C.B. Cebulski gives Pinoys a "Crash Course on the Comic Biz"

C.B. Cebulski, The Fantastic Man
(photo from his twitter)

Huge Turnout

“Wow, this is the hotbed in Asia where superstars are going to come from,” said Marvel senior vice president of creative and creator development C. B. Cebulski, apparently overwhelmed of the 244 Filipino aspiring artists who want to take a shot at the comicbook industry.

Marvel's top talent scout is in Manila not only to recruit pencilers, inkers, colorists and cover artists for Marvel Comics, but also to find concept designers, storyboard artists and animators for their in-house videogame and animation outfit, and their parent company, Walt Disney. Mr. Cebulski said the Mickey Mouse company has adapted Marvel Comics' proactive approach in hiring new employees.

“When I do recruiting, I'm not just recruiting for Marvel. Licensing and merchandising people at Disney will also look at your work,” Mr. Cebulski told comic enthusiasts at National Book Store's Bestsellers.

He said that he will recommend around five artists who he believes are ready for the job in Marvel Comics. If hired by editors, they will be assigned to fill-in artist or digital comic artist positions. The former Marvel Mangaverse writer though will still be giving portfolio reviews to the other shortlisted candidates.

Comic Biz, the Marvel Way

Mr. Cebulski said Marvel Comics do business with creators in three ways: work-for-hire, where creators are hired to play in the sandbox Marvel solely owns; creator-owned, where as a writer, he needs to find an artist and most likely shell out money to produce a story to pitch to Marvel; and creator-participation, where a creator gives up 30%-40% of ownership of characters he created to Marvel.

When it comes to story ideas, Mr. Cebulski said an editor can contact a writer he believes can bring something fresh to a title and invite him to pitch a story. An editor can also reach five writers to pitch a story then pick the strongest one or the story pitching can also be initiated by a writer, he said.

Photo by Jiggy Cruz via twitter

In producing 20 to 22-page comics, some writers like Matt Fraction for the Defenders comic write in “Marvel Style,” originally started by renowned creator Stan Lee. Here, the writer sends a one-paragraph plot to the artist, the artist will draw it and everything that happens in the middle, then the writer adds dialogue to the art, Mr. Cebulski said.

Ninety-percent though of the scripts at Marvel are written in “screenplay style,” where the writers direct what is drawn in every page and panel, he said.

Mr. Cebulski meanwhile has done a “mixed Marvel-screenplay style” in an issue of X-Infernus, where he let his artist “go crazy” on the pages showing the fight scenes.

What are they looking for

The Writer

Mr. Cebulski quoted Daredevil writer Mark Waid: “Breaking into comics is like breaking out of jail. Once you get out, the path you used is already closed. You have to find another way to do it.”

He said aspiring comic writers have to get published elsewhere before going into big leagues. “You have to work your way up. You have to self-publish,” he said. He cited outgoing New Avengers writer Brian Michael Bendis as an example, saying that while the art was bad, his self-published comic was well written.

Photo by Budjette Tan via twitter

Mr. Cebulski said that self-publishing shows the writer's desire to work in the medium and demonstrates how well the artist works with the artist.He also said that it is much easier for the editor to read the story in comicbook format.

He said Marvel and DC also have encountered people claiming to have submitted ideas behind “Fables” and a “day in the life” issue of “Wolverine.” 

The Artists

Quoting Eisner-nominated artist Skottie Young, Mr. Cebulski said that “there's no such thing to be overexposure to artists. As artists, it is your responsibility to get your work out there.”

He said artists should not stop on having their works posted on Deviantart. He said the artists should explore different online platforms to showcase their work. To the talent scout, the best online portfolio should work like a blog where the artist's best recent work is posted at the top of the page.

Same goes for the printed portfolios, he said. Mr. Cebulski said an artist almost lost his chance to work for Marvel Comics because his portfolio is in the wrong order. “You have to put your best work on the first page,” he said.

For pencillers, the portfolio should magnify the artist's skill in storytelling, he said. “We want to see how you tell a story from panel to panel, from page to page,” he said. He added that a good portfolio should show both action scenes and silent panels.

For inkers, Mr. Cebulski said he does not recommend inkers who just want to work for a particular penciller because it does not show their range.

Colorists should be knowledgeable in using Adobe Photoshop, he said. He warns though that colorists have the “worst deadlines because they are at the end of the production line.”

For cover artists, Mr. Cebulski cited Jim Cheung (Avengers: Children's Crusade) and Dave Johnson (100 Bullets) as examples that the “cover art should have some kind of mojo.”

Mr. Cebulski said that he really appreciates people who want to work for Marvel Comics. He said he can be reached via twitter (@cbcebulski) and email (cbcebulski(at)marvel.com) for more tips on how to break into the comic biz.

“This shows that there is hope. There are doors open. The comic industry is growing,” Mr. Cebulski said.  

C.B. Cebulski drinking San Mig Beer (Photo from his blog, eataku.com)

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Update:

National Bookstore has released the names of 34 artists who have been shortlisted by C.B. Cebulski for the "Be The Next Comic Marvel"  talent search. Among them are Trese artist Kajo Baldisimo and Filipino Heroes League creator Paolo Jaime Fabregas.

Jethro Morales
Noah Salonga
Raymund Ariel Lee
John Brian Casacop
Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
Mikhail Angelo Jacinto
Noel Rodriguez
Julius Gopez
Joaquin Bilbao
Cristina Rose Chua
Paolo Jaime Fabregas
Jun Joe Monares
Jerico Ray Marte
Joseph Olesco
Kevin Rusty Macaraeg
Nixon Na
Ariel Rey Padilla
Maria Christina Francisco
Kajo Baldisimo
Jean Paul Catacutan
Brian Joseph Valeza
Renato Mapa
Raymund Bermudez
Adrian Biblanias
Aaron Kim Jacinto
Christian John Sabarre
Francis Nuguit
Mel Joy San Juan
Bryan Sevilla
Kathryn Layno
Angelo Bernardo
Michael Punsalan
Mark Taduran
Ernesto Jocson 


Jerald Uy