Comic books as medium were originally inexpensive alternatives to visual art and literature, combining the two with yellowish newsprint. They were friendly middle grounds that children and adults could find in grocery stores and corner shops. However, the year changed the industry in many ways. You might argue that the quality of the comics has never been better, but the inflation and rising paper prices were not friendly to the overall accessibility of the comics.
Today, due to the persistent, painful and slow deaths of physical magazines and newspapers around the world, comics are often sold in specialty stores for these niche collectibles. For a single 22-page problem, the average price is around $4.99, which is half the cost of a streaming service subscription.
Aces Weekly is one of the alternatives to this increasingly inaccessible landscape, an online anthology magazine that offers a wide range of stories from global creatives. Founder and Editor-in-Chief David Lloyd made his name through groundbreaking artwork in authors Alan Moore and Vendetta’s V. But what many may not know is that their original graphic novels began with Warrior. This is a British magazine, unlike Aces Weekly (the only difference is the former printing format).
David Lloyd. Creator provider.
It’s easy to forget that most iconic comic book characters, from Vendetta’s V to Superman, often started with anthology collections. Anthology is the perfect test ground for ideas, living in short stories that can be spin-offs to your own titles after gaining popularity.
Comic Democracy
Lloyd aims to bring that old cartoon feel to the modern day of cyberspace. He skips high prices, places the cartoons straight at your fingertips, and diverse creators portray the hands on the man himself. His price (approximately $1.37 a week) allows readers to access 20 pages of short stories every Monday, and later collect in a volume of 150 pages.
When asked about Ace Weekly’s main goal, Lloyd provided this total to AIPT.
“Putting regular comics on the screen instead of paper – that’s it – to get wider access with minimal cost and maximum effect. And when I say “regular comics,” I mean leaving the page behind, panel by panel, with traditional panels. Except for basic maintenance costs, online comics do not need to be packaged before, printing, packaging, or for packaging. It all just sent the Super Highway.
And it looks good on the screen – there is no bad printing to worry about – and you can really make it big on your smart TV! Sadly, the masses of comic readers are desperately in love with the conventional form on paper and stick to it with annoying tenacity, so despite all the good things we offer for good reason, we are still fighting for it. ”
Aces Weekly not only democratizes comics for readers, but also for creators. It opens doors beyond established writers and artists, giving up on promising creatives from around the world and attempts to infiltrate this beloved medium. Skip the intermediary, Lloyd gives ambitious creators an easier entrance barrier if they can prove themselves with unique ideas and the skills that provide them. People in the US and beyond often ask, “How do you work at DC or Marvel? How can you tackle the comic book industry?”
Carlos Yacolca and Alberto Rayo, one of Aces Weekly’s upcoming volume creative teams, provided one interesting answer for AIPT.
Marathon to create “before sailing”
Originally from Lima, Peru, Jacolca and Reio, they are author and editor of Before We Sail, a seven-part story that begins with the 75th volume of Ace Weekly. The pair summarise the story as two survivors trying to escape from Lima from the Zombie Apocalypse, taking them to the sea towards freedom. The story is surrounded by scattered letters written by the protagonist, suggesting an increasingly worsening mental state.
When asked how the comic turned out, Jakolka said, “It was very confusing.”
Jakolka happened to meet Lloyd at the convention and used the opportunity to pitch the story. However, Jakolka quickly learned that making comics is not a one-man show. Every page has many chefs in the kitchen. Unlike the film, every shot features an anonymous hero like the booming man in the background in the cartoon, where you can see how the characters portray sound effects, and how the colorists shape the mood. Everyone’s work is seen in the final product and requires a lot of teamwork and vision integrity.
Courtesy of ACES Weekly.
“It was like a marathon,” Jakolka said.
His beginner experience was a lesson in restraint. Like newcomers in the industry, he had to dial down his ambitions. Because even when he felt he had done everything he could, there was still 10 miles left to run, with three months of editing and streamlining. Adding another wrench to the work, Jacolca revealed how her life with chronic depression and how her living experiences have stopped and helped her story.
“I think I’m happy with the higher range of things,” Jakolka said. “In the process of doing something, it’s hard for me, it’s like a real marathon, it’s like fighting for yourself.
He also sparked the light that the aspiring comic book writers need to pay attention to other aspects of their lives before they begin to create.
Courtesy of ACES Weekly.
Making comics isn’t that different from superhero alter egos. There is a lot of juggling between work and personal life. But unlike superheroes, aspiring writers also need to save money to artists and shave a bit of work to complete the page. Overall, it’s a great balance act.
“My whole life is a marathon,” Jakolka said. And creating comic books is a marathon in one or more ways.
Implement appropriate feedback
Sometimes the first timer can be overly ambitious. From there the editor comes and points out which fresh perspectives are most likely through people’s heads and which beloved one to kill. A clever story doesn’t make sense if only the creators know what they mean. And it’s the editor’s job to ensure that the message is delivered to the audience.
Courtesy of ACES Weekly.
“David was really focused on the comics not breaking the suspension of mistrust,” Raio said. “I think that’s something that a lot of people generally forget. People want to make such a really smart comic, but it’s more important for readers to understand the story.”
Rayo said, “Lloyd often says, “Can you say these words, or are these speech bubbles spoken in a better way?”
Lloyd likes the clarity of the comics he publishes every week through ACES. He does not want a beginner writer to lose the plot. That’s why there was a change to the original idea, “before sailing.” Initially, the story was more vast and politically recognized. But what the team learned from Lloyd was to balance big ideas with simpler executions, making sure writers and artists don’t bite more than they could.
“It was a very geopolitical comic,” Jakolka said. “But I changed direction.”
Rayo remembers “Pitch quickly established Lloyd as “zombies and pirates.” And he also had zombie stories being made many times, so he also had world constructions remaining even when the original stories changed a lot. That’s the heart of the story. ”
format
Perhaps because of its vast amount, or varying degrees of quality, web comics often shine in the West. In fact, many people instead compare their weekly Ace to the more popular Webtoon. However, Lloyd and Leio disagree with this comparison. Rayo compared ACE every week to other online publishers (although mentioning panel syndicates by comic artist Marcos Martin).
“Aces Weekly is more similar to other Webcomics than Webtoons,” says Rayo. “The difference is that all the comics were made before the publication began, but many comics on Webtoon are made two days before publication, and there it’s really stressful. Very, very stressful.
In Aces Weekly, the release date is discussed as soon as the comic ends, with each story format divided into seven weeks in short chapters.
According to Rayo, who wrote for Heavy Metal Magazine, Aces Weekly resembles its publications and similarly classic 2000 ads. As you can see, Aces Weekly is a tour that takes readers all over the world. Except for this, the pages are paper-free. With this unique distribution system, creators need to learn how to convey the comic in a short five-page burst, as each chapter has its beginning, center and end.
Courtesy of Heavy Metal.
Message to readers and aspiring creators
“Pre-Sailing” is just one of the stories in the volume of Aces Weekly. There are many others with a variety of art styles and settings. The entire library of adventures Lloyd has prepared for your convenience. If you are a reader, the story is clicking, and if you are an aspiring creator, your dream of making a comic is never approaching.
About the key to the weekly story of a good ace, that head Hongcho believes you have to see it with your own two eyes.
“There’s no rules for that,” Lloyd said. “We have a policy that allows ACE to do what they want and do in different styles and storytelling ways. We are anthology. So while some readers may think it’s ‘good’, others may disagree with that rating, but we’ve noticed that we’re visiting if we’re always happy.
