Winner Announced for Darby Pop Publishing’s “Breaking Into Comics” Contest
Written by Kristine Chester | No Comments | Published on November 17, 2014
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November 17th, 2014
Winner Announced for Darby Pop Publishing’s “Breaking Into Comics” Contest
After marathon reading sessions and high-spirited debate, IDW-distributed Darby Pop Publishing has announced the winner of its “Breaking Into Comics” writing contest. The company put out a call for complete scripts featuring the character of Stingray — a hero-turned-villain from the publisher’s flagship title, INDESTRUCTIBLE. All told, Darby Pop Publishing received more than 170 entries in just one month.
“We were thrilled by how many quality scripts we received,” said Darby Pop’s founder — and INDESTRUCTIBLE‘s creator — Jeff Kline. “It goes to show that there is untapped talent out there. And they’re willing to put in some real work to get a foot in the door of this industry.” Managing Editor Renae Geerlings elaborated: “It was difficult to choose just one. In fact, there were several scripts that we all would have been happy to publish.” Ultimately, Jeff Marsick from Fairfield, CT was named the contest’s winner. “And not just because he has such a fetching first name,” Kline added.
“Like many of the submissions received,” Kline explained, “Mr. Marsick’s was professional, tonally consistent with INDESTRUCTIBLE, and featured strong dialogue. But, Mr. Marsick also made a bold choice that turns the character’s implied backstory on its head. As a longtime TV writer/producer, I’m not terribly precious with my material; best idea wins. And Mr. Marsick came up with something I hadn’t really considered… but that should work remarkably well within this universe.”
Marsick has been trying to break into comics for some time as a regular contributor to Newsarama’s “Best Shot” feature, as the host of several podcasts, and as the writer of two creator-owned series Z GIRL AND THE 4 TIGERS and DEAD MAN’S PARTY, all of which Darby Pop was unaware of at the time. “We read the scripts blind,” said Marketing Director Joshua Cozine. “We didn’t even read the emails people wrote to accompany their scripts. So apologies to the few people who wrote lengthy introductions, but we didn’t want anything to influence our opinions of the work. Marsick’s other comic activities just go to show his level of commitment and that you have to keep at it.”
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“There was, of course, some uncertainty when we first announced the contest,” Cozine explained. “But, the results have given us the confidence to reach out to the fan community again. So find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and keep an eye on our feeds.”
“And I’d just like to add,” said Kline, “that we truly appreciate the efforts of all who participated. Though we can’t publish 170 scripts, we’re going to send everyone who entered a free iTunes code that can be used to download the first issue of DOBERMAN – another Darby Pop title with a definite comedic bent. Just to say, ‘Thank you.'”
About Darby Pop Publishing
Founder and Emmy‐winning writer/producer Jeff Kline (TRANSFORMERS: PRIME, G.I. JOE: RENEGADES) created Darby Pop Publishing with the goal of telling all‐new stories crafted by a small circle of friends. Darby Pop Publishing’s ever‐growing array of original titles includes INDESTRUCTIBLE, CITY: THE MIND IN THE MACHINE, THE 7TH SWORD, DOBERMAN, and DEAD SQUAD, all distributed worldwide by IDW. For more information, visit www.darbypop.com.
About IDW Publishing
IDW is an award‐winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE and MY LITTLE PONY; Paramount’s STAR TREK; Nickelodeon’s TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES; 2000AD’S JUDGE DREDD; THE ROCKETEER; TOHO’S GODZILLA; WIZARDS OF THE COAST’S MAGIC: THE GATHERING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS; and the Eisner‐Award winning LOCKE & KEY series, created by best‐selling author Joe Hill and artist Gabriel Rodriguez. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints, Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studio, and the multiple award‐winning Artist’s Edition imprint.