Ask a Question: IDW's TMNT Editor Thread

[Vegita-San]

none tmnt question.

I know the competition is probably brutal...but what is the chance an unknown could get an opportunity to pitch a new comic idea at idw?

[AlessandraDC]

I just have to say that I am loving the Dimension X settings! Please tell me we could see future stories exploring some of these places, like Palmadise. I feel like there's a lot of potential to tell some really cool stories! (Also, loved the design of that female bounty hunter in Dimension X #4.)

[CyberCubed]

I love all the varied artists on the Dimension X specials in particular, will we see any of these artists return to do some Universe issues in the future?

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Vegita-San

none tmnt question.

I know the competition is probably brutal...but what is the chance an unknown could get an opportunity to pitch a new comic idea at idw?

It's a bad climate to get any new projects approved right now-- we're in the midst of an industry wide down turn. We've been turning down a lot of solid projects from known creators.

So... not good. But that shouldn't stop you from creating your own comics and pitching them to publishers. The people who make it in the industry are people who make comics for themselves first and foremost.

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by AlessandraDC

I just have to say that I am loving the Dimension X settings! Please tell me we could see future stories exploring some of these places, like Palmadise. I feel like there's a lot of potential to tell some really cool stories! (Also, loved the design of that female bounty hunter in Dimension X #4.)

Maybe, it's possible!

[Vegita-San]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

It's a bad climate to get any new projects approved right now-- we're in the midst of an industry wide down turn. We've been turning down a lot of solid projects from known creators.

So... not good. But that shouldn't stop you from creating your own comics and pitching them to publishers. The people who make it in the industry are people who make comics for themselves first and foremost.

sigh, kind of what i thought .


another new idea,not many places to try it out .

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

It's a bad climate to get any new projects approved right now-- we're in the midst of an industry wide down turn. We've been turning down a lot of solid projects from known creators.

So... not good. But that shouldn't stop you from creating your own comics and pitching them to publishers. The people who make it in the industry are people who make comics for themselves first and foremost.

Hey Bobby,

Would that downturn be contributing to the lack of Mirage reprints that's been going on? The reason Tales is presumably canceled, and why Image 3 and Mirage 4 are still just a hope?

Sorry, I know you get asked about those darn reprints a lot...

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Vegita-San

sigh, kind of what i thought .


another new idea,not many places to try it out .

I see so many people give up because they can't get their first, or second project greenlit. When the reality is: almost everyone who is a professional in the industry is around for a good 5-10 years, honing their craft, making and completing new projects, day in and out, before anything substantial comes of it.

Make it for yourself, make it the best it can possibly be. Then share it around and prepare to be heart broke. Then do the entire process again, learning from your mistakes. And again. And again. The only people who should do this are people who HAVE to do it, for themselves, first and foremost. They're the only people who will have the determination to get where they want to go.

All that being said, good luck!

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

Hey Bobby,

Would that downturn be contributing to the lack of Mirage reprints that's been going on? The reason Tales is presumably canceled, and why Image 3 and Mirage 4 are still just a hope?

Sorry, I know you get asked about those darn reprints a lot...

Much more likely that the Tales collections just never sold that well in the first place.

As far as I know Vol. 3 reprints are still happening.

[Redeemer]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

It's a bad climate to get any new projects approved right now-- we're in the midst of an industry wide down turn. We've been turning down a lot of solid projects from known creators.

So... not good. But that shouldn't stop you from creating your own comics and pitching them to publishers. The people who make it in the industry are people who make comics for themselves first and foremost.

Can you please elaborate????

I was looking up the sale figures and numbers. It appears that all the sales figures point industry growth not downturn.

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Redeemer

Can you please elaborate????

I was looking up the sale figures and numbers. It appears that all the sales figures point industry growth not downturn.

Not sure how to elaborate. You and I must be reading very different reports and talking to different people.

[Redeemer]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

Not sure how to elaborate. You and I must be reading very different reports and talking to different people.

lol I went to a website that post sales figures and sales numbers that we use on the forum to see how well the TMNT books are selling.

I have a sneaky suspicion that you guys know better than I do
I was just curious, bc the term "downward spiral" sounds bad and has me nervous for future TMNT books

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Redeemer

lol I went to a website that post sales figures and sales numbers that we use on the forum to see how well the TMNT books are selling.

I have a sneaky suspicion that you guys know better than I do
I was just curious, bc the term "downward spiral" sounds bad and has me nervous for future TMNT books

I think I said "downward turn" which isn't quite as bas as a spiral!

I wouldn't be too concerned. TMNT is doing fine, and hopefully things will right themselves across the industry. DC seems to be doing well, which is better than if both they and Marvel were both doing bad.

[Powder]

You guys had Khary Randolph come on board for Dimension X #3, how did that come about? Were y'all aware of his connection with TMNT (did lots of stuff on the 4kids show, but most notably promotional art, DVD covers, etc.) & if so, did it influence your decision to pick him up?

An extension of that, might we see others who've had a past with TMNT that wasn't necessary related to comics themselves, such as he? Do you ever look at the pool of turtle talent to consider one-off artists? I know you guys wanna stray from the Mirage cast so as to give your series its own visual identity but what about younger lesser knowns who only did one or a handful of Tales vol. 2 issues & moved on to Marvel, DC, etc? Andres Ponce being one example that comes to mind. They're not really a "face" of the brand like Jim Lawson is. & you've got your share of cartoon-tied folks like Khary, would you ever reach out to someone like say Ciro Nieli (& yes I'm aware he did variant covers on the Nick series)?

[Bobby Curnow]

Aubrey Sitterson, the writer, had wanted to work with Khary so that's how that came about.

As for others, it's possible, sure. The schedule has been very tight for a while now, so that makes me shy about working with people who's work habits I'm not familiar with, but on the right project I like to try out new people.

[Andrew NDB]

Originally Posted by Bobby Curnow

I think I said "downward turn" which isn't quite as bas as a spiral!

I wouldn't be too concerned. TMNT is doing fine, and hopefully things will right themselves across the industry. DC seems to be doing well, which is better than if both they and Marvel were both doing bad.

What is your personal opinion or thoughts on why there is a downward turn in mainstream comics right now? Does DC have the right idea? Does anyone?

[MikeandRaph87]

When developing the comic, was it ever considered to have Shredder and Krang team up it was it always meant for the two to be rivals never to team at any point? Up until #37 it seemed like a strong possibility there would be a business partnership for convinence.

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by Andrew NDB

What is your personal opinion or thoughts on why there is a downward turn in mainstream comics right now? Does DC have the right idea? Does anyone?

This is just my own armchair thoughts, so your guess is as good as mine. But in general I think there are simply way too many titles on the market. Too much choice can be a turn off for actually making a choice I think. Add that to event fatigue and too many reboots. Comics have become more accessible but not enough to counter business practices that are essentially short sighted and greedy (i'm in no way exempting IDW from any of this. We're guilty of it too). Plus there's just cycles of creativity. Seems like it's been a while since anyone (or group) has really shook up the industry and caused a fresh breath of air to circulate.

DC's strategy currently seems to be to just keep things relatively simple and accessible, something that I don't think can hurt! (and I say this as primarily a Marvel guy growing up)

[Bobby Curnow]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

When developing the comic, was it ever considered to have Shredder and Krang team up it was it always meant for the two to be rivals never to team at any point? Up until #37 it seemed like a strong possibility there would be a business partnership for convinence.

I'm sure we considered it at one point, but seemed more interesting and unexpected to make them adversaries.

[TurtleWA]

What is your preferred story length as an editor and also as a comic fan?