WHAT I LOOK FOR IN A PORTFOLIO

  Well recently when I was giving portfolio reviews some people asked me what was I really looking for in a portfolio. Considering I just looked at over 30 different portfolios in the span of 5 hours I figure this is pretty fresh in my mind and maybe I should tackle this one.

Well first and foremost I am looking for people who love this industry. I know that sounds pretty simple and you might be saying "I love this industry and I've been looking trying for over 10 years to break in!" Well to that I say stop by the Committed Comics booth at any show we are attending.

But honestly you have to have a real love for this industry. This industry is not all glory and heavy cash flow (it's not the dot com industry of the 90's for sure). There are plenty of successful comic book creators who still have day time jobs or still take the occasional graphic design job to pay the bills (Just ask Ron Lim what I brought to him to sign at this past San Diego!).

Not only do you have to be very talented with your craft (writing, penciling, or what ever you do) but you also have to have a very strong love for this industry. You also have to be willing to go the extra mile and put your time in at the bottom. No one has emerged on the scene on the top. Even guys like Alex Ross did his time in the "trenches". It is because Alex has such a love for this industry and he was willing to stick it out on the bottom that he is now on top of the business.

You also have to be willing to listen to other people. I have done plenty of portfolio reviews for people who sit back and have all the answers. To those people I wish them the best of luck in breaking into the industry but for the most part if you "know everything" then why are you showing your portfolio around instead of having a monthly gig? Even in your most knowledgeable area of your life chances are there is some one out there who knows more (except maybe the Mark Waid and the Silver age of comics!).

If the person you are showing your portfolio to is giving you constructive criticism then listen to it and take what you can from it. By no means am I saying that editors are all knowing and have all the answers but chances are they do know what their company is looking for. No matter how well you "know" the company or are familiar with what products that company produces you still don't know what they may be looking for.

Also if you are going to be showing your work make sure it's your work. As a publisher/ editor I don't want to see some pencils that look exactly like "fill in the blank" if I wanted "fill in the blank" then I'll go hire that artist. It is very important that your work be reflective of your style. It's nice to have influences but most companies don't want to hire a copycat artist (some times they do but those times are few and far between).

And finally, this is the most important part of portfolio reviews and submissions. Don't get discouraged! This is not an easy industry to break into. It will take a lot of hard work and determination to break into this industry. Once you are in it takes a lot of love and hard work (again) to stay in it. Even know it is a lot of work I do have to say that this industry is filled with some of the most creative, inventive, and nicest people I have ever met. Almost everyone I have met loves this industry so much that they are willing to go that extra mile, and many of these people are not "wide eyed beginners". I am talking about the seasoned veterans!

If you can show me (and many other editors) that you have a love for this industry, willing to take direction, and still have enthusiasm for the work then we as editors and publishers will keep you in mind the next time a job opens.