter bonuses unlocked through stretch goals. Contributors also receive a minimum of 10 complimentary copies of the anthology, royalties on all digital sales proportionate to their page-count contribution, and royalties on any future print runs of the anthology after the first printing sells out.

“Writers Only” will receive $42/page, with bonuses, comp copies, and royalties split evenly between themselves and their artist.

“Artists Only” will receive $65/page, with bonuses, comp copies, and royalties split evenly between themselves and their writer.

All contributors have the right to purchase additional copies of the anthology at 50% off the cover price for as long as the anthology is in print.

Rights

Creators will cede exclusive first worldwide print and digital rights to their stories for a full calendar year from the date of publication, and non-exclusive worldwide print and digital rights (in both the English and Spanish languages) in perpetuity. Ownership remains with the creators.

What We WANT:

Comics (not illustrations, not prose, not poetry).

Previously unpublished stories.

The protagonist (or POV character) must be Latinx or Latin American.

Writers who have a connection to the country they choose as their setting (either from there, born there, parents or grandparents born there, lived there for many years, etc.)

Speculative fiction: How has technology changed? How has society changed? How have politics changed? The natural world? Fashion? The thoughtfulness of your world building will make or break your pitch.

Informed fiction: We want stories whose ideas about the future are rooted in an understanding of the past and present. For example: we’re less interested in whether flying cars exist and more interested in whether the Amazon rain forest makes a full recovery (and what that means for Brazil).

Optimism: your vision of 25th century Latin America doesn’t need to be utopic (although it can be) as long as themes of improvement, empowerment, growth, or problem-solving predominate.

Peaceful stories, sad stories, triumphant stories, funny stories, failure stories, action stories, philosophical stories, love stories – the full spectrum of humanity is welcome. The catch: it must end “positively.” Everything doesn’t have to work out, but we prefer stories end on a note of hope, new understandings, resilience, etc.

What We DON’T Want:

No fan works. No auto-bio. No prose. No one-off illustrations.

Comics that are already finished or that you’ve already started drawing.

Hacking the Mainframe: Unless you really, really think you can “WOW!” us with a highly original take, avoid “hackers take down the mega corporation” as a plot (because it’s been done to death).

Fantasy: We want science fiction and/or speculative fiction based in the real physical laws of our universe. However, certain elements of magic realism can work for us (e.g. in an otherwise realistic setting, a character speaks to a long departed ancestor, experiences old gods in a vision, or watches their life unfold out of sequence).

Ahistorical Takes: any stories that erase, deny, or revise the real-world histories of Latin American peoples will be rejected.

Horror: Your story can use fear and danger as plot elements, but if instilling fear/existential dread in the reader is the overarching goal, this is the wrong anthology.

Cursing is permitted as long as words aren’t used literally (i.e. “Shit, you scared me!” as opposed to “Let’s go shit in the woods!”) and are used very sparingly when used at all. In general, we’d prefer not.

No porn. No references to specific sexual acts. No explicit nudity whether sexual or non-sexual (sorry, folks). “Consensual fade-to-black sex between legal adults” is fine.

No depictions of abuse (sexual, physical, psychological) whether pictorial or written. Characters may vaguely reference (in non-graphic language) abuse that they have suffered in the past if doing so serves the story or is integral to the character.

No gore. People can get hurt, bleed, die, etc, but not in a grossly over-the-top way that fetishizes violence.

No slurs, no racist statements nor imagery, no misogyny, no transphobia, no ableism, no xenophobia, and no white supremacist nonsense in general. Since this anthology is about Latin America’s future, these topics can be broached in your story, but we urge you to tackle such subjects in a more creative way than “[insert drawing of some guy yelling a slur].”

Ready to pitch?

“SOLO CREATORS” APPLY HERE.

“WRITERS ONLY” APPLY HERE.

“ARTISTS ONLY” APPLY HERE.

Here’s what you’ll need to complete each form:

SOLO CREATORS:

A working title and page count for your comic (doesn’t have to be exact).

A synopsis of your story, including a beginning, middle, and end. Spoil everything, but try to keep it under 300 words.

Preliminary sketches associated with your pitch: character ideas, environment concepts (the latter is especially important if your portfolio lacks strong examples of background art), etc. These don’t need to be final or polished pieces! Just clear enough to give us an idea.

Links to any relevant publishing credits. Self-published works and webcomics count as credits! Choose examples that best reflect the style you intend to use for this comic. You may simply include a link to your portfolio if you have no pre-existing credits, but please note that folks with sequential storytelling examples will receive preference.

Tell us about yourself, your cultural and creative background, and why you want to be in MAÑANA. Short and sweet is best!

WRITERS ONLY:

A working title and page count for your comic (doesn’t have to be exact).

A synopsis of your story, including a beginning, middle, and end. Spoil everything, but try to keep it under 300 words.

Links to any relevant publishing credits. Self-published works and webcomics count as credits! You may simply include a link to your writing portfolio if you have no pre-existing comics writing credits, but note that folks with comics writing experience will receive preference.

Tell us about yourself, your cultural and creative background, and why you want to be in MAÑANA. Short and sweet is best!

ARTISTS ONLY:

Links to your portfolio and/or any relevant publishing credits. Self-published works and webcomics count as credits! You may simply include a link to your portfolio if you have no pre-existing credits, but please note that folks with sequential storytelling examples will receive preference.

Tell us about yourself, your cultural and artistic background, and why you want to be in MAÑANA. Short and sweet is best!

More Questions?

POWER & MAGIC: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology VOLUME 2 is coming to Kickstarter this October 2019! ★

The POWER & MAGIC SERIES from P&M Press is all about queer witches of color as icons of female power. 

Witches represent rebellion, transcendence, healing, feminine monstrosity, so-called “deviance,” and interconnectedness – with the cosmos, with their bodies, and with each other. 

These anthologies exist as a space for women of color to explore gender, power, struggle, selfhood and community, all in the context of compelling fantasy comics for young adult readers (and up)!

THE VOLUME 2 COVEN:

Ahmara Smith

Alexis Cooke

Arby Essex

Bex Glendining

Che Grayson & Steenz

Cynthia Yuan Cheng

Dominique Evans

Fanfi & Mafe Balmaceda

Grace Teoh

Jessica & Jacinta Wibowo (JesnCin)

Joamette Gil & Rose Bousamra

Juliette GMM López

Kimberly Wang

Lorena Reyes

Myisha Haynes

Nicole Miles

Shivana Sookdeo

Wendy Xu

Yash Kesanakurthy & Annalise Jensen

Yeon Kyung Charlotte Cha & Ciel Bahena

EXCITED FOR OCTOBER? FOLLOW ALONG:

Join our email list ☆

Follow us on Twitter ★

Add us on Instagram ☆

Like us on Facebook ★

P&M Press is now taking submissions for POWER & MAGIC: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology Volume 2.

First, there was the award-winning POWER & MAGIC: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology… then, our “spirit”-ed interstitial volume, Power & Magic: IMMORTAL SOULS… and now, POWER & MAGIC returns with a full-length Volume 2, bigger and better than ever before!

The POWER & MAGIC SERIES is all about queer witches of color as icons of female power. Witches represent rebellion, transcendence, healing, feminine monstrosity, so-called “deviance,” and interconnectedness – with the cosmos, with their bodies, and with each other. These anthologies exist as a space for women of color to explore gender, power, struggle, selfhood and community, all in the context of compelling fantasy comics for young adult readers (and up)!

Submission Period

Submissions will be open to the public from February 11th - March 10th (11:59 PM Pacific Time).

Who Can Participate

To submit to POWER & MAGIC Volume 2, both of the following must apply to you:

You are a person of color.

You identify – whether fully or partially or complicatedly – as a woman. This can include cis women, trans women, bigender people, two-spirit people, demi-girls, questioning-but-leaning-woman-aligned, etc. Sex assigned at birth is irrelevant. We’re looking to represent womanhood as a spectrum rather than a fixed point.

For team submissions: At least the writer must meet the above criteria. 

If you’re a member of a long-standing comics partnership that includes a white writer and an artist of color, you may pitch together so long as the partner of color plays an equal-or-greater role in determining the story. 

If two submissions are equally matched, the team whose members all meet the criteria will be prioritized. 

Use #CovenSearch on social media to find teammates!

Age Restrictions

All contributors must be 18 years or older. All content must be suitable for readers as young as 14 years old.

Specifications

Comics from 2 - 10 pages long (must be an even number)

6” x 9” trim size (template will be provided)

Bleed? Yes.

Black & White or Grayscale (no screentones, please)

600 dpi

.PSD final files

Timeline

Selection Process (Feb 2019 - Apr 2019)

Open Submissions: 2/11 - 3/10 (4 weeks)

Selection Period: 3/11 - 3/24 (2 weeks)

Acceptance Emails/Pitch Feedback: 3/25

Paperwork: 3/25 - 4/1 (1 week)

Creation Period (Apr 2019 - Sep 2019)

Script: 4/1 - 4/21 (3 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 4/22 - 4/28 (1 week)

Thumbnails: 4/29 - 5/12 (2 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 5/13 - 5/19 (1 week)

Pencils: 5/20 - 6/23 (5 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 6/24 - 6/30 (1 week)

Inks: 7/1 - 7/21 (3 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 7/22 - 7/28 (1 week)

Toning & Shading: 7/29 - 8/11 (2 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 8/12 - 8/18 (1 week)

Lettering: 8/19 - 9/1 (2 weeks)

Feedback/Edits: 9/2 - 9/8 (1 week)

Final Files Due: 9/15

Kickstarter (October 2019)

Payment (November 2019)

Compensation

Contributors will be compensated at $106/page plus any Kickstarter bonuses unlocked through stretch goals. Contributors also receive a minimum of 10 complimentary copies of the anthology, royalties on all digital sales, and royalties on any future print runs of the anthology after the first printing sells out.

Rights

Creators will cede exclusive first worldwide print and digital rights to their stories for a full calendar year from the date of publication, and non-exclusive worldwide print and digital rights in perpetuity. Ownership remains with the creators.

What We *WANT*

Previously unpublished stories.

At least one protagonist must be a queer woman of color (or woman-aligned).

At least one character must be a witch, and at least one witch character must be a queer woman of color (or woman-aligned).

The queer woman of color protagonist(s) must be human or human-appearing.

Any era, any location, any type of witch – real or folkloric or invented.

Fantasy elements! How fantastical or understated is up to you.

Peaceful stories, sad stories, triumphant stories, funny stories, failure stories, action stories, love stories – the full spectrum of humanity is welcome. The catch: it must end “positively.” Everything doesn’t have to work out, but we’d prefer for stories to end on a note of hope or new understanding or resilience, etc, even if things go wrong.

What We *DON’T* Want

No fan works. No auto-bio. No prose. No one-off illustrations.

Comics that are already finished or that you’ve already started drawing.

Meet-cutes (“Two people meet and crush at first sight, the end”). A meet-cute may occur within the story, but it can’t be the whole story.

Horror: Your story can use fear and danger as plot elements, but if instilling fear/existential dread in the reader is the overarching goal, this is the wrong anthology.

Tolkienian fantasy: no elves, dwarves, orcs, etc. We won’t freak out if you make something up that’s very loosely(!) inspired by any of these (unless it replicates the problematic elements of Tolkien’s work, in which case your work will not be accepted).

Cursing is permitted as long as words aren’t used literally (i.e. “Shit, you scared me!” as opposed to “Let’s go shit in the woods!”) and are used very sparingly when used at all. In general, we’d prefer not.

No porn. No references to specific sexual acts. No explicit nudity whether sexual or non-sexual (sorry, folks). “Consensual fade-to-black sex between legal adults” is fine.

No depictions of abuse (sexual, physical, psychological) whether pictorial or written. Characters may vaguely reference (in non-graphic language) abuse that they have suffered in the past if doing so serves the story or is integral to the character.

No gore. People can get hurt, bleed, die, etc, but not in a grossly over-the-top way that fetishizes violence.

No slurs, no racism (not even “gnomes hate all faeries” fantasy racism), no misogyny, no transphobia, no ableism, no xenophobia, and no white supremacist nonsense in general. (And please, no stories whose sole purpose is to teach that these things are bad.)

Ready to pitch? FILL OUT THIS FORM.

Here’s what you’ll need to complete your submission:

A working title and page count for your comic (doesn’t have to be exact).

A synopsis of your story, including a beginning, middle, and end. Spoil everything, but try to keep it under 500 words.

Preliminary sketches associated with your pitch: character ideas, important creature designs, environment concepts (the latter is especially important if your portfolio lacks strong examples of background art), etc. These don’t need to be final or polished pieces! Just detailed enough to give us an idea.

Links to any relevant publishing credits (whether you’re writing the comic, drawing it, lettering it, or doing everything yourself). Self-published works and webcomics count as credits! Choose examples that best reflect the style you intend to use for this comic. You may simply include a link to your portfolio if you have no pre-existing credits, but please note that folks with sequential storytelling examples will receive preference.

Tell us about yourself and anyone else working with you, your cultural and artistic background(s), and why you want to be in POWER & MAGIC Volume 2. Short and sweet is best!

More Questions?

HEARTWOOD: Non-binary Tales of Sylvan Fantasy is the first ever non-binary comics anthology, featuring 22 young adult stories made entirely by cartoonists who identify as a non-binary gender, available here in PDF and CBZ formats.

Across time and cultures, humanity has spun tales about the forest: tales of caution, adventure, rites of passage, and discovery. It remains a symbol for facing the unknown and emerging transformed. This anthology is for everyone who has walked through the undergrowth, in the silence of nature, and longed for an adventure of their own to unfold.

POWER & MAGIC: The Queer Witch Comics Anthology is one of this year’s Lambda Literary Award nominees - we are honored beyond words.