Comics UK

In light of the recent 'axe-hovering-over-the-DANDY' scenario, it goes without saying that this bodes badly for the cartoon business, and believe me I get no pleasure from seeing even less jobs available for comics artists.


There are loads of great contributers in this fine forum who will possibly have a lesser workload due to even lesser opportunities for cartoonists in the UK.



Ironically, I was toying with the idea of submitting coloured artwork to the DANDY before long, though I never actually started it yet.


I wondered if it would be worthwhile for some of the contributers on here to put stuff together in order to find a backer [if not DCT, maybe someone else as yet unknown] for a new UK comic.



I personally am prepared to start the ball rolling by adding a page of coloured artwork [possibly two] towards this free of cost.

I'll even put rough pencils in on here first, so you can slag or praise my efforts at your leisure-----could be the start of a good thread{!]


Maybe its a good idea, maybe it's a bad one, if nobody responds, well I'm busy enough with other cartoon stuff at the mo'. I've only spent 5 minutes writing this thread, I can write this off easily.



More experienced cartoonists than me can take charge if they want, but I'm prepared to add new stuff first, and see how it gauges on here.


Some of you could well have pet projects just languishing somewhere, well here's a chance to start putting stuff together and try and knock a new comic into shape.

With one of the sturdy, ancient oak trees of the British comic industry about to be felled, the chances of us finding "a backer" are virtually nonexistent. But we could small press it, and sell it at conventions which are filled with fans of US / Japanese comics, in order to draw more people here. Might be worth a go!

If it's good quality art and lettering, I'd be prepared to publish it (monthly/bimonthly?), complete with submission to comic shops, online and conventions. That means paying for the printing and some marketing too.

Depends if people are prepared to put in art for free, with potential profit share.

I'd probably be up for this. Are we talking Whizzer and Chips crossed with classic Dandy? Conventional wisdom says it doesn't stand a chance, but it'd be fun to try...

Would it include any adventure, like maybe a humour-focused, yet mixed comic a bit like Valiant?

It'll also need a name, may I suggest YWS'E (Pronounced Yawassie), which stands for "Yeah, We're Still 'Ere!". Or maybe the more conventional Clowning Around?

Have you considered publishing online as a webcomic? Production costs are minimal and it gives you a global audience.

It also gives you something to show potential publishers when you want to produce a paperback collection. Assuming you don't just do it yourself through Lulu or the like, and sell it direct off the comic's website.

I don't think there's much wrong with a Billy the Cat/Dialling Man/Whizzers from Oz-style children's adventure story.

I've got some ideas that I think could bear fruit beyond simply online. There's 8,000 kids (and big kids) missing their comic, as much as I missed mine when the 'great news for all readers' was announced.

Supermarkets would be very very difficult but there's a chance with comic shops. Yep, it seems to be the wrong market but a record shop was the wrong place to buy CDs...until they started stocking CDs. Why shouldn't a comic shop stock comics of different kinds?

At the moment, a summer/winter special, approx. 50 pages, or so, for about £3.99 in shops/Amazon etc or less if bought online at a dedicated webstore (as distributors take about 50% of the cover price), plus web downloads too.

Things like names of the comic can wait but suggestions (reasonable ones, so no licensed characters, TV commercials or things that cost oodles of money - unless you're paying natch). There's some more artists willing to come on board but room for plenty more.

Marionette wrote:Have you considered publishing online as a webcomic? Production costs are minimal and it gives you a global audience.

It would also disappear in the billions of webcomics already available. Paper gives immediacy, and selling it at conventions allows people to meet the creators and become infected with our enthusiasm... ideally, anyway!

Wow! I'm well pleased that some good folks even responded to this: tell you what, I'll add on some rough sketches of ideas I have soon:

if anything stands out, it should be evident to all and sundry.


Pencil sketches only take a few minutes, this is where the proper creativity lies.

I'll go first [over the next few days]; if I get the thumbs-down, I will bounce back with something completely different...

I had an idea, while listening to Beyond Our Ken, which I thought may be interesting...

We could come up with a series of characters with funny traits, as per usual, and have them in thier own strips. But we could also have them crossing over into other strips, or even ensemble pieces involving most / all of them.
This sort of thing was done on occasion in the older humour comics, and you'd sometimes get an annual story with a load of characters together, but why don't we make that the backbone of the comic? All of the child characters could go to the same school, for instance. There could be "Julian and Sandy" (though toned down severely - how did they get away with it?) style characters who work in apparently every business in the town. Some angry park-keeper could try to ruin everybody's fun (and end up being the butt of it) and some moaning old git with rambling, nonsensical complaints could appear on every debate panel, and so on.
We could also come up with catch phrases for some of them, which would announce thier arrival. For instance the farmer in Beyond Our Ken who would always be saying "Oi think the answerrrr loies in the soil".

*reappear*

I had a few character ideas, no pictures though, I'm even worse at comedy art than I am at adventure / sport art!

Sam Stutter
Like the Parkie in Viz, but without the swearing and with stuttering. Also quite elderly. He could also be working as a janitor in indoor stories, or else just not realise where the park he is supposed to look after ends! His main aim is to sabotage anything fun that kids are doing. He could also have a long-suffering assistant/apprentice, whose good ideas he constantly ruins or ignores because "It's always been done MY way!"

Melanie Planks
A schoolgirl of about 14, who is as thick as two short ones. She's very vain, and puts typical teenage girl concerns above all else. Her dialogue could be badly spelled, to emphasise her stupidity. A catchphrase could be "But woddappens if [somehing irrelevant]?"
For instance:
RE Teacher: Sikhs never cut thier hair
Melanie: But woddappens if thay get split eyndz?
(I wish I was making that up).

Hugh and Kenny
Like Julian and Sandy, they appear to run nearly every business in the town. They could go off on rambling anecdotes about improbable things they have done (deep sea fishing, joining the submarine service, etc) that are laced with innuendo. Not quite as blatant as Julian and Sandy though! But there to serve the older readers. Catchphrases could be "It ruined me nails!" and "...I needed a stiff drink after that"
Something like:
Kenny: I shouted "Grab hold with both hands, Hugh!" ... then threw him a rope.
Hugh: Yes, well, I pulled myself back aboard. Terrible it was, the storm raging... ruined me nails!

Mr Mole and Mr Vole
Slightly sinister secret agents, possibly Men in Black. They look identical, and wear 1960's suits with bowler hats and umbrellas. Thier eyes are hidden behind shiny glasses. They are seen standing around when anything strange / paranormal happens. They could also collect random objects. They rarely speak, but when they do they always finish off sentences with each other's name. For instance:
"This will be useful to us, Mr Mole"
"I agree, Mr Vole"
At some point they could perhaps be seen in a flashback to the 1960's, looking exactly the same.

Ernest Straid
He looks like a very tall and thin version of Benjamin Zephaniah. He doesn't find anything funny, and goes to great pains to explain why events / the punchlines of jokes are scientifically impossible. He could also see implications of violence or injustice in various things, such as the word "punchline". Never been known to laugh.

The Barman
He takes everything absolutely literally, but it usually turns out to be what a customer wanted anyway. Like somebody asks for "a shot of something strong" and he gives them a photo of Zoe Smith. When Hugh or Kenny asks him for "a stiff drink" he gives them a drink with cement powder in, which the recipient holds upside down until if drops out and smashes them in the jaw.

Daisy
An old lady who pops up (anywhere, like out of vases, washing machines, etc) and says "Bless you, dear" whenever anybody says something that souinds like a sneeze sound.

Larfin' Boys
The idiots from the back row of the class at school. All they ever do is laugh behind thier hands at everything, ocasionally pointing at it.

The Editor
A bit like Sir in The Sparky People, except he is a hand that holds notes in at the side of panels, usually threatening to sack people if they tell bad jokes.
For instance:
Mechanic: Your car looks worn out. It might need to be re-tyred!
Editor: That's what you'll be if you tell another one like that.

felneymike wrote:*reappear*

I had a few character ideas, no pictures though, I'm even worse at comedy art than I am at adventure / sport art!

Sam Stutter
Like the Parkie in Viz, but without the swearing and with stuttering...

A character named after his disability - in 2012!?

There's a smattering of negative stereotypes among your characters which show a disturbingly cynical view of young people. I think it's best to avoid sounding like a reactionary old git when writing for kids! Might I suggest you look for characters that represent a slightly more positive and dynamic view of human nature..? I know it's difficult sometimes!

Still, Mole and Vole sound interesting...you should maybe develop that idea further.

Would rejected Dandy pitches be allowed? If so you could ask some of the contributors if they would like to use them...

There's a smattering of negative stereotypes among your characters which show a disturbingly cynical view of young people. I think it's best to avoid sounding like a reactionary old git when writing for kids!

They're actually based on people I knew at school, I must have started early

I had a couple of character ideas, though I'm no artist:

Hannah S Beane - A washed-up ex-soap star has-been, who still aspires for big roles & talks up & exaggerates even the smallest roles, and talks like her career is on the up. Has parsitic musician boyfriend who expands her delusions to plug himself (based a lot on many deluded ex-soap stars

Know-It-All Annoying bloke who thinks he knows about it all in life when he doesn't and wags his finger and lectures those on what you need to do & relentlessly asks personal questions on none of his business. Has cronies who fawn over him, but rubs some up wrong way (likes meeting students, as many are rich know-alls (who afford Uni) with no worldly wise knowledge). (based on someone I knew).

Got more ideas coming on. Will refine soon.