Tag Archives: indy comics explained

Talking Editing on a Sunday Night: The Recap

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For those who might have missed the livestream, last night I joined the latest laid-back panel discussion on J.D. Calderon’s YouTube interview series Indy Comics Explained, on the latest installment of his ongoing panel-chat series “Talking Comics on a Sunday Night.” Its topic: “Are Editors and Editing Necessary for Indy Comics?”

J.D. and his cohosts, publisher Jaydee Rosario (Unstoppable Comics) and artist C. Michael Lanning, had on former Marvel Comics editor and writer Alin Silverwood (publisher of PopSkull Press) and Odyssey Comics publisher Marcus McNeal. And me, of course! (In case you didn’t know, I was a professional mainstream editor for over a decade, first as an editor at book packaging company Byron Preiss Visual Publications, and then as editor in chief of its ibooks, inc. publishing imprint.)

It was, as the saying goes, a spirited discussion involving what an editor is, their importance to a project, and what editors expect from writers; I tossed in an anecdote or two about working with both writers and fellow editors. Then we moved on to such topics as whether any of us would have taken a chance on publishing the original Eastman/Laird version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—either back in the b&w comic days of the 1980s or today—the ins and outs of working with letterers, and promoting the participants’ various Kickstarter campaigns.

So now you know the basics, but to get the full experience, head on over to the actual “Talking Comics on a Sunday Night” panel at Indy Comics Explained and see for yourself!

Talking Comics Editing with J.D. Calderon

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Hey, comic and fiction fans! This coming Sunday night, December 18th, I’ll be making a return appearance to J.D. Calderon’s YouTube interview series Indy Comics Explained, on the latest installment of his ongoing panel-chat series “Talking Comics on a Sunday Night.”

(J.D., by the way, is the writer/creator of the fantasy series The Oswald Chronicles and the anthropomorphic fantasy comic series Tall Tails, both published through his Dream Weaver Press company. He’s also been a friend of mine since we met back in the 1990s’ days of the indie comics explosion.)

My last appearance was back in October, when I was promoting the ultimately successful Kickstarter campaign for Piko Interactive’s The Legend of Calamity Jane: Box-Set DVD and Comic, which includes The Legend of Calamity Jane: The Devil Herself, the one-shot comic I’m collaborating on with artist/colorist Eliseu Gouveia (Lorelei: Sects and the City and the Saga of Pandora Zwieback comics) for Piko’s Virtual Comics imprint.

This time around, the subject will be editing (in comics and otherwise), and considering my background as a comic and book editor for the past three decades, J.D. asked me to join him and former Marvel Comics editor and writer Gary Barnum—who writes under the pen name Alin Silverwood—for a discussion. No doubt at some point it’ll turn into a collection of trench-warfare stories about our harrowing experiences working with comic creators. 🙂

So, be sure to tune in December 18th for “Talking Comics on a Sunday Night”!

Talking Comics Publishing with J.D. Calderon

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This past Sunday night, I made a return appearance to J.D. Calderon’s YouTube interview series Indy Comics Explained, joining fellow comic-creating guests Randy Zimmerman (Tales from the Aniverse), Evan K. Pozios (Time Grunts), Joe D. McFee (Amazonia: The Continuing Adventures of E),and Ray Felix (Bronx Heroes), and publisher/podcaster Varian Grant (Indie Volt). (Sorry for not posting an advance notice, but it was sort of a last-minute invitation to join the chat.)

(J.D., by the way, is the writer/creator of the fantasy series The Oswald Chronicles and the anthropomorphic fantasy comic series Tall Tails, both published through his Dream Weaver Press company. He’s also been a friend of mine since we met back in the 1990s’ days of the indie comics explosion.)

On the show, we discussed a variety of topics related to comics publishing: the pros and cons of crowdfunding; the best money we’ve ever spent as publishers; the best and worst publishing advice we’ve gotten; dealing with printers and the rising cost of paper; the problems of getting comics distributed, and whether there are alternatives beyond crowdfunding; the difference between young adult and middle grade reading audiences; and whether changes in the comics industry will eventually lead to the demise of comic shops.

The panel runs a little over two hours, so find a comfortable chair and settle in for “Sunday Night Talking Comics,” the latest episode of Indy Comics Explained.

And in case you missed it, back in May I made my first appearance on the show, where I promoted my critically acclaimed comics historyFrom the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures, and talked about my time as a professional book editor (and the troubles associated with such work, especially in licensed publishing), my history as a writer and as a self-publisher, the Saga of Pandora Zwieback series, my current work as scripter for Oniric Comics’ Sideral: The Last Earthman, and, if I were offered the chance to write comics for Marvel and/or DC, which characters I’d want to work on. 

“Talking to Steve A. Roman” is still available for viewing at Indy Comics Explained. If you’ve got an hour, click on the link and head on over to check it out. 

Talking StarWarp Concepts and Indy Comics with J.D. Calderon

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As you might be aware from my recent post at the Pan Facebook page, this past Sunday night I appeared on J.D. Calderon’s YouTube series Indy Comics Explained, mainly to promote my latest book from StarWarp Concepts, From the Stars…a Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures. It’s a non-fiction comics history of the swimsuit-wearing vampire from outer space created by James Warren and Forrest J Ackerman who debuted in 1969 through the Warren Publishing Company, and who celebrated her 50th anniversary last year.

(J.D., by the way, is the writer/creator of the fantasy series The Oswald Chronicles and the anthropomorphic fantasy comic series Tall Tails, both published through his Dream Weaver Press company. He’s also been a friend of mine since we met back in the 1990s’ days of the indie comics explosion.)

Well, don’t worry if you missed it: since the interview was on YouTube you can still watch the episode, in which I talk about my time as a professional book editor (and the troubles associated with such work, especially in licensed publishing), my history as a writer and as a self-publisher, the Saga of Pandora Zwieback series, and if I were offered the chance to write comics for Marvel and/or DC, which characters I’d want to work on.

When it came to Pan, J.D. was interested in two things specifically: the availability of the print-comic version of The Saga of Pandora Zwieback #0 (spoiler alert: there aren’t any, except for a few I kept—that’s why it’s just a free download now); and the status of the third Pan novel, Blood & Iron (yes, I’m still working on it; sorry).

“Talking to Steve A. Roman” is available for viewing right now at Indy Comics Explained. If you’ve got an hour, click on the link and head on over to check it out.