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.
