Hi all you comic fans, this is my first post on the blog, but I will be posting regularly until we get the beta books completed to let people know how it is going with their production, and using the dashboard to produce comic books on-line.
My name is Alex, and I am the editor for the beta book comic titled The Mix, which was written by Ian Goodwille. The beta books are comics that we are producing to get ready for the Comic Creation Nation kick-off, to make sure all the systems are running smoothly, and the process for creating them will be the same as for all the future books published by Zeros2heroes.
I have been working on The Mix book for a couple of weeks now and it must have been on my mind, because last night I dreamed about it, except in the dream, The Mix was a video game that I was playing. It ended ( the dream ) with me finding a rocket launcher and blowing up a roof-top parking lot. I’m going to have to lay off the cheese before bed maybe.
I should tell you that the Mix is an action/crime comic, with lots of this type of action (no rocket-launchers though). The story focuses on a young man who grows up in a criminal family, and has to contend with his evil and possibly psychotic brother on his way to becoming the leader of the family and the criminal underground in the fictional city of New Unity.
So, where we are at right now in the production of the Mix is: the art teams have been chosen for the book and the script has been formatted for the comic book page. The artists are now working to create the first character drawings and the first page of the comic should be completed by next week. The art style will be dark and somewhat sinister, but have a modern feel.
The dasboard has been working well so far with only minor glitches, and those being worked out quickly, and it promises to be a very powerful tool for comic writers and artists to post and communicate and to produce comic books online
I will keep you updated as the book continues to come together, and we should have The Mix published on line as finished comic early in the new year.
Comments (6)
Sounds promising!
Comment by MrIrony | December 11th, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
My question regarding this is:
What! does it take to be a solid Z2H editor? What sort of expertise can we expect the selected editors to bring to the table and will we be privy to their evolution within the confines of the community?
Keep up the good work all!
- Christian
Comment by Fetternity | December 12th, 2007 @ 12:56 am
Fetternity,
Zeros 2 Heroes editors are hired for their reckless disregard for the lives of pigeons, their almost unquenchable thirst for low-grade Czechoslovakian absinthe, and an uncanny knack for quoting from the works of Kierkegaard at only the most awkward moments.
They spend most of their time in what they call “the dojo” (our little-used freight elevator) engaging in primal scream therapy and certain of the lesser known Icelandic martial arts. Occasionally, they issue forth to harangue our tech team on arcane matters of nomenclature.
I’m not sure how all this will improve the quality of our comics, but I’ve been assured that as long as we keep the absinthe flowing freely (and continue to deftly deflect pigeon-related inquiries from PETA), all will be well.
Hmmm, on second thought, maybe I’d better let Julian answer this question.
- ChiefZero
Comment by CE0 | December 12th, 2007 @ 4:19 pm
Ah yes, kindness to animals and, if not absinthe, then Pernod will do in a pinch. Being an editor here at Z2H requires a passion for comic books, an eye for design, excellent communication skills, faith in the inherent goodness of (almost) everyone, pathos, empathy, stubbornness, a wisdom learned from mistakes and not from the observations of others’ fumbles, curmudgeonly skepticism mixed with youthful optimism, good timing and enjoyment of the good times, enjoying Good Times (Dy-No-Mite!), a disdain towards so-called organized religions, and knowing you can never know it all. Most of these are requirements before starting work as an editor with Z2H, and others are acquired following the week-long sensory deprivation celebration new recruits must suffer alone in “the dojo”.
Or did you want a serious answer?
Julian
Comment by julian | December 13th, 2007 @ 4:35 pm
Well, serious could have revealed some interesting insight into the workings of the publisher and what to expect if one’s pitch is selected, but I can understand if the job posting requirement sheet is lost in the sea of paperwork at this time
- C.
Comment by Fetternity | December 14th, 2007 @ 5:30 am
Ok ok! Seriously though, being an editor at Zeros 2 Heroes is both demanding and rewarding. The qualities that I personally have had to rely on are passion, patience, dedication, consistency and balance. I have been creating, drawing, writing and editing comics and magazines for a dozen years now so my background in comic creation is fairly extensive.
Many of the scripts we are receiving are not quite formatted for comics. An editor must be able to thumbnail page layouts that make sense as comics in an effort to adapt scripts into the comic book genre. The editor must be able to work and communicate effectively with a wide variety of involved parties including producers, clients, pencilers, inkers, colourists, letterers, writers, creative directors and other editors. Effective, straightforward and open communication is imperative to the success of comic creation. If, at any point, the chain becomes broken then chaos can ensue. Everyone needs to be informed at each stage of the book’s development. This requires continuous monitoring of the process.
The process that Z2H has been developing over the last year has proven quite effective in terms of comic creation. With everyone working together under the guidance of the editor, an organic and healthy growth has become evident thanks to the use of the dashboard: a powerful communication device dreamed up by Chief Zero and designed to keep all involved parties in the loop in terms of their book’s progress.
I hope this answers the editor’s qualifications question. Please submit more comments or questions if you have any and I will respond as quick as I can.
Julian
Comment by Julian | December 14th, 2007 @ 4:25 pm