{"id":1813,"date":"2016-06-21T13:01:00","date_gmt":"2016-06-21T20:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/?p=1813"},"modified":"2023-12-20T13:07:22","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T21:07:22","slug":"devourer-of-words-039-comic-con-questions-answered","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comic-con.org\/toucan\/devourer-of-words-039-comic-con-questions-answered\/","title":{"rendered":"Devourer of Words 039: Comic-Con Questions, Answered"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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MARC BERNARDIN’S DEVOURER OF WORDS<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Devourer of Words 039: Comic-Con Questions, Answered<\/h1>\n\n\n
Marc Bernardin<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Toucan<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Marc<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve given a decent amount of advice for writers during convention season\u2014posts\u00a0here on “Convention Season”<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0here on my own experiences at Comic-Con\u2014so with Comic-Con 2016 barreling towards us, I figured I\u2019d see what specific questions you lot wanted answered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So I asked you. Here are some Qs harvested from my Twitter feed (I\u2019m at\u00a0@marcbernardin,<\/a>\u00a0if you\u2019re interested in playing along). Hopefully they will add a little something to your convention experience this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Tyler Westhause<\/strong>\u200f<\/strong> (@twesthause): \u201cWhat are the essential ‘Must Do’s’ at a convention.\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s actually really hard to say, as that depends entirely on the kind of convention you want to have. As I\u2019ve said before, success at a con as massive as San Diego is about defining your expectations. Are you there for comics themselves? Are you more of a TV fan or a movie fan? Do you know other people attending\u2014does it become more of a social event that anything? Are you a cosplayer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But without knowing the specifics, I\u2019d say to set three goals: the dream, the longshot, and the sure thing. And then try to make those happen. Let\u2019s say you\u2019re a comic book writer. The dream should be landing some actual paying work from a publisher. Possible to achieve, but highly unlikely unless you\u2019re already a working pro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The longshot could be getting into an industry party. Definitely not impossible, if you know where to look. But not the easiest ticket in the world to score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the sure thing could be meeting a potential collaborator. Artists, editors, publishers\u2014 they\u2019re all there. Most of them have established time at a booth somewhere. Track \u2018em down. Shake their hands. Tell \u2018em who you are and what you want to do. Some will be more receptive than others, but meeting them is on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Tom Markham (<\/strong>\u200f<\/strong>@DarthBreesus): \u201cAs someone who has never gone, how are events set up? Do they overlap or can you see all there is to offer?\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

There is no way to see everything. Absolutely not possible. As I told Tyler above, you have to decide for yourself what your priorities are. But there are four days of Comic-Con, and every half hour there are dozens of official events to choose from\u2014panels, screenings, signings\u2014all happening at the same time. Not counting whatever unofficial events are happening away from the convention center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choose wisely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From David Cava (<\/strong>\u200f<\/strong>@CavaDavid10): \u201cWhere do you go to learn how to write for comics? How do you get editors to read your stuff?\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ll answer the second part, first: Editors will not read your stuff. By and large, this is the great disadvantage of being a comics writer as opposed to being a comics artist. An editor can look at three pages of interior art and know if an artist is ready for the big leagues\u2014or can be shaped into one without much hassle. You can\u2019t look at three pages of a script and know if a writer can do much more than just type. Basically, you need to be published\u2014in any fashion. Webcomics you print out, fanzines, ashcans, indie stuff \u2026 any of it will serve you better than approaching cold with a script for even a pitch. Having a finished version of your work will show that SOMEONE took a risk on you\u2014the artist, a publisher, etc\u2014and you have actually seen a piece through to completion. That goes a long way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for how to write comics, I\u2019d look at books like Brian Michael Bendis\u2019 Words for Pictures,<\/em> Mark Salisbury\u2019s Writers on Comics Scriptwriting,<\/em> and Scott McCloud\u2019s Understanding Comics<\/em> and Reinventing Comics.<\/em> (Editor\u2019s note: Check the Comic-Con Programming Schedule for possible panels and workshops on writing comics. The schedule will appear online approximately 2 weeks before the event.)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then put those books down and start writing. Those books will tell you how to format, will give you the basics of how comics themselves work, but they can\u2019t tell you which stories to tell or how to tell them the most effectively. Only experience will do that. So start amassing experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From Marry Banilow X (<\/strong>\u200f<\/strong>@BackAgainBen86): \u201cWhat was your best\/worst #SDCC experience?\u201d<\/strong><\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Best experience: Pitching AiT\/Planetlar publisher Larry Young the idea for my first ever comics work, the original graphic novel Monster Attack Network,<\/em> over lunch and having him buy it on the spot. It was a fantastic experience for obvious reasons. (Runner up: Crashing the Nerd Machine party in 2014 and dancing until 4:00 AM with, among others, half of the Whedonverse cast and the King in the North. And then that other time I told Battlestar Galactica<\/em>\u2019s Mary McDonell that it was okay with my wife if she moved in with us, because she is that awesome.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worst experience: I honestly don\u2019t have one. You have to understand: Every time I\u2019ve attended Comic Con, I\u2019ve either gone as a member of the press or as a professional (most times as both.) As such, my convention experiences are, frankly, ridiculous. Statistically speaking, no one does Comic-Con the way I (and some of my contemporaries) do Comic-Con. So even when I am pissed about one thing or another at Comic-Con\u2014a panel I couldn\u2019t get into, a party I wasn\u2019t invited to attend, a meeting that got canceled\u2014I completely understand that me complaining would be like me saying that my diamond shoes are too tight. Champagne problems, to be sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marc Bernardin\u2019s Devourer of Words appears the third Tuesday of every month here on <\/em>Toucan, except next month, which is July, and we\u2019re pretty sure something else is happening.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Written by<\/p>\n\n\n

Marc Bernardin<\/div>\n\n\n

Published<\/p>\n\n\n