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RUDE MULLS SELF-PUBLISHING
by Newsarama
Chalk up another veteran comic creator eyeing self-publishing.
Eyeing, with an eye for reader feedback and help, that is.
In creator Steve Rude’s latest e-mailer, he indicated that he is working to figure out an appropriate business model to bring back both Nexus and The Moth under the Rude banner.
Rude’s e-mail notice reads:
Dear Friends and Fans,
Ready for a secret? It’s unofficial, but promise you’ll keep this under your hat for now. Okay, here’s the deal…
Jaynelle and I have been discussing a possible launch of a brand new comic company under my name. Though everything is hypothetical at this stage, we’re currently in the midst of the critical business strategy stage that will someday give us cause to celebrate in the future.
Here's more on the scoop, as well as one of the Big Questions that we would like you to help us answer;
1. The two main titles we would launch under the Rude banner would be; the continuation of The Moth, and, of course, the long awaited return of Nexus. This two series would be done in 4 issue blocks, i.e. 4 issues of Nexus followed by 4 issues of the Moth. Standard 21-24 page comic format. Collected editions would follow after each series.
2. Here's the next "smart" idea which was suggested by my Diamond contact Jim Kurhoric as a possibly more effective marketing idea. Instead of releasing separate 4 issue blocks of Nexus followed by the Moth, we would alternate the titles every month. So Moth #1 would follow the initial release of Nexus #1, followed by Nexus #2, Moth #2, etcetera. Standard 21-24 page comic format. Collections of each would also follow after the series are completed.
Is this alternating issues idea more exciting/palatable to you?
3. The final idea, was something suggested to me by my good friend, Mike Allred. And though I'm told Anthologies aren't the hottest way to go these days, here’s what Mike suggested;
A quarterly, oversized book featuring all characters combined. You'd get your Nexus, you'd get your Moth, and as an added sales gimmick to expand our readership ( I guess that’s the point, right?), maybe feature a short, unrelated genre story written by some Hot New Writer and drawn by yours truly. Romance, mystery, the macabre... anything would be possible here. We could also supplement this format, if needed, by sketchbook pages, behind-the-scenes preliminary art, photos of your favorite comic book creators in compromised positions--I might even talk Gino into a cheesecake bikini shot every now and then. 42-68 pages per quarter, square bound paperback format. We would also collect these into hardcover editions.
That's idea #3. What do you think?
Click here to cast your vote. You can see the running tally as we ourselves see it by tuning into the Rude Board at http://www.steverude.com/rudeboard. No, I won’t go into the usual drivel about how important readership involvement is. You guys know how important you are to making or breaking something new, so let's see if we can collectively sweep up a little of the grim and gritty into the dust bin of 2006, and bring back some of the “heroic humanity” through the name of Rude Dude Comics.
To the people that really give us the best gut-level introspection that these questions are designed to do, we’ll send off a free gift on our behalf.
Let’s see if we can stir up some dust in this business.
Yours, Sincerely,
The Dude
When contacted by Newsarama for more on the possible project, the Rudes declined to comment, noting that for now, they’re simply in an information-gathering phase.
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