Gary Reed

CaliberPart 8--- Not an Identity Crisis

2012-01-05T14:45:00.000-05:00

As promised, an update within a few weeks!

Around the third year of Caliber, there was an incredible amount of changes occurring with the company as I said before. It was the nature of the company that creators would come with new ideas and a chance to showcase their talents and titles and often time, move on to the bigger guys. I realized that we were becoming a farm system.

But that was okay. Sales were decent and even though Caliber didn’t own most of the books, most of them were profitable, even if profits were small. In a long twisting route, I ended up owning Deadworld and the Realm and the Tome Press titles were mostly Caliber owned titles. At this time, there really wasn’t much thought or impetus to consider the exploitation of comics outside of just doing comics.

As was the norm for most of the company’s publishing life, I was bombarded with submissions. Actually, it’s kind of odd as even today, over ten years after Caliber stopped publishing, I still get submissions every month. I did understand that although I felt that a company shouldn’t be restricted to any kind of genre, the output from Caliber was over all the place. There was no such thing as a typical “Caliber” book and I knew that this could become problematic while at the same time, I didn’t want to limit what kind of material to do based on some perceived image of what we were.

The Tome Press line worked out fantastic and with those titles safely nestled under that imprint and fans as well as retailers, understanding what the line was, I decided to branch off with more imprints. I came up with Gauntlet for the more action/adventure type books and for the more introspective work or what is often referred to as the self reflective books, I created Iconografix.

Iconografix was our “artsy” line and Ed Brubaker’s Lowlife moved into that line, I believe. There were a number of different titles, many of them one shots and the talents that were published with Iconografix included the likes of Dame Darcy, Mary Fleener, Richard Sala, Jason Lutes, Paul Tobin, Joe Zabel, Eric Haven, Dennis Worden, Al Frank, David Chelsea, Mark Burby, Mark Badger, Mack White, Phil Hester, George Parsons, Lloyd Dangle, Gary Dumm, and Ashley Holt. A lot of those creators were involved in the anthology, Monkey Wrench. That was edited by Brubaker. However, when he contacted everyone, he offered them page rates which was something that Caliber didn’t do. I never saw the logic on giving page rates for creator owned books. That caused a slight flare-up and Brubaker disappeared for a while and the next thing I knew, he was writing mainstream comics.

For Gauntlet, I ventured into the world of superheroes. I blame Patrick Zircher for that. He really wanted to do his Samurai Seven and since Patrick was so willing to do anything I ever asked and do a great job of it, I conceded. He deserved that chance. So, in addition to that book, there were a few series, most notably UN Force (in color), Tekq, Beck and Caul, and the Berserker series written by Gary Carlson which was the big seller. Collecting some of the earlier work that had never seen print, it included story art or pinups by Angel Medina, Rob Liefeld, and Erik Larsen. The Big Bang line of comics also came out from Caliber but I don’t remember if those were under the Gauntlet banner or not. I think not because these were packaged for sale to Wal-Mart and we had established the Caliber identity with them. Same with the Stormquest title that we put together with Blue Line. However, both would have firmly fit in with the Gauntlet line.

That doesn’t mean that the Caliber line was forgotten about. Caliber releases included Bernie Mireault’s Mackenzie Queen (and later, we would release his classic series, The Jam), Gabriel Morrisette’s Gaijin, two color series in Sean Shaw’s Billy Nguyen and Michael Allred’s Graphik Muzik. Kevin VanHook’s Frost series was released after we compiled a one shot. This would eventually lead to his movie which was released years later.

It was about this time that a new influx of creators were coming into Caliber. There were creators like Ken Holewczynski and Rafael Nieves who contributed some and Raf became a good friend. When Kevin VanHook was still onboard, he saw a lot of promise in a young artist which would prove to be justified and Galen Showman did some key titles with Caliber. I had signed up Michael Lark’s Airwaves as a series and he also branched out to the Taken Under series which ran in Caliber Presents. Brian Bendis came on board with his Parts of a Hole, Spunky Todd, and Quivers. Mark Ricketts had an interesting series called Warp Walking that we did, and there were a couple of series from two guys from Kentucky which ended up being Happy the Clown and Young Dracula. Gary Francis was the writer and David Mack was the artist. Joe Pruett came to me with his Kilroy series and that would open a long relationship with him and his twin, Jim.

This last set of creators came at the right time. Caliber had entrenched itself for the long haul as we had ventured into a lot of different areas including record distribution as we did the magazine ARC and also the guys at Skingraft made some inroads with records.

The Caliber line started to solidify with a more stable lineup with the aid of the imprints absorbing some of the more specific genre titles. Many of the creators became good friends and Caliber embarked on a series of convention tours and it was during this time that titles such as AKA Goldfish, Kabuki, and Nowheresville started. With Galen, two series I wrote, Renfield and Sinergy both garnered quite a bit of attention. And the stage was set to move from the anthology of Caliber Presents to an all new anthology called Negative Burn.

It was a crazy time and it was about to get even crazier as Caliber merged with Stabur. Next time, I’ll discuss that and how the grandiose plans that caused the merger quickly fell apart all because a guy wanted to start up his own toy company.

Interview From the Tomb

2011-12-27T15:29:00.000-05:00

I had almost forgot about this interview from a couple of years ago but it does cover the early days of Caliber as well.

It's a good length and you may have to zoom in on the small print but the interview covers the early days of Caliber as well as the start up of Transfuzion.

http://www.garyreed.net/Deadworld/FromTomb/ReedInterFromTomb8.htm

Caliber- Branching out

2011-12-21T15:52:00.000-05:00

It’s been awhile since I last reflected on the early days of Caliber. I’ve gotten quite a few requests to continue and so I figured I’d cover a little bit more. It’s rather funny as when I was going through it, I knew I was busy but in looking back, it’s rather amazing how fast everything was occurring.

After the initial launch in 89, the core group at that time had started moving on. Guy Davis and Vince Locke got hired by DC, O’Barr went to Tundra where everyone was going because of the high page rates, and Mark Bloodworth was hired by Marvel. Guy, Vince, and Mark where still involved the next year or so but they were crossing over to the big time and soon would be gone for good.

The next group of creators that formed the bulk of Caliber’s output were Michael Allred, Bruce Zick, Michael Lark, Ed Brubaker, and Jim Calafiore. Allred did a one shot called Creatures of the Id which introduced Frank Einstein who of course, would become Madman. Brubaker had his Lowlife comic, Lark brought his Airwaves series and also did the Taken Under serial for Caliber Presents. Bruce Zick worked in animation and I believe he did some Marvel work, I think it was an adaptation of an animated feature but showed a whole different look with his atmospheric Zone Continuum. Calafiore did a couple of creator owned projects such as Progeny and God’s Hammer before tackling Camelot Eternal. There was also Patrick Zircher who worked on a number of different titles as he was starting out.

As I mentioned previously, I had brought in Kevin VanHook and Caliber released our best selling adaptation of Rocky Horror Picture Show. But we also licensed another property and this was Kevin Siembieda’s Mechanoids from Palladium Books. Kevin had become a friend as he shopped at my stores so over this period, we did an adaptation of one of his games, he started the ball rolling on adapting some of our comics (such as Deadworld) but never materialized. I even wrote a role playing game supplement. It was on Robotech and I didn’t follow Robotech nor did I role play…but it worked out okay. Mainly the writers just had to come up with stories and scenarios.

Caliber also produced a comic for Troma Films. It was called Frostbiter: Wrath of the Wendigo. It was supposed to be a 3 issue series but we only did one issue but I don’t remember why. I think it was because they wanted to pass out 5,000 copies at Cannes Film Festival and I told them that was not part of our publishing strategy.

At about this time, I was figuring out what to do with Caliber. We were now in our third year and had put out some significant titles and were attracting some new talent that had an opportunity to showcase their skills. But I had felt that comics were extremely limited in their appeal. Having four comic stores at the same time, I realized that the market was bound by its reliance on superheroes. In order for comics to truly grow into a mass market appeal, there had to be something for everyone. So, I created a line of comics based on literature, history, and reference. That was Tome Press.

I loved the Tome Press line and devoted most of my writing over the next couple of years to it. My problem…and Tome’s problem…was deciding what to do as there were so many choices. The output was varied, not only in subject matter but presentation. Some were full comics, others were full prose, and many a hybrid between the two. We did classic artists such as Mucha, Beardsley, Remington, Currier & Ives to print series based on Dore, Goya, Holbein and others. There were literature adaptations of Jack London, Jason and the Argonauts, Honest Thief, A Modest Proposal and Pied Pieper of Hamelin, to biographies of notable such as Amelia Earhart, Jeremiah Johnson, and others. I loved the historical stuff such as Henry V, The Alamo, Russian Revolution, El Cid, the Zulu Wars, etc. In all, about 80-90 titles were released. The H.P. Lovecraft and Sherlock Holmes titles did quite well and there was a great response to the new translation of Dante’s Inferno that utilized Dore’s classic imagery.

The Tome line continued throughout the rest of Caliber’s days, some 8-9 years more since the launch although production stopped for a year or two. The sales in the comics market weren’t exceptional but they outsold some of the creator owned line yet we also had substantial re-orders. Many comic shops would frequently order every few months so the Tome line always had to have large over-printings. When Caliber launched its internet store, and we were one of the very first, almost all the sales were Tome Press titles. Later, we worked out a deal with Wal-Mart where about a dozen or so titles were mass produced for the chain and I think we sold 10,000-20,000 of each to them. We would later produce a Frankenstein adaptation for them that had sales of 80,000 copies.

Those were busy times. After Kevin had his one year at editor, I didn’t replace him for awhile. The production team consisted of me and others. Mark Winfrey and Guy Davis took their turn at production but eventually, they moved on and Nate Pride, who worked at one of my stores, eventually took on a full time role and he remained until the end days of Caliber. Most of the accounting was done at the stores as it was all one company, but later, Caliber and the store chain would separate completely. I think one month, Nate and I put together about 20 issues and got them out the door and that was in an era that was all paste up. The days of computers and design programs were still a way off.

The situation at Caliber was that it was always in flux. Creators and titles came but so many of the creators were hired away by other companies that I knew we were a pretty transient company. A lot of people had trouble pegging what kind of company we were and to be honest, I don’t know if I could’ve explained it. We were essentially a company of diversity and a company of change. That was just the way it was.

Next time, and I promise it will be sooner than the last update, I’ll talk about the next set of creators that came in and the expansion into even more imprints.

On Conventions

2011-09-26T22:41:00.000-04:00

Just got done with Detroit Fanfare. All in all, it didn't quite work out as well as we hoped (I'm one of the promoters of it) and there's a lot of reasons (not excuses) for that but that's something to be discussed out side the public forum and just with the people directly affected by it which I intend to do. The attendees all had a fantastic time and we got incredible out pouring of support about it from the fans.

But there were some complaints from some of the folks that set up. In no way am I going to suggest that some people didn't have a valid point but I was just struck by the vitriol some people had.

I’ve gone to shows where I’ve sold out of a dozen or more titles…and other shows, where I’ve barely moved a couple. Attendance doesn’t seem to be a big factor…show with 10K can be slow and a show with just 500 can be a huge success. There doesn’t seem to be any rationale behind it. If I were just a creator at Fanfare, I would have had a very successful show as I sold 100's of graphic novels and had 3-4 titles completely sold out. I don't know why. What is especially puzzling...and a bit worrisome...is that I was rarely behind the table as I was dealing with all the situations that got thrown at us during the convention. I was too busy to be at my own table yet I had pretty good sales. I may have found a new strategy.

When I have a bad show in terms of sales…unless it was a complete dud, like this one show I did in Chicago where there were NO people...I would never think of blaming the promoter . If I sold a single book at a show with a couple thousand people there, who’s the blame go to…the promoter? Really? Does that mean if there were 5,000 people, I would have sold 2 books? And geez, if they got up to 10,000 people, I'd get a whopping 4 books sold.

The last con I did was Summit City Convention. I was set up in Artist Alley and I did horribly. I sold a couple of books...that was it. It didn't come close to covering my costs (and they even gave me my space). But it was a great convention. It was well organized, the staff was fantastic...just about every facet of it was well done and to be commended. But I didn't sell anything there. I didn't blame Zack even though the attendance was lighter than expected. I still should have sold some. But there was just no interest in me or my stuff there...that's not on anyone. I've done shows half that size and sold dozens and dozens of books. To me, Zack did what he was supposed to do as far as the setup and treatment of the guests were and I would recommend the show to any guest that inquired. The attendance wasn't what he wanted but there were people there. I appreciated him giving me the space but I wouldn't do it again for the foreseeable future. I don't blame him, I don't blame Fort Wayne (which I found to be a very nice place), and I certainly don't blame the fans of Fort Wayne because they didn't buy my stuff. Sometimes, things just don't click. I don't do that well in Chicago as a general rule and that's a pretty large city.

If someone doesn't do well at a show, they have every right to acknowledge that the show wasn't good...FOR THEM. To make the assumption that because they had a bad show, that means everyone did is just...well, stupid.

You know---just because you have a table at a convention, it does not guarantee sales. It could be for a number of different reasons...your personality, your art, your lack of new material, of just because no one wants your stuff. Who knows why? When I'm at a con and things are slow...someone asks me how the show is, I tell them slow. For one, that sums it up and two, it implies that I have no idea of why sales are slagging. A lot of people like to come up with reasons why but they don't really know. If we knew, it wouldn't be a problem as we could fix it. My favorite reason this last weekend was that there were too many good artists at the show so no one would buy this artist's work.

Yes, a creator has every right to be upset and you know, cross that covention off your list. But to lash out at a promoter, the city, the fans, etc. just makes them look small and petty. It reeks of displaced frustration.

Conventions can be a lot like comic distribution in the sense that it is very easy to get on equal footing with the bigger names. But that doesn't automatically mean you're gong to sell like one.

Creator Owned Comics are not all the Same

2011-07-17T15:27:00.001-04:00

The last few entries have dealt with the beginning days of Caliber and I may come back to the second year of Caliber but after awhile, it seemed a bit self indulgent… but there may be some interesting things ahead. How Caliber started was one of the most common questions I get and another is whether Caliber Comics is going to return. That also ties into other frequent questions about if a company such as Caliber could…or should…exist today. I addressed the launch of Caliber and figured now would be a good time to look at some of the other questions.

Caliber Comics started as being a wholly creator owned company in that the creators owned their properties 100%. For the most part, it was strictly a royalty basis whereby the creator received 60% of the profits and Caliber 40%. Of course, we had to rely on new talent who were looking for a way to get exposure and hopefully money. While most had the opportunity to let their work get shown, not all of them made much money. But some did, as there were a few creators, even at Caliber, that could quit their “day” job and devote themselves full time to comics.

There were a lot of creators known today that got their start at Caliber, and there were others, who may not have started off at Caliber but they honed their skills to get themselves to the next level. Guy Davis, Vince Locke, Mark Bloodworth, David Mack, Patrick Zircher, Mike Perkins, Michael Gaydos, Ed Brubaker, Jim Calafiore, Philip Hester, Ande Parks, Mike Carey, Jacen Burrows, Michael Allred, Dave Cooper, Jimmy Gownley, Brandon Peterson, James O'Barr, Don Kramer, Jason Lutes, Brian Bendis, Paul Sizer, Mark Ricketts, Paul Tobin, Troy Nixey, and many others did all or part of their "apprenticeship" at Caliber.

But Caliber was more than just a new breeding ground for talent. Once we got established, we were also a home for proven and established talent that wanted to do their creator owned projects. We picked up creator owned titles such as Dicks, Maze Agency, Mr. Monster, Lori Lovecraft, Mr. X, and more. We published the likes of Moebius, Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, Mike Vosburg, Alan Grant, Paul Jenkins, Warren Ellis, and many others. We even had an original cover from Todd McFarlane.

So, Caliber was a company that maintained it “creator owned” status while not just developing new talent but working with some of the biggest names in the business. And again, I want to point out that Caliber was not unique in either of these strategies.

So, could a company such as Caliber exist today? It could, but I don’t know how successful it would be. The dynamics of the market are completely different. When Caliber started, there were over a dozen distributors and of course, now there is only one. And that one determines what is going to go into their catalog which has become the source for just about all information about upcoming titles (well, as far as ordering goes). There is an imbalance in the offerings, not just in placement within that single catalog but also discount structure, support on reorders, and order adjustments.

Do I blame Diamond for inhibiting the growth of independents or missing the next “big” thing? Not really. First and foremost, Diamond is a business. The processing of extremely low sellers can cost money. The last thing the comics market needs is for Diamond to have financial troubles (and from what some people claim, they already do). Right now, Diamond is one of the few areas of the market that is stable and consistent. The talk of an alternative distributor popping up to give Diamond competition is just that…talk. There’s no way that a new distributor could compete, or for that matter, survive, without those publishers locked into exclusive agreements with Diamond. There just isn’t enough demand for these other titles.

A lot of creators, mostly those just starting out, rally around any mention about new distribution methods. But what is stopping most of these titles from mass distribution is not Diamond per se, but the potential market that exists. When you have well established characters, backed by decades of exposure, top creative and popular teams, sometimes propelled by movies and other licensing, and they’re only pushing the 15,000 sales mark, why would an unheard of title by unknown creators from a new publisher do better? It seems there are so many creators out there who think that all they need is to be seen and they’d be successes.

Well, they can be seen. The Internet is the great equalizer, whether its listings on Amazon, blogs, previews on fan sites, facebook, press releases, podcasts…whatever. A lot of titles max out on the publicity and still have minimal sales. Many of those creators blame Diamond…if only Diamond carried them, then they would turn the money losing book into a huge success…and profit. But in actuality, that rarely happens. Sure, there are exceptions but you can’t build a business…or launch a viable comic series…or start a career…on exceptions. Those exceptions get so much attention because they are just that…outside the norm or expected.

I’m not saying Diamond is the good guy here ---what I’m saying is that Diamond is not necessarily the bad guy. Yes, there are a lot of good projects out there that get the shaft, distribution wise. I’ve experienced it myself as a creator and a publisher. I get pissed off and think that they’re being short-sighted and this not only applies to Diamond, but retailers, and fans as well. But comics are no different from the millions of books that get published every year or the 1,000s of independent films that receive no distribution. I’m not sure if people complain in those fields about how it’s the obligation of a distributor to carry EVERYTHING.

Let’s face it, there is a lot of crap out there in addition to the good stuff. That’s where a company like Caliber served a function as well as many other companies (Slave Labor, Antarctic, etc)…it was a form of validation. Sure, not all of the titles were great, or even good by some standards, but by being accepted by a publisher, it validated the title to some degree. It told potential fans that someone else found this title interesting enough to publish so I believe that it gave a bit of creditability to that project. Granted, it was usually based on just one person’s opinion (often the publisher) but at least it made the first cut. Well, now Diamond is that cut. They have a retailer committee evaluate the title to see if it would be something that could sustain itself in the direct market. It’s a great idea by Diamond as it brings in more voices and at the same time, lets them off the hook as they can explain it was a team of retailers who determined it…not them.

The restriction on distribution isn’t the only hurdle, of course. The simple (well, simple in principle, not execution) act of putting together a comic is not only a lot of work but can cost money. Sites such as Kickstarter and IndieGoGo have opened enormous opportunities for creators to get funding for their projects. But that still doesn’t address the distribution or awareness situation, and consequently, sales.

One of the major problems I see with all this talk of “creator owned” books and the formation of any kind of group, association, union, guild, alliance…whatever it’s called or whatever the implied structure discussed, is that not all “creators” are the same. Just because someone wants to create their own comic, it doesn’t level the playing field and put them in the same category as everyone else. Someone coming off a year’s run on Fantastic Four versus someone who draws stick figures do not bring the same essence to creator owned comics.

That’s one of the major problems we have when discussing comics. We continually define the field by the medium (comics) above everything else. Somehow, all creators, regardless of genre or distribution (via Diamond or web or print on demand) are somehow put into the same boat. There’s a sense of unity inherent simply because of the quest to do comics even though the appeal and sensibilities are as different as Stephen King and Barbara Cartland are in books.

There are a lot of creators who simply want to do comics. They have no intention of quitting their day job and realize that it is akin to a hobby… a serious hobby, but a hobby nonetheless even though it may be labeled many different things. Of course, you have others who devote everything they have into producing comics and have no plan B. If they fail, they’re still at ground level in their life and haven’t made any contingencies.

The ones you hear often about are the “big name” creators who want to create their own titles, primarily to own and exploit their properties. But with few exceptions, most of these bigger name creators made their names by working for Marvel, DC, or had a successful title with one of the major independents such as Image or Dark Horse.

You also have a lot of creators that go “independent” simply because they have to. They can’t get work from the big companies any more so their only alternative is to head towards doing a creator owned project. The path of creator owned comics is not “a” option, it is the “only” option. Far too many times, when I hear about independent creators pushing for something different and providing entertainment that the “Big Two” are ignoring, many of them just don’t have any other alternatives. They don’t have regular, good paying work so they decide to do their own in the meantime. Most of them would abandon their projects if given the chance to work on Spider-Man or Batman.

And you know what, I don’t blame them. It’s hell to be a struggling creator and most of the time, unless you’re working for the major companies, you’re going to be a struggling creator. That can get old real quick. Even many of the talents working for the big guys find it difficult to make a good living. They got mortgages or rent, car payments, mouths to feed, etc. They have to do what’s best for them. The success stories are few and don’t represent the vast majority of the talents working on comics, regardless of which company.

But that’s the way it is in just about any kind of artistic or entertainment field. How many actors devote themselves to acting but can only secure jobs at local theaters? Authors who toil away on books, taking on interruptions to do a magazine article so they can pay bills? Or painters who find their best success is providing the original oil paintings to hang in motel rooms?

A lot of fans forget that most of today’s creators got into the business because they loved comics and it’s hard for many creators to turn away from an opportunity to do a childhood favorite character---and at good pay---in order to do their creator owned book. That’s one area where comics are different than just about every other medium….the reliance on essentially the two universes of Marvel and DC. Imagine if movies focused on regurgitations of Star Wars and the Godfather, re-inventing them every few years….or if books focused on only on derivatives of Harry Potter and Twilight.

So, could a company like Caliber exist today? Sure. I can see it with my Transfuzion Publishing that I started up with Rafael Nieves about three years ago. The purpose was low key, essentially bringing our stuff back in print. I knew that eventually I’d have to get my hardcopies into a digital format and figured if the pages are being digitized, I might as well print them as I go along. Transfuzion has done about 30 books in the last three years and recently, many of the releases are all new material from other creators. Some get Diamond distribution and some don’t. On the reprint material, getting orders online, via mail order, some store orders, and in the digital market have brought a profit to each book. On new material, the books can make money but not necessarily cover the cost of producing the work although a couple will likely do pretty good for the creators.

To launch a full blown publishing venture that fits into the mold of what we think of a major comic publisher would be difficult…very difficult. Look at what’s out there…most of the bigger companies outside of Marvel and DC rely on licensed properties. Image is different as they are truly a creator owned haven…and again, they are am exception. They were built on Marvel creators forming their own company and that gave them an incredible presence which they managed to retool into a creator owned publishing house. Their strategy is similar to what Caliber’s was in that it is no money up front and the creator owns everything, but actually, they do it a bit smarter. They don’t do a royalty split and in today’s market, very few books would make much in royalties anyway…they charge a flat fee for processing and let the creators keep the rest. Sure, they may lose out on the big sellers but they don’t take all the hits along the way. The Caliber way would benefit the publisher if the book did well but in two cases for Caliber, when the books sold well enough for Caliber to earn substantial revenues from its 40%, the creators threatened to leave or re-negotiate the deal so Caliber got a much smaller share.

When someone asks me about Caliber re-launching or being brought back, all I can say is “I don’t know” because I don’t. Everything changes so fast nowadays that how I saw things five years ago has no applicable bearing on today and so who knows what will happen over the next five years? I keep the options open but I do know that it wouldn’t be the same thing as it was. That time has passed.

Caliber Part 6- Growing Pains

2011-07-12T11:26:00.001-04:00

The early days of Caliber were before the Internet, so response to new releases was minimal until the next set of orders came in-- unless you had an unusual amount of re-orders but the system wasn’t really set up well for that. Fan letters were already dying out at that time, but we did get quite a few in the first few years.

So, after the initial launch, I really didn’t know what the reaction was. We got some fan letters and quite a few submissions but I didn’t really have anything to judge it against. However, about two or three months after the launch, Caliber attended the Capital City Trade Show. At this particular show, publishers were invited to submit one piece for a print and I believe they expected to have the artist on hand at the trade show. I took Jim O’Barr with me and the print was for The Crow. Not sure why it was Jim and The Crow versus Vince and Deadworld or Guy with Baker Street. Likely it was based on availability and Jim and I shared a lot more in common. We were both from Detroit…we drank, we were both smokers, late night coffee drinkers, etc. Jim and I got along pretty well in the early days.

At the show, I remember that we had assembled white folders with our logo stickered on the front. Inside were the first Caliber Rounds which was our newsletter, and samples of the new releases. There were the first issues of The Crow, Baker Street, and Caliber Presents. Deadworld and Realm were existing titles and our first issues sold out immediately but I had over-printed on the new #1s. At the trade shows we did early that year, just months after our launch, I gave away about 1,000 of each issue to retailers.

The response at the trade shows was enthusiastic and actually, a bit over-whelming. It seemed that we had matched up well with quite a few retailers although of course, not all. So, it seemed that Caliber had gotten off to a great start and things were looking positive for establishing the company.

The thing to remember about Caliber, though, is that it was a creator owned model. That meant the creators not only owned their titles but also controlled their output. When you’re working with a lot of artists who have not established themselves yet in the business, well, most of them are going to have real jobs in order to provide some kind of income. And also with many new artists, it takes awhile before they can structure their motivation, capabilities, and desire to do a monthly or even a bi-monthly book. The books all started to run late with the second and third issues, and some of them ran real late.

It would be almost 4 months for the next issue of The Crow. Baker Street maintained a bi-monthly release for the first three issues but then got hit with long delays between issues. Realm and Deadworld both had the next issues ship relatively close to a bi-monthly but then hit long delays between issues. Only Caliber Presents had any semblance to a real schedule and that monthly book was shipping about every 6 weeks. As the first year progressed, the delays increased. It took about a year to get 4 issues of The Crow and Baker Street got 5 issues out. Deadworld had three issues ship on time at the beginning but only 3 more issues would ship over the next year and The Realm was even worse.

Even with the scheduling problems, independent companies had a bit more leeway as fans seem to understand the situation of the creators. There was more of sense of frustration than anger from the fans and being a new company working with quite a few new creators, it took all of us awhile to realize what is realistic versus optimistic.

But it did drive home the point that Caliber could grow with more titles as the monthly output wouldn’t really increase that much. The earliest expansion from the initial launch was Mark Shainblum and Matrix Graphics. Matrix was a Canadian publisher that had recently stopped publishing. Mark brought some of the titles to Caliber. Northguard was the flagship title and we immediately released a three issue series in addition to a trade reprinting earlier material. Later we would bring on Dragon’s Star and Bernie Mireault’s Mackenzie Queen.

We had some one shots that appeared and of course, there were no scheduling problems there. Mark Bloodworth illustrated a fun romp called Cheerleaders from Hell which sold pretty well. A one shot set in the Realm universe called Silverfawn was released and also The Fugitive which was also a serial in Caliber Presents.

What shifted Caliber into a much broader expansion was our appearance at the old Chicago Con which at that time, rivaled San Diego as the biggest show. Caliber set up about 5-6 months after our initial launch. I remember getting an end cap display area and that Vince Locke, Guy Davis, Jim O’Barr, and perhaps a few others came. It was the first public appearance for Caliber and I didn’t know how things would go. We seemed to be getting good feedback but now we were at a major show with every other publisher.

The response was near mind-blowing. We sold large quantities of the titles, maybe even selling out some of what we brought. But the biggest response was from other creators and newbies trying to break into the business. It was an exhausting convention and I think on Saturday, I just stayed in the room as I was tired of talking. I had brought up the submissions that I received during the show and from what I can remember, it was 4-5 boxes worth.

It was at that show that I picked up two titles that I still think are some of the best titles to ever come out of Caliber. One was Fringe. It was written by Paul Tobin and penciled by Phil Hester. Fringe was very rare in that it wasn’t presented as a complete package, I just had the scripts and some illustrations from Phil so it was highly unusual in that I accepted it without really seeing what the final product would look like.

Also at the convention, I met Starlan Baxter and Bill Widener. They had put out a self published magazine called Nerve. Each of them worked on their own characters. Starlan did Mack the Knife about a cartoon world and characters in it while Bill did a futuristic tale of a public persona hero called Go-Man. Mack the Knife, I instantly got. It had appeal, it was fun, and Starlan wanted to collect the old material and launch a new series of stand alone one shots. But it was Go-Man that really grabbed me. The art, at first look, was not just rough, it was harsh. I remember starting to read it because at that time, I really did try to give every submission a fair shot (something that just grew to be impossible with 100’s of submissions a month). Go-Man launched just a couple of months after the convention and as I said, remains one of my all time favorite Caliber series as does Fringe.

I know I met a lot of people at the show and at San Diego Con but a lot of is foggy. Things were accelerating pretty fast and as Caliber started consuming all my time, I still had my stores and worked from home a few days watching the kids. Life in many ways was a blur.

By the end of Caliber’s first year, now in the first quarter of 1990, some new titles had joined the original launch. There was Go-Man and Fringe. Jazz Age Chronicles from Ted Slampyak had been released from a company no longer publishing and so Caliber would do a new series and collect the previous material Jim Calafiore sent in an original graphic novel called Progeny and this was followed by a mini-series called God’s Hammer. Dutch Decker, a historical piece predating the Spanish American War, was launched. Kevin Atkinson brought his zany Snarl mini-series to Caliber. Two anthology series collecting older material were launched with Day Brothers Present and Greg Theakston’s Buried Treasures collecting golden age stories.

Somewhere along this time, I came into contact with Kevin VanHook. I know that his Frost story was collected but not sure how we actually met (although Kevin might remember---I’ve never seen anyone with a memory like his), and Kevin eventually was the first “official” hire of Caliber as he came on board as Editor. Kevin came with experience in a lot of areas that I didn’t have so he was a great help. At first, I don’t think some of Caliber guys liked Kevin as he brought a bit of order to things. Schedules, editing, etc. and this was different from my more hands off approach. I distinctly do remember though, that after Kevin announced he was leaving, a large group of us drove together to New York for a convention and Kevin got a chance to relax and I think all the guys got a chance to know him on a more personal level and things worked out good.

Kevin, of course, went on to work for Valiant and ended up becoming Executive Editor and VP before leaving to launch his film career where he wrote and directed a number of films, mostly for the Sci-Fi network. Currently, he’s writing some DC titles also.

The upshot was that Caliber had grown dramatically in the first year. We ventured into a lot of different areas and showcased an incredible diversity of titles. As we entered into the year, a deal was signed to do an adaptation of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and that would catapult Caliber into the Top 10 comic publishers…albeit for a very brief time. By the end of the year, I targeted a new direction I wanted to take Caliber to but in order to keep it distinct, it would be a new imprint and this was Tome Press.

To some in the comic business, Tome was a head scratcher and to others, it was a huge success. To me, it was what publishing was all about.

Caliber Part 5- The Launch

2011-06-24T10:28:00.003-04:00

On these missives about the beginning of Caliber, I have always found it interesting that so many people ask me how Caliber started. I don’t know if other companies always get that as the first question and I’m not sure why it seems to be a special interest with Caliber. So, that’s my attempt here…just to give an idea of how things played out. Excuse my tendency to ramble but I think it’s important to understand the thought process I was going through. I’m sure that I’m forgetting some precise details and perhaps some events totally but I do what I can.

It was in late summer of 1988 when I was formulating the plans for Caliber. I wasn’t sure of the exact launch date as I had to see how things came together. Some of the titles came with work already done as Vince’s Deadworld. He hadn’t completed a full issue but there was some Deadworld material that would end up running in Caliber Presents and as a backup in the ongoing Deadworld series. Guy, on the other hand, had the next two issues of Realm penciled. At that time, Guy used inkers instead of doing it on his own.

With Deadworld and Realm and my idea for the High Caliber anthology, I figured I needed just one more title to get things rolling. A big part of the early days was the association with Arrow Comics. They were almost all local creators and often times, hung out together, usually at Arrow functions. Although I knew that some of them could deliver quality material, I didn’t want to be just a rehash of Arrow. There was going to be a perception that the company was just Arrow reincarnated unless I brought some titles to distinguish Caliber.

That didn’t mean I would discount the contributions from the ex-Arrow crew. Susan Van Camp was planning on doing a Varcel’s Vixens graphic novel. Mark Winfrey had an idea for a futuristic tale of a cop on a penal colony planet which became Thrill Kill, and Mark Bloodworth and Arrow had 5 issues of his popular Night Streets and he was thinking about continuing it.

Thrill Kill went to the anthology and both Bloodworth and I agreed that just bringing out the 6^th issue of Night Streets was not going to work but it couldn’t be a new number one because it was in the middle of the story. So, we pushed it back to release it as a graphic novel to accompanying the reprinting of the earlier issues. Varcels’ Vixens was later released it as a three issue series instead of a graphic novel.

So, as I was searching for the elusive 4^th title, Guy Davis informed me that he wanted to move on from The Realm. He had penciled the last two issues quite awhile ago and his art was evolving. It isn’t too evident on The Realm series itself because he felt he should maintain the same style. I talked to Stu Kerr, the writer, and he wanted to continue. So, after Guy’s two issues, the new artist, and yet another local, John Dennis would take over.

Guy pitched me an idea he had for a new series. It was an alternative world where World War II never happened and would feature a female punk Sherlock Holmes character. Guy’s plan was to retell all of the Conan Doyle stories but in this new setting and with a different type of Holmes. The Watson character would be an abrasive punk (as in punk culture). I felt that it wouldn’t work because fans of the original stories wouldn’t want to re-read the same story with a different “Holmes” type character and non-fans of Holmes might not want to venture into the traditional stories. We discussed it quite a bit and I felt it needed a lead character that was exposed to that world as the reader was and everything would be seen through her eyes.

It’s funny, I distinctly remember the first long conversation we had on what would become Baker Street. It was outside my office in the warehouse of the store and Guy had lots of character illustrations and building designs. It was obvious he wanted to keep the Victorian atmosphere but in modern times, hence the alternative world. I remember working on some notes and filling page after page of ideas and suggestions. I still have all my notes as well as most of Guy’s notes that he copied for me. Anyway, it was decided somehow that I would co-develop and co-write the series. Guy’s art had really changed since his last pencils on The Realm but he still wanted an inker. Alan Oldham was brought in and worked on some of the first issue, it wasn’t the style that fit the story as Alan was more of a clean style and Guy wanted it grittier. The title was also announced in color. Later, Vince worked on the book with Guy (they were close friends) and eventually, Guy took to inking his own work.

With Baker Street, I felt pretty comfortable to get things in motion. Another situation popped up as Vince also wanted to move on to something else. He didn’t want to be drawing zombies for the rest of his life. However, he would stay on the book until something came along but his contributions diminished gradually over the next few issues.

Now, I had to fill the anthology. Although I was planning to utilize it to showcase other titles, I knew it had to have its own appeal. I must have made an announcement about the publishing line as I started receiving submissions before we even put anything out. I got a letter from Tim Vigil, who was well known for his Faust work at the time, and he had a serial that he was looking to place. I think that Vigil’s Cuda series really made people notice Caliber and when we launched, he was our “big gun”. Vince and Guy had their fans but Vigil was an attention getter. I still talk to Tim occasionally but I don’t know if I ever thanked him for his contributions.

I decided to develop some regular features for the anthology. I came up with two serials, each could stand on their own each issue and they would alternate issues. The first was Street Shadows which told tales of ordinary people in a big city. There would be “slice of life” tales. The second was Gideon’s which was a pawn shop that could exist anywhere and at any time. The hook was that you could get anything you wanted at Gideon’s but there was always an unexpected price. Sort of a Twilight Zone or O. Henry twist. I was obviously influenced by Munden’s Bar which was a backup in the Grimjack series.

What I also figured out about the anthology is that it would have to be a paying gig for creators. It would be too hard to divide up in royalties and with Street Shadows and Gideon’s, I wanted to keep ownership so that I could continue with them and keep some sense of coherency. I allowed other creators to play around with them and sort of do what they wanted, but I didn’t want either of those going when a creator left.

There were a few other titles that popped up and some were going to be held for the First Caliber line which was a series of one-shots. The First Caliber designation was used at the beginning but quickly dropped and forgotten about. I had Hot Shots by Stan Timmons and Gary T. Washington lined up and I was real excited when I talked to Justice Machine’s Mike Gustovich about his Cobalt Blue title. In my mind, Cobalt Blue was the key title for Caliber. It was a color super-heroish book but still alternative enough and from a well established creator.

What ended up being the initial of the First Caliber line was a movie adaptation. A local company was putting together a film utilizing local actor who was making a somewhat successful career in Bruce Campbell. They had signed up Star Trek’s Walter Koenig to star in the film called Moontrap. My friend, Paul Burke of Stabur Corp. (he did the Stan Lee videos and the Museum of Cartoon Art prints and would later co-found McFarlane Toys with Todd), knew I was starting a publishing company and he connected the two of us. So, we signed up Moontrap. I knew I needed an established artist so we got Gary Kwapsiz (Marvel's Conan series) who again, was local, to do the pencils. But, Moontrap was going to require page rates. The simple idea of doing creator owned books was expanding into advance payments.

At the time, I felt that if I was going to do it, I might as well take the big gamble. Baker Street and Cobalt Blue would be color with Deadworld, Realm, and the anthology in black and white. Moontrap would also be in black and white as it was seen to be more of a promotional tool although I felt I could sell enough copies to cover the costs.

Of course, things changed and a key development it the beginnings of Caliber grew from the original intent of creator owned books. One of my customers at my stores was Jim O’Barr. He worked for an auto dealership delivering paint and parts, I believe. He would end up popping up at the different stores. At that time, we consigned a lot of local artists’ paintings and drawings as well as t-shirts. We ended up putting up some of Jim’s shirts at the stores. Most of his shirts were on Batman who was the hot seller those days because of the attention of the upcoming movie.

Jim heard about the comic company forming and asked if I’d be interested in looking at something he was doing. In talking with him, I found that he had a few things submitted and published over the years. Again, just like with Guy talking about the beginnings of Baker Street, I have a vivid recollection of Jim first showing me the pages of The Crow. At the time, I worked at home a couple days of the week to watch my daughters as my wife worked 12 hour shifts 3 or 4 days a week. Jim came to my house and I remember sitting outside the whole time. One reason was that we were both smokers and with the kids in the house, there was no smoking except in the basement.

Jim had about 14 pages of The Crow done. He might have had more but that’s all I saw. He explained it was based on a story he read where a girl was killed over a $20 ring. So, he extrapolated the tale to have the boyfriend killed and to come back for revenge. There was no mention of any personal tragedy that impacted Jim and I didn’t hear anything about that until years later.

I thought The Crow was a bit rough in spots but I liked the sensibility of it. I mean, anyone who can bring in quotes from the like of Antonin Artuad (“morphine for a wooden leg”) as well as music and literature…that shapes up to be a cool project. Much of what ended up being The Crow was redrawn although there are some of the very first pages scattered throughout.

Jim was a great addition to the beginning of Caliber. It wasn’t just for his series, The Crow, but he seemed to be excited about being a part of an artist community. The Arrow crew, especially Guy and Vince, had been published and they were all growing in a lot of directions. At the store, I had some employees who were also artists. In the early days, there would be some occasions where the artists would come on Friday night, perhaps have some pizza, play video games, and discuss art. Sketchbooks were started and passed around and sometimes, we’d all go through the submissions.

O’Barr jumped in and got involved in a lot of different things. He did some covers, inked over Vince on Deadworld, and did a preview of The Crow for the anthology. He worked with Guy on the story of IO which was serialized, but only for two parts. It was intended to be an original graphic novel but ran in the anthology instead but never finished. The IO stories were done under the name of Barb Wire Halo Studios which was Jim and some friends of his. I guess Guy was part of it for that story.

I worked with Jim for the first Gideon’s story which was just a quick introduction to how things were set up for the storyline. I was pretty open about letting Jim use Gideon’s in The Crow but I was a bit surprised to see it in the movie. But I didn’t care, after all, it was in the comic and I don’t think it damaged my potential use of the character.

Right about the time I got the printing situated, I got a threatening letter from “Hollywood” concerning the name of the anthology, High Caliber. A producer was doing a movie with the same name starring Sybil Danning. He threw out some threats and so I changed the name. I would learn later that he really didn’t have much to threaten me with, but I didn’t know better at the time and since we hadn’t even published the first issue yet, didn’t really matter that much. So High Caliber became Caliber Presents. . If you look at the first issue, you can see the “High” whitened out in the ads and indicia.

Then, Cobalt Blue from Gustovich was not going to happen as Mike got too busy with much higher paying jobs so that book was gone. Also, by now, it was becoming evident that the cost of doing color books was too high so Baker Street would be like the other books, in black and white. Looking back, probably the best thing that happened as many of the early Caliber creators, like Guy, knew how to draw for black and white.

So, the early announced titles such as Cobalt Blue and Hot Shots didn’t pan out. Titles such as Night Streets and Varcels Vixens were pushed back. In addition to Caliber Presents, Caliber was releasing two new titles in Baker Street and The Crow with Deadworld and The Realm carrying over from Arrow. I had high hopes for the two new series and again, the anthology would serve a purpose even if it wasn’t a big money maker.

We printed the books at Preney Printing who handled Cerebus, the AV line, and Renegade Press. Kim Preney was a great help in how to structure everything and possibly one of the nicest guys in the business. Since they were right across the river in Windsor, it was just a short ride. The solicitations went out and then the anticipation of the orders. I had no idea of what to expect. Black and white books were suffering from the backlash of the boom and bust a few years earlier. I hoped to keep the Deadworld and Realm audience and Vigil would help Caliber Presents. Moontrap would have other outlets so the biggest mysteries were the two new series, Baker Street and The Crow.

The actual first release from Caliber, outside of the Pocket Classics, was Deadworld #10 which came out at the end of 1988. In early 1989, when most of the books were scheduled (I think for January or February), I found out just how long the printing process took and how artists interpret deadlines. It was more than just a slight learning curve.

I’m pretty sure that in February of 1989, Realm 14 and Caliber Presents 1 debuted and they were scheduled for January so right out of the gate, we were a bit behind. On the February books, The Crow came out towards the end of March and Baker Street was in April, I think. Not sure when Moontrap shipped but it was around the same time for the film premiere in Ann Arbor.

If you talk to some people, they “remember” Caliber as the company that produced The Crow as their first title and some have gone so far as to say that Caliber started because of The Crow. People have to remember that The Crow was completely unknown at the time. On the first orders of the first six titles, The Crow was actually the worst selling. Deadworld sold about 11,000 copies, Moontrap around 8,500, Baker Street was about 7,500, Caliber Presents and Realm both did around 6,600. The Crow had initial orders under 4,000 but because it ran late, more orders came in before printing which bumped it up to about 5,300 copies. Deadworld and Realm were printed pretty close to orders but I took Caliber Presents, Baker Street, and The Crow up to a print run of 10,000.

The response to the new company and the new titles especially was unexpected and with the official establishment of Caliber at trade shows and conventions, I had no idea of just how fast it would take off.

So, even though things didn’t work out as planned originally, the first few months of starting the company were exciting times with a lot of adjustments and learning. But I was having a blast.

Next time, I’ll talk about the “coming” out of Caliber and the rapid change of a small company growing, perhaps a bit too rapidly.

Caliber Part 4-The decision

2011-06-16T07:54:00.001-04:00

As I said previously, starting a publishing company was not a burning desire of mine. The decision to do so was a matter of circumstances that led to a path that was really never a consideration until I ended up doing it.

I opened my first book store in the early 80’s while still a student in college. As I went on to my Master’s degree, I not only kept up my store but expanded to four stores by the time I graduated. The book store, over time, eventually became a comic shop. Two of the new stores I opened were just comics, no books.

I had also started up conventions during those early years. The first two were held on the campus of Eastern Michigan and then outgrowing that, I moved it to Dearborn. The conventions were important to the start up of Caliber as I got a chance to meet a lot of creators, publishers, and dealers outside of the metro Detroit area and gave me a different insight.

While running the comic shops, I kept up on all the comics as I felt it was important for business. I had read a lot of comics as a kid and I enjoyed seeing what happened to all the characters I grew up with. I had devoured all of the Classics Illustrated as a kid and even though comics had branched out to sophisticated story telling in the early to mid-80’s, I thought that adaptations of classic literature must have an audience. I promoted those types of titles heavily in my store, especially when we carried a full line of books as it seemed a natural cross over.

The Classics Illustrated line was gone (it would be resurrected later by First Comics) and so I looked at types of material that could serve as an introduction to comics. I found a small company that did small paperbacks of the classics in comic book format. The art was simplistic (and un-credited) but these “Pocket Classics” were inexpensive and, I thought, a great bridge to turning book readers into comic readers. I bring this up for multiple reasons but it does help to explain the Tome Press imprint I soon started once Caliber was up and running.

I started carrying the Pocket Classics in my stores. They did okay, not great. I struck a deal with them to distribute them wholesale and decided to bring them to the comics market. After all, if I could move a few copies each of the 60 or so titles, so could other stores. I contacted the many comic distributors about providing the copies and was introduced to the world of distribution. The distributors were receptive to the idea of the Pocket Classics; after all, they would just sell what was ordered by retailers so they were taking no risks. So, that introduced me to the distributors and how that worked. But things were developing on another side of things at the same time and though I did eventually distribute the Pocket Classics, I held off for a bit as I saw them as a tool that could help out another entity… Caliber Comics.

At my main store, I used to bring in guest artists as shops tend to do. Arrow Comics, which had launched during the black and white boom and headed up by Ralph Griffith and Stu Kerr, were frequent visitors as they were local. Most of their creators were as well. Vince Locke lived right down the street from the store and other creators such as Guy Davis, Mark Bloodworth, Susan Van Camp, Randy Zimmerman, Mark Winfrey, Jason Moore, were all relatively close. I also had a cable TV show which was primarily manned by my store manager, Chet Jacques, as well as a radio show. The Arrow crew made appearances at both.

After the black and white bust, many of the publishers had to quit because of mounting unpaid invoices from the distributors. Arrow was one of them. Although I never knew what happened to all the money that Arrow did make when things were going well, I do have to give Ralph and Stu credit for taking care of what they could with Vince and Guy. Both were owed money for work they did on Deadworld and Realm respectively. In lieu of payment, Ralph and Stu transferred the rights to their titles to Vince and Guy.

So, now Vince and Guy had ownership of the first real comics they ever worked on. It was a case of “now what?” They came to me and asked if I could help find a publisher. They knew I was familiar with most of them, primarily from the trade shows which were common back then. Instead of conventions with fans, the trade shows brought together the publishers and retailers. I always found them to be a great benefit, not just from talking with the publishers but also other retailers.

I did talk to a few publishers to see if they would be interested. But this was right after the bust part of the boom-bust of the black and whites so there wasn’t much interest in taking on titles that had already run their course. The new approach was to do high production color comics to compete directly with Marvel and DC and any holdover black and white titles were exceptions that would surely die out quickly. However, I knew that both Deadworld and Realm were not titles thrown out during the boom to jump on a trend…they had each developed quite a core following. Sure, they both started off a bit derivative but they were finding themselves.

With everything going on at the time, finding a publisher was not foremost on my mind. Randy Zimmerman, who probably played as key of a role as a non-owner could in Arrow, launched a new company called Wee-Bee Comics. He took on Deadworld and released a trade collection and also continued The Realm with issue 13. But Wee Bee ended as quickly as it started.

I’m not exactly sure how it finally came together but I found myself telling Vince and Guy that I would publish the books. Not only that, I would start up a whole publishing company. When that decision clicked on, I can’t recall. I’m sure that I didn’t contemplate it for long but I probably looked at it as an extension of the business. Stores, TV show, radio show, conventions…what’s one more thing?

Once I made the decision, there were quite a bit of details to work out. First, I needed a publishing office. I had a very large store…to give you an idea, when I moved out of there, a major drug store chain moved in. I don’t know what the square footage was but it was huge. The warehouse in the back was also enormous and that’s where I had my personal office, room for 100’s if not 1000’s boxes of back stock ( I had recently bought out all the back stock from one of the major distributors who was closing a branch office). I also had a portion of the store that was sectioned off. We used it as a video arcade but by that time, video games were dying off. I moved the games to another section of the store and utilized that part as the Caliber area. It held a couple of desks, drafting table, a conference table, and all the other equipment we needed.

Before I went further, I wanted a name for the company. I felt I needed to give this new company an identity before I started talking more about it. I looked at a lot of names and I set some parameters up for the name. First off, I didn’t want it to sound pretentious. I also wanted to get away from something too generic. I always hated when companies went the opposite of being too lofty and instead went with something too irreverent…you know, such as Dandy Don’s Big Monkey Comics. . I wanted a name that sounded fine as a small press company yet could also fit a much larger company. I felt it was important to keep the name simple yet be able to build a motif around it. I liked the play of being quality as in high caliber…and I felt that I could utilize the weaponry part of the name. It’s kind of funny as I used to get people asking me if the company was Caliber Comics or Caliber Press. It was both; it sort of flipped flopped on a whim. But the trademark is for Caliber Comics.

I had already decided that when I solicited the titles, I was going to include the Pocket Classics as part of the line. For one, I thought it legitimized the company a bit more…gave us more weight as we were bringing known quantities along with the new comic material. I felt stores would pay more attention. I actually talked to the publisher of the Pocket Classics to see if I could reprint the books under the Caliber masthead but that proved to be too expensive. If I just distributed them as is, it was a sure profit.

For financing, my stores were doing well enough that I could funnel everything through there. I think for the first 3-4 years, everything ran through one single company. Caliber was not really a separate entity but just a part of the Reader’s store system. I get asked how much it cost to start Caliber and I usually joke that it was 18 cents as that’s the money I had in my pocket at the time.

So, I had two titles to start the new company plus the distribution deal of the Pocket Classics. I know that the strategy for a lot of companies is to start out small and slowly grow but I felt to make an impact, I had to have a solid lineup of multiple titles. I already had Deadworld and The Realm but I figured I could add to these since both of these were known quantities so if I added two titles, it really would be just two new comics.

I wanted an anthology. I felt that was a great way to find new talent and put them on short projects to see how they worked out. Fanzines had already passed by this time and that’s where a lot of artists got a chance so I figured that if I did an anthology with a fanzine mentality, it could work. Even if it didn’t sell that well, it was a way of trying out new people and not having major risks involved. I added a preview to each issue so it would have some promotional value and I wanted to put in an artist sketchbook feature, not only to fill up pages, but sort of push the different artists. I quickly found that I was getting so much material, I didn’t get the sketch book in until later issues.

With the anthology, at first called High Caliber, I now had three titles. I was looking for a fourth. I was thinking that perhaps I could do a series of one-shots, sort of an extended anthology, but felt it would be too early for that. The line was going to be called First Caliber but I realized that I had to have an ongoing series or at least a 4-5 issue mini-series.

Again, working on royalties, I couldn’t pay people up front. I had budgeted for some advertising, the printing costs up front…but there was no way I could…or wanted to, pay up front for creators. The only exception was for cover artists on the anthology.

I called a meeting of some local artists to let them know that I was starting the publishing company and wanted to see if they would want to be involved. I can’t say for sure who was at that very first meeting but there were frequent meetings and I know that the attendance was varied. The earliest members of the pre-Caliber meetings (I think) were Vince and Guy, of course; Mark Bloodworth, Randy Zimmerman, Dirk Johnston, Alan Oldham, Mark Winfrey, and I think Sandy Schreiber who did some inking on The Realm. I can’t remember if Jason Moore and Susan Van Camp came or not. Of course, I am probably missing some people or perhaps mis-remembering who was there…but these were essentially the people that I was structuring the company around and most were from Arrow except Dirk who was a customer of mine and did some illustrated prints.

Once I announced to the group what the plans were, and I laid out some concrete plans….I was surprised by just how fast those plans unraveled and what became Caliber Comics spun out of a bit of serendipity, luck, and risk.

Caliber part 3

2011-06-09T16:30:00.005-04:00

First off, I decided to just start numbering the posts specifically dealing with Caliber so I didn' t have to think of names for the post titles. So, obviously, this is the third with the first two immediately preceding this one.

It’s interesting to see how the current call to action regarding creator owned comics is sort of repeating what happened at about the time that Caliber started in the late 1980’s. The circumstances aren’t the same, of course, and the world back then and today are so vastly different from each other that the only similarity that can be correlated is the creator visioned stories.

Following the explosion of creator owned titles from both the black and white boom (and subsequent bust) as well as from the entry of publishers such as First, Comico, Pacific, Eclipse, etc., there was a general surge in creators wanting to do their own material. What soon developed however, is that many of the companies slanted towards creator owned titles developed by established creators, those who had proven their skills at Marvel or DC, or moved towards licensed properties. But still, there were a lot of creator owned titles that emerged and held their own at the time.

But there were a lot of potential creators who found themselves wanting to create but there were only so many companies out there. Many of them were still either mystified about the whole publishing process though and so it left self-publishing, as led by Dave Sim, as an unlikely option for many.

So, companies like Caliber came into demand. I won’t go so far as to say they were needed, but it was obvious that Caliber and many others such as Antarctic, Slave Labor, Fantagraphics, Cry for Dawn, etc., provided the right service at the opportune moment. A burgeoning growth of creators looking to get their stuff published but not wanting to deal with all of the publishing duties. As publishers, we filled a void that opened as so many creators found the business side of things a bit daunting.

Compared to today’s world, it was quite a bit more intimidating. You have to remember that there was no internet back then. Access to information was done by mailing and phone calls and the use of fax machines was considered progressive. Computers had not yet taken over yet and if you wanted an editorial or text page, you had to go to commercial printers which were quite common but expensive. Having a copy machine in the office was way too costly so the arrival of Kinko’s in your general area was cause for celebration.

Putting together the books demanded quite a bit more time than today. Now, when I send a book to be published, I upload the completed project from cover to cover on a ftp and that’s it. Back then, we had to sort through original pages, typeset any text pages, usually have the logos drawn by hand, and so much more. This also applied to advertising and promotional material. A lot of labor intensive design work diminished dramatically after the arrival of Corel and Photoshop and I was dejected when I found out that PageMaker was being incorporated and then phased out later.

There were about 15 distributors, most of them regional, and the giants of Capital City and Diamond, weren’t so gigantic back then although they were the two largest. In order to get a title out, you submitted to all of the distributors and usually with different terms depending on payment structure, quantities, shipping, etc. Having access to retailers was done primarily through the mail so it was very expensive to send any kind of promotional material. It was the same with the press as that also required the physical mailing of press releases. I don’t want to get all nostalgic and spew out “back in the day” scenarios but the incredible ease of today’s world in communication goes beyond just a paradigm shift, it is essentially a whole different world.

One of the aspects that helped Caliber succeed was that I was organized in terms of finances and accounting. That primarily came from my background with my retail stores and running conventions. From the outset, there were spread sheets made up and we adopted computers almost as soon as they became viable. (Yes, I do remember the Commodore 64.) I also remember using the computerized spread sheets and not sure if Lotus 1-2-3 was our first but we used it for quite awhile and I remember a bit of resistance of switching when Excel came along. The first defacto Caliber employee was one of my store employees, Kathy, who took on more hours to handle the Caliber number crunching while she was a business student in college. For some reason, I have kept just about all the records for Caliber…I guess for nostalgic reasons. But it does come in handy occasionally when I want to research something. Now, just because things were organized doesn’t automatically mean that money wasn’t a problem. Like most small businesses, it was always a concern, especially towards the ending days of Caliber.

I am always quite surprised how lackadaisical so many companies were about their accounting systems. That is true even today. I was once asked to be a consultant for a comic publisher by a lawyer who was involved in a lawsuit to see if I could make any headway in understanding the company’s accounting system. Since I was a publisher and a creator and therefore, experienced both sides, they were more or less looking for some standard practices. I was stunned at the ineptness of the publisher and frankly, not sure how they manage to continue.

So, how Caliber was set up was that we would publish the material but the creators owned everything completely. There were usually a set number of issues that we contracted for but it still involved primarily a handshake deal. If someone got hired by Marvel or DC, obviously I’m not going to expect them to continue (and that happened a lot). Conversely, if sales were suffering, I wouldn’t expect a creator to continue on their book and not make any money and they didn't want to. Again, back then, there were no other avenues to find sales outside of conventions and that was a really tough road to go so most creators gladly opted out if their sales were low.

The split was 60-40 of the profits with the creators getting the 60%. On our end, we would provide handling all the production, advertising in other titles, putting together previews and interviews for the press and our in-house promo magazine, Caliber Rounds, and quite a bit of the production. Lettering was an outside cost but we handled most everything else. We would cover the usual advertising which were distributor catalogs for solicitations and some other magazines such as Comics Journal, Comic Buyer’s Guide, and whatever else was out at that time. If the creator wanted to embark on a very ambitious plan, than that was something that had to be configured.

The creators owned their properties with Caliber having no rights beyond the publishing. After the first year or so, I put a clause in about having the collected reprint rights but that often depended on the project and/or creator. Later, as Caliber was repeatedly wooed by Hollywood, we offered creators an opportunity to give up some percentage for exploitative rights if we pushed it through our agents. That, unfortunately, never worked out. I can remember times that the creator’s agent said it muddled things up so I had to sign off. The creators’ vow to “take care of me” never panned out and after the third time, I grew to expect it. The problem was that we couldn’t pinpoint that it was our activity that got the eyes of the interested party. But that’s another story for later.

Again, I feel that the reason Caliber was successful was that it was at the right place at the right time. Creators had a chance to showcase their talents. I realized early on that many of them saw it as just a stepping stone but that was okay. In the heyday of the mid 90’s, we actually had a lot of major creators coming to Caliber. They had already proven themselves but now wanted a chance to do their own creator projects. So, for some, the purpose of Caliber was different.

I stumble sometimes when I talk about the success of Caliber because after all, it isn’t around any more and hasn’t been since for almost ten years (yet, even now, I still get 4-5 submissions a month). But it had a good run with some 1,300 issues and about 75 graphic novels (before graphic novels became the trend). It could have continued even after the disasters that befell us but it was my voluntary decision to close up Caliber and frankly, walk away from comics completely. Not that I was bitter or anything, it just seemed time to move to something else.

I found a few years later that for all its faults, telling stories in comic format is still a great way to do so and I love the medium and potential of comics. I may not like what’s going on in the marketplace or how it is dominated by superheroes, but to throw out a cliché…it is what it is. That doesn’t mean it can’t change, though. I don't, however, know where that change may come from.

The Idea of Caliber Part 2

2011-05-31T16:47:00.005-04:00

The idea to start up Caliber was not to fulfill a dream or to set up a revolutionary new type of company. I mean, Caliber was hardly revolutionary in how it was structured or what it published. I’m not being overly modest here, just honest. Did we publish good stuff?…hell yes…well, most of the time. There are still some cringe worthy titles that somehow slipped through but I must have thought it was a good idea at the time.

I was very careful in the early days about how I touted the company. I didn’t claim that I was setting a new standard, or doing something different…you know, revolutionary. I saw the publishing as an opportunity to put out some good books and hopefully, to make money at doing so. Having great intentions always have to be balanced on a financial end, otherwise, you can’t continue. I let the work speak for itself and promoted the titles because after all, there was no real theme that connected the offerings…something like a shared universe or something.

In fact, when I hear about a new company announcing itself as “revolutionary”, I find myself dismissing the company right from the get go. For one, I hate hyperbole, but usually if a company is spouting off how they’re so different, or unique even, they likely don’t have a firm understanding of the comics market.

I think what drove me to enter publishing, besides the opportunity that presented itself as I will explain in more detail next time, was joining the movement of how comics were changing. I grew up reading comics but as an adult, I had little interest. About the time I started my book stores and subsequently picking up lines of comics in order to get kids into the store---which shows you how much I knew at the time as even back then, adults were a substantial part of the readers---I did start to read them again. It was primarily out of nostalgia…to see what happened to the characters I grew up with. I was quite surprised.

The 1980’s were a dramatic shift in what comics could be. Of course, the Big Two were revamping their characters but I found myself immersed in what was collectively called the “independents”. Sure, DC had Alan Moore on Saga of the Swamp Thing and Watchmen and Karen Berger was putting together what eventually would evolve into Vertigo and Marvel had Frank Miller on Daredevil and the output from Epic Comics. But, it was the independents that illustrated to me that comics were erupting with adult tales and themes and that comics could really be expressed as a viable medium for telling sophisticated stories.

The decade had the launch of companies such as Pacific, First, Eclipse (although officially they started I the 70’s), Comico, and many others. I don’t want to do a history here but there were some incredible comics that came out at this time…Miracleman, Grimjack, American Flagg, Grendel, and far too many to list.

At that time however, most of those titles seemed to be coming from “big” companies…I had no idea of just how small many of them were or how fragile their economics were. And the idea of doing color books on glossy paper just didn’t seem feasible with a limited budget. You also have to remember that the idea of publishing comics was not one that I dwelled on for a long period…again, an opportunity presented itself so this internal debate that I think back on was probably over a matter of weeks, maybe only days.

By the time Caliber started up, somewhere in late 1988 but in reality, the initial publishing schedule was in 1989, the black and white explosion and implosion---the boom and bust---had already passed. So, as a publishing factor, that fact was seen as a negative as many people were shying away from anyone trying to launch a bunch of new titles. You know how it is, a trend can come and go yet you often times have people still trying to jump on a bandwagon that has already derailed.

But what the black and white boom-bust had done was to bring the mechanics of publishing and distributing out of that mysterious realm that corporations live in. These new companies were providing professionally printed material (and I will grant, that there were many misses as far as content goes…but there were some excellent titles) and had an equal standing in terms of promotability with the well established “corporate” companies. These upstarts were instantly on the same level as far as opportunity goes. As a retailer, the black and white boom was a huge success for my stores. We did exceptionally well with it overall. Yes, I got hurt a bit at the end, but probably not nearly as bad as others. During the heyday, I ended up becoming a de facto sub distributor for awhile as I seemed to have a good handle on what had true selling power as opposed to being just a simple gimmick. I certainly missed out on some but overall, I did quite well with the black and white glut.

Overall, that black and white explosion built on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles phenomena, proved that virtually any one can publish comics and just like my previous experience in opening stores, running conventions, having a TV show, maintaining a radio show, etc., I knew that I could figure it out. One of the mottos that I’ve always had with people was “just do it” (that was before Nike) which means don’t get caught up in what can or cannot be done, just delve into it. If it proves to be something that is too involved, well, weigh all the options and make a decision.

So, I just did it. I’ll go into more detail next time about the actual sequencing of things but once I got started on the path, I didn’t feel any sense of anxiety. I had limited my exposure by doing something that seemed sensible to me, yet curtailed any massive amount of money to be spent. I decided to do creator owned books ala Pacific, Eclipse, and the others. Now, it wasn’t purely economics that made that decision for me. I realized I had never thought about the comics world and how all of these writers and artists were basically creating characters and not only for a company but they weren’t even acknowledged. I had assumed that authors owned their books, musicians their music, screenwriters their stories, etc…which of course, is not always the case but the idea of creating something and not owning it seemed…well, bizarre. Now, I see both sides and the advantages and disadvantages (as long as people know and are willingly making a choice…usually for upfront money or exposure) but back then, it didn’t sit well. I never even considered the idea of the comics not being owned by their creators.

The structure of the company was based around releasing creator owned comics. As anyone who deals with purely creator owned titles can attest, the outlay in most cases is far less, but there’s a whole set of other problems that accompany that economic method. It really wasn’t even a decision that I had to make, it just was the way it was going to be. I had no interest in starting up a company to launch a bunch of characters that I owned and finding some other ways to exploit them. I wasn’t interested in owning anything, unless of course, I created it. The details next time on what became the initial launch of Caliber, but I wanted to acknowledge certain titles that sort of set the standard of what I envisioned Caliber could and should be.

When I envisioned what kind of titles I was interested in publishing, there were quite a few titles in existence either at that time or just a few years prior. In my head, I saw these types of titles as what I would like to publish. It wasn’t that they were best sellers, because many of them were not, but just the type of material that I wanted to release…to share with others. You know how it is, you read a good book or see a great film, there’s that enjoyment of knowing other people also enjoy it. Again, there were so many great titles coming out in the 80’s but the following are the ones that stood out to me as “Caliber-like” in terms of what I liked and what was feasible (which meant no color).

Renegade Press had a huge impact on me with titles such as Cases of Sherlock Holmes that was illustrated by the Day Brothers and Wordsmith from Dave Darrigo and R.G. Taylor. It isn’t surprising that eventually Caliber would end up publishing both after Renegade faded away. Another title I liked a lot from Renegade was Silent Invasion which also would move to Caliber for a short run. But if I had to pick a single title that epitomized what I envisioned Caliber could be, it would be from Renegade’s precursor, A-V International and that was Puma Blues, from Stephen Murphy and Michael Zulli. It showed how magnificent black and white artwork could be. The story was dense, surreal and dreamlike but powerful. I’m not saying that it propelled me on my path but it was something that I held in high regard and felt that is what independent comics can be.

When I look back over the many titles we did under the Caliber imprint, I think the success rate was pretty damn high in terms of matching what I originally intended.

Regarding Caliber part 1

2011-05-27T11:36:00.002-04:00

In the last year, there has been a growing groundswell regarding creator owned comics. In many minds, the Big Two are just now corporations making comics purely for exploitative purposes and the comics limp along….lifeless even though every year the characters are reinvented.

This movement has coincided with a renewed interest in my former publishing company, Caliber Comics. Part of this interest of course, is the availability of social sites such as Facebook which is a great tool to reconnect with former colleagues. But another part is the desire to go back to the days when creator owned comics had outlets such as Caliber, or Slave Labor, or many of the other companies that were around in the 1980’s and through the 90’s. Of course, today, we have the powerhouse of all creator owned comics in Image yet they are still tainted with a stigma in the eyes of some for the devastation in bringing the market to its knees (an incorrect blame, by the way).

Caliber was a company of the 1990’s although officially it launched late in the 80’s. Over the 11-12 years of operation, it produced about 1,300 comics and 70 graphic novels. It received over 40 nominations in the various industry awards (Harvey, Eisner, Don Thompson) and had 5 nominations for Best New Talent in the Russ Manning Awards.

There was a lot of competition during this time period and getting any kind of market share was very tough. In addition to all the “big guys”, there were many small independent companies also vying for the same market. We seldom made the Top 10 but one month, did move up to #8 in market share.

What I did with Caliber wasn’t anything original and many companies were set up the same. I essentially offered creators a chance to publish their books and mostly it was a simple profit sharing, with the creators getting 60% and Caliber retaining 40%. That profit sharing is sort of the model for companies before, during, and after Caliber’s run. There were some differences, of course, as some companies took more (some took less) and a variety of different aspects factored into the accounting. At Caliber, we handled everything with our 40% including overhead, promotion, and often provided a lot of design work. I’d estimate that over half of the logos used on creators’ books, for example, were designed by us.

I think what made Caliber different was because we were different. There really wasn’t any house style or type of material published by Caliber. There was tremendous diversity within the publishing line and what Caliber published was primarily based on what I liked. However, there were some titles that I was personally not too enamored with but I thought they were worthwhile projects so I published them. I tended to stay away from superhero titles but Caliber certainly published a good many of those, but usually for a specific reason.

The promotional part of the company gets over-shadowed quite a bit. Sure, we did the general ads that ran in publications such as Comic Buyer’s Guide and many other magazines at that time, but we reached out to a lot of retailers directly. We attended most of the distributor trade shows in addition to conventions, and produced our monthly Caliber Rounds. Rounds was a newspaper format hype sheet which sometimes ran up to 24 pages. In addition to solicitation information, we had interviews with the creators, preview art, and anything else to push the titles. We produced promotional trading cards, posters, sell sheets, and anything else we could think of to promote the line. Granted, it was a different time back then and especially with all the distributors, it was easier to get to all the retailers.
One advantage we had was the cross pollination ads in the different books and I used the Caliber Presents anthology to promote artists with the sketchbook feature and we often ran a preview of an upcoming title.

When people discuss Caliber with me, there are a few questions that repeatedly come up. One if why I stopped publishing and as frequently, is how Caliber got its start. I often get asked if something like Caliber could exist in today’s market and recently, a lot of inquiries regarding whether I plan to bring Caliber back.
I appreciate the interest and I plan to go over those questions and more on this blog. I haven’t kept up on the blog as I keep promising myself to do but that’s sort of a sign of the times as blogs have faded with the immediacy and access of sites such as Facebook. But blogs still can serve a purpose of expanding certain areas and so I will give a narrative of Caliber. I don’t plan on doing a sequential history of the company as that just sounds too formal…and frankly, a bit daunting.

Even though I was the owner of Caliber, it is important to note, and I plan to do so, to bring up other people that worked for Caliber as they played key roles. Caliber was not just me although I will take the lion’s share of the credit, of course…but also any of the blame for things that need blaming.

I’m always surprised by the reaction to Caliber by many people and the fondness that so many people remember. That is appreciated more than people may realize. I think what made Caliber unique to some extent was the camaraderie that existed with the creators amongst themselves and with the Caliber staff. I know a lot of them have become very close with each other and I’ve developed some lifelong friendships with some.

Feel free to pepper me with questions about anything and I’ll be glad to answer what I can.

Next time, I’ll start off with the beginnings of Caliber and try to dissuade some beliefs of what was behind it all.

Creator Owned Groundswell

2011-02-02T11:39:00.003-05:00

Well, obviously the best laid plans of trying to update a blog just isn't working out. With Facebook covering the basis so well throwing out updates, just doesn't seem like blogs have the impact that they had just a year or two ago. I don't think they're going the way of MySpace but when looking at so many blogs, it just seems unless they have a specific focus, they're not being updated. I think that blogs have to be re-purposed, at least in my case. No longer to be an informational site but more opinion. Yeah, I know, people have been doing that for a long time. Sometimes, I'm a slow learner. And since I use Facebook primarily as a promotional tool only, guess the blog can be more of an op-ed. That doesn't necessarily mean that I'll post more often...I'm trying to be realistic here. The buzz right now is all about Creator owned books and a groundswell of support oozing out from many creators. Steve Niles with his blog (see, he gets how to use it) and followed shortly after with a video by Eric Powell, has catapulted the discussion into the limitations of the market (and its future as well), the lack of support from fans, retailers, and distributors for creator owned titles, and generally, what to do about it...if anything. I get the point but when the talk shifts to discussing some kind of consortium, well...that's just not going to work. The major problem is that just because something is creator owned...doesn't mean it's good. I see a lot of potential creators who are clamoring for something like that so that their work can be seen but maybe, just maybe, the reason for their lack of success is because the work just isn't that good. Of course, it's subjective. And sometimes, the subjectivity isn't necessarily a quality issue but one of interest. Personally, I have no interest in looking at any kind of superhero books or funny animal comics. Yes, I realize that there are all kinds of exceptions but that's the point...they're exceptions. But that's just me, other people love that kind of stuff. I don't like slasher horror either but look how popular that is. So, if there is some kind of organized group, whether its an association, just a "group"...whatever...is it one that anyone can join? Is there no minimum criteria? If so, then who decides. If no, then it can be problematic to sort through all the crap to find the good stuff. Essentially, it comes down to good intentions and really, I do understand what Niles and Powell are getting at...I just think that it may balloon to something unmanageable. I also recognize that I'm not offering any counter ideas just pointing out a pitfall or two. I just don't want some good intended ideas to get rushed into something and not succeed and then the idea will be abandoned as unworkable. Some things I've been noticing on various posts (facebook, forums, etc.) and some catch up notes. There seems to be an awful lot of people who state that their intended goal is to make a living doing comics. Well, the reality is that very few people actually make a living at it and most do it in their spare time. I don't think that reality is understood by a lot of potential newcomers. For all these people who submit to me usually for either Transfuzion or Caliber. Transfuzion does not do color, does not do comics (only graphic novel format), and there is no interest in superhero books. As for Caliber, uh, Caliber hasn't published anything in like 10 years so its a waste of time submitting to a non-publishing company. I see a few awards being issued recently and from what I can tell, most of them are self serving. A group of creators get together, announce a new set of awards which they handle and curiously (well, maybe not), they're also the recipients. How convenient. That's not to say all awards forthcoming are like that. I'm glad to see the Eagle Awards returning and Detroit Fanfare (which I am part of) will be issuing the Shel Dorf Awards on an annual basis. Regarding Detroit Fanfare. I helped them out last year and got to know the two organizers, Dennis Barger and Tony Miello. As the event came closer, I got more and more involved. Well, now, I am officially a partner in Detroit Fanfare and will be increasing my participation. Looking for some big things this year. I will be doing a couple of store appearance. I will be at Green Brain Comics on Feb. 16 and then at Wonderworld Comics on Free Comics Day. As for conventions, I'm limiting myself this year. I will be attending c2E2 but not set up there as I will be going there with Dennis and Tony to talk to creators and dealers about Fanfare. I may also be on a panel or two and possibly doing a signing. I am doing the Summit City Con in Ft. Wayne on June 18 and of course, I'll be at Detroit Fanfare. For the first time, I will likely be at Heroes Con, also in June. I've never done this convention and I will be there at the Desperado booths. I'm trying to talk Wayne Reid, artist on many projects including El Cid, Zulunation, some Deadworld and Sherlock Holmes stories and many others to attend. Wayne doesn't do conventions so it will be a unique opportunity.

Time...never enough

2010-08-10T13:22:00.002-04:00

Yes, like so many others, I've been lax about updating the blog. It seems with Facebook's immediacy, that it's tough to maintain the blog. It's been a hectic summer and even though I don't "work" during the summer (I take it off from teaching college Biology), it seems like summer is already over...which it is as in just a couple of weeks, my classes resume. That's part of the busy-ness that's tying me up. Some of the classes are using new textbooks and that's always a challenge in re-tooling the existing lectures to fit into the new text and redoing the powerpoint lectures to match up with the text. Plus, the lectures are updated every semester. Biology, and oddly enough, especially for my Evolution class, things are changing so fast that it is hard to keep up. Further compounding the problems is that my computer died. The motherboard went so at least I could pull off the files from my hard drive. But I lost all the programs and had to re-install a lot and that meant buying updated versions. One of the most frustrating aspects was that Front Page web designer, which was discontinued by Microsoft with the 2003 version, is not able to work very well with Windows 7. I picked up Dreamweaver but the idea of redoing all the sites (there's about 7 and some are over 100 pages) in a new design doesn't sound too appealing. Plus there's a learning curve. I certainly am not a web designer. I figured out how to use Front Page and Photoshop as I went along but I'm thinking of taking a class on Dreamweaver. At some of the colleges I teach at, I can get free tuition. I've found through the years that there is a lot of basic stuff that I don't know in programs like Front Page and Photoshop as I never learn anything until I need to. Maybe with taking a class on Dreamweaver, I'll learn some of the shortcuts and obvious things that I was missing on previous programs. I also got involved with a new convention in the Detroit area called DETROIT FANFARE. I was asked to assist in helping to get some guests and in discussions with the organizers, I slowly became more immersed in it. The con is shaping up really well and the Guest of Honor is Stan Lee. Lots of other very talented folks will also be there. Of course, the writing aspect which I plan my summers around is going in unexpected directions which is actually probably the norm when I think about it. It's been slow going on the two novels I was working on as I was unexpectedly directed towards two all NEW Deadworld graphic novels. One will be in full color which is a first for Deadworld. I also finished up the Sherlock Holmes Reader: Murder at Moulin Rouge graphic novel and that one is now available and got most of the work done on another graphic novel, Subversives, which I should have more information about shortly. I did manage to sneak in a vacation with my wife on Lake Michigan and also had a chance to visit my oldest daughter in San Francisco. so it wasn't all work. So, if you're in the area, make sure you check out the convention and in the meantime, you should see some new websites that I do...I hope.

On Writing

2010-06-03T17:01:00.001-04:00

I remember a while ago, my uncle and I were discussing a project that I was thinking about writing. It was one of those ideas that had a seed to build on but in thinking about it more in depth, I realized that it really wasn’t much of a story. It was just a scene. He suggested that I do it since I was “such a good writer”. Compliments aside, it struck me as an odd thing to say as I’m pretty sure that he has never read ANY of the stuff I’ve written. I can understand that he could look at all the books I’ve done and he’s likely glanced at the reviews…but still, he hadn’t read any of them himself. So, how could he say I’m a good writer?

It was all based on perception. It made me realize how many other writers out there also have a perception about them. I remember reading on a message board about a writer who has had some success in comics, but certainly nothing to build a career on and he definitely couldn’t hope to live on his writing income. However, he does do quite a bit of self publishing as well as working on projects which undoubtedly make little if any money. Now, I’m not equating income earned with being “good”, but the point is that a lot of the forum members tout him as a good writer yet it’s obvious that many, if not most, don’t actually read his stuff. Yet, they call him good writer. That’s the perception.

Sometimes, a writer is a writer simply because he calls himself one. I know of a few writers who constantly critique output from other writers, mainly in the vein of spouting off of where they veered off course and in turn, offer their own take on the project. In other words, how they would have done it. I seldom, if ever, do that. When I read someone’s work, I may not agree with their direction or style, but I figure they did it the way they wanted. I accept what they have done and base my decision on whether I liked it or not simply on that. That’s why I’m such a lousy editor sometimes. I follow their direction instead of trying to instill mine into their work. It seems to me that many of these writers would be better served critiquing as a critic instead of doing imaginary re-writes in their heads.

It seems in the comic business that everyone that is not an artist, wants to be a comic writer. This is true in the book market as well…all you have to do is to look at the enormous number of books that are written that go unsold except to family and friends. One person said (and I’m not sure who originated the quote but I think I heard it from Paul Storrie) about how so many people say that “one of these days when I get the time, I’m going to write a book.” The implication is that the only thing holding back all of these would be writers is time and not talent. I’m asked often about writing and I have to say, I usually have very little to say about it. Yes, part of it is the old adage that if you want to be a writer, than write. It’s a simple statement and much truer than most people want to accept but it’s not the entire picture.

One thing I see quite often is how many would be writers like to discuss the story they’re working on. They outline the plot, discuss the narrative structure, develop scenarios, and even throw in some of the dialogue. I can’t do that. I may jot down a few notes about something (in fact, I have files full of these jotted down notes) but I can’t even think about a project until I’m doing it. To me, part of the experience of writing a story, whether a novel, short story, or comic story, is to unveil everything at the time of writing it. If I work in advance, then the story is told. It may not be in publishable format, but I’ve told the story and seldom do I have an inclination to go back to it and retell it by directing it into its final form. The story is done.

I get asked quite often to contribute to various writer conferences or even just forum discussions. I find them to be a waste of time…for me. Perhaps they’re useful for other people. Far too many people write about writing instead of just doing the actual writing.

Now, I’m not suggesting that I know what works and what doesn’t. I certainly am not burning up anyone’s sales charts or anything. But overall, I’m very happy with what I’ve done with the caveat that I still have a long way to go and have a lot more tales to tell, hopefully better than I’ve done in the past. Writing is a very subjective thing…not just to the writer himself (or herself), but to the audience as well. I sometimes find it difficult to accept that I have fans out there and am embarrassed when I meet them at conventions or online. The embarrassment comes from the fact that I’m accepting I have fans. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a great feeling yet somehow, I feel conceited accepting their praise.

But my fan base is limited. I understand that. For one, in comics, I don’t write what would be considered traditional fare. Yes, some writers succeed without doing that but most of the comic audience is geared for the typical superhero market and even though many of today’s top writers manager to twist and turn the genre on it’s head, it still starts with well known characters and established profiles. I give them all the credit in the world for doing what they want to do and succeeding at that. I don’t know if I would be capable of doing that. I had a good friend who landed a job at Marvel and while working for them, I was privy to what he was going through. I didn’t see that as writing…it was just putting words on a page. Granted, the “big names” at Marvel and DC have a lot more latitude and undoubtedly a lot more freedom to do what they want but it seems at the entry level, it doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.

I am often asked why I have never written for the Big Two. The first reason is pretty obvious. I’ve never been asked. The second reason is that I’m not sure if I could. I don’t know if I could work in a manner where I would have to suppress my writing to fit into that on an editor’s or a convoluted storyline/crossover. I’m not saying that I’m “above” that, I’m really saying I don’t know if I could do that. To me, the major incentive for working for the “Big Two” is money but if its not something that’s enjoyable, I don’t know if the money is worth it. Of course, the recognition would be nice…not so I could the cover of Wizard (if its even around any more) but using that recognition to direct people to my other stuff.

Putting words on paper is a term I use a lot...internally. Sometimes when I’m reading someone’s work in an editorial capacity, I wonder why they’re just slapping together words. Even in novels where the word count can be exceptionally high, every word counts and has to contribute something. I see far too often, especially in comics, that words are just fodder to fill up space to move from one scene to another. I think that writers need to take advantage of those interludes to reveal something more about the characters or to help establish personalities, settings, etc. No word should be wasted.

Ironically, this idea is used in many motion pictures nowadays and it has sort of backfired. If you watch movies, virtually every character and every scene in the beginning is actual foreshadowing for the end of the movie. The economy of words actually work against the story as the script has been gone through so many times, that the flesh is cut away and only the meat remains. You can almost always tell who is going to be the bad guy or what is going to play a role later in the movie because they were introduced in the first act. That’s why independent films often have so much more of an impact. There are wasteful characters and scenes and so by the end, you don’t necessarily see everything get tied up in a nice final ball. Of course, this didn’t apply to the conclusion of Lost and a lot of people were fine with it so maybe that portends well for the future…until we get a slew on unanswered finales.

I do believe that anyone can write. And everyone should. It doesn’t mean than someone else will find it appealing but that’s a different thing. Even writing for oneself can be a cathartic experience for a lot of people and sometimes, it’s a way of just getting it out of your head. It’s funny in that most writers have certain ideas or storylines rolling around in their heads that they can’t get rid of. Often times it isn’t a “great” idea that’s a sure seller or anything but just something that doesn’t let go. Perhaps when it is finally done, it goes nowhere (in terms of publishing) but still, it has to be done. I’d imagine it’s the same way with songwriters.

In today’s market with the incredible exposure of the internet, there seems to be a lot more people getting their stories out. Whether it’s a web comic, fan fic, self published work…whatever, I think that the opportunities have never been so prevalent. Yes, it does lead to some incredibly bad writing out there but also some really interesting stuff. I believe that some people may only have one compelling story to tell and then everything else after that doesn’t work, but at least they got the chance to do that one story. How many comic creators end up being one trick ponies. When I was running Caliber, I saw quite a few of those.

My usual response when people ask me about writing is pretty simple. If you want to write----write. Don’t spend your time rewriting someone else’s work and write for the sake of writing. Worry about the publishing later.

Remember, artistic expression should never be based on sales.

Summer's Here!

2010-05-06T20:32:00.001-04:00

Summer's here! For me, summer begins when I give my last final and post all the grades. It feels like freedom that will last until late August. Last time I mentioned about the convention season and discussed the potential for C2E2. I seem to be in agreement with most people that the show was a bit disappointing and as with most of those same people, that was probably due to unrealistic expectations. Don’t get me wrong, it was a really good show. Some people had some set up problems but I wasn’t aware of any of that at the time. The venue was great, the attendance actually was pretty good (the reported number is around 27,000) and the vibe of the show was centered around comics. There’s advantages and disadvantages for being at the McCormick Center as opposed to the Rosemont and all in all, I guess they end up as a push. The expectations were high, since the NY show was such a phenomenal success and I plead guilty expecting something similar possibly happening in Chicago. It didn’t. But if you were to look at the show itself without doing any comparison with the NY show, it was a really good show. I think most attendees (fans, guests, dealers, etc) would at a minimum, compare it favorably to the competing Wizard show although most I talked to would place it above Wizard. One of the main reasons is that Wizard is much more of a media convention rather than a comic show. There were some complaints that being “downtown” limited the get togethers of the attendees---it seemed as if the Hyatt was the happening place, although I just stopped in one time. I spent both nights I was there with Rafael and Amy Nieves as my dinner companions and that was preferable to hanging out at bars. I guess I didn’t realize just how many conventions there are out there. Right now, I have offers to attend 5 shows as a guest and of course, that doesn’t include any of the bigger shows where I would have to buy an artist alley table or a booth if I went as Transfuzion Publishing. There’s a lot of creators who travel the convention circuit and hit many of the shows and when I had Caliber (and my stores), I also did a lot of conventions. But I actually don’t like doing conventions that much. I usually dread going but that’s balanced out by enjoying myself once I get there but overall, I still prefer not to do them. It seems I am always short on time and conventions really take a lot of time away from doing other things. I usually anticipate having lots of free time since I take time off of teaching in the summer but have found I never have as much time as I thought I was going to have. I look at my hopeful schedule and I already feel the weight of deadlines pressing against my brain, so not likely to do too many conventions. I know I’m not a big name and certainly not going to be a big draw for conventioneers so when I do get an invite and offered accommodations, I almost feel like I have an obligation to go since they extended the invite. Perhaps it’s the ego stroke, I don’t know. But I have to limit my convention excursions even though I really appreciate the gesture. One thing that will take up some time this summer is a trip that I’m taking to California in the next couple of weeks and since I’m driving, that will take awhile. From Michigan to California is something like 35 hours drive time and I’m one of those drivers that can only do about 8 hours a day so I’m looking at 4+ days of driving. Later in the summer, the wife and I have a similar trip planned to Texas so I will be doing some traveling. I’m going to California as I’ve lost another daughter to the Golden State. Now I have one in San Diego and one in San Francisco. The clan is typical of what’s happening in Michigan it seems. With both of my parents passing in the last few years and most of my brothers moving out of state, the family get togethers are getting quite small. I have one brother that moved to Florida, another to Las Vegas, one to Texas, and then another one that sort of roams around the country and last I heard, he was in Colorado. My last brother here is planning to move to either Texas or Florida. I’ve got two of my daughters in California now, another one that is planning on going there and then one that has taken a shine to New York instead. Pretty soon, there isn’t going to be any family here but me and my wife. So, we’re actually considering a move. We both like Colorado and North Carolina but we’re planning to explore other areas. Just coming out from Transfuzion Publishing is SIN ETERNAL: RETURN TO DANTE’S INFERNO which is the collection of the Sinergy series from Caliber but there have been some changes in the different levels of Hell. This was a really fun project to do all those years ago and it was great to have all the different artists each drawing a different level of Hell. Coming in about a month or so are some stories in the SHERLOCK HOLMES READER including the title story, MURDER AT MOULIN ROUGE, illustrated by Michael Zigerlig. He really crafted a unique style to the story and the always dependable Wayne Reid illustrated another all new tale that deals with Sherlock Holmes in retirement and how he spends his time. No, it’s not bee-keeping but rather with dead bodies… Even though I’m not officially a creator on the early issues, IDW will be releasing the first volume of DEADWORLD CLASSICS in July in association with Desperado Publishing. This is all Vince Locke artwork and it’s amazing to watch a teenager ply his craft. Of course, Vince went on to many bigger things (Sandman, for example) but it was Deadworld where he learned on the job.

Conventions aren't all the same

2010-04-09T22:53:00.000-04:00

If you notice all the coverage and announcements, you can tell what time of the year it is---no, not baseball season but rather convention season. It seems every week there is another convention to announce exclusive news from the various sites. If you’re a creator who attends a lot of conventions, the gauntlet has already started. Coming up next week is the new kid on the block, C2E2. For years, Chicago was the con, second only to San Diego in attendance but for many, had more alluring aspects. San Diego had the city and the trade show associated with it, but Chicago was the con that professionals loved to attend. Of course, then the con moved and soon after was taken over by Wizard and well, things have never been the same since. The organizers of C2E2 have picked up on this. They aren’t really promising much for this con but instead, hint more that the convention will be like the “old days” when Chicago was one of the Big Two. I really don’t know if moving the convention into the city itself is going to aid the convention. A lot of people going to the con may not want to deal with the headaches any downtown has plus for attendees and exhibitors, there’s a lot of extra expenses and hassles. Rosemont may not have had the flavor of a big city but it was a nice isolated little pocked with inexpensive rooms within walking distance of the con and you had the Hyatt bar which was sort of the con hangout. Not sure what’s going to develop at C2E2. It should be interesting to see how the aura develops for the con. However, I do think that this convention is going to be big. The people running everything seem to know what they’re doing and so whatever doesn’t work out this time, you can bet that they’ll fix it for next time. I believe that C2E2 will be one of the top 3 conventions and maybe after this inaugural event. One of the things I like is that they’re directing most of the attention to the comic aspect of the convention. Comic cons are beginning to delineate into different patterns. You have the “small” shows which focus on the independent publishers, self publishers, independent creators, and for lack of a better term, the “web” guys. But it’s all comics. Maybe the dedicated Marvel or DC fans may not enjoy them but it’s still comics. Although these small shows may feel like a niche market, they seem to do very well. The fans and exhibitors all have a good time. Then you have the media shows which have some comic guests but are structured around old TV celebrities, walk on cast members for big event movies, wrestlers, old playmates, and a celebrity or two who has ventured into the comic world with a title named after them but has no other connection. Many of the Wizard cons are like this judging from what I hear. I can only go by the one in Chicago and it definitely had that feel. Of course, you also have the conventions which cater primarily to the comic audience but are big enough in those areas to branch out to the media aspects without sacrificing the integrity of the comics portion. Shows like Heroes Con, Wonder Con and others. This is what C2E2 is shaping up to be as well judging from the guest lists and panels. Personally, I hate the media shows. If you’re involved in comics, I think that they actually hurt the comic aspect. Because of the media guests, the prices for attendance is usually pretty high and a lot of comic fans shy away from that cost. I find at Motor City for example (a media show) that most people wander over to the comic section simply because they paid their $20-$25 to get in, got the celeb to sign a picture of themselves from 40 years ago, and now the fan doesn’t have anything else to do. They want to find some way to use up their time since they paid all that money. They flip through the books on the tables, often dog-earring them, and often engage in what they will hope is a conversation about the merits of the original Battlestar Galactica versus the remake…or maybe this year, it will be V instead. The number of people attending the convention is irrelevant. I did a small show in upper Michigan (Cherry Capital Con) and it had maybe 10% of the people that Motor City Convention yet it was far more enjoyable and engaging. Again, it’s not the number of people that come through the door but what their interests are. I’m not trying to blast Motor City Con or even Wizard Conventions for that matter. It’s fairly obvious by their attendance that more people prefer their approach since the number of tickets sold is much higher than most of the “comics only” smaller shows. It’s just not for me. After running conventions in the past, I know you gotta do what pays the bills...I can certainly understand that. And many of them are not devoid of comic talent, obviously. A lot of shows that get blasted for being media cons have been running a lot of years so they’re appealing to somebody…just not me. I’m actually looking forward to C2E2 which is unusual as I look at most conventions with dread. It’s not that I don’t enjoy them once I get there but the time factor involved is always something that seems impossible to juggle. But once I get to the con, I find myself having a good time whether on the floor or after hours. I’m setting up in Artist Alley under my own name rather than for Transfuzion. I had planned on getting Transfuzion as part of the Indy Island but because of a miscommunication, that didn’t work out. But the folks at Haven Distributors will be on hand there and they will have all the Transfuzion books. I’ll be at Table E-8 right next to my Transfuzion co-hort, Rafael Nieves. So, in all but display, Transfuzion will be there. I plan to have most of stuff there and surprisingly, I think I’m up to about 22 books currently. I’ll be debuting the SIN ETERNAL trade which collects the Caliber series and I also have copies of the DEADWORLD: SLAUGHTERHOUSE graphic novel. I have a few hundred copies of the Image run of Deadworld that I’ll be giving away at the table for anyone that stops by and for anyone that buys anything at my table, they will receive a FREE copy of my young adult novel, SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI, that is superbly illustrated by Rick Hoberg (of Star Wars and Spider-Man fame). I’ll also be signing at the Comic Related booth on Friday and Saturday and working with them to provide FREE copies of titles such as SAINT GERMAINE. Looks like it will be a busy show.

Working Through Life

2010-02-06T08:11:00.002-05:00

A lot of people talk about what a bad year 2009 was. For me, it wasn't a bad year...not a good year...it just was. I've certainly had worst and of course, better. But one thing that becomes apparent as you get older is how much everything blends in together. When I look back at my "career", I can't really look at it in terms of years but rather periods. And the reason I put career in quotation marks is because the term career just doesn't seem to fit. I guess I never figured what I was doing at the time was going to grow into a career.

The idea of working has been with me as long as I can remember. Even as a little kid, my dad worked odd jobs and he would bring me and my brothers along to clean up. We even got paid. I remember in the 7th grade, I walked to businesses and asked if I could sweep floors or something after school. So, my first real job was sweeper at Fresh's Auto Parts. Of course as kids, my brothers and I would cut lawns during the summer, rake leaves in the fall, and shovel snow in the winter. Allowances were something we didn't get from my parents so if we wanted money, we had to get our own. The bonanza came when my dad landed a midnight job remodeling a supermarket chain around the Detroit area. My brothers and I took turns working and we'd go in at 10:00 at night and work until 6:00 in the morning and then head off to school. It made for some tough days at school but we didn't care. The money was good. That lasted most of my junior high and high school years. As I said, we didn't care too much about school as about half the people didn't graduate anyway. There were too many jobs in factories that would pay big money (this was Detroit's auto factories still running strong). Most of us were applying for jobs while still in high school. If no openings, well, then you remained in school and waited. I remember standing in long lines to get the premiere jobs at the factories but luckily, I never got hired.

So, I was one of the those who finished high school---of the five brothers , only two of us did. The idea of college was never really considered until the 12th grade. College seemed like such an odd idea but obviously, it had some appeal. I remember enrolling at a community college, and to me, that was college- the big time. I was put on probation. Looking back now, I wonder who gets put on probation at a community college? It was an intimidating experience at first as I expected everyone at college to be incredibly intelligent, worldly about all affairs, and have this sense of elitism. Of course, I found out college is just an avenue of opportunities, it doesn't magically transform people into cultured sophisticates.

Going to school, I worked a number of jobs. Landscaper, bank teller, vacuum cleaner salesmen, drapery hanger, carpet installer, alarm systems, tearing down houses, just about anything. I got married right when I turned 21, which turned out to be the best thing I ever did, and the two of us struggled to get through school. My wife was a good student in high school and had always planned to go to college which was something different as virtually all of her friends hadn't even graduated high school much less contemplated college. She got into University of Michigan (she was a smart kid) and so we moved from Detroit to Ann Arbor. That was quite a culture shock. I worked during the day at various jobs and went to school at night while she was a full time student and she would fit in teaching piano to earn money. It was during this time that I made a decision which seemed very small at the time, yet would take me into a completely new direction.

I opened a used book store. It was never a dream of mine or anything but I was always an avid reader....most of my family was. The library was a constant hangout for me. In Ann Arbor, I discovered so many used book shops and I thought they were the coolest places. With a little research, I found avenues where you could buy books in bulk and I figured that it wouldn't take much to operate a store. I opened it in a suburb of Detroit and when kids came in asking for comics, I decided to add comics and that brought me into a whole new world.

While still a student and earning my Master's Degree in Biology, I ended up opening a total of four stores and they'd all eventually become comic shops rather than bookstores. That was sort of my first career, that of a book store owner. Then I got involved in publishing and started up Caliber and that would become my second career. I never looked at either as a "forever" path, it just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. The only "real" job I had during all this time is when I helped start Todd McFarlane's toy company as I, through a partner I teamed up with, was tied in with Todd as the toy company launched. I became the Executive Vice President and I handled the national TV advertising, hiring many of the employees for staffing, other promotional aspects, etc. It was a three year period where I had regular hours that I was expected to adhere to. I still had my stores and I still had Caliber so it was a hectic three years.

I sold off the stores and then years later, I closed off Caliber. At that time, I started evaluating what the future was in that direction. The comics field, which had looked so promising, now looked like a continuous cycle of superhero exploits. The expansion of hopeful directions on the heels of Watchmen, Maus, From Hell, Sandmen, etc. faded quickly. The "business" side seemed to swallow up the experimental side. Printers had knocked Caliber down with their mistakes which were a financial burden I still feel the ramifications from and even winning lawsuits didn't help. I decided to try teaching biology. I had my degree and the opportunity came.

So, that started my “third career”, that of being a teacher. I am an instructor at community colleges teaching courses in General Biology, Anatomy and Physiology, Evolution, and others. I enjoy it immensely and it has given me a sense of normalcy as far as hours and schedules go. But with each step into a different direction, it doesn’t mean that the rest goes away. I still am a publisher although Transfuzion is on a much smaller scale than Caliber was. I continue to write, something I started at Caliber, and have written for Desperado, Penguin, Image, and other areas including a video game scenario, role playing games, and more.

Right now, I am transitioning into other avenues of writing. That doesn’t mean that I’m moving out of comics, whether as a writer or publisher, and I certainly am not going to get away from teaching. I currently am immersed in two novels that I’m writing plus a number of books dealing with biology. Whether it all actually leads into a “fourth career”, I have no idea but again, it just seems like the path to follow.

The beauty of today’s world is there are so many opportunities to express oneself creatively. The digital explosion, which may not have actually exploded yet, and the idea of print on demand and the avenues available there (such as Amazon) allow excursions into a lot of areas that were closed off to most people just a decade ago. That doesn’t mean, however, that everyone can make money off of it. That’s the hard part.

Yes, 2009 was a bad year for a lot of people but people in “our” business of creating ideas have a lot of avenues to explore. The growth there was a positive area. Whether it is a creative outlet that pays the bills is still open to question but at least the creative side can be sated. I’m noticing for a lot of people in the world of comics, that seems to be enough.

The days of running a comic shop seem so long ago, as does the time of Caliber. The Caliber days, though, have constant reminders because of all the people I worked with that I stay in touch with and the re-visitation of the comics created, whether it’s for reprint books, Hollywood activity, or preparing them for digital exploitation.

I’m not sure what the point of me going through all the above was exactly…I guess that one should constantly be looking for ways of expression…of creativity, and sometimes that has a merit all its own. The rest, if it comes, is extra.

Onto 2010

2010-01-21T06:47:00.004-05:00

2009 was a bad year for a lot of people. For me, another year, not necessarily good or bad, but generally okay. I think 2010 will be a better year for most people, including myself, I hope. I mean, one always wants things to get better. It looks to be a year of catchup. Deadworld: Slaughterhouse which was scheduled to come out last year as a mini-series, has just been released as a hardcover. Outside of a few printing snafus which are not major, the book looks really nice. Sami did such a fantastic job with the art that it overwhelms any printing deficiencies. It should be in comic shops any day now. The schedule of Deadworld books coming from IDW has been figured out and the first one up is the Deadworld Classic which is a compendium of all of Vince Locke's artwork. As a writer, I contributed a little to the last portion. There will be additional pages from Vince including some surprises such as the very first Deadworld story he drew that has never seen print until now. The Sin Eternal book, again a supposed 2009 book, is near completion. Dealing with a return to Dante's Inferno, it was a book from hell (pun intended) as far as production goes. There are others but I'll wait until they come together. Of course, there is lots going on with Transfuzion Publishing. I don't know if I mentioned it before or not, but I keep up with the Transfuzion stuff on the Comic Related website in a column called Talking Transfuzion. I use that to discuss what's going on and spotlight creators and books. I expect quite a bit of this year to deal with exploitation of the digital format and there should be some of my books appearing from Kindle shortly. More announcements are expected but again, I'll wait until it's a reality rather than a possibility on most of the stuff. There was one aspect that did bring 2009 out in a downer. Some of the Caliber creators may remember and certainly customers of my Reader's store. Kathy Wolfram, who in addition to being a clerk at the store, handled all the accounting for the first few years of Caliber, died after Christmas of cancer. It was a rare form of cancer as it originated in her appendix. She left behind her husband, Mike, who used to be the store all those years ago, and two children. Her dad was an amateur photographer and he shot all the pictures of the King Kon conventions I used to put on as well as special events at Readers. I hadn't seen Kathy for awhile but of course, remember her well and fondly. Kathy was involved in Caliber mainly in accounting but she did have her opportunity to be part of the creative process. In the first few issues of Baker Street, it was her handwriting that appears as the journal notes of the Sue character. She said her children were impressed that she had actually worked in comics. Just very sad. I hope by the time I put up the next blog, I have some information about the Deadworld movie which is moving ahead even though there isn't much to report. It's just the way the system works.

On the Holiday Movies

2010-01-07T21:19:00.002-05:00

I usually don’t do reviews in my blog although I had discussed some of the comic movies previously. But two films out now seem to have been adopted by the comics community even if they are not derived from comics---although I found it ironic that Sherlock Holmes was promoted as being “based on the graphic novel” when it actually wasn’t. How’s that for spinning things in the opposite direction from a few years ago? Now, it’s a plus to be based on a graphic novel/comic. I used to be an avid Sherlock Holmes reader. I read all the original stories and probably over 100 pastiches and “source” books regarding Holmes. Although I still maintain my interest in Sherlockian lore, I don’t have the same passion for it that I once did. But I am still a fan. In fact, when my wife and I went to London, 221-b Baker Street was the first place we went. Yes, I knew it was an imaginary place of an imaginary character, but I still had to see it. I have purchased perhaps a dozen DVDs in my life and the only sets I have are the Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes. So, I still have that Holmesian bug… I was not expecting much when I went to see the movie. My wife accompanied me, perhaps to offer solace if the movie was bad. We don’t go to the movies often, maybe 6-7 times a year. I had seen some of the previews and I was a bit worried about how they were going to treat Sherlock. Overall, I liked the movie a great deal. It was more action oriented than a typical Holmes tale, but I thought most of the action was incorporated quite nicely. Holmes was not a Nero Wolfe type who remained sedentary. In the stories, Holmes was always quick to get involved physically. I had heard a number of criticisms before I went about how the film destroyed the image built by Conan Doyle and that the movie departed from what made Holmes…well, Holmes. I don’t think those critics were at all familiar with the original stories as this story picked up a lot of references to the official canon. It was obvious that the scriptwriters knew their Holmes. It wasn’t a perfect movie. Rachel McAdams just didn’t seem enough to pull off being Irene Adler, someone who once bested Holmes. She wasn’t a bad choice, just not the right one. And it has nothing to do with her being non-British as even in the short story, she was listed as an American. Downey was good although I have a hard time letting go of Jeremy Brett as the vision for Sherlock Holmes. Jude Law was excellent. I though the overall “big crime” felt like a retread from so many other books-comics-movies. I had a gnawing trepidation when the supernatural elements began to build up in the story but even the mundane villainous plot was satisfying enough once the supernatural was explained. So, I’d give it a recommendation and high marks. Even my wife liked it and she is not a Holmes fan at all. I don’t think it was great but very good and would love to see a sequel. If nothing else, perhaps Jude Law’s performance will forever rid the image of Nigel Bruce’s portrayal of Watson as a bumbling idiot. I can’t even watch the Basil Rathbone films anymore because of the way they treated poor Watson. The second movie of the holiday season, and of the entire year, and who knows what else--- is, of course, Avatar. Most of the criticisms I heard centers on Cameron himself, it seems. People who hated Titanic were lined up to hate this one also. I happened to like Titanic…well, most of it. There were some major problems that I couldn’t look past but narratively, I though it was structured brilliantly. I made sure to see Avatar in 3D even though I hate wearing those glasses. I knew it was what they label an event film…something you have to see, but it had piqued my interest for quite awhile. I was worried that the idea of having an Avatar seemed so original some ten years ago was now becoming an overused plot device, especially since Surrogates had just been released. But who remembers Surrogates except some people in the comics market? People go to see movies for different reasons. Some like the big scenes…the battles, the car chases, the boom! Others like the story and characterization. If I told you that I thought Transformers was one of the stupidest things I ever saw and I felt like I wasted two hours of my life on it, you’d probably guess what I find appealing in movies. The special effects of Avatar…all of it…the designs, the color palette, the 3D, the careful consideration of the evolutionary trends developing on the planet…all of it was just fantastic. But you know what, it just doesn’t mean that much to me. When I see a movie, I go expecting that the effects are part of the background. I accept them for what they are, whether they’re the rich and lavish ones found in Avatar or the cheesy ones in a 1950’s horror flick. I just take it in as part of the package. I know that some people have compared Avatar (story wise) to Dancing with Wolves but I think the much stronger connection is A Man Called Horse. That was a Richard Harris movie and one of my faves when I was growing up. To me, Avatar seemed to be an updating of that film much more than Costner’s film. So, the special effects didn’t move me and the story was pretty pedestrian. I mean, after the first half hour, I think everyone in the audience could have recited what was going to happen. Maybe it was because I felt manipulated. Stirrings of Vietnam with the helicopters tied in with the obvious Native Americans suffering from the European colonialism. I think I was supposed to bring up pangs of guilt and shame for what happened in the past. Well, I don’t feel guilt or shame for the terrible tragedies in American history. Sure, I feel sorrow and am sympathetic but none of my ancestors were here, they all arrived in the Ellis Island era. I thought the characters were so one dimensional and very stereotypical. The motivations of the…well, just who were they exactly? Apparently it was some sort of corporation but obviously it was purely American and had U.S. marines. They were the perfect symbol of corporate greed and when the military commander took over, it was almost laughable in his logic, propped up by a terrorist speech. I get that Jake would find himself immersed in the Na’vi culture but find it hard to accept that he would go against his entire race to join them forever. Yes, I know he fell in love but it seemed too convenient for the story’s sake. Harkening to the pilot of Star Trek where he could be a whole man again by assuming a vision (i.e.-Avatar form) rather than remaining trapped in his broken body, wasn’t enough as it was indicated that with the right connections, he could be restored to his full human form. In A Man Called Horse or even in Costner's Dancing with Wolves, both men adopted their new culture...but they were still the same person. They could go back if they wanted to, even if it was just for a visit. Jake could not. I wonder how Jake will feel 5-10 years later while he’s eating the same fruit every day on how wonderful it would be to hop on a computer, watch a video, have a microwave pizza, or even go to a movie. So many people find the simple life alluring yet if you look at the past or even in foreign countries, those people are trying to get the modern toys that we have. There were a lot of puzzling questions as the movie was unfolding that bothered me. First off, when Jake initiates the defense, it sure didn’t seem like there was much of a plan. Offering a large percentage of only 2,000 natives as sacrificial lambs doesn’t seem like much of a leader. And why were there only 2,000 Na’vi? Were they a race headed for extinction? If a human body could be transferred like they attempted with Grace, why did Jake wait so long? When he didn’t do it immediately, you just knew his crippled body would be the culminating plot point. The whole transfer of the mind back to Jake when his avatar form slept seems like it would have caused all kinds of problems. Jake’s Na’vi form must have been comatose quite often as Jake was awake in his human form. Did he just hide somewhere? I know I’m perhaps nitpicking because actually I liked the movie. It wasn’t great, just bordering on good. I can’t rave on it and I wonder about those who claim it was the best film they ever saw…but we all have our preferences and I guess I can see how some people would find themselves immersed in it. I mean, look at how many people were so into the Lord of the Rings trilogy which I found boring and tedious in many spots. I’m glad for Cameron on one hand because I think he tried to do something daring and dramatic and I like to see him being rewarded for his gamble. But that’s not enough to say it’s a great film. It can rightfully claim to be a special film but that’s a big difference from being great.

2009-12-27T09:01:00.001-05:00

Another year passes and what that usually brings is a rash of New Year’s resolutions. Although I don’t make resolutions for the upcoming year, I do a bit of self reflection on the year that passed and think ahead for the upcoming year. Part of this is probably because my wedding anniversary is on New Year’s Eve so the end of the year is not just a calendar timeline, it’s also a milestone with the family.
Even though the year goes quickly, and the older you get, the faster the years go by, some things still seem so long ago. It was not a productive year for me as a creator as far as printed material goes, as most of the stuff I worked on will actually come out in 2010. I had A Murder of Scarecrows come out earlier in the year but Deadworld: Slaughterhouse only had one issue released before Desperado decided to forego the “floppies” all together and just release material in graphic novel format. So, even though I wrote the issues for this year, the graphic novel (actually a hardcover) will be out in early 2010.
I also planned to have the re-workings of Sinergy (now retitled Sin Eternal) and the Magus storyline in Saint Germaine to be released in 2009, but they too will be held until 2010. Sin Eternal will have about 20 new pages which was primarily done this year and the Saint Germaine collection will have two brand new stories in it. In addition, I have a new graphic novel called Subversives which will hit in 2010 even though most of it was done in 2009. A upcoming anthology of Sherlock Holmes is yet another project that was primarily created this year but won’t appear until 2010. So, it seems that 2009 was a creative year and 2010 will be a production year.
As for the publishing company, Transfuzion, 2009 was a good year. There were 9 titles released and of the 26 books from Transfuzion, five of the top six sellers on Amazon, came out this year. So, perhaps less in quantity of titles but more in overall sales. I’m especially proud of getting Vietnam Journal out through Transfuzion and eventually releasing the entire series. A major change with Transfuzion that will start in 2010 is the shift from reprinted collections to all new material. The Apocalypse Plan and Midnight Mortuary were the first two entries of all new material and soon Transfuzion will be releasing Ferrymen, two Lovecraft books, Sherlock Holmes, and a few others that still need to be officially announced.
The market proves to be in flux with some dynamic shifts in content delivery and perceptions of what is “legitimate”. The print on demand format, once shunned as being for unpublishable works, now is a viable option. In fact, it is something that increasingly becomes more important for someone like me that has a great deal of material from the “old days” where film and hard copy were the means to publishing. I continue to work at bringing that old material to the digital format, not only for print on demand, but to archive the files so that they can be exploited in various delivery methods.
The printed format is just one aspect of this new direction. The goal is to get the files into a delivery system so that I can take full advantage of all the opportunities presenting themselves. With print on demand, one of the key factors is that almost all of them also have a methodology for selling the books, usually in the form of an online store. So, that behooves me to take my POD to as many places as possible and have 3, 4, or even 5 different versions of the same book so that they can be sold through the vendors’ marketplace. And when you add new sources popping up such as Google Books, Kindle, the Sony Reader, etc. it makes sense to be flexible across all platforms. In addition, there are the numerous download sites such as Drive Thru Comics, Comics XP, the upcoming LongBox, and many others.
That’s one of my goals over the next year or so…to bring all of the titles (my personally authored ones as well as Transfuzion’s) to full exploitation. With a large backlog of material from the Caliber days plus the new stuff that I put out, I personally already have 25 books out and quite a few more getting ready and Transfuzion continues at a pace of 6-12 books a year…some collections, some all new material.
There seems to be quite a division occurring between the books (I’ll leave comics outside of the equation for now) that are direct market geared and “other” markets. Most companies and/or creators are lined up on one side or the other. Transfuzion sort of straddles that line. Most of our books have gone through Diamond Comic Distributors for a “regular” release into the comics market. But there are some that didn’t make the cut. Oddly enough, the ones that do not succeed with Diamond are usually those featuring all new material. It appears the comics market would rather have reprint collections because they at least know what it is. You would think that with the incredible expanse of the internet, getting the word out on new projects (such as interviews, previews, synopsis, etc) would be easier but I think that retailers and fans are so inundated with information, there’s no easy way to sort through the noise.
But most importantly, let’s face it, the comics market is a very limited one. The overwhelming appeal is for superheroes and the only viable options to that are the licensed properties that appeal to the same core. Yes, there are exceptions (which are always brought out ad nauseam) but as I’ve said numerous times, you can’t build expectations around exceptions.
I gave up a long time ago regarding my books’ success in the comics market. When I did Red Diaries, for example, the comics market was lukewarm in its acceptance. But I sell a lot of copies to mystery stores and continue to get regular orders from fans who are interested in it. Renfield had more success in the traditional comics market but again, it seems to have much greater appeal outside the market, including being used in a college literature course. Deadworld is probably my most successful comic title in the market and that’s likely because zombies are big. Even though Deadworld existed before just about any title currently on the market, for some reason, I still feel like I’m pandering to that audience when objectively, I know I’m not. I guess it’s because I’m tired of seeing all of these silly excuses to use zombies that somehow, I feel that I’m contributing to that.
It’s shaping up that 2010 will be an interesting year. The delivery options are enormous, sometimes there are so many choices out there that it can be overwhelming. Setting up accounts with the various downloadable vendors, for example, only to find out that their business plan stops at launching the line. Sort of a case of “we’ve launched…now what?”
The important thing I keep in focus is that comics (in whatever format) is just a medium, it is not the product. Just because something is in comic format doesn’t mean it will attract the comic audience and conversely, comics have gained a great deal more acceptability in the mainstream world so now, the term comic is no longer a major detriment.
However, until the day that bookstores put comics on the shelves (and figuratively apply the same sensibility online) by genre rather than grouped all together as if a special interest, it will be a long road.
But it’s better to have a road filled with promise than one shuttered by signs denoting the road ends.

Bookstores and Returns

2009-12-17T22:56:00.002-05:00

In the last week or so, there have been interviews with publishers that among other things, discussed the weight (and debt) of book returns from the mass market bookstore chains. Both publishers explained the heavy losses from the chain stores when unsold product was returned. In both of these cases, the publishers provided titles that have “mass appeal”, which means to the market outside the traditional comic readers. Another way to put it, they weren’t standard superhero titles. In neither case do the publishers indicate what percentage were returned as opposed to what sold through but judging from the affect the returns had on the profitability of the company, you can expect the returns were quite heavy.

I know exactly where they’re coming from. I’ve dealt with book chains in the past and the returns can kill you. Now, ideally, a company should set aside all the sales revenue until the returns come in but that’s simply unrealistic in most accounting systems. I remember we did one book that was packaged in a display dump of 12 copies. Sales were very good but then we got the returns…about 95% came back. About half of those display boxes were never even opened. On the ones that came back returned, most were so damaged that they were essentially unsellable. So, not only were we out the profit but also the printing and the shipping of the books that were returned.

I decided with Transfuzion, I wasn’t going to subject myself to that. I sell books to a number of major book stores (Borders, Barnes and Noble, etc..) but my terms are at a high discount and non-returnable. Essentially, what I give Diamond Comics. I didn’t plan to venture after the book stores because many won’t carry titles without returns and I can understand that. I managed to sell to a couple of stores that were located on different campuses because, and this was surprising, Diamond refused to take their orders. Diamond gave me their reasoning but it still doesn’t make much sense. Granted, selling 50 copies to one store every semester (so, 3X a year for 150 books) may not seem much to Diamond, but I’ll take it.

There are a number of publishers that utilize Diamond as their “book” distributor as well as their comic distributor. It’s a good dynamic as Diamond already has the vendor accounts set up and they are familiar with the product. The publishers essentially have to do very little extra, so on both sides, it makes a great deal of sense. However, this inputs another factor on returns as Diamond has to cover their costs on handling. So on top of getting damaged product back (if you get it back at all), you’re out not just the printing costs and perhaps shipping costs but you have to tack on the service fee that Diamond (like all distributors do) adds, and you’re hit with some sizable bills. Another factor is that seldom can you anticipate when the returns will come through so it can throw estimated budgets and schedules way out of whack.

Yet that is part of the business model in publishing and no one should be surprised by it and the return factor should be built in as far as expectations and the ledger sheet goes. It’s not an excuse unless something unusual happens.

What surprised me when reading about these two publishers, especially the smaller one, was the vehement attacks that many fans, and some creators, laid against the publisher. I totally get what is being said---a lack of foresight on the publisher should not enable them to delay payments to creators, but it just seemed like the comments were so one-sided.

Almost all publishers have cash flow problems and much of this is based on forecasting revenues. Publishers have to engage in advance expenditures. It’s basic business,--- money has to go in to grow a company and expand into new directions and the plan is for the anticipated revenues to not only cover the costs but add profits to fuel the next growth. Obviously, paying the creators is essential in the budget, but you know what, sometimes shit happens. Often times, a publisher doesn’t get paid from his distributor and the revenue stream stops. Now, this is something that doesn’t occur with Diamond as far as I know. With all the ups and downs with the comics market it seems as if they are the only constant keeping the fragile state going.

When I had Caliber, there were a number of distributors that went under owing us money. By the time Transfuzion started, there was only one real distributor but I did sell direct to comic stores. For the most part, I don’t do that anymore because of the uncollectible amounts that are still outstanding. In most small publishing companies, the profit range is so small that if one vendor doesn’t pay, well, that can affect what the publisher can pay out.

Too many fans don’t think of all the aspects and costs that are involved in publishing: rent, communication functions (phone, internet, etc), staff, updated computer programs, ISBN numbers and barcodes., utilities, etc. The problem is that many of these are fixed costs and have no flexibility. Creator invoices, royalty statements, and promotion are not fixed so that is usually what is going to be affected by a diminishing income. It’s not that publishers feel those areas are less important but paying a creator late can lead to bad blood, perhaps some negative press, but the company will survive. Not paying rent or utilities…well, the company can just go out of business.

None of this is to find a way to justify a late paying company but again, when I read those comments, it was insinuated that the publisher was just keeping the “extra money” and stiffing the creators. I don’t know, perhaps that’s true. But from my experience, I only know of a few rare examples where a company purposely screwed over creators. Chalk it up to over estimated sales forecasting or not taking into account all the costs, or even just incompetence, but most of the time, the lack of payment is not intended.

And of course, it’s not always a one way street. Most of us are aware of what happened with Tundra where Kevin Eastman opened his wallet to pay creators in advance so they wouldn’t have to worry about anything…just do the work. Some millions of dollars later, it’s obvious that didn’t work. I paid in advanced four times and three times I got burned. And one time was from a friend who I would’ve never expected to bail out on me. I work with Desperado often and I know of a few cases where they paid in advance, and also got burned. There, I think they hit 100% burn rate.

It’s not just some creators not doing the work, but their lateness can factor in. If a book is selling a certain amount of copies but then the creator runs late, the book gets cancelled and usually the next solicitation suffers a massive reduction in sales. Well, if the creators are getting paid a certain rate based on the initial sales but then the sales get cut in half (one book I know lost 70% of the sales on the resolicitation), then it becomes a losing book yet the creator who caused the resolicitation and therefore lesser sales, still expects the same rate. You’d be surprised how often this happens.

The point of all this is that nothing is as cut and dried as some people would like to think. Yes, there are “bad” publishers and there are “bad” creators as well. I know of a few enormously talented artists who don’t get work because they’re chronically late. It doesn’t matter how good you are if you don’t produce. I had an offer for a book to be published featuring a certain artist and I passed as I just didn’t want to get wrapped up in that. I’ve been down that road too many times.

I don’t know of any other fields like comics where the “business” is so open to conversation among people who often know little of what they’re talking about, yet they get to voice their opinions publicly. Granted, sometimes these public discussions can bring awareness to some areas, but far too often, they used as a means for a fan to side with a creator they like---not to solidify any factual information but just to “buddy” up---as if the “common enemy” will provide a viable means of friendship.

It sounds like a cliché about there being two sides to every story but the reason some things become a cliché is because they happen so frequently. I know when I read most of the comic “news”, I always wonder what isn’t being told as much as what is.

Deadworld moving?

2009-11-27T13:27:00.002-05:00

It's official so now I can at least talk about it. Desperado Publishing has moved to IDW where it will become an imprint of that company. That gives Joe Pruett the autonomy he wanted and yet still be part of the growing IDW Publishing. I'm not exactly sure how that will be in regards to MY stuff but I'll worry about it as it comes up. Joe did tell me that IDW was interested in printing the Deadworld material. It appears that the Slaughterhouse hardcover will be coming out from Desperado at the beginning of the year. The delay was due to negotiations going on as it was supposed to be out in October. Sami Makkonen finished the book a long time ago and in fact, finished his following project, The Looking Glass Wars with Frank Beddor. A real fantastic looking book (as an aside, see Frank being interviewed about that on Good Morning America here). It's kinda funny as I still regard IDW as a "new" company but I see that they're celebrating their ten year anniversary. When I look back on it, that's about how long Caliber was around although at the time, it certainly seemed longer than that. Maybe because it just consumed my life so much at that time. I put in an awful lot of hours, which I'm sure most people do who own their own business, but I was always careful to be home and spend time with the kids. I'd mostly work when they were not at home or in bed. Even though Caliber ended, I don't feel like it was a waste of time or anything. I mean, one bad break here or there cost the company and most of it was sort of out of our control. I don't dwell on what could have been but sometimes when I discuss things with some old "Caliber" people, it does come up. Mainly it was the Power Cardz situation and the graphic novels that fell apart. I recently got a link to an article sent to me about a creator who worked for Caliber and he said in an interview that Caliber did the bad binding on purpose. I mean, just how idiotic is that? With the end of the year coming up, it's time to make plans for the convention season. I don't do many shows. I will be at the new Chicago convention (C2E2) and looking at the Traverse City show again. Not sure about Motor City even though its in the neighborhood and I'd still like to do Heroes Con one of these days. I may even do San Diego this year...still a bit early to decide for sure. I'm looking at a couple of horror shows as it seems I do better at those but shows are not a necessity for me and though I enjoy them once I'm there, I usually dread thinking about attending them. As an update on the movie. Things are moving along as they need to so that's good. So far, happy with the script and just have to wait and see how things play out. One thing about Hollywood, it does not move at a breakneck speed...

Time...never enough

2009-10-17T18:00:00.003-04:00

Well, it's been awhile. Mainly it due to keeping so busy that is just not that high of a priority. I think that's why you see the sites like facebook and twitter doing so well. Comments can just be throw out there without consideration of trying to construct almost a column which is how many of the blogs, including this one started. I find that I have all these informational sources to attend to and frankly, I just can't keep up. It seems easy but like most people, I'm just inundated with so much activity dealing with family, school, publishing, writing, and whatever else comes along. It seems I'm always trying to catch up. I guess its better than not being busy. It seems everyone has the same complaints about time in today's world. I am quite shocked though, when I read people discussing various TV shows. How do people have the time to watch all of those shows. I have a DVR so I end up recording most of the stuff but the only show I really try to get to is MadMen. I will "tape" Heroes but find I can only follow its plodding plot by speeding through it (and it seems I never really miss anything important). If I miss a show, I don't worry about it. In fact, I may have missed all but two of this season. I don't think that bodes well for my interest in the show. The carnival people are what hold my attention for this season and I detest any of the Hiro scenes. Most of my other recording are for shows on Discovery, History Channel, etc. I'm not trying to portray myself as a snob or anything but I love history and science is my profession (teaching biology) and I find myself increasingly becoming much more interested in all the aspects of science to the exclusion of almost everything else. But I have shows going all the way back to January that I still haven't watched yet. My family feels I'm clogging up the DVR with all these unwatched shows. I try to keep up on Facebook and obviously, am much more frequent there than here. If you're interested, and the Facebook link is now hooked up to the right. I also have an Amazon page (Gary Reed) but I don't keep on that as much as I should. I keep up to date more with the stuff happening with Transfuzion and do a regular column for ComicRelated here. I also have a myspace page but seldom use it. I think most people have moved on from myspace to facebook. I do have a twitter page but after signing up for it and finding I didn't want to be posting all the time, I haven't used it. In fact, I don't even remember the login or password for it so I will probably never get back to it. I did the Pittsburgh Comic Con for the first time. It was okay. I was in a separate room from the dealer's room with some other guests and the traffic wasn't as heavy there. It was amazing to see the turnout for Stan Lee. I can see why fans and guests like the con so much...everything was well organized and well run. I will be doing a signing at Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, MI. Sort of a homecoming for me as that was originally my store (called Comics Plus) but Katie and Dan Merritt not only changed the name but moved it down the street. One of the best stores I've been to, if you're in the area on October 28 at 5:00...stop in. I'll be giving out free copies of Deadworld comics and I think there's going to be a zombie drawing contest. Speaking of Deadworld, the next steps are moving along as far as the movie goes. Still a long way to go as nothing is certain until you see it on the screen but all the right pieces are being put in all the right holes so far...looking good. I think that Sin Eternal, the revamping and collected version of Sinergy, will be out in November. This is a retelling of Dante's Inferno but updated for more modern times. Galen Showman (who I worked with on Renfield) is the continuity artist and he does a fantastic job of keeping a semi-unified look as each level of Hell is drawn by a different artists. Over 25 artists including Guy Davis, Mark Bloodworth, Vince Locke, David Mack, Michael Lark, Dalibor Talajic, Jim Calafiore, and many others. As for the Deadworld printed stuff such as the reprint of the sold out Deadworld: Requeim for the World and the Slaughterhouse hard cover, there is some news coming out about that shortly, but at this time, I can't say anything about it. Enjoy your Halloween.

New Talent from New Places

2009-08-18T23:08:00.005-04:00

When I was publishing Caliber, one of the aspects that it accomplished, and almost inadvertently, was the introduction of new talent into the comics medium. I say inadvertent because being a small publisher, I had to rely on creator owned titles simply because I wasn't paying a page rate. Of course, that wasn't the whole reason as I also thought that creator owned books were just so much more interesting. There were a lot of creators known today that got their start at Caliber, and there were others, who may not have started off at Caliber but they honed their skills to get themselves to the next level. Guy Davis, Vince Locke, Mark Bloodworth, David Mack, Patrick Zircher, Mike Perkins, Michael Gaydos, Ed Brubaker, Jim Calafiore, Philip Hester, Ande Parks, Mike Carey, Jacen Burrows, Michael Allred, Dave Cooper, Jimmy Gownley, Brandon Peterson, James O'Barr, Don Kramer, Jason Lutes, Brian Bendis, Paul Sizer, Mark Ricketts, Troy Nixey, and many others did all or part of their "apprenticeship" at Caliber. It seemed for awhile that there was no longer a spot for the "new" creators to go through the process of going beyond creation of a title and actually producing it. However, that has changed with the incredible growth...and acceptability of material posted online. But sometimes I wonder if that access that is available to everyone, even more than it was with the explosion of publishers and titles in the 80's and 90's, is limiting the growth of artists. It seems some artist have latched onto a successful gig and it continues. In the past, with the printed material, it was a constant climb for most artists to get better. Maybe it was having an actual printed comic that could be looked that propelled artists to strive to get better. I mean, on the web, it's out of site, out of mind but when you have the physical artwork in front of you...well, that's a bit tougher to just look away from. There is a sense of permanence even though in actuality, it appears the web will be the key to posterity rather than random back issues stuffed into long white boxes. I started thinking about that as I was looking at some of Vince Locke's original Deadworld work. We're going to be doing a collection of all his old work and it is very interesting to compare and contrast not only Vince artwork with himself but with his friend, Guy Davis. Both of them started at about the same time at Arrow and moved to Caliber at the same time and almost immediately, these young guys moved onto other material and left their original books...Deadworld and Realm respectively at about the same time. If you look at Vince's art in the early Deadworld, you have to remember that he was a teenager. Yes, a teenager. He was obviously influenced by the strong line work of some artists but even in the early issues, he was experimenting...sometimes loosening up, sometimes tightening up, occasionally going into an almost cartoony style and then the next issue, playing with negative space. Deadworld was his training ground and he played in a lot of different directions. By the time he left Deadworld, he had already settled into his style which is apparent on American Freak, A History of Violence, and what I think was his best work, Saint Germaine (of course, I'm a bit biased on that one...). I also loved his work on The Plague, a historical fiction chronicle I did with him. Guy, on the other hand, did a lot less overt experimentation on The Realm. He definitely grew as an artist but he stayed in the same uh, realm. I believe Guy was also in his teens when he started this D&D fantasy book. He gave it a slight anime look as that was his influence at the time. Being a series based strongly around characters, Guy kept a much more consistent look for the 15 issues he did and looking back now, it must have been a chore for him at that time towards the end. He also was looking to move beyond what he was doing with the Realm and it was evident with his next project, Baker Street. It is incredible when you look at the Realm and realize that he moved from that to Baker Street. It's two different worlds. Of course, he also developed his own style evident in his long run on Sandman Mystery Theatre, The Marquis, and BRPD (which he just won an Eisner for as best penciller). The same could be said for Patrick Zircher and Michael Lark as it was easy to see them growing by leaps and bounds with each issue they did. I look back at The Verdict graphic novel that Caliber published that was written by Martin Powell. The artists were Dean Haspiel and Josh Neufeld and now their work has spun in a whole new direction, virtually unrecognizable from their early days. I have no idea how much a lot of these web artists are evolving simply because I'm not familiar enough with their older work. It's ironic in that all of the older work is stored on some server someplace and a lot easier to pull up than searching for back issues but it today's world of immediacy, it just doesn't seem like something people search for. Don't get me wrong, I'm not implying that today's artists are not getting better, it just isn't as apparent. Actually, I think that nowadays, there is more talent out there doing their own books then there was in the past, pre-web. A wealth of diversity, not possible back then, has spun stories into all new directions with completely different looks that are accepted by a lot of the audience that wanted nothing to do with it back then. Even though the market is considered weak by a lot of people in terms of sales of comics and books, it seems actually stronger and more likely to take advantage of the new avenues opening up. In fact, it seems almost that there is too much good stuff out there, even if the "normal" comics market doesn't recognize it all yet. The next collection I have coming out is SIN ETERNAL: A RETURN TO DANTE'S INFERNO which collects the Sinergy series that updates Dante's Inferno I did at Caliber. Galen Showman, who worked with me on Renfield, is the continuity artist. For each level of Hell, it is drawn by a different artist and I think there are 30 in all. some of the levels that originally appeared have been replaced by new ones. It is scheduled for a late October, early November release. I have a new column running up at Comicrelated.com which deals with my publishing house, Transfuzion Publishing. The column, Talking Transfuzion (okay, not the most original name) deals, of course, with what's happening with Transfuzion and also spotlights a creator adn a title each week. There is also a short 5 question interview with the creators behind Transfuzion's titles. I posted some pictures of one of the conventions, King Kon, I put together a very long time ago. Guests included Harvey Kurtzman, Carol Kalish, Max Collins, Terry Beatty, Larry Marder, Al Milgrom, Don Simpson, Dan Mishkin, Deni Loubert, Richard Pini, and many others. there's a pix of Harvey on the left. I will be a guest at the Cherry Capital Convention on August 29-30 and then will appear at the Pittsburgh Comic Con on Sept. 11-13. I will also be a guest at the Motor City Nightmares Convention in Novi, Mich on October 23-25 and then I'll close out with a signing at Green Brain Comics on October 28. (and congrats to them for being picked as The Best Comic Store in the Detroit area by Metro Times...again. That's going to be it for awhile as I have a full load of teaching this semester.

Deadworld: Slaughterhouse Video Promo

2009-08-15T14:10:00.001-04:00

Deadworld:Slaughterhouse promotional video. The book comes out from Desperado Publishing, in HARDCOVER, in October. It's in the Diamond Previews right now.

Myebook - Deadworld: Slaughterhouse #1

2009-08-11T15:00:00.001-04:00

Myebook - Deadworld: Slaughterhouse #1 Shared via AddThis

Updates on Cons and Deadworld

2009-07-15T15:09:00.003-04:00

Time to play some catch-up on the updates. First off, on the convention appearances, I will be attending the Cherry Capital Con in Traverse City on August 29-30. For those of you who don’t know, Michigan is known for their cherries and Traverse City is the spot for them. Traverse City is a small city in Northern Michigan and is pretty much the big city once you get above Lansing and Grand Rapids. It’s not only a resort town but one of the fastest growing cities in America. Beautiful place. I’ve been to dozens of coastal cities on the East Coast and Traverse City is comparable if not better than most. Some of the publishers there will be Oni Books, Top Shelf, Desperado, and Slave Labor so the slant is definitely for the independent publishers. I will be doing a presentation which will be announced shortly and if you’re there, you can get a free Deadworld comic…autographed if you want…or not. It will be my first appearance at the Pittsburg Comic Con in September 11-13. I will be in Artists Alley. I have a panel discussion on Saturday at 1:00 where I’ll talk about all the things going on with Deadworld. Jeff Erb, one of the producers on the Deadworld movie, will join me and we may have more news to announce at that time. Everyone attending the panel will get a free Deadworld comic plus be entered into a drawing to win some Deadworld stuff (t-shirt, action figure, CD collection, etc.) At both the Pittsburgh and Traverse City show, I am also making copies of my young adult novel, Spirit of the Samurai, available free for some kids but not sure how the organizers are going to handle it yet. Speaking of Deadworld, here’s the update on things: The action figure, King Zombie, is schedule to debut at San Diego Con. The t-shirts are still available from Rotten Cotton as is the CD collection from Eagle One Media.. The Frozen Over trade paperback from Desperado is still not finished but there’s only a few pages left. The artist is so busy with DC work that another artist may be put on the book to finish it. That’s a last resort kind of thing but it’s been delayed quite a bit. The Slaughterhouse graphic novel has been done for awhile and is being rescheduled by Desperado for October and will join the new format of doing hardcover editions. The mask is still scheduled to arrive in time for Halloween. The novel will probably come out early next year. There is an all new graphic novel in production right now which is tentatively entitled The Last Siesta as King Zombie waltzes down to Mexico but it’s not for the beaches. Written by Gary Francis and myself (though Francis did the initial part), it will be drawn by Mark Bloodworth. As for the movie, well, you now how Hollywood goes. But suffice to say, things are moving along. There’s some stuff I can’t talk about yet but all in all, I feel pretty good about things. Other projects that I’m working on are still going but no sense bringing them up again until they get closer. I have a new blog coming out soon from Comics Related. Called Talking Transfuzion, it will focus on the publishing end of Transfuzion and be confined to that area. So, it’s an extension of this blog in a sense. Check out my interview from The Furnace. There’s also plans to do a podcast which I’ll post here when it happens. That’s it…just want to get the updates out there. Usually I try to keep things updated on the Transfuzion or Desperado message boards, both of which are on Comic Related. If you haven’t been to that site, it’s a great site and I find I can keep up with a lot of things from there.

Comics Market...worse than I thought.

2009-07-12T11:29:00.003-04:00

I don’t pay much attention to the monthly releases of sales figures in the comics direct market. But this last month, I was interested because there was a new publisher launching and I was curious if their sales matched the expectations they had. I remember thinking at the time that their numbers were hopelessly optimistic and unrealistic…in fact, bordering on self delusion.

Of course, I was right. Not that I have any great insights but it’s just a case of how bad the market really is. And it’s worse than I thought.

I’m not going to go through all of the numbers as it’s easy for anyone to do simply by going to ICV2.com for the listings (http://icv2.com/articles/news/15338.html). But I made a few notes about some of the sales. First off, I find it shocking that the highly covered Captain America #600 only did as well as it did. Is this where Steve Rogers returns???---I don’t keep up with it and the only reason I know of Cap’s death is because of all the coverage. Apparently this issue is only a teaser but it got incredible coverage. Marvel even broke the standard Wednesday release day and made provisions for a Monday release….apparently, it was that BIG of an issue. It sold about 112,000 copies.

Unbelievable. With all the coverage it had and it barely eked out over 100,000 in sales.

What I found in the lower tier of books was even more stunning. Now, being a publisher, I know what it costs to print books and the cost is considerably higher than it used to be when I was running Caliber and even back then on some of these numbers (and we printed in black and white), it would have been a struggle.

Mainly the books I looked at were generally licensed titles. Everyone knows that the Marvel and DC universe titles have their built in audiences (although I didn’t realize how small that was) but it’s the licensed titles with established properties that have the hope of bringing in new people to the stores or at least getting comic fans to venture into something different, depending on what their tastes run on these licensed characters. Not all of the titles I bring up below are licensed as there were some surprised in the traditional superhero titles as well.

Books selling in the 9,000 to 10,000 range include Star Trek and Transformers. If these can’t sell now after the incredible successes of the movies, when will they? I was also surprised to see Madame Xanadu and Authority in this range.

Under 9,000 but over 8,000 included popular characters such as Doctor Who, Sherlock Holmes, Spirit, Incredibles, another Star Trek title, Simpsons, and Sonic the Hedgehog. Also in this range was the Amazing Spiderman Family title.

From 7,000 to 8,000 had Conan, StarCraft, FarScape, Riftwar, and Zorro. Those are some pretty big properties floundering at pretty low numbers.

6,000-7,000 sales included Fringe, Army of Darkness, Bart Simpson, Toy Story, and Battlestar Galactica. In the more traditional comics, I was surprised to see Gen 13, Savage Dragon, and Hack Slash.

The 6,000 to the 5,000 range included Terminator and Flash Gordon. It was stunning to see Mike Allred’s Madman Atomic Love.

Skipping to the under 4,000 but above 3,000 (which is the cut off for Diamond’s Top 300) there were some titles that I’m familiar with because of the coverage they get. Dynamo 5, Elephantmen, PVP, and Rex Mundi. Moonstone’s Phantom was here although that’s not a surprise as worldwide, Phantom is still a very popular character but in the U.S., he just never made the jump to an icon.

I realize that many of these titles will be reordered and sales will go up. Some have other forms of distribution but the fact is that these are what were the initial orders from comic book retailers.

Funny, if you were to browse all the websites, forums, blogs, and social sites, it would seem that things are doing well. But the comics market is pretty insulated and sometimes I forget that a lot of people don’t step back to see what kind of situation the market is in.

Is it any wonder that publishers are scurrying to find out what will work for them in the digital format. I know there are many retailers who are worried about the impact but I think that most of the switch to digital will be from smaller publishers and apparently, most of the retailers are not buying (whether justified or not) their titles anyway.

I bring up these numbers simply because I was surprised at just how low the numbers were. I think I go through this checking phase every year or so and it just gets worse.

Oh, that publisher that I wanted to see how he did. I saw his numbers. I have no idea of what he pays the talent and it’s a color book so that’s more expensive to print, of course. Based on the numbers, I don’t think his sales even cover the printing costs. I’m looking forward to the press release that announces what a success it was.

Next time I’ll give an update on the goings on with Deadworld and some news on upcoming conventions I’ll be attending.

Podcasts

2009-06-23T10:52:00.001-04:00

C2E2 Horror Panel
Horror from a writer’s perspective

Discusssions with Decapitatied Dan
Podcast Interview

Podcast with Gary-
ComicRelated.com

Gary Reed Podcast-
From Fist Full of Comics

Dr. Pus Podcast reveiws Deadworld-
from Dr. Pus Podomatic.com

Podcast with Gary Reed (and Mike Carey)-
from Word Balloon

Podcast: Fistful of Comics interviews Gary Reed
from Fistful of Comics web-broadcast

Reviews

2009-06-23T10:51:00.001-04:00

A MURDER OF SCARECROWS: "Reed has always been very unconventional. He doesn’t go after the quick and easy story but rather he tells stories his way. They might not be best-sellers, but they are of a quality that outdoes most other writers."--Mania.com

DEADWORLD: "...amongst the most essential horror titles of the last twenty years."---Peter Normanton, From the Tomb magazine

OF SCENES AND STORIES: "Regardless of what you like in comics, you will find something you like in this. I can pretty much guarantee that. A must for Gary Reed fans or any comics fan who wants something more to bite into than the typical superhero stuff. Sin City aficionados might find a lot to appreciate here too."---Sequential Tart

DEADWORLD: The best of the zombie comics I've read. Unfortunately the series only lasted six issues. It was really getting good"-David, GoodReads.com

OF SCENES AND STORIES: "Blistering Good!"--Rue Morgue Magazine

SAINT GERMAINE: "Saint Germaine is a churning thriller, electrifying, fast paced, compelling and a gripping page turner! Gary Reed builds suspense to almost unbearable extremes, the kind of mysterious noir setting that readers will love!" ---www.jazmaonline.com

GHOST SONATA: "There is superb human drama with unforgettable interactions between the characters in this story. This is a scary, but racy read, that skillfully combines old fashioned thrills, intrigue, murder, ambition and retribution!" ---Paul Dale Roberts

OF SCENES AND STORIES: "If you're looking for something far different than the ordinary, something with a little more literary bite with stories much more intellectually stimulating , you must pick up Gary Reed's Of Scenes and Stories ". --Newsarama: Best Shots

JACK THE RIPPER: " The Illustrated Jack the Ripper is nothing short of spellbinding - fierce and compelling."---Paul Dale Roberts

OF SCENES AND STORIES:: Reed has a lot of excellent ideas, and it would be nice to see more creators tackle a wide variety of genres and themes instead of pigeon-holing themselves.----Comics Should be Good

FRANKENSTEIN: "One of the best graphic novels the Library has to offer. It"s an adapted version of the Mary Shelley book. With its detail art work, classic story and its look into the world of true horror, this one isn't just a must read, it's a must own as well."---Young Adult Book Log, East Meadow Public Library

OF SCENES AND STORIES: "..oh my god!" Check out the diverse stories in this book! You have everything in here! Drama, horror, paranormal, famous fictional characters, historical stories, murder stories, detective stories and everything else in the mix! It will take some long hours to finish it all, but you will be entertained all the way through! ---www.jazmaonline.com

RENFIELD: "It's a rare treat; a truly classic piece set in a graphic format. Reed's writing talent shines, "--Darenderer, Dimestore Reviews

SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI: "...a fun, action-packed adventure, and very vividly written. A story that gives a whole new meaning to family history and family reunions. And one that ends way too quickly! I'm ready to read the next one, now."--Teens Read Too

RENFIELD: "Renfield, the mysterious and tragic bug-collecting character, gets his own back story thanks to the machinations of the gifted Gary Reed, whose talent for the macabre rivals that of H. P. Lovercraft and whose adept comic book storytelling matches that of Steve Niles. "--BookLoons

DEADWORLD: "Reed is one of the most underrated comic writers around. He has the ability to stay several steps ahead of the reader and never fails to deliver several shocks and surprises." - The Comics Review

RENFIELD: "5 stars (out of 5 possible)"A must have for any serious sequential graphic narrative (comics) fan."---Mr. Render, Independent Propaganda

DEAD-KILLER: "So, what are you waiting for? The brains to be served to you on a silver platter? Go check this innovative and downright entertaining book out. Your life might depend on it one day."---Steven G. Saunders, Silver Bullet Reviews

SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI: "Targeting elementary school children, this is an action-packed Samurai fantasy starring a young female teen whose opponent in a life and death struggle is her older brother. The story line is filled with action while illustrations enhance the first-rate plot".--Harriet Klausner, Alternative Worlds

SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI: "Spirit is a notch above the other excellent Actionopolis offering and this initial book in the series will leave you eager for the next. That earns Reed and Hoberg the full five Tonys."---Tony Isabella, Tony's Tips

RENFIELD: "The series uses the classic literary tradition of showing us the scenes we didn't see in the novel (while working in parts of the original work, as well). I always get a kick out of stories that try that trick, but more so when it is done well. Luckily, it is done well in Renfield, and the result is a creepy story that is still filled with a good deal of class."---Brian Cronin, Comics Should be Good!

DEAD-KILLER: "Dead Killer works because Gary Reed is not just a writer but a storyteller, and storytelling is almost a lost art in comics today."---Tim Janson, Comics Review

RENFIELD: "Mature readers will come away spooked by this intelligent book and applaud Reed and Showman's approach to a familiar story told in an all-new way." ---Sean McGurr, Graphic Novel Journal

RENFIELD: Renfield sits alongside BAKER STREET as Reed's best work in comics and makes a very worthy return to print and bookshelves. Track it down.---Marc Mason, Comics Waiting Room

DEADWORLD: "So far this is turning out to be an intriguing story and writer Gary Reed seems to be finding his stride here. His plotting is intricate and the one thing I am enjoying is how all the story beats neatly fall into place...Again, I can't rave enough about this series." ---Kenneth Gallant, Broken Frontier

RENFIELD: "Reed is a very literary comics writer, one with a very sound base in much of the classic literature that inspired comics. That often helps give Reed's writing a real feeling of depth and power.---Jason Sacks, Silver Bullet

RED DIARIES: "Even if you know nothing about JFK and the circumstances surrounding his death, or have only seen Marilyn Monroe on a poster or on a stamp, I still recommend it simply to see how a talented writer can take a historical theory and rework it into a compelling read. As thrilling as any mystery novel and as historic as any crisis or war, The Red Diaries is a winner.--Hugo Bravo, IGN

RED DIARIES: "Somewhat in the manner of Alan Moore's historical and literary reconstruction of the Jack the Ripper mythology, From Hell, Reed balances generous doses of straight historical text and imaginative conjecture throughout the central narrative."---Chris Barsanti, Publishers Weekly

RENFIELD: "Renfield calls Dracula his master, but I must say that Gary Reed proves that he is the master of storytelling and Renfield proves it!" ---Paul Dale Roberts, Jazma Online

RED DIARIES: "The amount of research and detail the author put into this book is astounding."---Marc Mason, The Comics Waiting Room

DEADWORLD: "Gary Reed has certainly crafted a truly horrifying story, full of engaging characters, terrifying menaces and an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. And Dalibor Talajic's, the series' new artist (taking over from Vincent Locke), is an amazing talent. His solid lines and heavy blacks lend the whole book a sense of encroaching darkness and almost claustrophobic tightness that makes the book seem even more frightening. This is oneheck of disturbing book and I'd definitely recommend it to new and old fans alike."---Paul Milligan, They Live to Serve

RENFIELD: "Most intelligent graphic novel I've ever read."---Combo Magazine

PENGUIN GN (Dracula and Frankenstein): "These classics deliver a real experience of the tradtional literary piece while meeting new readers in a comfortable medium"----Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library

RENFIELD: "A gothic jewel..."----Comics Buyers' Guide

RED DIARIES: "I place THE RED DIARIES right up there with Dan Brown's DaVinci Code, it's a must-read! If you are going to read any book this year, this is the book to read. A book filled with intrigue and mystery....Gary Reed has proven himself a genius with THE RED DIARIES, after I finished reading this graphic novel, I kept asking myself...'how did he come up with this?" ---Paul Dale Roberts, Jazma Online

DEADWORLD: "I'm not sure what possessed writer Gary Reed to start offing the cast this quickly, but I take my hat off to him for dispensing with the formalities and getting right down to it. He sure knows how to pace his story and I have been enjoying the freshness he puts into every single character".---Kenneth Gallant, Broken Frontier

PENGUIN GN (Dracula and Frankenstein): "Overall these books are fun adaptations of great literature...good choice."---Voice of Youth Advocates library magazine.

SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI: "Gary Reed and Rick Hoberg have woven a rich tapestry of intrigue, character and dazzling art into SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI: OF SWORDS AND RINGS. Graphic storytelling at its absolute best!"---Mike Grell - DC COMICS artist on GREEN ARROW and LEGION OF SUPERHEROES

RED DIARIES: "Writer Gary Reed is smart. He doesn't explicitly draw lines, nor does he play favorites among the various theories. Instead, Reed's looking to write an interesting and dramatic graphic novel, which is what he absolutely does....it's a big task reconciling all the various threads and theories around the deaths of Kennedy and Monroe, and Reed does a masterful job of sorting them out in a very intriguing way."---Jason Sacks, Silver Bullet Reviews

SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI: "SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI is a singular work; Gary Reed combines the sensitivity of a father who understands the mentality of youth with the skilled craft of a writer who knows his audience, while Rick Hoberg's illustrations are beautiful and evocative. As a father myself, I can guarantee that this book will find its way onto my daughter's library shelf (and I'll horde a copy for myself, as well.). All in all, stellar stuff. If SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI is representative of the entire Actionopolis line, then readers young and old should rejoice!" ---Rafael Nieves- The PHANTOM, Marvel's TALES FROM THE HEART and Narwain's THE APOCALYPSE PLAN.

DRACULA: "....proves that not only can they translate a great work into a different medium (a graphic novel), they can also produce a versatile piece that children (eight and up) can enjoy and adults too will find captivating. Even the more violent scenes are well-crafted, delivering the action but not dwelling on it."---Lance Eaton, Book Loons Reviews

SAINT GERMAINE: "The best parts of the book involve the characters contemplating their lives. There's a haunting scene about halfway through the book where Lilith talks about the burning of Leningrad during the Nazi attack on the city that's reminiscent of the best of Neil Gaiman."---Jason Sacks, Line of Fire Reviews

SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI: "Adventure-loving boys and girls are going to flip for this kickin' supernatural-samurai story! Gary Reed's SPIRIT OF THE SAMURAI had me turning the pages as fast as I could read them, and Kat Anderson is a great new heroine"---Steven Jones, author of the novels, BUSHWACKERS and KING OF HARLEM

SAINT GERMAINE: "St. Germaine is legendary and his story has been passed on through word of mouth for generations. To determine what is truth and what is false is a challenge for the greatest detective. Now, you are ready to add on to his mytho, his legend and somewhere in the future, a historian will probably add on Gary Reed’s marvelous tale and incorporate it into the legend of what is Saint Germaine.... There is so much to reveal and explore with this story. I have become enchanted and swept away into this story and will be anticipating more of the "aura of mystery" that surrounds this comic... I am in awe".---Paul Dale Roberts, Jazma Online Reviews

PENGUIN GN (Dracula and Frankenstein): "...this graphic novel does a good job of both condensing and capturing the spirit of the novel. The artwork, done in b/w by Frazer Irving, is dark and atmospheric; it eloquently conveys the characters' anguish. Gary Reed's adaptation is well done..."---Kliatt

BAKER STREET: " No matter how you look at it, HONOUR AMONG PUNKS is a fantastic value for your money... it's a pretty solid brick of a graphic novel with great production values. It is also a pretty darn good read, featuring early work from artistic talent Guy Davis and former Caliber head honcho and writer Gary Reed. And Reed's stories feature some twisted, intricate mysteries that ably blend the punk and Victorian sensibilities of the whole thing." ---Randy Lander, Snap Judgment.

SAINT GERMAINE: Saint Germaine is history and the metaphysical blended into one, a cosmos of its own---legend and fact woven into the fabric of a new reality. Those willing to do more than just flip through a story will find much gold to mine here. If you want a comic book that will entertain you, there are plenty of them out there. If you want a comic that will entertain you and make you think, pick up Saint Germaine".---Barry Lyga, Diamond Comics

BAKER STREET: "HONOUR AMONG PUNKS: The Complete BAKER STREET Graphic Novel is a fascinating take on the Sherlock Holmes mythos. Not just cool, it is extremely well done. Guy Davis and Gary Reed are smart. ...If you like mysteries, if you like Sherlock Holmes type tales, you'll find yourself fascinated by this interpretation." ---Cindy Lynn Speer, SF Site.

HELSING: "Gary Reed did a superior job with the writing of this story and I will be looking forward to more. The artwork throughout this comic book was beautifully done with different contrasts that fits well with the story. Is this comic book a winner? You know it is!"---Paul Dale Roberts, Compuserve Forum Reviews

PENGUIN GN (Dracula and Frankenstein): "Although the original novel is much longer and more intricate than its graphic version, the latter makes the story and the questions it explores accessible to readers who might otherwise never see it. The illustrations reflect a softer quality--- one that is almost film-like..."---Deborah Abbott, Chicago Sun Times

BAKER STREET: " The late 1980s produced a number of groundbreaking, compelling books. Most are still revered today, notably WATCHMEN and DARK KNIGHT RETURNS. But nipping at their heels is another important, though generally overlooked, work - BAKER STREET. Davis and Reed give us just enough of the story at one time, wisely doling out more details only when we're ready - or when they'll deliver the most shocking of surprises. BAKER STREET is full of compelling characters with rich, well-reasoned backgrounds, and I dare you not to care for them deeply after a few chapters." ---Doug Giffin, Digital Webbing.

BAKER STREET: "Guy Davis and Gary Reed really make Sharon's fine intelligence believable, something that can be difficult in a mystery. There's definitely a strong Sherlock Holmes air about her, but at the same time she's got her own unique traits and character points that make her someone in her own right. Even Sam, who gets the least screen time of the three, is a fascinating character to read about, and the twists and turns she's put through should enthrall even the most jaded reader." Greg McElhatton- icomics.

BELOW ARE SOME OTHER REVIEWS AND/OR FULL REVIEWS OF ABOVE

They Live to Serve-
A review of Deadworld #4

Silver Bullet Review
A review of Red Diaries

Broken Frontier Review
A review of Deadworld #3

BookLoon Review-March
A review of the Dracula graphic novel

Jazma Online Review-
A review of Red Diaries

Silver Bullet Review-
A review of Saint Germaine

Broken Frontier Review
A review of Deadworld #2

Ain't it Cool News
Review of Deadworld #1

Indianapolis Star Review
Review of Frankenstein graphic novel

Articles

2009-06-23T10:50:00.001-04:00

Articles and Iinterviews

CBR’s Robot 6 covers Horror Panel
Robot 6- Comic Book Resources

Fangoria Names Deadworld 10 Best for the Year
Fangoria Magazine

Gary reed interviewed on the furnace
Gary talks about his early days a bit and his current work with Desperado and Transfuzion.

Shocker Toys discusses King Zombie action figure
Shocker Toys

Bill Mechanic revives Deadworld
Dread Central

Forces of Geeks discusses Deadworld
Forces of Geeks

Variety talks Zombie Film
Variety

Interview on upcoming projects
Indy Comic News

Deadworld snagged by Coraline Producer
MTV Splash News

Deadworld offered new life
IMDB

Random Questions for Gary
Comics Village

The Pulse covers Murder of Scarecrows
Comicon: The Pulse

10 Questions for Gary Reed-
ComicCareers.com

Gary Reed Interviewed
Jazma Online

Interview with Gary-
From the Tomb magazine

Professor Who Gets Graphic-
From The Voice (WCC)

Gary Reed Anthology Praised-
From Newsarama's Best Shots

Reed to Speak at Book Festival-
From Ann Arbor's Kerrytown BookFest

Transfuzion new launch by Gary Reed-
From Comic Book Publishing Follies-CBR

Desperado to Publish Gary Reed Anthology
From Sequential Research and Literary Organization

Gary Reed Anthology-
from Comic Book Bin

Of Scenes and Stories Spotlights Talent-
from Silver Bullet Comics

Writer Gary Reed Teams up with Load of Talent-
from Comic Briefs on CBR

Indie News Spotlight covers Scenes and Stories-
From Comic Extreme's Indie Spotlight

Of Scenes and Stories in Comics Waiting Room-
from Comics Waiting Room News Blog

HQ Maniacs look at Scenes and Stories
A Brazilian website

CBG Extra visits with Gary at Motor City
from Comic Buyer's Guide

Interview with Gary Reed-
from TEENS READ TOO!

Suicide Girls interviews Gary Reed
Reed discusses Deadworld and more

Everything But Imaginary talks up Actionopolis
Posted on Comixtreme.com

Spirit of the Samurai and Actionopolis "good for kids"
Appearing on Comics for the Classroom

Interview about Renfield, Deadworld
On Silver Bullet Comics

Interview on Renfield
On CBR's Comic Wire

NYXX features Renfield-
from NYXX's Eye Opening Headlines

Around Comics discusses Renfield-
from Around Comics Podcast

Renfield on Broken Frontier
from Broken Frontier's Headlines

Renfield: A Tale of Madness
posted on Comic Book Resources

Interview with Gary Reed on Renfield
posted on Jazma Online

Frankenstein recommended for Libraries-
Posted on the Hip Librarian blog

ICv2 talks up Renfield
from ICv2- graphic novel experts

Publisher Weekly Profiles Gary Reed-
from Publishers Weekly

Previews and New on Upcoming Projects
from Newsarama San Diego Preview

Gary Reed: Living in the Deadworld-
from Newsarama

Gary Reed Returns in a Big Way with Deadworld
from Comic Briefs (CBR)

Deadworld Brings Dead-Killer to Life
from Diamond International's The Pulse

The Dead-Killer from Image
from Comic Book Bin

On Spirit of the Samurai and Caliber-
from Comic Book Resources

The Spirit of the Samurai Team-
from the Pulse

Reed on Spirit of the Samurai-
Article about the new book from Newsarama

Hey Kids! Comics!-
Diamond Comics' Splash Page talks Samurai

Dynamic Forces Covers Deadworld-
Article on toy deal and CD from Eagle One

Buzzscope covers Samurai and Actionopolis-
Posted on Buzzscope covering the young adult line

The Pulse discusses CD collection for Deadworld-
Posted on Comicon's The Pulse

Broken Frontier on Samurai-
Covering the Actionopolis line of books

Publisher's Weekly Article-
Article on Komikwerks and Gary Reed

Jazma Online Interview-
An interview regarding Red Diaries

Broken Frontier Article-
Article on Red Diaries

ICV2 Article-
Article on rebirth of Caliber

Eagle One Media Announcement-
Announcing the Deadworld CD collection

Comic Book Resources Article
Article about Red Diaries

International Enterprise Article-
Article about foreign licensing

Silver Bullet Interview-
An interview regarding Saint Germaine

Atlantis Studios Announcement-
Announcing signing of Raven Chronicles

Jazma Online-Interview-
An interview regarding Saint Germaine

Comicon.com Announcement-
Announcing Deadworld #1 selling out and information on Saint Germaine

Chicago Sun Times Article-
About Penguin's books and Frankenstein

Indianapolis Star Review-
Review of Frankenstein graphic novel

Comics Continuum Press-
Announcing Saint Germaine

Deadworld

2009-06-23T10:49:00.003-04:00

A supernatural plague has been unleashed on the world. The dead return to walk the earth...but this is no standard zombie story. The dead are just soldiers for those who have crossed the Gateway. The leader zombies are intelligent, sadistic, and in addition to having a hankering for flesh, enjoy the tortuous ordeals they put the surviving humans through.

Leader of the zombies is the intelligent, Harley riding, sarcastic being known as King Zombie. Killing humans is just a sideline to his cruel methods as he seeks to find a way to open the gates permanently and take over the earth.

Deadworld is a horror comic that attacks the zombie menace from a different perspective. In addition to having intelligent zombies with a goal and mission, Deadworld is also exploring the human interactions as mankind finds itself facing extinction. While some groups organize in the best interests of self-preservation, others use this as an opportunity to explore their own self deluded dreams.

Deadworld is a story of horror...of survival...of hope and despair. It is an ongoing saga of modern man facing his darkest side...where science and technology are no longer his allies...where his power of reasoning is no longer his weapon alone. Deadworld is death, yet life.

Deadworld is a comic series with over 70 issues published by Arrow Comics, Caliber Comics, Image, Desperado, and now currently, IDW. Over 700,000 issues have been sold.

For more information about Deadworld, visit the website.

Baker Street

2009-06-23T10:49:00.002-04:00

Baker Street, a violent intrusion into a world that doesn't exist but possibly could have. It is a story of rebellion yet also one of belonging. It dives deep into a world on the fringe and exposes it's underbelly and treats the normal world as the outside . It is Baker Street and no, you won't find Holmes or Watson here but you will find Harlequin, Sam, Susan, Toby, Toller, the Ripper, and far too many other fascinating characters to list.

Nominated for "Best New Series" in the Harvey Awards the industry standard for excellence in 1990. The collection from iBooks was also nominated in 2004 for a Harvey Award (some 14 years later!).

Written by Gary Reed and Guy Davis with art by Guy Davis. Released as ten issues, collected into two trade paperbacks from Caliber. In 2003, all the Baker Street material was collected into a single volume and released by iBooks and distributed by Simon and Schuster.

For more information, visit the website.

Raven Chronicles

2009-06-23T10:48:00.003-04:00

Raven Chronicles is about an investigative team that explores the paranormal. Led by the mysterious Edgar Allan Raven, the team searches for answers to questions that most won’t even ask.

From UFO’s, to vampires, to mysterious computer viruses, to spontaneous human combustion, no subject is taboo, no mystery is unsolvable. Although has been compared as a cross between Mission Impossible and X-Files, it does not have the obsession with governmental conspiracy that occurs in X-Files.

A unique team of operatives, under the auspices of the mysterious organization of Raven, Inc., brought together to investigate any and all cases of paranormal activity. Formed of both skeptics and believers alike, the team is often called by standard authorities when cases prove to be too bizarre, too unusual, or just plain unsolvable. Covering the entire spectrum of the unknown, from the supernatural to the dark side of man, Raven, Inc., searches for answers in areas that most people refuse to acknowledge exist.

The operatives include a basic team of six plus an additional force of different consultants who all specialize in different areas.

For more information, visit the website.

Of Scenes and Stories

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OF SCENES AND STORIES, s a collection of short stories and scenes from series from Gary Reed over his writing career. Obviously, most of the material comes from various Caliber titles and includes scenes from Renfield, Raven Chronicles, Saint Germaine, Deadworld, and more.

The short stories have appeared in places such as Caliber Presents, Negative Burn, or inclusive and based on existing series.

For more information, visit the website

Red Diaries

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When Marilyn Monroe was found dead, it was stated as an accidental suicide. But what happened to the red diary that she wrote everything down in? It never left her side, yet the police reports show no evidence of it. Now decades later, a man claims to have the red diary of Marilyn. In addition, he continued to keep his own diaries which gives his involvement with the Kennedys, The Mob, the CIA, and others. Now that he's on his deathbed, it's time to blow everything wide open.

An investigative team attempts to uncover both the diaries and the truth. Can the story possibly be true? Are there really a set of diaries that will blast everything wide open? As they go deeper, they find stumbling blocks in Washington and from the possible suspects.

The ultimate conspiracy---- what is the real truth?

for more information, visit the website.

Renfield

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In this haunting and sophisticated series, Renfield tells a tale of madness as it delves into the story of the bug-eating prophet of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

In the original novel, Renfield was the insane inmate who foretold the coming of the evil vampire and served somewhat as a disciple of Dracula.

This story explores not only the relationship of Dracula and Renfield but the torment that Renfield felt as a man possessed by almost demonic forces. Impassioned with the zeal of a religious fanatic, Renfield struggles to grasp the overwhelming need to serve the darkness against his humanity.

Staying true to the original story in chronological order and events, the comic story line focuses primarily prior to Dracula's actual arrival in England.

As Renfield is slowly being consumed by the madness because of the visions and voices that intrude upon his dreams and nightmares, he must try to understand the mysterious message that his "master" or "messiah" (Dracula) is asking of him.

Upon discovering that Dracula is offering him eternal life in exchange for servitude, Renfield comes to grasp that in order for a being like Dracula to live, others must die.

for more information, visit the website

Saint Germaine

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He is a being who claims immortality yet has died a thousand deaths. He has traversed the paths of mankind for untold years. He is the purveyor of light in a world slowly being consumed by shadows. He is Saint Germaine and death to him is nothing more than a state of consciousness.

Saint Germaine. It is a legendary name. Long associated with being a magician in the era of the Mages, the legacy of Saint Germaine lives on in such mysterious organizations as the Knights Templar and the Masonic Brotherhood. Revered by men such as Casanova and Cagliostro, even Frederick the Great called him "The Man Who Could Not Die."

The chronicles of Saint Germaine are ones that take place over time for Saint Germaine is an amalgam of past lives lived and died. His travels since the early days have taken him across many lands and through many men's minds.

Saint Germaine: Shadows Fall is the first storyline and that was followed by Saint Germaine: Tales of an Immortal. The third collection, Saint Germaine: The Magus and other Tales is scheduled for Fall 2011.

For more information on Saint Germaine, visit the website

Sin Eternal

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A modern retelling of Dante's Inferno.

Sin Eternal is more than just a re-tooling of the immortal classic, Dante’s Inferno. It plants itself firmly in the modern world and away from the political crimes that dominated Dante’s work. It brings a very basic questioning of the man’s faith as he witnesses some of the most horrendous punishments that could be exacted. The story covers the travels of the man who is sent to hell to examine the various torments and punishments that the sinners of Earth are forced to face each moment of eternity. From the slovenly gluttons to the fates of the suicides, from the heretics to the thieves, a variety of different levels are covered.

Each level of hell is illustrated by a different artist. Galen Showman is the continuity artist that handles the scenes between the various levels. Some of the artists included in Sinergy are: Vince Locke, Michael Lark, Jim Calafiore, Guy Davis, Dalibor Talijac, Mark Bloodworth, Nate Pride, David Mack, and many others.

For more information, visit the website.

Bibliography

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Comic Material Only:

A Caliber Christmas 1991

A Caliber Christmas 1998

A Murder of Scarecrows GN

A Piece of Steak

Art of Aubrey Beardsley

Art of Currier & Ives

Art of Frederic Remington

Art of Heath Robinson

Art of JJ Grandville

Art of Mucha

Baker Street 1-5

Baker Street GN

Book of Apocrypha

Book of Genesis

Book of Tarot- 1991

Book of Tarot- 1996

Bounty 1-3

Caliber Presents 1-26

Calibrations 4

Cortez and Fall of the Aztecs 1-2

Dance of Death

Deadworld vol. 1 10-26

Deadworld vol. 2 1-15

Deadworld vol. 3 1-6

Deadworld: Bits and Pieces GN

Deadworld: Chronicles

Deadworld: Classics 1

Deadworld: Classics 2

Deadworld: Deadkiller

Deadworld: Omnibus

Deadworld: Requiem for the World GN

Deadworld: Slaughterhouse 1

Deadworld: Slaughterhouse HC

Deadworld: The Deadkiller GN

Deadworld: To Kill a King 1-3

Disasters of War

Disparates

Donnelly Tragedy

Dracula Puffin Classic

El Cid: The Conqueror GN

Frankenstein

Frankenstein Puffin Classic

Gestalt

Ghost Sonata 1-4

Ghost Sonata GN

Gringo

Helsing 1-3

Helsing: DOA 1

Helsing: Legacy Born GN

High Caliber GN

Honour Among Punks GN

Illustrated Guide to Dinosaurs 1-2

Inferno 1

Inferno GN

Jack the Ripper GN

Killer and the King GN

Killer of Crows

Life and Death of Jesus Christ

Magus 1-2

Magus: DOA 1
Mammoth Book of Horror
Mammoth Book of Zombies

Mechanoids 1-3

Negative Burn vol. 1 13, 26

Negative Burn vol. 2 10, 21

Negative Burn: Summer Special

No-Man’s Land

Of Scenes and Stories GN

Orlak GN

Plague

Pre-Raphelite Persuasion

Raven Chronicles 1-3, 5, 6, 9, 10

Raven Chronicles: Curious Cases of Raven Inc. GN

Raven Chronicles: Of Myths and Methods GN

Realm Handbook

Realm of the Dead 1-3

Realm of the Dead GN

Realm vol. 2 1-13

Red Diaries 1-4

Red Diaries: A Conspiracy of Murder GN

Red Revolution

Renfield 1-2

Renfield: A Tale of Madness GN

Saint Germaine 1-8

Saint Germaine: Casanova’s Lament

Saint Germaine: Man in the Iron Mask

Saint Germaine: Restoration

Saint Germaine: Shadows Fall GN

Saint Germaine: Tales of an Immortal GN

Seeker 1-2

Seeker DOA 1

Seeker: Identity Crisis GN

Sherlock Holmes Reader 1-4

Sherlock Holmes: Murder at Moulin Rouge GN

Siege of the Alamo

Sin Eternal: Return to Dante’s Inferno GN

Sinergy 1-5

Song of the Cid 1-2

Spirit of the Samurai

Street Shadows GN

Thumbscrew 1-3

Troy 1-2

Troy: An Empire in Siege GN

True Spy Stories

Twilight People GN

While 50 Million Died

Zulunation 1-3

Zulunation: End of Empire

Contact

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For all purposes, contact Gary at reedgar(at)gmail.com

Appearances

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To be announced for 2012

Store

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Info Coming Soon

Press

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Info Coming Soon

Titles

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Info Coming Soon

About

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Gary Reed is the author of many titles with the most notable being Deadworld, Saint Germaine, Renfield, and Baker Street. He has written over 200 comics and books, mostly based on history and literature. He has also written film scripts, short stories, role playing games, and a video game storyline.

He is also currently the publisher of Transfuzion Publishing and one of the co-organizers of Detroit Fanfare. Before turning to writing as a freelancer, he owned and operated a chain of bookstores in the Detroit area and was publisher of Caliber Comics. In addition to his writing, Gary also currently teaches biology courses at various community colleges.

He lives in a suburb of Detroit with his wife, Jennifer, and they have four daughters.