I have a plan to save comics.

[Shishio]

The Comics For Communities site is now up; I'm working on Comicopia Online now.

I hope you will all take a look at it and make me aware of any problems/provide suggestions on how to phrase things better.

In the meantime, I'll get in touch with everyone who's submitting a comic and get them to send me their archives.

[Shishio]

There's not much to it, but Comicopia is now online. As is West of Bathurst. I should be able to get a lot more work done on it (not to mention post more comics) tomorrow, I just wanted to give you guys an idea of how things will look and let you know that I'm not slacking on this.

[Shishio]

I finally have a decent logo for Comics For Communities courtesy of C.W.

This is definitely on the right track, but the middle panel strikes me as aesthetically awkward, which I suspect is due to the comic being larger than the child. But, I really don't have any eye for design or anything like that, so I'd appreciate if you all could take a look and give me any feedback you may have.

[Dutch!]

Ah. I've been meaning to drop back into that forum and see what's been going on this month recently but was continually sidetracked. Good to see it's taking shape.

Cheers.

[Shishio]

The forum is dead. I'm mostly talking to contributors individually, or on other forums, there isn't really a central place to get updates or anything. (The CFC site is the closest thing to that right now, but I'm too lazy to update it regularly in any great detail).

So basically, if you want progress reports/whatever, just e-mail me.

[Dutch!]

Ah. So waiting patiently to see when there is something notable to pass on to us has been... well... wasting my time, eh?

Ah. Then... send me an update on what's been going on.

[Chelsee]

Hey, man. This is a good idea you have here. I'm afraid I can't offer up my current comic (copyright drama, anyone?), though I wouldn't mind drawing a short children's story that can be accessed from Comicopia...

I'm a hundred percent of the same stance. I enjoy making comics, and while for many reasons I would not be wise to offer anything I've put together recently both for content and future copyright horror, I would welcome a chance to try out a different 'genre' and do a short series specifically for All Audiences.

Same as many have said, I also despise 'dumbing things down' for children (though I grew up on Aeon Flux, A Clockwork Orange and Spawn, so I'm a little UNDER sheltered in comparison...) And have had a few passing ideas of different stories I would have liked to read when I was younger...

I'd be interested in hearing more when more develops...

[Shishio]

I'm a hundred percent of the same stance. I enjoy making comics, and while for many reasons I would not be wise to offer anything I've put together recently both for content and future copyright horror, I would welcome a chance to try out a different 'genre' and do a short series specifically for All Audiences.

I don't see how copyrights would be a problem. I'm not asking anyone for the rights to their stories or anything. If you contribute to Comicopia, everything you contribute remains 100% yours.

Just wanted to clear that up in case anyone had the wrong idea.

Anyway, I would love to have something from you for the site if you're up for it. Right now my priorities are getting the site design up to snuff, and getting content, so if you want to do something, there's no time like the present.

Dutch: I'll get a progress report to you tomorrow.

[Thavius]

Saving comics? Certainly building the future. The problem comes down to costs. How can a sizable anthology be affordable. They cost tens of thousands of dollars for the numbers needed to distribute through schools.

But here are some solutions - subsidy via the intent of the anthologies - as a non-profit book and as donations to schools and libraries, money can be requested, but not to the extent of costs. Running fun-raisers of smaller versions that can be sold to generate revenue for the anthology - and like activities at conventions etc.

In the end, it is the children who are the future, and at a young age, have no judgments and negativity on "comics".

Those who read comics young, and good comics, will remember them fondly - as many of us do. And with the media EXPLOSION available to kids today, we as a comics community have to expose them as early as possible.

But I need help to make it happen.

First, a little background info:

I have, ever since I had the cognitive abilities to appreciate them, been a superlative enthusiast of cartoons and comics.

And I have long resented the lack of respect and recognition the comics medium gets in most of the world.

And I’ve decided to do something about it.

I have many ideas to promote comics. The main thrust of my plan is as follows:

(Note: This may sound rather unoriginal at first, but read the whole thing.)

- Set up a site to serialize all-ages comics. Like Keenspot or Modern Tales, but geared to all-ages. (Keep reading.)

- Publish an anthology of the best the site (Comicopia Online) has to offer, and distribute it, for FREE, to children, through schools and libraries. This will also promote literacy in children, as comics are easier, and I expect, to many kids, more enjoyable to read than books. Incidentally, I also have a number of ideas to use comics to promote literacy, but I’ll save those for another time.

It’s ambitious, I know. Here’s how I plan to make it happen:

Like I said, the first order of business is to get Comicopia Online… online.

Then I will print enough copies of the aforementioned anthology for every child in grades 1-6 in one school. I am paying for this entirely out of my own pocket. Which is the reason I’m only printing so few copies at first; it’s all I can afford. The reason I’m covering the intial expenses myself is to prove how committed I am to this idea. Once (if) I have secured a positive reputation, I will see if any artists or interested in auctioning off art and donating the proceeds, I’ll solicit other donations, etcetera.

Anyway, I have chosen the school I wish to start things with, so once I have the anthology printed, I will approach said school about hosting a comics day for the students. A friend of mine, a comic shop owner, will give a brief lecture on comics, any local creators (I'm talking to YOU, Fake Londoners!) willing to show up will talk to kids about making comics, sign autographs, and so forth. I plan to have representatives from every local (And perhaps some non-local) media outlet present to cover the event. If the school balks at this, I’ll arrange for the “Comics Day” to be held elsewhere and ensure that there is a limit on attendance, so there’s no disappointed children who have to leave without a book.

It is my hope that the coverage of the Comics Day will attract more people willing to help, and to make businesses open to the possibility of donating money, sponsoring, and so forth.

Ideally, I would be able to get large businesses to sponsor comics on the site in exchange for ads appearing on the page of the comic they’re sponsoring. Yes, this would mean that the creators would be getting paid for their work if this happens.

I would also like to arrange for local businesses to sponsor the book in their respective cities. For example, by rough estimation, there are about 10,000 children in grades 1-6 in my hometown. So I would try to raise money to print 10,000 copies from local businesses, and ads for sponsors would appear in the back of the book.

Obviously, I cannot guarantee these things will happen, they’re just ideas.

But I can guarantee that without people dedicated to making this happen, it won’t. So let me know if you want to help.

The designing of the site is currently in the hands of two very skilled people, Joel Fagin and Mixed Myth, and I am grateful to have their assistance. But I would also like to have the aid of a programmer to implement a number of features on the site. An appropriate CMS for starters, a way to tag comics, so you can start where you left off, a way to rate comics, the ability to have a profile listing your favourite comics, and so forth.

And of course, I also need comics to serialize. If you’re interested in having your work on the site, (New or old) post here or e-mail me at shishio [at] comicopiaonline.com

I have no problems with artists hosting their work elsewhere simultaneously, but keep in mind that since this is going to be promoted to kids, I cannot link to any sites that contain, or link to, material not suitable for children.

And to any cynics: Yes, I know this is a huge undertaking, and that it's going to be hard, maybe impossible to accomplish. But I would like to offer some pre-emptive rebuttals:

Even the mightiest oak tree was once just a nut that stood its ground.

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world, the unreasonable man persists in adapting the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.

It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.