MEDIA RELEASE: Black Mermaid Productions™ Launches Comics Masterclass™

MEDIA RELEASE
8 September 2013

Australian comics team and publisher Black Mermaid Productions™ has just launched its new professional development arm—Comics Masterclass™. Originally conceived in 2011 as a one-off weekend event that was run in conjunction with the Australian Society of Authors (ASA) and which attracted participants from around the country, Comics Masterclass™ has now evolved into a brand in its own right and a niche service that offers creative, business and self mastery opportunities to Australian (and overseas!) comics creators.

Comics Masterclass™ has three big picture goals:

1. To help emerging and developing comics practitioners realise their creative potential
2. To contribute towards creating an Australian comics economy where comics creators’ published works, expertise and experience are valued both critically and commercially, and
3. To facilitate the shift from an Australian comics community to a thriving internationally recognised and commercially viable industry.

The first offering is the Comics Masterclass™ script assessment service for emerging and developing comikers who are working on comic books, graphic novels, webcomics and comic / cartoon strips. This is the first dedicated comics script assessment service in Australia.

Says co-Black Mermaid Productions™ Director Julie Ditrich, “We have been talking to Australian comics creators about their professional needs for many years now. We become increasingly aware that there was a demand for critical feedback on comics projects in development but that no professional services were available to take on that task, which is why we came up with the idea of a comic script assessment service that critiques both writing and sequential art. It took us over a year to organise and assemble a high calibre team of qualified comics professionals with vast publishing credits, as well as editing and teaching experience, who would work as assessors and provide value and direction in this creative medium.”

Comics Masterclass™ is also pioneering in the Australian comics landscape by providing a variety of other services including creativity coaching, premium coaching, professional consultations, proofreading, editing and a counseling referral service. Furthermore, from 2014 it will also offer short courses and weekend intensives.

“We predict that Australia is about five years away from exploding onto the international stage and producing world class comics talent and publications in a big way,” says Black Mermaid Productions™ co-Director Jozef Szekeres, “We believe that Comics Masterclass will be at the forefront of facilitating this growth in the Australian cultural landscape.”

Ultimately, Comics Masterclass™ is about encouraging and nurturing new comics talent, and offering a safe place for creators to develop their creative and entrepreneurial skills.

For further information contact Julie Ditrich or Jozef Szekeres on
Phone: +61 2 9606 4728
Email: media@comicsmasterclass.com
Website: www.comicsmasterclass.com 

The Economics of Web Comics

Here at Black Mermaid Productions™ we've been debating another topic amongst ourselves – whether to release Elf~Fin digitally (which would get it to our readers quickly) or to bring it out in print (via a comics publisher or by doing it ourselves). There are merits for each and there is nothing to say we can't do both as well. The submission process is slow because we have to customise each proposal according to the criteria of each publisher – some want a lot, some are minimalist and some require additional work such as coming up with covers. We're going to be polling our readers in early 2009 on some very important questions but in the meantime, we have stumbled upon a very useful book, which we are going to buy for ourselves and which we recommend to comics creators wanting to post their comics properties online. It's called The Economics of Web Comics by Todd W Allen. The title is described on Amazon as:

The definitive book on web comics as a business and monetizing online content returns addressing hot topics like digital downloads and web-to-print crossover titles... The entire study is full of actual revenue numbers, offering a very detailed glimpse into the financial realities behind the comics industry.

This may also be the answer for people crossing over from traditional illustration who want to experiment with the comics medium and innovative storytelling and art, as well as build their audience. The possibilities are endless with web comics, and for the most part, web comics are infinitely cheaper to produce than their print version counterparts. 

And for the IP online security conscious amongst you, don't forget our blog post on eBookpro.