Hi Everyone,
I've been asked to take charge of Flux UK - a new imprint from What The Flux Comics.
Flux UK is now recruiting from the massive wealth of talent that
resides in the UK and Australia (since its a colony!). The first act of
Flux UK is to produce a top quality comic chock full of brand new,
challenging and exciting ongoing stories. We're looking to emulate
2000AD and Warrior by having original continuous series and characters.
The comic will be 50 pages with four ten page strips, the rest of the
room being taken up by advertising (sorry, but it has to happen if
we're to survive). At first we will be Colour cover and B&W interiors till we cement
our place in the industry, then we will definitely be looking to bring
in colour strips.
We will be looking to go monthly, but we will see how practical this is
after the first 5-6 issues. If it's looking like it's difficult to get
the strips done in time we may move to being bi-monthly or have some
substitute shorts cover the late material.
We won't allow F-Bombs or
C-nuts in the mag. No explicit sex (implied is fine), ultra violence is
accepted and even encouraged! If we were a movie we'd be looking for a
strong 12 or a 15 rating.
We're looking to kick the comic off in a very strong manner, so at
first, we're looking for already (or nearly) finished strips - they can
be OGN's or 30 page finished stories, doesn't matter, but we do need
them to be finished and long enough to give the mag 3 months worth of
material. Once we have three issues worth of material, we can announce the launch date
for the comic and then we can look at pitches for new stories from new
creators.
The book won't be necessarily a sci-fi comic, we'll look at any strips
providing they are compelling and well produced. We are looking for
seriously strong characters that will stand out in the sea of
mediocrity out there. One of the reasons that 2000AD survived and
prospered this long is that they have a truly iconic character in Judge
Dredd.
We'll be looking to emulate Warrior and 2000AD by bringing through the next generation of British talent. Alan Moore, Steve Dillon, even Grant Morrison,
they all worked and broke through on Warrior.
Do you want to be the next Alan Moore, or perhaps just the first you?
You'll be asking : Hey JP, How do I get in on this crazy scheme?
Easy. Reply to this post letting me know you want to submit something,
tell me a little bit about and and then send it to
fluxukcomics@gmail.com
Follow us on twitter also http://twitter.com/FluxUKComics
Simples.
Look forward to hearing from you all. If you have any other questions,
please stick a post up here asking and I'll do my best to get back to
you asap.
Cheers
JP
Hi!
The first question on everyone's minds will be: is this a paid gig?
(With a follow up: is this creator owned material?)
-pj
PJ, as usual, has hit the nail on the head...
Also when you speak of 'completed stories' do you just mean just the completed script? Or are you looking for a full strip art inclusive?
(What I'm asking really is, will you be accepting scripts from writers and matching it to artists like 2000 AD or will you require full completed comic strip like CLiNT?)
Cheers.
That sounds quite ambitious, and even keeping the costs down with B/W you're looking at crazy money just to put it on shelves. Best of luck with it, though.
I was going to ask the same question as Mardroid - if you're accepting scripts and matching them up to artists, I have something I'd be interested in submitting. Look forward to hearing the reply!
My question for JP is: Could you use inkers and letterers?
I'm about halfway through what should be my first published gig in the capacity of letterer. Seeing as initial feedback has been very positive, I'm testing the waters to see if there's any further demand for my skills.
If you have any open slots for a letterer, or somewhere I could send an email with samples of my work to, I'd be pretty keen to hear about 'em.
Is there a deadline on this?
Cheers
dave
Quote from: HdE on 02 October, 2010, 09:24:53 PM
I'm about halfway through what should be my first published gig in the capacity of letterer. Seeing as initial feedback has been very positive, I'm testing the waters to see if there's any further demand for my skills.
Ssssh. Jim Campbell can have you whacked you know!
Quote from: Dandontdare on 02 October, 2010, 11:20:46 PM
Ssssh. Jim Campbell can have you whacked you know!
Face down with a Wacom stylus between the shoulderblades. Some people have called it a signature, but since there are never any witnesses...
Just sayin'...
Cheers!
Jim
Sounds like you are looking for complete - as in, drawn and lettered - in order to put together 3 complete issues asap, before accepting undrawn scripts and looking for someone to draw them. Would that be a correct analysis?
If so...can't help you with the first part but can DEFINATELY help you with the second.
Pay or nay?
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 02 October, 2010, 11:31:51 PM
Quote from: Dandontdare on 02 October, 2010, 11:20:46 PM
Ssssh. Jim Campbell can have you whacked you know!
Face down with a Wacom stylus between the shoulderblades. Some people have called it a signature, but since there are never any witnesses...
Just sayin'...
Strike me down, Jim, and I shall become more cleverer and harder than you could possibly imagine.
Although I might walk with a limp for a few days. ;)
Quote from: pauljholden on 02 October, 2010, 05:41:24 PM
Hi!
The first question on everyone's minds will be: is this a paid gig?
(With a follow up: is this creator owned material?)
-pj
Personally I think that should have been addressed in the original mail without having to ask.
It's pretty important don't you think?
Hi guys,
Sorry for missing this originally...
The recruited talent will be on Creator Owned contracts meaning the copyrights to their work will remain as theirs and at this point we will only be able to provide back-end pay for the creators, profits form sales split amongst the creator groups to dispense as they see fit - meaning, if you are a writer and only work with one artist, then you split 50-50. More artists - more splits.
JP
How are you planning on distributing the new title? UK comic stores aren't numerous enough to provide you with volume sales, and if you can find the capital for a high street launch, then I would have thought you could find a few quid for the creators...
Cheers
Jim
We'll be talking to comic shops all over trying to get them to commit to buying at least 20 copies for the first issue. We'll be launching a website where people will be able to order copies on a print on demand service, however for distributing to comics shops, the parent company "What the Flux Media" has a deal with KaBlam distribution who will provide all marketing materials as well as cover shipping.
WTFM are an indy publisher and don't have TONS of money to throw around, but they ahve enough backing to get a magazine like this off the ground and pay all their creative teams on back-end pay, but creator owned contracts.
Cool. Thanks for the informative reply!
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: Van Dom on 02 October, 2010, 11:44:41 PM
Sounds like you are looking for complete - as in, drawn and lettered - in order to put together 3 complete issues asap, before accepting undrawn scripts and looking for someone to draw them. Would that be a correct analysis?
If so...can't help you with the first part but can DEFINATELY help you with the second.
That would be correct Van, for the moment only full, completed stories ready to go. In the future (and hopefully the near future if it all goes well) we'll look at individual scripts and art.
Interesting times.
We're opening subs to all creators outside of the UK and Australia.
In reply to some of the emails we've received lately -
We don't want emails from people telling us their page rates.
We're looking for submissions from people who are serious about being published in a new mag, if you think your work isn't good enough for publication in an Indy Anthology, then it isn't going to be good enough for Flux.
What we ideally need is already finished pages with art, inks, tones, letters etc, but we will look at projects that are in progress.
Please read the the guidelines in the original post before you send anything, too many people aren't.
That being said, I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Cheers
JP
Quote from: johnnybhoy on 06 October, 2010, 05:55:24 AM
Please read the the guidelines in the original post before you send anything, too many people aren't.
If you look at the absolute crap that's clogging up the Millarworld CLiNT submissions threads, you shouldn't really be surprised, I'm afraid. There's a reason why they call it "the slush pile", you know.
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: johnnybhoy on 03 October, 2010, 03:39:31 PM
pay all their creative teams on back-end pay, but creator owned contracts.
Man, well you know... :lol:.
I checked out your websight http://whatthefluxcomics.com/ cool. :D
Have you got all the material for the first magazine yet? How goes the search? Also, on your original post on Millarworld you were suggesting you might team up writers with artists - is this something you still think you might do further down the line?
Hi Paul,
At the moment I've got one guy with a strip that's already complete, and another couple that are almost finished.
I'm quite happy if you send me a finished script and maybe a sample of something you've had published before. If I can get an artist to work on it for the promise of publication and a share of any profits from royalties for the strip then I'm all for artists and writers being teamed up. Therein lies the rub. Would creators be prepared to work for basically nothing except great exposure and possibly a share of any profits we make?
Writers, Artists...comments?
QuoteTherein lies the rub. Would creators be prepared to work for basically nothing except great exposure and possibly a share of any profits we make?
Writers, Artists...comments?
I think the answer is 'It depends'!
A number of publishers currently work like this, and really, it's up to the individual creator to decide how confident they are in that publisher and in their ability to market their product.
Quote from: Richmond Clements on 06 October, 2010, 02:44:01 PM\
I think the answer is 'It depends'!
And, of course, the not-insignificant number of creators still licking their wounds from the Insomnia fiasco who might still -- psychologically, at least -- not quite be ready to dust themselves down and set to work for no financial reward.
Cheers!
Jim
Quote from: Jim_Campbell on 06 October, 2010, 03:00:12 PM
And, of course, the not-insignificant number of creators still licking their wounds from the Insomnia fiasco who might still -- psychologically, at least -- not quite be ready to dust themselves down and set to work for no financial reward.
And even if they did get straight back on the horse they probably wouldn't have time to produce two different projects simultaneously anyway, otherwise I'd be giving this serious consideration. If you'll do something for the indy press for no reward at all, why not do the same on the chance of getting paid later?
Yeah, some cunt might tie everything up in limbo for you by not dissolving his company when he ought to, but if you love doing something, then you gotta do it, surely?
Quote from: Professah Byah on 06 October, 2010, 04:11:13 PM
If you'll do something for the indy press for no reward at all, why not do the same on the chance of getting paid later?
Well, that comes down to a matter of trust, doesn't it? Rich and Dave, for example, have a huge amount of it stockpiled due to their track record with FQP. I do something for them and I know:
1) They'll send it back and make me do it again if it's shit
2) It's extremely likely to see print if/when it's up to scratch
3) It's going to be part of thoroughly high-quality package
4) It might even get name-checked in 2000AD
Now, I'm not specifically talking about Flux, but it's entirely possible that the above may have more value to me than a few quid (possibly a
very few quid) that might not even materialize.
Horses for courses, though. FWIW, I'm only doing back-end deals as favours for friends these days...
Cheers
Jim
Quote from: johnnybhoy on 06 October, 2010, 02:23:50 PM
Hi Paul,
At the moment I've got one guy with a strip that's already complete, and another couple that are almost finished.
I'm quite happy if you send me a finished script and maybe a sample of something you've had published before. If I can get an artist to work on it for the promise of publication and a share of any profits from royalties for the strip then I'm all for artists and writers being teamed up. Therein lies the rub. Would creators be prepared to work for basically nothing except great exposure and possibly a share of any profits we make?
Writers, Artists...comments?
You're soliciting comments, so here's my comment.
Over 20 odd years of drawing comics both small press and big press, I've lost count of the number of companies/people offering "great exposure" and "share of any profits". I can tell you that, honestly, great exposure is almost meaningless (great in what way? numbers of copies or the people who are seeing it?) and "share of profits" often amounts to a fat lot of nothing, even when the work is for Image comics. Often they're the sorts of things that people promise when they don't have a long track record of producing comics (ie, when they've haven't actually walked the walk for a couple of years).
Don't mean to in anyway infer that you won't deliver on your promises, but just giving you my honest, if hard won, experience.
I would settle for a good track record, a promise of a couple of comp copies, decent production values, and the promise that, yes, any hard work done, will actually see print.*
-pj
*Or at least I would, if I wasn't poor and needed the money as well.
QuoteI'm quite happy if you send me a finished script and maybe a sample of something you've had published before.
I doubt you're going to get many people who have been published before willing to submit work for something that is unpaid.
However, as long as the writer and artist solely maintain the rights over their creations, I'm sure that many new creators would be willing to submit to you.
If this is the case, then making a profit matters a lot less. Of course if a strip started generating a lot of profit at a later date, then there would need to be something in both the writers and artists contacts saying that they'd be entitled to a share of this.
And the other guys are right, some guarantee that the work will be published OR something in the contract which would allow the rights to revert back to the creators if something went wrong with Flux UK would be nice.
Hopefully Flux UK will be a huge success, but I think we're all aware what a tough market it actually is.
Quote from: Pauul on 06 October, 2010, 05:22:11 PMHowever, as long as the writer and artist solely maintain the rights over their creations, I'm sure that many new creators would be willing to submit to you.
If this is the case, then making a profit matters a lot less.
Especially if you get a decent run of a series published, you can then look into getting it published in trade form, which could make you back some cash (although that is the long term back end payment).
QuoteEspecially if you get a decent run of a series published, you can then look into getting it published in trade form, which could make you back some cash (although that is the long term back end payment).
Exactly. Maybe you could even go with the option of having the trade coloured (since the initial run will be in black & white). Plus I imagine that some strips might end up being more popular than others. And it could help bring new readers in, there are some people who're more inclined to wait for graphic novels than buy a magazine.
Quote from: pauljholden on 06 October, 2010, 05:07:29 PM
You're soliciting comments, so here's my comment.
Over 20 odd years of drawing comics both small press and big press, I've lost count of the number of companies/people offering "great exposure" and "share of any profits". I can tell you that, honestly, great exposure is almost meaningless (great in what way? numbers of copies or the people who are seeing it?) and "share of profits" often amounts to a fat lot of nothing, even when the work is for Image comics. Often they're the sorts of things that people promise when they don't have a long track record of producing comics (ie, when they've haven't actually walked the walk for a couple of years).
Don't mean to in anyway infer that you won't deliver on your promises, but just giving you my honest, if hard won, experience.
I would settle for a good track record, a promise of a couple of comp copies, decent production values, and the promise that, yes, any hard work done, will actually see print.*
-pj
*Or at least I would, if I wasn't poor and needed the money as well.
I'll amen to that brother.
Hi guys,
following up from previous posts...
The official deal we're offering is that we push 90% of all net profits back onto the creators, that means, as we're running four strips in each issue, then each creative team makes 22.5% of all net profits and retains ALL rights to their creations.
How do you like them apples?
I like apples very much.
Thanks for the info. It's certainly something to ponder.
Our Facebook page is up and running...
http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Paul-Fitch/559623762#!/pages/Flux-UK/160386460651120 (http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Paul-Fitch/559623762#!/pages/Flux-UK/160386460651120)
Quote from: johnnybhoy on 10 October, 2010, 03:45:13 PM
Hi guys,
following up from previous posts...
The official deal we're offering is that we push 90% of all net profits back onto the creators, that means, as we're running four strips in each issue, then each creative team makes 22.5% of all net profits and retains ALL rights to their creations.
How do you like them apples?
It sounds fine, but it is 'quite hard' to make a return on these investments, while at the same time using your revenue to fund the next print run. Everything costs - print, time, sales, advertising...keep adding on as you want. The ONLY reason something like FQP keeps going is through the bloody hard work and commitment of Dave and Rich, and I'm fairly sure that Dave's current holiday is not being funded by the money taken at BICS...
Good luck though.
We're a couple of weeks away from the worldwide launch at Megacon. We're putting the finishing touches to the mag and the latest stats are that we've sold close to 300 units on Pre-sale already!
If you guys are interested, please nick over to our webstore and pick yourselves up a copy...but wait!!!
We want to offer all 2000ADers the chance to get Issue 1 of FLUX at a discounted rate.
Head to http://whatthefluxco...om/webstore.php and put in this code: MMWorldFlux1_Fan And instead of paying $4.50 (2.80 GBP) for the book, you can pick it up for the amazing knockdown price of $3.00 (1.85 GBP).
That's 48 pages of Comic awesomness including Dominik Diamond and Dave Tomei's Faithless.
This is the launch of a brand new UK comic, by UK creators (and some Johnny Foreigner guests - but we won't hold that against them ;-) ) for the UK market. We're intending to make a massive splash in the UK market and we're here to stay for a long time...with your fantastic support, of course.
Cheers
JP
Hi everyone,
Well FLUX has launched officially and we've had some great numbers in sales so far.
Great news filtered through today when Forbidden Planet confirmed that they will be stocking the book, so you can pick up a copy at your local FP store and help establish a new British comic in the British market Forbidden Planet will be promoting the book on their main website as they are really getting behind us. FLUX showcases relatively unknown creators helping them get a break in the industry and get their fantastic material published.
First reviews are coming in and are overwhelmingly positive. We're being reviewed on BleedingCool, Investcomics, Comicbuzz and GEEKchocolate. Geekchocolate review is up on their site, the rest should follow this weekend.
We're still looking for submissions if there are any creators out there who want to send anything in.
JP
Great news Johnnyboy!
I'm gonna have to look back at your submissions guidelines and stuff. Yes indeed.
JP, are you still looking for complete (30page plus) already drawn material or have you now picked up enough that you can start looking at individual scripts etc?
Quote from: johnnybhoy on 07 April, 2011, 12:35:33 PM
Well FLUX has launched officially and we've had some great numbers in sales so far.
Brilliant news. Congratulations on getting the product out there -- I hope it's a roaring success!
Cheers
Jim
QuoteFirst reviews are coming in and are overwhelmingly positive. We're being reviewed on BleedingCool, Investcomics, Comicbuzz and GEEKchocolate. Geekchocolate review is up on their site, the rest should follow this weekend.
Good review, guys- well done!
http://www.geekchocolate.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85:flux&catid=39:comics&Itemid=61
I somehow manage to miss everything even vaguely interesting..
Quote from: Matt Timson on 07 April, 2011, 02:00:41 PM
I somehow manage to miss everything even vaguely interesting..
shouldn't that be on the
'Life is riddled with a procession of minor impediments' thread >
Quote from: Matt Timson on 07 April, 2011, 02:00:41 PM
I somehow manage to miss everything even vaguely interesting..
At your age, you should probably be avoiding most kinds of excitement anyway.
Cheers!
Jim
I'm trying to order this but I can't see where I'm supposed to enter the code.
Once I go in to pay, clicking on 'Millar World Fan Code Required' does nothing.
Am I doing it wrong?
EDIT - Ignore me. I'm an idiot...
ANOTHER EDIT - Actually, I'm not an idiot. It still doesn't work. Even on the 'Redeem a Voucher or other Discount' button.
Whasgoin'on???
Quote from: Matt Timson on 07 April, 2011, 02:00:41 PM
I somehow manage to miss everything even vaguely interesting..
Me too... I peruse this site every day, and somehow I completely missed this thread!
-- Mike
Well, I couldn't get the bloody Millar World code to work but I ordered one at full price anyway.
It'd better be good!
We've just tied up a deal to have our books printed in London thereby reducing the shipping prices ot the UK.
Sorry to anybody who's already ordered form the US. :-[
JP
At least it'll be in effect when Flux #2 is released.
How is work on issue #2 going?
Quote from: johnnybhoy on 19 April, 2011, 05:54:08 AM
We've just tied up a deal to have our books printed in London thereby reducing the shipping prices ot the UK.
Sorry to anybody who's already ordered form the US. :-[
JP
GAAAH! First the discount code is bogus, now this!
It's a costly hobby, this comics lark.
Aaaaaan we're in there!!!
http://www.forbidden...og/Flux__1.html
We've finally made it into Forbidden Planet.
Thanks to all the support from my fellow 2000ADers.
For three quid you're getting 52 pages of comics, get yourselves down to Forbidden Planet and procure a copy. They'll sell out fast, we've already gone for a second print run.
Cheers
JP
http://www.forbidden-planet.co.uk/acatalog/Flux__1.html
that link doesn;t seem to work johnnybhoy (might be my crappy browser) anyway here's another link just in case others are having the probs I am.