Tag Archives: grayhaven comics

Victor Gischler Launches New Series at GrayHaven Comics

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GrayHaven has been teasing it and it’s been brought up numerous times in our running interview series with members of their team, but GrayHaven Comics has announced one of the first books of their “Phase Two” plan.

Victor Gischler, author of the Edgar nominated novel Gun Monkeys as well as numerous other novels and comic book work including Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth, X-Men and The Shadow is joining longtime GrayHaven artist, Sam Tung for the epic Sci Fi/Western Titanium Star.

Titanium Star will launch with it’s first issue in February of 2013.

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – Arcadio Bolaños

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We continue our interview series with members of The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics. We’ve put out the same questions to numerous individuals and can compare their responses. A hopefully intriguing interview series.

Check out our previous interviews.

George Amaru Erica J. Heflin
Elena Andrews Travis M. Holyfield
Marc Deschamps Marc Lombardi
Andrew Goletz Glenn Matchett
Doug Hahner James O’Callaghan

Up next is writer and artist Arcadio Bolaños!

Graphic Policy: How did you get started in the comic book industry?

Arcadio Bolaños: The Gathering Vol. 1! I’ll never be able to forget how excited I felt when I held up a comic book with my name on it.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

AB: I learned how to read thanks to my father’s wonderful comic book collection (classic Roy Thomas & Barry Windsor-Smith’s Conan comics, plus old 2000AD progs and some European comics as well). When I was around 12 I discovered John Byrne’s Superman, and I slowly but surely started to get into the DC Universe, then the Marvel Universe, and then a whole bunch of other universes.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

AB: Maybe I could live without films, TV or Internet, but I could never survive without comic books. I think right now we can find amazing titles outside the usual “big two” such as The Boys (the perfect blend of politics, violence and sex), Morning Glories (teenage angst surrounded by an unequivocal halo of mystery), Hit-Girl (the most lethal and yet lovely 8-year old girl from the Kick-Ass universe), The Unwritten (metafiction, literary idols and pop culture icons under the same roof). I’ve also enjoyed a lot of truly extraordinary miniseries from Image (The Strange Talent of Luther Strode, America’s Got Powers, Severed, Witch Doctor, etc.).

GP: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

AB: I remember one day Andrew Goletz said in the Bendis board “hey, let’s do a comic book anthology!”. And against all odds we did. Not only that, since 2010 GrayHaven has published a lot -and I mean a lot- of comic books. So whenever someone tells you that a comic book message board is 100% unproductive tell them that’s a lie.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

AB: I was lucky enough to collaborate for 7 of the first 8 volumes, either as a writer or an artist. That means that somehow I learned to go from romance to horror to sci-fi and so on. Versatility is the key here, and I think good writers are capable of creating different worlds, with different atmospheres, so it seems to me that if I can adapt to different genres I’m on the right track.

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

AB: Be online. It may sound too obvious but sometimes good opportunities can be found in the internet. Not only that, if you are a writer looking for an artist you can come across literally hundreds or thousands of artist in DeviantArt or blogs or what have you. Another advice: patience plus tolerance. Not everything goes according to your plans, and more often than not, your pitches will get rejected. You just have to be resilient. And keep trying. Patience plus tolerance is your secret formula for success.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

AB: Marketing. I’m not a sales guy, but when the first package of Gathering comics arrived I realized that now I had to sell them. I asked my friends who would be interested in buying a comic in which I had participated, but their reaction was warm at best. I was hoping they would tear my door down, like a hysteric band of groupies demanding more and more Gathering issues. But the truth is, if you don’t learn how to promote yourself or your work, well, sales might be a bit slow. I think since 2010 I’ve learned a trick or two about shameless self-promotion (I even got Robert Kirkman to publish my letter on The Walking Dead, a rather “shameless self-promotion” piece… and he even included a link to GrayHaven so that people could buy The Gathering. How cool is that?).

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

AB: I think pages like Kickstarter or the possibility to “print on demand” somehow make it easier, but because more people have the opportunity to get published that also means more competition (which, in the end, is good, because it forces you to be even more creative).

GP: How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

AB: The Gathering has had very positive experiences with Kickstarter, and I am particularly fascinated by the wide array of products you can find there. For instance, I pre ordered Michael Zulli’s Fracture of the Universal Boy, a book that wouldn’t have been possible without this crowdfunding model.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

AB: Pretty soon you’ll see part 1 of The Outsider, a story built around one question: Are children always innocent? Sure, we find comfort in thinking they are, but sometimes moral ambiguity or mere ambition can create a very special kind of little monsters… In The Outsider three seemingly harmless kids find a woman trapped inside an abandoned well. Instead of reporting their finding to the police, two of them find out she’s a fugitive -a bank robber- and without even knowing for sure if she has the money she stole, they contemplate the idea of letting her starve to death. They are coward enough not to kill her for the money but at the same time ambition takes the best out of them. Part 2 will appear on our full color Tales of the Abyss # 1. And after that there’s my story for the erotica issue. To do justice to all these great ideas I knew I needed a great artist, and after months of searching for one I run into Juan Alarcón, a wonderful artist from Spain. Thanks to him my comics look like a masterpiece. I’m thinking about a more ambitious project with him but it’s still too soon to tell.

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – Marc Deschamps

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We continue our interview series with members of The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics. We’ve put out the same questions to numerous individuals and can compare their responses. A hopefully intriguing interview series.

Check out our previous interviews.

George Amaru Travis M. Holyfield
Elena Andrews Marc Lombardi
Andrew Goletz Glenn Matchett
Doug Hahner James O’Callaghan
Erica J. Heflin

Up next is writer Marc Deschamps marking our tenth interview in the series!

Graphic Policy:  How did you get started in the comic book industry?

Marc Deschamps: I collaborated on my first comic at the age of 9 or 10 with a couple of my friends. There was only one copy, on white, lined paper, so I’ll forgive you if you haven’t had a chance to read it. It was a big hit on Camelot Drive, though. My Dad said it was one of the best comics he’d ever read. It was the only comic he’d ever read, but I still took the compliment.

About 16 years later, I got back in the game with the fourth issue of The Gathering with a story called There’s No Such Thing as Monsters, a little homage to Calvin and Hobbes, with art by the very talented Donal DeLay. By the time it was actually published though, I’d already started writing an ongoing webcomic for GrayHaven, called Kid Robo. It’s beautifully drawn and painted by my terrific partner Christopher Chamberlain, and it’s a lot of fun to write.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

MD: I’ve been reading comics since about 1989, or so. My Mom got me started with the occasional issues of Batman, G.I. Joe, Transformers and Count Duckula. My love of comics really started with the X-Men cartoon, though. It was a gateway drug. After that, I was hooked for life. There was just no going back.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

MD: I read WAY too many comics. If Marvel puts it out, it’s pretty much guaranteed to be in my pile, but Ultimate Spider-Man and Uncanny X-Force are just brilliant, right now. IDW is doing incredible things with the Transformers and G.I. Joe licenses. Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead still manages to make my jaw drop every time I read it. I also love Chris Giarusso’s G-Man and Stephen Pastis’ wonderful comic strip Pearls Before Swine. Those two have helped to teach me so much while writing Kid Robo. I’d absolutely love to do a crossover with either one of them, some day.

GP: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

MD: I was actually a bit of a late-comer to The Gathering. While I posted in the DC thread with the rest of the guys, for some reason, I kind of glanced over the GrayHaven stuff, pretty much obliviously. Once I started paying attention, and saw what they were putting together, I knew I had to get involved. So, I grabbed my copy of Mark Millar’s Civil War Script book, and taught myself how to write a comic.

To be honest, GrayHaven reminds me of the early days of Saturday Night Live. There’s a sense that some of these people are going to explode in the industry and completely change the game. And I can’t wait to see who does, because I think the number will be very, very surprising to a lot of people.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

MD: The themes for The Gathering are interesting because they force you to come up with stories you might not have, otherwise. I’m very proud of my story from our upcoming Western volume, but, truth is, I’ve never been much of a Western guy! But it challenged me to grow as a writer, and I love that.

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

MD: My biggest advice is to be nice, and make good friends. Creators are people too, and if you approach them and treat them with respect and kindness, it opens up all kinds of doors. I’m currently working with an artist that I’m a long time fan of, and it all started because I took some books to have him sign at a convention! I went from fan to partner, which is still mind-blowing, to me.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

MD: The most important lesson I’ve learned is to just push yourself. Andrew Goletz created a huge opportunity for us, but it’s all for nothing if I don’t sit down at the computer and ignore distractions, once in a while. “Write, write, write,” that’s the biggest one.

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

MD: Absolutely. The internet has provided an incredible tool for people to make their voice heard. Not just in terms of comics, but for musicians, actors, artists… I feel like “incredible” isn’t a powerful enough word to describe the opportunities that are available now, that simply weren’t there just a few years ago. When you look at the stories of how creators like Mark Bagley or Dan Slott made their way into this industry, you can already see just how much has changed. And that’s fantastic.

GP: How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

MD: I think the results speak for themselves. It’s an opportunity for people to put their money where their mouth is and support creative efforts that may have otherwise been overlooked. It’s the most democratic model we’ve ever had for getting art into the hands of the consumer.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

MD: Well, I’ve got one major project on the way that I really can’t talk about just yet, but other than that, Kid Robo goes up every Monday or Tuesday at http://www.grayhavencomics.com/ and we have a collected edition coming in early 2013, I believe. I’ve also got lots more coming in the pages of The Gathering, including our Western and Dark volumes, so keep an eye out for my work, and I hope you like it!

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – Travis M. Holyfield

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We continue our interview series with members of The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics. We’ve put out the same questions to numerous individuals and can compare their responses. A hopefully intriguing interview series.

Check out our previous interviews.

George Amaru Erica J. Heflin
Elena Andrews Marc Lombardi
Andrew Goletz Glenn Matchett
Doug Hahner James O’Callaghan

Up next is writer Travis Holyfield who has contributed to The Gathering volumes 2, 6, 8, 9 and 11.

Graphic Policy:  How did you get started in the comic book industry?

Travis Holyfield: Through the good people at GrayHaven. I’d been writing for years, and trying to figure out a way to break in and get some of my work out there into the world. GrayHaven gave me my first shot at being published, and I will always be grateful for that.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

TH: Lifelong fan. I taught myself to read when I was three with The Electric Company and Thor and Iron Man comics.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

TH: I absolutely read comics now. I’ve got a weekly habit, and I cannot muster the patience to wait for the trade.  I still read and enjoy just about everything Marvel puts out. I’ve been on board with Kirkman’s Invincible and Walking Dead since their first issues. Hickman’s Manhattan Projects, Vaughn’s Saga, and Fraction’s Casanova are probably my three favorite books on the market right now. I also recently discovered Danger Club, and I’m really enjoying every minute of that book.

GP: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

TH: I knew Andrew and the rest of the staff via the Bendis Board. They all knew I wrote, and Andrew approached me for the second volume of The Gathering with the opportunity to write something for them, and have it drawn by one of my best friends, Pat Loika. I jumped on it with both feet.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

TH: It’s been a really amazing writing exercise for me to have a specific theme or setting handed to you and to then develop a short story around that theme. It’s given me the opportunity to dip my toe into genre waters I’d never have thought to pursue otherwise, like romance.

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

TH: Focus on doing the best work you can, have fun doing it, and surround yourself with positive people who are similarly committed to making awesome comics. A professional told me at one point, “Nobody gets anywhere in comics just making stuff with their friends.” But I think the GrayHaven staff have proven that to be more than a bit of an overstatement.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

TH: The absolute value and pure joy of the collaboration inherent in making comics. The best writer in the world can’t make a decent comic without an artist who is committed to seeing that vision delivered on the page. And having a solid, knowledgeable editor to steer the ship is crucial.

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

TH: There are certainly more avenues available for publication than ever. Webcomics alone offer huge possibilities for people to see your work. But you still have to do the work and make the comics first.

GP: How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

TH: I think it’s very exciting. It’s democratized the process in a lot of ways. Who gets published and who gets their work noticed can be based on non-corporate decision making, which can be great. But I do worry that it takes creators who should be spending their time creating, and it puts them in the position of having to constantly hustle for attention. Sometimes the person who makes it isn’t the person who’s doing the best work, but is the person with the most Twitter followers. That makes it less of a meritocracy and more of a popularity contest. Then again, maybe I’m just bitter that I don’t have more Twitter followers.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

TH: I will have stories appearing in the Western and Romance volumes of The Gathering, coming later in 2012. Next year you can see my work in the Crime volume of The Gathering, as well as stories in Hey Kids: Superheroes, and the third installment of Tales from the Abyss. 2013 should also see GrayHaven publishing my one-shot comic, The Great Caper of Crime, created with artist Edward Whatley, and based on the characters from our story “Timesheet” in the Silver Age volume of The Gathering.

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – George Amaru

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We continue our interview series with members of The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics. We’ve put out the same questions to numerous individuals and can compare their responses. A hopefully intriguing interview series.

Check out our previous interviews.

Up today is artist George Amaru.

Graphic Policy: How did you get started in the comic book industry?

George Amaru: As I suppose most artists do, I started by answering ads for different assignments that were posted on some art community/comic forums.  Most unfortunately never saw print.  I finally found “real” projects with Tezlon and Wolfman Productions Interantional, as well as some other smaller publishers.  I still serve as editor and artist with Wolfman.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

GA: Oh, Absolutely.  I’ve been reading comics on a regular basis since 1992.  Before that, I read them sporadically and was a fan of the TV shows and movies based on comic characters, most notably Superman: The Movie.  That’s where it all started for me.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

GA: My pull list is shorter now than it used to be due to the economy and just not having as much time, but I do still buy comics every week.  Right now my main titles are Action Comics, Superman, Superboy, Supergirl, Detective Comics, Batman, Justice League and He-Man.

GP: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

GA: I participated in one of their open submissions and was chosen to work on a short story for their Romance 2 volume.  However, a scheduling snafu caused the story to be delayed to a later volume, so the second story I did was actually the first one to be published.  It was a story Erica Heflin wrote for the Fairy Tales volume.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

GA: For me, the theme of the issue mostly determines the script that I get.  I generally don’t have input into which themes are chosen.  However, I do use the theme to help me establish the “mood” of the artwork.  For example, I worked on a ghost story for one of the young readers issues.  Though the script was already light-hearted, keeping the theme in mind helped me to decide on the visual style of the piece, which was heavily influenced by the old Casper cartoons and comics.

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

GA: I guess I can only speak to the artists reading this, but the most important thing is to get your work seen.  This is easier than ever to do with the advent of the internet and digital and webcomics.  Don’t wait for someone to find you or for something to happen for you.  You have to produce work, whether you write and draw your own webcomic and release it online for free or collaborate with other creators, or whatever, you’ve got to get product out in front of the public (and editors) and get yourself noticed.  Companies like creators who come with a pre-existing audience. Another important step is to go to conventions and get portfolio reviews.  Talk to editors from companies big and small and talk to other artists who are already working.  The point of a portfolio review is not necessarily to get a job right away.  The point is to get feedback and guidance and also to make some connections that may pay off later.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

GA: I think one of the most important lessons I’ve learned is part of what I wrote above.  Don’t wait for something to happen.  Your dream job isn’t going to fall in your lap; you have to MAKE it happen.  Seek collaborations, answer ads on message boards, etc.  Send submissions to any and all companies willing to take them and follow up with newer samples often.  Whatever you do, whether it’s work for someone else or something for yourself, always continue drawing and practicing.  Keep working to hone your craft and always continue to grow.

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

GA: I think it is, especially if you include digital and webcomics into the mix.  The advent of print-on-demand allows anyone to get a book in print affordably.  Also, digital distribution allows creators to get their work out in front of the entire world via the internet.  While it is harder than ever to get an indy book picked up by Diamond, it has never been easier for an independent creator to get their books out to a large audience.

GP:  How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

GA: I definitely see a positive impact from these sites already.  They allow smaller publishers and solo creators to get their books printed and out in front of an audience without going bankrupt in the process.  It also offers creators a way to contact and market to a large potential audience while also essentially pre-selling the book.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

GA: I am currently working on the Havoc 21 Presents series from Wolfman Productions International, where I will also debut my creator-owned title Legacy of the Falcon and other titles from my own Amaru Studios line.

I also have a great project in development with Grayhaven Comics that I’m very excited about.  It will be announced at New York Comic Con, so stay tuned for more!

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – Andrew Goletz

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We continue our interview series with members of The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics. We’ve put out the same questions to numerous individuals and can compare their responses. A hopefully intriguing interview series.

Check out our previous interviews.

Up next is Andrew Goletz, Publisher, Editor in Chief and President of GrayHaven Comics.

Graphic Policy: How did you get started in the comic book industry?

Andrew Goletz: I did a short story for a comic book anthology about 15 years ago which was my first comic book work. Around 2000 I was doing freelance for Marvel Comics working on their Official Handbooks to the Marvel Universe doing bios for various characters and then I also did some freelance for Eaglemoss’ DC Super Hero Magazine, again doing character bios for the magazines that came with the various figurines.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

AG: Ever since I knew how to read. Actually quite likely before that. I remember picking up various Iron Man, Batman and Superman comics at convenience stores and around the time Roger Stern began his Amazing Spider-Man run is when I started actually following a title and making sure to seek out new issues as opposed to just picking random titles off the racks while shopping with my parents.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

AG: Absolutely. I’ve never stopped or even thought about stopping. I think the comic book medium offers a type of storytelling experience you can’t get anywhere else and the diversity of titles and characters continues to grow even stronger. The Big Two may dominate the charts (except for the most impressive showing for The Walking Dead #100) but there’s so much variety out there from companies like Image and IDW and Dark Horse and Oni all the way down to small press and self-publishers. It’s a fantastic time to be a comic book fan.

As for the titles I get now, I still read a lot from the Big Two. Batman and Daredevil are two of the best examples of how very good super hero comics can still be but I’m also a fan of Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four, I Vampire, Catwoman, Wonder Woman, Earth Two,  and many others from Marvel and DC. Image has been so good the last few years that I’ll pick up every one of their new issues and give it a shot. The Activity , Blue Estate, Creator Owned Heroes, Dancer, Debris, Fatale, Grim Leaper, Lil Depressed Boy, Luthor Strode, Planetoid, Revival and Walking Dead are some of my recent favorites from them. I also really love Smoke and Mirrors from IDW, Rachel Rising from Terry Moore’s Abstract Press and The Shadow from Dynamite.  I’m also a very big fan of Clown Town from a small press studio, Inverse Press.  The creators, Kevin LaPorte and Amanda Rachels have done some incredible work with that book and I’m happy to have gotten a chance to feature some of it in our books as well.

GP: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

AG: I started it with the help of a lot of friends from Brian Bendis’ Jinxworld forums. After observing some false starts with various other anthologies and feeling the itch to create more comics I decided that if I took total control and tried to run the whole thing at least if it failed I could only blame myself. No what ifs? Thankfully there was a wealth of talent on those boards including Mike Lapinski and Brent Peeples who went off to illustrate Feeding Ground and Last of the Greats respectively and about two dozen of us told short two page stories with the theme of ‘Hope’

By the time we were getting the first issue to print I already knew I wanted to do a second issue since so many people had asked about participating and I couldn’t fit them all in. We made the theme of the second issue ‘Despair’ and Gail Simone, who was a big fan of what we were doing  with the anthology gracious agreed to do a short in that issue.

Since that second issue we’ve been fortunate to have several pros contribute to the book including Sterling Gates, Glenn Greenberg, John Jackson Miller and soon Victor Gischler among others. And believe me, it’s incredibly cool for me to be able to work with pros whose work I’ve admired for a long time and give new creators and opportunity to have their work featured alongside them. The main draw of The Gathering though is opportunity. Opportunity for writers and artists to have their work published, often for the very first time, and be seen by a bigger audience. We’ve had close to 200 creators featured in our comics with many, many more on the way.

For some it’s just about scratching that itch and getting the story out. For others they see it as a springboard to bigger companies. At any rate I’m proud to be able to help them all as best as I can along the way.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

AG: Initially we were thinking of doing what many anthologies do and tell one sequential story written and drawn in segments by many different people but even I thought that might be too ambitious to attempt for the first comic so I settled on just giving everyone a theme instead. For the first issue, Hope seemed like the obvious choice and then I wanted to go the opposite direction the second time out. Coming up with themes and trying to figure out which ones readers will respond to and creators will have fun with may be one of the most enjoyable parts of the job.

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

AG: Go out there and create. Don’t think about it. Don’t talk about it. Just go and do it. Whether you do a digital comic or self publish your own book or come up with six page pitches to show to editors go and get it done. If you can only write or only draw there are plenty of sites like Pencil Jack and Digital Webbing and Deviant Art or just about any comic book message board where you can find people to collaborate with. And when in doubt, pitch it to us.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

AG: I don’t know half as much as I thought I did.  Even just talking about themes I would predict that certain issues would sell better or worse than others and would usually get proven wrong haha. I’ve also had to learn that not everyone is going to be as excited about our comics as I am. To be honest initially I figured, hey we have a great product, some pros helping us out and this awesome little niche here where we’re actually helping creators realize their dreams of publishing. Who wants to interview me about all this awesomeness first? Unfortunately it’s hard to try and get comic book news site to sacrifice some of their space for a black and white indie anthology when they compete for hits with the latest events Marvel or DC is doing. I understand the reasons for it but it’s hard when you email a news site asking if they’d be interested in reviewing the books or talking to a creator and hearing no responses back. That’s why I am forever grateful to the reviewers who did take the time to read our comics and sites who spend time making people aware that we are out there. It is such a crucial help to the small press to get that type of publicity.

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

AG: I think it is just by the simple fact that almost anyone can self publish their own work nowadays thanks to printers dedicated to helping small press and if that’s even too costly you can always do digital comics. It’s never been a better time for creators.

GP: How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

AG: Kickstarter was named, what, the 2nd biggest indie publishing company or something like that recently. They’ve been extremely helpful to creators. We’ve successfully funded four Kickstart projects over the past few years with a new one to come the 2nd week of August (along with our last Open Submission period of the year). It’s allowed creators to realize their dreams and gain funding for projects that may have otherwise taken them years to save for or not at all if one was afraid of the risk that comes with any publishing venture. I think the biggest thing crowdfunding has done those is allow creators to forgo a distribution model for comics that doesn’t really help people outside of the Big Two. Instead of hoping that someone will carry and distribute your comic, taking 65% off the top to do so and then trying to make minimum orders  just to maintain that deal using a crowdfunder allows creators to get their orders right off the top, paid for in advance. That’s huge for creators just trying to carve out a little chunk of the pie for themselves who usually just get the door shut in their face.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

AG: For three years we’ve self published anthologies and by the end of the year we’ll have put out 16 issues of The Gathering. Due to the success of our Horror themed issues December will see the launch of Tales from the Abyss, an ongoing Horror anthology and next year we’ll launch Hey Kids, an ongoing anthology aimed at young readers. We’ve already started production on collections of a few of our popular webcomics like Kid Robo (by Marc Deschamps and Chris Chamberlain) and The Bid (by Gary Hogan and Blake Sims) as well as the one shots My Geek Family (by Doug Hahner and Donal DeLay) and Sparks (by Glenn Matchett and Cassandra James) but the goal was to expand from that in a big way.

That brings us to Phase Two. Phase Two is taking all the lessons we learned in publishing an anthology for so long and taking some of the people who’ve worked with us a lot and giving them bigger projects to work on. Self contained projects. Mother and Son by Erica Heflin and Elias Martins, a 5 issue mini series just launched. Over the next few weeks we’ll be announcing a number of other mini series and one shots including a comic book adaptation of a novel and a series of mini series by one of the top creators in the business who recently just ended a long run on a team franchise title for the Big Two.

And here’s a little exclusive. Over the years it’s become a bit of an inside joke that I have never written a story in The Gathering. My wife has. My kids have. But I always bump my stories to give someone else a chance. My first published story in over ten years is available in The Archives, a historical anthology that just went on sale. So in thinking of Phase Two and big projects I figured this was the time for me to once again put myself out there on the front line of this experiment much like running with The Gathering so one of our projects is 11:59 an ongoing written by me and illustrated by Nick Francis. It’s a post apocalyptic monster series that I like to say is a cross between Lord of the Flies and The Walking Dead that launches in January.

Beyond that, The Gathering is still going to be front and center allowing for new creators to have opportunities to get their work printed and hopefully work alongside some fantastic pro creators as well who’ve already committed to stories in next years’ books.

Our comics can be ordered direct through us at http://www.grayhavencomics.com/comics/

For more information on GrayHaven and The Gathering check out the website www.grayhavencomics.com or follow us on Twitter @gatheringcomic

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – Elena Andrews

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We continue our interview series with members of The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics. We’ve put out the same questions to numerous individuals and can compare their responses. A hopefully intriguing interview series.

Check out our previous interviews.

Up next is writer Elena Andrews.

Graphic Policy: How did you get started in the comic book industry?

Elena Andrews: I did a short story for The Gathering in their Romance issue illustrated by Aaron Bir. I typically write prose so this was an interesting experience having to write something with an artist in mind. I then did another short story for the All Women issue, a book I’m very proud of, that was completed created by women comic creators. That story, illustrated by Karen Wang, featured characters from another novel I’m doing but it also serves as a stand alone story.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

EA: I’ve never really read comic books. My husband is a huge fan as well as my brother and our kids read some but I never really followed them. I did read some X-Men comics years ago when they relaunched everything in the Ultimate books and have flipped through issues of The Walking Dead because I love the show but I’m probably the least comic book person of the group. This is all new to me haha.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

EA: I don’t really read anything on a consistent basis but I’ve flipped through some of the books that my husband gets like The Walking Dead or Saga.

GP: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

EA: Andrew put a call out for writers for the Romance issue of The Gathering and I had an idea I thought would be interesting for a short story with that theme and was paired up with Aaron on the art and continued to submit to issues that had themes I thought I could do justice to.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

EA: I think it helps. The stories don’t have to follow any sort of sequential path since they don’t necessarily continue from one issue to the next. If there’s a theme that I’m interested in and I can come up with a short I’ll submit something or wait until the next round. I think that’s what’s appealing for a lot of the writers. You don’t need to figure out how to come up with how to get certain characters into situations presented by the themes since in most cases these stories are all one and done.

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

EA: Keep doing what you love. There are so many opportunities out there from self publishing your work in print to publishing ebooks or digitial comics there’s really no excuses left to sit back and wait for things to happen. You’re in control of your own destiny. But just because you have free reign you also need to be able to rely on others to lend a critical eye. Too many people rush to put out a product because it’s so easy now. Give it an edit. Then let some people you trust to not sugar coat it also give it a look and offer feedback. Take criticism well and learn from it. Editors are not the enemy, they’re just there to lend a helping hand and an impartial eye because when you do put your work out there for the world to see you want to make sure that it’s the very best it can be.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

EA: I’m still learning! One thing I quickly discovered is that with self publishing a book or having a story published for an indie company like GrayHaven you’re marketing almost as much as you’re writing. You’re out there competing for the attention of millions of readers with tens of thousands of other creators trying to carve out that same piece of the pie for themselves. I’ve appreciated every blogger and reviewer who’s taken the time to interview me or review the book because it does drive sales and it makes a huge difference but it does take time. My book was published in February of this year and it took a few months before people outside my family noticed it and I could see a noticeable climb in sales.  You have to make yourself available for people who want to know about the book and be interesting. With comics it’s been learning how to write in a completely different way than I’ve been used to. For my novels I’m responsible for describing every last detail and painting a picture for the reader. With comic books I’m giving direction to the artists but it’s more about making what goes onto the page exciting in a visual sense and trusting the artist to bring those details to life in a unique way.

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

EA: I really do. Instead of waiting for an editor from any publishing company (comics or otherwise) to get back to you on critiques for your story (if they even get your work in the first place) you can self publish. My first novel, Run Like Hell was something I was very proud of and wanted to get out there for people to read. Rather than waiting for who knows how long I learned how to create it as an ebook and made it available that way once I went through edit after edit after edit haha. Years ago a creator would create and then the waiting began. Now everyone has the ability to instantly make their product available to readers in whatever format they choose. It’s amazing.

GP: How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

EA: It allows those same self-publishers to help pay for the production of their work and get it into the hands of readers through their rewards and incentives. It eliminates the guesswork involved with smaller publishers who don’t need to print up 5000 copies of their books to have them gather dust as in many cases they’ll have direct orders via the crowdfunding sites. I don’t think GrayHaven could have expanded to the point where they’re at in only a few years without it and because of that I’ve been given an opportunity to do something very cool with my own work.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

EA: I have a story in The Gathering #14 which is the 3rd Horror issue that they’re doing. It was illustrated by David Aspmo and looks wonderfully creepy. He nailed the tone for sure. I can’t wait to see the completed book as the Horror issues are always something special. Thanks to a lot of the success with their anthology comics and the aforementioned crowdfunding they’re moving to a big new initiative which is to tell longer self contained stories. One of the first books they’ve decided to do is an adaptation of my novel, Run Like Hell. It’s going to be illustrated by George Amaru who’s done lovely work on other issues of The Gathering and the pieces he’s shown me so far have really been great.  It’s strange to see these characters brought to life visually like this but George is really getting to the heart of the characters. The first issue of Run Like Hell should be released in February, I believe.

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – Marc Lombardi

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We continue our interview series with members of The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics. We’ve put out the same questions to numerous individuals and can compare their responses. A hopefully intriguing interview series.

Check out our previous interviews.

Up today is Marc Lombardi, the Editor and Assistant Art Director at GrayHaven Comics.

Graphic Policy: How did you get started in the comic book industry?

Marc Lombardi: In 2007, Jim Valentino’s partner studio at Image Comics, Shadowline, was running a contest to create a promotional street team called the Shadowline Pimpsquad. I was a regular on the Shadowline section of the Image Forums.I ended up winning the contest thanks to coordinating an interview with every single major Shadowline creator at the time and getting the folks at CBR to publish it. Months passed and I started doing more and more work for Shadowline and eventually they brought me on in a more official capacity as their Communications guy, which basically means I run their website and social media accounts. All of that gave me some much needed industry experience and helped lead me to the great opportunity I have with GrayHaven.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

ML: I’ve been reading comics since I was 13 (which means for about 25 years now), with a few years off and on between then and now. Come to think of it, I was reading comics even earlier than that by picking up random issues of Rom: Spaceknight and Mike Grell’s Warlord at flea markets or issues of Super Powers comics off of the spinner racks at the local convenience store.  But nothing as steadily as when I turned 13 and started my very own pull list.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

ML: of what I read and love comes from Image; The Walking Dead, Hack/Slash, Saga, Skullkickers, Morning Glories, Peter Panzerfaust, The Activity, Near Death, Hoax Hunters, Planetoid and a bunch others. I just started reading Invincible in trade and love it. I tend to read much more non-Marvel/DC books. Terry Moore’s Rachel Rising is something everyone should be reading. IDW has some great comics with Cobra, Smoke and Mirrors and Godzilla. Atomic Robo from Red 5 comics is awesome. As for the “Big Two,” the DCU reboot got me into a few new comics and the ones I enjoy the most have been Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, Demon Knights, Batman and I, Vampire, and I adore the new Daredevil series from Marvel.  I’m also reading some books in trade, such as Locke and Key, American Vampire, Scalped, and The Unwritten.  I’ll also read anything written by Duane Swierczynski, Nathan Edmondson, Justin Jordan and Joe Hill.

GP: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

ML: As you already know, The Gathering started out with people from The Bendis Board and I was a regular, although a little bit of an under-the-radar kind of guy. Three years ago, there was a game on the board done in the style of The Apprentice, geared entirely towards comics, and the final two in that game were Andrew Goletz and me. I won the competition and it was soon thereafter that Andrew formed GrayHaven. I knew he was a great guy who had a passion for comics, and while I didn’t do anything in the first few issues, when the first round of submissions opened I started working on some ideas.  My first published comic work is in the Romance issue of The Gathering and it was a 2-page autobiographical story of how I met my wife at a Greyhound bus terminal in Philadelphia.  After submitting quite a few pitches in the later rounds I started getting more and more work and then eventually Andrew contacted me and asked if I would be interesting in joining the team as an editor and assisting Chris Chamberlain with the Art Director duties as well.  Andrew is sort of like the Sam Jackson Nick Fury in that sense and he put together a rather formidable Avengers-esque line-up.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

ML: Andrew can answer that question much better than I can, but I can say that I surprised myself a few times in that I often found myself coming up with ideas for themes that normally wouldn’t appeal to me (Romance, War) while not submitting ideas for themes that seem like a natural fit based on what I like reading (Dark, Pulp).

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

ML: For writers I would say that you need to write the stories that are in your heart. Be true to what you love and don’t write something just because it’s what you think people want to read. Write the comics that YOU would want to read instead. The most important thing thought is to write all of the time.  I’m a big fan of Image’s “Experience Creativity” ad campaign and have geared my own career in comics heavily into writing my own stuff and not really having the ultimate goal of writing for Marvel or DC.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

ML: I’ve been very lucky to have gotten some great insight into the industry from Jim Valentino. He’s become a mentor of sorts for me and he doesn’t even know it. I’ve taken some writing cues from something he wrote in the extra material in a TPB for After The Cape, which is that all great comic stories (and stories in general) should be written in three acts. I outline all of my stories before writing a script and I’ve discovered that the best ones are usually the ones that fit that three-act format.  The other thing is that the comics industry is quite a close knit community, so the best advice for anyone is to be yourself and don’t be a phony. If you’re hard to work with or just not a good person overall, the word will spread and you’ll find it hard to find anyone willing to work with you.

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

ML: I think so. Self-published comics have existed for decades but they’re experiencing a bit of a renaissance and the quality in small press/indie comics has now grown to a point where it rivals that of the bigger publishers.  Fundraising websites have also made it easier for people to raise the capital necessary to put out a book without having to sell of your belongings or cashing out a 401k.  And then there’s always the webcomic or digital comic format that not only makes it easy but it also takes out virtually all of the cost associated with self-publishing.  There’s no reason to think that ANYONE who wants to make a comic book this day and age can’t make that dream a reality.

GP:  How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

ML: Absolutely! When established pros are turning to Kickstarter and IndieGoGo you know it’s here for the long run. When Kickstarter campaigns are helping to raise over $100,000 and people are hitting their funding goals by over 1000% it means that the opportunities are out there.  As for Social Networking I can attest that it’s not only a fantastic promotional tool but it’s also a great way to find new talent. I also think that social networking brings creators and fans closer together (more than creator-run messageboards).

GP: What can we expect from you next?

ML: I have quite a few stories coming up in GrayHaven books. There’s a story I worked on with 27’s Renzo Podesta for The Gathering’s Mystery issue. There’s a horror story in the third Gathering Horror issue and the artwork is by the wonderful Leo Gonzales, who did a killer cover for the issue. Artist Brian Defferding is bringing a story to life for me in the True Ghost Stories issue. And 2013 is going to be a huge year for me as I have stories coming up in the Crime, War, Hey Kids! Superheroes and Sci-Fi issues and a story in the third issue of Tales from the Abyss.

Beyond that there are three books that I am editing in 2013. The Bid is the collected edition of Gary Hogan and Blake Sims’ previous Gathering content and follow-up webcomic about Lightning Triangle, the star of The Further Adventures of a Super Attenuated Adventurer. It will contain brand new previously unpublished pages, so I’m really excited about that. I’m also editing Test Drive, which is a Kickstarter reward similar to what Top Cow does with Pilot Season. Three writers will each have as 14-page story in the issue and readers will select which one moves on to becoming either a one-shot or mini-series.  Lastly there’s the as of yet untitled Night Out issue.  I’m keeping this one under wraps but I’ll say that it’s a cross between The Hangover, the movie version of Clue and the sensibilities of a Quentin Tarrentino screenplay.

You can also expect me to be canvassing comic conventions, deviantArt and Twitter (@marclombardi) looking for new artists and writers to bring into the GrayHaven fold. And I’m doing all of this while still maintaining my position at Shadowline, so call me crazy!

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – James O’Callaghan

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We continue our interview series with members of The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics. We’ve put out the same questions to numerous individuals and can compare their responses. A hopefully intriguing interview series.

Check out our previous interviews.

Up next is editor James O’Callaghan.

Graphic Policy: How did you get started in the comic book industry?

James O’Callaghan: I’d done a few Transformers fan comics on IDW’s forum for the recognized fan series Transformers: Mosaics, but those were more for fun than anything else. What I’d consider my actual start was when I sent in my first script to GrayHaven, which was a script for volume 4, our first horror themed issue.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

JO I honestly can’t remember a time when I didn’t love comics. I’ve been reading them since I was old enough to read, and looking at them while I was too young to, hahaha. I was quite poor growing up, and living in Ireland there weren’t any places near me to get US comics on a regular basis, and UK comics were too frequent (being weekly or fortnightly) and mostly didn’t appeal to me, so I wasn’t able to collect seriously until 1997 when Britain started doing monthly reprint comics of Marvel books.

I did collect the (surprisingly mature in places) UK Sonic the Hedgehog comic, simply titled Sonic the Comic, that started in 1993. Which featured some early Mark Millar work as a matter of fact. I missed about a quarter of the issues, since it was fortnightly, but it was my first attempt at collecting a comic series.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

JO: I do. I read so many comics now it boggles even my own mind. So it’s hard for me to pick favourites. The Big Two still take up a lot of my reading time, though I’ve always been more a Marvel guy. I’d have to say that Daredevil by Mark Waid and Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are easily the best comics from Marvel and DC. Wolverine and the X-Men, Winter Soldier, Fantastic Four/FF, Animal Man and Swamp Thing would be close behind. American Vampire, Scalped and Fables from Vertigo and Fury MAX from Marvel MAX are also high on my list.

Outside of the Big Two, Image and IDW are also doing incredible books right now. Peter Panzerfaust, Revival, Planetoid, The Activity, Blue Estate, Severed, Mind the Gap and Pigs from Image, the full line of Transformers books, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Smoke and Mirrors, Locke and Key and Memorial from IDW are always highlights too. Then there’s the likes of The Boys, The Shadow and The Spider from Dynamite, Rachel Rising by Terry Moore from his Abstract Studios.

I could keep going all day.

GP: How did you get involved with The Gathering?

JO: I became friends with Andrew Goletz on the Brian Bendis Jinxworld forum, and saw that he’d just finished recruiting creators for what would become the first volume of The Gathering. When he started accepting submissions for the second one, I pitched an idea for a story. I ended up having to back out of that volume, but came back and pitched for the fourth issue which became my first published work. I later pitched a story for our Adventure themed issue, which very nearly got cancelled due to lack of interest. Andrew floated the idea of tying all the stories together to make it one single story, but was afraid a lot of them would conflict, but after seeing the other pitches I came up with an idea that fit almost all of the stories together fairly logically. Andrew asked me to take lead on the issue, and not long afterwards asked me to come on board as a full time editor and I’ve been working full time with the company ever since.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

JO: It factors in quite a lot. One of the things Andrew, and now the editing team, have to do is think about coming up with new themes so that we’re not retreading old ground on a regular basis, since some themes don’t do as well as others. We only have so many issues each year, so we don’t want to limit ourselves on a creative level to only doing Sci-Fi or Western or Fairy Tale issues when there could be some creators that really want to take a stab at writing Romance or even something more mature.

That’s why we spun off Horror after its third volume in The Gathering and created Tales from the Abyss and why we’ve come up with a line of mature books that’s starting this October and continuing each year, and a line of books specifically aimed at kids too.

Trying to decide what new themes we can run with and that might appeal to creators and fans alike is one of the most nerve-wracking and fun jobs at GrayHaven. We’ve come up with interesting ideas and a couple of crazy ones too.

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

JO: Be professional, timely and above all, patient. Breaking into the industry is a slow, slow, sloooow process. Bringing out a first issue of your fantastic new series is all well and good, but you’ve got to build your fan-base and then KEEP that fan-base. If you don’t bring out your second issue in a timely fashion, people are going to lose interest and forget all about you. So before you even release that first issue, make sure you have a plan in place.

If you’re a writer, make sure you have money set aside to pay your artist so that you keep it worth their while sticking with the book. A writer can belt out a script in a day if they put their mind to it, but an artist has to put a lot of time and effort into the books production so if you have a 6 issue mini planned and your artist isn’t getting anything out of it, they’re going to quit. And rightly so.

If you’re an artist, be professional. If a writer is paying you for work, don’t go dark on them and go weeks without updating them on the production of the book. Provide some scans. Stay in touch. Discuss things with them. If something isn’t working for you, don’t just change it without telling the writer. Make your case and see if you can work something out.

And as I said above, be patient. You’re not going to put out an issue of a comic and then be writing Superman, overtaking sales on The Walking Dead and jetting off to Hollywood to start production on your 6 part movie adaptation of your comic. If that’s your goal, it’s going to take time. You’re going to have to get noticed. And the best way to do that is slowly and politely. Talking for 30 seconds with an editor at a convention then bombarding them with 50 emails a day like you’re best friends afterwards is just going to get your email address blocked.

And remember who you’re working with. I don’t know how many messageboard posts, tweets and facebook posts I’ve seen directed at various editors with GrayHaven, where a creator was asking “Who’s the editor on that book I’m in again?” or “Who am I supposed to be sending this finished work to? I forgot”. Editors have a LOT of people to keep track of and remember. If an editor sees a creator who can’t keep track of one or two editors they’re working with, that editor is going to be less likely to seek that creator out for work.

Listen to feedback and criticism. But don’t be too hard on yourself when you receive it. Take it in and learn from it. If you’re submitting something to a company, be prepared for rejection. Lots of it. Don’t give up when it happens. Work harder at your craft and keep trying. And in the meantime, self-publish. The best way to improve and get noticed is to continue producing work.

Just create your comic because you have a comic that you want to create. Write, draw, ink, whatever. Just do it because it gives you pleasure and it’s something you want to make a career out of. Make a deadline and work to it. Don’t push it back just because you can, stick to it. Be pleasant, happy and enthusiastic in the creation of your work, and that will get you noticed and remembered by potential fans, and hopefully editors and fellow creators.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

JO: Probably that I didn’t know nearly as much as I thought about what it takes to make a comic. I’ve also learned how important it is to stick to deadlines and communicate with creators and editors.

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

JO: Definitely. We’re living in an age where someone can create a comic and post it on their website and build a fanbase strong enough to make a printed comic viable. We’ve got websites that are dedicated to helping to raise funding to publish books, printing companies that independent creators can use to print their comics up at fairly reasonable rates.

It’s a great time to be an aspiring comic creator in my opinion.

GP: How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

JO: Hugely. We’ve found huge success with Kickstarter, and I don’t know if we’d be as big as we’ve gotten right now without it. The successes of our various kickstarts have made it possible for us to produce more books, which in turn have gotten more new creators published. Now we’re seeing the likes of Garth Ennis and Gail Simone, among others, turning to kickstarter to fund their personal projects rather than depending on pitching to a publisher and hoping for the best.

Sites like Twitter and Facebook help spread the word of a books existence pretty well too, so I can’t recommend them enough to people. And I say that as someone who hates using social media sites.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

JO: Next up from me is the release of our mature readers book, The Dark Anthology, which should be released in October. Then there’ll be The Gathering: True Ghost Stories which is due for release at the start of next year, the War volume which should be out mid-next year and the second volume of The Dark, which will feature a well known creator in it too. In the meantime I’m also going to be editing fellow editor Erica Heflin’s various mini-series, the first of which, a twisted sci-fi story called Mother and Son, has just had its first issue see release. Mother and Son is the first book in what is Phase Two of GrayHaven Comics, where we’re moving away from being almost solely an anthology comic company and into creators working on bigger passion projects. I’ve also edited Flesh of White and Of Wolf and Woman for Erica, which should be released within the year. We have a lot more coming with Phase Two, a lot of which we’ll be revealing at New York Comic Con this year.

I’m also overseeing a webcomic anthology that is being worked on right now. It’s being started by new Irish writer, and good friend, Sean Leonard and then he’ll be followed by a new creative team and so on. We should be launching that on the website as soon as we have a few stories completed.

And I’m also scheduled to write a 6 page story for the Tales from the Abyss series, and then I’ll be focusing 100% on the editing again for the foreseeable future.

10 Questions: The Gathering Edition – Douglas Hahner

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We’ve got our third entry of interviews with The Gathering and GrayHaven Comics team! You can catch our first and second interview which we ran earlier.

Up next is Doug Hahner, one of the editors at GrayHaven Comics.

Graphic Policy: How did you get started in the comic book industry?

Doug Hahner: It started for me when Andrew, GrayHaven EiC, posted on an internet message board “Who wants to make a comic?”  I responded that yes I did want to make a comic, but didn’t think anything would come of it because many many people on comic book boards think it’s a good idea to make their own comics.  Some even get an issue together, but Andrew had some publishing experience so he knew what needed to be done.  Now over 2 years later we’re still going having published many books already and we have about a dozen books at different stages of completion ready for publication.

GP: Were you a fan of comic books before?

DH: Oh dear God yes!  My parents’ attic is full of all the comics I purchased over the years, and now my wife has to deal with my obsession.  Fortunately I have been able to drag her into my madness (thank you Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and Mike Mignola’s Hellboy), and now she reads books too.

GP: Do you read comics now? If so, what are some of your current picks?

DH: I don’t think I will ever stop reading comics.  Right now my favorites are Mind MGMT by Matt Kindt (Dark Horse), Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (DC), Saga by Brian K Vaughn and Fiona Staples (Image), and I look forward to anytime Dark Horse puts out a new Blacksad HC by Juan Diaz Canales and Juanjo Guranido.

GP:  How did you get involved with The Gathering?

DH: It started with the comic message board.  It has always been a dream of mine to be a comic book writer, and Andrew gave me that opportunity.

GP: Each issue of The Gathering has a theme, how did that factor into the comic creation?

DH: We try to pick themes that are open enough to interpretation that we don’t hinder the writers and artists, but the stories can still be placed in that theme.  For example one of the future volumes we’re working on is War.  This book can feature historical stories, modern stories, stories about the war on drugs, futuristic war stories, or anything a writer or artist can think of dealing with War.

GP: What advice would you give to independent creators just breaking into the business?

DH: Listen to your collaborators.  Everyone is just trying to help make the story better.  On the second story that I wrote, I had a major story point happen in one panel of a 9 panel grid.  The artist I was working with, Aaron Bir, said he would draw it the way I wrote it, but it might work better as a splash or half splash.  It really made me think about the story visually, and I did a complete re-write cutting panels left and right, and ended with a much more open script that let the art breathe, and Aaron did an amazing job on the finished story.  Now if I’m writing a story and I have more than 6 panels on a page I feel weird.

GP: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned through your experiences?

DH: Take advice from everyone.  Don’t just show your script or art to your girlfriend or mom, they’ll like it no matter what.  If your editor or artist have questions on your script, don’t just blow them off thinking they just don’t get your work.  If they don’t get it, maybe you didn’t explain it well enough.  That doesn’t mean your story is bad, just that it could be clearer.

GP: Do you think it’s easier today for creators to get published?

DH: Depending on what you define as published, yes.  Creating a web comic is pretty simple now, and there are ways of self publishing through Amazon to get your work out there.  Now if you mean breaking into the Big 2 (Marvel and DC) or even the Big 5 (Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, and IDW) then it is still very hard to do.  Not to say it is impossible, but it is not easy.

However just getting your work out there for the public to see is not that hard.  You just have to be really good at marketing yourself to help people see it.  Social media helps with that, but it’s a very fine line between marketing yourself and spamming your followers.

GP: How do you think technology like social networking or crowdfunding sites like IndieGoGo or Kickstarter are impacting comic book publishing?

DH: I won’t lie, Kickstarter has been very kind to Gray Haven Comics.  It has certainly helped us publish as many books as we have.  I think sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo are helping many creators who need the help.

GP: What can we expect from you next?

DH: Coming down the pipe I edited GrayHaven’s Western and Romance 2 issues.  Both of them will be out before the end of the year.

Writing wise I have a story coming in our Tales From the Abyss book drawn by the amazing Leigh Walls, and something I’m very proud of, My Geek Family.

My Geek Family is a one-shot that I wrote that is a kinda/sorta sequel to the story I wrote for volume 1 of The Gathering: Hope.  While the Hope story was kind of heavy with a true life cancer scare in my life, My Geek Family is a typical Saturday in the life of my immediate family.  We are all geeks in our own ways about different things.  Should it prove successful I can certainly expand the cast to show how everyone, in every family, is geeky about something in their life.

My Geek Family will be drawn by Donal Delay.  He drew the story I wrote for Hope, and it is incredible to be working with him again.  He is such a great cartoonist on his own I’m thrilled that he’s willing to draw something that I wrote.  You can check out his web comic, The Legend of Tanin, on Gray Haven’s website at: http://www.grayhavencomics.com/category/webcomic/legend-of-tanin/

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