Broken Frontier

Concerning the film rights and who retains them once your comic book is published by another publisher, that is something that should be addressed in your contract with the publisher. If you are unsure, it’s probably worth the time, money, and effort to get an attorney to revue any contact you are asked to sign. You don’t want to sign away your film rights to a publisher without proper compensation terms. For the record, comic publishers like Image and Alias allow creators to keep sole possession of their film, television, videogame, and licensing rights. For something unique, check out Platinum Studios as well.

The option to self-publish your comic book or books is also viable. Printers like Brenner Printing and Morgan Printing are very small press friendly and offer economical printing solutions. Your comic book doesn’t have to be printed in color to convey a good solid concept and story. If finances are an issue, go with b&w—it’s better than no book at all, and at least you have something to show and even sell.

Self-publishing is the route I originally took with my own comic book, Killer Stunts, Inc. I worked with artist David Hahn to produce a 22 page story that introduced the characters in my story and the world they lived in. It was like a preview edition. I published a couple thousand copies of this comic in b&w (color cover) at Morgan and took the finished product on the road to the San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC).

The SDCC is the place to take your comic book if you want to get it in front of Hollywood-types. Period. Just like Dorothy had to get to Oz in order to see The Wizard, you have to get your comic out to Comic-Con. (And yes, there will be a wizard there, and a druid, and a Flaming Carrot...) Why? First, SDCC is the biggest comic convention with 87,000+ in attendance last year. That’s lot of comic book readers to potentially sell your book to. Second, it is also well attended by film producers, talent agents, talent managers, entertainment attorneys, studio executives, and even big name actors and actresses (Leonardo DiCaprio walked the floor last year looking for comic book properties for his production company to develop).

SDCC becomes a bit of a feeding frenzy to be frank. If you have what is considered a “hot property” the buzz will get around. I’ve seen it happen to other creators—I even experienced this phenomenon myself. If this happens to you, you’ll quickly pick up on the cues. Well dressed and groomed men and women will approach and flip through your comic as if they are distantly interested, perhaps they’ll make a note in a handy notepad. Then, they’ll ask if they can take a copy.

Now, I don’t want to infer that the majority of SDCC attendees are poorly dressed and practice poor hygiene, but Comic-Con is a place to let your hair down and enjoy the company of like-minded comic geeks. There are plenty of X-Men , Star Wars, and LotR t-shirts to be seen (yeah, some of them are sweaty—so what!). So, the entertainment industry professionals do tend to stand out of the crowd with their starched pants and button down collars (no ties because they’re supposed to appear casual). Here’s the clincher though...these individuals almost always very politely ask to take a copy. A comic book reader will ask “how much” if they’re interested in your book (and they’ll ask that even if the price is clearly printed on the book because a lot of people discount their cover prices just for the con).

When someone asked to take a copy of my book, I then asked if it was possible to get their card. Most, if not all, seemed perfectly willing to oblige, and this often started a conversation. The conversation would generally start with the individual asking me what the comic was about. Then, they would ask something your typical comic book reader would not ask, they’d ask how the series ends. Comic book readers want to read how it ends...not be told. Sure, when you look down at the card and recognize the name of the company from film credits, you tell them the end. In fact, you’ll want to sharpen your pitch for just such an occasion.

How do you sharpen your pitch? At this point I’m going to link you to another Web site. Not a big deal, Web pages typically feature links to other Web pages, but this one will probably end up occupying a lot of your time: http://www.wordplayer.com/. Read it. Read it all. In short, know your story, and know how to relay it in a brief, punchy, and engaging fashion. Boil your story down to its basic elements. Can you describe what happens in four sentences? Button that down and then memorize those sentences. When someone asks you to expand on some character or element in your story, know it all well enough to do so. It’s your story, no one will be more interested in it than you are.

Very well, let’s say you have parties interested in your little opus. What do you do? Ask any potential suitor if they’d be interested in meeting with you sometime after the convention. If you aren’t physically able to meet with them later, suggest a conference call. Be eager and willing to follow up with them. Don’t make any commitments right away, however. Any deal worth doing is worth doing in writing. No legitimate producer, financier, production company, agent, manager, or studio will refuse to offer you an agreement in writing. It doesn’t have to be a large contract, it can be a one page agreement clearly spelling out the terms of your deal. Again, if you want to show the agreement to your attorney, that’s not a bad idea.

What if you can’t get out to SDCC with your book, or what if you don’t get the attention out there you expected? In any case, you also need to get your comic book into L.A. comic book stores. I personally mailed boxes of my comic book to comic retailers in the Los Ang eles area after calling and asking store owners to carry them on a commission basis. Not one store owner refused. Why would they, there’s virtually no risk to them. People in the entertainment industry buy comic books, trust me. Just like everyone else, they (or their assistants) have to go to a place where comic books are sold. L.A. store owners know what their entertainment biz customers are looking for. If your book looks like it has potential, they’ll recommend it.

There you go, babe, your comic-to-film, it’s that easy!

Not really, very few things related to the film industry are easy. And don’t kid yourself, comic books are hard work too! But, hey, if you ever want to make a grab at the brass ring, you have to start reaching. Don’t do anything creative because you want to make a lot of money, do it because you have a desire to tell a story. Enduring art endures because of the artist’s passion for it. Some of the greatest comic books ever produced will not be adapted into feature films. That doesn’t, by any means, invalidate those creative endeavors. On the other hand, whether the adaptation is oral, written, illustrated, pantomimed, acted, virtually generated, or filmed, storytellers want their stories to be told, and yes, retold.

Scott Kinney is a storyteller at heart. The first issue is his full color, four-issue mini-series from Alias Publishing, Killer Stunts, Inc., is available for preorder in the April cover dated Diamond Previews (shipping to stores the last week of January). He has had two of his comic book properties optioned for feature film, and has executive produced the short film FliP for Spooklight Productions. FLiP was an official selection of twelve national and international film festivals including the San Diego Comic-Con International Film Festival, and has been nominated for a 2004 Rondo Award.