ftp.xmission.com/2014.06.ftp.xmission.com.tar/ftp.xmission.com/pub/lists/comix-biz/archive/comix-biz.9803

Internet Message Format | 1998-03-31 | 18KB

From: "Rizzo Frank" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (cbiz) comic book store??
Date: 01 Mar 1998 19:28:17 +1000


On that note I would like to introduce myself I am a 25 yr old male who
lives in sydney australia i am interested in setting up a comic shop now
this would be be very different from setting one up in the states i imagine
because there are a lot of them and a bigger market now here is my dilema
iam not sure whether the best strategy would be to save enough capital and
try and buy one of the few already established stores or start my own any
input from anyone on the list would be greatly appreciated in fact any
insight into comic book retailing would be great!!
 thanx.
Well, the main purpose of this list is to provide a place to discuss the
> >retailing and distribution end of the industry.



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From: "Toni Milovan" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (cbiz) advices wanted
Date: 02 Mar 1998 10:50:15 +0100


Well, it seems to me that something started to happens here.

Here is my problem: I live in a small country which once have at least 20000
customer large comic market. Things changed and now due to high taxes and
monopolistic distributor that charges enourmosly high rates market almost
don't exist at all.
    Now, I wish to open comic shop and start publishing translated comics, I
have my own plans, but I want to see few more advices, so if any one with
expirience is interested...

regards,

TM


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From: Alice Bentley <[e-mail]>
Subject: (cbiz) Diamond "clearance" lists
Date: 03 Mar 1998 07:03:24 -0600


When Diamond started emailing these long liquidation lists, I was delighted.
I knew that there was a ton of stuff in their warehouse that I would still
like to carry, especially if it was significantly cheaper than normal.

But these new weekly "clearance" lists seem to be a mix of a few highly
discounted items and a lot of just regular priced stuff. The most recent
one, for example, has:

OCT971872j    ELFQUEST #19    $4.95     $2.08
    which is only nine cents off of the 57% discount they offered it as to
being with.

The other minor irritation is seeing things listed on later lists that were
ordered previously but haven't arrived.  Makes me wonder when they might
come in.

Do others on this list find these "liquidations" useful?
The Stars Our Destination
1021 W. Belmont
Chicago Il 60657
773-871-2722


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From: [e-mail] (Ramsin  Tamraz)
Subject: (cbiz) the new Superman
Date: 03 Mar 1998 21:55:22 -0800


Hi,

I'm not sure if this is off topic or not, but if its is then my
apologies, but I just wanted to ask a question about the new Superman.
First of all, I never liked Superman, the thing that i really dislike
about Superman is his costume, I think its dumb and out of date.  Yes
I've heard it all about how his costume symbolizes this and that.  But
when i first saw the New Superman a while back I couldnt believe it, he
actually looked cool, a superhero that I could like.  So Im wondering why
do most people hate this Superman, is it so wrong to except something
different every now and then?  Its the same with the new Godzilla movie.
Since they totally redesigned the monster for the new film, many Godzilla
fans have hated the idea of a new Godzilla and want the classic one
instead.

And now I hear that theyre bringing the old Superman back this summer.
Why?  I was just  begining to like Superman.

PEACE

RAMSIN TAMRAZ, The Nebulla One Universe
*Computer Graphics Artist/Animator/Web Page Designer*
E-mail:  [e-mail]
GODZILLA'S DOMAIN
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/4312/godzillasdomain.html

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From: Jim Drew / Ciao! Publications <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (cbiz) the new Superman
Date: 04 Mar 1998 22:32:12 +0100


[e-mail] (Ramsin  Tamraz) writes:

>I'm not sure if this is off topic or not, but if its is then my
>apologies, but I just wanted to ask a question about the new Superman.
[...]
>when i first saw the New Superman a while back I couldnt believe it, he
>actually looked cool, a superhero that I could like.
[...]
>And now I hear that theyre bringing the old Superman back this summer.
>Why?  I was just  begining to like Superman.

If we try, we can discuss around this and keep it on-topic for this list,
I think.

The first thing you have to do is separate Superman-the-character from
Superman-the-icon.  As a character modification, yes, the new costume and
power set can be "cool" (although it raises the question if it is still
really "Superman" if the look and abilites are different).

From a business sense (see: on topic!), however, DC (and parent company
Time-Warner) have a lot of income from and thus investment in Superman
remaining a recognizable icon.  Via movies and TV and cartoons and comics
and so forth, people *know* Superman.  (He's one of the most recognizable
icons in the world, apparently.)  If Superman Peanut Butter (which I loved
and wish they would bring back) were to switch the image on their jars
very time Superman undergoes a physical transformation in the comics, they
would be redesigning jars constantly, and would have to pull everything
from the shelves with each new design.  Very costly for the licensee.

Thus, there is *immense* pressure to retain the same general look for the
character for licensing purposes; the income from licensing outstrips that
from the comics by an immense degree.  As a result, any such physical
transformation is temporary.

(Note that Batman isn't quite as iconic, and thus we've seen a *lot* more
variations on the look in various media, and thus can get a lot more variation
in the comics themselves.  But even there, the key points: pointy eared cowl,
cape, amd bat symbol in a yellow circle will not change for real in the
comics.)


Jim Drew                                [e-mail]
B3(v)h+ t e cd s k g+(p) rv q p                       Secretary, IAGLCWDC
     She looked up and arched an eyebrow.  "Hasty Pudding?"
     "All the *good* super-speed names were already taken."
    -- Marc Lynx, "Belles"




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From: Dead Man Glenning <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (cbiz) Re: comix-biz-digest V2 #17
Date: 04 Mar 1998 02:09:47 -0600


>>any one else on this list or what??
>
>Yeah - we're here...
>
>Jake's search for a comics authoring software program sound intriguing -
>but if everybody had the same program, all stories would be fairly much
>alike.

Well... I don't know about that.  I mean it's just a different sort of word
processor, the words still have to come from the writer. ;-)  There are
several programs out there for writing screen plays that adapt well for
comix scripts.  The company I've heard the most positive things about is
Screenplay Systems, and their two products, Dramatica and Screenwriter
(http://www.screenplay.com/).  Their testimonials include W. Somerset
Maugham (Of Human Bondage, The Razor's Edge), Jack Sowards (Star Trek II:
The Wrath Of Khan, ST:TNG), and Ron Bass (Rain Man, My Best Friend's
Wedding) -- if in fact these guys really do use this software they're
fairly divergent. ;-) Anway, it's big screen oriented software, I think for
both Mac and Windows.  But you can achieve screenplay formatting with any
word processing program that can do stylesheets and glossaries. Years ago I
used to use a shareware DOS program called Screenwriter, I don't know if
it's still out there, but I've personally found stylesheets to be a lot
more powerful and I just use MS Word.  If you submit scripts to places that
want different formats, you can just apply a different the style sheet, and
if you're writing for yourself or creative partners, you can adjust them
however you'd like.  But they're tools, if they don't save you time, chuck
'em, I say.  I don't think I'll ever get away from starting things on
paper, or proofing things on paper.  Speaking for myself, the formatting is
most useful simply because it's easier to draw from.  Any text editor will
give you the ease of drafting and editing.

>Maybe we could start a discussion about comics-writing by hand on this
>list? How to get ideas, establish a plot a.s.o.

sounds like a fine plan to me.  I personally come from the bar napkin
school of ideas, i.e. ideas come when they want to and get written on
whatever scraps are at hand. >B^)  I do routinely carry a small sketchpad
and one of those small yellow ruled tablets, and fill them with beginnings
and striking visual images or dailogue snippets or whatever whenever they
hit me.  I don't use a 100th of them -- I'm sure everyone else is that way.
I don't ever lack for ideas, not even interesting ideas, just the time,
momentum and motivation to implement them. ;-)   I almost always start with
haphazard notes on paper which I then try to organize into a loose outline
later in a word processor, a lot of times there will already be bits of
dialogue plugged in and a few images I want to use.  I personally like to
write the initial stuff in coffee shops and bars when I can, or outside, in
the right weather.  Hopefully with lots of interesting looking people
passing by to enscript for imagining up characters. ;-)  Then I build it up
for a while with plot details until I'm ready to structure it more
formally.  Before that, I do some really loose page layout thumbnails
(otherwise I write too way much dialogue for the allotted number of pages)
just to get an initial feel for how the pages are going to go, and I tend
to write in a screenplay sort of format that I stole originally I think
from a John Ostrander Grimjack script. ;-)  Page by page, panel by panel,
descriptions +/- captions or sound effects, and the dialogue.  Then I hit
the bristol and totally rewrite it. ;-)  For my own personal discipline, I
need a clear idea of where a story is ending early on, and I spend a lot of
my rewriting time worrying about consistent pacing and working over
dialogue.  I also tend to fret a lot over whether I'm going to be able to
successfully lead the eye through the panels on a given page, and sometimes
move things around on that basis, and I always do a lot of reposing for the
same reason.  But that's a lot of personal quirks, I have to believe this
process is as personal and varied as your favorite color. ;-)


Pax ex machina,
Glenn
_________________________________________________________________
"I'm all religious figures rolled into one,
  Qaddafy Duck propelled from Jimmy Swaggart's tommy gun!"
  --- XTC
[e-mail], [e-mail], www.wraithspace.com
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Kynn Bartlett <[e-mail]>
Subject: Re: (cbiz) the new Superman
Date: 05 Mar 1998 08:16:42 -0800


At 10:32 p.m. 03/04/98 +0100, Jim Drew / Ciao! Publications wrote:
>If Superman Peanut Butter (which I loved
>and wish they would bring back) were to switch the image on their jars
>very time Superman undergoes a physical transformation in the comics, they
>would be redesigning jars constantly, and would have to pull everything
>from the shelves with each new design.  Very costly for the licensee.

But just imagine the collectible value of, say, Giant Ant
Head Superman Peanut Butter!

--
   _____                                        ___________
  /|    \        Kynn Bartlett                  \ |     | /
 /||  *  \       [e-mail]                   \|     |/
( ||______)      http://www.lsh.org/valor/        |     |
 \|------/                                        | LSH |
  \_____/        "Long Live the Legion!"       ___|_[_]_|___


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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: Jim Drew / Ciao! Publications <[e-mail]>
Subject: Scriptwriting (was Re: (cbiz) Re: comix-biz-digest V2 #17)
Date: 07 Mar 1998 19:56:14 +0100


Dead Man Glenning <[e-mail]> writes:

>>Jake's search for a comics authoring software program sound intriguing -
>>but if everybody had the same program, all stories would be fairly much
>>alike.
>
>you can achieve screenplay formatting with any
>word processing program that can do stylesheets and glossaries

And if anyone is high-end enough, I have a FrameMaker+SGML element definition
document for scriptwriting (which allows for "guided editing" by pre-selecting
or prompting for the next component and does validation checking to verify
adherence to the guides; kind of the next step beyond style sheets into more
structured content).

(But to reiterate, the "gutters" list is the proper location for this
discussion on *creating* comics.  Comix-biz is not.)

Jim


Jim Drew                                [e-mail]
B3(v)h+ t e cd s k g+(p) rv q p                       Secretary, IAGLCWDC
     She looked up and arched an eyebrow.  "Hasty Pudding?"
     "All the *good* super-speed names were already taken."
    -- Marc Lynx, "Belles"




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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From: [e-mail] (Curtis Mack)
Subject: (cbiz) Superman/Wolverine also writers...
Date: 08 Mar 1998 08:18:50 -0700 (MST)


It seems one person asking where everyone was has gotten this list rolling...

I don't like the new Superman.  Sure he has a new look and new powers (i
think he has new powers I don't read his books that much). But with his new
look & powers can you really call him Superman anymore? Superman is one of
the most known comic book characters, outside of the comic books.  Knew
readers might think that DC is destroying a myth, and not want to read it.
I think changing a major character like Batman or Superman or Spiderman (eg.
The whole clone saga) is a mistake.  However saying a member of the X-men
doesn't get noticed the same usually.  And I thought Woverine's new look was
great, it fits him.  I haven't read a X-men comic in about a year but I
think they plan (or already have) changed wolverine back to his old self.

Onto the writing plots and that. I run a group called Panels.  What it is is
people can submit there work and get critique's on it.  So far everyone has
been with the group.  Also there is also A discussion Forum I put up were
you can ask about plot and that for non-members.  It doesn't get used much
(yet), but hopefully it will in the future. Address is
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Studios/3287/index.html

Curtis



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From: "Rich Gott" <[e-mail]>
Subject: (cbiz) New on the List
Date: 31 Mar 1998 16:31:54 PST


Hi everyone,

My name is Rich Gott and I have been drawing cartoons since I was a
little kid....I'm 35 now. I was an avid comic collector, but my artwork
tends to look more like Hanna Barbara type stuff....probably watched TV
cartoons more than read comics.

I've joined this list to possibly learn more about the comic business or
connect with those in it. I was expected to go to college to pursue this
but never did. So I've been using the net as a means to connect and get
exposure. I've done stuff for hire many times, won 3rd place in a very
competitive local art show when I was very young....I've done much
better than is on my page, but you will get the idea.

I have a cartoon site at
http://www.freeyellow.com/members2/richgott/page3.html

I would love to hear from you all

Thanks,
Rich Gott

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