I got stuck on a cover concept for Panthology #4 but lucky for me I have a good collection of books on comic books/sequential art on my bookshelf. I hadn't read/looked at this particular book for a while but it helped me out of the corner I  was in when it came to getting inspiration for my cover concept. Instead of me going on I'll quote from the back of the book which I highly suggest for would be artists and writers of comics.

Panel Discussions contains the combined knowledge of over a dozen of the comic book industry's top storytellers, covering all aspects of the design of comics, from pacing, story flow, and word balloon placement, to using color to convey emotion, spotting blacks, and how gutters between panels affect the story! If you're serious about creating effective, innovative comics, or just enjoying them from the creator's perspective, this guide is MUST READING! End of quote.
This first-of-its-kind volume features tutorial interviews and examples by:
Mike Carlin - Randy Stradley - Mike Wieringo - Mark Shultz - Dick Giordano - Mike Mignola - Brian Stelfreeze - Scott Hampton - David Mazzucchelli - Chris Moeller - Walter Simonson - George Pratt - John Van Fleet - Mark Chiarello - and the legendary Will Eisner.
The book is published by TwoMorrows Publishing who always put out great books about the comic book medium. So check out Panel Discussions, you can thank me later.



Cary Lee Baker

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You gotta be able to take some hits if you want to be in the comic book business. I have the good fortune to be the art director for Pantheon Comics and I get to see some fantastic art by folks that want to contribute to our comics. But there are times when I have to review art that is not "there" as far as being fit to see print. I try to be honest as I can when I give a review and it's nothing personal and you have to have a thick skin to take criticism. It's not an attack on you as a human being
but on the art itself. You might think you're the greatest artist
ever but once you step outside your little bubble and show your work to someone sometimes the truth can
be devastating. Showing art that looks like an eight year old drew it and you get upset when told your work is not acceptable right now, you need to give yourself a total reality check. Again I never try and be mean but I do believe that being honest with a potential artist is the only way for he or she to grow and learn. It
gives me no greater pleasure to find an artist and want to see them succeed at what they do. Recently
someone said I insulted his artist because I would not accept his artwork and publish it. Just because you
draw doesn't mean it gets published. Also don't have one page of art in your "portfolio," to me that shows
you are not serious and think I must be stupid not to know that any artist worth a damn will have more than
one page of art to show. This is not a hobby so don't act like it is.

Cary "killing 'em with kindness" Baker

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road your trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victors cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit!

                              ANONYMOUS

And if you do quit, don't bitch about it.
Cary Lee Baker

Willie L. Peppers

      Although comic sales seem to be a bit on the downturn (due, I think, more to the pricing than anything else), the popularity and interest has always been and always will be there. And, with the era of the graphic novel/superhero based movie upon us, an entire generation is being brought “into the fold”, so to speak.

      One interest that has been spurred is the desire to create. A lot of up-and-coming creators have a strong desire to see their own material out there in the comic shops. However, many of them must realize that it is a rare occasion when an unknown gets a shot and has his “original material” put out there by or on a par with “the Big Boys”. It certainly happens, but not often. So, don’t have that as part of your success plan. Better to make a name for yourself doing “company material”. Then, your chances of getting an editor’s ear (and eye) when you’re ready to pitch your own stuff greatly increases.

      Back in the day (yeah, I’m old), what you did was to put some sample pages together and send them off to the Submissions Editor of your chosen publisher. Even better…to send it to the actual editor of the book you were interested in doing. Of course, your pages had better be of the character whose editor you’re contacting. For example, sending your Captain America pages to the Iron Man editor would be risky. Sending your Superman pages to the Spider-Man editor would be even worse. You’d better show a real interest in the publisher you’re courting.

      With the explosion of the comic convention, most publishers are taking this route to finding talent. Companies like DC have even gone so far as to say they are no longer accepting “mail-in” portfolios, and if you want to present your work  do so at a convention where they are scheduled to be. At these conventions, publishing editors often set aside time specifically to review portfolios to find new talent out there. Although this one- on-one, face-to-face encounter greatly increases your chances, and often can get you some constructive critique if you’re not quite ready, it is no consolation to those who can’t afford to attend these conventions, due to cost or distance.

      Another avenue is the number of websites such as Digital Webbing that provide a forum for publisher’s seeking creators and vice versa. Sites such as this have true value for those who wish to get experience in the field.

      What I am attempting here is to, at the very least, give you a realistic foundation to work from. There are several other elements that are VERY important for success. It may seem obvious, and at times, unfair, but you’d be surprised at just how many people don’t give these elements due consideration. They are:

1.)    WHO YOU KNOW: Like it or not, an inside track has gotten more people in than anything. If you’ve got a professional in your corner that’s willing to go to bat for you to some degree, you are indeed fortunate.

2.)    SPEED: You have to be fast. Not ridiculously so, but, an editor needs to know he can drop a project in your lap and not have to go into retirement before he sees it completed.

3.)    AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE INDUSTRY: It can be, and usually is somewhat of a turn-off for a publisher to review a portfolio, only to discover that the artist has no concept of how things are done in the industry. A perfect example is the artist that presents the editor with a stack of pin-up pages. They are interested in sequentials. Comic pages. They want to see if you know how to tell a story. Many editors will say if they can look at your pages, with no lettering, and still be able to understand what is going on, you are well on your way to being a good storyteller. Don’t show them penciled pages if you’re looking for a job as an inker. Don’t give them comic pages if you’re looking to be a writer. It pays to not only know what YOU are doing, but what the process is once you release the pages to the editor.

4.)    TALENT: Be honest with yourself. Get critiques from professionals if possible or neutral parties. Take critiques from family members with a grain of salt. They’re not going to be completely honest, because they are going to want to spare your feelings. Look deep down within yourself. At your very core, you KNOW if you’re good enough. Go with that. If someone has a negative critique, even a pro…move on. That’s one person with an opinion. The comics industry shares a major aspect with the movie industry or acting. Expect a lot of rejection. The thin-skinned need not apply. No matter how many “no’s” you get, remember, the next one might be the “yes” you were hoping for.

      A career in comics is very rewarding for those who truly aspire to make their mark there. To the true artist, life can throw you for a loop, distract you and throw you off the path. But, invariably, if this is your first, best destiny, you’ll be drawn back to it. Take it from someone who knows. If this is something you really want, you’ll do whatever it takes to get there.

               
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So far......
Thor was great. Green Lantern was okay (sorry Will).
X-Men First Class? Kicked my ass! I went in with lowered expectations
because they were changing X-Men history, but guess what? It works, just like J.J. Abrams' Star Trek. I'm becoming a big Michael Fassbender
fan, his version of Magneto stole the show. My suggestion to purist who
go to see this just don't bring in your X-Men comic book baggage, it's a whole new ball game as far as the movie goes.
                                                                    Now I'm hopping that Captain America turns out fantastic.
                                                                    Cary Lee Baker

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Do yourself a favor and go see this movie or watch it On Demand. That's all. Go. NOW!

Cary Lee Baker

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Some great movies I'm looking forward to seeing, but can you guess
which movies on the poster I won't be seeing? C'mon, give it a go.

Cary Lee Baker

Do you know that disease and death must needs overtake us, no matter what we are doing? ... What do you wish to be doing when it overtakes you? ... If you have anything better to be doing when you are so overtaken, get to work on that.
                        EPICTETUS

Word.

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     I started drawing when I was 5 years old, trying to follow in my brother's footsteps (his interests were comics, music, art, and electronics). He traded his passion for art for music and electronics, becoming a professional musician which took him on one U.S. and two world tours for the USO and later becoming an electronics tech. He shifted his interest in art...I didn't. Even at 5, I knew that I wanted to be a comics illustrator.
     Through the years, my interest in comics and comic art has given me the opportunity to meet and become very good friends with a multitude of people who are not only of exceptional character, but exceptionally talented as well. Among them are Gary Barker, George Lane, Cary Baker, Jesse Wright, Rob Cecil, Dwight Jon Zimmerman, David Anthony Kraft, Jeff Gaither, David Heath, Jr., Bryan Hilbert, Pasquale "Dark Angel" Gabriele, Bobby Hickey, Bill Nichols, Ken Meyer, Jr., Matt Bucher, Steven Addlesee, Roland Mann, and a host of others. And I am privileged to call every one of them friend.
     I have had the pleasure of working for a fair number of publishers as well, including, Sky Comics, Malibu, Caliber, Comico, Comics Interview and others. Comics I have had the pleasure of working on include The SOuthern Knights, Seeker, The Protectors, The Ferret, Gravestone, StormQuest, Magna-Man: The Last Superhero, OZ, and others. As an aside from comics, I have also worked on instructional material for KFC and McDonalds. At present, I am a Graphic Book/Advertising Designer and Typesetter of Evanston Publishing/Clark Legacies, but comics is and always will be my first passion.