RCCCC: Spotlight on Greg Rucka

Saturday, September 10th 1:30-2:20 pm 

Topic:

Multiple award winning writer currently writing such blockbuster hits like Wonder Woman, Lazarus, Stumptown and Black Magick. Wonder what makes one of the best writers in comics tick? Come find out.

Panelists:

• Greg Rucka

Discussion:

First things first, I felt so lucky to see a panel spot lighting this man, his work in comics has been huge and hearing how he tackles projects was like getting to see how a magic trick is done.

This panel featured Greg Rucka being interviewed by one of his closest friends (whose name escapes me). The panel starts by addressing that a few years back Greg has a public outing when he left DC comics, but since then he has come by to them and as mentioned currently writes Wonder Woman. This was brought up because admittedly Greg writes from anger or rather he can and often has written from anger and currently his Wonder Woman book is hopeful. Greg Rucka explains just cause I have and can write from anger doesn't mean I am angry all the time.

Greg then spend a majority of the panel explain his approach to working on the current run in Wonder Woman for DC.  The most important thing isn't being continuity driven but is simply on how you approach the character (this goes for any superhero story). The approach for Wonder Woman is to ask what is she and what make Dianna tick.  Greg says the "wonder" in her name isn't for wonderful but for the true meaning of wonderment and curiosity, with that being the prime factor it was easy to make Dianna decisions and make her level her paradise to save the world and wonder how everything else works. 

The panel continued but in that moment when Greg is on stage talking about the detail of Wonder Woman ( a fiction character) he revealed just the level of care and how serious he takes writing and that carries on into all of his amazing works.

This was a an amazing 50 minutes. I highly recommend picking up any and all  of his work. As a creator working his way up from self publishing my own comics to working in the industry I strive to understand and learn on how to create better stories. Greg Rucka looks at fiction and makes it real, he take principals of life and applies them to all stories he tells and like a good writer he studies and researches. The level of care he has is what I aim to do in my own writing.

RCCCC: Editing Comics: Where the magic happens!

Saturday, September 10th 10:30-11:20am

Topic:

With the shifting landscape of comics today, this is your invaluable guide to breaking into the industry and working with a powerhouse publisher. Join Dark Horse Comics editors for a rare behind-the-scenes look and share the secrets of building a successful comic.

Panelists:

• Katii O'Brien, Cardner Clark, Freddye Miller and Hannah Means-Shannon

Discussion:

The panelist at the panel are all current editors at Dark Horse and wanted to share what they look for when taking the creators work and getting it to the next stage of publishing work.

The first thing that was address is making sure the creator is knowledgeable about comics and more importantly story. In order to make a comic you must understand story structure. This being said they suggested that creators read, and read outside of just comics. Read three act plays  and scripts to understand how story and plot unfold.

Next part was with the comic itself. When creators (artists and writers) are working on a book make sure the scene avoids "Double Action" a term used when a character is described as doing two things at once. Double Action works in film but not on the comic's page. The editors continued to describe and emphasize the importance of telling a solid story and making sure the book has flow.

The last point addressed at the brief panel was the "Market" by that they mean who is the audience of the book. Before any approval by editors they must first know; who,how and where to market and promote a book. The creators when pitching should already understand who they aim to please for the market (while still acknowledging its can be unpredictable). But companies and the editor cannot take a project until they know how they can sell or market and best showcase the stories they want to share.

I wish the panel was four hours and they could discuss even more about the marketing of a book or common problems that occur with new project but I am happy to take the information provided and apply it to my own creations.

Geeks Rising at Rose City Comic Con (Portland) 2016!

That time of the year has come, its another Comic Convention. The Rose City Comic Con is held in Portland OR where staff writer Logan (me) has just relocated and as always I will be doing my best to provide in depth insight on the different panels that are at the convention.

My hope is to see tones of creators and professionals of their crafts discuss and provide information to fans and people like me who are just starting out. More information will be coming as this con is set on September 10-11th.

Until then here are a few guests and people worth mentioning:

• Stan Lee
• Aubrey Aiese - LumberJanes
• Gabriel Ba- Daytripper
• Brian Michael Bendis- Marvel Comics
• John Bernthal- The Punisher
• Chad Coleman- The Wire, The Walking Dead
• Phil Lamar- Various talents
• David Yost- The Blue Power Ranger

You better believe I am going to try to meet all these amazing people and more!