History

History of Pronto Comics

We have all struggled to find a way to break into the comic book industry. But one can only glean so much from conventions and books. And when you do write or draw something, how do you know if what you have put on the page is a clear example of storytelling? That is where Andy Schmidt’s Comics Experience came in.

This course provided an outlet for us aspiring writers and artists to understand the storytelling fundamentals needed to become comic book creators. After the final class of our Introduction to Comic Book Writing, we all went out for a beer (or three). Patrick McEvoy decided it would be a great if we all put our newfound storytelling skills into practice by joining forces on a project. Having taken both the Intro to Writing class and the Intro to Drawing class, Achilles Yeldell brought the writers and the artists together. The writers pitched their stories to the artists and working relationships were formed. Almost a dozen creative teams went to work on making this anthology of bounty hunter stories. And with the guiding hand of Ken Frederick, the stories were compiled into the anthology, For A Price: Bounty Hunters and Other Scum.

While there were countless technical lessons each of us learned along the way, the experience of working with other people’s ideas, schedules and styles gave us the best preparation for working in the industry. Equally important, this project made us realize that “breaking in” isn’t defined by a paycheck from a major comic book company. All that’s required is the creation of a solid piece of work.

We’re no longer “talking the talk”; first with the anthology and now with this website we have officially put our collective hats into the ring.