Starting a black comic industry?

[BlackDroog]

I'm down. I'm a writer and have collaborated with @LauderdaleBoss on a few projects.

Here is a trailer for one we worked on. He did the drawings.



EDIT: I also dabbled in animation. I had to take a break because it was too time consuming and i'm not that great of an artist but I'm still writing.

 

[BlackDroog]

1st off, great thread and concept.

I'm currently working on a self published comic myself. I created the characters, wrote the story, draw, ink, and color the pages. I got my own blog where I post up 1 or 2 pages every week from the issue so cats get a continued story line. Each issue is 20 pages and right now I have the whole 1st issue as well as half of issue 2 up for reading. Everything's copyrighted. I'm in the process of coloring issue 3 now. The digital route is cheaper than printing so that's why I chose that format.

I release them for free, but also give the option for cats to buy the download (to support the movement) once an issue is through being posted. Anybody that's read it, have said the shyt is dope and my fellow Tunnel forum brehs @BlackDroog and @clanarchy can vouch for that. They also helped me create the soundtrack for the comic which has a real dark goth sample based hip-hop vibe to it.

You can check out the cover here and just keep clicking the links at the bottom to go to the next page. You can read everything in order that way.
Cover Art from the comic by Shutterworth | The Soul Wars

The biggest hurdle that I can see with black comics is promotion. A lot of casuals or potential fans, don't know that there's a lot of black comics out there. nikkas just know about the popular mainstream already established comics. You'll need a strong financially backed or grass roots promotional campaign to change that.

Even though I'm doing my own thing, I wouldn't mind being a part of a larger group or community structure that can help accomplish bigger things. We can also help promote and support each other during that journey.

The site is looking good breh.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

1st off, great thread and concept.

I'm currently working on a self published comic myself. I created the characters, wrote the story, draw, ink, and color the pages. I got my own blog where I post up 1 or 2 pages every week from the issue so cats get a continued story line. Each issue is 20 pages and right now I have the whole 1st issue as well as half of issue 2 up for reading. Everything's copyrighted. I'm in the process of coloring issue 3 now. The digital route is cheaper than printing so that's why I chose that format.

I release them for free, but also give the option for cats to buy the download (to support the movement) once an issue is through being posted. Anybody that's read it, have said the shyt is dope and my fellow Tunnel forum brehs @BlackDroog and @clanarchy can vouch for that. They also helped me create the soundtrack for the comic which has a real dark goth sample based hip-hop vibe to it.

You can check out the cover here and just keep clicking the links at the bottom to go to the next page. You can read everything in order that way.
Cover Art from the comic by Shutterworth | The Soul Wars

The biggest hurdle that I can see with black comics is promotion. A lot of casuals or potential fans, don't know that there's a lot of black comics out there. nikkas just know about the popular mainstream already established comics. You'll need a strong financially backed or grass roots promotional campaign to change that.

Even though I'm doing my own thing, I wouldn't mind being a part of a larger group or community structure that can help accomplish bigger things. We can also help promote and support each other during that journey.

No offense breh but the cover is ass

Looking at the comic book cover I have no desire to open it up. You might want to get some help on the illustration side of the game

 

[Milk N Cookies]

@MarsPunka can this group be about writers in general? I have stories too, but I think with me having such an overactive imagination I'm better suited to write children's books. I have really been thinking about it lately & would love to put them in paper for others with young ones to enjoy.

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

No offense breh but the cover is ass

Looking at the comic book cover I have no desire to open it up. You might want to get some help on the illustration side of the game

Nah, I'm good over here breh. My comic just ain't for you then.

 

[Arishok]

No offense breh but the cover is ass

Looking at the comic book cover I have no desire to open it up. You might want to get some help on the illustration side of the game

Yeah my drawing style is about the same level which was why I wanted some illustrators, example in the spoilers

Spoiler: Chapter Cover

@MarsPunka can this group be about writers in general? I have stories too, but I think with me having such an overactive imagination I'm better suited to write children's books. I have really been thinking about it lately & would love to put them in paper for others with young ones to enjoy.

Naw, I want to focus more on comics and maybe graphic novels. If we start expanding too wide, we'll never get off the ground.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

Yeah my drawing style is about the same level which was why I wanted some illustrators, example in the spoilers

Spoiler: Chapter Cover

View attachment 8785

Naw, I want to focus more on comics and maybe graphic novels. If we start expanding too wide, we'll never get off the ground.

Cosign on getting illustrators. This is who you guys have to compete against:

Having a black comic book industry is good, but nobody is gonna take it seriously if the quality is sub par especially when the competition is out there.

 

[Arishok]

Cosign on getting illustrators. This is who you guys have to compete against:

Having a black comic book industry is good, but nobody is gonna take it seriously if the quality is sub par especially when the competition is out there.

If we're just doing black and white though, I feel like I could crank out this kind of quality

But coloring? Naw

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

Yeah my drawing style is about the same level which was why I wanted some illustrators, example in the spoilers

Spoiler: Chapter Cover

View attachment 8785

Naw, I want to focus more on comics and maybe graphic novels. If we start expanding too wide, we'll never get off the ground.

I don't see anything wrong with your style or level of drawing, but that cover is kinda plain. That's my only complaint.

I can draw other shyt too, but handrawing comics without software is a different type of challenge than say drawing a portrait or landscape.

All comics aren't super detailed with crazy graphics either. There's enough room for every style to fit in, but it's

 

[Arishok]

I don't see anything wrong with your style or level of drawing, but that cover is kinda plain. That's my only complaint.

I can draw other shyt too, but handrawing comics without software is a different type of challenge than say drawing a portrait or landscape.

All comics aren't super detailed with crazy graphics either. There's enough room for every style to fit in, but it's

Like @bdizzle said, it's about the competition. My comic wouldn't stand a chance on the racks next to an Alex Ross cover.

 

[↓R↑LYB]

Like @bdizzle said, it's about the competition. My comic wouldn't stand a chance on the racks next to an Alex Ross cover.

That's pretty much all it boils down to. You gotta ask yourself is the quality of your comic up there with the quality of the competition?

From the type of paper its printed on, the platform its delivered on (for digital comics), the writers, illustrators, the website, and how its marketed.

Whatever you guys put out, the customer base is gonna compare you to your competitors like this:

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

Like @bdizzle said, it's about the competition. My comic wouldn't stand a chance on the racks next to an Alex Ross cover.

Although I see your point, we'll just have to agree to disagree on this.

There's an audience for every comic. Sometimes you just have to create one. Garfield doesn't look as awesome as Jim Lee's X-men, but it's still looks good for what it's trying to do. It's also successful too. That's why I said promotion is so important. You can be the best artist, but if nobody sees your shyt it wouldn't matter anyway. There's plenty of comics out there that aren't pleasing to my eye, but others like them.

Speaking for myself. A nikka didn't have the funds to be hiring illustrators, writers, nikkas that color and do effects etc....Instead of trying to do all that and take months and years to put something together, I just went and did shyt myself. Yeah, eventually I'd like to create a team that could help me do that shyt, but for now I'll just make the best out of what I have.

With my comic I never tried to target the traditional comic fan. I'm going after regular/hood nikkas/casuals and the ones that have read it that fit that description, have enjoyed it. The dialogue, action, story, etc... is catered to that crowd. I'm getting the type of response that I wanted, from the audience I targeted. I just gotta keep at it and get it bigger.

 

[Matriarchy Refugee]

@MarsPunka can this group be about writers in general? I have stories too, but I think with me having such an overactive imagination I'm better suited to write children's books. I have really been thinking about it lately & would love to put them in paper for others with young ones to enjoy.

Nothing wrong with that. Black kids are completely underserved when it comes to entertainment media. The little bit of black media that does exist caters almost exclusively to teens and young adults. I think this is one of the reasons a lot of black kids "grow up too fast". They're consuming media intended for 18 year olds when they're only 8 years old.

 

[Milk N Cookies]

Nothing wrong with that. Black kids are completely underserved when it comes to entertainment media. The little bit of black media that does exist caters almost exclusively to teens and young adults. I think this is one of the reasons a lot of black kids "grow up too fast". They're consuming media intended for 18 year olds when they're only 8 years old.

Yeah, i would love to make books that caters to black children. One thing I lacked when I was younger, those that were around weren't accessible to me as a kid.

 

[LauderdaleBoss]

There's definitely a lane/audience for black children's books. About 3 or 4 years ago I illustrated a children's book for this lady I met off craigslist. She targeted black children as well as other ethnic backgrounds instead of the standard white kids that you see in a lot of childrens books.

I got paid for it, but never saw the finished product or how successful she was able to get it to be.