MattBrady
06-15-2005, 06:32 AM
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/Exalt00FrontCover.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/Exalt00FrontCover_t.jpg" width="185" height="281" border="0" align="right"></a><i>by Jim Zubkavich</i>
This is the fifth in a series of articles detailing the ups and downs involved in launching a new comic series. Behind the press releases and public faces are a host of pitfalls and strange moments that crop up before a comic shows up in stores.
This fall, Udon is launching an epic fantasy comic called <b>Exalted</b>, based on a hugely successful role-playing game of the same name published by White Wolf, the second biggest RPG publisher in the industry.
Although we’re releasing a zero issue being sold at several major comic and RPG conventions this summer, the majority of readers will be coming on board with issue one. Without trying to be too obvious, issue one is our chance to grab an audience and convince them to stick around for the duration of the series. If we don’t have them eager for more right out of the gate, our series could be in danger. With that in mind, let’s look at the anatomy of story that makes up a good first issue.
Most first issues are about introducing characters and showcasing the themes that will carry us through the story. They’re about summing up core elements and grabbing the reader’s attention. Informing them about the W’s (Who, What, Where, When, Why) without coming off too dry or methodical about it. It’s about creating a bond between the characters and the people who are reading their story. Enduring characters have distinct personalities and facets that the reader can empathize with or aspire to. Super heroes may dominate the comic market but these story and character fundamentals stay the same regardless of the genre you’re working with. At its core, a good first issue gives people an idea of what they’re getting in to without giving away all the fun twists and turns yet to come.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/JasaraLitho-LineArt.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/JasaraLitho-LineArt_t.jpg" width="200" height="285" border="0" align="left"></a>The next time you go to a comic book store, flip through a new issue #1 and see if it does the above very well. You may find a new series worth reading or see where a creative team went off the rails with their ideas. A lot of first issues I’ve read try to cram too much information in too early or make things a mystery to the point that the reader has nothing they can really attach to.
Sending in that first issue script for approval was a nerve-wracking experience. Although Udon has done tons of artwork for White Wolf, we had never collaborated with them on the writing side of things. Both companies had pretty high expectations for this series and even though they had approved our point-form story document, we weren’t sure how they would receive the first full script. Four days after I’d e-mailed it to them with no word back from our rep, I was worried that they completely hated it. I imagined the White Wolf staff sitting around a table like some sort of mythological tribunal giving it the executioner-style “thumbs down”. All humor aside, when we finally got their feedback a few days later it knocked the wind out of me. It was professional, laid out point-by-point and had problems with about 3/4 of the script.
The White Wolf crew read our first script and their vision of the material was different from Gala’s and my own. The way they saw the events and character motivations, the types of action and the pacing were quite different, even though we were both looking at the same documents and information. My first reaction was frustration that they’d misinterpreted what we’d written and anger that we’d seemed to miss the mark. On a business level White Wolf hires our artists, but over time they’ve become friends too. Now we were all intertwined on this project and it had hit a creative impasse. It was my job to get us through it, learn from it and make a product we could all be proud of.
I called up our rep and talked about the script at length. What worked for them, what didn’t and, most importantly, why. Explaining our intent, discussing the critique and coming to a better understanding of what each side wanted to see in the final version. At each turn I divorced myself from the ego-bruising I felt and tried to look at this first issue as if I was a new reader. The story, the themes, the characters… how could we best improve the product and deliver that information to the reader in an entertaining way?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/Panel.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/Panel_t.jpg" width="200" height="243" border="0" align="right"></a>Creating things is tough. Revising things is tougher. As a creative person you put your ego and emotions out there every time you show your work. Doing that and then digging back in and editing your own material to improve the final product is messy and can feel utterly thankless. But I’m glad we did it. Both sides learned a lot and the issue is a heck of a lot stronger for it.
If you take anything from this week’s article, please remember this: Revision is part of the process.
No creative project comes out instantly fully formed in perfection like Athena springing forth from the mind of Zeus. Thinking your work is above revision only hurts your product and makes you look extremely unprofessional. There are definitely times to stand up for what you want but there are just as many times where you can compromise to make something better. Learn the difference between the two and you’ll go much farther. Get over your own ego, communicate and keep the quality goal in sight. I’d rather tell people that we had some stumbling blocks and overcame them than pretend that the creative process was some kind of unrealistic perfect harmony.
The first issue is our one shot and we intend to make it a damn good one.
Next week I’ll talk about the artistic side of issue one and juggling marketing with getting the work done on time.
<center><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/ExaltedLogo.gif" width="300" height="109" border="0"></center>
<i>Related Articles:
The Publishing Gauntlet 1 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=33959)
The Publishing Gauntlet 2 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=34405)
The Publishing Gauntlet 3 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=35050)</i>
The Publishing Gauntlet 4 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=35453)
This is the fifth in a series of articles detailing the ups and downs involved in launching a new comic series. Behind the press releases and public faces are a host of pitfalls and strange moments that crop up before a comic shows up in stores.
This fall, Udon is launching an epic fantasy comic called <b>Exalted</b>, based on a hugely successful role-playing game of the same name published by White Wolf, the second biggest RPG publisher in the industry.
Although we’re releasing a zero issue being sold at several major comic and RPG conventions this summer, the majority of readers will be coming on board with issue one. Without trying to be too obvious, issue one is our chance to grab an audience and convince them to stick around for the duration of the series. If we don’t have them eager for more right out of the gate, our series could be in danger. With that in mind, let’s look at the anatomy of story that makes up a good first issue.
Most first issues are about introducing characters and showcasing the themes that will carry us through the story. They’re about summing up core elements and grabbing the reader’s attention. Informing them about the W’s (Who, What, Where, When, Why) without coming off too dry or methodical about it. It’s about creating a bond between the characters and the people who are reading their story. Enduring characters have distinct personalities and facets that the reader can empathize with or aspire to. Super heroes may dominate the comic market but these story and character fundamentals stay the same regardless of the genre you’re working with. At its core, a good first issue gives people an idea of what they’re getting in to without giving away all the fun twists and turns yet to come.
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/JasaraLitho-LineArt.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/JasaraLitho-LineArt_t.jpg" width="200" height="285" border="0" align="left"></a>The next time you go to a comic book store, flip through a new issue #1 and see if it does the above very well. You may find a new series worth reading or see where a creative team went off the rails with their ideas. A lot of first issues I’ve read try to cram too much information in too early or make things a mystery to the point that the reader has nothing they can really attach to.
Sending in that first issue script for approval was a nerve-wracking experience. Although Udon has done tons of artwork for White Wolf, we had never collaborated with them on the writing side of things. Both companies had pretty high expectations for this series and even though they had approved our point-form story document, we weren’t sure how they would receive the first full script. Four days after I’d e-mailed it to them with no word back from our rep, I was worried that they completely hated it. I imagined the White Wolf staff sitting around a table like some sort of mythological tribunal giving it the executioner-style “thumbs down”. All humor aside, when we finally got their feedback a few days later it knocked the wind out of me. It was professional, laid out point-by-point and had problems with about 3/4 of the script.
The White Wolf crew read our first script and their vision of the material was different from Gala’s and my own. The way they saw the events and character motivations, the types of action and the pacing were quite different, even though we were both looking at the same documents and information. My first reaction was frustration that they’d misinterpreted what we’d written and anger that we’d seemed to miss the mark. On a business level White Wolf hires our artists, but over time they’ve become friends too. Now we were all intertwined on this project and it had hit a creative impasse. It was my job to get us through it, learn from it and make a product we could all be proud of.
I called up our rep and talked about the script at length. What worked for them, what didn’t and, most importantly, why. Explaining our intent, discussing the critique and coming to a better understanding of what each side wanted to see in the final version. At each turn I divorced myself from the ego-bruising I felt and tried to look at this first issue as if I was a new reader. The story, the themes, the characters… how could we best improve the product and deliver that information to the reader in an entertaining way?
<a href="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/Panel.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/Panel_t.jpg" width="200" height="243" border="0" align="right"></a>Creating things is tough. Revising things is tougher. As a creative person you put your ego and emotions out there every time you show your work. Doing that and then digging back in and editing your own material to improve the final product is messy and can feel utterly thankless. But I’m glad we did it. Both sides learned a lot and the issue is a heck of a lot stronger for it.
If you take anything from this week’s article, please remember this: Revision is part of the process.
No creative project comes out instantly fully formed in perfection like Athena springing forth from the mind of Zeus. Thinking your work is above revision only hurts your product and makes you look extremely unprofessional. There are definitely times to stand up for what you want but there are just as many times where you can compromise to make something better. Learn the difference between the two and you’ll go much farther. Get over your own ego, communicate and keep the quality goal in sight. I’d rather tell people that we had some stumbling blocks and overcame them than pretend that the creative process was some kind of unrealistic perfect harmony.
The first issue is our one shot and we intend to make it a damn good one.
Next week I’ll talk about the artistic side of issue one and juggling marketing with getting the work done on time.
<center><img src="http://www.newsarama.com/UDON/Exalted/ExaltedLogo.gif" width="300" height="109" border="0"></center>
<i>Related Articles:
The Publishing Gauntlet 1 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=33959)
The Publishing Gauntlet 2 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=34405)
The Publishing Gauntlet 3 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=35050)</i>
The Publishing Gauntlet 4 (http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=35453)