11.
Re: New Comic Book Publishing Company Jun 19, 2008 1:56 PM

in response to:
NewBaby
There are other ways to launch and market a new comic -- a variety of "grassroots," underground, and viral approaches have been effective for other creators in the past.
If you're going for large-scale marketing through existing (traditional) channels, however, you may have to do it on their terms. Here's the bigger picture: (1) You have six issues print-ready; (2) Potential advertisers review the six issues to decide what products to advertise (they need more than two issues to accurately project the size, growth, and demographic of the readership and following); (3) You seek investors so you can get the money to have first six issues printed; (4) Potential investors evaluate the six issues to project their return on investment (they need more than two issues to estimate the revenue potential that could come from sales, advertising, merchandising, and licensing -- and having looked at your overview, there could be licensing potential, I think); (5) Distributors place a buy order for six issues printed, coded, and ready to ship (their warehouse, transportation and accounting processes are highly automated, and the distribution centers, jobbers, and retailers have to make space and set up the systems to handle your product -- there's a cost to them for that, and they need more than a couple of issues to assure enough sales and profit to recover that initial cost).
As I said, all these key people have already seen too many brilliant one or two issue concepts that never went anywhere and ended up costing them money -- so how quickly and smoothly everything falls into place with them begins with step 1 (having six issues ready).
Since money to prepare the next four issues is an obstacle for you, I'd think in terms of what you have to offer to friends, family, and future fans that could quickly raise funds to get those other four done ASAP -- or else consider pursuing a less traditional path to market (and there's certainly nothing wrong with that).
I truly hope you can move forward one way or the other. It looks like a series with interesting potential! Good luck.