glamourpuss Dave Sim

[Dave Sim]

Hi. I'm Dave Sim and I'll be here tomorrow February 6 at 10 am EDST to discuss comics and my new title glamourpuss. Hope to see you then!

[GHERU]

Originally Posted by Dave Sim

Hi. I'm Dave Sim and I'll be here tomorrow February 6 at 10 am EDST to discuss comics and my new title glamourpuss. Hope to see you then!

if this is for real
this is awesome!!!!!!

[GratefulFred]

Originally Posted by GHERU

if this is for real
this is awesome!!!!!!

Yep!

[Eli Renfro]

Interesting...

[DreamKing]

Not a question really, but I just wanted to say thankyou for sending me a free autographed copy of the Cerebus issue with the Endless parody a couple of years ago.

Very generous on your part.

[Technobeer]

This...

... is going to be spectacular.

[Dave Sim]

Okay,I thought I would start off by mentioning -- along the lines of what we were discussing yesterday on Comics Village -- that there is an effect in the field that's happening because of all of the late books.

Most of the retailers that I talked to noted that the "window" where their customers ask about the next issue of a book that they bought is closing much faster than it used to. Most attribute it to the variety of material that's available. Whereas a book that they sold 10 or 15 copies of would -- in earlier years -- have meant that at least 10 people would still be asking about it three or four months later, now if the book doesn't come in customers are far more likely to just forget about it and buy something else.

It doesn't sound as if this is just an "indy" phenomenon, either. A lot of big names are having interest in their mainstream books drop off the radar screen because the book just isn't showing up.

To the Dream King: no problem. Glad you enjoyed the free comic. I still get the occasional letter askingabout Neil's offer.

[GLX]

Dave, how does Glamourpuss compare to other Fashion-based stories such as Ugly Betty and the Devil Wears Prada?

[David Bird]

I have already signed up for it.

This might be a little general, but why Glamourpuss? What are you hoping to do with this title and why did you choose the fashion industry to do it?

[scottmdavis]

My brother loved Cerebus, I will totally have to mention this to him.

Looks very interesting, Best of Luck!

[toolverine]

Will the discussion be on the front page or will it be in this thread?

[Dave Sim]

It was actually one of the motivations behind doing CEREBUS in the first place back in 1977. I had worked with a few different "Groundlevel Comics" back then and I thought they had some basic elements missing. The biggest one was regular publication. That was why I decided to do three issues of a bi-monthly comic book with the first issue coming out in December, the second one in February, the third one in April. Keep the format the same, keep the logo the same, do a continuing character.

But, you really have to do all of those things simultaneously and with no excuses. It just seems odd that thirty years later we're in the same situation. You can move onto everyone's radar screen just by being reliable.

And yet everyone who asks me how to self-publish when I tell them that's the top priority, their eyes just glaze over.

"No, tell me the REAL secret."

That IS the secret.

[Dave Sim]

GLX: Hi. I don't have a television so I've never seen Ugly Betty but I've read all the reviews of the show in the NATIONAL POST. I also read America's interview in GLAMOUR a couple of months back. It's very hard to tell but most of the reaction I've read seems to think that she's really good but the show itself could be better.

I did see The Devil Wears Prada and I thought it really missed a lot of opportunities to be a lot more interesting. The footage that was shot at Paris Fashion Week was spectacular -- really jaw-dropping stuff -- but that was a) second unit stuff and b) not really part of the narrative. The "Oh what is going to become of me now that my latest marriage has broken up and all I have is my fabulous job most women would kill for" seemed, well, trite. Meryl Streep could mail that in without even having to think about it. If you're going to pay for Meryl Streep give her something interesting to do.

[Dave Sim]

Originally Posted by David Bird

I have already signed up for it.

This might be a little general, but why Glamourpuss? What are you hoping to do with this title and why did you choose the fashion industry to do it?

It's really my homage to the Alex Raymond School -- Stan Drake/Al Williamson/Leonard Starr/Neal Adams in the Ben Casey days -- that is, it's a comic book that originates in the art rather than being story-driven like CEREBUS. I think the fashion industry is inherently interesting and the "fashion voice" in all the fashion magazines is ripe for good-natured parody.

Anyone interested in reading an advance copy of glamourpuss, ALL of the stores will be getting a COMIC INDUSTRY PREVIEW EDITION of issue number one in their Diamond Dateline package for Feb 13 and about 300 stores have autographed copies right now.

Just go in and ask "Can I take a look at your glamourpuss Preview edition?"

[scottmdavis]

Im looking at the site and one thing I don't see is the price. Alot of people these days really pass on some great indies do to high prices, which is an utter shame.

[Dave Sim]

Hi Scott: I notice you have Supergirl on your list. I had Andy at Carry-On Books in Waterloo pull $50 worth of books for me that he thought were the best mainstream works and one of them was part of the Brave and Bold Green Lantern/Supergirl team-up.

Is Mark Waid "on character" with Supergirl in your opinion? She's very different from the Supergirl I used to read in Action Comics back in the mid-60s.

[Dave Sim]

Cover price is $3.00. Kind of strange. When I put CEREBUS out it was the most expensive comic on the market at $1.00 for 24 pages. Now glamourpuss is going to be one of the least expensive comics on the market.

Hope I can see enough copies to keep from losing my shirt.

[scottmdavis]

Originally Posted by Dave Sim

Hi Scott: I notice you have Supergirl on your list. I had Andy at Carry-On Books in Waterloo pull $50 worth of books for me that he thought were the best mainstream works and one of them was part of the Brave and Bold Green Lantern/Supergirl team-up.

Is Mark Waid "on character" with Supergirl in your opinion? She's very different from the Supergirl I used to read in Action Comics back in the mid-60s.

The Waid written Supergirl in Brave and The Bold is way better written then in her own series, which is quite sad.

[Dave Sim]

Scott M Davis: I suppose that's always going to be a danger when you have characters appearing in multiple titles all written by different writers.

[scottmdavis]

3 bucks a great price. Esp for indie. I know quite a few stores over here in BC support canadian made Indendent Titles.

[scottmdavis]

Originally Posted by Dave Sim

Scott M Davis: I suppose that's always going to be a danger when you have characters appearing in multiple titles all written by different writers.

Indeed, There's a new writer on the titles every 5 issues. DC is so lost on what to do about the character.

[Dave Sim]

Whereabouts are you in BC?

[scottmdavis]

Im on Vancouver Island. Small town called Duncan.

[Dave Sim]

Originally Posted by scottmdavis

Indeed, There's a new writer on the titles every 5 issues. DC is so lost on what to do about the character.

I really don't envy the editors at the big companies on the super-hero titles. Obviously you have to try to do something interesting with every character but in order to keep it consistent you have to "rein in" the writers. But if you get a top writer, the temptation is always going to be to go "off character" to accomodate him.

Imagine doing that every five months and then saying, "Okay, NOW what have I got to work with here?"

[GLX]

Dave, have you thought about doing a comic for one of the big two before?