ThirdBear Press is looking for submissions for a new comics magazine! BOXES will be focused on showcasing short comics by exciting artists and articles discussing various aspects of comics. Submissions are open now and will close at 5pm GMT 31st December 2022.

What’s the vibe of the magazine?

We are looking to focus on the more indie and small press side of comics. When deciding what to send us, think of something that wouldn’t look out of place in an up-to-date MOME or Drawn & Quarterly magazine. Take a look at the comics we stock in our shop to see the kind of work we like.

What we’re looking for - Comics

We are looking for interesting stories with something to say. We would like to see a wide range of genres and art styles. Nuanced story-telling is the most imporant thing what we want to see.

Comics should be between 1 - 8 pages in length. The page size will be B5 (176mm x 250mm).

Full colour or black & white artwork will be fine.

What we’re NOT looking for - Comics

Please do not submit completed comics. We don’t want anyone spending time doing work for this as they won’t be paid for if not selected.

Please do not submit comics that have been previously published either in print or online.

Please do not submit script-only, or art-only pitches. If you are a writer, or artist, you will need to find your team before submitting.

Please do not submit pitches for an on-going series. All submissions should be self-contained stories.

Please do not submit anything based off someone else’s work. i.e. fan fiction, satires, etc.

Please do not submit erotica, sexually explicit or unnecessarily violent stories. While the magazine will be aimed at an older audience, a child should still be able to look at it and not be scarred for life.

While we are open to hearing pitches with challenging themes, we will never be interested in work that promotes hateful ideologies.

What we’re looking for - Articles

For articles, you should submit the general subject you would like to write about and what you intend to say about it. We would also like to see an example of previous writing you’ve done.

Please also include your expected word count (a sweet spot here is about 1000-1500 words).

We’re interested in any subject related to comics, but here are a few general ideas we’d be interested in:

• An analysis of a certain creator’s body of work or a particular book.

• An interview you’d like to conduct with a certain creator (get their agreement first before submitting somthing like this.)

• The cultural relevance of a particular genre.

• How you as an artist do your work. What goes into creating a page?

These are just a few ideas of course, so if you have a different article idea, please send it in.

What we’re NOT looking for - Articles

Please do not submit articles that have been previously published either in print or online.

We are open to hearing pitches for any subject related to comics, but as noted in the comic section, we will not be interested in articles that promote hateful ideologies or articles that are profoundly negative about an individuals work.

Who should apply?

We are looking to work with a diverse range of contributors who live in the UK. It is important to note that you do not have to be from the UK to apply, just live here.

As ThirdBear Press in based in Scotland, we are interested in supporting the Scottish comic scene as it evolves and grows. With that in mind, we will be particularly (but not exclusively) looking to work with creators who live here.

You must also:

• Be 18 or older

• Have a UK bank account for payment.

Timeline

Submissions are open now and will close at 5pm GMT on 31st December 2022. We will notify successful applicants by the end of January 2023 (this date may stretch depending on the volume of submissions).

We will do a crowdfunding campaign in the summer of 2023 with the first issue of Boxes due to release in the second half of 2023.

Payment and Rights

For comics we are offering a base rate of £35 per page and articles a base rate of £0.10 per word. Each contributor will also get 10 copies of the magazine to keep or sell as they wish.

The project will be funded via a crowdfunding campaign. If the campaign goes over the goal, the contributors will get additional payments depending on how many pages of the magazine their work is featured on.

If you are a creative team, payment will be made to one member of the team to be split at your discretion. It’s advisable to agree this with each other before submitting.

You should also agree who the lead creative is for your team as they will be the one who receives the money.

ThirdBear Press will have sole printing and digital rights to your comic or article for one year after the date of publication.

After this, ThirdBear Press will retain non-exclusive print and digital rights in perpetuity - this means that we may reprint your work (and sell it digitally) in the context of Boxes Comic Magazine, but one year after publication you will be free to print and sell your work as you wish.

The creators will own their characters, artwork and all adaptation rights.

If you have any questions, please contact us through Curatorspace, or on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, @thirdbearpress