I’m editing an anthology about the Black Death, and I’m looking for your comics!
The Black Death specifically refers to the world outbreak of plague in the 14th century, not the bubonic plague in general. However, the most important thing isn’t the particular setting but the theme: mortality! Whether your comic is a comedy, a tragedy, or all of the above, it should be at least a little morbid.
If comics aren’t your forte, you may contribute drawings, essays, or anything else that will fit in a book, but this is primarily a comics anthology, so don’t be shocked if I have to exclude your novella.
Here are some vague hooks that might inspire good comics.
* Plague doctors are easily the most striking and memorable image associated with the Black Death. An oldie but a goodie. Those bird-like proto-gas-masks they wore are hella creepy.
* The Vanitas, the Dance of Death, and all the other kinds of art that the plague inspired.
* The rats and fleas that spread the plague. Who doesn’t like animals?
* The Black Death didn’t just strike in Europe – it took its toll on Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. This is not what people think of when they think of the Black Death, and it might be a chance to reexamine or reinvent its aesthetics.
* Not all plague is bubonic. Pneumonic and septicemic plague don’t leave the same familiar signs. Pneumonic plague can kill within hours instead of days, and septicemic plague can cause someone to drop dead before they even notice anything’s wrong. Of course, people didn’t know all this at the time, and everything from consumption to old-fashioned leprosy was often bunched together as the same problem.
The Technical Stuff
The pages will be approximately 8 inches wide by 10 inches tall. No full bleeds, please. I can use art of different dimensions, but the margins will end up bigger. You can contribute as many or as few pages as you want. The interior will mostly be in black and white, but I’m leaving the option open for a color insert. If you submit a comic in color, please make sure the page count is a multiple of 4.
The Legal Stuff
All I need is the non-exclusive right to use your comic specifically in this anthology. You can do anything else you want with the work, forever. If this thing ends up turning a profit, I’ll divide the net profits evenly among everyone who contributed.
The Deadline
The new deadline is August 15, 2010. (Don’t send me PDFs or original art, just .TIFF or .PNG files of at least 300 DPI.)
The invitation is open, so you can forward this to whomever you like, but there’s no guarantees that it’ll all make it in. Have your interested friends email me at volk@cartoonstudies.org.
Thanks!
