THIN BLUE LINE

 

Thin Blue Line Award-Winning Marvel & DC Writer’s New Comicbook Tells Heroic Lives of Police Overwhelmed By Police Support for Graphic Novel ‘Thin Blue Line,’ Eisner Winner Baron Donates Thousands to Law Enforcement Charities KNOXVILLE, TN Award-winning writer Mike Baron knows how to say thanks to some of his best and bravest fans. Baron quickly raised the funds to self-publish his police-focused graphic novel “Thin Blue Line,” and decided to give back several thousand dollars to three police charities. He also wanted to remind readers about this week’s Law Enforcement Appreciation Day and the sacrifices made by men and women in blue. Baron is most well-known for writing legends like The Flash, Nexus, and The Punisher, but unlike his superheroes, “Thin Blue Line” was rejected by almost every publisher he submitted it to. Most responded that they didn’t want to treat police officers as heroes, which inspired Baron to self-publish it through crowdfunding. Baron's legions of fans agreed and their response to his crowdfunding campaign was tremendous, contributing nearly $150,000 to publish and distribute the premium graphic novel on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. “This comic isn’t a recruitment book," Baron says. "It’s just a thrilling action drama, similar in many ways to elements my fans may recall from the five years I wrote The Punisher, which were grittier and more realistic than most mainstream superhero comics.” One cutting-edge comic book publisher eventually stepped up and told Baron they wanted to release the book, and announced last week that they would distribute it to comic shops nationwide as a traditional one-shot comic book. Antarctic Press, a successful indie comics publisher for 40 years, run by brothers Benn and Joeming Dunn, scooped up the project because they felt it would be a great addition to their innovative brand, which publishes popular indie comics like “Ninja High School,” “Tomorrow Girl,” and “Exciting Comics.” 'Thin Blue Line' tells the story of two police officers assigned to guard a local politician amid riots that begin over a police shooting. The rookie cop, a single mom, winds up having to survive the nightly chaos while protecting her family. The book’s penciller, Joseph Arnold, was a police officer himself, and an Army veteran, which lent authenticity to the story. Arnold always dreamed of working with the legendary Baron, but he also had very personal reasons for wanting to illustrate 'Thin Blue Line'. “I was eager to show another side of policing,” Arnold says. “The story emphasizes family, interpersonal dynamics and shows police officers from many different backgrounds. I put my heart into every page, and my inker Jeff Slemons did an incredible job on the finishes. I think it will have a positive impact on policing.” The team also put their money where their hearts were and donated $3,500 of the profits from the 'Thin Blue Line' crowdfunding campaigns to three police-related programs that were relevant to the story. Those organizations were Adopt a Cop BJJ, The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, and the National Fallen Officer Foundation. Baron also hopes this new printing being made available exclusively to comic shops will bring some positive attention to law enforcement to a younger generation of readers, and annual events like this week’s Law Enforcement Appreciation Day on January 9th, which is dedicated to thanking police officers across the country for their work and sacrifices. Thin Blue Line is available to pre-order at comic shops everywhere this month and will arrive in stores March 2024. To find the comic shop nearest you, simply visit ComicShopLocator.com so you can pre-order it there. To learn more about the comic by visiting PreviewsWorld.com or ThinBlueLinecomics.com/about

Personalized Comics Portfolio, Project, and Career Mentoring: Chris Staros

 Hey Gang!

If you’ve ever sent me a submission -- as Editor-in-Chief of Top Shelf Productions -- you hopefully received a polite and encouraging response (as I always try to get back to everyone). But it may have been frustrating that I wasn’t able to go into a lot of detail about what the particular strengths of your work were, and what areas I had constructive suggestions. Or, maybe you’ve had an idea for a comic, or written or drawn something, but didn’t know if it was any good or what to do with it.

I occasionally visit Universities to speak and answer questions about the business of comics and to also give one-on-one portfolio/project reviews, but in the age of Zoom, why not do it on a more personal basis? So, a few years ago I set up an after-hours/weekend service to provide personalized advice in the following areas, tailored to your needs:

-- A detailed editorial review of your project... along with answering:
-- How to make your submission more attractive to publishers
-- What makes comics unique & the key elements of good storytelling
-- Self-publishing through social media, press, crowdfunding, & conventions
-- How money is made in the business/financial planning
-- Publishing contracts and agents
-- Hollywood exploitation, management, and contracts
-- Careers in comics (creative and business)

Basically, to go into depth on where you are creatively, and to answer any long-standing questions you might have about the industry or what you might do next. Practically speaking, it would start as a one-on-one, one-hour, $199* (PayPal or Venmo) consultation via Zoom (or phone) to potentially aid you in furthering your goals. But trust me, we can cover a lot of ground in an hour.

I’ve completed exactly 381 sessions to date, you can visit www.chrisstaros.com/mentoring for details & reviews. If you’re interested, hit me up via email (chrisstaros@gmail.com) and we’ll set something up for January or February. Let’s get your projects and career moving in the right direction!

Happy New Year!

Chris Staros
chrisstaros@gmail.com
www.chrisstaros.com/mentoring

*25 page of comics max. It would be $299 for a full graphic novel review (up to 150 pages), or $399 for a full graphic novel script review (up to 15,000 words). If project is larger than this, just contact for a custom price. Prices and availability subject to change based on evaluation of requirements and circumstances.