20-year veteran writer and editor looking for several artists for collab

[TheReality]

Hey there!

I've posted on CBR over the years under another handle, but I've created this new one for a new project I'm developing. Currently called "The Reality," I'm looking to draft artists who are great at storytelling. This will be a real 50/50 collaboration, although concepts and outlines already exist, everything is subjet to change w/your artistic expertise.

We'll be looking at the idea of superheroes in a very new way.

The characters are part of a cohesive universe that is carefully interconnected in sometimes subtle ways. It’s a rich group of multi-ethnic male, female, old, young and even otherworldly characters. But whether you as an artist like drawing regular people, monsters, super-folk, robots, gun battles, cityscapes or just plain weirdness, I’ve got a book for you.

Some of the ideas challenge the concept of "hero," even by today's standards. Others embrace it in a wholly new way.

So please link me to some of your best comics storytelling. I've several different ideas on publishing, release, marketing, promotions, etc. But these are things we'll determine as a team when all books have their own artists ready to go.

THANKS!

About me: 20+ years as a writer and editor in comics, film, TV, animation...a few small projects published and developed here and there and have had feature projects considered by major studios, comics scripts solicited by the big 2, TV series under consideration at Cartoon Network and more. Yet, somehow, still haven't hit the mainstream. So am now looking for some artists to partner with.

[Ghost]

I think more people would be interested if you were a little more descriptive of what the story itself is about. You mentioned multi-ethnic superheroes and weirdness, but what is the plot? What is challenging the concept of "hero"? Is this gritty realistic, futuristic and silly, aimed towards children, etc.

Also sounds like you have quite the resume. If you mentioned a few of the more well-known projects you collaborated on youd likely have way more success finding willing artists. But being so vague makes me a little suspicious, personally.

Also, probly the most important thing to add would be how you planned to pay the artists. How much? Per page, per hour, or a lump sum? Would you pay up front, after completed, or work out a royalties or profit deal? You mentioned it was a half and half collaboration, would the artist own any of the rights once finished? Being more transparent on these things would go a long way towards building trust.

[TheReality]

I think more people would be interested if you were a little more descriptive of what the story itself is about. You mentioned multi-ethnic superheroes and weirdness, but what is the plot? What is challenging the concept of "hero"? Is this gritty realistic, futuristic and silly, aimed towards children, etc.

Hey there!

Happy to answer your questions!...

As said, "the characters are part of a cohesive universe," so there is no singular plot.

Re: challenging the concept of superhero: I want to do what Stan Lee did in the 1960s: His approach was to take the everyman -- rather than a billionaire playboy or reporter for a major metropolitan newspaper -- and make him a superhero. So it was a high school student, a lawyer, and a scientist, and so on. But I'm of the belief that brilliant scientists and the like aren't necessarily "every men." Also, today's "every man" differs greatly from the 1960s.

So I'm looking at creating a very new kind of world that is, in one book gritty, in another book ultra-realistic, in another more fantasy-oriented, and so on. As stated, the books are connected in sometimes subtle (sometimes not-so-subtle) ways.

It's not really for children...in that it's not "kiddie" stories, but most of the books will be written in a way that you could feel AOK giving the comics to kids to read. One of my closest friends is a HUGE Batman fan, and he's been upset with DC for more than a dozen years now that he can't give his kids or his friends kids (all under 12-ys-o) any mainstream, non-cartoony Batman books, b/c they're just far too grim.

Also sounds like you have quite the resume. If you mentioned a few of the more well-known projects you collaborated on youd likely have way more success finding willing artists. But being so vague makes me a little suspicious, personally.

Well, that's the thing. I actually have NOT worked on anything well-known. Sure, I've had a Spider-Man story published, and both Marvel and DC have solicited stories (on Hulk and Batman respectively), but the projects didn't go. A team at Disney read several screenplays of mine (one of which is a superhero screenplay that was inspired by these very ideas) and they were sent up to the execs with, as they say, "strong considers." But then there were changes at Disney and the projects didn't happen. Also, a major production company DID solicit a treatment from me for one of the major superhero franchises.

Also, probly the most important thing to add would be how you planned to pay the artists. How much? Per page, per hour, or a lump sum? Would you pay up front, after completed, or work out a royalties or profit deal? You mentioned it was a half and half collaboration, would the artist own any of the rights once finished? Being more transparent on these things would go a long way towards building trust.

Artists ABSOLUTLY co-own the IP/TMs 50/50 -- on everything we work on together! All royalties from movies, tv, video games (the latter which I'm also open to co-creating at the outset) are 50/50.

However, there is no pay. I would like to create, with several artists, a group of proposals for the books and the universe with -- at least -- sample pages, where we go from there (self-publishing, Kickstarter, Boom! or Image, etc.) depends upon what the entire group feels is our best bet. In each case, I've new ideas on how to approach...for the best bang for our collective bucks.

How's that?

-The Reality