Jamie Gambell

Let's see how this goes

2012-01-24T23:18:00.000-08:00

Okay, I've been speaking a lot about making creator owned work readily available recently, and making it a price point to match.

So I've decided to undertake a little experiment.

I'm going to offer up a link where you can download the full Omnitarium story - all four 24 page issues in one book.

If you feel so inclined, you can leave a tip as thanks via the donation button on the left - any amount you deem suitable.

You can download the file from here.

Please spread the word, as far and wide as you can.

Thanks.

Tipping Names

2012-01-24T06:11:00.000-08:00

On the drive to work yesterday, I switched off the radio and decided to daydream.

I was thinking that if I had unlimited resources, which spin-off books would I want from the Hero Code universe, and which creative teams would I want on them.

Unlimited.

It got me thinking, and waffling on at Twitter (where I tend to 'hang out' @jamiegambell) about the state of the comic book industry, and the notion of super-star creators.

When I was growing up and starting out, there was really only two creators whom it seemed everyone knew - Chris Claremont and John Byrne.

Pretty soon an Englishman with a beard and crazy ideas, and a wirery and firery ninja-obsessed New Yorker were the creators everyone cared about. And by everyone, I mean everyone.

Comic super-stars seemed to be a thing. Sometimes the artist are calling the shots, sometimes the writers.

So who are the super stars today?

Are there names today who will absolutely guarantee you big sales? Even if you were to put out an indie book, or even a self-published book, who are the names who push you into that magical number of sales which mean that you make a profit?

If they exist, could it be done? Could a self publisher hire a recognized writer and artist on a book - a spin off from their own title - and make money? Would it extend to other titles?

Until my resources are a little bigger, I'll not be trying to find out. Perhaps a lottery win or something will allow me, though, to put together a team, and find out if the world is ready for Warren Ellis and Giannis Milonogiannis' Intranauts series?

The Black Wraith pin up

2012-01-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

The oh-so-excellent Michael Neno was kind enough to produce this beautiful pin-up of the Black Wraith for The Hero Code:

Seeing this has really got me thinking how cool it would be to produce a newspaper strip story of the adventures of The Black Wraith.

Maybe a single contained story about the character, told across a series of strips which could be posted online.

What do people think?

Scarcity and free comics

2012-01-21T13:30:00.000-08:00

SOPA has been sent packing.

A swell of public objection to a rather poorly worded bill forced through by old media to get the new media upstarts in line seems to have done the job, for now.

I am very much against any kind of censorship, and really do genuinely believe that the internet should be a place of freedom, a place of collective and shared opinion, knowledge and wisdom. A place free of the bullshit that comes with politics.

Politically speaking, I am disillusioned. I would say that most of my thinking leans more to the left - sometimes a lot more - but I do not fall into supporting any camp. I do object to politics being controlled by money, I do object to tax money being wasted. Mostly I think it behoves us to support the needy, to help the desperate, to keep the playing field level, and to listen to each other and actually debate points rather than shouting down opinions and slurs against those who differ from us.

I also think that it is far too easy, and, anyone with a modicum of history should know, far too prevalent a thing to create scapegoats rather than dealing with problems head on.

Piracy of ideas exists. It happens a lot with big businesses, who have the strength of litigation and time/money on their hands. It happens with spoilt kids who don't see anything wrong with not paying for stuff they want.

On the one hand, I applaud the resources of some - able to find the thing they want and get it instantly.

On the other, creativity is not a hobby. For many it is their lively hood. Be it an artistic endevour, or one of commerce. It's simple - reward the creative people, and you enable them to create more, grow more, move us all collectively forward.

It's called progress.

Copyright law, as it stands at present, is getting pretty close to being the antithesis of progressive. It's the same as economics - if you allow too much of one thing to be held by a small minority, it lessens the strength of the thing overall. Too much money = less growth. Too many IP's = less creativity.

Scarcity is an interesting argument for piracy, one I almost agree with. In this day and age, one simply must make what they are selling as easy to purchase as possible.

However, if you are pirating something which is readily available, then you are basically hurting the creators of thing you want to own. If you are going to do that, at least be nice and try to spread the word about the book. Maybe someone along the line will pay for it, helping the creators out.

Comics are an interesting model - most, by a vast majority, do not make much money. Of all the books I have created, not one of them is "in the black". Not anywhere near the black. Pretty effing far from the black, in fact! And so I want to make them readily available.

Digitally, physically, easily. If someone asks "how can I read this?" to a self publishing creator, they need to answer "easily" and often "quickly". We are up against a lot of competition in a busy and small market.

One thing I like to do, once a series I am working on becomes more than an issue old, is to offer the first book for free. It doesn't always lead to someone buying issues 2, 3, 4 onwards, but it does help get the book into someones hands. After that, the next issues have to be available easily and quickly.

We are currently working on issue 2 of The Hero Code. Once this is finished and available, issue one will be available for free digitally. I plan on keeping the series evergreen - both in terms of availability and relevence. I also hope to one day put the series, even an issue of it, in the black.

Hopefully, this will be soon.

Response Time is a Factor

2012-01-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Comics seem stuck in a mire.

I've mentioned before the problem with the cycle of supply and demand - that comics play the same beats because that is what sells, but it is what sells because it is what is offered at most stores - and think that comics will continue to spiral down until this changes.

Firstly, and I want to make this clear, I do not think the blame rests on any one group here.

Stores are business and need to be run as such. They will order books that sell, and get better deals on well known publisher's titles. Better deals, better return. Well known books sell better. No brainer. Space is limited in most stores, and the rotation of stock is such that most people do not want to be left holding too much of one thing. Supply and demand. Scarcity drives up prices.

Publishers have to create what sells. For the most part, that is well known properties. However, the bigger publishers have an unfair advantage in that they get preferential treatment in the distribution model, often have the backing of a bigger creative force, command free advertising in the form of press releases to internet and other news outlets, and have a 50-80+ year brand recognition on their sides.

What sells is events. What will they produce then? In a shrinking market (a target audience with no back door, no new "clients") it is best to not try anything too risky. Even the big apparent risks are little more than distractions, gimmicks under different names, which ultimately lead into the status quo.

The reader demands a certain type of book. They have flocked to see the big-budget, multi-character, moment-minus-character type story telling. It's mostly about the moments collected in trade-sized story chunks. And they love them. They want violence, questionable morale and ethical stances, the same old stuff, but like a mega-budget movie - comics are not for kids!

Here are the problems though.

Comics should be for everyone. Not aimed at kids, but suitable for everyone, regardless of age, gender, race. Why? Because it just makes good business sense, that's why. Aim for everyone, get more people. Aim for a select few, you might get some of them.

Also, comics need to stop limiting themselves to the mega-budget movie model. They should be trying to be more than that. Here is a quick-response cultural art form, limited only by imagination and talent, and yet it continues to aim low.

Too many creators are limiting themselves. I understand why. You create a book that gets you noticed by the big boys, maybe they'll give you a chance. Maybe they will actually pay you to do this, rather than you losing money to put out your book!

Then, maybe, just maybe, you'll get a little name recognition and people will go back and order your creator owned series - the one that you hoped would make you rich.

Indie and self-creators can be a new hope.

I think that the books being created away from the direct market, away from the confines of the need to pamper to a small audience, and free to actually try new things, could invigorate the comic book medium in a huge way.

Benefiting from the ever-green model, and free to ensure that a book is available always and readily could really help make something happen. It may take time, but I think it is the future.

But everyone has to join in.

Stores have to provide an outlet for these titles.

Creators have to put the effort in to make the books something special.

Readers need to take a chance on something new.

Maybe together there will be a future in this funny book business.

Hero Code issue 2 - Jonathan Rector's cover

2012-01-14T16:17:00.000-08:00

Here are the inks for The Hero Code's issue two cover by Jonathan Rector:

Department O

2012-01-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

So last night on Twitter I announced the new comic book series I am currently working on.

Originally intended to be a revamp of Omnitarium, I changed direction slightly and came up with Department O, A dark-humoured horror series.

A secret service of the crown, Department O are the people who protect the realm from those things which go bump in the night. They are all that stands between us and everything else.

Two things got me thinking about the change. A couple of people had mentioned that they weren't that into the name Omnitarium, and with the chance of a fresh start, it seemed right to go somewhere else. Secondly, Omnitarium volume one is done. The story is finished. I loved working with J.C. Grande on the book, so why not keep that universe where it is, maybe go back to it with J.C., and bring something new to the table?

That's what Department O is. It will touch upon matters from the Omnitarium world, but it is a new series, with a new team.

The series will feature art by the incredibly talented Andrew Ross MacLean - someone who I love and have admired for years, and who I was lucky enough to work with on a short story for the Samurai The Graphic Novel anthology (our story should be appearing in issue two of that series).

We are in the early stages right now, the first arc is plotted and I am 15 pages into the script for issue one, but I hope that we will have some character designs to show you soon.

Stay tuned folks! 2012 will be all about Hero Code with Jonathan Rector, and Department O with Andrew Ross MacLean!

Hero Code review copies available

2012-01-02T15:50:00.000-08:00

If you are interested in receiving a review copy of The Hero Code issue one, please send an email to me at theherocode[at]gmail dot com and I'll get a PDF of the book out to you.

Please link back to the series website - http://www.herocode.net - and let me know when and where reviews have been posted and I'll be sure to link to them.

Many thanks!

Digital Subscriptions - now available!

2011-12-31T14:00:00.000-08:00

Digital subscriptions for the Hero Code are now available from the website.

I will be making print subscriptions available in the near future.

Hero Code news - Variant covers, mailings and likes...

2011-12-31T10:00:00.000-08:00

Okay, first up - I hope you all have a great end to 2011, and wish you all the best for 2012!

Now, onto business.

I will be discontinuing the availability of the variant covers through the online store at the end of January, 2012.

From February onwards the only cover available through the online store will be Drew Johnson's cover.

Jonathan Rector's cover will become the subscription only cover (print subscriptions will become available once issue two is completed).

Karl Alstaetter's wrap around cover will be available at conventions only.

The three covers will remain available for the next month only, so if you want to order one, you have a limited time in which to do so.

The store can be found here.

Remember to sign up for the Hero Code mailing list - http://www.herocode.net/

We will be previewing covers and interior artwork, as well as running competitions through the list, and will not be flooding your inbox!

Finally, if you haven't already, please visit the Hero Code Facebook page and please click 'like'.

Thank you all for you support, comments, likes, linking and reading - here's to much more in 2012!

Hero Code mailing list

2011-12-29T12:34:00.000-08:00

I'm starting a Hero Code mailing list.

Subscribers will get news, previews and notices of competitions before others - http://www.herocode.net

Sign up today to stay ahead in all things Hero Code related!

I'm going to keep the mailing relatively light - I really don't want to spam people with updates and information. The plan is to try to not do more than a message a fortnight, and only if there is news or updates to report.

On the One Hand... 2012 will be all about the books

2011-12-28T14:24:00.000-08:00

Here's the deal - I really want to get the next four issues of Hero Code going as soon as possible. The first arc of the series is a five issue intro piece really, and I think it would be a really good thing to get the story going.

Ideally I'd love to have it as a quarterly book, but schedules and finances of both the real world and the comic producing world, often want to have their say on those matters.

There are a number of conventions I could attend in 2012 - starting with the Amazing Arizona Comic Con in January.

Conventions can be good for indie creators, as they really do serve as a great way of meeting new fans and building a fan base for a work.

However, for a writer-only, they can be a tough grind. A lot of artists are able to make some money from shows by offering sketches and original pieces.

One could consider the costs of a con to be a promotional or advertising expense for a series, and if they are able to keep costs down, it can work out as worthwhile in the long run.

At the moment though, I really want to focus on building the series.

And so I'm making the decision to not attend any conventions in 2012, but instead work on getting the next issues of Hero Code finished and out into the world.

I will be starting a mailing list for the series, and also working on the subscription layouts (one idea is to have a kind of "Hero Code membership" program - engaging fans in the series more by having them be part of the world, opening up competitions and the like to them). I think this will be a good way to garner what the fan-base of the series is.

I'm also hoping to get a better idea of where fans of the book are based through this.

I think this will help for future convention plans - ideally I would love to get an idea of where interest in the book exists, and then work up a convention schedule to fit that.

Ideally I want to have the first arc finished by the end of 2012, and then in 2013 attend a few conventions with perhaps a digest trade of this first arc - naturally allowing for real world distractions! Focussing on the series for a year, and building the world a little more will, I think, be a great benefit in the long run.

Paradox of choice

2011-12-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

I recently watched the Barry Schwartz Ted Talks' 'Paradox of Choice' presentation, and it left me wondering.

In the world of comic books there so often is a dearth of options - characters appearing in multiply titles, covers upon variant covers, the big companies vs the smaller publishers - are these to the detriment of the reader and collector, or are they a cunning attempt to suggest options where non-really exist?

A lot of the books cross over during big stories, meaning that to follow the story path you need to get all of the books - so is the real choice is "all or none"?

Do variant covers actual make a difference any more? Do people genuinely still want to collect, bag and store books in the hope that their value will rise? Has this 20 odd year speculative market resulted in less substance and more razzle dazzle?

For my own book, The Hero Code, I had three covers available for the first issue - as part of the Kickstarter campaign.

I could detect some interest in specific covers, but not much - at least not enough to persuade me that it was a totally worthwhile exercise. It made for a nice bundle of rewards for the campaign, but I often feel that the most streamlined of campaign rewards are the most successful at attracting backers.

The paradox of choice.

With this in mind, I am thinking of limiting the availability of the variant covers somewhat. Offering up the Main cover through the online store, the B cover (Jonathan Rector's cover) as a subscription only cover and the C cover (Karl Altstaetter's wrap around cover) at conventions only.

Opinions on a postcard, please...

Digital and pricing and subscriptions

2011-12-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

Following on from various discussions and this article from Tyler James, I felt it would be good to outline my plans for digital pricing on future Monkey Pipe Studios books.

Single issues will be priced at 0.99c

The first issue of a series will be offered for free as soon as a second issue is available

Issue One's will be maintained as free, while all subsequent issues will remain at 0.99c

Trade's or collected editions will be priced at $2.99

That's pretty much it.

I've also been thinking about offering subscriptions for series. This is a little less thought out, so any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Physical books - 5 issue subscriptions @ $30 US, $40 Overseas

Digital books (setting up a mailing list which would send links to download a PDF of the book) - 6 issues @ $5

Indie books take a little longer to produce than mainstream books, but our aim is to keep books at 3-4 issues per year.

Let me know what you think.

Comics should be disposable...

2011-12-06T09:08:00.001-08:00

Over the weekend, in a beautiful piece of created news, The Bleeding Cool news website reported that Dark Horse Comics was planning to offer up their books day and date digitally at a cheaper price point.

I say created, as the original release made no actual mention of this beyond the day and date aspect - something which DC have been doing since they relaunched their titles in September, and something which a lot of other companies have been doing for some time.

A mild storm kicked up on Twitter, with a lot of comic book retailers (Local Comic Book Stores, or LCS) reacting angrily at the suggestions of being undercut by the digital market. Many of them announced plans to not carry Dark Horse comics beyond subscriptions (link).

Dark Horse reacted by releasing a statement of clarification.

It was news about nothing - news about the news makers reporting on their reportage.

It did raise some interesting questions over digital distribution in comics, though.

A lot of people have complained about the DC model of digital pricing - the books are the same cost as their print cousins, but with none of the production costs. Why are they charging so much?

The main reason seems to be as a kind of sweetener for the LCS' of the world - to ensure that print remains a viable option to the casual purchaser. In much the same way that the recent "test" by Universal to offer streamed versions of their film Tower Heist on day and date of theatrical release was shot down pretty quickly by movie theaters everywhere, the publishers are possibly concerned with something similar happening at their main point of access.

Comic books are becoming readily available from other sources - both digital and non - but the Direct Market has had such a hold over things for the last couple of decades, that the main place to access content remains the LCS.

Digital has massive pro's for the smaller publishers of the world - it provides a low cost point of sale with smaller risk than print runs. It's return isn't as good, but the DM is so heavily stacked in favour of the bigger publishers, that even this isn't so great an option any more.

DC's relaunch possibly did something more harmful than cheap digital options ever could. It made a grab for shelf space, possibly pushing out smaller books in favour of a heavily publicized product which stores used to make a quick buck on. It also made for a three month period of lame duck product for many stores, with all of their titles effectively being cancelled.

I know the concerns of the stores are valid. They are worried that a shrinking market is going to be made tougher by the ease of use options which digital offers. The cheaper price point may make it a done deal for a lot of people too.

Fact is, LCS' have been the haven of the collector for at least 20 years. Comics are no longer low priced, disposable items. I wish they were - I wish there was a newsprint cheap version of every book on every newsstand and in every drug store across the country and world - a one dollar version of the book which, maybe didn't look so nice, but read just fine, and was an easy pick for kids at stores - you know, kids - the future readers - the ones which most LCS' don't court or couldn't care less about.

You could then have a higher priced smaller run at the LCS' available through the DM - the collector copy.

Digital should be cheaper, too. The production costs are small. Dark Horse, if they were indeed going to offer day and date cheaper digital, would have my support as a consumer. It would be a reaction as a business to a complaint by a client base. Digital should be cheaper.

Maybe stores should be talking with publishers about their concerns and offering up suggestions.

Maybe digital books could be pure vanilla books - no added content? Maybe a code could be added to the end of the book - if you liked this and want to buy a print take this to your local store and get a discount on the book/trade? Something to get the collectors away from their iPads and into the stores.

As a consumer I have not the device to read them on, nor the inclination to purchase digital books at a high price point. I like to use them as tasters for possible purchases later down the line.

However, as a self-publishing creator they are invaluable. Shipping to overseas often makes my books too expensive, but digital sales cut out those costs. Not having access to the DM, and therefore to stores (some stores could be doing a lot more to foster relationships on this - you will probably need them in the future!) means that my books aren't available everywhere. With digital they can be.

Angry reactions to a changing market are what hurt most other print industries and the music industry. Perhaps more dialogue is needed, and a little less bombast?

When the Wind Blows

2011-12-04T10:59:00.001-08:00

There was a certain beauty in the way that the sky was illuminated by exploding transformers this last Wednesday.

Living on the edge of the heart of the storms which hit LA that night, we were inconvenienced by power outages for a couple of days. I've been working on a low budget movie called Lust for Love, so was away from the cold and darkness, but the drives home were dramatic in a safe way.

Work will be eating up a lot of my time for the next couple of weeks - but once I am past that I will be starting work on some blog series, talking about creating comics on a budget.

I want to try and make them regular, so will probably work on getting a bank of four or five completed before I start posting, and then make it a weekly or fortnightly event.

Have a great week everyone!

#31 - The Folded Eye

2011-11-29T08:02:00.001-08:00

Last one for a while - I have a job starting up which has cut into my time. There are about three or four more to add, and I will be doing that soon... just not as part of the #30Characters Challenge.

#30 - Kinetic

2011-11-28T07:48:00.001-08:00

#29 - White Shade - V1 and V2

2011-11-27T07:31:00.001-08:00

White shade variations, one and two...

Small Business Saturday

2011-11-26T08:46:00.001-08:00

In the spirit of the day, I am offering The Hero Code issue one variant covers at 40% off at the store for today only - http://monkeypipestudios.bigcartel.com/product/hero-code-issue-1

The variant covers feature art by Jonathan Rector and Karl Altstaetter.

The standard cover by Drew Johnson will feature a 20% reduction for today also.

Sale ends today at midnight, PST.

#28 - Psion

2011-11-26T08:17:00.001-08:00

Character #28 - Psion

#27 - Mister Yes

2011-11-25T07:37:00.001-08:00

Mister Yes - bad guys should always dress smartly and wear masks...

We're nearly at the end of the 30 Characters Challenge, and I'm considering what to do next.

Day job, family and comic book creation aside (because there are far too many hours in the day, obviously!) I'd like to add a couple more things to the list.

1. Firstly, I've been speaking with a few other creators, and I'm considering writing a weekly, or bi-weekly article on putting together a comic book. Kind of going through some of the trials and errors I went through, and giving some help to others, hopefully. An expansion on my earlier article about putting out a book at the lowest cost possible.

2. Secondly, with November also being NaNoWriMo, I'd love to still try adapting Omnitarium into a prose novel. I was thinking of doing it as part of NaNoWriMo, but something had to give, as November filled to bursting. Maybe I could do a chapter a week?

Hope all the US readers had a great Thanks Giving, and everyone else had a great Thursday!

#26 - The Electricutioners

2011-11-24T09:44:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, US folk!

#25 - The Benefactor

2011-11-23T10:00:00.001-08:00

Heather and Jonathan nailed this page.

#23 and #24 - Mister Neat and Mister Tidy

2011-11-22T06:21:00.001-08:00

Mister Neat and Mister Tidy;

I grew up on spooky English shows where budget's were pretty non-existent and the props people had to be inventive. It instilled a sense of fear for the ordinary in me.

The art on this is from an unused page from issue one of the Hero Code - something which was re-worked and dropped, but might make it's way into a future issue.

I was channelling a combination of Roger Hargreaves and Sapphire and Steel, with just a hint of Wint and Kidd - and Jonathan and Heather got the vibe instantly!