I have written an 8-page comic book script that was recently accepted to be published as a part of Celebration of Life: A Cancer Anthology by Matthew Crehan Comics, and I am looking for either a fully-rounded pencils/inks/colors comic book artist or a team of artists to fulfill each role.
Some information you should know about the anthology project: there will be no monetary compensation for any of the collaborators (including myself) from the publication. All profits made from sales will be instead donated to various cancer awareness and research charities by Matt Crehan Comics. The only compensation collaborators will receive is one copy of the printed anthology. Please consider this collaboration request only if you are willing to basically work for charity and for building your portfolio. (See my note on personal monetary compensation towards the end!)
What you should know about me: I am a writer with (unpaid) publication credits only for online and print journalism. Here is my LinkedIn profile where you can find a complete list of my publications and referrals. I hold no publication credits for creative writing projects—including comics—as of yet, but have been writing and honing my script writing and storytelling skills for the past 13 years with a focus on comic book writing.
I am also a hobby artist with some education in animation and illustration, so I have a keen sense of understanding how an artist thinks/functions and can address such in my writing. (I will not be contributing my art skills to the project, however, since I'm not as comfortable with my professional art skills as I am with my professional writing skills. You can view my art and some writing samples in my gallery.)
Aside from being an unpublished comics writer and hobby artist, I am also a working and experienced copywriter and editor currently employed in the contract technical, P.R., and marketing copywriting industries. I possess a few years of college and job experience working on and with team collaborations and projects, so I bring my teamwork skills to the table with any collaboration. (Note my work and recommendations with Fanboys Anonymous and A Dose of Venom for examples.)
Information about my script: it is an 8-page, no dialogue (think of Marvel's 'Nuff Said comics), non-superhero story about a man and a woman—both of whom suffer from some form of cancer (no specifics, since there is no dialogue or written information in the actual story outside of a brief social media conversation scene)—who meet through therapy and, in the short amount of time they have together, fall in love. The story celebrates a rare kind of love that transcends life and death. There will be only one panel (full-page) in which there is surrealism; otherwise, the tone is overall grounded in reality. (No nitty-gritty; this is your average love story.) The tone of the story should feel inspired by works like Blankets by Craig Thompson and Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples (excluding the fantastical, space-operatic epic and focusing on Marko and Alana's relationship). A PDF of my script is available upon request from interested artists only.
What I'm looking for in an artist/art team: Above all, professionalism. The anthology project has its deadlines (which you can refer to on its web page), and I want to work with you as efficiently as possible to meet them (or ahead of them, if we can). I have an 8–4/5 day job throughout the week, and I understand that we all have lives to live, work and all; but I'm dedicated to seeing this through to the end (if it reaches publication should the project's Kickstarter prove successful). I want this to be my first published comic, and I want the artist(s) to show close to the same or equal dedication. I want to work with team players and frequent communicators.
As for the art itself: I'm not too concerned with style, as long as it isn't abstract. I'm a big superhero comics fan, but I'm not looking for walking anatomy paragons; the people in my comics are representations of real, everyday people and people living with cancer. In reference to Scott McCloud's Big Triangle, I'm looking for a style that's somewhere along the bottom tiers between "Reality" and "Meaning," and far away from the "Picture Plane." Most importantly, though, you'll need to be an avid storyteller with your art. Remember: there is no dialogue or narration in this story. The entire story will be told with your art.
Now, just because neither of us will be receiving any monetary compensation from sales doesn't mean you, the artist(s), should go hungry making this comic a reality. This will be my first gig ever in comics, and it's customary that most everyone's first gigs go unpaid. I've come to terms with that and willingly accept this condition of my first publication; BUT I have much respect for artists, and I understand the value of your time and efforts. Therefore, I will personally monetarily compensate you for this gig after we've negotiated a page rate (or a project sum). Understand, however, that I, too, am in just about the same boat as most people when it comes to finances, so the pay won't be top-rate. Again, if you're interested, we'll discuss rates. I am reasonable.
Now, in the event that the anthology's Kickstarter doesn't pan out, I still plan on publishing our comic either online or as a part of an anthology composed of comics I've written. How we shall proceed in that situation will depend on the circumstances surrounding it, so just keep this note in the back of your head for now. I do plan to go somewhere with this should this anthology succeed or fail.
All interested parties will please respond to this post with a link to your online portfolio. Ideally, I would like to keep the creative team small, so if you can fulfill all three roles as an artist (pencils, inks, colors), great! Let me know if you can do so or which of the three roles you'd be able to fill. Unpublished artists may apply as long as you can meet the expectations outlined above.
