The Cover

In today's class, we will be discussing the idea of the book COVER.

The old saying goes you shouldn't base a book by it's cover. The sad truth is that we do this all the time, particularly with manga and comic books.



Your audience and readers are extremely unforgiving when you are a comic book artist. If you go into a comic book store, you are competing with HUNDREDS of other titles by different artists. You are also competing with computer savvy hackers who can download titles for free. You are competing with libraries who can just lend out your book, in which you as the artist doesn't make any profit from the production. You are competing with other mediums such as video games and movies that allow your audience to have instant gratification.

So how do you get noticed?

There is not one right answer. But in this blog post I will highlight some ways of getting noticed.
1. BEING TRENDY

As you may notice, certain genres or ideas captivate the populace. I have seen Pirates go in and our of style, Vampires go in and out of style ... but there always seems to be a "flavor of the month". At this very moment, the zeitgeist in American pop culture is ... ZOMBIES. As a teacher, I have no idea why they are so popular. Shows like "The Walking Dead" have completely dominated the TV ratings. The zombie genre has even splintered into other categories like comedy (example: "Zombieland").

Zombies are so popular that Marvel comics have even launched a "Marvel Zombies" title in which all the Marvel superheroes turn into zombies. It's rather comical in my opinion.
I don't know why zombies are so popular. It's an extremely fantastic and abstract concept. What is it a metaphor for? Do people fantasize about doomsday. Do you fantasize about doomsday?

As opposed to having an answer, I'll ask you as a class.

If you want to make a quick buck, I suggest being trendy. However, if you want sustained income and a continuous fan base, I suggest doing something else to get noticed because trends change on their own time.

2. BEING ORIGINAL AND YOURSELF.

The number 1 all time best selling graphic novel in the United States is "Watchmen" written by Alan Moore and drawn by Dave Gibbons. Watchmen is a dark, noirish realistic psychological thriller that asks the question "If superheroes were real, what would they be like?". At the time of its creation, comic books were very "pulpy" and low brow. But Alan Moore had an original idea and pursued it.


Similarly, the cartoonist Art Spieglman's "MAUS" is a non-fiction accounting of his father's hardships during the Nazi Occupation and the Holocaust. The story is significant and horrifying but also culturally important. Maus, in the end of the day however, was ORIGINAL, which is what made it intriguing. It was a new kind of comic book; a GRAPHIC NOVEL.

However, many people are original and as a result can be UNAPPEALING. It is a sad truth that what is popular is not always what is smart. There are millions of artists, writers, etc. who follow their own paths artistically and as a result are NOT noticed.

The writter Phillip K. Dick, for example, was America's Borges. He wrote science fiction stories that were unbelievably advanced and complex. At the end of his life his books were adapted into very important films such as Blade Runner, A Scanner Darkly, Total Recall and Minority Report.

Unfortunately, Phillip K. Dick made VERY little money during his life because his books were advanced, original and unacceptable to the public at large. Phillip K. Dick was, as they say, ahead of his time. It was only after he died that he became popular because trends had to catch up with the author!

... SO ... Let's get back to the point of this lecture...

If you do something trendy, you may sell your book in the short run but there is no telling if your book will sell in the long run because trends change. You could write 5 pirate books and when you're done writing them pirates are no longer trendy.

And if you're original and true to your artistic interests, you will spiritually feel fulfilled, but there is no garuntee you'll make any money. Then again ... you may make a fortune!

So how can you guaruntee SOMEBODY out there will buy your book?

My suggestion: HAVING YOUR COVER WELL DESIGNED.

3. Have a WELL DESIGNED cover.

- I once had an art teacher who made the parallel of walking into a comic book store to walking through a garden. Flowers and fungi have a single purpose in life ... to reproduce. This is why they are so colorful and attractive; they desire to be noticed so bees will come to them and pollinate. Fungi and mushrooms work the same way. Fungi reproduce by spreading spores, which occurs when they are plucked, kicked or destroyed.


To get your manga noticed, you have to have a beautiful cover. Think of your audience in the comic book store as a bee. If he sees a flashy color, he might just walk towards your book. If he sees a dynamic composition, he'll want to be close to your book.

Your cover should also illustrate the POINT of your story. For example, ask yourself: What is the THEME of your book? You want to illustrate on the cover the most IMPORTANT part.

Here are some Moby Dick covers to give you an idea of what I'm talking about:





Part one:

Let's look at these 4 Moby Dick covers. What is the best one in your opinion? Why? Which one would you buy?

Drawing assignment:

Today in class, I'd like you all to DESIGN a book cover. You have the choice of designing your OWN story, or a pre existing comic book or manga. Think about ABSTRACT compositions that are attractive. Think about ATTRACTIVE colors.

Like all Manga, I want you to work FIRST in pencil. When you are done working in pencil, we will go to INK. Once you have inked, go to COLOR.

At 4:00: we will hang up all the covers. We will take a class vote as to WHO MADE THE BEST cover. The best cover will be put on the class BLOG and given an educational review/critic describing WHY it was voted the best. I'll also give draw that student WHATEVER HE/SHE wants as long as its class appropriate.

Sound Good? Ok ... get to it!