From: [i--ru--r] at [cats.ucsc.edu] (Isaac Truder)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.comics.info
Subject: Rob Davis Comics Career Article 6 of 9
Date: 2 Sep 92 11:36:38 GMT

A Mr. Rob Davis, comics aritst, has written a number of articles on the
subject of breaking into the comics business and conducting your business
once you're in.  He has recently personally given me permission to
disseminate his articles to the Internet (they were previously available on
CompuServe).  These articles originally came from a publication called the
Comics Career Newsletter.  This sixth proposes a personal philosophy to
remember when considering your approaching deadline.



                           DEADLINES-- AGAIN
 
                              By Rob Davis
 
 
    I've got a bone to pick with a lot of newcomers in the field who
seem to regard deadlines with the same disdain politicians do of
campaign promises -- "I'll honor them if it suits me."  I've said it
before, and likely I'll say it again:  deadlines are the most important
thing in this business of comics.
 
    When I first decided to become a comics penciler I did a great deal
of study and research on the matter.  Several things became apparent
within a short time but the most important was the fact that comic book
series come out MONTHLY.  What that means to everyone involved in the
creation of a publication is that they must be able to produce a
sufficient amount of work to keep it on that schedule.
 
    An examination of books on the stand revealed that to pencil a 22-24
page comic book in 28 to 31 days meant drawing at least one page a day.
At a page a day that meant that in some of the shorter months working
week-ends and/or holidays.  On top of this the quality of the work had
to be consistent and at or above what I found in the above average books
I found on the stand.
 
    With these facts in hand I set about to make my dream of becoming a
comics professional a reality.
 
    So what did I do?  I started with these obvious (at least to me)
facts about the business of comics and created a work philosophy that
would help me achieve my goal.  That philosophy is:
 
 
1.  First and foremost comic books are a business.  I will treat those I
    work for and with in a professional business-like manner.
 
2.  Comics come out on a monthly basis.  Therefore I must be able to
    produce professional-quality work in that monthly time-frame.
 
3.  Given that my chosen profession is a business and may sometimes
    require that I work weekends and holidays, I must make it clear to
    friends and loved ones that I may occasionally have to miss spending
    time with them.
 
4.  Since acceptance of a project involves my reputation as well as a
    contractual obligation I will not accept work I knowingly cannot
    accomplish.
 
5.  The readers/fans pay my salary, the company only handles the money.
    At conventions and wherever I meet them I will treat them with the
    respect and dignity any boss deserves.
 
 
    Only twice in my somewhat short career has this philosophy failed
me and then only because others in this business didn't share in my
philosophy.
 
    Following the philosophy I've set down won't keep you from being
taken advantage of.  Nothing will.  However, if you follow these simple
rules of professionalism you should be able to avoid them or at least
have ammunition should someone else try to "take" you.
 
    Good luck!
 
 
+----------------------------------------------------------------------
| This article is Copyright (c) 1992 by Rob Davis.  The author is a
| feelance artist whose work has been seen under a number of different
| company logos.  His professional comics career started with SYPHONS
| #7 from NOW Comics, as a letterer.  He also lettered RUST #'s 1 and
| 2 and penciled, lettered and inked DAI KAMIKAZE!.  At Malibu
| Graphics Rob has penciled and inked several projects.  Among those
| were SCIMIDAR and MERLIN.  For Innovation Rob penciled STRAW MEN,
| MAZE AGENCY, and QUANTUM LEAP.  At Rip-Off Press Rob penciled,
| lettered and inked THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN NEMO.  At Marvel Comics
| Rob penciled theee issues of Hanna Barbera's PIRATES OF DARK WATER.
| At DC Comics Rob has penciled STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, and
| STAR TREK (one issue each as fill-in, so far).  All this as of
| September, 1992.




--
-Hades (Brian V. Hughes) 
	    "Egads! These look like a women's fingerprints"
						   -- Durlock Holmes