Indie Comics Spotlight: New Era Comics

The Indie Comics Spotlight is a series that aims to bring attention to independent comic books, publishers, and creators deserving of wider recognition. In this installment, we speak with Quinton January about his company, New Era Comics.

Quinton January is a Houston native whose love and passion for comic books inspired him to create worlds and characters of his own. During his last year of college, his growing appreciation for superhero stories and writing motivated him to begin researching ways to break into writing for Marvel and DC. However, those closest to him encouraged him to create his own stories. In 2017, a conversation with his friend and eventual co-writer, Jeremy Best, finally motivated him to create his own comic book company and series.

The goal of New Era Comics is to be the bridge between manga and Western-style comics. Quinton cites his determination and competitive spirit as motivating factors that help keep him on track.

GVN: Could you start by telling our readers what to expect from New Era Comics’ first series, Even Horizon?

Quinton: Sure. It’s our first series and will be a monthly or bi-monthly series that features three of the main heroes of our universe.

In our minds, we’re trying to do something similar to DC Comics’ New 52. We’re reintroducing tropes that many are familiar and comfortable with and turning them on their heads with new characters. We’ve generated so many stories from that idea.

GVN: What have been some of the highs and lows of creating your own comic book and starting a company?

Quinton: Just trying to get everything established. I had a lot of naysayers at one point and people who would make sly remarks about what I was doing. Finding artists and trying to get something tangible can be a challenge as well. Money is also a big factor. Trying to balance everything financially can be hard sometimes.

The highs and the best moments so far have been when I received my physical copies of the book. It was so fulfilling to see that all the work and money I’d put into the project wasn’t for nothing. There have also been people who’ve reached out and encouraged me. Those moments have also been big highs.

GVN: What are some key things writers should consider when looking for and working with artists for their comic books?

Quinton: Try to identify and isolate what artistic style you’re looking for per project. Be sure to read bios before you reach out to the artist.

I’ve been blessed because one of my artists, Martin Carmona, approached me about working on the book. His artwork is great, and his page rate is even better.

There’s also Ryan Downs, who drew the first five pages, and whom I look at as the Lebron of comic book drawing. He’s good at a bit of everything. At one point, Ryan was coming up with character designs, drawing the book, paneling, inking, and lettering. He has a background in graphic design, so he was teaching himself how to draw comics while working on the book.

When Martin approached us, he helped redesign the character, Greywolf, first and he took the design and really upped it. He also has a great turnaround time, and again, you can’t beat that page rate.

I advise anyone working with an artist that communication is key to success. My buddy, Mike, put together a flow sheet for everyone with deadlines and it helps track when pages are being submitted and how much of the book has been completed so far. Once when got that flow chart together and when Ryan could split his workload, things started moving a lot faster.

Another important thing is that business-wise, you must keep your commitments. If you say you’ll pay someone by a certain time, make sure you do that. If you can’t, communicate that as soon as possible.

GVN: What’s your advice to aspiring creators just starting out?

Quinton: The landscape has changed, in a good way, so much since I started this process in 2017. I would start off by telling them that they have more leverage now if they’re able to take their project and put it together in some tangible form whether it be via comic book, short film, or novel.

Creators are now in a powerful position because there’s such a content war going on. Companies are being acquired, and others are losing popular IP. There’s a space for new, creative ideas. You look at someone like Issa Rae and her ascension in the last ten years. She started out doing a web series on YouTube and HBO eventually picked it up. That show ran for several seasons; now, she’s in the latest Spider-Verse movie.

Seeing so many creators grow and keep working at it until they’re successful is amazing. That’s key.

Also, your idea might not stay the same as you begin working on it, and that’s okay. Having confidence in yourself and where your story is going. Don’t be afraid of reaching out to other independent creators. Some of the people backing my book right now are people I’ve interacted with online via debates and discussions about popular comic book storylines. Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there because you never know who will support you.

Whatever you put in is what you’re going to get out of it. Have confidence and put the work in.

GVN: What else is on the horizon for New Era Comics? What would you say is the company’s five-year plan?

Quinton: My hope is that eventually, we’ll have two to three titles publishing monthly. After Event Horizon, regardless of its success, that will spin off into a Greywolf solo series, a Beacon solo series, and a Nero Helsing solo series. Those three solo series are really going to be the foundation [of this universe] and start doing more world-building and expanding the individual worlds of the characters.

JB (Jeremy Best) is working on a manga called Forever Zero. Please check out the preview art on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

I’m working on a sports manga. It’s One Piece meets Basketball. That’s all I can really say about that for now.

We want to do a manga imprint, and one of our investors is talking about animation. We want to do a web series eventually and maybe even a web-toon-style comic on Instagram. The solo titles are also very important to us, and I’m working hard to make sure those are ready to go.

I would say the three solo titles, a web series, and a manga should be out in the next five years. We’re also looking to partner with other up-and-coming creators.