Prism Comics is launching an anthology featuring all-new LGBTQAIU comics talent to be published by Stacked Deck Press. The theme is first (queer) love and the working title is Crush: First Love, New Talent. The project editors will be Prism Comics board members Viktor Kerney (Strangelore) and Tara Madison Avery (We’re Still Here). Stacked Deck Press will launch a Kickstarter campaign in early 2019 to fund this project. In addition to a short list of comics creators handpicked by the editors, Prism and SDP are looking for new LGBTQAIU comics talent. THIS IS AN OPEN CALL FOR STORY SUBMISSIONS. If you would like to submit your work, here are some guidelines and requirements:
- Crush: First Love, New Talent is a showcase for comics creators who have not yet been published in a widely circulated print publication. If you have a CV with a long list of recent published works, this project is most likely not for you.
- Crush: First Love, New Talent is committed to the inclusion of comics creators of color and emerging LGBTQAIU identities as a priority.
- Crush: First Love, New Talent will pay a base $25.00 per page rate to all contributing creative teams. This rate is subject to possible increase should the Kickstarter campaign exceed its initial goal. Story contributors will also receive two comp copies of the finished book.
- This anthology will be a paperback book. We have not yet decided whether the interiors will be color or black and white. Exact page and file specifications to be announced concurrently with the final roster of creators. Print size will be 7” x 10”.
- We are looking for stories of 10 pages or less. Exceptions to this length requirement will only be made upon approval from the editors. If you are interested in contributing, please send some sample finished artwork and a story proposal of one or two paragraphs long to [email protected].
- The open call for submissions ends November 22nd, 2018. The final roster of contributing creators will be announced in early January 2019.
We will launch Crush: First Love, New Talent at a party in the city of West Hollywood, CA pending publication. (Venue to be announced.) We look forward to seeing the work and perspectives of a new generation of LGBTQAIU comics creators! Thank you in advance for your interest!
Hello – I am not sure how to submit my story. I am in the middle of writing an autobiography dating back from the year of 1977, dealing with the coming out of a 19 year old gay boy at that time and addressing his first love. How do I go about submitting the first chapter, which is approximately 10 pages? It’s quite pornographic, based on real life coming out and growing up in a small city in Canada.
While that project sounds promising, Crush is a collection of comics, not prose. If you can adapt a segment of that to comics in some way and keep it to 10 pages or less, we might have something. Remember, proposals including short written summary and sample art are due November 22nd.
If I was in two anthologies – one is print on demand and another was only done via Kickstarter, am I allowed to submit for this one?
Why not? Let’s see sample art and a story proposal.
Tara
Hi,
Do you want all the artwork done before you run the Kickstarter?
Just to be clear, we need to see sample art and a story proposal first. Then, if approved, we would want the art finished before the completion of the Kickstarter campaign.
Hi,
Do pages need to be finished before the Kickstarter is launched?
Thanks.
Hi! I’m super interested in sending a proposal but I’m not sure if these stories are meant to be autobiographical or if they can be fictional? Would super appreciate any information you can give about what kinds of stories you’re looking for!
Hello Mei,
These stories can be autobiographical or fictional or something else entirely. The only restriction is that it is about (queer) first love. There are gay, bi, ace, poly, and a bunch of other angles to approach this from. If you have a fictional account in mind, send us your proposal, and we’ll take a look.
Thank you,
Tara
Hi there!
To the potential art teams sending submissions, if any finds in the search for a letterer, please do consider this big ol’bear to collaborate!
You can check my portfolio at http://bit.ly/LG_Lettering and drop me a line to [email protected] for further discussion!
Thanks!
Hi there.
A week ago I sent a submission to [email protected], but I haven’t had any response or conformation that it’s been received. Could you let me know?
Thanks,
Amy
Your submission was received, Amy. Viktor and I are in the process of evaluating the submissions. We will notify all who have submitted by email whether their proposals have been accepted or rejected.
Thank you,
Tara
Hey there!
My partner and I had sent in our proposal about a week and a half ago and much like Amy I was just wondering if it would be possible to confirm it was received. No rush on the selection at all, I just wanted to verify since I think ours might have flown in a little late by the original deadline and we weren’t sure if it got extended or not due to the holiday.
Thank you so much for your time and effort, and I’m greatly looking forward to this anthology even if we were too late. Take your time and good luck!
It was received, yep.
Hi!
I submitted a pitch to this a while back but never got any response. Have you already sent out rejections and acceptances for it?