VODKA O’CLOCK 1616
PAUL ALLOR
AMBER LOVE 11-JUL-2016 News: My debut mystery novel, Cardiac Arrest: A Farrah Wethers Mystery, is available. Please go to patreon.com/amberunmasked to sponsor the show, the site, and my work. If you’re already a backer, please make sure you’ve adjusted your pledge for the new Per Month setup.
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CROWDFUNDING COMICS:
PAUL ALLOR writes comics and is now branching out into educating on comics through his new weekly column, Imagine a Chair. With his experience writing on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a couple of Marvel one-shots, and a huge slate of creator-owned comics, the insight he’ll provide in the column will benefit anyone interested in writing comics.
His current comics project is a huge book, over 200 pages, titled Past the Last Mountain. You can read issue one of PTLM for free on PaulAllor.com. The book will include more than 20 short comics by a spectacular lineup of various artists. The PTLM story is illustrated and co-created by Louie Joyce. Paul and Louie have collaborated between Australia and the midwest of the US. Among the top talent on PTLM is cover artist Jeffrey Veregge doing interior sequentials for the first time. Other familiar names are Rebekah Isaacs, Joe Mulvey, Jules Rivera, and Marissa Louise. The long list of participants is on the Kickstarter page.
“Past the Last Mountain is four-issue geopolitical fantasy comic about Kate the faun, Willa the dragon, and Simon the young troll boy, who find themselves on the run from the United States Government.â€
Paul talked about the burden of self-funding his comics in the past and why it was time to launch a Kickstarter to offset it. With launching a Patreon for his column the same time, he confidently doesn’t feel overwhelmed about managed two crowdfunding platforms at once despite not using a fulfillment service for the Kickstarter rewards. His mission with the Patreon is strictly as a tip jar for the column; backers will get to read the articles before the public.
Some of the reward selections included things specific to people who make comics like a script critique or a commissioned piece (like a variant cover) for your own project. This clever way of offering support to other indie creators is a perfect example of how Paul and Louie help other people in the business.
INTERACTION & SOCIALIZING WITH THE COMMUNITY:
Paul interacts with his friends online, but admits that he doesn’t feel comfortable leaping into conversations with total strangers on Twitter. He says he’s been stumbling through to try and build a fan base while maintaining his privacy. However, social media has been one way that he’s met artists.
His work in municipal economic development gave him an opportunity to help a comic shop open up in his town right after one closed keeping comics alive for retailer-consumer activity.
“I think comics are going through a very tumultuous period right now, but it’s a good thing because it means that things are shaking out. Things are being acknowledged that haven’t been acknowledged in a long time.†~Paul Allor
He normally attends Emerald City Comic Con, C2E2 in Chicago, and New York Comic Con to meet artists, editors, and friends. While it may sound easy, building relationships for several years is what eventually leads to being asked to pitch to editors.
CHILDHOOD!
I may not be Barbara Walters, but I want to know how creators got to where they are. Paul described himself as a pensive kid who perhaps needed to chill out. If he could go back and give his younger self advice it would be to read comics at a young age at the library (and never buy a long box).
LINKS:
https://www.facebook.com/PastTheLastMountain/
Twitter @PaulAllor
Twitter @LouieJoyce
Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.