Thought I'd Intro Myself/Superhero Artist Search Question

[huedell]

I signed up here with a particular purpose in mind that I'll mention in a sec. However, I am indeed a comicbook superhero fan, so if you'll have me, it doesn't hurt to be a member here in an overall sense.

I wanted to possibly start a thread about my desire to create an online fan-fic Ditko Creeper graphic novel and potential partnerships with an artist to do this based on my detailed treatment. I look at it as a way to display any skills to the comicbook community/ industry, and to have fun too.

I've sent a couple messages to a member here already, but they were accidently misguided. I thought he was an artist giving comissions. Actually he's a fan requesting comissions. i should've done better research, but jumped on the idea of contacting him after seeing his gallery on another site linked in his sig. Apologies for the mix-up.

Maybe I shouldn't start a thread somewhere else on this topic, and I could get answers in this thread on a direction to pursue? Thanks for any advice.

[jfglade]

I signed up here with a particular purpose in mind that I'll mention in a sec. However, I am indeed a comicbook superhero fan, so if you'll have me, it doesn't hurt to be a member here in an overall sense.

I wanted to possibly start a thread about my desire to create an online fan-fic Ditko Creeper graphic novel and potential partnerships with an artist to do this based on my detailed treatment. I look at it as a way to display any skills to the comicbook community/ industry, and to have fun too.

I've sent a couple messages to a member here already, but they were accidently misguided. I thought he was an artist giving comissions. Actually he's a fan requesting comissions. i should've done better research, but jumped on the idea of contacting him after seeing his gallery on another site linked in his sig. Apologies for the mix-up.

Maybe I shouldn't start a thread somewhere else on this topic, and I could get answers in this thread on a direction to pursue? Thanks for any advice.

 I would advise you to pick a character other than the Creeper who is copyrighted and trademarked. I doubt anyone would be willing to help you with a project which DC could ask you to take down at any time, assuming you do get to the stage where parts or all of it were posted online. You might want to consider substituting another character who has lapsed into the Public Domain. I can't think of any golden age character who would be roughly analogous to the Creeper with the possible exception of Columbia's The Face.

[Yoc]

Good points  Jon.
Better to work with a character that is safer to pursue.  I'm drawing a blank on a golden-age character that resembled the Creeper's style.

Good luck H.

[John C]

Generally, we'd also prefer not to be someplace where people try to conduct business.  If anybody here is interested, they can now send you a message, though.

And obviously, feel free to get involved in any discussions, regardless.  We're more or less not creepy argumentative weirdos, I've been told.  Borderline friendly, even!

[Yoc]

Also true.
ComicBooks+ has a 'shameless self-promotion section that might better suit your needs.
http://comicbookplus.com/forum/index.php?board=23.0

[huedell]

I would advise you to pick a character other than the Creeper who is copyrighted and trademarked. I doubt anyone would be willing to help you with a project which DC could ask you to take down at any time, assuming you do get to the stage where parts or all of it were posted online.

Is there a precedent where superhero owners have removed fan-fic that wasn't making any money from the Net?

Seems like anything goes with non-profit fan-fic unless I'm missing something.

[huedell]

Generally, we'd also prefer not to be someplace where people try to conduct business.  If anybody here is interested, they can now send you a message, though.

And obviously, feel free to get involved in any discussions, regardless.  We're more or less not creepy argumentative weirdos, I've been told.  Borderline friendly, even!

Much gratitude for the warm welcome! I'll take a look around, for sure

And, again, thank you for the advice, and I'm glad for the warning in order to have curtailed such discussion to this thread alone. Didn't wanna muck things up.

[huedell]

Also true.
ComicBooks+ has a 'shameless self-promotion section that might better suit your needs.
http://comicbookplus.com/forum/index.php?board=23.0

Sounds like a good lead! Thanks, yet again!

[narfstar]

Fan fiction in purely prose seems to even be encouraged by the comic companies. I think they may get upset if they are actual comics. There are plenty of public domain characters available however.

[huedell]

Fan fiction in purely prose seems to even be encouraged by the comic companies. I think they may get upset if they are actual comics. There are plenty of public domain characters available however.

Hmmmm. I'm a bit confused here. Prose? Fanfic Batman and Superman full-out live action movies and movie trailers are fine and encouraged. I can even go so far as to say they are certainly even celebrated by the majority of Net comicbook fans "in the know".... This place has a primary interest in comicbook superheroes, if I'm not totally confused here.
So, it seems strange that the consensus here in this thread is that the comicbook media form is somehow off-limits for such fan-produced things when there have been full out fan-produced film productions that have been universally approved by comicbook communities.

You guys HAVE seen these things... correct?

BATMAN: DEAD END
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBuSUUkLYSg

[SuperScrounge]

Personally I feel it's better to do your own thing, that way if it's a success you can definitely profit from it.

On the other hand have you tried asking for artists at the various webcomic hosts out there, Drunk Duck, Comic Genesis, Smack Jeeves, etc.? I know The Duck's forum has a section for writers & artists looking to collaborate. I assume the others might as well.

[huedell]

Personally I feel it's better to do your own thing, that way if it's a success you can definitely profit from it.

On the other hand have you tried asking for artists at the various webcomic hosts out there, Drunk Duck, Comic Genesis, Smack Jeeves, etc.? I know The Duck's forum has a section for writers & artists looking to collaborate. I assume the others might as well.

Thank you very much for the leads, Scrounge

As far as you "feeling it's better to do my own thing"... well, the reality is that I do do my own thing... but I'd also like to do this other "fan-fic" thing too - and not (as you suggested may be my goal) so I can profit from it monetarily directly, but to see if I can gain any kind of positive attention and profit indirectly with a different success strategy. As mentioned before, people do this kind of stuff every minute of every day, and they have been doing this for decades now. Apologies for the dramatic phrasing here, but I thought I'd make my intentions crystal clear at the risk of being redundant so that contributors to this thread realize my intent which seems to have been coming off unclear so far.

[narfstar]

We may sometimes seem overly cautious. The last thing we would want to do is have DC or Dynamite get upset and say we are using their characters illegally. While we are not, they can make it miserable. I am curious about their take on fan fiction. I would hope they take it as building fans rather than taking business. With the move to more and more web content by the major players they may be more likely to see it as competition, is my fear.

[John C]

The problem is that trademark law requires the owner to defend the trademark or lose it, so DC would have an obligation to chase after anything using their trademarks.  They don't need to shut everybody down, but if they know about a competing work, they need to be involved, either giving explicit permission (which nobody is obligated to announce, so "so-and-so did it" isn't useful) or requiring a take-down.

It's a practical approach, too, even though it doesn't look like it.  If someone produces a "fan" Batman movie that stinks, for example, the quality has the potential to reflect on DC and/or impact its ability to profit on future movies.  Disclaimers can help, but the exception carved out for fan work went out with...I think the 1976 Act.

[huedell]

The problem is that trademark law requires the owner to defend the trademark or lose it, so DC would have an obligation to chase after anything using their trademarks.  They don't need to shut everybody down, but if they know about a competing work, they need to be involved, either giving explicit permission (which nobody is obligated to announce, so "so-and-so did it" isn't useful) or requiring a take-down.

It's a practical approach, too, even though it doesn't look like it.  If someone produces a "fan" Batman movie that stinks, for example, the quality has the potential to reflect on DC and/or impact its ability to profit on future movies.  Disclaimers can help, but the exception carved out for fan work went out with...I think the 1976 Act.

I'm presently a TV Film major at Cal State LA, taking multiple classes dealing with these issues, so I'm aware of all of what you posted.

But I'll point out that the totality of the first thing you posted is incorrect. DC also has a choice to do nothing, turn a blind eye, and count their blessings people give a dang about their property. A choice which DC makes constantly. DC also can use the top quality fanfic stuff to scout for new talent... which if they don't specficially do, other corporations CERTAINLY do. If you produce a celebrated fan-fic piece, your resume shines that much brighter.

Is there some element of negative risk involved? Yes, slightly. Enough to deter me from my quest to develop my Creeper project further? Certainly not.