arcanacomics.com

I recently read an article over at Between the Staples regarding the future of comics and the switch to digital media. Personally, I don’t see digital comics taking the place of printed comics. For me, I see comic fans for the most part needing something physical to collect. I don’t think a download can give them the same satisfaction as that rare find. Sure, I think digital comics have a place and I think they can co-exist with their printed brothers. For starters, they are a great for the casual fan who doesn’t have the collector mentality. If you just want to try something new and don’t care about the collectability, then digital comics could work for you. But I see if being a greater alternative to the closet fan who is given grief by their girlfriend for still collecting comics. Gone are the days of arguments over you comics taking up too much space int the house/apartment. Arguments about your comics taking up too much space on your hard drive are another story though.

The article is a good read and can be checked out here: http://betweenthestaples.com/2009/10/28/the-future-of-comics/

Create your own Clockwork Girl e-card or comic strip! See the following links for details:

http://arcana.com/ecard

http://arcana.com/comicstrip

I haven’t blogged in a long time and that’s mainly due to the fact it’s been crazy busy (that’s a great thing).  I’m taking time out to show one of Arcana’s newly acquired colorists and their viewpoints that had a profound effect on me.  I get submissions daily from colorists, pencilers, projects and it’s great to see one that really shines.  This ex-Virgin colorist is definitely one of those unique talents as you can judge for yourself (from an Arcana project called Deadly Synn, which will come out 2009).

What inspired this blog though was the comments below.  Watching the election was incredible and being Canadian down here gave me some unique insights.  I’m not a political guy and didn’t really pick a side because I’m not as informed as I would like to be and well…it was illegal for me to vote  (although I’d lean towards Obama). So being part of this historical moment down here was very much like watching it from ‘inside the fishbowl’ where I saw people’s expressions and passions towards what I recognized as a defining moment in American history.

So how does this relate to Arcana?  The colorist gave me an email with an anecdotal report of Obama from their viewpoint.  Too many times I feel I get hammered with slanted news from a broadcaster, a politician or even a celebrity, and I found it refreshing to hear from a tremendous talent half way across the world.   I found this interesting to read and I hope I can be one small part of that change the world is looking for…

 Shefali
Todays’s newspaper in India, The Headline goes as “Hawaiian, Kenyan, Indonesian or American? Will the real Obama please stand up”.
He represents Global understanding of cultures and that is half the battle won. In one sweep the Africans, Indonesians(staunch Muslims),
even Arabs believe he is one of them.

Suddenly all Politicians in India who picked issues on caste/language are passe.
National/ International unity is in. Disparity barriers seem to be broken

Shefali
————————————————
www.cirque.in
www.calyxmedia.com

I hate that I don’t use this blog enough so I figured I would just start blogging about whatever comes to me. Things have been really busy lately… but exciting. Besides my responsibilities at Arcana, I have been working on a bunch of different projects and things couldn’t be going better creatively. I think at last count I was working on 10-12 different projects. It’s hard to keep them all straight. But it’s great knowing I’ll probably be busy for the next couple of years working on these things. I figured I would just give a rundown on a few:

Koni Waves: The Heart of Pele’ – this was our War of the Independents tie-in. We turned it in this week actually. It guest stars Orion the Hunter and Public Enemy. It was a really fun story and hopefully when the War gets back on track this will see the light of day. But it was nice to clear this off my plate.

 Avengelyne vs Koni Waves – I think Steve may have finished his pencils/inks this week (or very soon). Pages have already been sent off to the colorist. I know I have said this a thousand times, but getting to work use one of my favorite creator’s characters is an honor for me. I can’t wait for it to hit stands sometime next year.

Squirt - my teen super-hero book is currently 50% written and I would guess probably 12% finished art wise. Ethan Slayton is the artist on this book and he’s been doing a great job bringing my silly teen-comedy super-hero hijinks to life. Working on this is definitely a nice change of pace from all of the supernatural stuff I’m usually working on.  

 Well, that’s it for now. I’ll try to keep writing on this, as I think it’s a cool feature for the website.

Haven’t posted for a long time and to finally post on a non-comic related thread is probably silly, but…I’m about half way through my PhD and I just got into a ‘discussion’ about Wiki, which I wanted to post somewhere else as I’ve had to say this numerous times…personally, I love Wikipedia and believe this is the future we’ve been waiting for…

Opponents of Wikipedia (which I don’t understand why people complain, but I guess it’s in our nature) complain about the inaccuracies of the information. Statistically it has been ‘proven’ to be at LEAST as reliable as Encyclopedia Britannica:

http://news.cnet.com/Study-Wikipedia-as-accurate-as-Britannica/2100-1038_3-5997332.html
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7070/full/438900a.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica

So errors must either come from human error, and well it IS human error and it will be found everywhere (yes even in the revered Encyclopedia)…or it comes from the fear of Wikipedia being fed erroneous information from saboteurs and ‘those wild teenagers’. Wikipedia does have moderators and guardians which try to prevent sabotage and wrong information and I believe between people wanting to do the right thing, and protecting it when others don’t want the right thing, the information will be statistically accurate within a couple percentage points (which historically it has been)…what I find fascinating about Wikipedia is that it breaks down, what could be, the final gatekeeper of the haves and have-nots. A person was born into royalty and it was impossible to ‘enter the elite circle’…a shift came when individuals collected wealth because soon they achieved power…another shift has happened in the 21st century where information has become a currency nearly as powerful as money because knowledge is power (a cliche, but so very true). Many people have not accepted this fully yet, but I worry that the ‘old gatekeepers’ of knowledge believe that there is a portion of the population who aren’t qualified to add to humanity’s collective pool of knowledge, as they are uneducated or unqualified.

“Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere.”

There are people who have unique access to knowledge and information simply because they are at the ‘right spot at the right time’ to know something that others don’t. Case in point (albeit a sad one):

http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Death_of_Nancy_Benoit_rumour_posted_on_Wikipedia_hours_prior_to_body_being_found

Someone, possibly uneducated or unqualified, reported Nancy Benoit’s death before our trained and qualified police force. There are numerous examples where an individual has added to the body of knowledge to help ’round out information’…possibly someone related to Bill Gates or an individual who lived through the tragedies that struck New Orleans or someone remembering when they attended a KISS concert back in the 70’s…while I understand not everyone can add to the body of knowledge on a high concept like the human genome project, I personally won’t be so quick to rule out an individual’s supplemental knowledge to Wikipedia.

I like Wikipeida because it represents the ideal of humanity’s pursuit of knowledge.

WE are Wikipedia, and our knowledge is the collective knowledge of mankind.

I’ve had literally hundreds of emails and responses from people asking me about my new position of VP of Publishing and Animation at Platinum. For the most part I tried to answer the questions in the forum and I am definitely multitasking maintaining Arcana Comic’s publishing schedule while giving 110% to Platinum. I’m at a stage of my life where I felt I needed a bit of a catalyst and a wonderful opportunistic change presented itself…things were going great, and still are, but by taking on this position I believe a synergy can be maintained where both parties are happy. Speaking from my perspective, it’s been an INCREDIBLE experience that I am enjoying every day and I really feel like I’m contributing. I’ve already learned so much being down in L.A., working in a new environment and am really enjoying my time here.

Sometimes we need to work out of our comfort zone and go out on a limb. That’s were the fruits are.

Marc S.
Weds, Sept. 19th/2007
Ms. Davidson
Soc, Blk. C

Questions to Ask Entrepreneur:

1. What sparked the idea to start this business?

I’ve loved comics since a very young age and I took the biggest chance in my life by investing in printing an issue. It was risky and silly but ultimately it was the passion and fun that drove me forward.

2. Approximately how much did you have to invest to begin this business venture; did you meet any hurdles that you had to overcome?

To get a single issue on stands was probably around $20k (Canadian) and the biggest hurdle was figuring out distribution and the barriers of technology…now, having said that without the Internet and technology, running my business would have been an impossibility. There were many skill sets I had to develop and even as Canada’s largest comic book publisher, it would not be feasible for me to operate how comic book companies ran prior to digitally transferring files. The FedEx charges alone would have sunk me.

3. Do you have a business model? What is it?

Simply put; break even on comics, develop the intellectual property and monetize this asset in various mediums and ancillary revenue models.

4. How do you administrate your business?

I’m a one man show so methods, procedures and templates are crucial. I have to go through a process and quickly find a faster, cheaper and easier way to do the same thing again.

5. How many hours weekly (on average) do you usually clock in?

Honestly; 100+. I’m continually thinking about comic books, movies and video games so it could even be higher. But I have to say I LOVE what I do and it would be impossible to keep this up if I didn’t.

6. What is your favourite thing about this business?

It’s a creative outlet and the culminating joy of creation.

7. How do you use virtual business, e-commerce &/or globalization to service your clients (comic buyers)?

I work with over 200 talented artists and less than 2% work within ten miles. I communicate with my co-workers via MSN, AOL, Skype and email. We transfer scanned files via FTP going back and forth. As far as consumers what we do is advertise, blog and promote our comics through websites and our email lists. As far as e-commerce, I used to offer the comics for sale on the store but I was unable to run an effective business with the $3 price point. Currently I will be selling books ($10+) on our website, but for a single comic book, I’ve actually stopped.  I do hope to continue this and ideally, through the Internet, can find a partner to join forces with.

8. When if ever have you made use of downsizing/rightsizing technologies, and how has it helped your business?

Mostly I’ve used technologies to TRY to reduce the workload by providing static tools for new creators. I create a site where they can learn printing specifications so that I don’t have to tell them.

9. How do you utilize the creative ideas and energy produced by your staff?

We get inspired and make more comics. ?

10. What was a change you had to make from your original business plan?

I originally called the company ‘Arcana Studio’ and recently I developed a new arm called ‘Arcana Comics’. Arcana Studio is a work for hire studio that develops intellectual properties (for a price) and also holds onto the IP’s. Arcana Comics is the publishing arm of Arcana Studio…Arcana Comics spends money printing books and generates revenues from selling books, while Arcana Studio spends money developing new properties and generates revenues from taking on contracts from Disney, Upper Deck, Marvel, HBO and more.

11. What advice would you give to someone creating a similar business venture?

Make sure you love it and realize that overnight success takes seven years. ?

Recently was asked to respond to a questionnaire and it was fairly fun…it’s nice to try and reflect upon what has happened…sometimes it just feels like I’m pushing forward and don’t get to look back.