I’ve been a fan of NYT reporter George Gene Gustines‘s dispatches from the comics sector of the publishing industry for some time now, so I was curious about Saturday’s story on comic-book publishers adapting television production techniques, such as assigning “head writers” and “executive producers” to high-profile titles. The article focuses on TV veterans Paul Dini, who’s leading a cluster of writers on DC‘s Countdown, and Joss Whedon, who’s working on a Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic marketed to readers as the show’s “eighth season.” But when Gustines gets to Scott Mitchell Rosenberg of Platinum Studios, the story grinds to an uncomfortable halt; Rosenberg describes the role of the “comic runner” as “an entrepreneur who is running a small business” with what Gustines describes as “the ability to get comics from idea to final product regularly.” It’s not quite clear, though, how that job can be distinguished from the traditional role of the comic book editor, except perhaps with greater input into licensing and marketing decisions. (There’s also not nearly enough discussion of DC and Marvel‘s problems with late delivery on top-level books.)
Meanwhile, writer-artist Colleen Doran discusses a much smaller business model on the blog associated with her most famous property, the A Distant Soil graphic novel series. “Most small press comic books get produced as advertisements for the graphic novels,” she reveals. “It’s the graphic novels that make the profits.” But since the comics don’t generate very much profit, and “I am not willing to work six weeks to earn out $200.” Especially when doing so would also cause to her miss out on high-paying gigs for other publishers. Thus, Doran discusses the extent to which publishing ad-supported webcomics might enable her to raise the funds to support herself while working on the next installment of A Distant Soil, along with selling off original artwork on eBay and at comic book conventions. “All money goes into a dedicated interest bearing money market account that is currently earning a good return,” she explains. “When I have enough moolah in the fund to finance one week’s work on the book, I sit down and produce one week’s work. When I have enough moolah for another week, I sit down and produce another week’s work.”