In his dreams Alan Donald is a multi-award winning
writer of comic books, animation, theme park shows and rides, children’s books,
novels, television, internet animation and more.
In real life Alan writes this column,
which has been described as
more than a lifestyle than a
weekly column. He used to write
SBC's All The Rage.
Hello and welcome to The Final Draft, SBC’s very own magazine insert. My name is Alan Donald and I’m your host this and every week.
The Panel
Nine very different people from different parts of the comicbook industry, with different experiences and ideas on the industry come together to answer your questions. Jock, the New Boy who along with Loser co-creator Andy Diggle has just signed up an exclusive deal with DC; Peter David, the Old Boy, he's been there and done that, a comicbook superstar; Evil Rick Shea, the Retailer, he runs Famous Faces and Funnies and he's on the front line pushing comics, listening to fans; Jack McIntire the fan, he supplied this week's question; Shawna Ervin-Gore, the Editor, she's Dark Horse's newest Editor and the only woman on the panel; Joe Quesada, the Publisher, he’s the big boss man at Marvel; Lee Dawson, Dark Horse's Publicity guru; Craig Lemon, the Hack, SBC's second-in-command, he edits loads of columns and runs one of the most respected review sections in the industry; me, The Columnist; and for one week only a special guest panellist, Rich Johnston, the Muckraker.
This week's question is:
“This week’s All The Rage features comments by The Panel’s Joe Quesada on Rich Johnston’s proposed poster campaign to promote comics to a mainstream audience. What do you think of the idea and how do you think comics can reach a more mainstream audience?”
The Publisher: "You know how I feel about the campaign.
Ads like those would have kids across America thinking that their parents put some money together to get them to read comics and of course that would be the last thing that they would want to do if that was the case.
Imagine if the X Games or the video game market used those ads."
The Publicist: " - I think this is a great idea! The bottom line is that there is a cultural bias against comics in this country and any steps to change the public’s perception of the art form should be welcome. I think a lot of folks in the general public would be surprised to find out that those people in the photos are comics readers. In reaching the masses, I think It's just a matter of breaking down the stereotypes both in terms of readers and story content. Films such as Road to Perdition and X-Men 2 I think can go a long way to help draw the public in to the types of high quality stories and characters that exist on the comics page."
The Editor: "I think the celebrity ad campaign is an EXCELLENT idea. I'm happy to see this reaching fruition, as I recall some discussion of a campaign like this when a bunch of people started planning the first Free Comic Book Day almost two years ago. Like any advertising and marketing, it's impossible to know if something like this will "work," but I think that there's definitely no harm done in showing that people from all walks of life read comics. Clearly there are also a few details to iron out ... celebrity endorsements can be really expensive, especially when use of a photo is involved. So whether or not any company can actually pay for that sort of marketing is something to be determined. I like the idea very much of making this a cross-industry sort of promotion, so the costs could be split between participating publishers. The other detail I'd want to know more about is where these will be displayed. Comic Book shops are an obvious choice, but if we could get the average person into a comic shop in the first place, we probably wouldn't need campaigns like this to tell everyone how cool comics are. So I do wonder where they would be used most effectively."
The Retailer: "“I hate them. They are so embarrassing and uncool. If I was a kid I would look at this and think "how desperate must the comics industry be?" See what everyone is missing is that geek and nerd culture is slowly becoming cooler than Justin and Christina. God, those ads would be the death of us. Comics need to get presented to the mainstream as counter culture, that's what makes us cool, we're edgy as all h#&%" - Joe Quesada on these ads
I gotta fight with Joe Quesada for ragging on those posters. I think these posters are a great idea and associating the comics industry with Ben Affleck, Samuel Jackson, Tori Amos, Brad Pitt and anyone willing to help promote comics would be outstanding. Some rabid fans will follow their favorite celebrities anywhere. I just had a woman come into my store the other day because she read a Tori Amos interview that mentioned Sandman and it caught her interest. Imagine posters promoting comics using their already established star power. There's nothing wrong with that. Every other commercial features a PAID ENDORSEMENT from established celebrities to promote their merchandise, so why shouldn't comics be "cool" enough that celebs are willing to help pimp them for free?
The insanely popular GOT MILK campaign is certainly one worth borrowing and I think print ads or radio spots would work out pretty well. Joe and Bill seem to think that the movie audiences are magically going to flock to buy their books, but it's not happening as much as it should. Why isn't the Comic Shop Locator Service phone number somewhere in the credits? Let's hope this will convince people that celebs they already have a fondness for read comics and it's not all the "geeks and nerds" Joe thinks it is. I know you won't believe me, but I invite anyone to come in my shop and see the "geek" ratio versus the "regular" people. We're seeing more couples coming in to buy comics together, and barely any of my customers fit into the geek stereotype Joe thinks we all are. I'll be the first to admit that it's turned around quite a bit the last few years, but I'm also able to pitch Preacher, Y, Transmet, Sojourn, Ruse, Punisher and Alias to someone that has no interest in super-heroes and slowly work them into other comics through there.
Joe seems really concerned about how big "geek and nerd culture" is getting. Does that mean his answer to new readers is wait for them to suddenly discover comics out of nowhere? I have a feeling these posters would succeed in appealing to at least a certain new audience. If we could use these for next year's Free Comic Book Day, I think it would definitely spread the word about what's out there and what's available. Work with the History Channel to set up another special focused on Free Comic Book Day featuring some of these celebs cosponsored by Marvel and DC. Those GOT MILK commercials have been running for TEN YEARS! Just more proof that they found something that worked and stuck with it. How long did Subway milk that Jared bastard?
Joe is afraid that we'll be called desperate for using these ads. My business is doing better than ever, but I'd always love to have more customers and reaching the highest potential audience is the best way to go about it. We don't need to pay big names to push something they don't believe in. We just need to get clearance from them to show people that they love comics too. Some will be really cool about it, some won't. I'll put money that Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Affleck and Tori Amos would be down right away. Nicolas Cage, Howard Stern, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Shaq talk about comic books all the time, let's just make sure everyone knows that.
On the flip side, I love these ads. We can juggle little things here and there, but I was incredibly impressed by the idea and hats off to Rich Johnston and Nick Barrucci. I think these would really help boost a national awareness of what's out there and even if it isn't an incredible success, it will at least pique people's curiosity and get people talking. Joe claims this will be the death of us, but I somehow doubt anyone already reading comics will quit just because Freddie Prinze Jr. reads comics too. The worst case scenario is a few people follow their idols into comic book stores and check out some new stuff. No where to go but up, right?”
The Hack: "I think comics are reaching a more mainstream audience already, by invading bookshops slowly but surely. The problem from Marvel and DC's perspective is that it is manga that is making the greatest in-roads into American bookshops, rather than superheroes...
Trades are the future of the industry, the way it can grow into a previously untapped or lapsed audience - a good story for a reasonable price in nice looking books.
As for the ads, well, let's face it, they do look a bit crappy really. A bit desperate. They smack of "look, kids, comics are cool really...no, they are, really...honest!"
Far better for these celebs to "come out" in public with their love of comic books - Ben Affleck talking Daredevil on Jay Leno; Tori Amos extolling the virtues of a Gaiman comic book in the sleeve notes of her latest CD, rather than just hiding references in her songs; Samuel L. Jackson taking a copy of Black Panther to his next premiere...you get the idea."
The Fan: "I think that q is talking shit. All that crap about being edgy is jerkoff juice. People look to famous people to find out what too wear, why not what to read?"
The Columnist: "The comic book industry needs mainstream recognition beyond the jokes and stigma of the past. Graphic novels and comicbook films help in some way but it is nowhere near enough. Some people believe that graphic novels will save the day but damn it what about comicbooks? I don’t mind the industry changing but do we have to throw the baby out with the bathwater? These posters are a great idea and I really hope that Nick at DF does decide to go ahead with the campaign. I don’t see the problem with them, I’ve heard the objections but I don’t understand or buy them. Comics have tried to be edgy etc for too long, it doesn’t help. Comicbooks are an extremely diverse entertainment medium. Mainstream advertising needs to start with something along the lines of Rich’s posters to introduce the fact that they are cool and to get people interested in the medium again (what to these celebs know that I don’t? What am I missing out on here?). This needs to be followed by a multi-company advertising campaign focusing on the different types of entertainment available. The strength of the comicbook industry is its diversity, there are so many different markets, age groups, social groups etc that they can be aimed and marketed at. It has been suggested on Reggie’s board that one of the main focuses should be teenage girls and that the companies should be hitting the teen magazines to get coverage for their titles there. I love this idea and I think it’s one of the ways to go. Some Sci-Fi magazines already carry comicbook reviews already, again this is a start and this is just another facet of what should be done. Woman’s magazines, lad’s mags, parent’s mags, these all need to be hit, properly. We’ve got a great industry here and it has never been better but we need more readers. Rich’s idea is a great start and I’d really like to know why it has taken until now to even get suggested! In the past as a retailer I repeatedly asked the US companies what they were doing to promote comicbooks to a mainstream audience and I’d be fobbed off with tails of free comics given away on fairground rides. This is bollocks; Marvel has never been riding higher in terms of mainstream recognition (at least since the 60’s) thanks to their films. DC is part of one of the largest companies on earth. Image…don’t get me started. Only Crossgen seems to actually be doing anything with their Bridges campaign and I’ve got a feeling they’ve got more on the way."
The Muckraker: ”Um, nothings happening with the posters. They were an answer to a brief if you see the original column. Joe's criticisms were of the brief more than the work.”
This Week
Let's see what's caught my interest in this week's comicbook news:
This isn’t exactly comicbook news but bear with me. St Agnes in Cornwall (a lovely little village where my wife’s Nan lives. My own little ‘Echo Beach’) was recently hosting a national Film Exhibition. One of the exhibits was the yellow 3-wheeled Robin Reliant van from UK smash hit (and national institution) comedy Only Fools and Horses. It was reported on the BBC’s teletext service that the van was vandalised while on display. The vandal’s did over £100 worth of damage yet they chose to ignore the car that sat right next to the van…the Batmobile from Batman Returns (wonder if it had anything to do with the fact that Batman is second only to Judge Dredd in popularity amongst the UK prison population?)!
Next, from the SilverBulletins (and before that Reuters):
“A U.S. comic book publisher has decided to let Princess Diana rest in peace, dropping plans to reincarnate her as a mutant comic superhero this autumn, the company says.
Marvel Enterprises said in a statement on Thursday that "upon reflection" it will remove Diana and all references to the royal family in its upcoming X-Statix monthly comics.
The about-face follows a recent announcement by Marvel Comics that it planned to introduce Diana as one of a team of super-powered mutants in a five-series storyline called "Di Another Day."
Company spokespeople were not immediately available to elaborate on the decision.
Diana was to have been a character in a satirical look at fame and pop culture, Marvel said earlier this week.
Buckingham Palace called the idea "utterly appalling" and a "cheap attempt to cash in on Diana's fame and the tragic circumstances surrounding her death".”
OH FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!! Who gives a damn what a bunch of inbreds with God complexes think?! Diana was a nice person, I liked her or more particularly I liked her final incarnation. It was a damned shame the British press literally killed her but for pities sake this is pathetic knee jerk crap. The story probably didn’t exist and this was more than likely an attempt to get this kind of publicity but who cares. My bone here is that anyone actually gives a flying f**k what mad Lizzy and her genetic throwbacks say. From all the info that was released on this story (if it was real) I believe they would have treated Diana with some dignity, which is more than the family Windsor ever did.
“CrossGen Crashes Comic-Con 2003”
Crossgen is planning on making big splash at Comic-Con. Andy Diggle and Jock have signed up exclusively with DC (and I’m sorry to announce this isn’t a US exclusive deal it also includes 2000AD work so no more Lenny Zero, Snow/Tiger or Jock drawn, Diggle written Judge Dredd for a while).
Why do I put the two together?
Easy, I’m throwing down the gauntlet here. DC has recognised the wealth of talent that the UK holds by signing up two relatively new creators. Two top DC Executives will be attending the UK’s Winter Festival and there’s strong hint’s they’ll be back to form with a full booth at the main Festival in 2004. Marvel hasn’t discounted taking a booth in 2004. Which leave the lesser 3 of the big 5…
…Dark Horse. SBC represented you this year and your fans sorely missed you. I’ll get working on you in private.
…Image/Top Cow. You’ve been here before, surely there’s a few Executives who want a European holiday and don’t mind setting up and manning a booth for a couple of days to show that you give a damn?
…Crossgen. After the HUGE presence you are planning at Comic-Con it’s obvious you’re out to improve your image within the industry in a big way. You, like Marvel, haven’t ruled out the possibility of attending the UK Festival but you haven’t said yes either. I hate to say it but your image in the UK needs an enormous lift. Comic shops and fans have either deserted you or have simply never tried you. Give them a reason to discover the incredible products you have.
And to everyone: 2000AD, Com.X and a whole load of indie talents are waiting to make the big time, do you want another company to get their first with an exclusive deal? DC has already shown they’re prepared to enslave relatively new (but damned talented) creators; can you really afford to miss out? Send Editors to the Winter Festival where they can meet up, have a drink and generally chat with UK creators and then hit the Summer Festival BIG TIME with booths, give a ways, talks, signings, sketchings, portfolio sessions, pitch fests and more.
Don’t miss out on the next big creator and don’t leave the European market thinking you don’t give a damn about them. Sign up now!
Contact me on AlanWJDonald@aol.com for more details on the festivals and for booking details.
Online comics
This one's up to you, send me your favourite webcomic and I'll give you some publicity, we love free comics here at SBC.
http://www.comicsontheweb.com/ - Crossgen’s online comicbook service. Various comics are free and membership for the rest is dirt-cheap. The comics load surprisingly quickly and there are a ton of cool features such as pop up speech bubbles, resolution options and the chance to view just the inks. The image quality is great and I’m impressed all round. Oh…the comics themselves, their Crossgen! There has to be something you’ll love.
Why Aren’t You Reading…
Last week I promised you some lovely images from up coming issues of Star Wars tales and I didn’t deliver…bugger. Here they are now and I’m sorry for the wait:
We’re having a heat wave…a tropical heat wave…the temperature’s risin’ etc, it’s hot DAMNED HOT! I hope the rest of you are enjoying as nice weather as we are here (or a nice winter down under). See you next week.
TTFN - Alan Donald signing off to water the garden…again!
Feel free to link to or quote The Final Draft but if you do then I’d appreciate if you’d let me know and don’t take too much (and heck let everyone know where it came from), cheers.
Alan needs your feeedback! Have your say on the Final Draft on the Finally Alan message board.
