Incoming! is a project to produce a collection of science fiction comics and short stories in a smart, design-led 72-page 5″ x 7.5″ mini-book.
Our mission is to share the most entertaining sci-fi stories we can find with as large an audience as possible.
We believe that a huge number of people love reading as a simple act of compulsive fun and find the unique storytelling properties provided by both comics and prose equally stimulating.
If you want to read big, bold sci-fi ideas, fast-paced action, stories that go places others daren’t and artwork that gets your heart pumping, then keep your third eye open for Incoming!
We’ll be launching a Kickstarter soon.
We are now open for pitch submissions!
We are currently looking for pitches for 20-page black and white comics.
There are only three guidelines:
- That your submission is science fiction
- The characters and setting are original
- That the text is in English
Other than that – anything goes. We welcome pitches from anybody and anywhere.
We will be paying a flat fee of £800 (around $1,000, depending on the exchange rate) for successful submissions. We will also be paying 10 per cent of every £1 raised over the Kickstarter target amount to each submission contributor.
Please email your pitch in the form of a story outline (text or storyboard) and a selection of concept art/past work to:
magincoming[at]gmail.com
Please direct any questions you may have to this email address, too.
We will be accepting pitches until 25 September 2020.
You can see an example of a pitch submission here.
FAQs
We’ve received a lot of questions since we announced Incoming! Please see our answers below.
What is the payment structure of the flat fee?
If a submitted pitch is accepted, the Creator will receive 50% of the flat fee payment upon signing of the contract and the remaining 50% upon delivery and acceptance of the work.
The 10% bonus based on funds raised over the initial target, if applicable, will be sent upon the completion of the project.
I am a writer/artist. Am I able to pitch a script/concept work with a view to being teamed up with somebody else, or do I need to organise my own creative team?
Unfortunately pitches will have to be made by complete teams – whether that is somebody who can write and draw themselves or as multiple people.
This is something we want to change but it’s just not possible at this stage.
Does the Creator retain the IP and rights to the work placed in Incoming!
Yes. We only ask for the right of publication for the first year.
Are you looking for the complete work by 25 September?
No – we just want to see pitches. The deadline for completed projects has yet to be decided.
The guidelines are quite vague – are you looking for experimental ideas or pitches that stretch the boundaries of sci-fi comics?
Broadly, we will choose what we believe to be the three most entertaining story submissions. Be they riddled with cliché or push the medium into new frontiers of originality, the main question will be if the judges were gagging to know what came next.
However, being comics, the art and style will be just as important a consideration, as will any advantage the story takes in being set in the comic medium.
Are submissions that include adult themes such as nudity, violence and drugs allowed?
Yes they are. We aren’t keen on gratuitous inclusion of these, though.
Does submitting earlier than the deadline give me any advantage?
It does not. We won’t be looking at any submissions at all until 25 September in order to avoid any type of bias on our part.
When will I be informed if my pitch was successful or not?
We will contact everybody as soon as the three pitches have been chosen.
Why are you printing in black and white?
This is an entirely subjective artistic decision made by the people behind Incoming! Simply put, we prefer the energy black and white pages give off than that exuded from full colour.
The front cover will be full colour, however.
We’d like to take advantage of having your attention to thank you for showing interest in this project and to express our excitement over how much attention it has received so far.
If we have missed your question or you would like us to expand on any of those covered above, email us on:
magincoming[at]gmail.com
