The Straight Scoop Posted by Ken Penders on August 23, 2001 : If Mr. Penders (or, heck, you too Bob) reads this, could you find it in your hearts to :answer this long-running fan's question? And that is: If I did submit a resume and :sample script, would it be even considered? I ask for no grand show, no contest :like there were for the artists. A quiet little email saying "Yea" or "Nay" would be :enough for me to 'come about with the courage to submit on my own.' The simple, straight, honest answer is "no", but the reasons are a lot more complex for various reasons. First off, it's always been easier for artists to get a break than writers for obvious reasons. You can tell immediately upon looking at the artist's work if they're capable of producing work that's of a certain level of quality. (Whether or not they can produce the work under tight deadlines is another matter, but then no one ever said life was fair.) With a writer, however, an editor has to take the time to actually read the writer's work, and since the editor usually has a pile of submissions waiting for his attention, your sample just becomes another one to add to the pile that he/she may/may not ever get around to. (This is Reality 101 for every company I can think of.) The best thing to do is establish a professional track record outside of comics first for anyone in this industry to notice you, as at this point in time there is virtually little if any incentive at any company to go with newcomers as there is already a significant pool of seasoned professionals to work with. As for the contest I held, that was out of necessity due to my health. I conducted a contest basically as a means to locate the best possible person in the shortest amount of time, and since then Dawn has more than just simply lived up to my expectations. I wish I could be more encouraging, but I would be doing you an even worse disservice by suger-coating the facts. Sorry.