Outlaw Comics Launch Interview with Jason Burns
So, earlier this year I got an email on Facebook from good friend Jason Burns. He told me about a new company where he would serve as the Editor-In-Chief and it was something called Outlaw. Of course, I was curious and intrigued and now we have a full fledged interview with Jason in his new role as Editor-In-Chief discussing the new company, it's launch books and what you can expect from Outlaw.
Eric: So Jay, how's it feel having Outlaw finally launch?
Jay: We've been at it for over a year now, so it's great to finally have something out there that the public can see. Now starts the countdown to the release of the books themselves, and (fingers crossed) that the material connects with people.
Eric: So how were you approached to become the editor in chief in the first place? Or was it more being approached to do a graphic novel or two for the company?
Jay: I was originally hired to write Praetorian and another book, which is due out later this year. After I finished Praetorian, and the company got closer to its inception, the two founders (Tony Hobdy and Rick A. Villa) approached me about the Editor-in-Chief gig, and essentially coming on as an in-house writer, where I would not only work on company properties, but on my own as well.
Because I had experience on the business side of things having worked with Viper Comics as Assistant Publisher, it was a pretty seamless transition for me to slip on both a creative and business hat at the same time.
Eric: So what does your job entail for readers that don't know these kind of things?
Jay: It's a lot of management. At any time we have about 15 books in production, so it's a lot of just making sure that we don't hit any snags, that the stories are being told properly (both visually, and in script form), and that everyone on the creative side is on the same page and delivering the best content possible. I also do the bulk of the writing for the company, so whether it's a property that was created in-house, or something that I brought in from my own creator stash, I'm generally spending time working on scripts, or helping other writers with theirs. And then on top of that, I also handle the bulk of the Hollywood stuff, which has become a big component of the comic book/graphic novel industry. Everyone wants to be in comics right now, and everyone wants to make a comic book movie, so I spend time meeting with screenwriters, directors, or on-screen talent who are interested in telling stories in this medium, or on the other side of that... Producers who are interested in possibly adapting our properties for film or TV.
Eric: So how many graphic novels can be expected for the rest of the next year for the company? Is there a specific number thought out?
Jay: Yes. We have our schedule in place for the next year, but in this business, you never count on a book being done until it's done, so while I can't say specifically how many books we'll be releasing, I can say that people should expect at least a dozen Outlaw titles to hit the stands before 2010, and then we'll continue that pace into the new year.
Eric: Can we expect a few of your collaborators from other projects you've worked on to be coming to outlaw?
Jay: Yes. We have a pair of books scheduled with Joe Eisma, who I have collaborated with many times (and he was in my wedding) on books like A Dummy's Guide to Danger: Lost at Sea and Serpo. And then we'll be releasing books with other artists that I have hit it off with over the years, including Dustin Evans, Ramon Espinoza, Armando M. Zanker, Erik Valdez Y Alanis, and then a slew of others that I have yet to publicly do anything with, but have wanted to for a long time.
Eric: As of launch time we will have the launch books all written by you. Will the next slew of books have some new writers attached?
Jay: At least for this year, most of the books Outlaw releases will be written by me, and then as we start to get into next year, we'll be releasing a number of books written by well known screenwriters and directors, as well as by other comic creators, which should give my fingers a break from typing as furiously as they have been.
Eric: So is there an open submission policy with Outlaw? Both for artists and writers?
Jay: Yes, though with writers it's a little different. We will look at completed books from creative teams who are looking for distribution, and while we are open to looking at pitches, we prefer them to come from established writers, or at the very least, have a completed script to go along with it. Because we're a company of creators ourselves, it makes more sense from a business standpoint to put money into our own properties, but at the same time, we're never opposed to reaching outside, particularly on the distribution front. And then with artists, we're always looking for new talent. Artists can contact us via our web site, or come and say hello at the cons. We'll be at SDCC this year, so people are more than welcome to come over and show us what they're made of!
Eric: Will we ever see single issue series from the company or is it more orientated towards full done-in-one stories in collected form?
Jay: We will dabble in floppies at some point, but right now our business model is to focus on the graphic novel format. But, that being said, we would definitely like to test out those waters at some points in the near future.
Eric: Talking about the launch books a little, Imaginary Friends was your first ever published work?
Jay: Not my first published, but the first one I wrote as a straight comic book. It was originally written prior to any of my books being published... Way back in 2004, I believe. It was my first book that got picked up by a publisher, and then sort of lingered in production limbo for years. When I joined up with Outlaw, I ended up buying the rights of it back, and it just worked out that there was an opening in the Outlaw schedule. There is actually a spin-off that is complete as well (with killer artist Rob Reilly), which will hopefully see the light of day very soon as well.
Eric: So it was never actually published and put out anywhere? Is this the first time it's been in print? Or is this a new printing under the new company?
Jay: An extremely small print run was done by Viper Comics and was available at SDCC in 2008 as a digest-sized graphic novel, but other than that, it never made it to stores. The Outlaw version has some creative tweaks and an all new cover by Josh Howard, and is also printed in the standard-sized format. So really, it's the fist time the public will be able to get their hands on it.
Eric: What was your idea behind Praetorian? What sparked such an interesting story?
Jay: Praetorian was actually the brainchild of Outlaw co-founder Rick A. Villa. It was a book that I was originally just hired on to come in and help develop and write, and that eventually led to me working with Outlaw full time. Rick supplied me with a detailed treatment of how he envisioned the story playing out and then I stepped in and expanded on it further with him. From there it was just a matter of sitting down and hammering out the actual script. All in all, the process was extremely smooth, and like I said, it's what led to myself and Outlaw working together in a much larger capacity.
Eric: Then of course there's hat trick which seems to be the all ages friendly book. Have you always been a fan of magicians?
Jay: Yeah, Hat Trick to me is that fun type of all ages story that while appropriate for kids, is also enjoyable for adults too. I've always been intrigued by magic and magicians... Particularly the old timers where magic was more sophisticated and refined. I wanted to get that element into the story, which is kind of what the villain is... But at the same time, I wanted to introduce a world that we haven't really seen before, which is the world inside the magician's top hat... The place where he pulls the rabbit from. To me, I wanted to write a story that read like a classic Amblin movie, while also bringing in that magic element in a fun, all ages way.
Eric: So what do you think makes Outlaw truly stick out in the industry Jay?
Jay: I think it's going to be twofold... One, our accessibility. The books appeared in Previews at $14.99, but what we have decided to do internally (and a news release will be going out regarding this), is lower the price points to $7.99. In an industry where inflation seems to be happening every few months to cover prices, we're going to buck the trends and offer people more for less. Now, readers will be able to get two of our graphic novels for the price of one from other companies. As a reader myself, that's a pretty sweet deal.
The second part of what I think makes us stand out is that, as an independent comic publisher, we're not limited in terms of how many books we can put out into the marketplace. For instance, right now we have 20 graphic novels in production... And that does not include books we'll be taking on from a distribution standpoint alone. Just the volume of what we're doing is much different than what other new companies have come into the industry with. I think that alone gives us an edge, because there's no gaps in our schedule.
And of course, we have great content, but I think that will speak for itself when people have a look at what we're releasing. I think fans will be very happy with what Outlaw is producing, especially at the affordable price of $7.99.
Eric: So would you say that over all the prices were more in line with say manga then your big publishers? And that would make it more accessible to new readers?
Jay: I think in this economic crunch, any price decrease makes something more accessible to people because unfortunately, there just isn't as much money to go around. If someone wants to try out Praetorian, but they're worried that dropping their comic budget on it means investing in a book that A.) has characters in it that they are not familiar with, and B.) takes place in a universe that they are not familiar with... Than the cheaper we can offer it to people in order to familiarize the brand with readers the better. As a reader myself, it's hard to decide what new books/titles you want to try out, especially when you're limited on your budget. By pricing our books at 7.99... We hope to make that decision easier for people. By cutting the price in half, the investment on the end on the consumer is not as jarring.
Eric: Are all the stories that we are going to see coming up all done in one, or will there be anthologies like a Scott Pilgrim type of story telling coming from Outlaw?
Jay: We do have plans to do anthology pieces, which we actually dicussed in a production meeting today. I will also say that, we plan on carrying some of these titles passed just one book, should they take off and attract readers. We have plans for all of the books beyond just the one installment.
Eric: Any parting words to what the readers can be expecting from you and outlaw Jay?
Jay: Just that people give us a try. We have a diverse line-up of books, great artists onboard with us, and what I like to think is a fun library that offers a bit of everything for everyone.And if that doesn't work... Refridgerate after opening!
Praetorian comes out on June 24th, Imaginary friends comes out July 1st and Hat Trick comes out July 15th. You'll see more reviews and previews here on comicrelated.com starting tomorrow.
Eric Ratcliffe is a young writer/pop culture journalist/interviewer currently working on pitching a project named the Hunter chronicles. When not reading his weekly stack Eric can be found watching dvd's, playing on his 360 (gamertag: Zack Hunter) or just surfing online trying to find a scoop or two. Brand new to the Comic Related family, Eric is a fun new voice. Eric shops at TJ's Collectibles. Visit them on the web at www.tjcollect.com!
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