Comics almost came to an end when in 1940 there started an on horror, crime, and other “immoral” comic books. The instigator of this movement was the book, “The Seduction Of The Innocent,” by Dr. Fredric Wertham, M.D. This book stirred up quite a controversy at the time, starting an almost mob mentality. Book were burned and laws were passed banning the content in many of these comics. This led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a group that governed what would appropriate in these children’s comics.
The focus quickly shifted to superhero and was invigorated later in the 50’s by Marvel and DC comics, who became what is known as, “The Big Two.” For quite some time, these two companies have had a stranglehold on the comics industry, but recent publishers have challenged their superiority and have carved out a niche in the comic book world.
Two companies, Image Comics and Dark Horse Comics, have risen to the top of the smaller publishers. At one time, the line of Image Comics were easily outselling both Marvel and DC comics. Dark Horse has seen a lot of success in creating comics on popular properties like Aliens, Predator, Star Wars, and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Both have also become champions of creator owned properties like Mike Mignolas “Hellboy” and Todd McFarlane’s “Spawn.” The success that these companies have had has encouraged others to follow suit with companies like Fantagraphics with their offbeat and artistic comics and Top Shelf with their line of creator owned graphic novels.
These companies have made it very possible for creators to find a way to publish their own comic books. People who are interested submit their comic books and if the publisher likes the content, they will offer them a contract to publish the comic book or graphic novel.
Another route that comic creators have chose is to self publish their material. A person who self publishes their comic book takes on the costs of creating, printing, and distributing the comic to others. Creators like Harvey Pekar, Jeff Smith, and Terry Moore have all found success at different levels with self publishing. Although it can be quite expensive and time consuming, all of the profits and risks associated with the project, rely on the self publisher.
With the advances of technology, especially the personal computer and internet, creators now have a new way to publish their comic books – digitally. Comic books are created and scanned into the computer, or even just created within the computer, and then posted onto a website for all to see. This process is often referred to as “webcomics.” Although many of the webcomics of today are more like the comic strips in newspapers, some take a sequential narrative stance, offering pages of the story at different intervals. Many people have found success through this, and some have even created large business off of it. Webcomics like Penny Arcade and Player VS Player have found success and webcomic hosting services like Keenspot and Drunk Duck have also sprung up to provide a place for webcomics to grow.
This has left the creator with many different options in creating comic books. They can try to enter the mainstream business and work as a freelancer, but their work and ideas will become the property of the studio. They can pitch their ideas to other publishers, who will take a cut of the profits or even the rights to the intellectual property. Then there is the self publisher, either in print or on the web. Either way you look at it, there are more opportunities and resources than ever to get your ideas into the hands of readers. Get creating.
