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DeevElliott

Dave Elliott
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Over the last few years, I have stood by and frustratingly watched as the comic book industry continues to devour itself like the mythical Ouroboros, the snake that ate its own tail. Readership of comics continues to decline, comics that once sold hundreds of thousands of copies struggle to break six figures. A successful independent could be 5000 sales. Sales go down, prices go up. Large companies double down on their popular characters, diluting their entertainment value even more.

While I have primarily always worked for independent companies, I have worked as a freelancer at the larger companies too, both as a creator and packager. I've also worked for comic companies whose main markets were the newsstand and mainstream market.

With this in mind, last year I wrote a publishing proposal for both MARVEL and DC Comics to look at to encourage more lapsed and mainstream readers to start reading comics again.

To understand my approach, you have to understand that both Marvel and DC are owned by large corporations who are in competition with each other. Both produce over 70 different titles every month. These are far more titles than the market can really support, but neither company wants to admit that and neither is willing to cut back.

My idea was to keep the same dollar value of books coming out each month but create a Value For Money appeal to them. Instead of doing annuals as throwaway books just to fill a gap in the schedule, put top creators who no longer do monthly books on them and their shelf life will increase. Imagine Walt Simonson doing a Beta Ray Bill annual every year. Keep them all in print. They will continue to make money and Walt will get a nice royalty to keep doing them.

Below are the proposals I sent to Marvel and DC. I got some interesting feedback from them but they seem too firmly set in their plans to implement much of this.

DC Comics

Publishing proposal


The idea laid out below is to expand the story pages per issue so a single story can be told in each comic. The equation I have worked out is as follows; 80% of the issue is a single story with the other 20% made up of references and fall-out to previous stories and setting up the future stories.

Every issue should be a substantive read and enjoyable on its own with a tease to make the reader want more.

The problem with comics is that they cannot be read by the mainstream reader because there is no starting point. To understand reaching a wider audience you have to understand that the average person does not consume their media in the same way as comics readers have been trained to. They have to learn it in the same way people have been trained to binge-watch Netflix and HBO series where a large story is broken down into chunks. People don’t expect to see an article or interview to be broken down across 6 to 12 issues of People magazine or Vanity Fair. Every magazine is a done in one. Premiere magazine might do a series of features where each issue it looks at a different Stanley Kubrick film. It is a series but each article can be read and enjoyed separately.

The idea is to publish fewer titles at a higher cover price with greater perceived value. It also becomes possible to buy all the core universe books at $70 per month. Reading complete stories would encourage people to stop waiting for the trade, while still satisfying the current audience preferring a longer read.

Another possible suggestion to add to these is to start every year with a new number 1 but start numbering the volumes. Each year is one volume.

I’ve broken down the publishing schedule into MONTHLY, MINI-SERIES, QUARTERLY and ANNUALS.

There are 14 monthly titles but a further 10 titles a month because of the mini-series. I’ve assigned titles based on those that have the most long-range popularity while some titles that are currently popular I have pulled back on in an effort to make sure they stay popular and not to over saturate the market.

MONTHLY:

Monthly titles are 48 pages, 44 pages of story, $4.99

CORE TITLES: Titles that make up the must-read center of the DC Universe.

ACTION COMICS - Superman in cosmic action.
AQUAMAN
BATMAN
BIRDS OF PREY
DETECTIVE COMICS - Batgirl, Batwoman, Robin and Nightwing, sometimes Batman.
FLASH
GREEN ARROW
GREEN LANTERN
JUSTICE LEAGUE
SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS
SUPERGIRL
SUPERMAN - The life and times of Superman. Clark Kent, Lois, Daily Planet etc...
TEEN TITANS
WONDER WOMAN


REGULAR ANNUAL 4 MINI-SERIES: These titles get one mini-series a year. Not necessary to read to understand the DCU. No MINI-SERIES title can affect the larger DCU. Mini-series titles are 32 pages, 24 pages of story, $3.50

AGE OF HEROES (set in the past Viking Prince etc)
ALL STAR BATMAN
BATMAN BEYOND
BATGIRL
BATWOMAN
BLUE BEETLE
CATWOMAN
CYBORG
DEATHSTROKE
DOOM PATROL
GREEN LANTERN CORPS
GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW
GOTHAM ACADEMY
HARLEY QUINN
HAWKMAN AND THE ATOM
HELLBLAZER
JONAH HEX
JUSTICE SOCIETY
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES
LOBO
MOTHER PANIC
NIGHTWING
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS
ROBIN
SHADE THE CHANGING GIRL
SHAZAM
SUICIDE SQUAD
SUPER SONS
SWAMP THING

QUARTERLY:

Quarterly titles are 80 pages, 72 pages of story, $7.99

BRAVE AND BOLD
WORLDS FINEST


ANNUALS:

These are stand alone. Annual titles are 64 pages, 60 pages of story, $6.50

ALL STAR WESTERN
GOTHAM SIRENS
LOIS LANE
METAL MEN
OMAC
PHANTOM STRANGER
PLASTIC MAN
SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS
SGT. ROCK
SHAZAM FAMILY
TRINITY
ZATANNA


MARVEL

Publishing proposal


The idea laid out below is to expand the story pages per issue so a single story can be told in each comic. The equation I have worked out is as follows; 80% of the issue is a single story with the other 20% made up of references and fall-out to previous stories and setting up the future stories.

Every issue should be a substantive read and enjoyable on its own with a tease to make the reader want more.

The problem with comics is that they cannot be read by the mainstream reader because there is no starting point. To understand reaching a wider audience you have to understand that the average person does not consume their media in the same way as comics readers have been trained to. They have to learn it in the same way people have been trained to binge-watch Netflix and HBO series where a large story is broken down into chunks. People don’t expect to see an article or interview to be broken down across 6 to 12 issues of People magazine or Vanity Fair. Every magazine is a done in one. Premiere magazine might do a series of features where each issue it looks at a different Stanley Kubrick film. It is a series but each article can be read and enjoyed separately.

The idea is to publish fewer titles at a higher cover price with greater perceived value. It also becomes possible to buy all the core universe books at $70 per month. Reading complete stories would encourage people to stop waiting for the trade, while still satisfying the current audience preferring a longer read.

Another possible suggestion to add to these is to start every year with a new number 1 but start numbering the volumes. Each year is one volume.

I’ve broken down the publishing schedule into MONTHLY, MINI-SERIES, QUARTERLY and ANNUALS.

There are 14 monthly titles but a further 10 titles a month because of the mini-series. I’ve assigned titles based on those that have the most long-range popularity while some titles that are currently popular I have pulled back on in an effort to make sure they stay popular and not to over saturate the market.


MONTHLY:

Monthly titles are 48 pages, 44 pages of story, $4.99

CORE TITLES: Titles that make up the must-read center of the MARVEL Universe.

AVENGERS
BLACK PANTHER
CAPTAIN AMERICA
CAPTAIN MARVEL
DAREDEVIL
DOCTOR STRANGE
FANTASTIC FOUR
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY
HULK
INHUMANS
IRON MAN
MS MARVEL
NEW MUTANTS
SPIDER-MAN
THOR
X-MEN

REGULAR ANNUAL 4 MINI-SERIES: These titles get one mini-series a year. Not necessary to read to understand the MU. No MINI-SERIES title can affect the larger MU. Mini-series titles are 32 pages, 24 pages of story, $3.50

ANT-MAN
BLACK PANTHER CREW
BLACK WIDOW
BROTHERHOOD (OF MUTANTS)
BULLSEYE
CABLE
CLOAK & DAGGER
DEADPOOL
DEFENDERS
DR DOOM
ELEKTRA
FALCON
GHOST RIDER
HAWKEYE
IRON FIST
KINGPIN
LUKE CAGE
JESSICA JONES
MAN-THING
MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR
NICK FURY
NOVA
PUNISHER
ROCKET AND GROOT
SECRET WARRIORS
SILVER SURFER
SPIDER-GWEN
SUBMARINER
TALES OF ASGARD
UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL
VENOM
WARLOCK
WOLVERINE

QUARTERLY:

Quarterly titles are 80 pages, 72 pages of story, $7.99

BRING ON THE BAD GUYS
MARVEL TEAM UP
MONSTERS UNLEASHED
TALES OF THE WATCHER

ANNUALS:

These are stand alone. Annual titles are 64 pages, 60 pages of story, $6.50

BETA RAY BILL
GHOST RIDER
HOWARD THE DUCK
KAZAR/SHANNA
MAGNETO
MAN-THING
NEW MUTANTS
POWER PACK
SHE-HULK
X-MEN


So what do you guys think?

1/ Would you be okay with there being fewer titles published if it meant the long-term health of the industry could be improved?

2/ Do you think your favorite characters are oversaturated? Is less more?

3/ Would this plan make you read more or fewer comics?

4/ What are you currently reading?

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The BERNATHON 2 was a stunning success!

Many, many thanks to Bill Sienkiewicz, Jason Shawn Alexander and Jim Mahfood for coming along to be part of this super rare experience. Yuge thanks as well to the awesomely talented Hal Hefner who unveiled his latest masterpiece in the store.

It was wonderful and very appropriate to see the passion for Senator Bernie Sanders take form in a glorious collaborative piece of art.

For those who missed the live stream from Meltdown Comics, here is a selection of pictures I took from the evening. If you live in Los Angeles I strongly urge you to head down and check out the art while it is still on the wall. It doesn't have the full effect unless you are seeing it in person.

Bill and myself have more events coming up, so stay tuned!!

Dave

Bern2 01 by DeevElliott

DeviantArt was represented by HalHefnerART and makepictures 


Bern2 02 by DeevElliott

Jason is the brave one who marks the canvas first!!

Bern2 06 by DeevElliott

Jim's going in while Bill lines up his reference.

Bern2 09 by DeevElliott

Artists at work!

Bern2 17 by DeevElliott

Bern2 19 by DeevElliott

Bern2 21 by DeevElliott

Bern2 24 by DeevElliott

Bern2 26 by DeevElliott

Bern2 28 by DeevElliott

Bern2 30 by DeevElliottBern2 29 by DeevElliott

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Bern2 32 by DeevElliott

Bern2 35 by DeevElliott

Bern2 36 by DeevElliott

Bern2 40 by DeevElliott

Bern2 43 by DeevElliott

Bern2 44 by DeevElliott

Bern2 46 by DeevElliott

Bern2 50 by DeevElliott

Bern2 51 by DeevElliott

Bern2 52 by DeevElliott

Bern2 55 by DeevElliott

Bern2 58 by DeevElliott

Bern2 57 by DeevElliott

Bern2 59 by DeevElliott

Bern2 60 by DeevElliott

Bern2 67 by DeevElliott

Bern2 73 by DeevElliott

Bern2 76 by DeevElliott

Bern2 77 by DeevElliott



Bern2 71 by DeevElliott


TeeBernie by DeevElliott



For a short time only, a Bill Sienkiewicz painted Bernie Sanders Tee Shirt. Send me a note if interested. Available in Navy and Black.


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On Friday, February 5th, at the Meltdown Comic book store in Los Angeles, you can watch Bill Sienkiewicz live in store paint a portrait of Democratic Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.

The event, starting at 5pm PST, will be streamed live at XSN.com and will go on until 10pm.

Screen Shot 2016-02-03 at 6.47.20 PM by DeevElliott

The purpose is to not only raise awareness for senator Sanders but it is also a test run of a series of painting events that I have been discussing with Bill Sienkiewicz, so count this as a test run.

Over the last few weeks, Bill has been producing a series of pieces centered around progressive individuals like Elizabeth Warren and rapper Killer Mike.

PLoS by DeevElliott


Campaign financing rules forbid us from collecting donations or selling any item on behalf of the candidate. The piece Bill paints will be going into a traveling exhibition of artists work that are influenced by the Vermont senator, the title of the show is The Art Of A Political Revolution - Artists For Bernie Sanders 2016.

Anyone coming to the show or watching the channel will also be able to buy any of my books for 50% off if you say #iLoveBernie

AtomekART Bernathon2 by DeevElliott


AtomekART Bernathon by DeevElliott

These will be available to buy in store or online. You can always message me here if you are interested.

No sales from the event will be donated to the Bernie Sanders campaign. This is strictly to raise awareness.
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Everyone has their little routines for arranging and breaking up their days. The most interesting ones are those that give you a break from deadlines, when things are coming at you ten times every hour and you need to recalibrate a little just to breathe. There must be a moment to reorganize and process information.

Bunny Laundry Tea Time by raccoonnookTea time with Iedra. by StressedJennyLow tide high tea by wovenlines

For some, that’s Tea Time.

Hot Hot Tea by farcry77

“Tea Time” has been part of my routine since I was a child. As soon as I came home from school, my mother would stop what she was doing and she would make me a cup of tea. This was usually consumed with several biscuits (cookies) while I debriefed my mom on my day. Afterwards I would watch a little TV before starting my homework.



Going to college didn’t change the routine that much, as tea and ideas were shared with fellow students, usually around 4pm, the same time I used to have tea with my mom.

As I type this it is just after 4 and a cup of tea sits by my side. The making of a cup of tea entails a certain ritual, reinforced with science, and cannot be hurried. The most important factor is the first, the proper ritual, and is why you cannot get a decent cup of tea from a diner in America.

Tea time in the swamp by PendaluneTea time with otto by BrianKesinger


Step 1: The water MUST be BOILING. Maybe ‘hot water’ is good enough for coffee but for tea to brew correctly, the water must be boiling. The water bubbles when I drop my tea bag in it. Yes, I use tea bags. I do prefer to use a teapot but I rarely get around to having a second cup so why waste water or tea.
Tea Time by NaolitoTea time by MarinaVeselinovic

Step 2: The cup MUST be preheated before adding the tea and water. I usually use a cup full of boiling water out of the kettle and leave the heat on low underneath the kettle while the cup gets good and hot.

Time for tea by PambaTea Time by TemaTime

Step 3: Pour the boiling water directly over the teabag and let steep for at least two full minutes. This part will require some experimentation until you find the strength that is right for you.

Tea Time III by Nacreous-OrganicTea Time by AureliusCatThe Ageless Wonder of Tea by TeaPhotography

Step 4: Add Milk and/or Sugar as desired. Many black, herbal and leaf teas are refreshing without adding either. It is also important to not add milk until the tea is at your desired strength. The milk will immediately lower the temperature of the water and prevent the tea from brewing efficiently. Leaving the teabag in too long can result in the tea stewing. This can make the tea taste bitter.

Tea Time by carefulwhatyawishforTea time says the King by superTULERA Little Tea Time by conniiption


Step 5: Wash your cup or mug out as soon as possible after drinking to prevent the tannin in the tea from staining your cups.

A Wizard of Tea by ursulavTea Time by pinkparis1233tea time by humphreycat


Mad Hatter: Time for Tea by WiseKumagoroTea by Toru-meowTea Time by daekazu

CHARLOTTE TEA TIME by swdd-catTEA TIME: with Marceline and Bubblegum Princess by meloncrisis


Tea Time by paikan07

Hopefully by this time you can go back to what you were doing refreshed and reinvigorated with all your worldly problems solved.

Tea Time by KjinorTea Time by pungangAmazon Tea-time by croakyTea Time by bpresing

Questions:


1/ What routines or rituals do you have during the day that help you stay organized and sane?


2/ Do the processes and routines you employ to produce your art transfer over in any practical way to other parts of your life?

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DISCLAIMER #1!: This is not an official DeviantART project and DeviantART will not be involved in making selections or in processing any royalty payments.

I have always loved anthologies.  Growing up in Britain 95 percent of the comics were weekly anthologies so it has been firmly ingrained in my psyche.

I've always felt that anthologies are a good platform for experimentation, trying new ideas and styles, introducing new talent and especially good to read in the bathroom.  I'll never forget the impression Heavy Metal had on me when I first saw it.

They're perfect for those moments when you've read through the 100 comics you've bought that month and realized there wasn't a single complete story in the pile.  ;-)

I've recently relaunched two previously successful anthologies, A1 and MONSTER MASSACRE.

A1 page001 by DeevElliottA1 cover 7 by DeevElliottUSA Today page001 by DeevElliott


I have also been enjoying working on Heavy Metal.  Check out my previous journal as I'm sure you will find it of great interest if you like the magazine. 

deevelliott.deviantart.com/jou…

FENRIS (Heavy Metal) cover by Dave Wilkins by DeevElliottDeviantArt Heavy Metal cover 2011 by ARTGERM by DeevElliott

Sooo... DeviantART... We all love it here. For years it has been the art communities greatest secret.  Finally the word seems to be spreading and more and more people seem to be hearing about it.  If you have been to San Diego Comic-con how could you come away not knowing what it is and the effect it has had on the artists in Artists Alley by supporting Clydene Nee and the convention committees efforts there. 

I'd like to have a go at helping spread the word myself.  The format that comes most natural now to me would be a nice big thick book.  But how do I go about editing a selection of the biggest, greatest, art community in the world into a mere 200 page book?  

DeviantART is a community of artists of every kind.  Not just comics and manga.  Concept and videogame design. Sculpture and 3D modeling. Cartoons and anime.  Writers and fine artists.  Photographers and film makers.  Models and cosplayers. Jewelry and tattoos.

I don't know what shape this will take yet.  I'm hoping I get some kick-ass submissions as well as pieces and sets that I'll be reaching out to the community for.

I'm currently planning on the book being approximately 200 plus pages, hard back, 8 x 11 inches and color, although you can still submit work in black and white. I can add more pages but I think it is important to keep the price point to where people can afford this easily.  It shouldn't cost more than $25 dollars.

This will be a book about the dA community.  About the length and breadth of the talent that oozes down the cables onto computers screens around the globe.  I hope this does well enough to achieve two major things.

1/ I hope this becomes a regular series for you.  An annual that takes a snapshot of the community.
2/ I hope this sells well enough so that those that contribute earn a royalty.

See, I don't want anyone to not get paid for their work seeing print, but at this stage I'm not in any situation to pay rates.  My thinking is this, I'll be editing the book but the royalties will go to the artists whose work graces the pages of it.  I also won't have the time to send out royalty checks for single pages where the amounts could be $10, so there will be some rules.

A/ I'll be looking for contributions of 6 or more pages for the book.  This will limit the amount of Deviants but will give those included more room to show off their work and promote it effectively.
B/ There will be no upfront payment for the inclusion of your work but all deviants will share equally in a royalty that will be 8% of cover price.  Whatever royalty comes in will be divided by the amount of pages in the book to work out how much each person will earn.
C/ I will update the entire community so everyone will know how many copies of the book is sold and what the payments will be.  This will be done through an updated journal.  Royalty statements are usually issued every six months after the book has officially gone on sale.  If we sell 2000 copies in the first 6 months that'll be around $3600.00 dollars in royalties to be divided among the contributors.  Not much but if more books come out and the earlier books are kept in print, that could build up nicely over time.  Royalties will only be paid once the print and shipping costs have been recouped.
D/ Complimentary copies cost money so there will be 3-5 copies per creator upfront for free and then additional copies will be available for purchase at a little over cost. Don't forget, postage and handling costs money too.

Any one who either has experience of book design or wants to be a book designer can also pitch their ideas for the design of the book.  I'm open to help and ideas to get this done.

I'll keep adding to this as I think of anything else.

DISCLAIMER #2!!: This is not an official DeviantART project and DeviantART will not be involved in making selections or in processing any royalty payments.

Please remember that whatever you submit must be yours.  You can't submit artwork or stories that incorporate elements or characters or artwork that are owned by others.  No Batman or Wolverine or Harry Potter stories please or My Little Pony pin-ups.  Also, only submit if you genuinely feel your work is ready to see print. I know it is tough assessing your own material, be brutal with yourself.

DISCLAIMER #3!!! I work for a living and in the comics industry that means you work hard for little money and rarely get a break.  If I like what I see I will tell you but I won't be able to reply to everyone about why I couldn't use your work and/or give a critique.  You will find that very few editors ever have the time to get back about submissions.  Sometimes if you're lucky you'll get a rejection slip in with your returned submission.

In this case either post below or send me a message with a link to the pieces you want to submit.

Also, this isn't a race.  I want to give as many people the chance to see this as possible.  Think hard about what you want to submit or do for this.  I'll update this journal when I have set a firm deadline.

I'm not setting a deadline for submissions at this point as I want as many people to see this as possible.  I'll probably set a deadline around the end of October once people have had a chance to think about this.  By then I'll have all the points finalized and be able to give you all the details. I should also have an approximate on sale date for the book.

NOTE: THERE IS NO DEADLINE SET AT THE MOMENT!

DISCLAIMER #4!!!! This is not an offiicial Deviantart project and deviantart will not be involved in making selections or in processing any royalty payments.
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