KP's Creative Prattling Over Tea

Ahh, lookit the time. It’s the first blog entry and there’s stuff to discuss. First and foremost, I hope that you have your tea. Second up: our very first showcase will feature the talented Mark Zuptich talking about his upcoming comic Into the Darkness. I’ll send a note when the interview is up and on the showcase page. Onto our immediate topic, though, is ‘Do you know what you need to do in order to have a print worthy comic?’

I’m not talking about content. Of course you need content. You could have an entire comic about booger eating space barbies proudly displayed at your local comic book store next to a Victorian-era detective comic. That point is, there’s a lot to go through before you ever reach that point. 

And, yes, you need a crew unless you’re a one man/woman band who can do everything yourself. Beyond that, what do you need? Most comic printing presses have the same requirements, so we’re going to talk about each and every one of them and what member of the team that the specific job falls on. 

Creating comics is a lot like a team sport. Unless you have a project manager or a specific person doing all of the formatting and grunt work, each team member needs to pull their own weight. So here’s how it typically goes:

The Writer/Editor:      *Makes sure that the project manager has agreed to the script before it moves onto the next step.       *The script- as well as a copy of all important character and location descriptions are made available to every member of the team.      *Has the creator/project manager proof the script and make sure that there are no revisions to be made.      *When possible, provide a storyboard for the penciller.

The Penciller:      *Goes over the script with the writer and suggests any changes to the format.       *Draws the script at 11″x17″ dimensions (unless otherwise requested) with bleed/safe area adjusted for the following sizes: 10”x15 3/8” centered area for full bleed art, 9 3∕4” x 15” trim area centered within the full bleed area, or 9”x14 1/4” centered within the trim area. This prevents any white boarders on full bleed pages during printing. Nothing important should go outside of the area.      *All pages of the penciled art should be numbered the same as they are in the script.      *Has the creator/project manager proof each page before sending onto the inker.      *Scans the work at 300 dpi or higher in full grayscale to provide to the inker, along with any specific notes about shading or lighting or specific effects.      *Unless otherwise noted or permission given by the writer/creator, an artist does not render any sound effects or writing. 

The Inker:      *If the inker is using a color other than black for linework, it must be discussed with the comic creator.       *Does not resize the piece unless requested to do so by the creator/project manager.      *Has each page proofed by the creator/project manager before turning over to the colorist.       *Scans in his work at no less than 300 dpi in black and white (not grayscale as it leaves a mess on the page), then cleans their speck unless arrangements are made for another party to do so.      * Provides the colorist with any specific notes about shading or lighting or specific effects.

The Colorist:       *Must discuss with the creator/project manager whether they are to use CMYK or RGB. Most printed comic require CMYK (It is easier to go from CMYK to RGB. RGB to CMYK almost never translates cleanly).      *Must have it cleared with the project manager/creator if they plan to change any deligated palettes.       *Has each page proofed by the creator/project manager before turning over to the letterer.      *Discuss with the letterer and project manager/creator what format they are to save the files/send the files to the letterer in.       *Maintain the 300dpi format and not alter the dimensions of the piece unless previously discussed with the creator/project manager. 

The Letterer:      *Discuss with the project manager/creator who is paying for any required fonts for the project.       *Have each page proofed with all effects in place.       *Ensure that no letters, bubbles or captions are placed outside of the safe zone.       *Suggest any changes to dialog to the creator/project manager before going off script.      *Be sure that the lettered version is saved in the format that the creator/project manager requires.

The Creator/Project Manager:      *Be realistic about their projected timeline and budget, as well as the that of every person working on the project.      *Must credit each person working on the project.       *Understand that flexibility and patience keep a team working well. There is a time to say that enough is enough. If you’re keeping in contact with the team, it will likely never reach that point.       *Don’t forget your test readers, fan groups and support system. Thank them somehow.      *Know and communicate whether you want to use offset printing or standard. If you want a foil cover, make sure that your cover artist knows. 

So a friend (Chuck Pineau) mentioned to me that I should write a blog about my various experiences in the world of comic books. At first, I thought it was a bad idea since so many people question your credibility as a creator unless you have 17 comics out under Marvel and a tv show under your belt. Then I thought- who cares about what might go wrong, let’s just make this thing happen. You’ve got to have a thick skin and tall boots to be in the industry anyhow.

And here it is: guaranteed to be a slightly messy, hopefully useful, and occasionally a waxing poetic read about things that I am finding in my wanderings. I will share links and information that I find, talk about the subjects that I think are relevant to a comic book creator. My commentary will go meander around from production to personal presentation and branding, to interesting tools and inspirations to look at this cool thing I found. My hope is that with this blog, I can share what I know, learn from all of you, and hopefully strengthen the creative community. Feel free to ask questions and share: I will do the same.

Hit me up with links to share with others for tutorials or practice lines, talent to follow or showcase, ads for people looking to collaborate, etc and I will help get the word out there. Competition is a silly, superficial thing. There’s plenty of room for all of us in comic books. Let’s make the field grow and diversify.

I’ll try to keep the posts to once a week unless something strikes my fancy.The first official ‘talk over tea will be out sometime this week.