(UPDATED THREE TIMES!)

My name is Bobby Crosby and I write Last Blood, Marry Me, and +EV. I hope to launch at least four new graphic novels in January, but I need your help, since I suck at drawing and I wouldn’t have time anyway, since I’d be, you know, writing seven comics. All of these comics, including the current three (same artists staying on for those), will be weekly, and my plan is to have one for every day of the week (Last Blood every Saturday!).

The new graphic novels, like Marry Me and Last Blood, are based on my movie ideas and are all in different genres, so I’m not looking for any one style of art. The goal is to print first issues (24 or 32 pages) for all of these in time for the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con (late July), where they will be featured at the Blatant Comics booth and seen by hundreds of producers, leading to things like this and this. All of these comics will also be on Keenspot at launch.

(I’m not involved in that second link at all, but it JUST happened and specifically mentions being found at Comic-Con. Pretty cool.)

If hired, you will receive:

* A bare minimum of $15 per page, more for covers.

* A large percentage of the profits from the comics (online and in print) and also a percentage of the profits from anything the project makes outside of the comics, like movies or TV shows.

* As many free copies as you’d reasonably want of your published work.

(If you are an incredible, experienced comic book artist, I’ll listen to all proposals and it’s possible that I’d pay over $75 per page, but then your profit sharing would most likely be less. I’m not giving specific, clear cut terms because this call is for many different projects and many different artists with many different possible offers.)

All of these graphic novels will be published by Blatant Comics and distributed by Diamond. As a Keenspot comic with major links from all the comics I’m associated with, each new comic will begin with thousands of readers, possibly tens of thousands (probable Keenspot newsbox at launch).

The best example of my writing right now is Marry Me, but feel free to check out +EV and Last Blood as well. My scripts are usually very detailed, often including funny little layout sketches like this one, if deemed necessary or if I’m bored.

These graphic novels are expected to run anywhere from 60 to 120 pages, which means 14 to 28 months on a weekly schedule, although we might update more often at times, if possible or necessary, and finish sooner. Would be nice to have the finished graphic novels at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con. Marry Me was 91 pages and Last Blood was 112. Please don’t apply unless you’re very confident that you could meet a weekly schedule for a high quality comic for the next 18 months at least. Sequels (or at least fun side stories, like the ones we’ll be doing for Marry Me) are possible for most of the upcoming projects, but you would not be obligated to sign on for anything past the first graphic novel.

To repeat, the plan is for these to be weekly, but if you’re a great versatile artist with time to kill, it’s very possible that you could be hired for two or more of these projects. I would love to find someone like that. Or, if I’m unable to find multiple good artists, there’s a chance I could do two comics as MWF instead or one comic five times a week even and have the full graphic novel done for this year’s Comic-Con. But the goal is at least four new weekly comics. I have over a dozen solid film concepts still waiting to be made.

If you’re interested in illustrating any of these projects or if you have any questions, please e-mail me at bobbyc512@gmail.com. You may also instant message me on Yahoo at Bobbyc712.

If you’re going to ask a question, please first read this entire post. Other than producing quality art on time, your main job will be following very detailed scripts that will sometimes be longer than this post, so if you can’t get through this and understand it, I can’t work with you.

MORE DETAILS

I strongly prefer an artist who also letters and colors, but that’s not a requirement (the first Last Blood graphic novel was entirely black and white and I’m open to doing that again). It would certainly give you an advantage. It would also give you an advantage if you already have a popular comic online, but again, not at all required. I’m open to hiring a great artist who has never been involved in comics before.

Don’t hesitate to send me examples of your work, preferably as links. Send me whatever you want and tell me whatever you want — now’s the time! I’m reading everything carefully and I’m hiring! I will eventually (within a couple weeks probably) respond to everyone who e-mails me.

The projects are in various genres and various ratings from G to R. An artist would be chosen for a project based on whatever the best fit would be. The goal for one of the comics is a Pixar type CGI-animated film, for example. Another is a political action thriller with lots of murders, and so on.

A popular question is what program the artist should work in and also what all the job would entail. I prefer the artist to work with whatever programs can get results that will be of a similar quality (not necessarily style, but quality — professionalism) of Marry Me or Last Blood. The job simply entails doing whatever is necessary to produce work like that, and to do it on time, of course.

Your age doesn’t matter, your location doesn’t matter. Artist jobs with me will always be available, since I have a million more projects to do. Some will begin this month and some will begin ten years from now. I am always looking for artists. So don’t worry about if the positions are filled yet.

But to answer your questions about that: No deals are done yet (night of December 4), but it’s looking likely that two of the spots are already filled. That still leaves a lot of jobs left, including at least two that I’d like to start as soon as possible.

There are about eight ideas that I’d be comfortable with starting as new comics very soon — meaning I know enough about them that I could start writing them right away. Of those eight, there are a specific four which I’d like to launch first, while probably holding off the others for future projects, since I don’t want to be writing eleven comics simultaneously (including the current three). So I’m mostly looking for artists for those top four projects, but if I don’t find good enough artists for those, I’d consider bumping the others up the schedule. Several of these comics could conceivably be drawn in various styles, but of my top four choices, three of them should probably be realistic, while the other could be cartoony or even 3D (it’s the Pixar type).

One project features lots of hi-tech sniper rifles and Washington, D.C. landmarks and lots of guys in suits. One features a gigantic monster and lots of views from space — the Earth and the moon. One’s set in World War II with a significant focus on life in Japan. The cartoony/3D project features trillions of little aliens.

If you think you can draw like Last Blood artist Owen Gieni and you’re actually right about that, you’ll probably be hired. If you can draw like Jeff Smith (Bone), you’ll also be hired. Same for Sergio Aragones. Same for Charles Schulz. Same for Sarah Ellerton (The Phoenix Requiem). So please don’t ask me what style I’m looking for — just show me your art!

E-mail me!

UPDATE #1 (December 7)

One done deal so far and another deal almost certainly going to happen. Still leaves many projects available, including at least two that I’d like to start right away!

UPDATE #2 (December 14)

Still only the one deal done so far.  Keep those submissions coming.  Eventually I’ll reply to every e-mail.

UPDATE #3 (December 27)

Same situation still — keep submitting!  I apologize if I haven’t yet replied to your e-mail — that’s probably a good sign, though, at this stage, meaning that it’s not a definite no yet.  Current goal is to reply to everyone by January 10.

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