By Christian Beranek

I’m a huge baseball fan. The Yankees are my team. That’s why it’s a real treat for me to be a part of the “Pulse of the Postseason” promotion over at www.mlb.com this year, along with fellow comic book creators Joe Quesada, Matt Fraction and Emma Caulfield. Baseball represents a sense of adventure — teams battling over the course of a season to get a chance to play for the title. It’s a war of attrition. And this year, I’m predicting the Yankees win it all.

Here’s various videos my fellow comic book cohorts and I did for the MLB site:

Joe Quesada:

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7051639

Matt Fraction:

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7051721

Emma Caulfield and CB:

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7078141&topic_id=7223784
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7079289&topic_id=7223784

CB:

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7080063
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=7079287

Christian Beranek co-founded and co-runs Disney’s Kingdom Comics. CB has a first look film/tv deal with Disney/ABC via his Lead Pipe Entertainment banner. He has several projects in development around town including Dracula vs. King Arthur, based on the graphic novel he co-created. He is currently working on his first novel and an album. CB is never late for dinner and invites you to add him on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/beranek.

By Christian Beranek

Motion comics have come into the forefront of discussion in the comic book industry this past year. Marvel, DC and other companies have stepped up to the plate to deliver their offerings, realizing the value of this growing medium. As with most trends, motion comics got its start in the independent market — those first few pioneers may not have received the acclaim and recognition they deserve. CB aims to correct that, in the spirit of high adventure.

So, let’s get talking with one of those pioneers, M. Sean McManus: comic book creator, editor and director.

Christian Beranek: Welcome to the 13th edition of The Life of High Adventure.

M. Sean McManus: Lucky number 13, awesome.

CB: What was the first motion comic you worked on and in what capacity were you involved?

McMANUS: The first one I worked on was the trailer for my own comic The Last Sin of Mark Grimm back in 2006.  Hopefully the trailer inspired some people to check out the book.  I’m not sure if it had a direct effect on sales of the comic per say, but I know lots of people asked how it was done.

I forget the exact timeline, but I believe it was the following year that comflix.net produced the epic Motion Comic Dracula vs. King Arthur — I think you might know something about that (For you boys and girls who don’t know, CB wrote that with his brother Adam).  The demand for more motion comics was high so luckily comflix.net remembered the preview I made!  I  based off it off my comic, The Last Sin of Mark Grimm.  You almost can’t compare the two incarnations i.e., the preview I made and the motion comic, in terms of the production value and the amount of animation involved.  You can see several shots in the preview that were much improved in the actual motion comic.

There is something hypnotic to me about being in that close to the comic panels that is very appealing.  It makes the art work so much more visceral, you can really feel the texture of Chris Moreno’s art.

CB: When do you remember first hearing the term “motion comic”? Was there another term used before it?

(more…)

By Christian Beranek

Welcome my faithful readers to another installment of The Life of High Adventure. This time out I interview frequent collaborator, instigator and Super Frat creator Tony DiGerolamo about the future of publishing. Tony D (as fans like to call him) has done it all in the comic book world: He’s been a publisher, a creator, worked on big name projects such as The Simpsons, been a panelist at conventions, written comic book reviews and been reviewed and won acclaim for his webcomic Super Frat (online at http://www.superfrat.com). Knowing Tony D has this vast experience, and in light of the ever changing landscape of comic publishing, I sat down with him to get his take on the industry in terms of past, present and future.

BERANEK: Why did you get into publishing?

DIGEROLAMO: First I got into comics because all the other media rejected me.  Film, TV, even *shudder* radio.  I published my own comics because I’m a writer and most comic book publisher wouldn’t read a script if you put a Lex Luthor death ray to their head.  It was a way to get a chip in the Comic Book Industry poker game.

BERANEK: What were some of the hurdles when your ran your own company?

DIGEROLAMO: The three main hurdles are money, money and money.  Unlike a lot of newbies, I had at least done my research: talked to other publishers, gone to conventions and seriously examined the market and what I was up against.  I got some great advice from Will Eisner, who taught me pragmatic things like logo design and how to publish within my means.  Still, I made some mistakes.

Probably the biggest hurdle was dealing with artists.  They can be very sensitive and insensitive depending on their volatility.  Artists (and most comic book publishers) aren’t very good business people.  They tend to let their emotions sweep them into a project and then get angry when they perceive the project as having failed.  Even worse was when they thought a project succeeded.  I have a short list of angry artists that are convinced I ran away with bags of cash.  The truth is, there just isn’t a lot of money in comics unless you really hit it big.  And even then, the money is in almost everything else, not the actual comic book.

BERANEK: What advice would you give someone wanting to run their own operation today?

DIGEROLAMO: Forget print.  It’s dead.  You can do print comics as a sideline, as part of your merchandise, but don’t design your business plan around it.  Today, webcomics are the future.  Unlike print where you have to constantly publish just to stay in the public eye, webcomics get you a great flexibility and exposure without putting out a tremendous amount of money for overhead.

(more…)

By Christian Beranek

Recently I was able to interview letterer/production guru Thomas Mauer. I hope that my readers will find what follows as interesting as I did. It’s not often you get the chance to peek behind the curtain and see how the nuts and bolts of comic production works — and in such an efficient manner! So with that I invite you to dive in…

BERANEK: Lettering is a under appreciated art form. What made you want to get into the profession?

MAUER: Fortune and glory, of course! Though not as a letterer. I just couldn’t find one for a few short stories I’d written in 2005, did the lettering myself, and then found people who wanted to pay me to letter theirs. So I figured lettering would be a good way to keep a presence in the industry while writing my own comics.

Haven’t written anything substantial since–and fortune? Forget about that. It’s a living, but also a constant hustle. Gotta love it to do it.

BERANEK: Who are some of the great letterers who have inspired your current work?

MAUER: Tom Orzechowski was the first letterer I knew by name. Last year, I had the great pleasure of working on a backup story for SAVAGE DRAGON #143, and thus appeared in the same book alongside him. Tom’s doing SD by hand, hadn’t done hand lettering for years, and he still has the magic touch. We’re sharing space in the upcoming second volume of OUTLAW TERRITORY from Image Comics as well, btw.

Other current influences in my quest for perfect imperfection in digital lettering are John Workman, Clem Robins, and Gaspar Saladino.

BERANEK: What process and programs do you use when you letter a comic?

MAUER: Microsoft Word, Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Photoshop are the programs I use. In Photoshop, you can check that the artwork is at the correct size and reformat if necessary. The writer’s dialogue and panel directions come from Word of course. That gets copy/pasted.

Illustrator is what the main work is done in. You can do vector graphics in it, which means balloons and copy (dialogue and effects) can be scaled to any size without losing clarity. This allows you to print books with tiny type or to print out large cloth banners where clarity of the text is very important.

My workflow goes like this:

(more…)

Written by Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo

Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo have both been to San Diego Comic Con and lived to tell the tale.  Many times, in fact.  After reading a piece by Ignition’s Bon Alimagno about whether or not a publisher should attend San Diego they decided to chime in with their thoughts…

TONY D:  Bon Alimagno’s recent article about why his company isn’t going to San Diego this year was pretty much right on the nose.

CB: If I had all those Vampirella comics in my office I wouldn’t leave either.  But yes, great article.

TONY D:  Yeah, I agree about 90% with it.  SD is crazily expensive to do and for the most part, you’re going to get lost in the shuffle.  But there are some cost cutting measures when you’re doing something guerrilla style that will allow you to make money and contacts.

CB: Tony D and I have a survival guide we’d like to share a few pearls of wisdom from.  Now, you’re not going to get the full skinny, just a taste.  We’re saving the rest of the details for when our book advance comes in. Tony, when is that agent calling us back?

TONY D:  It kind of depends upon what rung of that ladder in the comic book biz you currently perch.  Vampirella has been around for decades, so fans expect a fairly decent sized booth.  But if you’re already small, there’s some appeal of that to fans.  And with the sheer number of people in attendance, you can make some sales.

CB:  I stress that you’ll make some sales. The convention is mind-blowingly overwhelming for even the most hardy of attendees.  In addition, SDCC used to be known for being a place you could move some books, but it isn’t a pure comic show anymore.  It hasn’t been for many years.  Many people are there to see actors from their favorite films, such as Twilight.   And who can blame them, those vampires shimmer in the light!   They’re beautiful.

(more…)

Interview conducted by CB and Tony D, two comic book outlaws in their own right.

1. Michael, congrats on Outlaw Territory Volume 1 out in stores now from Image Comics. We hear reviews are great, particularly for the “Ahiga” short story. What gave you the idea for the book?

Michael Woods: Thank you very much.  With Outlaw, I wanted to do something that was a polar opposite of the previous anthology (Low Orbit) and a western theme seemed to just fall into my lap.

2. How hard was it to handle Christian Beranek as a creator? We’ve heard he can be quite difficult.

Michael Woods: I have booze and pictures he’d rather not get out.

3. At anytime did Christian Beranek go renegade on you? Did he ask you to meet him in that dive bar he likes to frequent in Silverlake? The one where those people were murdered?

Michael Woods: People were murdered there?  I thought we were just going for drinks.

4. What are the plans for future editions of Outlaw Territory? Any creator names you can mention?

Michael Woods: There will be a volume two, which is almost finished.  Creators include Stuart Immonen, Sean Phillips, Greg Pak, Joshua Dysart, Paul Azaceta, Jeff Lemire, Francesco Francavilla, Rafael Albuquerque, Dustin Weaver, Tom Fowler and many more.

Oh, and that Christian Beranek guy is back again.  I mentioned about the pictures and the booze, right?

5. What is your craziest convention experience?

Michael Woods: My lawyers have advised me against telling that story.

(more…)

Written by Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo

**NOTE: Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo will be attending Wizard World Philly June 19 - 21. In addition to being at table 154 all weekend, CB and Tony D will be doing a “Hollywood and the Graphic Novel” panel the Sunday of the show. Check http://www.wizardworld.com for more details. Now, onto the column!**

Imagination is a dangerous thing.

I never realized how dangerous it was until I started doing comic book conventions, especially the ones I did with my pal, CB.  Now you might look at us behind the SJRP/Silent Devil/Lead Pipe or other publisher table, imagine what it’s like and say, “Damn!  Look at those guys!  They are living the dream!  I wish I had that today!  I wish I was hanging easy at a comic book convention.  Relaxing.”

But comic book conventions, for those of us on the other side of the table, are anything but relaxing.  Sure, there are moments of repast, but in a larger sense the comic book convention is a delicate balance of fan interaction, promotion, and hopefully… sales.  Every show is a battle that each and every comic book publisher fights for to survive.  Because if you “lose” enough comic book conventions, you’re out of business, out of the game and back to the front side of the table staring at guys going, “Man, I wish I was hanging easy at a comic book convention.”

Now, I’m an iced tea kinda guy. Always have been. What gets me through a con are gallons of it. And I hold it in like a camel. I hold the line at the table. I’m the Rock of Gibraltar.  That’s how I make it look easy.

CB, he’s a salesman, but like any good promoter, he has to fuel his creativity via vices. Sometimes it’s a glass of rhubarb soda. Sometime it’s another type of carbonated beverage.  He’s the schmoozer.  The guy that’s wheeling and dealing for our next gig, while I’m trying to unload the previous ones.  That’s how we operate.  All of it for one thing and one thing alone:

To get paid to use our imaginations.  See?  Told you it was dangerous.

Because getting paid for your brain juice means that your brain must be in tip top form.  Like a shark, it must be in constant motion: Creating, moving, thinking upon the next thing and hopefully the next BIG thing.

There are only two kinds of people at convention; those that are helping us and speed bumps.  Helpers are nurtured, rewarded and thanked.  Speed bumps must be destroyed quietly, discreetly.

Fans are the biggest helpers.  Without them, you are pissing into the wind.  Most fans are honest, hardworking people that want nothing more than to meet the people whose brain juice they have sipped.  They chat and most importantly, they buy.  Buying is helpful.  That buying helps remove copies from our basements, spreads the word of our great brain juice and gives us money to buy iced tea and carbonated rhubarb.  Even fans that are speed bumps can be won over with time and patience.

(more…)

By Christian Beranek

Let’s hop into a time machine, my trusted readers. Let’s head back to 1980. It was time of change — a time of destiny. It was the year that the last great Star Wars movie was released.

1980: I was 5 going on 6.

I was living in Germany and had just learned how to ride a bicycle. Motor skills and reflexes were good; coordination was bad. I rode my bike to the PX shop on base, where they sold all sorts of sundry things, including comic books. I saw a Star Wars comic on the rack. Empire Strikes Back was coming out soon and I couldn’t wait. “Who was this Boba Fett guy I saw in that weird Christmas special?” Maybe this comic had some answers.

It didn’t, but then it didn’t matter. There was a story inside that was actually related to what the cover said it was about. I felt deeply satisfied, as if I had just had a bunch of Velveeta slices and a glass of milk with cookies — that was the ultimate kid snack back then. The combination was probably poisonous, but back then we had heightened immune systems, because, unlike kids now, we were allowed to play outside and get dirty.

We need dirt, everyone. It’s important. You should pick up something disgusting from time to time. It’s good for you.

So, what was cool about most comics back then was the fact you could pick up an issue and read a self contained story. There weren’t many collected editions in 1980. All that mattered was hooking a reader on a single story. This meant there had to be a jumping on point. It didn’t matter if it was issue 1 or issue 500: You immediately knew what the hell was going on.

These days the philosophy of many companies is to “pad” six issue arcs of a series so they can collect them into a trade edition. That’s where the real money is made, anyway, after costs are recouped on sales from the singles. Once printing is recovered on the trade editions they enter that strange and mythical land known as “pure profit.”

I understand the business model behind the story arc strategy: it’s basically a string of one mini-series after another under the guise of a continuing series. There is a downside to this, however: You don’t get the same experiences many of us had when we first got into comics.

(more…)

Transcribed by Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo

**Note for my readers: Super Frat is a popular webcomic by Tony (The Simpsons) DiGerolamo and Chris (Dracula vs. King Arthur, Sidekick) Moreno. It’s Animal House meets the Justice League!**

Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo recently won a lawsuit against the Federal Government under the Freedom of Information Act to unseal their files.  Since the late 80’s, the FBI had been keeping tabs on the duo for two unrelated reasons.  Since 2003, Beranek has been publishing, DiGerolamo has been writing and artist, Chris Moreno has illustrated the popular webcomic, Super Frat.  Due to the raunchiness of the subject matter and DiGerolamo’s penchant for skewering political figures in the strip, the FBI kicked up their surveillance of the duo.  What follows are the highlights from their previously confidential files:

March 15, 1987:  While in college, DiGerolamo researches a report on local Neo-Nazis for an expose in his TV journalism class.  After a skinhead threatens to beat him with his own video camera, he changes the subject of his expose to “Campus Drinking Laws: Why the Age Should be Lowered Back to 19.” The FBI, monitoring the skinhead’s group runs a routine check on the college student finding several unpaid parking tickets.  He receives a B- on his alternate report.

July 29, 1993:  Christian Beranek is pulled over by New Mexico State Troopers for erratic driving.  This is a ruse as the troopers are actually after his “date”, a transsexual Mexican national known only as “Juanita”.  Juanita was a witness in a capital murder trial against figures in the Mexican Mafia and had eluded her handlers.  Troopers arrested Beranek for drunk driving, but he was acquitted when his lawyer argued that his front tires were on the Mexican side of the border and therefore out of the jurisdiction of the State Troopers.  The case is thrown out.  A routine check of Beranek by the FBI revealed three arrests for public drunkenness, but no convictions.

1996:  DiGerolamo and Beranek, neither one knowing the other yet and living in New Jersey and Virginia, respectively, read their first webcomic.  DiGerolamo wrote about this day on his now defunct blog, “A Taste of Tony”.  “I was just blown away.  The first webcomic opened up so many doors.  I had wanted to do the word balloons on computer, but the whole thing?  It would save tons of overhead.”  Beranek downloaded his first webcomic the same year and was simultaneously flagged by the FBI for posting an X-rated Japanese film in violation of International Copyright Laws.

(more…)

By your Love Counselors Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo

Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo have dated women so you don’t have to.  Just like the avatar you use in your World of Warcraft online adventures, let CB and Tony D take the hits for you in the ever dangerous world of mingling with the opposite sex. And don’t worry, if you can’t tell the difference these days, CB sometimes can’t either.

Dear Web of Love:

Last year I met this great girl during Free Comic Book Day, but I was too shy to ask her out.  I know she’ll probably be at the store again this year.  She is a Bird of Prey fan and a hardcore Dr. Who enthusiast. How should I approach here?

Signed,

Green Arrow Looking for his Black Canary

TONY D:  Wow, that’s a tough one.

CB:  Yeah, I don’t get the appeal of Dr. Who.

TONY D:  Dude!  That show is quality science-fiction!

CB:  Yeah, with $1.99 special effects.

(more…)

By your Love Counselors, Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo

Christian Beranek and Tony DiGerolamo have dated women so you don’t have to. Just like the avatar you use in your World of Warcraft online adventures, let CB and Tony D take the hits for you in the ever dangerous world of mingling with the opposite sex. And don’t worry, if you can’t tell the difference these days, CB sometimes can’t either.

Dear Web of Love:

My boyfriend of six months is dumping me because I made out with my ex-boyfriend.  I want to win my boyfriend back, but he’s hurt and I don’t blame him.  But this was a one time thing.  I was feeling vulnerable and my ex took advantage.  I told my boyfriend right after it happened.  Shouldn’t he take me back because of my honesty?  Isn’t that what Superman would do?

Signed,
Lois with no Clark

(Editor’s Note: Some slightly NSFW hijinks after the cut!)

(more…)

By Christian Beranek

My fellow adventurers: I will be attending WonderCon this weekend as a guest. With me at the show will be letterer/production guru Thomas Mauer and writer Tony DiGerolamo. We’ll be set up at table AA097. In addition, we’ll be hosting this panel:

SATURDAY 5:00-6:00 Nuts & Bolts: How a Comic Is Made—Christian Beranek (Dracula vs. King Arthur), Thomas Mauer (Popgun), and Tony DiGerolamo (The Simpsons) discuss how comic books are put together. From the ground up to the store shelves, these guys are here to answer your questions and share their experiences. Room 204/206

I still owe you guys the next installment of The Year of High Adventure. There is a lot to catch up on, including some acrobatics — both psychical and verbal! So thank you for being patient and see you in San Francisco!

News update from CB:

Article about the Disney Comics panel at NYCC

Christian Beranek co-founded and runs Disney’s Kingdom Comics alongside Ahmet Zappa and Harris Katleman. CB has a first look film/tv deal with Disney/ABC. He has several projects in development around town including Dracula vs. King Arthur, based on the graphic novel he co-created. He is currently working on his first novel and an album. CB is never late for dinner and invites you to add him on twitter: http://www.twitter.com/beranek

By Christian Beranek

Okay, so last week we left off with Bill (the inter-dimensional time traveling comic book enthusiast) warning me of the impending collapse of the industry in 2021. He presented to me a challenge; to let you the people know what dangers await. And how was I do to this? To go on adventures, of course. But that was all I got out of our time-calling friend. Immediately after he uttered the words “Seek out the –” the connection crackled. then dropped the call. I blame the crappy 3G network here in Los Angeles. That and the fact I live in the hills. Reception is spotty — and you would think it would be better since I’m closer to outer space. Satellites and towers, work together, dammit!

Anyways, I sat for a moment and pondered what to do next. Then, I did what anyone in my position would do: I logged on to check my Facebook account. And guess what? I found out I was tagged in all of these ridiculous “25 Things About Me” threads. Seriously, I wondered who had time to write all this stuff down. I was also wondering why I felt the compulsion to do one of my own!

“Begone foul temptress,” I shouted out as I pressed the log out button.

Okay, so I had averted writing out that list for Facebook. But I still had to write the list for someone! So, lucky readers, you’re in for a treat.

I grabbed up a Moleskine notebook and a pen. I needed to get it out of my system so I could continue on in the name of adventure.

25 Things About CB

1. Born in Iowa, just like James T. Kirk.

2. Once scraped up my last $3 in change to get a burger from across the street at Tommy’s off of Rampart and Beverly.

3. Lived in Europe for 5 years.

4. Have two brothers, an adopted brother, and a half sister.

5. In 1987, I scraped up $3 in pennies to buy a copy of Comics Scene from the Kuik Stop in Glenwood, Iowa — the magazine promised me Watchmen was going into production soon!

6. Collected Watchmen as it came out on the shelves. Issue 12 was late, but no one bitched about it too much. No message boards back then.

7. Produced, wrote, and acted in a 34-minute film called Caucasian Brown. Production budget was $200.

8. Slept in my car for a week in 1995.

9. Have a favorite book and I’ll never tell you what it is.

10. Got a gash in my head from a trash can shot in a pro wrestling match.

11. Once had really, really long hair down to my butt.

12. I play guitar and sing.

13. Have a funny Salman Rushdie story I’ll tell you if you ask nicely.

14. I love Third Eye Blind and am not ashamed to admit it.

15. Once lived for a year off of Ebay sales.

16. Used to teach swimming lessons.

17. Sometimes I take on too much.

18. Have seen ego get the best of people.

19. Someone saved my life once.

20. Have different pseudonyms.

21. Had the best time working with my brothers at our company Silent Devil.

22. Launched my new company Lead Pipe Entertainment with production guru/lettering samurai Thomas Mauer in 2008.

23. Have the best friends in the world.

24. Will adventure for you, the people.

25. Knows you know who you are.

Whew. I feel better. And now you, my faithful readers, know a little bit more about me. And you didn’t have to read it on Facebook — you read it right here on Newsarama!

And now, back to adventure as next time I will recount New York Comic Con 2009, which takes place in the future — but by the time you read it, the tale will already be in the past. So, presently…

News bites from CB:

Disney Comics Panel at New York Comic Con Friday February 6th 4:30 - 5:30 in room 1A14. Ahmet Zappa and Christian Beranek will be making a guest appearance to discuss Kingdom Comics.

Ahmet Zappa and Christian Beranek option rights to The Minions of Ka graphic novel.

Dracula vs. King Arthur digital downloads go live.

Christian Beranek co-founded and runs Disney’s Kingdom Comics alongside Ahmet Zappa and Harris Katleman. CB has a first look film/tv deal with Disney/ABC. He has several projects in development around town including Dracula vs. King Arthur, based on the graphic novel he co-created. He is currently working on his first novel and an album. CB is never late for dinner and invites you to add him on twitter: www.twitter.com/beranek

By Christian Beranek

Recap: Last column found our favorite CB not only without pizza — but a future as well!

I had been sitting in my house for over thirty minutes listening to a guy from the future go on and on about the end of comics. He seemed kinetic, erratic and perhaps a little bit drunk — oh yeah, and he said his name was Bill.

I had had enough, so I made the future harbinger of present-to-his past of our future doom get to the point:

“So Bill, when exactly did comics start to fall apart? What led us to The Collapse of 2021?”

“Comics got cocky. You see, in 2009, despite your weakened economy, the medium is thriving. The kissing cousin relationship with movies may be considered the driving force, but it’s actually the quality of the product that is the lifeblood — and those librarians and educators are slowly building support. But in 2009 comics still feels like the bastard step-child not allowed any ice cream.”

“Comics as in the comic industry?” (more…)

The first in a year long series of articles depicting the exciting life of a comic book creator — these are tales of High Adventure!

FUTURE PERFECT PART 1: INTER DIMENSIONAL TIME TRAVEL PHONE CALL

Comic book creators are known for their sedentary lifestyle: Working at their desks, playing video games and eating. This is all true, we do do that, but there is more to it. You see, our lives are also full of mystery, romance, imported cheeses and yes… adventure. I mean, how else can we write what we write unless we have lived it?

2009 to me feels like a year where a lot of adventure can happen. In fact, I knew it was going to be. It started a few days ago when I got a call from this guy while I was at home, relaxing and reading an old Alan Moore Swamp Thing trade. You know, the first one — when he reinvented everything. He used to do that a lot back in the day. Anyway, the static on the other line made it hard for me to understand him at first. He was calling from the future, you see.

(more…)