A Couple Really Good New Comics...

[Gail Simone]

Haven't been to a comics shop for a while, so mostly have been reading DC books, but...

MATADOR: Damn, this is a great read...very cool and classy. I dug it the mostest. Why aren't people talking about it?

Same with Son of Vulcan. Scott Beatty's a huge talent, I'm really enjoying this set-up, and it looks like it's gonna be a big winner.

Check 'em!

Gail

[TCJohnson]

Gail, have you checked out Young Avengers yet? It has become tied with Waid's Legion of Super Heroes as my favorite. love this comic.

[matterconsumer]

There are more titles than anyone could hope to buy...and the choices are actually pretty good...

[YoGo]

So is it true that writers get all their comics free from the publisher? Do different companies have different policies?

Just wonderin.

[Gail Simone]

No, not all writers get comics free. Marvel comps only their big deal superstar types, for example. Most companies send comps of the books you write, ranging from a couple to a small box.

DC has a couple different plans, and I'm on one of them.

Best,

Gail

[YoGo]

Cool, thanks for the info!

Ya learn something new everyday...

[TCJohnson]

DC has a couple different plans, and I'm on one of them.


But this has nothing to do with comps. Gail is part of DC's plans to take over the world! And now she has said too much!

[PatrickG]

I THINK editors and assistant editors get the whole package.

Any english degree holders out there with some publishing experience?

Pretty sure DC's hiring for a couple of assistant editorial slots right now. You could get the whole line for free if you're willing to live in New York....

[YoGo]

So what about researching for a story? If you need to read old issues or get info on a character do you go to some information guru or do they chuck you a spare copy of Action Comics #1?

[PatrickG]

Gail answered this before but, as I recall, DC doesn't much care on this point.

Most writers turn to other writers.

Gail would go to Mark Waid or Geoff Johns or whoever wrote the story, most likely.

However, writers in NYC have access to a library containing every DC comic ever published. Or used to, at least.

[YoGo]

However, writers in NYC have access to a library containing every DC comic ever published. Or used to, at least.

It....It exists?

http://www.blakeneymanor.com/images/carryon/shock.jpg

[PatrickG]

I've heard writers talk about it.

Maybe they were making it up.

But Mark Waid has read every Superman comic ever published. And he lived in New York for a number of years.

So that's anecdotal support right there.

Most of the writers are not NYC natives so it's a pretty select club anyway.

Heck, I'm not even sure how much communication goes on between offices.

I think Priest has some funny anecdote about how he used to be scared of Tom Peyer or something.

[Jeff Brady]

It....It exists?

It does exist. In college, I visited DC a few times. I wasn't allowed in the library, but I saw the entrance.

It is holy.

[YoGo]

Screw the DaVinci Code I think we're got our grail right here...

Now if I can only seduce Jeanette Kahn...or Dan Didio.

And I'm half serious. :p

[jimmything2681]

Screw the DaVinci Code I think we're got our grail right here...

Now if I can only seduce Jeanette Kahn...or Dan Didio.

And I'm half serious. :p
Serious about seducing DiDio, right? :cool:

[PatrickG]

Screw the DaVinci Code I think we're got our grail right here...

Now if I can only seduce Jeanette Kahn...or Dan Didio.

And I'm half serious. :p

You can try seducing Jeanette Kahn but she's retired from DC.

She's working at WB's film department now, I think.

So, uhm, that might be good for test footage of Damon Wayans as Robin or Nick Cage as Superman but I don't think it'll getcha into the comics library. ;)

She's a cool lady though. Met her out in California with her WB entourage. Got to take part in one of those Hollywood handshakes you see in the movies where five people are all doing overlapping handshakes and introductions. Kindof like the Bizarro version of the "Goodnight, John Boy"-schtick from the Waltons. "Patrick, Jeanette; Jeanette, Patrick; Patrick, Bob; Bob, Jeanette, etc." I'm amazed that people don't get introduced to themselves.

And... uhm... Dan Didio doesn't seem like the type to seduce. The guy looks like he could wrap a steel girder around your neck. Looks like a retired pro athelete or a coach.

The guy could probably take on ninety-nine percent of the comics industry in a last man standing brawl.

[PatrickG]

Oh. Geez.

I just had a scary thought. Didio as J. Jonah Jameson.

It could work..

[TCJohnson]

Yogo...if you watch the movie Mission Impossible in the near future...please don't get any ideas. You know the fact you were found hanging upside down in the DC library will end up in "Lying in the Gutters"

[TCJohnson]

Oh. Geez.

I just had a scary thought. Didio as J. Jonah Jameson.

It could work..

Patrick, don't show your face around here until you have pictures of that menace Quesada robbing a bank!

[PatrickG]

Actually, Quesada looks like the redesigned Rupert Thorne from "The Batman".

[YoGo]

I'm Blue Beetle III. No library will keep me out!

[YoGo]

Crap.

There goes my secret identity.

[Briareos]

Yeah Matador is really good:

I'm reading Amazing Fantasy I heard that new scorpion arc is good and well it is.

Seven Soldiers: I still don't really understand it but I can't stop reading it.

Barbarossa and Jade Fire: Pretty good non superhero fare.

[ROSS]

Manhunter is alot better than I thought it'd be. And Young Avengers is great. GLA is a funny one to read. Too bad it's only a mini series.

[WhiteRose]

Seven Soldiers: I still don't really understand it but I can't stop reading it.

Oh thank god I wasn't the only one. Then again, I'm only reading the Zatanna arc, so I guess I'm lost either way (I have a soft spot for anything Zatanna).

I've really gotten into Y: The Last Man. No superheroes or powers, just a really intriguing 'what if all the men suddenly died' idea. I love the struggle, and Vaughan is a wonderful writer.

[Brad Curran]

Oh thank god I wasn't the only one. Then again, I'm only reading the Zatanna arc, so I guess I'm lost either way (I have a soft spot for anything Zatanna).

The thing with Morrison, I think, is it's all the stuff around the edges that can be hard to follow. His plots are usually pretty generic, really, just framework so he can toss out ideas at a nice clip. The main plot of the first two issues of Zatanna is pretty straightforward. She unleashes the demon with a spell gone wrong, it's hunting her and her apprentice, she finds sanctuary with an old friend, it confronts her, and she defeats it. Phantom Stranger shows up and gives a warning about a coming storm that was foreshadowed in the first issue.

Not everything about Morrison's comics makes sense on first readthrough (at least), but I think if you just focus on the main plot, you won't be lost. It's true of a lot of his work, from something as bizarre as the Filth to JLA. That said, the first issues of Guardian and Klarion I've read were very accessible and straightforward, Guardian being my favorite of the whole series so far (so of course, I can't get issue two). Shining Knight is, to me, the most out there of the four SS minis, but it's really just a man out of time story like Captain America, except with a knight from the Middle Ages in L.A.

[MacQuarrie]

Any english degree holders out there with some publishing experience?
I don't have the degree, but I know my way around the Mother Tongue at least as well as the average english major. Which do they want, the diploma or the ability?

Do I have to live in New York?

[Michael P]

She's a cool lady though. Met her out in California with her WB entourage. Got to take part in one of those Hollywood handshakes you see in the movies where five people are all doing overlapping handshakes and introductions. Kindof like the Bizarro version of the "Goodnight, John Boy"-schtick from the Waltons. "Patrick, Jeanette; Jeanette, Patrick; Patrick, Bob; Bob, Jeanette, etc." I'm amazed that people don't get introduced to themselves.
George Carlin has a great bit about introducing Bo Diddley and his family to Howdy Doody and his family.

[Jeff Brady]

Do I have to live in New York?

To be an editor at DC? Yes. Unless you feel like taking the red-eye every day to get to the office.

[stealthwise]

I THINK editors and assistant editors get the whole package.

Any english degree holders out there with some publishing experience?

Pretty sure DC's hiring for a couple of assistant editorial slots right now. You could get the whole line for free if you're willing to live in New York....


Ooh! Ooh! I just got one a' them degree thingies!

Publishing experience? I'm helping with the copyediting of a book right now, I wonder if that would count?

[PatrickG]

For New Yorkers:


DC Comics seeks a Group Editor-Collected Edition for the DC Design department. Supervise and direct an editorial group of four in the planning and execution of comic collections publishing line. Set and maintain editorial and quality standards for group. Primary liaison with Executive Editor of publishing imprints on overall line plan. Work with Marketing team to implement sales strategies on book packaging, solicitation and sales materials. Partner with Senior Art Director to create and implement creative visual goals in packaging of material. Construct annual publishing line plan and quarterly update/review. Work with Sales staff and Publishing Operations to track sales and modify schedules in response.


Requirements

Related college degree or comparable work experience. Six to eight years in illustrated book editorial execution, line planning and personnel management. Editorial experience: text commission, proof reading, book review/production, line plan construction. Management: Personnel management, review and supervision. Awareness of DC Comics current and historical publishing (titles, characters and talent). Familiarity with contemporary graphic novel business.


DC Comics seeks an Assistant Editor for the DC Editorial department. Copyedits and proofreads books to ensure accuracy. Assists in maintaining story continuity. Interacts with freelancers and various departments to ensure that the books are moving through the appropriate departments as scheduled. Provides administrative and clerical support to Executive Editor (copying, filing, answering telephones/questions and monitoring deadlines.


Requirements

BA/BS degree in English, Journalism or Art preferred. Knowledge of comic book industry strongly preferred. Knowledge of art (ability to discuss composition, design, etc…) required. Copyediting and proofreading skills preferred. Ability to meet deadlines required. Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing required. Ability for some light travel strongly preferred. Prior copyediting and proofreading experience strongly preferred. Must have the ability to communicate effectively and tactfully with managers and other levels of personnel. Must have the ability to pay close attention to details. Must have the ability to organize. Must have the ability to work well under time constraints. Must have the ability to handle multiple tasks. Must have the ability to meet deadlines, manage multiple project elements simultaneously.


The following is for La Jolla, California. Not a bad commute to Comic-Con, methinks.


DC Comics seeks an Editor – Manga for the WS editorial department. Perform Editorial functions for Manga line of publications. Personally edit monthly import editions. This includes supervising of freelance talent and overseeing translation to insure integrity. Coordinate freelance editors working on additional monthly import editions. Work with Director, Manga to identify commercially successful titles for acquisition. Other related duties as assigned.


Requirements

BA/BS in related field or equivalent experience. Minimum 2-4 years story editing experience. Copyediting and proofreading experience. Strong understanding of Manga properties and publishers. Cross cultural understanding. Copyediting and proofreading skills. Proven ability to develop, attract, and motivate freelance talent. Organizational, prioritization, multi-tasking skills. Ability to work under strict time constraints. MS Word and EXCEL proficiency required. MAC familiarity preferred. Effective verbal and written communications skills. Fluency in written and spoken Japanese strongly preferred. Approximately 25% international travel.

[PatrickG]

I may apply for an assistant position to partly finance my way through grad school in another year and a half or so, if there are still openings.

[stealthwise]

Hmm, if only I lived a few thousand miles closer...

[WhiteRose]

Hmm, if only I lived a few thousand miles closer...

Hmm, if only I lived a few countries closer...

[Deathstroke]

I really liked the first two issues of Matador.

Very interesting.