FIREBRAT: Join Vivid's Good List and Color Overdrive
Posted 8 years agoThe campaign continues! You glorious folks have brought us past 4K- nearly 90% to the goal. The final showdown lies before us.
To ensure victory, we're officially announcing Vivid Publishing's Good List.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...../posts/2054540
Anyone backing Firebrat at Tier 6 ($45) or higher gets not just the glorious Tier 6 rewards- they also go on Vivid's Good List.
Members of the Good List will be mailed a free signed and numbered Limited Edition copy of Dreamkeepers Volume 4 as soon as the campaign successfully closes. Only 500 are in existence- and Good List members will receive one. (Not sure if they'll arrive before Christmas, but we'll ship them right away.)
Plus we'll hook up Backerkit to make all Dreamkeepers titles available as optional add-on purchases, signed by the authors Dave & Liz. So if you can't make it out to one of the few conventions we attend, this is your chance to snag some signed Dreamkeepers graphic novels.
And one last announcement to fuel the final stretch of our battle against Santa:
Liz has made a declaration.
All these colored page samples put her over the edge. Full-color interior pages were a stretch goal- but no more.
Liz has declared that she will singlehandedly color the interior of the book herself, for free. Because nobody can stop a Liz bent on creativity.
So without the need to procure freelancers or raise money, Firebrat will now be printed in glorious full color, inside and out- once the campaign is successful.
So if you want a gorgeous first-edition full-color book of viciously sarcastic Christmas fun, not to mention the perks of being on Vivid's Good List, head on over. https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ing-of-christm
And DON'T TRUST SANTA.
To ensure victory, we're officially announcing Vivid Publishing's Good List.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project...../posts/2054540
Anyone backing Firebrat at Tier 6 ($45) or higher gets not just the glorious Tier 6 rewards- they also go on Vivid's Good List.
Members of the Good List will be mailed a free signed and numbered Limited Edition copy of Dreamkeepers Volume 4 as soon as the campaign successfully closes. Only 500 are in existence- and Good List members will receive one. (Not sure if they'll arrive before Christmas, but we'll ship them right away.)
Plus we'll hook up Backerkit to make all Dreamkeepers titles available as optional add-on purchases, signed by the authors Dave & Liz. So if you can't make it out to one of the few conventions we attend, this is your chance to snag some signed Dreamkeepers graphic novels.
And one last announcement to fuel the final stretch of our battle against Santa:
Liz has made a declaration.
All these colored page samples put her over the edge. Full-color interior pages were a stretch goal- but no more.
Liz has declared that she will singlehandedly color the interior of the book herself, for free. Because nobody can stop a Liz bent on creativity.
So without the need to procure freelancers or raise money, Firebrat will now be printed in glorious full color, inside and out- once the campaign is successful.
So if you want a gorgeous first-edition full-color book of viciously sarcastic Christmas fun, not to mention the perks of being on Vivid's Good List, head on over. https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ing-of-christm
And DON'T TRUST SANTA.
Midwest Furfest Bonanza
Posted 8 years agoWe're back from Midwest Furfest- now officially the largest furry con in history, clocking in at over 8,000 attendees. Next year will it break Vegeta's scouter?
It was a fantastic time meeting with awesome people- Boneitis (aka the World's Greatest Furry Artist) crashed the Dick Show with a furry invasion, although I hear only Reagent was bold enough to flash his tail. Tracy Butler and Eric premiered the brand new Lackadaisy card game, Vivid authors Skidd and Phuufy debuted Volume 2 of their UberQuest series, we caught up with Kay Fedewa of the Blackblood Alliance, along with Michael of EPF games, the developer of SKIRMISH, Luke of Promcolco (our plush & wallscrolls specialist), and Karen, Izabela, plus more friends and readers than I can feasibly list. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hi and spend some time with us, you made the weekend spectacular. 8 )
And thanks to our amaznig readers for a solid weekend of sales- nearly everything we brought sold out at the table, Volume 2, 3, 4, Wayward Astronomer, and Prelude Collections.
I put myself even further behind in my posting queue- a big batch of convention commissions was nailed. Maybe Liz can start loading these up in the Daily Artifact Patreon postings. https://www.patreon.com/Dreamkeepers
Now that we're back, I can attack the final SKIRMISH art needed for production- expansion decks. It'll be quiet online while I draw, then expect a spurt of streaming- plus a new Chat n Sketch coming up this weekend, featuring Mike Rosen.
And we'll be gearing up for the fateful final week of FIREBRAT- the one-of-a-kind Christmas graphic novel Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ing-of-christm It could go either way- but we've got some special offers in mind for the fence-sitters, so stay tuned.
-David
It was a fantastic time meeting with awesome people- Boneitis (aka the World's Greatest Furry Artist) crashed the Dick Show with a furry invasion, although I hear only Reagent was bold enough to flash his tail. Tracy Butler and Eric premiered the brand new Lackadaisy card game, Vivid authors Skidd and Phuufy debuted Volume 2 of their UberQuest series, we caught up with Kay Fedewa of the Blackblood Alliance, along with Michael of EPF games, the developer of SKIRMISH, Luke of Promcolco (our plush & wallscrolls specialist), and Karen, Izabela, plus more friends and readers than I can feasibly list. Thank you to everyone who stopped by to say hi and spend some time with us, you made the weekend spectacular. 8 )
And thanks to our amaznig readers for a solid weekend of sales- nearly everything we brought sold out at the table, Volume 2, 3, 4, Wayward Astronomer, and Prelude Collections.
I put myself even further behind in my posting queue- a big batch of convention commissions was nailed. Maybe Liz can start loading these up in the Daily Artifact Patreon postings. https://www.patreon.com/Dreamkeepers
Now that we're back, I can attack the final SKIRMISH art needed for production- expansion decks. It'll be quiet online while I draw, then expect a spurt of streaming- plus a new Chat n Sketch coming up this weekend, featuring Mike Rosen.
And we'll be gearing up for the fateful final week of FIREBRAT- the one-of-a-kind Christmas graphic novel Kickstarter. https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ing-of-christm It could go either way- but we've got some special offers in mind for the fence-sitters, so stay tuned.
-David
Midwest Furfest Weekend and Updates Galore
Posted 8 years agoDon't Trust Santa
Posted 8 years agoThe FIREBRAT Kickstarter is officially live. If you want to know the truth about Santa before it's too late, hop over and investigate for yourself.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ing-of-christm
Liz and I love this book, and we're excited to be the publishers- fingers crossed we unlock beautiful foil-stamped hardcovers!
Secure your chimney, stoke the fire, grab a cookie, and check out the campaign video before it's too late.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....ing-of-christm
Liz and I love this book, and we're excited to be the publishers- fingers crossed we unlock beautiful foil-stamped hardcovers!
Secure your chimney, stoke the fire, grab a cookie, and check out the campaign video before it's too late.
Happy Halloween
Posted 8 years agoThe winning entries have been announced: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Halloween.html
Thank you again to every artist and writer who made the Halloween Fanart Contest so spectacularly fun.
If you haven't seen it yet, treat yourself to the entire gallery, and take note of your favorite artists: https://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantar.....an-Art-Contest
Entrants- your free Trick-or-Treat sticker awaits! Contact Ferrous Studios to have it delivered: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FerrousEn.....?ref=shop_sugg
Grand Prize and Runner-Up Winners- e-mail me your shipping address, and I'll get prizes packaged and sent in November. (Dreamkeeperscomic *at* gmail.com)
If you crave more Halloween horror, take a tour through our archive of seasonal Prelude comics: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/HPrelude2009.php
And for yet more horror- unplug, go out in the dark somewhere, listen to the wind in the leaves, and bring a piece of candy in case something finds you and you need a bargaining chip.
Have a great Halloween!
Thank you again to every artist and writer who made the Halloween Fanart Contest so spectacularly fun.
If you haven't seen it yet, treat yourself to the entire gallery, and take note of your favorite artists: https://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantar.....an-Art-Contest
Entrants- your free Trick-or-Treat sticker awaits! Contact Ferrous Studios to have it delivered: https://www.etsy.com/shop/FerrousEn.....?ref=shop_sugg
Grand Prize and Runner-Up Winners- e-mail me your shipping address, and I'll get prizes packaged and sent in November. (Dreamkeeperscomic *at* gmail.com)
If you crave more Halloween horror, take a tour through our archive of seasonal Prelude comics: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/HPrelude2009.php
And for yet more horror- unplug, go out in the dark somewhere, listen to the wind in the leaves, and bring a piece of candy in case something finds you and you need a bargaining chip.
Have a great Halloween!
JUDGEMENT DAY
Posted 8 years agoThe deadline expired, terror inspired, from blood and sweat and talent a gallery sired:
https://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantar.....an-Art-Contest
We have the impossible task of choosing winners from this fantastic display- we'll announce the results tomorrrow, but for today, wander the hall of illustrations unfettered by pronouncements.
Just beware what lurks around the corner.
https://dreamkeepers-fans.deviantar.....an-Art-Contest
We have the impossible task of choosing winners from this fantastic display- we'll announce the results tomorrrow, but for today, wander the hall of illustrations unfettered by pronouncements.
Just beware what lurks around the corner.
Halloween Threatens- Newsletter update
Posted 8 years agoAssaulting your inbox at the speed of night
Newsletter updates convey only fright
Terrifying links, dead or alive
Your only salvation is to click on "subscribe"
http://mailchi.mp/ee67baef7be9/halloween-threatens
Newsletter updates convey only fright
Terrifying links, dead or alive
Your only salvation is to click on "subscribe"
http://mailchi.mp/ee67baef7be9/halloween-threatens
Faction War- Create Your Character
Posted 8 years agoGet ready for Faction War.
We're testing out a new roleplay system- I ramble about it here. Jump ahead and create your character in 6 easy steps: https://youtu.be/kJaF77A3TuM?t=9m35s
The goal is to have a light, fast, fun roleplay that fields hundreds of players to participate in the same story- while putting them into a close-knit team of allies.
You can, of course, die.
We're taking volunteers.
I'm looking for maybe 16-20 players who want to try this out- preference is being given to existing community moderators. The idea is that anyone interested in moderating jumps into this test game to learn the system-I'll make a video for every stage of the game to explain how it works. Then, after our test is complete, the mods will take it public and run the show.
If you're interested, DM us in Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/0119hlzTKxn9xDjvy The game will be hosted on a special Discord server that is being set up now.
Character sheet templates and the full rules are available here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/.....it?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-.....ew?usp=sharing
We're testing out a new roleplay system- I ramble about it here. Jump ahead and create your character in 6 easy steps: https://youtu.be/kJaF77A3TuM?t=9m35s
The goal is to have a light, fast, fun roleplay that fields hundreds of players to participate in the same story- while putting them into a close-knit team of allies.
You can, of course, die.
We're taking volunteers.
I'm looking for maybe 16-20 players who want to try this out- preference is being given to existing community moderators. The idea is that anyone interested in moderating jumps into this test game to learn the system-I'll make a video for every stage of the game to explain how it works. Then, after our test is complete, the mods will take it public and run the show.
If you're interested, DM us in Discord: https://discordapp.com/invite/0119hlzTKxn9xDjvy The game will be hosted on a special Discord server that is being set up now.
Character sheet templates and the full rules are available here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/.....it?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-.....ew?usp=sharing
Dreamkeepers on Castalia House
Posted 8 years agoNeed an introduction to Dreamkeepers? We were invited to write one for Castalia House: http://www.castaliahouse.com/dreamkeepers/ Swing on over and peruse the pitch.
Comics Revolution- Insurgency
Posted 8 years ago#ComicsRevolution- Insurgency. Check out our latest article on the Castalia House blog: http://www.castaliahouse.com/comics.....he-insurgency/
Comics Revolution- Crisis
Posted 8 years ago#Comics in crisis- we target the opportunities latent within the present chaos. Thank you CastaliaHouse for hosting our article: http://www.castaliahouse.com/comics.....on-the-crisis/ #Marvel #ComicsRevolution
Double Vision: Death, Hope, and Diamond
Posted 8 years agoTo highlight the brainless punch line that is the current state of affairs in the comics industry, let's examine two problems side by side.
First a stores problem- then a creators problem.
Comic stores are in fear of mass closings.
This seems to fly in the face of the public numbers and press releases. Diamond Comics, the monolith that effectively controls distribution, claims ever-higher sales in their shareholder-friendly industry reports. http://www.comichron.com/vitalstati.....s/alltime.html
Sales that just get better and better, how splendid.
Joe Field flycojoe
Word on the street is there will be a round of #comics shop closings in early '17. Only the support of fans can prevent that! 6/8 pic.twitter.com/nxmABGfjOK
https://twitter.com/flycojoe/status.....02181004951552
A recent newsletter from Vault of Midnight stated 2016 has been their lowest year in sales since the Great Recession. But this contradicts a rush of happy-talk publicity from Publishers Weekly and other industry outlets, who glowingly claim more comic stores (certainly not gaming stores!) than ever before are rising.
Are these concerned comic store owners simply confused? Perhaps their accounting is off. Diamond reports that sales are dynamite!
Of course, not one of those Diamond sales figures necessarily means that a customer actually bought a comic.
Diamond's figures only document bulk sales to the stores themselves.
And- funny little detail- Diamond mandates that shops order a high mandatory minimum for every single title they want to stock. If you have a smaller store that will only sell three copies of the latest She-Hulk? Too bad. You're buying a whole box or you get nothing.
And surprise- Diamond will then refuse to accept returns for any unsold merchandise. Because what could be the harm in offloading 100% of the risk to the little guy?
"...all merchandise is sold by DCD on a non-returnable basis unless otherwise authorized
in writing by DCD." https://retailer.diamondcomics.com/.....diamondtos.pdf
So you see, Diamond can brag about going gangbusters while stores are simply going bust.
...I'm beginning to understand why this reddit exists. https://www.reddit.com/r/diamondsucks/
"This one startled me a little bit, but I’ve heard multiple stories about the customers, including regulars, dropping out..." "...Enough people are agreeing this is happening for me to believe it, but the “why” is up for debate." Todd Allen, http://www.comicsbeat.com/why-are-t.....tore-closings/
With the superhero crowd fading- for whatever reason- stores desperately need a fresh injection of new readers.
New readers! What a coincidence, that's exactly the problem so many online creators are grappling with currently.
Because you see, there isn't one comics market. There are two.
The world of comics today exists in two parallel dimensions which do not overlap.
When I started Vivid Publishing a decade ago, I called for the rise of a new market ( http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2009.....ew-market.html ) and it has arrived.
There's the world of comic shops- and the world of crowdfunders.
Crowdfunding has spurred a genuine renaissance- young creators, new visions, new books, and a voraciously supportive mob of enthused new readers.
Patreon, IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and similar platforms are fostering the next generation of talent. From the near- infinite churn of untrammeled creative experimentation in the cauldron of webcomics, viable careers are emerging, surging forth on ascendant standout works of art. Beautiful, captivating books- produced with professional touches that include hardcover, spot-foil and embossing. The art, story and production quality of renaissance creators is pristine, thanks to the support of the readers in the crowdfunding market.
But therein lies one of the biggest challenges facing crowdfunding creators- actually delivering their books to customers. There is not yet an infrastructure to make packaging, storage, fulfillment, and marketing easy- not to mention some kind of full-time platform to focus on sales, while the creators can focus on creating.
Rather, creators have to tackle these logistical issues single-handedly, or by assembling a patchwork of ad-hoc companies to fill in the gaps.
Fortunately readers love the books enough to fund them, and vault past these hurdles.
Partially because the books produced are often vastly more accessible to new readers: Standalone stories and coherent series, rather than the tangled, inextricably cross-referenced swarms of content endlessly spreading from Marvel and DC.
But Marvel and DC are basically all the comic stores have-within their brick walls, you'd never know the glimmering crowdfunding market even exists.
So those are the two problems, in the two separate markets:
We have a thriving crowdfunding market missing vital infrastructure to assist getting books from creators to readers, and we have a comic shop landscape starving for new books and readers.
Books that need stores and stores that need books.
This is a real simple problem to solve- isn't it?
There's one rock-hard ossified obstacle lodged between retailers and hope:
Diamond Comics Distribution.
Diamond is, in the words of underground journalist Jude Terror, a "distribution monopoly [that] enables Marvel and DC to churn out endless gimmick-based garbage to dwindling readership with no economic repercussions because they control the entire market." https://twitter.com/judeterror
Let those last words sink in- they control the entire market.
But it gets worse- not only do they control the ring, but they have a dog in the fight.
Diamond eliminated the competition and seized control of the entire comics market during the brutal Exclusivity Wars in the mid 1990's. There used to be dozens of other distributors serving comic shops-
And they were all mercilessly crushed.
TLDR history here: http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2008.....diocy-aka.html
Very strange timing for those Exclusivity Wars. In the old field with more distributors and more indie publishers- you know, this little thing called "competition"- DC and especially Marvel were seeing a cataclysmic drop in their market share.
http://www.comichron.com/vitalstati.....resyearly.html
They were going down, and going down fast.
But poof- like magic! After the trade war and their insider deals with Diamond, that frown turned upside down. Their market share trend immediately, dramatically, and permanently spiked upwards.
Have you ever wondered why Marvel and DC seem to be so ubiquitous in stores, while anything different struggles and slips off the shelves?
Because Diamond not only controls the market, but has an incentive to tilt it in favor of their exclusive business partners. Hard.
Diamond has engineered special advantages for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image- acting as their exclusive sales agent and rigging an insider discount structure, easier profit thresholds, and uncontested premium placement in their PREVIEWS catalog.
These insider kickbacks were agreed upon when they murdered the competing distributors, and all shook hands together over their graves. Who wants to bet there was a lightning strike in the background?
This exclusive relationship places perverse incentives in place. Diamond cuts their logistical headaches working with a few huge companies, and makes more profit. They want to keep Marvel and DC from looking at greener pastures- and they have total control over the retail landscape. So they make sure it's landscaped just special for Marvel and DC, without any viable competition having a chance to erode their agreed-upon market share.
For decades now the Diamond monopoly has curated, for itself and its special interests, a withering, impenetrable market.
I'm all for capitalism- but the Achilles heel of the system is the tendency to devolve into a stagnant monopoly with no competition. And the comic industry now is feeling the frustrating crystallization of life within an unchallenged monopoly.
I think it might be high time for just a little challenging.
Those of us creating, reading, and selling comics can do better. We can successfully bypass Diamond and bring new life to comic shops. Together we can implement a rescue system- we're producing a video about one possible solution, the ComicShopList. A decentralized, modular, crowdsourced pre-order catalog that incurs no financial risk to store owners.
But the simple truth is, nobody gets motivated to solve a problem they don't even perceive. Most readers have never even heard of Diamond Distribution. They don't understand why comic shops always seem to be struggling.
Most creators just take it for granted that their customers are all online, and they write off comic shops as inaccessible without really considering why. So let's talk about why.
Let's talk about Diamond!
After all this time, after their uncontested dominance and control ,and in light of these chronic industry problems, isn't it fair to think that perhaps we could have the temerity to ask a few questions, and get a few answers? Isn't answering a few questions the least they could do?
Questions like, exactly how much are the exclusive advantages worth that Marvel and DC enjoy? What are the precise rates, factoring in the accrued marketing value of the preferential Previews placements, what rates do they make outside authors pay, and how many smaller publishers have gone out of business during Diamond's reign?
Questions like, didn't anyone think it was the least bit creepy for their logo to be a rendition of the entire planet earth locked within an angular prison?
Questions like, why did they raise the minimum profit benchmarks for smaller publishers in recent years, and who was involved with the US Justice Department investigation of Diamond in the late 90's?
But Diamond doesn't seem to be in the business of answering questions- not even for journalists. Their entire PR department couldn't be bothered to provide a comment for a recent Bezinga article discussing the fallout of Diamond's monopoly.
"Sullivan is among an almost unanimity of comic book retailers who say Diamond is bad news. Retailers must pre-order a set number of issues, which makes new titles a gamble. Everybody orders "Spider-Man" or "Batman," naturally."
https://www.benzinga.com/general/po.....a-distributor-
And one big question we should all be asking:
What did they do to the "Comics Whisperer?"
Because, you see, someone else DID try to set up an alternate distribution service.
And they promptly vanished.
https://www.facebook.com/ComicsWhis.....=page_internal
First a stores problem- then a creators problem.
Comic stores are in fear of mass closings.
This seems to fly in the face of the public numbers and press releases. Diamond Comics, the monolith that effectively controls distribution, claims ever-higher sales in their shareholder-friendly industry reports. http://www.comichron.com/vitalstati.....s/alltime.html
Sales that just get better and better, how splendid.
Joe Field flycojoe
Word on the street is there will be a round of #comics shop closings in early '17. Only the support of fans can prevent that! 6/8 pic.twitter.com/nxmABGfjOK
https://twitter.com/flycojoe/status.....02181004951552
A recent newsletter from Vault of Midnight stated 2016 has been their lowest year in sales since the Great Recession. But this contradicts a rush of happy-talk publicity from Publishers Weekly and other industry outlets, who glowingly claim more comic stores (certainly not gaming stores!) than ever before are rising.
Are these concerned comic store owners simply confused? Perhaps their accounting is off. Diamond reports that sales are dynamite!
Of course, not one of those Diamond sales figures necessarily means that a customer actually bought a comic.
Diamond's figures only document bulk sales to the stores themselves.
And- funny little detail- Diamond mandates that shops order a high mandatory minimum for every single title they want to stock. If you have a smaller store that will only sell three copies of the latest She-Hulk? Too bad. You're buying a whole box or you get nothing.
And surprise- Diamond will then refuse to accept returns for any unsold merchandise. Because what could be the harm in offloading 100% of the risk to the little guy?
"...all merchandise is sold by DCD on a non-returnable basis unless otherwise authorized
in writing by DCD." https://retailer.diamondcomics.com/.....diamondtos.pdf
So you see, Diamond can brag about going gangbusters while stores are simply going bust.
...I'm beginning to understand why this reddit exists. https://www.reddit.com/r/diamondsucks/
"This one startled me a little bit, but I’ve heard multiple stories about the customers, including regulars, dropping out..." "...Enough people are agreeing this is happening for me to believe it, but the “why” is up for debate." Todd Allen, http://www.comicsbeat.com/why-are-t.....tore-closings/
With the superhero crowd fading- for whatever reason- stores desperately need a fresh injection of new readers.
New readers! What a coincidence, that's exactly the problem so many online creators are grappling with currently.
Because you see, there isn't one comics market. There are two.
The world of comics today exists in two parallel dimensions which do not overlap.
When I started Vivid Publishing a decade ago, I called for the rise of a new market ( http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2009.....ew-market.html ) and it has arrived.
There's the world of comic shops- and the world of crowdfunders.
Crowdfunding has spurred a genuine renaissance- young creators, new visions, new books, and a voraciously supportive mob of enthused new readers.
Patreon, IndieGoGo, Kickstarter, and similar platforms are fostering the next generation of talent. From the near- infinite churn of untrammeled creative experimentation in the cauldron of webcomics, viable careers are emerging, surging forth on ascendant standout works of art. Beautiful, captivating books- produced with professional touches that include hardcover, spot-foil and embossing. The art, story and production quality of renaissance creators is pristine, thanks to the support of the readers in the crowdfunding market.
But therein lies one of the biggest challenges facing crowdfunding creators- actually delivering their books to customers. There is not yet an infrastructure to make packaging, storage, fulfillment, and marketing easy- not to mention some kind of full-time platform to focus on sales, while the creators can focus on creating.
Rather, creators have to tackle these logistical issues single-handedly, or by assembling a patchwork of ad-hoc companies to fill in the gaps.
Fortunately readers love the books enough to fund them, and vault past these hurdles.
Partially because the books produced are often vastly more accessible to new readers: Standalone stories and coherent series, rather than the tangled, inextricably cross-referenced swarms of content endlessly spreading from Marvel and DC.
But Marvel and DC are basically all the comic stores have-within their brick walls, you'd never know the glimmering crowdfunding market even exists.
So those are the two problems, in the two separate markets:
We have a thriving crowdfunding market missing vital infrastructure to assist getting books from creators to readers, and we have a comic shop landscape starving for new books and readers.
Books that need stores and stores that need books.
This is a real simple problem to solve- isn't it?
There's one rock-hard ossified obstacle lodged between retailers and hope:
Diamond Comics Distribution.
Diamond is, in the words of underground journalist Jude Terror, a "distribution monopoly [that] enables Marvel and DC to churn out endless gimmick-based garbage to dwindling readership with no economic repercussions because they control the entire market." https://twitter.com/judeterror
Let those last words sink in- they control the entire market.
But it gets worse- not only do they control the ring, but they have a dog in the fight.
Diamond eliminated the competition and seized control of the entire comics market during the brutal Exclusivity Wars in the mid 1990's. There used to be dozens of other distributors serving comic shops-
And they were all mercilessly crushed.
TLDR history here: http://vividstuff.blogspot.com/2008.....diocy-aka.html
Very strange timing for those Exclusivity Wars. In the old field with more distributors and more indie publishers- you know, this little thing called "competition"- DC and especially Marvel were seeing a cataclysmic drop in their market share.
http://www.comichron.com/vitalstati.....resyearly.html
They were going down, and going down fast.
But poof- like magic! After the trade war and their insider deals with Diamond, that frown turned upside down. Their market share trend immediately, dramatically, and permanently spiked upwards.
Have you ever wondered why Marvel and DC seem to be so ubiquitous in stores, while anything different struggles and slips off the shelves?
Because Diamond not only controls the market, but has an incentive to tilt it in favor of their exclusive business partners. Hard.
Diamond has engineered special advantages for Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, and Image- acting as their exclusive sales agent and rigging an insider discount structure, easier profit thresholds, and uncontested premium placement in their PREVIEWS catalog.
These insider kickbacks were agreed upon when they murdered the competing distributors, and all shook hands together over their graves. Who wants to bet there was a lightning strike in the background?
This exclusive relationship places perverse incentives in place. Diamond cuts their logistical headaches working with a few huge companies, and makes more profit. They want to keep Marvel and DC from looking at greener pastures- and they have total control over the retail landscape. So they make sure it's landscaped just special for Marvel and DC, without any viable competition having a chance to erode their agreed-upon market share.
For decades now the Diamond monopoly has curated, for itself and its special interests, a withering, impenetrable market.
I'm all for capitalism- but the Achilles heel of the system is the tendency to devolve into a stagnant monopoly with no competition. And the comic industry now is feeling the frustrating crystallization of life within an unchallenged monopoly.
I think it might be high time for just a little challenging.
Those of us creating, reading, and selling comics can do better. We can successfully bypass Diamond and bring new life to comic shops. Together we can implement a rescue system- we're producing a video about one possible solution, the ComicShopList. A decentralized, modular, crowdsourced pre-order catalog that incurs no financial risk to store owners.
But the simple truth is, nobody gets motivated to solve a problem they don't even perceive. Most readers have never even heard of Diamond Distribution. They don't understand why comic shops always seem to be struggling.
Most creators just take it for granted that their customers are all online, and they write off comic shops as inaccessible without really considering why. So let's talk about why.
Let's talk about Diamond!
After all this time, after their uncontested dominance and control ,and in light of these chronic industry problems, isn't it fair to think that perhaps we could have the temerity to ask a few questions, and get a few answers? Isn't answering a few questions the least they could do?
Questions like, exactly how much are the exclusive advantages worth that Marvel and DC enjoy? What are the precise rates, factoring in the accrued marketing value of the preferential Previews placements, what rates do they make outside authors pay, and how many smaller publishers have gone out of business during Diamond's reign?
Questions like, didn't anyone think it was the least bit creepy for their logo to be a rendition of the entire planet earth locked within an angular prison?
Questions like, why did they raise the minimum profit benchmarks for smaller publishers in recent years, and who was involved with the US Justice Department investigation of Diamond in the late 90's?
But Diamond doesn't seem to be in the business of answering questions- not even for journalists. Their entire PR department couldn't be bothered to provide a comment for a recent Bezinga article discussing the fallout of Diamond's monopoly.
"Sullivan is among an almost unanimity of comic book retailers who say Diamond is bad news. Retailers must pre-order a set number of issues, which makes new titles a gamble. Everybody orders "Spider-Man" or "Batman," naturally."
https://www.benzinga.com/general/po.....a-distributor-
And one big question we should all be asking:
What did they do to the "Comics Whisperer?"
Because, you see, someone else DID try to set up an alternate distribution service.
And they promptly vanished.
https://www.facebook.com/ComicsWhis.....=page_internal
With a Vengeance
Posted 8 years agoThe Dreamkeepers forum is back! http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/forum/
A glitch put it down for a stretch, but now it's up and working fine. Good time to pimp the features- make an account for yourself, with a side profile for your OC. Automatic die roller in the RP section, and more.
Enjoy, and thanks to our secret genius for fixing everything up!
A glitch put it down for a stretch, but now it's up and working fine. Good time to pimp the features- make an account for yourself, with a side profile for your OC. Automatic die roller in the RP section, and more.
Enjoy, and thanks to our secret genius for fixing everything up!
THUNDERCLAP- UberQuest Volume 2
Posted 8 years agoUberQuest Volume 2 is on the verge of success- if you can, help out by joining their Thunderclap here: https://www.thunderclap.it/projects.....v2-kickstarter
We're going to help by offering to draw one of the characters from UberQuest.
Which character- and doing what, you ask?
Well, that will be up to the Volume 2 Kickstarter backers. Skidd & Phuufy will ask for suggestions, and hold a vote for backers to decide which UberQuest character we sketch. Ought to be fun!
Thanks to all the folks who have put the campaign goal within reach- together, I think we can tip it over into success, and reap those beautiful hardcovers.
We're going to help by offering to draw one of the characters from UberQuest.
Which character- and doing what, you ask?
Well, that will be up to the Volume 2 Kickstarter backers. Skidd & Phuufy will ask for suggestions, and hold a vote for backers to decide which UberQuest character we sketch. Ought to be fun!
Thanks to all the folks who have put the campaign goal within reach- together, I think we can tip it over into success, and reap those beautiful hardcovers.
Double Tap
Posted 8 years agoDouble-barrel announcement for today-
First, the UberQuest Volume 2 Kickstarter is launching! With some animation to boot, featuring talented voice actors from such productions as 'Freedom Planet.' https://twitter.com/uberquestcomic Watch their twitter to get the earliest notice- I'll be coming through to signal-boost later in the day.
Second- the smashingly successful SKIRMISH campaign now has publicly available pre-orders live through Backerkit: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rs-of-anduruna
So if you missed out on that campaign, you can still snag a boxed edition of the game or the Tinsel / Scinter expansion decks.
This summer is gettin' hot. Off to draw, but I'll be back to post more art tomorrow.
First, the UberQuest Volume 2 Kickstarter is launching! With some animation to boot, featuring talented voice actors from such productions as 'Freedom Planet.' https://twitter.com/uberquestcomic Watch their twitter to get the earliest notice- I'll be coming through to signal-boost later in the day.
Second- the smashingly successful SKIRMISH campaign now has publicly available pre-orders live through Backerkit: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rs-of-anduruna
So if you missed out on that campaign, you can still snag a boxed edition of the game or the Tinsel / Scinter expansion decks.
This summer is gettin' hot. Off to draw, but I'll be back to post more art tomorrow.
Voice Actors Assemble- UberQuest Auditions
Posted 8 years agoUberQuest Volume 2 is prepping for a Kickstarter- and the creators are producing a fresh new video for the occasion.
Any voice actors interested in auditioning, now's the time! The total script is slated to run 3-5 minutes.
Skidd and Phuufy will be reviewing auditions to potentially cover:
Sesame - tomboy slightly rough sounding
Kibbles - a cutesy girly voice, very sing-song with a slight proper tone to it
Kylar - British accent, serious and matter-o-fact, slightly posh but not too much
Farron - deeper then Kylar or Mason, gravely with a very slight southern/cajun twang
Mason - soft spoken, a lil deep and has a stutter..
Claire - fast-talking and excitable, brooklyn-ish accent
Volunteer voice actors are welcome, and alternate forms of compensation may be available- otherwise please include your rates when submitting auditions.
Send auditions and questions to: phsuke[at]gmail.com and skidddog[at]gmail.com
I'm looking forward to seeing how their video comes out, and excited that UberQuest is ready to launch the next book in their series! Their first title is available in hardcover from Vivid via Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/097869907.....663&sr=8-1
Read UberQuest for free on the Katbox: http://uberquest.katbox.net/
Newsletter goes Super Saiyan
Posted 8 years agoOur newsletter is now official- we finally upgraded, check it out here: http://www.dreamkeeperscomic.com/Em.....Newsletter.htm
Anthrocon Explanation
Posted 8 years agoFrom January onward, this year has slammed us with one thing after another, imposing the necessity for a move.
Everything seemed to culminate metaphorically this weekend, with our electricity and internet dead.
But now we're back, the smoke has cleared, we're settled in, and steaming back to 100% capacity.
Previously, it was stretching our limits to manage Life Surprises alongside weekly Prelude, Plush delivery, and SKIRMISH prep.
I'm actually relieved that we missed signups for Anthrocon this year- because now I can dig in and score some major Volume 5 progress.
Yesterday I finished the blueline sketch for V5 pages 30 and 31, with more slated for today. Patrons should keep an eye out for sneak peeks in the coming days.
And more-
Despite everything, Dreamkeepers has grown by leaps and bounds recently. There's a lot to share- and more to look forward to:
The first novel of the universe, Wayward Astronomer, debuted at Book Expo America to great acclaim this past month- first edition hardcovers are now available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Wayward-Astr...../dp/099782350X
Thanks to our stellar backers, we've manufactured our first line of Plush toys, and Whip is available for general sale. https://promcolco.com/products/whip.....pers-plush-toy
Of course, the SKIRMISH campaign just concluded with a bang- so expansion decks and more are in the works. Pre-Orders of the game may become available through Backerkit in the coming month.
Vivid has a very offbeat Christmas book in the works- 'Firebrat' by Mike Rosen. We're finalizing color swatches, and should have enough production to launch a printing Kickstarter around November.
Speaking of more books- the draft has been nearly done for a year, and soon I plan to put the finishing touches on our Old-West meets Far-East novella- QuickXyk and the Ring of Vengeance. We'll begin posting chapters for free once it's ready to share, and if people enjoy it enough, will consider it for print.
And speaking of free- we're in the early stages of organizing a Dreamkeepers online roleplay game. I'm designing a system that allows potentially hundreds of players- but keeps interactions to small, close-knit teams of players, with simple character stats and possibly public voting to move the needle on story events. Think of Faction Contest meets OC Tournament- only instead of one winner, the focus is on story events and the development of your own personal character.
Also you can die in it.
My partner in the video game has also made drastic progress in coding an elegant game engine from scratch, the result of years of focus- but I don't think we'll have much to show visually on that front for the time being.
As Vivid expands, I'll strive to improve my effectiveness at delegating and management, so we can let the right opportunities flourish and entertain, while still focusing the lion's share of my time on the next page.
At least that's the plan. E )
I intend to catch up on e-mails after getting some more Volume 5 pages under my belt. Keep an eye out for updates, thank you for enjoying our work, and we're excited to be throttling back up to speed!
Everything seemed to culminate metaphorically this weekend, with our electricity and internet dead.
But now we're back, the smoke has cleared, we're settled in, and steaming back to 100% capacity.
Previously, it was stretching our limits to manage Life Surprises alongside weekly Prelude, Plush delivery, and SKIRMISH prep.
I'm actually relieved that we missed signups for Anthrocon this year- because now I can dig in and score some major Volume 5 progress.
Yesterday I finished the blueline sketch for V5 pages 30 and 31, with more slated for today. Patrons should keep an eye out for sneak peeks in the coming days.
And more-
Despite everything, Dreamkeepers has grown by leaps and bounds recently. There's a lot to share- and more to look forward to:
The first novel of the universe, Wayward Astronomer, debuted at Book Expo America to great acclaim this past month- first edition hardcovers are now available on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Wayward-Astr...../dp/099782350X
Thanks to our stellar backers, we've manufactured our first line of Plush toys, and Whip is available for general sale. https://promcolco.com/products/whip.....pers-plush-toy
Of course, the SKIRMISH campaign just concluded with a bang- so expansion decks and more are in the works. Pre-Orders of the game may become available through Backerkit in the coming month.
Vivid has a very offbeat Christmas book in the works- 'Firebrat' by Mike Rosen. We're finalizing color swatches, and should have enough production to launch a printing Kickstarter around November.
Speaking of more books- the draft has been nearly done for a year, and soon I plan to put the finishing touches on our Old-West meets Far-East novella- QuickXyk and the Ring of Vengeance. We'll begin posting chapters for free once it's ready to share, and if people enjoy it enough, will consider it for print.
And speaking of free- we're in the early stages of organizing a Dreamkeepers online roleplay game. I'm designing a system that allows potentially hundreds of players- but keeps interactions to small, close-knit teams of players, with simple character stats and possibly public voting to move the needle on story events. Think of Faction Contest meets OC Tournament- only instead of one winner, the focus is on story events and the development of your own personal character.
Also you can die in it.
My partner in the video game has also made drastic progress in coding an elegant game engine from scratch, the result of years of focus- but I don't think we'll have much to show visually on that front for the time being.
As Vivid expands, I'll strive to improve my effectiveness at delegating and management, so we can let the right opportunities flourish and entertain, while still focusing the lion's share of my time on the next page.
At least that's the plan. E )
I intend to catch up on e-mails after getting some more Volume 5 pages under my belt. Keep an eye out for updates, thank you for enjoying our work, and we're excited to be throttling back up to speed!
BLFC Cannon Card Experience
Posted 8 years agoWe're back- BLFC was spectacular!
I've never been to the Southwest before, or the West, or to a casino- so, a whole pile of firsts for me.
It was fun watching the Ellen Degeneres slot machine clean people out.
Also a first- we were able to premiere SKIRMISH in the tabletop room, and games raged all weekend long. Some veteran playtesters attended, plus one of the EPF devs, and a line of new people waiting to be introduced to the game.
Thank you everyone, for the feedback, critique, and insight. We've had a range of development input on the game- from newbies, to MtG tournament players, to MtG tournament winners.
I think we're honing a game that combines a high skill ceiling, with surprising accessibility & enjoyment to low-skill and new players.
At least, I'm fairly low skill, and I had fun- even losing, I was still able to equip the Long Range Gatling Recoil Cannon to Igrath's Bushwack Squad, and watch the blast send Ravat into a flurry which damaged his ally Wisp before they took me out.
Good times!
The SKIRMISH campaign is in the final days here: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rs-of-anduruna
Thank you again to everyone at the con who made it such a great experience.
I've never been to the Southwest before, or the West, or to a casino- so, a whole pile of firsts for me.
It was fun watching the Ellen Degeneres slot machine clean people out.
Also a first- we were able to premiere SKIRMISH in the tabletop room, and games raged all weekend long. Some veteran playtesters attended, plus one of the EPF devs, and a line of new people waiting to be introduced to the game.
Thank you everyone, for the feedback, critique, and insight. We've had a range of development input on the game- from newbies, to MtG tournament players, to MtG tournament winners.
I think we're honing a game that combines a high skill ceiling, with surprising accessibility & enjoyment to low-skill and new players.
At least, I'm fairly low skill, and I had fun- even losing, I was still able to equip the Long Range Gatling Recoil Cannon to Igrath's Bushwack Squad, and watch the blast send Ravat into a flurry which damaged his ally Wisp before they took me out.
Good times!
The SKIRMISH campaign is in the final days here: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rs-of-anduruna
Thank you again to everyone at the con who made it such a great experience.
Stretch Goal Unlocked- Original Art
Posted 8 years agoAll hail the backers- Beautiful original art has just been unlocked for the game! I can't wait to choose which cards we get to pretty up. E ) https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rs-of-anduruna
Touch of Treasure- Busted!
Posted 8 years agoTouch of Treasure stretch goal busted! Now the cards will have fancy gold gilding. 8 D https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rs-of-anduruna
Today, editing visuals for the rules video. #tabletop #card game #kickstarter
Today, editing visuals for the rules video. #tabletop #card game #kickstarter
PLAYMATS UNLOCKED
Posted 8 years agoThe campaign has unlocked playmats!
Now they'll come standard with every boxed edition of SKIRMISH.
I'm going to draw up some thumbnail ideas, and ask the backers for feedback on what art they would like in an update later tonight.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rs-of-anduruna
Now they'll come standard with every boxed edition of SKIRMISH.
I'm going to draw up some thumbnail ideas, and ask the backers for feedback on what art they would like in an update later tonight.
https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....rs-of-anduruna
SKIRMISH Q&A Video
Posted 8 years agohttps://www.kickstarter.com/project...../posts/1885308
We're working on a detailed gameplay & rules video, along with a rules PDF download for you guys. We're hoping to get those out within a week or less-
But for now, here's a Q&A video. More questions? Drop them on Kickstarter comments!
We're working on a detailed gameplay & rules video, along with a rules PDF download for you guys. We're hoping to get those out within a week or less-
But for now, here's a Q&A video. More questions? Drop them on Kickstarter comments!
Webcomic vs Webcomic
Posted 8 years agoI'm pleased to announce impending conflict- it involves webcomics, Bonus Guest cards, free game box giveaways, and tournament-style voting.
Dreamkeepers is currently Kickstarting a new battle card game: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....token=40818a6f
SKIRMISH will now feature eight bonus guest cards- each comic below will have one featured guest character card:
False Start
Lackadaisy
UberQuest
Tamberlane
Star Warriors
Zoophobia
Wayward Astronomer
Control Freak
For a batch of characters being deployed into a battle card game- well, what could be more fitting than a tournament?
We're hosting a tournament for the selected characters online, where the readerships vote for their respective champions. The winning author will receive three boxed SKIRMISH games to give away to the victorious readership, in whatever manner they see fit.
We're contacting the authors tonight to confirm character choices, and we should be hosting match dates and details for you in the next few days.
The Tournament is mainly for fun, and allocating the game giveaways- no matter how it goes, every participating character will have a card included in the first-edition printing of SKIRMISH.
(Links to the featured webcomics:)
https://www.thewaywardastronomer.com/
http://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/.....20/False-Start
http://superflatpsychosis.deviantar...../Control-Freak
http://www.starwarriorscomic.com/
https://www.tamberlanecomic.com/
http://uberquest.katbox.net/
http://www.lackadaisycats.com/
http://zoophobiacomic.com/
Dreamkeepers is currently Kickstarting a new battle card game: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....token=40818a6f
SKIRMISH will now feature eight bonus guest cards- each comic below will have one featured guest character card:
False Start
Lackadaisy
UberQuest
Tamberlane
Star Warriors
Zoophobia
Wayward Astronomer
Control Freak
For a batch of characters being deployed into a battle card game- well, what could be more fitting than a tournament?
We're hosting a tournament for the selected characters online, where the readerships vote for their respective champions. The winning author will receive three boxed SKIRMISH games to give away to the victorious readership, in whatever manner they see fit.
We're contacting the authors tonight to confirm character choices, and we should be hosting match dates and details for you in the next few days.
The Tournament is mainly for fun, and allocating the game giveaways- no matter how it goes, every participating character will have a card included in the first-edition printing of SKIRMISH.
(Links to the featured webcomics:)
https://www.thewaywardastronomer.com/
http://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/.....20/False-Start
http://superflatpsychosis.deviantar...../Control-Freak
http://www.starwarriorscomic.com/
https://www.tamberlanecomic.com/
http://uberquest.katbox.net/
http://www.lackadaisycats.com/
http://zoophobiacomic.com/
Kickstarter News- SKIRMISH ETA
Posted 8 years agoWe have a pile of Kickstarter news from multiple campaigns, so let's jump right in!
DREAMKEEPERS NOVEL:
First off, the Wayward Astronomer campaign has delivered to backers- and now the hardcover novel is available to the public: https://www.amazon.com/Wayward-Astr.....ard+astronomer
Geo's going to be at Book Expo America later this month to showcase it, alongside Dreamkeepers Volume 1.
DREAMKEEPERS PLUSH:
The Whip Plush campaign has completed fulfillment to everyone *except* eight folks in the hand-crafted tiers. (The last 2 Maces are being stitched up as we speak, so they'll all be hitting the mail this month.) With rewards delivered or en route to everyone, Whip Plush are now publicly available for sale: https://promcolco.com/collections/p.....pers-plush-toy
DREAMKEEPERS GAME:
And the big one coming down the pipeline- SKIRMISH is slated to launch later this week: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....token=40818a6f
The video (including some full animation) is rendering today, I can't wait to show it. And the gameplay itself is, I can attest, highly addictive.
Additional SKIRMISH news- we're including some for-fun Bonus Hero cards, featuring characters from other webcomics. And inspired by this winter's OC Tournament, we'll be launching a webcomic vs webcomic tournament online. More info on the Webcomic Character Tournament soon.
Once Skirmish is flyin' free, I'll be able to get back on Volume 5 production. Developing these other DK assets has been a trade-off, sacrificing some V5 production time- but I think the investment will be worth it. Now the DK community has more media in more formats to enjoy while we work, and our future possibilities have opened dramatically.
Dreamkeepers is growing. E )
DREAMKEEPERS NOVEL:
First off, the Wayward Astronomer campaign has delivered to backers- and now the hardcover novel is available to the public: https://www.amazon.com/Wayward-Astr.....ard+astronomer
Geo's going to be at Book Expo America later this month to showcase it, alongside Dreamkeepers Volume 1.
DREAMKEEPERS PLUSH:
The Whip Plush campaign has completed fulfillment to everyone *except* eight folks in the hand-crafted tiers. (The last 2 Maces are being stitched up as we speak, so they'll all be hitting the mail this month.) With rewards delivered or en route to everyone, Whip Plush are now publicly available for sale: https://promcolco.com/collections/p.....pers-plush-toy
DREAMKEEPERS GAME:
And the big one coming down the pipeline- SKIRMISH is slated to launch later this week: https://www.kickstarter.com/project.....token=40818a6f
The video (including some full animation) is rendering today, I can't wait to show it. And the gameplay itself is, I can attest, highly addictive.
Additional SKIRMISH news- we're including some for-fun Bonus Hero cards, featuring characters from other webcomics. And inspired by this winter's OC Tournament, we'll be launching a webcomic vs webcomic tournament online. More info on the Webcomic Character Tournament soon.
Once Skirmish is flyin' free, I'll be able to get back on Volume 5 production. Developing these other DK assets has been a trade-off, sacrificing some V5 production time- but I think the investment will be worth it. Now the DK community has more media in more formats to enjoy while we work, and our future possibilities have opened dramatically.
Dreamkeepers is growing. E )