Over at The Engine, creators talk about their experiences with Image Comics:

Fabio Moon:

If you can afford to write a comic and wait to get paid after the comic is done and out, Image is a very nice spot. Just remember that this “waiting time” is like at least three months after it’s out, so it’s one month writing plus one month drawing plus two weeks (minimum) printing plus three months selling (more if it’s a GN), and that means you’ll do something and start to get paid only six months afterwards. And, during this six months, you have to keep working on the next issues.

If you can handle that, Image is a great place to show your creator owned material. Right now, I think there’s a lot of creative people putting stuff out at Image, so it’s a good place to be.

Jamie McKelvie:

Creatively, it’s a great place to be.

Don’t underestimate the amount of promotion you need to do, and don’t assume that your name as a DC creator will carry through without the need to publicise. There are an amazing amount of people (fans and retailers) who stop at the DC and Marvel sections of Previews, and need to be made aware of the book by other means… Image are very open to whatever format you feel best fits the story you want to tell, and are happy to discuss it all. Oh, that’s another thing – you’ll be involved at a much more hands-on level than elsewhere; page counts, backmatter and ads, pricing – you have a say in all of this, if you want to.

B. Clay Moore:

Get the book done ahead of time, preview the finished art, communicate with retailers, and you’ll make money… If the concept has a real hook and solid art, you might make real money.

They’re always willing to give an established creator a chance, provided they’re convinced the book will ship in a reasonable amount of time.

The reason they’re giving this advice is because Andy Diggle asked. And why is Andy Diggle interested in publishing through Image…?

It’s just there’s one particular model I want to try which isn’t possible at Vertigo, or anywhere else outside of self-publishing – which is too much like hard work and DM suicide:

I want to write 100% creator-owned-and-controlled mini-series, 48-page one-shots and/or OGNs, and simultaneously write their movie screenplay adaptations, so that each will help sell the IP as a whole.

For me, it’s as much about getting myself established as a screenwriter as it is about publishing comics for their own sake – hence, your mileage may vary. Not everyone who writes comics also wants to write movies; I do.

That admission leads to a heated exchange between Diggle and Si Spurrier; go and have a look.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 19th, 2007 at 12:16 pm and is filed under Comic Books, Creators, Image, Movies, News & Views. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.