Everyone does it and everyone is always right with their choices when it comes to casting Hollywood actors in the roles of their favorite comic book characters.  This week in my Westfield Comics  column, Beauology 101, I address some of my choices and ask for yours.  Post up your slam dunk picks and chime in on others.

Let’s hear who YOU have in mind for your favorite comic book characters.  Post up here or on the Westfield Comics site.

http://westfieldcomics.com/blog/interviews-and-columns/beauology-101-cast-away

Tags: Captain America, Mark Valley, Paul Walker, Rhona Mitra, Superman

A  comic book “event” is only as good as the great characters in it.

Character always comes first. If you don’t have an emotional investment in the characters, then the event means nothing.

Your amigo,

Beau Smith

The Flying Fist Ranch

I was at my local Indy book store today, Empire Books, Huntington, WV., it’s a  nicely run and well stocked book store in downtown Huntington.  They sell new books, used books, recent library books, magazines  and the place is spotless and well staffed.

My purchase today was a recent used library book called BEAT THE REAPER by Josh Bazell (Little Brown & Company 2009)

It’s a modern day crime story that’s just so funny, so violent and so foul-mouthed,  I read the first chapter in the store and it was like the author, Josh Bazell asked himself “What kind of violent craziness would I have to write in a book to get Beau Smith to buy it?”

It was like he was reading my mail and thoughts.  I bought the book and could hardly wait to dig into it.  You’ve got a doctor that may not be a doctor, he may be a mob hit-man with a genius for violence that may be in witness protection or maybe the Feds have him in the system to protect everyone else.  Is he Dr. Peter Brown or is he Pietro “BearClaw” Brnwa?

There’s a new patient named Nicholas LaBrutto, aka Eddy Squillante that has three months to live and possibly might know both Dr. Brown and “BearClaw” Brnwa.  He may also know that they might be the same person.  There’s also the the matter of the mob, the Feds and lots of death descending on the hospital to make the next eight hours a little hectic and hurtful.

Beat The Reaper is “House meets The Sopranos”.  The dialogue is an endless combo of uppercuts, jabs and right hooks all hitting home.  Brilliant, action-packed, reading with so many mean streaks you’ll think it’s striped zebra that just kicked your ass

.

I cannot urge you enough to read this book ASAP.  You will thank me, beg me to marry your sister and offer me free beer with Chili Cheese Fritos.

Your amigo,

Beau Smith

It’s FREE MANLY COMIC BOOK DAY here at The Flying Fist Ranch.  It’s something that I’m going to do from time to time to make this world a little more fun.

All you have to do to get a FREE signed copy of my comic book LOST AND FOUND (IDW Publishing) with art by Gary Kwapisz, is to be the first person to send me an email directly here at the ranch with your name and shipping information.  In return I will send you, postage paid, a signed copy of LOST AND FOUND.

Remember, only the first person to email me will get it.  Pretty simple.  The way comic books used to be.

My email is::

beau@flyingfistranch.com

Good luck!

Beau Smith

The Flying Fist Ranch

The iPad will possibly be known for being the trigger that takes direct market “print” distribution truly into the mainstream.  Just talking comic books for now.  Will digital comics via the iPad take the lace of printed comic books, No.  What it will do is, if publishers do it right, it will enhance not only the way books are published, but get them in front of more eyeballs.

Publishers can cut physical printing costs on creator owned books that would have brought in sales of 3,000, (and lost money) make them download comics through itunes and such for .99 cents so more people will try them.  Yes, I know this is already being done and has been, but now with the shiny new iPad, more reading consumers will be turned into raccoons looking for that shiny object.  There is the chance of subscriptions and even advance subscriptions.  If these comics do well in this format the publisher can always collect them in print as a TPB later.  If they don’t sell good enough, then they had their chance.

Chances for more comics to become entertainment properties grows by being able to be seen through a bigger mainstream distribution.

The opportunities are there for those that take the time and do the work to figure them out.

I’m just touching the surface.

As I said, the iPad could be the trigger for those smart enough to use it.  Granted, there will be those that will sing “I never want comics to change.”  I’m not saying they will change and we will no longer see printed comics,, I’m saying we can bring more eyes to printed comics, characters and  money to the publishing coffers.  And you know what?  We may just get some new readers wile we’re at it.

Just some stream of thought, off the top of my head opinions.

Your amigo,

Beaus Smith
The Flying Fist Ranch

Tags: Apple, Digital Comics, iPad, Steve Jobs

“Beau Smith’s No Guts, No Glory:How To Market Yourself In Comics
Ceredo, WV.(April 5, 2007) After all great wars, the generals would retire and some would just fade away. Not true for the soldiers with dirt on their faces and blood on their hands. They became Mercenaries. When others quit,they kept fighting. Beau Smith is one of those soldiers.

In his new book No Guts, No Glory: How To Market Yourself In Comics, Beau Smith, former Vice President of Marketing for IDW Publishing, Todd McFarlane Productions, McFarlane Toys, Image Comics and Eclipse Comics invites you into the tenches where the real battle in comic books is fought. Smith is a 22 year veteran of comic book marketing and writing comics. He has written comics, pop culture & business columns, video games, novels and screenplays. In No Guts, No Glory he reveals to you how to become all you can be as a comic book creator and business person. Lessons from the dirty trenches on how to make not only your project known, but you as well! All of this much needed information comes to you in Beau’s down to Earth, cowboy common sense style that’s informative as well and entertaining. No Guts,No Glory collects all of Beau’s most important “”How To”" columns from the comic book business’s most referred to source-SKETCH MAGAZINE. Make this book your most powerful weapon in your fight to become the biggest name in comic books! If you don’t give up and don’t give in, you may just be okay. Beau Smith’s No Guts, No Glory:How To Market Yourself In Comics 100+ pages Colored Cover/ B&W, Perfect binding SRP $19.99 Item# BL3050 UPC: 85454900098003050 ISBN: 1888429-68-2 EAN: 978188842968851999″

Order it from Blue Line Pro Or Amazon Or Click on the cover art .  Check my list of links under Buy Beau Smith Stuff.

Tags: Business, Comic Books, idw publishing, Image Comics, Marketing, Todd McFarlane

Over the twenty-two years that I’ve been writing and marketing comic books. one of the greatest rewards has been making some very good, life time friends.  Ted Adams, CEO and co-founder of IDW Publishing is one of those friends..  We worked together at Eclipse Comics when Ted was fresh out of college  and reunited a few more times with Todd McFarlane Productions. McFarlane Toys and at IDW Publishing.

Recently, the fine media folks at Comic Book Resources did a TV interview with Ted and gave him the chance to let the public in on not only the history of IDW Publishing, but a chance to get to meet one of the smartest business minds it’s been my pleasure to know.  You may not hear as much in the media about Ted Adams as you would say, Dan DiDio or Joe Quesada, and that’s a shame because someone like Ted Adams truly has things to say that are worth listening to.  Here’s the link to that TV interview.  I hope you enjoy:  http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=video&show_id=219725

Your amigo,

Beau Smith

The Flying Fist Ranch

Tags: idw publishing, ted adams

Christmas 2009 worked out very well here at The Flying Fist Ranch.  Santa came in his testosterone powered sleigh and spent a lot of time shoving some fun stuff under the tree.  I hauled in much more than I deserved.

My wife, Beth got me seasons 4, 5 & 6 of one of my favorite TV shows–CORNER GAS.  Last Christmas she got me season 1, 2 & 3.  My collection is complete now.  We sat and watched 6 episodes in a row Christmas night.  I got the DVD set of THE THREE STOOGES.  Pure fun there.  I’ve been laughing out loud every time I fire up the DVD player.  You cannot go wrong with THE THREE STOOGES…Never!

I unwrapped some really great books as well, BADASS by Ben Thompson, BIG BOY RULES: America’s Mercenaries Fighting In Iraq, by Steve Fainaru, THE ULTIMATE BOOK OF SPORTS MOVIES by Ray Didinger, ANTARCTICA 2041 by Robert Swan, THE BOOK OF BASKETBALL by Bill Simmons and A BLOODY BUSINESS: America’s War Zone Contractors and The Occupation of Iraq. I’m looking forward to digging into this pile.

I got one of my greatest Christmas gifts ever a little earlier this year when my son, Nick, bought me tickets to the Chicago Bears game where they played the Bengals.  Granted, the Bears didn’t win, in fact, they played one of their worst games ever, BUT, it was a great father/son day for Nick and I.

I sure hope all of you had a great Christmas.  Let’s hope the new year of 2010 is a fantastic one for everyone.

Your amigo,

Beau

Tags: Antarctica, Chicago Bears, Corner Gas, mercenaries, The Three Stooges

I’d like to thank all of you for your support and friendship that you’ve tossed my way here in 2009.  I appreciate it.  It was nice to end the work year with my B’Wana Beast story in THE DC HOLIDAY SPECIAL 2009 from DC Comics.  I had a lot of fun working on a character that I’ve enjoyed since I was a little kid.

I hope to do more writing work for DC in 2010.  I have some very special plans laid out for the B’Wana Beast character, ones that I think will fill in some holes and also open up some new interest for the brawler of the jungle.  With you guys backing me, this just might happen.

2010 will also bring my new IDW Publishing series, WYNONNA EARP: THE YETI WARS with art by Enrique Villagran.  It’s my tribute to the wonderful Universal Monster teams up of the past in the fact that I have Yeti Vs. Bigfoot.  To my knowledge this hasn’t been done in comic books before.  I hope you enjoy.

Speaking of enjoyment, I wish all of you out there the best Christmas ever.  I hope there is something comic book related under your tree this year, but most of all, I hope have some fun and appreciate the good things and people in your life.

Okay, enough mushy stuff….MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Your amigo,

Beau Smith

The Flying Fist Ranch

12/24/09

Tags: B'Wana Beast, christmas, dc comics, idw publishing, writing, wynonna earp, yeti wars