D.C.-area comics newspaper

[Dembicki]

OK, what's the next step? Who's in charge?
BTW, check out the comics newspaper 'Smoke Signals.' http://www.desertislandbrooklyn.com/smokesignal.html
Note that it's entirely paid for by donations. 

[Arty4ever]

OK, what's the next step? Who's in charge?

Well, as you said earlier, we need to split up the duties to get this ball rolling...
You got us the specs, Next we'll need...

1) A Treasurer to collect money (donations and ad revenue) and pay the printer when we are ready to print. 
2) A Coordinator to organize the rebus letter quiz and assign clues to be included in submissions.
3) We'll also need someone to collect the submissions and, if needed, remind people of deadlines.
4) We'll also need lots of help with selling ads/getting sponsors.
5) Next will come layout/design and getting everything press-ready. —I've already said I'd be happy to handle that
6) Then, there's proofreading/editing —Rafer said he could help with this
7) And, finally, we'll need help with distribution

So...  who wants to take charge of Steps 1, 2, 3, and 4?

[Dembicki]

If we want to do this, we have to get moving on it. The printer is going to want to know if we're interested. (It's one of the largest printers in the U.S. who I've worked with for years; they do a great job and have outstanding personal service.) I'm not going to be able to shepherd this thing on account of a few personal matters that need my time.

[Andrew Cohen]

here's an idea to start organizing content... This assumes a 16 page newspaper with 14 interior pages of comics, each page consisting of one full page comic.

The cover has the masthead, introduction, etc., and a big, goofy full size image of a clown eating the newspaper at his table.  The riddle could ask something like, "why is this clown eating his copy of the BLARK for breakfast?"

There would be some clue to look at the second word of the second panel of each comic [for instance], and if you put those words together they would make the sentence, "So that he could start off the day with a real good belly laugh"

That would be a relatively uncomplicated puzzle / riddle to start with, since we would only need to prepare in advance (a) that we had a comic for each word in the answer, and (b) that contributors knew in advance which word they had to incorporate.

The back page could be advertising (hopefully), or the answer to the riddle with the clown's belly laughing uproariously, as a final, horrifying joke.

[Rafer]

Sorry if this pisses people off but I think the whole idea of a puzzle is overly complicated and a logistical nightmare. What's wrong with keeping things simple? A secret theme is fine and allows for contributors to join in (or drop out or be substituted) at any time. If someone who's in charge of drawing clue number 3 can't hit deadlines then the whole puzzle is screwed.

My vote is for keeping it simple. Let's make a newspaper and put it in people's hands first, then worry about the games later on.

[Chris]

I agree with Rafer. The secret thing would be fun but I feel like a lot of the collaborations we do these days are getting more limiting by forcing a theme. I'm not against rolling the idea into a smaller jam book idea.

[Arty4ever]

You guys may be right...  Sometimes my ideas are a bit too grandiose. 

There's nothing wrong with keeping this simple to start with.
Let's put my secret rebus letter idea on the back burner for now. 

[Andrew Cohen]

I don't think a puzzle / riddle idea is necessarlily complicated or limiting, although the rebus idea would definitely need a little more pre-planning.  For now it probably is better and easier to just get it done, though, and add the other stuff later.

Going off of Michael's list, I can do #3 (coordinating submissions / deadlines)

[Dembicki]

Hey, Folks
Rafer has volunteered to served as editor of the newspaper project. That means he makes the calls, from soup to nuts. He's still gonna need help and will tap folks who have expressed an interest in helping. Thanks for taking the helm, Rafer! We're in good hands!

[Rafer]

Hey, Folks
Rafer has volunteered to served as editor of the newspaper project. That means he makes the calls, from soup to nuts. He's still gonna need help and will tap folks who have expressed an interest in helping. Thanks for taking the helm, Rafer! We're in good hands!

Thanks Matt.

Everyone else. Please don't stop what you're doing; no one's job is changing. What everyone has volunteered for, you are going to do. Especially you Michael. Your work gathering volunteers for each task is damn important. I'll be sending info to all the other volunteers throughout this week, as well as posting on here.
 
The reason I told Matt that I would to do this is because I fucking love the idea of a comics newspaper. The large page allowing comics to have space to breathe on the page, to spread out. The punk vibe, not necessarily of the comics themselves, but of the old school format. And the idea of distribution, of handing the paper directly to some unsuspecting morning commuter, perhaps to truly wake them up in the morning or to start their day out with something good. This is one of the coolest things I've heard of the group doing and I just want to help to make it as goddamned awesome as it can be.

Anyway, I'll have something more concrete in the next day or so. In the meantime, if you still want to volunteer to help out with stuff or will want to draw a comic, please post it here.

Thanks. My email is rafer at plasticfarm dot com if you have any questions or concerns.

[Bettebloo]

I'm officially expressing an interest in helping. Or contributing. Or both.

Or just standing around looking decent considering my age.

d

[ETKeeling]

I definitely want to do a page in this.
A thought I just had about advertising and distribution today...
We need to make sure if we are getting advertisers that they are not just comic book stores if one of the main places to distribute will be comic book stores or we need to make sure we are distributing the magazine at very diverse venues. It will mean more to advertisers if their ad is reaching a potential new audience and not just people at another comic book store.

[Dembicki]

I think you have to started small and concentrated. Comics book stores are a good first step for distribution because you know the audience. And with a limited number of copies to hand out, you want to focus on your best audience. Re: advertisers (who can be bars, art stores, out-of-area publishers, etc.), they'll want to know the demographics of our readers. It's much easier to nail that down with a targeted distribution than a blanket approach and having no idea who reads it (which I think plagued 'Bash.') That's not to say we can't deliver copies to a favorite bookstore or coffee shop; at least you can confidently tell potential advertisers what the demos are. They key is to have a strategy and to anticipate what the potential advertiser will want to know.

[Rafer]

I made some notes over the past few days, based on my thoughts and some of the ideas presented here already. I thought about writing it out in a more polished manner, but re-reading I think it's good enough to spark some focused discussion and to let you know where my mind is going with the project.

*****
Notes:

Who can submit?

Local artists of any stripe. Writers, artists, but a preference shown towards the comickers. In the future we can expand the solicitation area, but for now, just DC folk and the surrounding area. And people we like enough to ignore where they come from.

Never ever ever will we run syndicated comics. All comics will be created specially for the paper.

*********

Writers?

Yeah. There are some folks in our group who do not draw but are excellent writers. I don't really want more than one prose piece per paper. This will also help in formatting should an odd number of ads be sold.

Not in the first issue though, unless someone REALLY wants in.

********

Okay. The buy-in?

The general consensus seems to be to start small. Keep it simple. So, for the first issue I humbly suggest that we do the following for the first issue:

1 - Ten artists each produce one page of comics each. Each artist then buys-in $65 which would then cover the cost of printing 500 copies with a color cover.

2 - The remaining pages would be filled with advertising. Each of the artists gets a free ad as part of their buy in. Size to be determined based on space available after the following step.

3 - Those of us who can convince a business to buy an ad in a currently non-existent low-run newspaper should do so. Ad rates will be lower for this issue than for subsequent issues, as we really just want to get some advertisers in at the ground floor AND provide some buffer cash should any problems arise. (Any left over cash goes towards second issue.)

4- Back cover is a full page call for submissions and advertisers. A "if you liked this paper, please consider sending us your comics or your money" statement. (Future papers will have the back cover as buyable ad space.)

***********

Distribution / Gathering of Advertisers

This is obviously where ideas are most welcome. I have some notes but really would like some further insight.

First issue - Since there will only be 500 copies, we start small. Give small stacks of 15 or so to our favorite comic shop and/or indy record shop / drinking establishment, or any other potential advertising source.

Include with dropping off package an ad rate card (I've already asked Michael to make one up). Explain to shop owner intent of paper (to showcase local comickers and artists) and what they get out of advertising (having their ad seen in a locally distributed paper that, because it is comics, is more likely to be read in full and kept or shared with others.)(I have no proof of this statement. It seems correct.)

Give shop owners week or so with the paper then follow up.

We also can reach out to publishers, art galleries and the like for advertising dollars, using this first issue as a sample.

Long-term goal for distribution: Perhaps as early as the second issue, handing out copies at specific Metro stations. Fuller penetration into the comic shop / bar / music shop / indy book store / etc.

**************

The goals:

Produce a beautiful first issue of comics, for the purposes of showcasing local comic artist talents AND to provide a sample for potential advertisers.

The second issue of the paper to be fully ad supported. No more artist buy-ins. I dislike having to do that in the first place.

To increase print-run and distribution reach with each issue.

To eventually be able to generate enough revenue as to pay contributors. (I've never gotten paid a penny to make comics. Wouldn't mind changing that.)

To continuously offer the finest in comics entertainment to a well deserving public.

*********

What we need to decide, and relatively quickly:

When are we putting this out? Spring? Summer?

What is the name of this puppy?

Who are the initial ten artists?

*********

Anyway, those are my initial thoughts.

Yours?
 

[Arty4ever]

Attached is a basic rate card we can use...

[Rafer]

Michael, that kicks ass.
Thanks man!

[michael b]

Just to help get things rolling, I would like to be considered for one of the artist buy-in pages.
Michael Brace

[Dembicki]

I would say shoot for summer.

[Rafer]

I would say shoot for summer.

Seems about right.

[Dembicki]

For a name, I'd like to throw "Paper Polyps" into the mix.