Avoiding the super-slush pile

July 3, 2008 1:12 PM

So -- with no direct industry contacts and conventions out of the question -- how does one pitch to Marvel Comics?

I'm an indie comics creator with a reasonable track record -- a few decently (but not ragingly) successful North American books under my belt and a few more on the way -- and I have a very good idea that uses a currently inactive Marvel Comics character. It's rooted enough in their universe that it has to be a Marvel project. The thing is, while I have a number of contacts at small publishing firms, with artists, etc., the circles I move in aren't really "Marvel circles" to the extent that anyone I know can bend the ear of an editor. And I live far away from the States, making one-on-one convention-schmoozing an impossibility.

I'm accustomed to the indie pitch process: I get together with a great artist, we put together a good package, and we send it to relevant publishers. I bat about .500 this way, slowly trending upwards as I get more projects and recognition under my belt. But I'm still a nobody as far as Marvel and DC go, and since they do their own artist/writer bundling, the idea of getting an artist to dive into spec art for a project that would probably get reassigned anyway doesn't seem practical -- although if I'm wrong on this, please correct me.

What does a pitch package that arrives at the Marvel offices look like if it's to avoid the unsolicited-garbage category right away, given that I imagine their mailbag groans with such things? And, apart from sheer unrelenting excellence, what can get such a thing noticed by the right people?

posted by anonymous to media & arts (5 comments total)

I also don't know anything about the process, so I'm sorry I can't help you there.

I wonder though, you say Marvel does writer/artist bundles. Are there any artists at Marvel that you particularly like and have worked with writers who have done work similar to what you want to do? Perhaps you could contact them, and pitch your idea as well as ask questions about how one submits one's ideas. Not even ask for spec art, just ask if this is something they'd be interested in working on.

If you pick someone like, say, Frank Cho, well, you are shooting for the moon there. But if you pick someone that maybe is not as well-established or does not have as strong a fanbase, it's possible you are more likely to be noticed above the noise and get a response. Sure, that means the artist may have less pull among the bigwigs, but something is better than nothing, right?

Good luck. I am a big comic nerd who love writers who focus on little-known characters and turn them into something great, so do try to keep us posted!
posted by schroedinger at 2:11 PM on July 3, 2008

I would look at getting an agent. A lot of literary agents are starting to move in to comic books. I know someone at a large agency and they have a comics department. You may wish to start there.
posted by skewedoracle at 2:26 PM on July 3, 2008

A lot of the current Marvel darlings are on Twitter-- Ellis, Fraction, Jason Aaron, Brian Bendis, Dan Curtis Johnson, etc. If you're not on Twitter, consider showing up and establishing that yes, you are in the business, you have some books out, you're looking at pitching to the Big Two.

If you're not on Whitechapel, get over there and introduce yourself, include a pic, and start reading up on the comics discussions. If you're already there, start asking questions about pitching a revamp to Marvel-- after all, that's Warren Ellis's entire job there, to be the R&D director for the D-list and make salable books out of shit like Brother Voodoo.

Also, read Ellis's "On Mining Marvel" before you go too far down this road. The sanity you save may be your own. :)

Also, are you sure you can't write off an appearance at San Diego as a business expense? I don't know where you live, but maybe your current publishers would be willing to foot the bill for you to show up, sign some of your work, and schmooze?

22-year comics geek. Have never done the Industry end of it. Good luck, dude.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 2:57 PM on July 3, 2008

Anonymous, like fairytale I'm just a reader with no industry experience but I work with a former long term Marvel employee - traffic manager in the art department or something like that, so he may have some insights. I'll ask on Monday if he's got any pointers and post back with the results.
posted by JaredSeth at 3:15 PM on July 3, 2008 [1 favorite]

Well, apparently my co-worker who worked at Marvel was "let go" about a week ago. I've emailed him to ask further...
posted by JaredSeth at 12:29 PM on July 7, 2008