Hello!
So I'm brand new to the website and I'm very exited about the contest. I'm also unintentionally clueless. Anyway, here is my query.

Should the 12 page story be a self contained stand alone short story within the overall premise? I know it could lead to a four issue mini-series, but since many of the stories will be published together I didn't know if cliffhangers were acceptable. For that matter, are there any stipulations on the story other than it needs to be pg?

Sorry if this has been addressed else where. I read the guidelines, but just wanted to double check.
thank you!
the real joe ben

TheRealJoeBen said

Should the 12 page story be a self contained stand alone short story within the overall premise? I know it could lead to a four issue mini-series, but since many of the stories will be published together I didn't know if cliffhangers were acceptable. For that matter, are there any stipulations on the story other than it needs to be pg?

Welcome!

The 12 pages CAN have a cliffhanger, no problem. Besides the PG thing, I believe sky's the limit.

PG ONLY refers to materials presented for the contest display…

parts that will be printed later, not shown in the contest, CAN be R rated.

Dimestore wont do X though.

You can present it that it'll be even more edgy in print…"wait'll you see the gory bits!" etc…

sweet. Thanks for the quick response.

"... Please note that throughout the competition, the sources of all membership accounts are investigated to maintain the integrity of the competition. If it is determined at any point in time that there is foul play, it may lead to a project being disqualified from the competition..."

When it says foul play, does that mean like making multiple accounts? Other examples of foul play would be good to know.
Lets say my wife, my sons, brothers and sisters want to vote for me but are not real into comics, would that be accepted since they would register on the forum just for that?

Managuan said

"... Please note that throughout the competition, the sources of all membership accounts are investigated to maintain the integrity of the competition. If it is determined at any point in time that there is foul play, it may lead to a project being disqualified from the competition..."

When it says foul play, does that mean like making multiple accounts? Other examples of foul play would be good to know.
Lets say my wife, my sons, brothers and sisters want to vote for me but are not real into comics, would that be accepted since they would register on the forum just for that?

There's nothing at all wrong with having your relatives, friends, co-workers etc sign up and vote for your book and others if they're so inclined. What the rule you've quoted means is more along the lines of one person making multiple accounts via yahoo or gmail or other internet mail servers and then using those fake accounts to vote for one title so as to skew the voting. Ian tracks IP addresses to prevent this sort of thing as well as querying accounts the seem fishy. If he finds accounts of this nature the votes cast from that account are voided and punitive action may be taken against the team involved.

This is also counter-productive when you consider that the fans you're trying to win over in the early rounds need to translate to buyers in round 4 or it really doesn't matter how many votes you get in the early rounds. You want to put your energy towards building a true fan base that supports your works. That's the real goal here.

That's good to know, thanks … I just wanted to make sure that I don't ruin any chances by misunderstanding a rule.

Managuan said

That's good to know, thanks … I just wanted to make sure that I don't ruin any chances by misunderstanding a rule.

No worries at all. It's way better to ask questions if you aren't sure than to run afoul of something and have no recourse. We're all about answering the questions around here.

My team now has a revised cover and pitch. Should I post it in the Vessel thread using some html or send it in to Ian?

it's up to you guys to post such things….in your current thread…

Thank you very much.

sorry another question, in round 2 the character profiles have to be inked but, do the action shots have to be inked as well?

we leave things a little vague on purpose, remember, you are trying to impress not just US - but the PUBLIC in Round 2...

I have a question about the character design requirements. simply put, Must I draw each character submited in 6 poses/angles OR is that required only for the first one or two designs? Thanks!

Another question about character design requirements, the  partial body rule:  Can we use partial bodies, head shots, or any other kind of spot illustration or vignette drawing as a design element of our presentation?

I'm just going to respond with the guidelines. I don't know how much clearer we can be…we waqnt to see your creativity, we do not want to tell you what to do with your designs.

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Image specification requirements:

Each image must be a separate file.

Each image must maintain a maximum width of 600 pixels wide and 800 pixels high. (This does not mean all your images have to be that large!)

File type: Tiff, 300dpi, CMKY. We will make our own jpg versions for display online

Characters: All entrants participating in this round will be required to present character sketches and bio info for each of their main characters. Please note that Round 2 artistic requirements are fairly specific and must be adhered to in order to qualify to move on in the contest. While we will not define how many characters you need to present (though presenting only one character, for example, may not provide us with a full understanding of the art style of the book), we do require a well rounded entry that complies with the following:

MANDATORY: Main character(s) in a full-bodied FRONT VIEW, 3/4 FRONT VIEW, and SIDE (or PROFILE) VIEW. These are commonly known as a "rotation view" and should at a minimum be inked with a finished look to them. Coloring is optional at this stage, but certainly desired.

Each main character displayed must also have at least three full-bodied action poses of the main character(s) (to add a more dynamic feel for him or her…or them. No partial anatomical cut-offs (in other words, no illustrations where the characters are drawn showing only the top halves of their bodies.

This will enable the reviewers (judges and voting audience alike) a chance to really understand the character's physical limitations/capabilities and the artist's ability to make them pop out in strong posing within the gestures, not to mention give us a chance to see any anatomical or perspective problems that the artist might or might not have. If the artist wishes to do a complete character rotation (Front, 3/4 Front View, Side (or Profile) View, 3/4 Rear View, Rear View, then that is up to him/her.

We ENCOURAGE entrants that the more they submit in this round then the stronger their chances of getting those positive reviews for their craftsmanship, hard work and dedication to their property, something that bodes well with the the judges and voting public. Especially if the creator has a fantastic illustrator (if he/she isn't the illustrator, that is) and wants to show this person's creative skills to the max! It all helps garner audience appeal and loyalty.

Biographies: For each character depicted a bio is required. DO NOT FORGET in the course of making nice drawing presentations that a WRITING COMPONENT exists for this round. There is little in the way of guidance for this aspect beyond the need to ensure that any biographical information is applicable, interesting and to the point. Although we will not dictate what format to put the BIO's in, we will encourage all participants to keep in mind that the presentation needs to be legible and catch our attention. Previous entrants have shared their submissions all over the internet and you can find some on the Small Press Idol site - Who is your Idol? - Small Press Idol.

Logo: This round also requires a rough of the series LOGO. Contestants are encouraged to use originality when creating logos as well as proper technique so as to create the most effective logo possible.

Well, these are essentially yes or no questions that I did not feel were adequately clear from reading these guidelines, which is why I sent the questions.

So let me rephrase:  My entry in round two has the main one or two characters exactly as required in the guidelines.  Now, if, in addition to that element of my submission, I include additional art that may include partial bodys, would my entry or that element of my entry be disqualified and not posted or would it be accepted and posted?

I guess, reading it again, you ARE saying you won't accept any part of the entry to include a character that is not formated as described.  OK.

"We ENCOURAGE entrants that the more they submit in this round then the stronger their chances of getting those positive reviews for their craftsmanship, hard work and dedication to their property"

I would like a clarification on what is meant by "more" in this section of the guidelines, and if, in addition to partial figures and presumably heads, anything esle is not allowed, such as spots, additional illustrations, etc.  Or should "more" in fact be "more characters"  as in "We ENCOURAGE entrants that the more CHARACTERS they submit in this round then the stronger their chances…"

BTW this, Mike, the artist on the book, being so very unintionally clueless.

I highly suggest going and looking at last year's round 2.

I'm not going to tell you what to submit.