Writer seeking artist for PAID work.

[zeppomarks]

Hello, every one. I've been lurking on the site for a couple of days seeing what kind of talent was posting here and I have to say...

I'm super duper impressed. (<--- Not an accurate representation of my writing abilities!)

But seriously, there is some great talent and I wanted to cast my net out there and see what I could reel in. I thought about going directly to the artists, but I have a specific style in mind and didn't want to insult anyone by saying, "You're awesome but can you draw differently?"

I figured that would be rude and I figure I'm right about that.

So here I am and here's the skinny:

My brother and I have been fans of comics since our memories kicked on and, over the years, our tastes have refined and, though we love the classic superhero titles, we have our issues with them, the same as most comic fans. Temporary deaths, a seemingly infinite number of dimensions, and the dreaded retcon, just to name a few... Don't get me started on the "One More Day" story line... *eyetwitch*

Anyway, where was I? Yeah, that's right... our comic proposal.

So basically, one of the smaller goals of the comic book will be to, in our own little way, address these issues by creating characters and a setting that are, basically, superheroes but with predetermined rules and goals. Death is permanent, dimensional travel is impossible with technology at hand, and no plot retcons, period and or ever. Something a bit more structured than the usual method of writing superhero comics.

Ideally, we'd like the title (which is "Shake, Kiki Slice!" by the way) to be a monthly on-going series. But with an eventual and concrete ending of the story line.

We have a decent understanding of the industry, though, so the setting is designed for nearly every possibility that editors or publishers or ourselves might want to pursue. The characters (if still alive) can go on to do more after the story is finished. And it's also set up in a way where it can be solitary or just a small part of a larger, more expansive world. Flexibility is the key. "I thought memory was the key..." "Yeah and the sword! The sword is the key, too!"

Anyway... again. *ahem*

I'll get further into the setting if we start a correspondence, but for now here are the basics:

It's a Sci-Fi/Superheroic story. Most people's powers come from bizarre and rare technology; or some form of telepathy, precognition or other psychic ability. No one has telekinesis, however, except for our gifted, yet rebellious, heroine, Kiki Slice. She has to keep this ability a secret out of fear that someone will try to exploit her. She makes a living in a crime infested space station by delivering illicit packages between people in the drug trade. One day things go south, violence ensues, her world goes topsy-turvy, and she begins her journey toward destiny.

There's much more to it, but we'll get into that later.

The style we want to go for is a Mignola/Miller style. We're not asking for an artist to imitate or rip off another artist's style. We want your style. We're just asking for a certain feel. We're going for a trichromatic style. Black and white mostly, with main characters and other important things having a red aspect to them. High contrast, lots of shadows. Simple and stylistic. And from what I've seen on this forum, there's plenty of folks who can provide that.

All we need is pencils. With the style we're going for I'll be able to ink, color and letter with the stuff I have at home but I'm not able to get the initial image onto the page.

The plan is to get 5-6 pages done so we can start shopping it to publishers. If that doesn't work then... well, then we'll all figure it out from there. Step one first. We've designed it to try and be as appealing to both readers and publishers as possible, given that we are newcomers and have zero clout. We hope the style, setting and characters draw in readers; and the relatively cheap cost of printing a black, white and (sometimes) red comic that has a strong commercial potential will draw in a publisher. I'm trying to be mindful of the business side of this without sacrificing artistic integrity.

If you have any questions or concerns that I didn't address, please post below so I can respond for everyone to see. Otherwise, you can reach me at zeppomarks@hotmail.com and we'll start talking. Hope to hear from you all so we can start this journey together.

[zeppomarks]

Ruyei brought up a good point in another topic:

I'm totally willing to do some work on any artist's projects as well. I provide free critiques and writing touch ups for my friends all the time and would love to help out any artists out there with whatever they need be it refining story elements; fleshing out characters; English dialogue, grammar or translations; or even just a critique.

I've been studying storytelling and writing for about half of my 28 years and have a firm grasp on the "dos and donts." Due to the relatively simple process it takes to do this, I won't ask for any money unless I'm being asked for something intensive, like a rewrite or something. I'll just consider fostering relationships with artists as payment enough.

Thanks again to Ruyei for the advice and thanks to anyone who takes the time to read this. I hope the day treats you well.