Comic Book Resources

Idol Thoughts 10/8

I promised you some neat stuff in the lead up to Round One, and we start today with a quick Q & A with one our three judges this year, Oni Press’ Editor-in-Chief, James Lucas Jones!

Enjoy.

1. Have you been following the submission thread at all before the ten finalists were picked?

Yeah, I’ve been following it since the thread went live. I actually was checking in at least a couple times a day for most of the submission period.

2. Have you perused the galleries of the ten finalists? If so, any first impressions? Any early front-runners?

Yeah, I’ve checked out everybody who submitted and gave each of the finalists a second look (or a third or fourth in a couple cases). I think it’s too early to pick a favorite or a front-runner. The first assignment will be the real start of this thing as far as I’m concerned.

3. Did you follow the past seasons at all? If so, how do you think this year’s group compares?

I’ve followed the previous seasons, yeah. I think this group is pretty darn impressive. I don’t feel like anybody really limped into the finals this time like I did during CBI2.

4. What is the most important aspect in an artist’s sample pages that you look for?

Storytelling. Clear, compelling storytelling. I mean, that’s the point of the medium after all. Illustration skills are still important but without the ability to convey the action and emotion of an entire scene, it doesn’t do the job.

5. Conversely, what is the biggest mistake that you see artists make with their sample pages (not counting “not doing sequentials”, as that should be ingrained in the mind of anyone reading this by now)?

I think making sure you have a good sequence of sequentials is more important than people realize. I think the “sequential pages” mantra is finally starting to sink in but I think a lot of artists aren’t fully getting the point. One or two random pages doesn’t cut it. I like to see at least three pages in order and really, if you’re serious, that number should be more like five or ten. I also still see a lot of people influenced by comics and little else. I think crossing disciplines is incredibly helpful and would like to see more artists with influences from other mediums as well as our own.

6. I understand Oni had their own talent contest awhile back, do you think the contest format is a good one for signing new talent?

I think it can be. It’s an exciting way to do things and I think it can be a fairly good evaluator. One of the big reasons behind the Oni contests was that we had seen the portfolios year after year and were tired of spending our already limited time on samples completely inappropriate for what we do. The Talent Search scripts were our way of insuring that the work we were taking the time to evaluate was at least semi-appropriate for our company.

7. Do you any more Oni talent searches planned?

We took 2007 off, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Oni Press Talent Search return in 2008.

8. Do you plan on following the “play at home” thread to see work by artists who did not make the top ten?

Yeah! I mean, those guys are totally worth watching. It takes a whole different level of self-discipline to do the “Play at Home” version of the Idol experience and I’m excited to see what some of the folks who didn’t quite make that final cut come up with.

9. Do you find the Comic Book Idol format helpful in finding artists who can meet a deadline? How important, relatively, is it to you to have an artist who can work quickly?

Oh, absolutely. I mean, speed definitely isn’t everything, but honoring your commitments and your word is HUGE. Reliability is so so important and I think the quick turnaround the CBI assignments demand can be a solid indicator of and artist’s determination and dedication.

10. Comic Book Idol 2’s Joe Infurnari won the 2005 Oni Talent Search - do you think his Comic Book Idol background help him at all in your view?

I think everything builds, you know? I’m sure CBI was just one of the experiences that furthered Joe’s skills as a storyteller and an illustrator. He’s such a talented and hard-working individual though, I’m sure he’d be working in comics today, even if he took a different path to get there.

Thanks so much, James!