Because of your constant nagging, I finally got on Steam. I’m downloading L4D now, and plan to kill both of you with friendly fire soon.

Well, as some of you may or may not know, my Aunt Diana has been battling breast cancer. So far, so good, but chemo just started and all of those medical bills are starting to pile up. Being 3,000 miles away, and pretty poor, there’s very little that I can do to help. Except, y’know, draw. That’s where these come in. I’m selling these as  high-gloss prints for $5, with every cent raised going to help my aunt pay for her ever-increasing medical bills. Shipping is $2 (the cheapest I could do and still have them show up in one, uncrumpled piece).

I know a few sales of a $5 may not amount to much, but growing up, she was always more of a big sister to me than an aunt, so this is really important to me and any help would be greatly appreciated! Go to the Old Dying Kitty blog at:  http://mrriot.blogspot.com for the ordering info and all that jazz.

-Riot!

A few weeks ago, I signed The Path with Matt Jacob’s company, Outland Entertainment. Most of you will remember Matt from our first Wizard World Texas. He’s always been a good friend of MM, and even bought us the domain name in the first place before Zac got it from him.

So, what’s in store for The Path? I whole freaking LOT.

• The collected edition (issues 1-4 and the short story “The Cutty Black Sow” and featuring a forward by Kevin Hayman) has been sent to print. Arcana comics has gotten in touch with Matt, saying they want to help distribute The Path!
• “Strange Tales of The Path” collected edition, compiling “The Path” stories done by other creators! Featuring a story by MM’s own Barry Linck!
• Mobile-only downloadable stories are coming for your smart-phone/iPhone/Blackberry/whatever. I’m working on the 1st one as I type.
• The Path: The Video Game is in development, coming 2010! Seriously. With the ability to be ported to web, iPhone/iPod, and XBox 360!
• Contactually-obligated updates! The Path won’t ever have a hiatus ever again! God help us all…
• More swag and merch on the way!

That’s just what’s coming in the next year. Needless to say, I’ve been busy as hell getting stuff ready, doing pages, writing stories, and getting artwork done. Which is a lot easier, now that I don’t have to worry about the day-to-day business end of things like I used to.

But what does this mean for Mediocre Militia? It means I’m getting to a place where I can really help promote the group more and hopefully get some of you guys some more paying freelance gigs (we all need extra $ these days)!

ALSO, don’t forget that Carly, myself, Wingnut and Zac will be at Long Beach Comic Con in the artist alley! October 2-4, at the Long beach Convention Center! Then, the following weekend I’ll be at Baltimore Comic Con!

That’s about it for now. I gotta get more work done before I leave for work.

-Riot!

Long Beach Comic Con is October 2-4, 2009 at the Long Beach Convention Center.

Myself, Zac, Joey, and Carly will be there doing sketches, selling swag, and generally being loud and obnoxious.

The Path table and the Mediocre Militia table will be right next to eachother…just like the good old days.

Zac and Joey, if you need to ship stuff to my place, let me know. That way you can save the $50/bag crap on the airlines.

So…if you’re going to be in the Long Beach area that weekend, come by! We’re desperate for your attention!

More

-Riot!

Outside of self-publishing, what do we do? How do we get our next great idea in the hands of the people that will surely want to pay us bags of money to work on comics? Well, here’s a nice little list of how to go about submitting either your art/writing or your print-ready project to publishers. Once again, I hope my ill-gotten wisdom might help some of you avoid wasting time:

DARK HORSE takes submissions. They’re serious about it, too. You have to download a submissions agreement, sign it, and include it in your submission. Artists have to send in 5-6 pages of sequential art (preferably no pin-ups or splash pages…they want to see your comic skills, not your “Draw one big picture” skills). This goes for inkers and colorists, too. Dark Horse is pretty cool and will send you sample pages to ink if you mail in an 11″ x 17″ self-addressed STAMPED envelope. If you happen to want to be a letterer, 5 pages of sequential art lettered, with examples of italics, bold, actions fonts, etc.

DC COMICS has an annual TALENT SEARCH? They only look at artists and you need to hit up either the New York Comicon or the San Diego Comicon. The DC TALENT SEARCH program is designed to offer aspiring artists the chance to present artwork samples directly to the DC Editors and Art Directors. The process is simple: during your convention visit, drop off photocopied samples of your work. If DC like what they see, a time is scheduled for you the following day to meet a DC editor personally to discuss your portfolio. Unfortunately, this is ONLY for artists. DC doesn’t take unsolicited submissions from writers right now. Which is a shame…some of those books could use some new blood.

IMAGE COMICS only does CREATOR-OWNED stuff. This means that you can’t just submit a script or plot with no art.They’re looking for finished product, or at least a full team already on board to do the book.  Only submit original material, not something utilizing existing Image characters. They will, however, accept pencilling,inking, lettering, or coloring samples. They’ll keep them on file if they’re interested for future consideration and may hook you up with other creators if and when the occasion presents itself. The books Image publishes are creator owned/creator generated properties and they DON’T PAY PAGE RATES. It will be up to you to strike a deal with whomever you end up working with. Image takes a small, flat fee off the books they publish and the rest goes to that comic book’s creative team. How that profit is split up is entirely up to the creators involved.

MARVEL COMICS does not accept unsolicited submissions. So, unless Joey Q has called your for something, don’t waste your time.

The following independent publishers accept submissions of FINISHED PRODUCTS that already have a full team on board with a few exceptions. They also do not pay page rates or anything like that…you’ll have to divide any profits amongst your team by your own arrangement.

AMAZE INK/SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS accepts unsolicited submissions by mail and email. Like Image, they don’t accept scripts/plots without artwork, or vice-versa. The usual applies, 5-8 finished (inked, lettered, colored if applicable) pages, and plot synopsis.

ARCANA STUDIO is the only company I’ve found that actually accepts submissions right there on their website. Five completely finished pages and a plot synopsis can be uploaded via a form right there on the site. Like Image and Slave Labor, they only take full projects looking for a home, not individual artists/writer.

AVATAR PRESS INC These guys will actually take artist and writer submissions seperately, which is pretty cool. Artists should send 5-8 pages of sequential art OR if you have a web page of your work, sending Avatar Press editor-in-chief William Ch ristensen a link to that is a good place to start. You writers can send an 8-12 page story with panel to panel descriptions and in full script format. Colorists need to send samples of your work on a Zip disk or CD. They’ll take creator-owned projects, too. Most of what they publish is creator-owned. The ideal submission will include an overview of the story, a detailed plot synopsis, sample script pages, character designs, and sample art pages (panel to panel continuity).

DYNAMITE
Writers should send an inquiry letter, detailing your writing experience and why you would like to write for them. Artists should send no more than 5 pages. They also take submissions from painters for cover-art work. If you want to go for that, keep in mind that their covers tend to show “iconic” shots of a single character.

Don’t think I’ve forgotten about you Manga nutjobs.

ANTARCTIC PRESS prefers an artist who can do their own writing and inking. As publishers, they prefer creators who can do it all. If you can’t ink your own work, but they like your pencils they’ll team you up with an inker, but then the inker gets a share of your royalties. The same deal applies if you work with a writer. They’re a much better choice for you one-man/gal-shows.
Submit one full issue (22-30 pages) of finished pages (inked and lettered). They tend to go for manga style but will review your work regardless. For writers submit a 1-4 page treatment.

DEL REY MANGA accepts and reviews unsolicited submissions from writers and artists. They will review either proposals for original, manga-style graphic novels or portfolios of artists who are proficient at drawing in the manga style.
If you’re a writer, try to attach an artist to your project. If you’re an artist, send in samples. Del Ray is looking for artists who are capable of executing a book-length, manga-style narrative.

TOKYOPOP is looking for creators who can deliver tight, punchy, well-paced Pilots that entertain and introduce a new property. A Manga Pilot may be the first chapter of a planned graphic novel, or a self-contained side introducing the property. Download the Submissions Release Agreement. All submissions should be sent via mail or courier. They have one of the most elaborate submissions policies so be sure to review all of it.

That’s it for now, good luck!

-Riot!

Zac, Joey, and Dave will be at Table #96 in the Artist Area!
I will be at table #121 in the Artist Area with comics, shirts, swag, and half-naked girls to lure you in. Come by and see all of us, damn it!

Check who’s listed as being a guest:
http://www.wizardworld.com/jamesriot.html
…and let’s not forget that there’s a WWPhilly Exclusive issue of The Path: http://www.wizardworld.com/thepathexcl.html

Barry, why don’t I see your name in the Artist Area list? Don’t you live in the area?!

Anyways, can’t wait to see you guys!
-Riot!

Keep in mind that a lot of swag gets given away for FREE, so we want the most quantity for our buck while still getting some QUALITY!

http://www.overnightprints.com
I cannot stress enough how awesome these guys are. Glossy postcards and business cards usually have a 24 hour turn-around period and the quality is fantastic! Their prices are insanely reasonable , and right now there’s a huge sale on business cards/postcards. They also do rack cards, rubber stamps, stationary, book marks, you name it! They have templates on the site so you won’t screw up your design, too. Keep in mind you have to send your stuff in 300dpi, JPG, and CYMK. Free shipping on orders over $75.

http://www.busybeaver.net
Pins, man! Everyone loves pins! These guys make great pins at great prices! They even do packaging! You can plait orders between designs, and the turn-around is really fast. The service is outstanding, and they always check and double-check with you to make sure they’re making EXACTLY what you want.

http://www.curlyandspike.com
I’ve gotten screen-printed canvas patches and t-shirts from these guys. They’re great! Shirts can be ordered in batches as small as 24, and even the small orders are SCREEN PRINTED! A lot of places do shitty digital prints on small order shirts, but not Curly and Spike! They have a HUGE selection of merch for you to put your logos on (sweatbands, lighters, hats, shirts, shotglasses, hoodies) and the service is top-notch!

http://www.bannersinvinyl.com
Do you want to have a huge standing banner for your comic? Or perhaps a long one to hang over your table with your artwork proudly screen-printed on it in brilliant color? This is the place for you. Their prices are great, and the quality is really good for the price. Not the BEST banners in the world, but they’re REALLY good and REALLY affordable. On a scale of 1-10 on quality, they rate a solid 8.5.

I’m not getting any kickback from these companies, they’re just the ones I’ve been using. I’ve been nothing but happy with all the products from each company and with the service.

If you have a little more $$$ to burn on promotional material/swag to sell, here are some other helpful sites:
http://www.stbands.com/ wristbands/sweatbands
http://www.reminderband.com/  custom silicone wristbands(those Lance Armstrong ones)
http://24hourwristbands.com/wristbands-pricing/ more silicone wristbands
http://www.discmakers.com/merch/ shirts and stuff
http://www.bandwear.com/promoitems/ whole bunch of promo stuff (shirts, posters, stickers, patches, etc.)
http://www.luckynumber17.com/ shirts and stuff
http://www.mycustombandmerch.com/  shirts

I hope this was at least a little helpful guys. If you found this entry helpful at all, let me know. I’ll do more along the same lines…sowing my ill-gotten wisdom for you guys so you don’t have to go through the same trial and error that I did.

-Riot!

…and more will be showing up soon!

-Riot!