Tag Archives: BOOM! Studios

BALTIMORE! and more

13 Aug

Chris and I are heading to Baltimore on Friday, August 19th for one of our favorite conventions of the year.

We are really looking forward to seeing all our friends and meeting new ones!

Here is the current schedule we have on tap.

SATURDAY, August 20th

1PM Signing at the BOOM! STUDIOS booth

3PM Panel Spotlight on Legion of Super-Heroes

Travel with us to the 31st century as we take a look at DC’s futuristic super team, The Legion of Super-Heroes! Join creators Keith Giffen, Mike Grell, Mark Waid, Barry Kitson, and Chris Roberson as they talk about the tales they’ve told in the Legion’s long and storied history. Long Live the Legion!

SUNDAY, August 21st

1PM Signing at the BOOM! STUDIOS booth

But that’s not all.

On Friday, August 19th from 5PM to 7:30PM Chris will be signing along with the fabulous Chrissie Zullo at Captain Blue Hen Comics & Entertainment in Newark, Delaware. If you live in the area, stop on in and say hi!

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Finally! The Chris Roberson & Me, SDCC Schedule You’ve Been Waiting to See

13 Jul

After many days of collecting info, managing times and hostage negotiations, the schedule has finally been locked. So if you are curious where we will be, I’ve make a schedule that any stalker would drool over.

Here we go!

WEDNESDAY JULY 20TH

Chris and I fly in Wednesday morning, will try to check-in before check-in time and will then run to Ralph’s to get supplies.

Later that afternoon, I have a late lunch date with a friend.

And at some point after that, Chris and I will go pick up our badges.

6PM to 7PM Chris will be signing his name on comics he may or may not have written at the BOOM! Studios Booth #2743

Chris and I have dinner plans with the hardest working man in comics and his lovely equally hard working wife.

Then Chris and I go meet some other people at some secret bar cause well, it’s supposed to be cool.

After that, we will probably head back over to our balcony.

THURSDAY JULY 21ST

11AM to 12PM Chris will be signing some more books, but with my name instead of his own, at the BOOM! Studios Booth #2743

And then we have a joint lunch date. (I’m not telling)

3PM to 4PM IDW Panel…

3:00-4:00 IDW Publishing Presents: The Greatest Panel of All Time— New creator-owned books? Ever-larger licensed titles? All-new creators, and even some major crossover events? How about prizes just for attending? Yep, you’ll find all that and more, in The Greatest Panel of All Time. CCO Chris Ryall, editor Scott Dunbier, and creators Chris Roberson, Eric Powell, and Steve Niles, along with MC Dirk Wood, present a gamelike atmosphere as they spin the wheel on projects coming in 2011 and 2012. Come on down! Room 9 

Hmm. That looks interesting.

5:45PM to 6:45PM Vertigo Panel…

5:45-6:45 Vertigo Editorial— They come from the cutting edge of comics…and Vertigo has never been edgier, with thought-provoking titles from some of comics’ most acclaimed creators. Don’t miss this panel featuring Scott Snyder (American Vampire), Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth), Michael Allred (iZombie), Chris Roberson (iZombie), Mark Buckingham (Fables), Les Klinger (Annotated Sandman), Rebecca Guay (A Flight of Angels), Colleen Doran (Gone to Amerika), Bill Willingham (Fables), and many others. This is your opportunity to learn more about the entire Vertigo line. Hosted by Vertigo executive editor Karen Berger. Room 6DE 

Then we go to dinner with some of my favorite people on the planet along with some folks I am very excited to meet.

After dinner we have three parties that we NEED to go to but might go to as many as six. Late night on our balcony.

FRIDAY JULY 22ND

I have a lunch date with another dear friend.

1PM to 2PM Chris will be signing at the IDW Booth #2643. Exactly what he will be signing, will be up to you all. (be creative!)

I left this day kind of open on purpose since last year we seemed to be in a mad dash to get to stuff. So we will probably be on our balcony before we get ready for the Eisner’s.

8:30PM Eisner’s start. So cross your fingers, we have two shots!

Later that night/ morning. This is when we will be celebrating our Eisner (fill in the blank). Whatever the outcome, just an honor to be on the shortlist. Really.

SATURDAY JULY 23RD

1PM to 2PM Chris will be signing and signing and signing at the BOOM! Studios Booth #2743

Cocktail break!

7PM to 8PM Fables Panel…

7:00-8:00 Fables— The annual Fables panel has become a Comic-Con tradition — and with the original graphic novel Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland on the way this fall, there’s no better time to hear what Bill Willingham, creator of the multi-Eisner Award-winning series, has to say. Join Bill, artists Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha, group editor Shelly Bond, and others for a panel that is truly legendary. Room 6DE 

Chris and some others will also be on this panel.  If you’ve never been to a Fables panel at SDCC, let me tell you, it is super fun and entertaining. I HIGHLY recommend going.

And then right after the panel we head over to a long standing dinner with some of the most talented people working in comics today. Yeah, I would say who but I think name dropping is a little gauche.

Then we are going to race over to the Trickster set-up and see if we can catch Andy Kuhn and then Gear play.

SUNDAY JULY 24TH

11:30AM to 12:30PM Chris will be signing his little heart out trying to stay awake at the DC/ Vertigo Booth #1915

1:30PM to 2:30PM BOOM! Studios Panel…

1:30-2:30 Editing Comics the BOOM! Studios Way— BOOM! Studios editor-in-chief Matt Gagnon talks to three of fandom’s favorite BOOM! writers — Chris Roberson (Starborn, iZombie, Superman), Daryl Gregory (Planet of the Apes, Dracula Company of Monsters), and Michael Alan Nelson (28 Days Later, Dingo, Hexed) — about the ins and outs of editing comics at BOOM! Don’t miss this in-depth look into the editing secrets of one of the comic book industry’s leading independent publishers as they discuss editing dos and don’ts at today’s hottest comic book company. Room 23ABC 

And from this point it is all balcony, dinner with old friends, followed by a dead dog party we go to every year.

We might sleep a few hours and then head back home on Monday afternoon.

So that’s it folks. Really looking forward to seeing all of you who will be there NEXT WEEK!

A

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EPIC New Comic Book Day!

6 Jul

Today is new comic book day. WOOOHOO!

So head on down to your LCBS and pick up some kick ass comics!

But wait, there is more…

Buy Elric: The Balance Lost #1 from BOOM! Studios today in print AND in digital.

Pretty killer RIGHT?!

Head on over to the Elric website to read more about the title or buy the first issue digitally.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!

iZombie #15 Cover by Mike Allred

Starborn: Volume 1 Trade Paperback cover by Humberto Ramos

iZombie #15 and the first Starborn trade ALSO come out today!

IT’S AN EMBARRASSMENT OF RICHES!!!

A

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What Editors Want to See: Portfolio Review Edition

26 May

I recently received  a reader requested topic via twitter that dealt with portfolio reviews.

What do people look for in portfolio reviews?

Since this question is a little bit outside my wheelhouse, I thought it was a good idea to ask some folks who actually review art portfolios.  I was lucky enough to get responses from two of my favorite people, Ross Richie, Founder & CEO, and Matt Gagnon, Editor in Chief, of BOOM! Studios.

Here’s what Ross had to say:

Sequentials, not pin-ups, not covers (unless you’re a painter). Strong page layouts that are easy to read so they storytelling is clear, married to a strong over all page design, so that at first glance it’s easy to see that the entire page has been put together as a cohesive whole, not just a panel put next to another panel willy-nilly.

Don’t hot dog. Impress me with your fundamentals.

Don’t spend 4 months on 6 pages of art. It misrepresents your ability to get the job done on a schedule. Show me what you can do in a page a day. If I hire you after you’ve misrepresented yourself, you’re done forever in my book — you’ve pulled a bait-and-switch.

Rendering needs to be strong. Perspective is a must. Bad anatomy is a non-starter. Show you have range — as a comic book artist, you’ll need to do fantasy, science fiction, convincing automobiles, believable city streets, real-looking buildings.

Don’t put EVERYTHING into the portfolio. I don’t want to see your old stuff. You might love that Batman drawing from two years ago, but believe me, when I see it, it looks like you just got worse. If you’re any good, you’re drawing all the time and getting better and better and better. Your old stuff might be sentimental to you, but you’re blind to how much better you’ve gotten since you did it. Leave it out, because it can create a bad aftertaste.

Draw, draw, and draw. And when you’re done, draw again.

The field is competitive. If you want to succeed, bring your A-game. There’s work to be had, but a lot of other people are trying to break-in. The industry is not a locked room, we break new talent at BOOM! constantly, but you can’t fool yourself and think you can take a shortcut or skip a step, it requires focus and discipline.

And here’s Matt’s insight:

Bring a “leave-behind” with you.  This could be as simple as a business card or a few printouts of your favorite (sequential) pages with your contact information.  An editor might request this if they like your portfolio and it’s important to be prepared.  Something simple that they can take back to the office with them can be worth its weight in gold.  The truth of the matter is, a lot of editor’s will prefer to contact you as opposed to giving out their e-mail address.

Listen.  Don’t be defensive when receiving criticism.  It’ll get you nowhere.

Know who you’re showing your portfolio to.  Have an idea of what type of material the company publishes. Chances are, if you’re starting out, you will be acting as your own “agent”. You need to pitch yourself as well as your art.  Know what the company publishes and showcase how you can be valuable to them. Your portfolio of manga art won’t get you very far with a company that doesn’t publish manga.

Present a confident self-image, as much as possible.  A firm handshake and eye contact makes a good first impression.  If you are sitting in front of an editor your portfolio review is also a potential job interview. Editors will be leery of hiring an artist who can’t form a sentence and articulate what their capabilities are.  If it helps your confidence, remember this: any editor with a line of comics is actually HOPING that your art is good.  In most cases the person sitting across from you is actually ROOTING for you.

How awesome it that? Super awesome.

I want to thank Ross and Matt for their responses. Really appreciate you guys taking the time.

If there are any other editors/ publishers out there that would like to share some knowledge to help everyone’s life run a little smoother, I would love to post any insights you may have. Just sent it over to me at allisontype at gmail dot com.

A

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