Gargoyle By Moonlight For Sale . . . NOW!

You can buy your copy of the 36-page full-color monster-punching thrill ride of a mini graphic novel, Gargoyle By Moonlight at Indy Planet. 

Figure out your destiny. Defeat a demigod. And do it all before sunrise. That's the challenge facing Gary Doyle tonight.

Afflicted by a curse that turns him into a stone gargoyle every night, Gary Doyle has been passing the time punching out creepy crawly underworld demons and trying to figure out how to undo the curse. When a raging demigod bent on annihilation begins rampaging through the city, Doyle, coached by the mysterious gypsy, Drina, and assisted by the equally enchanting archaeologist, Chloe Anders, must decide whether he's a hero or the monster the world sees him as.

Drawn by Brian Atkins, inked and lettered by Jeremiah Lambert, with colors by Juan Romera, and written by Timothy Bach, Gargoyle By Moonlight is an action-packed one-shot. Supernatural urban fantasy, it's old school storytelling with charming characters and stunning visuals.

Page 3 from Gargoyle By Moonlight.

You can read a free 6-page preview here. (Click on the "Images" tab.)

Each copy of the comic comes with a URL that'll take you to a free online GBM story. This bonus story is only available to readers who buy the print version.

It's been a long, slow rollout because I wanted several things to be in place before I went wide with the full release, but the book is available now. And I have a lot of things planned such as more free stories, great Web content, interviews, and even a trailer.

Please help spread the word by tweeting this blog or posting about the book to Facebook or wherever you hang out.

And don't forget to get your copy at Indy Planet today!

Coming soon: Get to know the characters.

I Have a Table at Project Comic Con (St. Louis)

I am scrambling right now.

Last week, I finally held my comic book, 

Gargoyle By Moonlight, in my hands.

Today is the my first con as a comics creator (I hesitate to say pro--at least until someone buys a book). I'll be appearing with the artist on Gargoyle By Moonlight, Brian Atkins at the big St. Louis show: Project Comic Con. Table A20.

Wow. That's a big deal. And I think I'm ready.

I have my books, banner, pitch, money for change, snacks, and a new website (more on that very soon). Most of all, I have my passion for making comics. I can't wait to get Gargoyle By Moonlight out there into the world. You're going to love it. (Proof the book exists to the left.)

There are lots of things coming soon. Stay tuned.

Okay, one more thing: here's a tease of some of the stuff that's coming your way. Enjoy this one-page full preview of Emergency Stop, the best taser-in-an-elevator story of 2012!

Table banner--check us out at Table A20.

Gargoyle By Moonlight: Creative Team Announcement

Figure out your destiny. Defeat a demigod. And do it all before sunrise. That’s the challenge facing Gary Doyle tonight.

Get ready, 2012 is going to rock as Gargoyle By Moonlight, a 36-page full-color monster-punching thrill ride, is set to take the (under)world by storm. An action-packed supernatural urban fantasy, this comic is fun old school storytelling, infused with charming characters and told via stunning visuals. I’ve been teasing about all the terrific stuff we’ve been up to, but now all can be revealed. Allow me to introduce the creative team of the next great supernatural hero comic:

Gargoyle By Moonlight, which made its covert debut last weekend at Mid-Ohio Comic Con, is brought to life by a dynamic set of fresh creators passionate about making great comics.

The book is drawn by an absolutely amazing penciler, Brian Atkins. Brian is a St. Louis-based comic book creator who brought the sweeping story to life with his great character work and brilliant renders. He’s a very good storyteller, capable of choreographing dizzying fight scenes and handling emotional moments in a very true way. But more than his craftsmanship, he brought an incredible energy to our collaboration, researching looks, sketching out great costumes, and adding in extra touches—all of which helped me to define the characters more fully. He was totally invested in the project from the get-go, and it shows in every panel.

Brian has been working as a freelance illustrator for the past few years while also pursuing a degree in design. In addition to comic book work, he's created character and logo designs, produced print ads, and illustrated a children's book.

At Mid-Ohio Con, Brian’s Gargoyle By Moonlight pages were oohed and aahed over. Reception for the art and the concept was great: people loved the fun idea and enjoyed the characters. And Brian even received some fine feedback from pros such as Jason Howard and Ryan Ottley. (Yes, we are on our way!)

Coming in over Brian’s exquisite line work is a self-described jack-of-all-trades, Jeremiah "Miah" Lambert. Inking digitally, Miah’s light touch sharpens the work and brings crisp highlights and contrasts to the pages. This book is going to be colored, but let me tell you, the “plain” ol’ B&W pages are as gorgeous as some color books I’ve seen. In addition to inking Gargoyle By Moonlight, Miah is also lettering the book and handling some production chores. Performing multiple roles, he’s been a wonderful teacher and helper as we bring this book to press.

Working out of Peoria, IL, Miah has already built a nice resume of pro work, inking and lettering floppies and graphic novels for companies like AC Comics and Viper Comics. He's also done inking on Transformers and Tonka Truck art for Hasbro Toys.

I’ll be dribbling out all kinds of exclusives sneak peeks in the coming weeks. So stay tuned. Follow me on Twitter and subscribe to this blog so you don’t miss a single panel!
Follow @TDRBach

Trailer for Los Malditos

The guys of Ikari did a trailer to promote the first issue of Los Malditos, or "The Damned," which will be published next month in Europe featuring the Spanish version of my short story "The Customer Is Always Right." Read my last post for more info. Take a look, I think it's a gorgeous anthology.

And, of course, you can still buy a copy of the English-version of "Customer" by clicking the link below. You'll get the story I did with Tomás and 8 more great tales from a variety of genres. Just click on the link below the video.

Six Errors New Creators Make in Comic Marketing: Words of Advice from Jim McCann

This is Part Two of a three-, maybe four-part series on the marketing advice former Marvel marketer and now writer Jim McCann (Return of the Dapper Men, numerous Marvel titles) shared with the Creators Workshop over at Comics Experience. Click here to read Part One.

Jim McCann says there are (at least) six common errors new creators make when marketing their comics.






1. Going out too soon. Don’t announce or promote until you have something to show off. Jim says, “If you don’t have a final cover to go with the project and some finished pages, you are not ready.” He recommends an info packet that includes the first six pages. Wait until you have those items, then create a pdf you can e-mail around (see point 3 below); use as flier or promo materials to give to stores and at cons; and post on the Web.

2. Not knowing your timing. Make sure you have factored in time for pre-publishing promotion: the pre-solicit announcements, solicits, etc. Know those deadlines and be ready to go. Get your info packet together (see number 1 above) and promote before it’s in Diamond Previews. (Waiting until Diamond comes out is way to late.)

3. Not knowing your audience. Who makes up the audience you are trying to pull in? And more importantly, where are they? Don’t try carpet bomb all the comics sites with your product. Or, rather, don’t count on your story announcement rising above the clutter. Take a minute to consider who is likely to like (read: want) your story and where can you connect with them. Don’t ignore the mainstream comics websites and fans, but zero in on your readers and possible avenues for press coverage.

Are you writing a specific genre story, say, a Western? Contact sites that promote Westerns—and not just comics. Moreover, find people who are jazzed about Westerns or zombies or whatever niche your story takes place in and get them onboard. Just like you will want to pitch your Western comic to an editor who does Westerns, you want to find reviewers and reporters who have shown an interest in your topic. They’re most likely to embrace something they have an affinity for.

4. Don’t wait for them to come to you. Make your own opportunities. Once you’ve found your “targets,” send write them. Introduce yourself and your book, ask them if they like to cover it. Be sure to send them the promo materials you’ve created or, hey, a pdf of the whole book if you really want to get them onboard.

5. Don’t get lost in the news. First, Jim recommends keep an eye on con schedules. You don’t want to begin your marketing efforts the week before, during, or even after the major conventions. The big publishers use up all the oxygen in the news cycle, and comic news sites have tons of material to post. Time your announcements to hit at a time when they might get noticed. It’s true that con season has become an almost year-round marathon, but here’s the major shows that will step on your promotion: San Diego, New York, C2E2, Emerald City, Heroes Con, and MegaCon (I mentioned this in a previous post if you want to read more). (As a side note McCann does recommend new creators attend both Heroes Con and MegaCon, which are great for small creators.)

Second, don’t release your news on a Friday—it’s a bad day for news because no one is paying attention.

6. Don’t be obnoxious at conventions. Offer people your product, but outrageous costumes and stunts are only going to piss people off. (That’s not going to sell books.)

Click here to read Part One.

Jim McCann Talks Comic Book Marketing: Start the Conversation

Dapper man Jim McCann gave the Comics Experience Creators Workshop a primer on comic book marketing last night. I was fortunate enough to be in tele-attendance as for more than an hour, the former Marvel marketer and current writer, gave neophyte writers and artists a fantastic overview on how to get noticed and sell their books.

McCann, a writer of who found his niche writing Marvel's Hawkeye and Mockingbird titles while also releasing (with artist Janet Lee) the very inventive OGN Return of the Dapper Men, told the group that marketing is about starting a conversation. He then detailed several great marketing methods used by the big guys but that can also work for the little guys thanks to the power of the Internet. Turns out, in the end, like a lot of things in life, you only get out what you put in.


Comic Experience Creators Workshop Moderator, publisher of Panda Dog Press, and writer of Animal Control: Special Creatures Unit Rob Anderson posted a great article on last night's session. I've cherry-picked a few of the highlights below, but do yourself a favor and go over to Rob's blog and check out the whole thing. (And while you're there, check out ANIMAL CONTROL: SCU "Breeding Stock," a 3-page preview of Rob's awesome comic.)

Marketing Advice from Jim McCann:
•Get the word out before Previews; but not too early (You should have some finished product to show.)
•Know your audience and your reviewers (Find your niche. Just like in pitching your book to an editor, not every book is right for every site or reporter on that site.)
•Social Media is great-this has been discussed ad nauseum because it's true (Network; introduce yourself--but don't be a stalker.)
•Keep one eye on the calendar (Don't get lost in all the convention news.)

Jim also stressed getting retailers excited about ordering your project--in fact, in every interview, post, whatever, he stressed mentioning the Diamond ordering code or where (e.g., the Web site) people can get the book. But more so, he stressed trying to reach out to retailers, locally and nationally if you can.

As I go through my notes, I'm sure I'll be sharing some more details, but check out Rob's blog for more. I'm sure he'll get around to it before I do.

Jason Howard Sketch from Project Comic Con

Looking at all the great "sketches" I got at Project Comic Con, I was thinking about how it's kind of funny how con sketches have really become commissions at this point with everyone from the big names to the young unknowns doing insanely thorough work at cons. I remember being happy with some quick pencil roughs back in the day and now these guys spend nearly an hour or more on these babies.

Here's a wonderful pen and ink piece from Jason Howard, artist of The Astounding Wolf-Man and Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark. Jason was a great guy. We talked about his workload and technique as well as Robert Kirkman's little AMC TV gig and the finale of A-W with the big number 25 coming up.

Four S's for Finding a Penciller

In the next couple of days, I will have some stunning artwork to show off from my first comic book story. But today, as I was reading some comments from other aspiring creators, it struck me that as writers the biggest thing standing in our way of making comics is finding somebody to draw them. Yet, in my short comic-book-making journey, I've already learned four easy steps to finding a penciller to collaborate with on a comic book. Let's call them The Four S's: Sift, Sort, Study, and Seek Out.

1. Sift: This should be the easiest step, but it's also time consuming. Go to Pencil Jack or digitalwebbing (you've joined those forums already, right?) and start looking at artists' portfolios. Sift through the many, many postings to find art you like. I say that this is the easy step because if you have script ready for drawing, you probably have a firm idea of the art style you're looking for. Don't like manga? Click and skip. Want something realistic or fantastic but not cartoony? Click and Click. You get the idea. Skip through until you find a style you like. (And remember, different stories might call for different styles. Also, a penciller's portfolio might draw you in, even if it's not the style you thought you were looking for.) Bookmark those portfolios.

2. Sort: Once you've found some potential collaborators, sort their portfolios by good, better, best--ranking them by talent/skill. There's a couple of things you want to look for. Pinups are awesome, but unless you are telling one-panel-per-page stories, you want someone who can do sequential art--i.e., someone with comic book page layouts; someone who is telling a story. Rank all the artists with sequential samples. At the same time, this doesn't mean you write off someone who only has pinups. If you dig their work, contact them and see if they have a sequential art sample.

3. Study: By this time, you should have just a handful of artist candidates. Study their sequential pages, really examine them critically. On second and third review, is their work as good as you initially thought? Also, read the posted "crits" from others.

But here's the main question you need to ask yourself: Do you have a good idea of what the story is without the dialogue, captions, etc.? A good comic book should be able to tell its story without words. Does this sample do that? Can you follow the story? Does your eye naturally flow from panel to the next.

On a secondary level, you should also see whether they showcase both action and "talking head" scenes in their work. You want to see both to see whether they can do dynamic action sequences and imaginatively stage a conversation. Also, look at their backgrounds. What's going on behind and around the main characters? A lot of artists will do nice figure work but then totally skip out on setting or they draw really bad cars or trees or whatever (as a result, they will not draw those in their samples).

4. Seek Out: Okay, so now you've picked the one or two artists you think will do the best with your story. Now you need to seek them out and contact them. This may be hard for some people--but it's the only way you're making comics, so you have to do it. As I've written before, comics are a collaborative effort. It takes a team to bring your story to life.

Write them a short e-mail. Tell them you like their portfolio. And here's the big part: don't just say, "Your Spider-Man pages were cool." Be specific. Tell them specifically what you liked about the pages. Reference their work, compliment them, etc. Let them know you are serious about creating comics by speaking in the language of comic storytelling. Then cut to the chase. Tell them you have a script you think they'd be good for, etc. Offer to give them a sample of your work, etc. It's all easier than it sounds. If they turn you down, and you will have people turn you down, move to the next person.

So there's your Four S's. Money, scheduling, setting expectations--are important, too, and I'll get to them in later posts. And at some point, I'll get around to elaborating on the above points as well--because if you want to make comics, these four items are key.

Waiting part 2: patience and persistence

As predicted, waiting for my first comic story to come to life is very difficult for me. I knew it would be hard, but that doesn't make it any easier. But in my short journey, one thing I've learned is that patience and persistence are needed if one wants to make comics.

Making comics is a collaborative art form. Books are brought to life by a team of artisans: writer, penciller, inker, colorist, and letterer. You might work with someone who can double-up on duties, say an artist who inks their own stuff or a colorist who also letters, but unless you are a multi-talented writer/artist, you're probably working with at least three other people to make your comic book. And these people have lives (meaning: responsibilities) and quirks (meaning: differing personalities and ways of working) of their own. If you want to make comics, you need to figure out how to navigate and coordinate the work of all these people. You're going to have to fit your comic into their schedule. And then of course they need time to do their part on the project. By definition, this means you are going to do a lot of waiting. Get used to it. But if making comics is your goal, you need to persist.

I had some scheduling setbacks recently. I had hoped to be preview some story pages here in June. But just when he was about to start my story, my penciller received a bit of paying work and needed to focus on that. I understood completely--but, man, did it sting. After slaving over my story and working to find just the right collaborator, to be delayed right when we were on the cusp of certain greatness. ... Ugh. It really sucked.

But I wasn't going to be deterred. (Really, if you're going to give up after a delay, you might as well not start.) So if the scheduling of my story was out of my control, I would focus on something I could control. My other stories. I decided to keep working on my next couple of stories.

And, boy, have I. I worked out a nice quick-paced 5-pager and then I turned my eye to an original graphic novel I've been toying with on and off for a few years. While I was doing that, my artist finished his other gig and e-mailed me some character sketches and then some page layouts (which I will preview soon). And suddenly, the story was back on and I need to confirm the schedules of my letterer, etc.

So be patient and keep plugging away. And write, write, write.

...

Has it been a month since I last posted? Now that I have a few things percolating, I plan on posting more regularly. And stay tuned for that preview art.

Everyone needs an editor

Within the last couple of days, I've seen three glaring errors in my comics. Stick with me, this isn't a fanboy rant, I've got some advice for all of us aspiring creators to keep in mind. But first, exhibits A, B, and C.

First, Secret Avengers #1 (which is IMO, the best of the Avengers family [re]launches) has a major mistake on story page 20, panel 4. Check out Rhodey saying Cap's line and vice versa. In an obvious balloon placement error, Rhodes says, "Rhodey should have no trouble with the controls," to which Cap says, "I never met a ship I didn't at least wanna try and fly." Oops.

Then, while finally reading The Mighty (vol. 1 trade), I get hit in the face again. At a key point in the story, Cole's superiors say he's been Captain Shaw's second-in-command for five years. But just a few pages later, at the press conference, Cole himself says he was the second-in-command for three years. Wh-What? Okay, maybe you miss this kind of thing when you are working in a monthly, but you don't fix it for the trade?

Finally, I'm reading some Batman issues I picked up in the quarter bin, and I get to Batman #446, where somebody clearly wasn't paying attention. Batman is skulking around at a sporting event, which is clearly spelled out by the narration and dialogue as a soccer game. However, the art is of a hockey game. And worse, Batman soon begins fighting the goalie (who shoots explosive pucks at everybody, btw) and it's clearly a hockey goalie that he fights across several pages. Was nobody paying attention?

So where am I going with this? Remember, none of these guys, writer or editor, were rookies: Brubaker/Brevoort, Tomasi/Cavalieri, and Wolfman/O'Neil. These are all creators in their prime and still a mistake got past them and into print, which only goes to reinforce the old maxim that Everyone Needs an Editor (or at least someone to read behind them).

If you're working on a story, share it with some people you know and trust to give you real feedback. If you know a Word Nerd (somebody who really knows their grammar), even better. But most people can catch a lot of things you miss in your passion to get the words on the page. A lot of people might not be able to tell you why, but they can instinctively tell you when a sentence isn't correct. (Maybe they catch a misplaced modifier or simply tell you you're spelling the contraction for "you are" wrong (you're not your).

More importantly, your readers/editors might ask questions like, How did the sword get there? After which you realize you hadn't laid the groundwork for a twist in your story. Even though you thought you had. Besides catching oversights, the feedback of friends or other writers can help you craft a better story, too, by suggesting ideas or revisions in dialogue or pacing.

And, remember, mistakes don't just make you look dumb. Mistakes can do something even worse: they take the reader out of the moment. They're a distraction that take away from the enjoyment of your story. The errant bubbles in Secret Avengers took away from what was an otherwise massive triumph. The Mighty errors made me stop and turn back and reread, ruining the flow of the story. And the Batman soccer/hockey flub: it just totally wrecked the issue for me. Can you imagine if that was somebody's first Batman comic--or worse, someone's first comic? Think about it. It probably was. And I bet that person never came back.

Marv Wolfman and the others are legends. Their books can/did/will survive these mistakes. Do you think yours will?

(And yes, I'm quite sure this post has some typos in it).

Scott McCloud shows that with Web Comics, it's more than just a distribution hub

I've been spending a lot of time looking at Web comics lately, researching options for getting my stories out there. While a lot of people are using the Web as a more affordable/accessible means of distribution, and that's obviously a very legitimate and attractive use, Scott McCloud (http://scottmccloud.com/) has really explored the interactive, multidimensional, and clickable aspects of Web tech.

I'm not new to the "Scott McCloud experience," the comics guru and visionary (also author of Making Comics) is someone I've known about for a while. But I'm now examining, or I guess I should say re-examining his work as a hopeful comics creator myself. If you want to make comics and you haven't check out his stuff before: Go. Study it.

Over at his blog, McCloud continues the conversation he's been having with the medium and its makers for many years. And he's not just a talking head. McCloud has a fine body of work you should check out. He's experimented with a variety of formats--telling many of his stories in a way that could only be done on-screen.

Check out his story The Right Number, link below. It's a story about obsession, done in an awesome zooming panel format in mostly mono-color blue. It's a powerful story, made even more poignant by the tension and urgency of the zooms. In the hands of a lesser storyteller, the zooms could become gimicky, but here, they totally work. The Right Number is a good example of how making your comics on the screen can push the storytelling boundaries. And how the Web can be more than just a distribution hub.

The Right Number by Scott McCloud
http://www.scottmccloud.com/1-webcomics/trn-intro/index.html

My advice: dive in/Agent has good advice

My advice: if you have a script you think is great, start contacting artists. Dive in. You're never going to make comics until you start working with pencillers, inkers, colorists, letterers, etc. It takes a team to bring a book to life. Just sitting around thinking about making comics will get you nowhere. (I know, I've done that.) Check out Digital Webbing, Pencil Jack, etc. Go through people's portfolios. Find somebody's art that you like and contact them. Ask them if they'd like to work with you. All they can do is say no. Rejection is half the battle. Sure, you're not going to make comics until someone says yes, but you need to get out there and start networking.

Artists' agent David Macho Gómez makes some interesting points about working in the comics business over at Newsarama--including several tips for artists. With a little modification, his five tips can be applied to new writers too.

New story

Well, after culling through a number of ideas, I'm working on a new story. Excited. Aiming for something more in the super hero genre this time out.

In talks with an artist

I'm now talking to a guy about penciling my story.

Step 1: Develop a script. Done.

I recently completed Andy Schmidt's writing class over at Comics Experience, where I workshopped a five-page script. Some of the others in my class are going to produced an anthology collecting our respective works.

Step 2: Team-up with an artist to tell the story. In process.

Been slogging through portfolios and posts over at Digital Webbing, PencilJack and other places, evaluating art and contacting artists.

I sent out several e-mails and posted an ad. I've had two artists turn me down. But I'm actually kind of psyched. Both guys just took jobs, one with DC and another at Zenescope on the Grimm Fairy Tales line. I guess I have a good eye for talent. (Not like it's hard to recognize good pencils.) Still, rejection is part of the process.

I'm going to make comics.

I've been a writer and editor for some time, but now I'm going to make my own comics.