Saturday, January 16, 2010

It isn’t that Kids don’t read comics anymore...

The fact is that they don’t know comics exist…

Hi Guys,

For years now we have been told from on high, by the powers-that-be, that kids no longer read comics, as their attention spans have gotten shorter and their eyes have been corrupted by the evils of video games, state-of-the-art animation and computers.

Well they were wrong when they first told us and they are wrong now too.

It isn’t that kids don’t buy them, because they don’t like them, or because they have other distractions, kids have always had other distractions, but the two main differences are simply they no longer have easy access to them and they are far, far too expensive.

Glossy paper stock has often been cited as the reason for the cost increases and many have sought to ask for a return to the days of newsprint, but these guys are wrong too and that simply just isn’t the case.

Newsprint uses almost, if not totally pure wood pulp as its source of content, which is very expensive, whereas the high gloss papers of today can be up to 90% plastic, which is far cheaper to use.

That said printing today is far cheaper than ever it has been, even within the UK itself, although many folks still choose to use the far east and other areas outside of the UK to get their printing done, which can again be counter productive to being cheaper, with delays due to communication problems, delays in shipping and the costs of receiving the printed goods late in terms of distribution and retail.

It always amazes me that when I and my contemporaries do workshops and seminars inside of both junior and secondary schools that kids are in the main unaware that comics exist, but when shown what they are and what the stories are about are absolutely ecstatic about them.

Countless times I have overheard parents down the years complaining about the cost of comics being too high, especially due to the lack of content within their pages and in the main they are correct in that analogy.

Most folks observing the shelves in a supermarket, or newsagent will likely see an over abundance of UK comics, but the trouble is most don’t have any comic/story content in them at all and are more like kiddie versions of the latest celebrity rag and full of regurgitated games, photos of the latest pop/TV celebrities and the worse graphic and typographical design this side of the 18th Century, let along the 21st.

A lot of the above UK material is also not UK produced and is in fact continental in origin and so does nothing to further develop the UK’s indigenous market.

So what are publishers doing about getting their product into the schools…NOTHING!!!

I despair that the editors of today are so far removed from understanding kids and are willing to produce comics they, themselves, want to see and not what kids would like, as to make UK comics publishing seem a farce.

Kids still do love comics, ask anyone that frequents the hallowed halls of the educational system as visiting authors/artists and they will tell you the same thing.

But if they do not have access, how can the market be regenerated and grown outside of the market it now occupies. They don’t want the stuff on the shelves of the supermarkets, that much is obvious, but they don’t have access to anything else.

Kids are just as discerning as any well-adjusted adult can be – sometimes more so. They just need to have exciting and intelligent stuff placed in front of them, which will blow their minds, as much as major blockbusters do with adult audiences.

Kids know the difference between the same old bland stuff; they want and like things other than super heroes, or the latest fad, so why are we not giving it to them?

That’s simple; the guys producing the stuff are making the comics they want to read, which are just reprints or pseudo versions of their American counterparts.

Who buys these comics? Certainly not the comic fan, he, or she already has it in their collection in the original US format, and/or as a trade paper back, or hard back collection.

The kids don’t know they exist and/or do and cannot have them, because their parents think them inappropriate and/or expensive.

The short-lived titles show this to be the case, as with increasingly fewer issues they fold and disappear into the aether from, which they came.

There is also the problem outside of the publisher’s hands too through the wholesaler/distributor/retailer that want the lion’s share of profits and also demand cover mounted gifts and higher cover costs, to enable them to reap the benefits of the higher return.

What these guys don’t seem to realise is, that with dwindling sales, the comics disappear off the shelves at an alarming rate and with every comic that is unsuccessful it becomes harder for publishers to put things back onto the shelves other than licensed product.

It is also hindered by the fact that with every comic failure investment becomes harder and harder to find, until there is none.

There is however a glimmer of hope, as more and more comics artists go into schools and colleges promoting the worlds of comic books. There is also another exciting movement, as more and more creative folks from within the hallowed halls of comicdom produce fun-filled works once more that can be read by all-ages. It is a slow movement, but seems to becoming a reality due to a return by many creators to the types of storytelling they enjoyed as kids.

This is not to say this is a continuation of the dumbing down of children’s comics, quite the opposite in fact, it is a return to the roots of comics. Adventure, humour, irony, pathos, stories told imaginatively and intelligently with artwork, which blows away the minds of the readers, be they young, or old; these are the things I am seeing more and more often.

Epic spectacles amidst great characterisations, told in such a way that children can enjoy them, as much as an adult reader.

A lot of these stories, I am privy to have not yet seen print, but believe me when I say a lot of well-known comics creators are lining up to feast your eyes with wondrous stories and some of the most beautiful artwork ever to grace the pages of a comic book, or graphic novel, or album, or whatever other new title we deem fit to call this wonderful medium of sequential storytelling.

The digital age has its own inherent faults, but this same technology is allowing creatives from around the world to produce work better than anything they have ever done before, free of the constraints of corporate publishing, which for obvious reasons, continue to milk their franchises for all they are worth and why would they choose to do otherwise. It is just such a shame that traditional publishers are being side stepped because they will not give time, or space to the new works of people that may have worked for them for years.

This kind of entrepreneurial spirit has risen in the ranks of comicdom before though and is in fact what helped to take comics to new dimensions, both here and in the States.

I know that the kids amongst us, regardless of age, those folks on this wonderful planet of ours that seek wonder and adventure and excitement all their lives, will find these new books incredible and the age of the comic book will be reborn for a new generation and hopefully many, many more to come.

There is a place for all kinds of stories, the trouble is at the moment, we only see, in the main, the angst ridden, dark, depressingly unoptimistic, decompressed storytelling of the superhero genre, which used to be the epitome of all that was fun-filled and optimistic and those of the dumbed down versions, which unsuccessfully seek to include children and in so doing alienate themselves from them.

The opposite is also true and great new stories can be found if one is willing to look through the myriad alternatives and when found they are worth the search. The trouble is folks have to be willing to do so.

The books I know for a fact are in production, even though most have not yet been announced, will hopefully fill the massive void, which now exists, as far as reaching the, as yet, unknowing children out there in the world and give them the same joys we had, as children reading our comic books.

My only hope is that whilst some readerships may grow along with the stories, of which I speak, there are others that continue to reach new readers, so we do not return to the scenario we have seen for a couple of generations at least with the age range growing along with the types of stories at such a rate that children no longer read them.

It is time to realise children will read comics, if only they are the right kind of intelligently written, well illustrated stories and if they have full access to them, not just in places frequented by collectors. Some comic shops can be as uninviting as and as much like visiting a town in an American film where folks visiting such places are made to feel most unwelcome there and usually end up being chased by the said towns folks…at the very least. Not a great place for kids to visit, is it?

Hopefully a good percentage will continue to read comics all their lives, like we have done, and many others continue to do, but with an open mind to read different genres and be receptive to other kinds of stories from all around the world. Not everyone likes every genre, but therein lies the fun of exploring them all to see if we do.

Imagine a world full of new stories, without the constraints of generations of convoluted and repeated continuities, where anything is again possible and new stories can be written and new artwork produced, without the need to say they are portfolio pieces and will never see print.

For all the wonderfully talented creative people I have been able to meet in my career and have said these words to me, as I marvelled at the work on display in their portfolios, you are a big inspiration to me in my setting up Wizards Keep and working on my Worlds End graphic novel.

I never wanted to have to say those words to anyone, because these stories I am now writing I have always wanted to tell.

Believe me when I say I am not alone now and hopefully their stories too will leap forth and not lie forever unprinted and seen by a fortunate few, like those I have seen in the past, especially from those sadly no longer with us.

I, for one, cannot wait until these masterpieces see print.

The children amongst us, regardless of age, are in for the treat of their lives!!!

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…

January 16th 2010

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

What to expect in 2010…

Or, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step…

Hi Guys,

Well I hope you all had a great time over the festive period and got some enjoyment from my magikal meanderings throughout the month of December with my Blog-a-day writings. I was going to take the festive header Blog logo down and replace it with the regular one, but with this extended cold snap in progress I thought it apt to keep in on here for a while.

Thanks to everyone that sent Christmas cards and greetings either via snail mail, or email…it’s always a pleasure to hear from folks.

Well the UK, nay the entire Northern Hemisphere seems to be locked in the icy and snowy grip of winter and although it looks beautiful, I hope everyone is keeping warm and safe. I’ll maybe even publish a Blog of wintry photos and thoughts before long. In the meantime here is a photo of my little mate, Bentley Bogtrotter sporting his first Santa coat. He now has a new one complete with hood. I have recently found out that he likes playing in the snow as he does Bog-trotting.


The pace will now slow down to my normal Blogging rate, as even though the December Blogs were written and published in advance, they did take an awful lot of time to produce.

As promised I will be looking at more comic/sequential art/graphic novel/storytelling anecdotes and observations, which will be longer than most of late.

2010, for me personally though, means all hands on deck to see the publication of the much-vaunted “Worlds End” graphic novel series with Volume 1 “The Riders on the Storm” .

I cannot thank Yelena enough for her diligence and work ethic, whilst producing the flat digital colours, without which I would still be a way down the path from completion.

I am presently working my way through digitally painting the pages, whilst James is casting his editorial eye over the wordage. As I have mentioned before, you hit a point, especially after such a lengthy process, whereby, if you are not careful you cannot see the wood for the trees, hence my hiring his much-appreciated services.

Once this is finalised and we are happy with the outcome I will then be passing the final draft of the script along with the pencil art in digital form over to the Font-meister himself, Richard Starkings to perform his typographical magik with the captions, dialogue, and SFX.

All the above means a lot of my time is going to be spent painting on the computer, so I ask the indulgence and patience of any regular readers, whilst this is done. 2010 is going to be a very busy year for me here at the Keep, with the launch of the graphic novel, colouring book, sketch book(s) and more, so please feel free to keep tuned in for more updates.

There are also plans for a new range of Giclee prints and posters, as well as some other goodies too this year.

Then there is the second volume of Worlds End, which is all ready to be drawn, once all the above are in place.

I also wish to start work on my first creator-owned illustrated children’s book. This is something I have wanted to see in print since I wrote the initial draft way back in the seventies, as a sixteen-year old sixth-former.

A clue to the book’s content for those that know me well lies in my early letterheads, before the inception of Wizards Keep that and Marvel UK…talk about cryptic.

Oh, yes and if you have been to my parent’s house you will have seen the lead character in question residing in a frame on the landing wall.

So I hope you can forgive me if the Blogs are spread out a little this year, not too much, but just enough to enable me to complete the above tasks on schedule.

My convention schedule is fully dependant on the workload/deadlines being met this year and I am looking to attending more European ones and maybe even a US one too, but I’ll keep everyone informed of these, as I confirm for definite.

I have already been asked to several and will be looking at when they are alongside my schedule/diary here at the Keep, before making any firm commitments.

As always I look forward to your comments, emails and requests.

May 2010 bring you health, wealth and all your dreams fulfilled!!!

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins…
January 6th 2010

Friday, January 01, 2010

Happy New Year…

A New Year, a New Decade and the Competition Winner Announced…

Hi Guys,

Well here we stand at the beginning of a brand new year and a brand new decade, so here’s to the future.

May it bring all you may ask for, and if that is the first volume of my graphic novel, Worlds End, keep a look out here for the release date!


Now then here is the exciting bit you have all been waiting for:

The Winner of the 2009 Grand Christmas Competition is:

Inez Kristina Baldachinno

What the contestants needed to do this year was look at the Worlds End characters and draw them in a Manga style.

That was exactly what she did too. You can check out her outstanding piece of artwork below:


Prizes:
Inez Kristina Baldachinno
will have her work appear on-line on the Website News Pages, here on the Blog and on our other Wizards Keep network places on the Internet, all 22, or so of them.

Add to that she will have the work published as part of the Worlds End Sketch Book, alongside many other comic book creators.

She will also receive six Sketch Books with her work in them and a prize package consisting of a Worlds End Ashcan, Mouse Mat, Large Format Poster and an exclusive Malta Comicon Poster.

Congratulations once again to all the entrants.

Unfortunately there can be only one winner.

Congratulations, once more, to the winner, Inez Kristina Baldachinno

Until next time have fun!

Tim Perkins...
January 1st 2010