Interview with ComixTribe Co-Creator Tyler James

Here at Skatronixxx.com we are passionate about independent/creator-owned comic books as well as their creators and publishers. When we get the opportunity, we love to shine the spotlight on them.

Tyler James is a comic writer, publisher, game designer/producer and teacher from Newburyport,  Massachusetts U.S.A.

What inspired you to create comic books

Matt, my mother, will tell you that her biggest fear when I was a kid was how heartbroken I’d be when I learned I couldn’t actually be a superhero when I grew up.

I’d come home from pre-school every day with a brand new Batman utility belt made with scissors, glue, tape, and construction paper.

So, superhero comics definitely pulled me into the medium, and it wasn’t long before I wasn’t only reading the books, but throwing tracing paper over Spider-man and “drawing” him myself.

I credit the Image explosion of the early 90’s with triggering the “aha moment” realisation that these characters weren’t something that “always existed” but rather were created by actual human beings. Being there from the very beginning of the Image universe definitely had a major impact on me.

It wasn’t long after that that I decided I didn’t want to draw Spider-man as much as I wanted to create my own characters and tell my own stories.

When you decided that wanted to create your own stories what was your biggest challenge or obstacle?

When first starting out, and this was early 90’s so virtually a lifetime ago… I really didn’t have any challenges or obstacles.

I had paper and pencils and a copy of How to Make Comics the Marvel Way by Stan and John, and I was off to the races.

In that regard, I was lucky… when you’re a kid, you don’t really care that there’s so much you don’t know that you don’t know… you just go.

Of course, there were no internet resources, comic cons weren’t a thing I knew about, and my local comic shops were more places of commerce than true communities… so I did things wrong and would later have to unlearn a lot of bad habits.

What do you mean comics aren’t drawn on plain printer paper?

Why would I script out pages in advance rather than draw them one page at a time?

How else would I letter my pages but to draw in the word balloons and letter by hand?

That said, I’m incredibly grateful that I started logging my 10,000 hours at a very young age.

What is the origin story of comix tribe?

Flash forward twenty years or so, and I started working on more and more collaborative projects. After about a dozen years of working on comics entirely as a solo act, I realised that I’d never be able to create all the comics I’d wanted to bring into the world alone.

At that time, I started becoming increasingly obsessed with the craft of making comics and started writing some articles on craft and creating over at ComicRelated and on my own blog.

Eventually, I started working with editor Steven Forbes, who was also writing great how-to content. I hired him to edit a book I was working on… he tore it to shreds. We’ve been friends ever since.

Because I was working on books with other creators, publishing under “Tyler James Comics” didn’t seem like a very compelling option.

So, Steve and I conceived of a site called ComixTribe, which could act as both a resource of articles for comic creators and a publishing imprint for our future books.

ComixTribe.com opened its doors on 1-1-2011.

Having had quite a few successful Kickstarter campaigns, how has Kickstarter changed Comix Tribe?

ComixTribe has been bootstrapped from the ground up. Steven and I were big on ideas and short on cash to invest into ComixTribe.

Cash is oxygen to a business… without it, a business suffocates.

With it… well, you have options.

In 2012, we launched our first successful Kickstarter and in one month raised $26,000 on Kickstarter.

After Kickstarter took its fees, that still meant that more than $23,000 hit the ComixTribe business bank account.

To put that in perspective, that was more funding in one month than I had made in the previous 12 years creating comics, selling them at shows and online, etc. combined!

That infusion of cash helped us not only fund the production of a hardcover graphic novel that the direct market alone could not have supported, but it helped finance print runs for other series, marketing, and other publishing investments.

You can draw a straight line from that first Kickstarter to where we are today… it’s not wrong to say Kickstarter was a game changer for us.

It also continues to be a major part of our overall publishing strategy.

The reality is this… there is no path to victory for a small, bootstrapped, independent publisher selling only $3 comic books through the direct market. None. The numbers don’t work.

But when you’re able to put a system in place that combines Kickstarter, the direct market, conventions, Amazon, and digital sales… those numbers become a little easier to make work…

And then once you start piling upon additional revenue sources such as foreign licensing and media options… they start to get rosier.

And the truth is, success in one area often leads to increased success in other areas…

But you need to get the snowball rolling somehow, and in 2016, I have no doubt that the best platform to get that snowball rolling is Kickstarter.

Many readers are frustrated with the way Marvel and DC have handled their respective universes. Do you see independent/creator-owned comics popularity and sales coming close or equal to Marvel and DC’s in the next five year’s or so?

In the direct market (i.e., Comic Book Shops), no. No chance of that happening. But that’s a pretty narrow view of the comic book industry, isn’t it? I mean, Raina Telgemeier latest graphic novel Ghosts is getting a 500,000 first print run that is more than 700 times what DC’s top selling graphic novel sold last month.

There are webcomics that are read by far more people than any direct market series.

In the direct market, though, you have a Diamond providing 95-99% of the comic product to shops, and Marvel and DC taking up 70-80% of their comic product offerings… that’s not going to change anytime soon.

The good news is that independent creators and publishers don’t need to compete with Marvel and DC to win.

Erica Moen isn’t competing with Marvel and DC. She’s winning.

Jason Brubaker isn’t competing with Marvel and DC. He’s winning.

Greg Pak is working for Marvel and DC… but also doing his own thing outside of the Big Two. He’s definitely winning.

Are there any books or Kickstarter campaigns in the works you can talk about for 2016 or possibly 2017?

Can, I talk about Kickstarter campaigns… oh, man, that’s a loaded question, Matt!

Well, first I’ve got to give a shoutout to two creators who took part in The ComixLaunch Course I taught earlier this year who just wrapped up successful Kickstarter campaigns. Michelle Palmer’s Meraki and Jim Whiting’s Margo: Intergalactic Trash Collector.

The great thing about teaching The ComixLaunch Course and hosting the ComixLaunch.com podcast is that even when I don’t have a project going… I feel like I’ve got an investment in the Kickstarter platform.

Some projects we have in the queue are hardcovers for CHUM and AND THEN EMILY WAS GONE, the next OXYMORON: Killing Time anthology, and THE RED TEN OMNIBUS.

And those are just the projects that we’re talking about publicly.

We are very wary of asking too much of our fan base, and we do try to space out our Kickstarter’s so they can get primary focus when it’s the book’s time to shine.

But you can be we’ll be on the platform again soon.

However, the absolute coolest thing going on right now is what’s happening with SINK, the new John Lees Alex Cormack series. Nearly 500 readers have “got in the van” already, and the early reaction has been phenomenal.

Thanks to Tyler for taking the time to talk with us! Follow him on Twitter @TylerJamesComic also follow @ComixTribe. Subscribe to Comixtribe’s email list http://www.comixtribe.com/subscribe and get five free digital comics!

Check out Tyler’s podcast on 50 creators sharing the #1 Kickstarter Tip  www.comixlaunch.com/50tips

A Finger Lickin’ Good KFC Comic?

So I woke up early this morning to an email from Skatronixx with the subject title KFC comic?. I thought I was misreading it due to me being barely awake, but no he was 100% serious.

Now the fact KFC has a comic book doesn’t necessarily shock me, it’s more the fact that DC publishes it. The first issue was apparently released last year (The Colonel of Two Worlds). I was totally unaware that this existed, so when reading the sequel The Colonel Corps (which is free on Comixology) I had low expectations.

The Colonel Cops is an all ages book. It uses the DC multiverse as it’s a backdrop for what I consider an unoriginal story. The Colonel of Earth one can only seem to remember one of his eleven herbs and spices for his famous chicken recipe after the Colonel Sanders of earth 11 arrived to ask him about it via dimensional travel courtesy of the flash. Earth 11 Sanders can only remember one different ingredient. They determine that the other Colonel’s in different realities know the other nine ingredients and must find them.

Some of the different Earth’s the Colonel’s travel to include  Kingdom Come (Created by Mark Waid and Alex Ross) and All-Star (Created by Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly). It was cool to see these worlds appear in the comic as its the only highlight of the comic for me.

I understand that this is a promotional comic for a fast food chain. It doesn’t change the fact that the story and dialogue are cheesy. I read one site call this the best comic book of the year. Really?  Unless you’re a diehard KFC fan, this comic will be forgotten quickly. Kids may or may not find it entertaining I believe.

While I don’t recommend reading The Colonel Corps, it is at least free.There are also dozens of other free comic options on Comixology, so please look the up as well.  So if you were curious about how they would do a KFC comic by all means check it out. If DC were charging a 2.99 or even .99 price tag, I would think of a better title to support.

Kickstarter Spotlight: Sharkasaurus

Kickstarter has been one of the biggest platforms to get your comic book out to the world, and it shows with over 700 projects currently looking to be funded. One of those projects is Sharkasaurus.

Sharkasaurus is a graphic novel about “a pair of star-crossed lovers; the rebellious emo son of Paleontologist falls for promiscuous daughter of a widowed creationist. After they accidentally awaken a prehistoric tunnelling dino-shark, they must evolve their ideological difference or succumb to the inevitable jaws of Sharkasaurus.”

 With the mention of satire and one-liners as well this seems like a very promising and entertaining graphic novel.  Along with the graphic novel, there is also a short movie based it, with a trailer on their Kickstarter page.

The project has reward tiers for every type of budget. 8$ (Canadian) gets you a digital version of the graphic novel (PDF) and a download link for the short movie, which is a sweet deal. For 25$ (plus shipping) you get the physical copy of the graphic novel including any stretch goals and extra.  For the same price, there is currently 44 of 100 First Backer Version available of the physical copy of the book. It comes signed and number, I choose this tier because signed comics and graphic novel are excellent! So if you’re like me, and like signed books get your pledge in ASAP. If you ever wanted your likeness in a graphic novel and have some extra cash Sharkasaurus can make it happen for a pledge of 250$ or more.

Sharkasaurus currently has 94 backers and raised 5,492$ of its 20,000$ goal. There are 23 days left to pledge (July 28th, 2016 12 am EDT) Pledge Here https://t.co/bDMzqsoHoc if you can. We here at Skatronixxx are happy to support and spread the word about Sharkasaurus.Follow them on  Twitter at @Sharkasaurusnow.

UPDATE: Friday, July, 15th 2016: Sharkasaurs Is now over 50% funded with 12 days to go. Please support If you can!

UPDATE #2 July 22nd, 2016: There are 5 days left for Sharkasaurs to reach its funding goal of 20,000$. They have currently raised 16,555$. If you can support, please do so asap. If not, please share on social media to help them out, the deadline for funding is  Thu, July 28, 2016, 12:00 AM EDT.

Spencer Estabrooks (writer) and Tyler Jenkins (Illustrator) are the Canadian creators of Sharkasaurus. 

PipeDream Comics

To quote Bender from Futurama

 

 

        

I have survived the annoyance of moving and am happy to be back writing for skatronixxx.com!

I was fortunate enough just shortly after setting up my PC to have a brief meeting through social media with Alex Thomas. He is the Editor of The Pull List a fanzine that launched through PipeDream Comics earlier this spring.

The Pull List is loaded with content via PDF download format. It highlights Digital indy comics and content. From comic previews with links to their sites, to full on reviews, to opinion and advice pieces by indy creators, I found myself wanting to check a few titles and creators  I wasn’t aware of. The fanzine also has a few interviews with creators.

The Pull list is organised, and there are not too many ads. They have a top 30 picks for Comixology  Submit (Digital comics platform for publishing original comic book content) in the first issue. They also give some attention to current comic books campaigns on  Kickstarter. 

The PipeDream Comics site has recommendations for digital comics apps for IOS, as well as alternative apps to Comixology. There is also information on how to create digital comics.

The Pull List is released Quarterly and costs £0.99  per issue at gumroad.com/pipedreamcomics 

There are currently two issues out, and issue #1 is free with the option to name a fair price (support if you’re able to).

If you are a fan of the fanzine format, The Pull List is worth the investment. I found myself engaged and wanting to read the content continually.

More articles on the way in the near future, keep checking back at skatronixxx.com.  If you’re on Twitter follow @Skatronixxx, you can also follow me at  @concreteshawzee .

Totally Awesome Hulk #7 Review

Happy new comic book day!

Totally Awesome Hulk Issue #7 is the first Civil War 2 (Marvels big summer event) tie in of the series. I can say with confidence as someone who has not had a chance to read the previous six issues; this is a great jumping on point. There is an excellent summary at the start of the book that will not leave you confused before reading the first page.

The original Hulk Bruce Banner has been missing for eight months, after the events of last years Secret Wars.  Amadeus Cho (also know as  Mastermind Excello, Prince of Power, Iron Spider) has been the Hulk in Banner’s absence. Right from the very first page we see Bruce looking like he does after he reverts from Hulk back to himself, a complete confused mess. As the story progresses, Bruce learns some shocking information and has quite the time processing it. I don’t want to spoil the issue so I can’t say much more.

Writer Greg Pak does an excellent job putting Bruce through different emotions, and it doesn’t feel forced. Artist Alan Daivs brings out the passion of Greg’s writing with his fantastic art. they both seem to show great range on this issue and complement each other nicely, making this book a pleasure to read and look at. There are no filler or unnecessary panels. Every panel has a purpose. I don’t know why this panel sticks out to me the most but let’s just say there’s one involving a bear and it is awesome! There is not a whole lot of negative to talk about on this issue. It’s only a personal negative. I am not a big Hulk fan. That being said this issue does make me want to continue reading and seeing where this storyline goes. Hopefully, it will make me a bigger Hulk fan.

I know that a lot of the big comic review sites use a score out of five system, but I hate it. I prefer a score out of ten it just makes more sense to me. So I give Totally Awesome Hulk #7 9/10.

I recommend you pick this up at your LCS (local comic book store) or online through Comixolgy for those who don’t have a store nearby or just prefer a digital library.

I would like to thank Greg Pak for providing me with a copy of Totally Awesome HulK #7; I was fortunate enough to catch a tweet of his this morning about giving digital copies to reviewers and bloggers.

I know I said my article output would be dropping for a couple weeks but was an unexpected opportunity and wanted to get it out as soon as possible. Sorry for it being short.

Enjoy new comic book day!

 

Comic Creators You Should Follow On Twitter

Ever wonder what your favourite comic book creators are really like beyond the pages? Do you have questions about their creative processes ? Twitter is the best to find your answers!

These are some of the creators I follow.

The frist creator I believe you should be following is Greg Capullo (@GregCapullo). Greg has just recently finished a five-year run drawing Batman For DC. Greg first and foremost is hilarious. Fair warning if you can’t take a joke or are easily offended this account is not for you to follow. If you think you can troll Greg, you are wrong he is a master troll slayer. Besides the entertainment factor, Greg interacts a lot with his fans and regularly shows art progress for his current projects. I met Greg at the Fanexpo Canada convention fours years ago (plan on meeting him again this Sept at Fanexpo Canada) and I have to say he is one of the nicest and coolest creators in the business.

Todd Nauck (@ToddNauck) is another comic book artist who has worked for Marvel And DC, as well as Image. Todd will do a periscope broadcast of him drawing while interacting with viewers as best he can. He will also usually do a Q&A with the viewers after he is finished drawing. The coolest thing is when Todd goes to a convention he holds a contest on Twitter. Todd will post commissions he does for fans on Twitter and to enter you just retweet one or all of the sketches he posts during the three or four days of the convention. Once Todd is back from the convention, he uses a random number generator to determine the winner. The prize is an original head sketch of a character of your choice personalised to you. For more specific details check the link in his bio.

Ryan Stegman (@RyanStegman) is a Marvel comic book artist who is currently drawing Uncanny Avengers. Ryan a daily sketch warm up usually every morning from Monday to Friday. About an hour, before he broadcasts on periscope, he sends out a tweet asking for character suggestion. Once the broadcast is over, Ryan puts the sketch up for sale on his site and is usually gone in a matter of minutes.

Jim Zub (@JimZub) Is a comic book writer who has worked for Marvel (currently writing Thunderbolts. get it if you can ) and has two creator owned books through Image (Skullkickers available in trade paperback and Wayward available in trade paperback and currently ongoing. Also recommend getting it). Jim interacts quite a lot with fans and has a website full of priceless advice for becoming a professional writer in the comic book industry, as well as some business and networking information.

These are just a few of the creators I follow. The chances are high your favourite comic book creator is on Twitter; it seems to be the preferred social media platform. Give them a Google or Twitter search to find out.

My article output will be slowed down for a little bit in the coming week or so. I will be moving my family to a better living situation, and Canada Day is right around the corner.

I do have some articles and ideas in the works. I plan on reviewing All-Star Batman #1 by Scott Snyder, John Romita Jr,  Jock, Sean Murphy and Kill or be Killed #1 by Ed Brubaker And Sean Philips shortly after their respected releases in August. These two books, in my opinion, are going to be the biggest releases for the mainstream and creator-owned markets this summer.

 

Marvel & DC Vs Everyone Else

With  superhero movies dominating the box office, and their comics now in the forefront of mainstream media are there any alternatives to spandex, super strength and speed?

Many people’s first comic was a superhero comic. Whether it was a Marvel comic like Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four, X-force or Avengers, or a DC comic like Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Justice League, Wonder Woman or Green Arrow. Chances are we all started out with one of those titles.

Depending on the time in your life you discovered comics you may or may not feel that the current state of superhero comics in 2016 is a bit stagnate and somewhat frustrating. In the past five years, alone Marvel and DC have rebooted and relaunched their universes numerous times. Countless #1 issues have been appearing on comic shop shelves, which for the most part is to increase sales and to attract new readers.

With superhero movies making big money at the box office this makes sense from a business standpoint. The thing is that rebooting an entire universe messes with some 30-75 years of history depending on the character. This contradicting information can confuse new readers as well as longtime fans, and unfortunately, can anger them to the point of uttering death threats. (Sigh…which is a topic for another article)

The significant events that Marvel and DC have every summer have been criticised as a cash grab. Many Events required you to buy books outside of the main storyline to get the full story. Thankfully recently that has started to change.

That being all said there is a certain predictability to superhero stories. We know when a Character is “killed” off they are never really dead for long. The many crossovers with other books in the universe, with minimal new characters created, makes for a not so bright future for superhero comics.

What I believe we should consider and support are creator-owned comic books. Creator-owned comics are original ideas and intellectual property owned by the creative team. The creators do not answer to a corporate overseer, they have complete control and say in their creation.

Image Comics is a publisher that releases 100% creator-owned comics. In the past four or five years, Image Comics popularity and sales have grown significantly. Thanks to comics like The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman Tony Moore and Charlie Adler, Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples, Lazarus by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark and East of West by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta. Many of these creators made their name with their work at Marvel and DC, which helped them sell their projects at Image.

Comics publisher IDW has the comic book rights some of the 80’s and 90’s biggest tv shows and movies such as Transformers, G.I Joe, Ghostbusters, Back To The Future, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and My Little Pony. They have also brought back older ones like Godzilla, Star Trek and the Rocketeer. IDW even had the 10th season of X-Files before its recent return to tv back  in January.

Other smaller publishers like Boom Studios, Comix Tribe, Oni Press, and many others offer original comic properties. While it may seem like a risk to invest in non-superhero comics, it’s worth it for the variety available today. You also have countless free webcomics and Kickstarter campaigns from amateurs and professionals.

Don’t get me wrong I still pick up a few superhero titles; I’m not saying there aren’t any good superhero titles at all, just not nearly as many as there used to be. So if you find yourself like me lacking a choice in mainstream comics take a chance with creator-owned comics. When you support them, the creators get the money directly allowing them to help themselves and continue to create great content. Many creators have had some awful experiences with Marvel and or DC so supporting their dreams, in turn, gives you new, exciting comics to read.

It would be great to see creator-owned comics surpass Marvel and DC in sales. Hopefully, that day is soon the odds are in their favour.