So you're an aspiring manga creator or a comics creator who'd love to see your work published in Japan? If you're going to San Diego Comic-Con this week, you're in luck! You have several opportunities to show off your best stuff to the people who might give you your next big break: U.S. and Japanese manga publishers.
Japanese publisher Kodansha will be reviewing portfolios and spreading the news about the 5th annual Morning International Comics Competition (M.I.C.C.), a contest that offers creators from all over the world a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get their stories published in one of Japan's premier manga magazines, Morning or Morning Two. An editor from Kodansha and an artist's agent/M.I.C.C. judge will be on hand at Vertical's table (#B03) to review portfolios and answer questions. I wrote to Yukari Shiina, the agent who will be at Comic-Con on behalf of M.I.C.C. and she shared some great comments and advice for artists, posted below.
Meanwhile, U.S. publishers including Dark Horse, Yen Press, EigoManga and Digital Manga Publishing will be reviewing portfolios at the Sails Pavilion in the San Diego Convention Center at various times all weekend. Editors from Udon Entertainment and Oni Press will also be reviewing portfolios at their respective booths. Here's more details about these opportunities for artists, and some helpful tips so you can get the most out of the experience.
JAPANESE MANGA MAG MORNING LOOKS FOR NEW CREATORS AT COMIC-CON
For the past four years, the editors of Weekly Morning (Kodansha's premier seinen (men's) manga magazine) have been putting a call out to comics creators all over the world to send in short stories for consideration for their Morning International Comics Competition.
Now a team representing Morning and M.I.C.C. is coming to Comic-Con to find new creators to contribute their fresh and innovative approaches to comics to the pages of their magazine. If you've hesitated entering before because you thought "Oh, my style isn't enough like 'manga'?" well, artists' agent Yukari Shiina wants you to know -- that actually might be a factor in your favor.
Shiina is an artists' agent with World-Manga.com, an agency that specializes in representing international comics creators to Japanese manga publishers. Felipe Smith, the creator of Peepo Choo is one of her clients, so she is attending Comic-Con partly for that reason, but she's also hoping to find other artists who want to pursue publishing opportunities in Japan.
Also attending Comic-Con and representing M.I.C.C. will be Kaori Kitamoto, an editor from Kodansha (she's the editor for Chi's Sweet Home by Konami Konata, recently published in the U.S. by Vertical). Kitamoto will also be reviewing portfolios and answering questions about M.I.C.C. at Vertical's booth. Her schedule will be posted at the booth.
Here's my Q & A with Shiina, as she explains what she does, and what she's hoping to find at Comic-Con:
Q: For those who might be interested in working with you, could you describe what your role as an artist agent?
Yukari Shiina: As an agent, I bring and promote non-Japanese (or international) manga/comics to Japanese publishers, and help the artists work with the publishers, and negotiate with them over contracts.
Q: Could you describe your role with M.I.C.C. and perhaps explain what M.I.C.C. is, why Morning is seeking out North American artists?
Yukari Shiina: I'm one of the judges, a staff member, and a translator for M.I.C.C..
For the contest, Morning want talents from all over the world. If we involve more regions as we look for talent, this will give us more possibilities to find good artists. In addition, we know that North America also has a long history of creating great comics. We believe we can find more talents at Comic-Con.
Q: There's a lot of different kinds of comics creators at Comic-Con, so to maybe focus things a bit, could you explain what you are looking for, artist-wise/artwork-wise, and maybe what you're NOT interested in?
Yukari Shiina: M.I.C.C. is not looking for another Naruto or another Bleach. We are looking for works that Japanese artists can NOT create, and we want works that are very unique.
Also, the readers for Kodansha's manga magazine Morning, the magazine that organizes this competition, is the most popular seinen manga magazine in Japan. The magazine has many female readers as well as male readers, but most of them are relatively older than the readers for shonen (boys) manga such as titles from Shonen Jump. M.I.C.C. is most interested in works that are targeted at older readers.
As an agent for international manga, I'm also looking for unique works, and I'm open basically to any kind of work. (Having said that, judging from my experience, comics/manga from the fantasy and adventure genre are not advisable.)
The way the Japanese manga industry works is very different from how the comics industry in North America operates. If you are an artist who wants to publish your works in Japan, you have to be ready for it.
--------------
Ms. Shiina will be at the Vertical booth (#B03) on Saturday, July 24 between 2:00 - 3:00 pm for Felipe Smith's autograph session, and will be there for at least an hour afterwards. Ms. Kitamori will also be at the Vertical booth at least once a day. Check with the Vertical booth staff to confirm times and dates to chat with them about M.I.C.C. and getting published in Japan.
DARK HORSE, YEN PRESS, DMP AND EIGOMANGA WANT YOU
Meanwhile, in the Sails Pavilion in the upper level of the San Diego Convention Center, several companies will be reviewing portfolios from pro and semi-pro creators. Several manga publishers will be on hand to take a look at your very best stuff at various times during SDCC.
Remember, if you're planning on bringing your portfolio to Comic-Con, plan on being in the Portfolio Review area at least 3o minutes prior to the start of the review period, and review Comic-Con's new portfolio review procedures beforehand to avoid disappointment.
Here's the schedule for Dark Horse, Yen Press, Digital Manga and EigoManga portfolio review sessions:
- Thursday, July 22 - 10:00 am - 2:30 pm, Portfolio Review I
- Friday, July 23 - 10:00 am - 2:30 pm, Portfolio Review I
- Saturday, July 24 - 10:00 am - 2:30 pm, Portfolio Review I
Dark Horse Comics will be reviewing the storytelling work of professional-level comics artists. Editors will be looking at consecutive story pages only, with an eye toward storytelling as well as drawing skills. A minimum of five consecutive pages are required. Please bring your most recent work. Artists with cover paintings, inking or coloring samples, pinups, or sketches are invited to submit work by following instructions at www.darkhorse.com/company/submissions. It is suggested that this review be treated like a job interview.
- Thursday, July 22 - 10:00 am - 11:00 am, Portfolio Review G
- Saturday, July 24 - 10:00 am - 11:o0 am, Portfolio Review F
Yen Press senior editor JuYoun Lee will be assessing portfolios for artists interested in working on future original projects. Interested artists should include samples of character designs and stills as well as sequential art in various stages: pencils, inks, and color pages where applicable. Bring as much or as little as you feel reflects your range and style as a comic book artist. Whether you are pitching for a new series or are interested in working on assignment, you are welcome to come and show off your work. For more information, visit Yen Press' website and check out their submission guidelines.
- Thursday, July 22 - 2:00 - 4:30 pm, Portfolio Review C
Digital Manga Publishing, a West Coast manga publisher, is looking for manga-style artists and writers, letterers, and creators with finished works available for digital transmission and distribution.
- Thursday, July 22 - 3:00 - 4:00 pm, Portfolio Review A
- Friday, July 23 - 3:00 - 5:00 pm, Portfolio Review A
- Saturday, July 24 - 3:00 - 5:00 pm, Portfolio Review F
- Sunday, July 25 - 3:00 - 5:00 pm, Portfolio Review A
eigoMANGA is reviewing submissions for original manga or manga-inspired works to be published in the company's line of graphic novels and anthology publications.
ON THE EXHIBIT FLOOR REVIEWS: ONI PRESS AND UDON ENTERTAINMENT
I spoke with representatives from Oni Press and Udon Entertainment who confirmed that they will be holding portfolio reviews in their booth on the exhibit hall floor.
In Oni Press' case, editors will be reviewing portfolios at their booth, #1833. According to Oni Press Editor in Chief James Lucas Jones, Oni is mostly interested in finding artists who can work on projects with writers, and are, as a general rule, not interested in reviewing unsolicited proposals.
In any case, while you may not be able to publish your magnum opus right off the bat, you may get your foot in the door with other projects, and as far as breaking into the business, that's a pretty good way to start.
For Udon Entertainment, Project Manager Jim Zubkavitch emphasized that "(Udon) is not looking for story pitches for original projects. We may look at artists who we might hire to work on future projects."
Artists wishing to have their portfolio reviewed by Udon should just visit the Udon Booth #5037-5039 and ask for an appointment with Zubkavitch. Besides being Udon's project manager and an artists in his own right, Zubkavitch is also an instructor at Seneca College, heading up their Animation Arts program, so he can offer lots of constructive, real-world advice to aspiring artists. Artists looking to break into the biz should also check out Udon Entertainment's panel on Friday, July 23 at at 7:30 pm in Room 3, as the Udon crew will be sharing tips for pros-in-the-making.
NEED MORE HELP? PROS SHARE THEIR TIPS FOR SUCCESS
In the weeks leading up to Comic-Con, several seasoned pros shared their thoughts and advice for breaking into the business. So while you're getting your book together, check out these gems of wisdom.
C.B. Cebulski, Senior V.P. Creator & Content Development, Marvel Entertainment maintains a busy Twitter account, and has shared lots of tips with readers. Check out these compilations of his tips, and follow him on Twitter for even more.
- Marvel Talent Scout C.B. Cebulski's Art Advice (Marvel.com)
- Four Pieces of Advice for New Artists (Chesterfest)
Dave Roman, comics creator and former art director for Nickelodeon Magazine also had lots of bits of uncommon wisdom to share. You can also follow him on Twitter for even more.
I'll add more links to this list as I find 'em. Lots of luck to all of you looking for your big break or new assignments at Comic-Con!
Image credits: © KODANSHA, © Konami Konata / KODANSHA, © Dark Horse Comics, © Comic-Con International, © Yen Press / Hachette Book Group USA, © Digital Manga Publishing, © Oni Press, © Udon Entertainment.
Comments