Brandon Graham's Blog, page 103
August 9, 2017
August 8, 2017
Sketchbook drawing of a thing that doesn’t exist.
Sketchbook drawing of a thing that doesn’t exist.
August 5, 2017
Hey Brandon, I recently read an article entailing an artist's recurring financial woes due to their stellar books being unable to attract an audience in the direct market. This made me think about 8-house and I became curious about your take on this? Have
I assume this was about low orders on Spy Seal (a book that I’m pretty excited about)
8House was kind of a marketing mess. I was trying to find new ways to give more time to the work & kind of build it on the way. It ended because Emma and Hwei’s Mirror sold better without the 8house stamp on it.
Mirror continues and is amazing if you haven’t read it.
Image books do sell pretty good as trades so just doing those might be a good idea. I feel like the advantage of issues is almost to test out how the work looks in print and give readers and retailers an idea of the book month after month so they remember it.
Maybe something set up like a Scott Pilgrim or Empowered with a book a year would work. I’m so stuck on issues with my stuff– but maybe less on sales and more that it’s nice to have work on shelves more often than once a year.
but yeah, all that said the business of comics seems to be in a weird place right now. It feels to me like there’s some fantastic work but spread thin all around. while corporate comics flood the market. –and not a lot of places to go for news that will actually get you excited about what is going on in shops.
I've been reading Prophet again, because it's sooo good, and all the nods and references to the older Extreme comics made me wonder how much if any of that stuff did you or your crew read?
Thanks so much.
I read a lot of it as research while doing the book. but I would read it out of order just as I found issues in back issue bins.
I think I read more Youngblood, or really anything with Troll and Diehard than I read even Prophet issues.
Like I didn’t know about Crypt until we were pretty far into the series. “
In an alternate future the being known as Prophet became corrupt and evil and gave birth to the evil that is crypt.
“
There’s still ideas I never really got to.
I say it a lot but someday I still need to do a full on Youngblood (or YoungStar with Giannis)
do you have any advice for someone who's planning a pitch to image comics? its my first creator owned thing and im nervous that it's not up to par, or that there are missing elements that i can't pinpoint that they won't tell me about and i'll just never g
I don’t think it helps second guessing yourself. With submissions they’ll most likely be glanced at & either catch the publisher eye or not.
I’d recommend just sending 4 or 6 pages of a finished thing and a short paragraph explaining the gist of the comic. If that interests them they can ask for more. Plus that’s how readers and retailers tend to pick the books they’re going to spend money on.
Also it’s ok to be rejected,(a bummer but not the end) both my King city and Multiple Warheads were turned down by publishers before I went to Image. (along with many, many more books pre those) You have to be stubborn and not do the comics to impress any publisher but just do the comics because that’s what you are going to be doing anyway. my old roomate Corey Lewis said something once about making it feel like an amazing cruise ship that was leaving that they wouldn’t want to miss.
malachiward:The cover to EXPANSION by @mattsheean and I!!! Out...
The cover to EXPANSION by @mattsheean and I!!! Out October 25th from AdHouse Books. Preorder at your comic shop, Diamond order code AUG171119. Matt and I did a new story, and we coaxed @simon-roy to do one as well! We also got new work from @royalboiler Farel Dalrymple, and @jedmcgowan !!
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