Ultimate DC Submissions Guidelines
Ever like a character so much that you just want to erase everything they've ever done and start them over? Well if you have I have two things to say to you:
• Shame on you.
• Would you like to write with us?
What we are about here at Ultimate DC is taking the great characters that DC comics offer us and starting fresh. The world these characters live in is a twisted version of today and we are updating the characters from every era of DC Comics and modernizing them in whatever way we choose. We have started our own little universe and like the idiots of the middle ages believed our earth is the center of the universe. Well it's still a figurative statement anyway.
We are revamping these characters with a little creative twist; we're not just 'modernizing' them, but giving a chance to everyone to see things they wouldn't necessarily in comics. What we hope to accomplish is to set these characters in a world that feels real, a world that we've started, and a world that will continue to develop through writers as interested as you are.
So you want to write for Ultimate DC then? Well here are a few things I have to tell you before you can jump in the water.
• Take a look around at the titles. Familiarize yourself with the great work these writers are doing with their stories. I'm not asking you to memorize the stories but get a feel for a few of the world we are developing. Know your environment.
• Take a look at the dibs list ( http://www.ultimatedc.org/dibs.html ) and see what characters are currently being used and where.
• Write a proposal for whatever hero, group, or series you'd like to write (assuming of course the characters and the group is available) and send it to either Doug Bookey or Thomas Moses. Their addresses are Bookey@gmail.com and Mosestm@gmail.com respectively. And please submit a writing sample with the proposal in either a word format or a link to an internet hosted sample.
• Keep in mind that some characters have already made an appearance at the site. We are a site that shares a continuity and in order to keep the site orderly we keep an accurate record of appearances, and a copy of this list will be sent to you if you so wish. Otherwise we will notify you of any appearances any of your characters have made in the past, and be prepared to accommodate these appearances if applicable.
Now in the third section I asked you to write a proposal, now what does that mean exactly? Well some sites want a specific format and I'm not going to harp on anyone for not sticking to a specific formula. You already want to write something for us so why make it difficult? Though we would like to see the following things with your proposal:
• An introduction. Doug and Thomas both feel it is important to at least have a working knowledge of who writes at this site. It makes them comfortable to know that they are easy to get along with and approachable in any situation.
• Tell us about your project. Is it a mini series? An ongoing series? Is it a team book? An individual hero book? These are important questions, as trivial as they seem, and they need to be answered. We're not looking for a thesis paper with your project as the subject, but we would like to know what it is you plan to do.
• Most importantly who do you plan to include in this series? Again, we're not looking for a Master's dissertation, but all in all a list of recurring characters would be all that's necessary. Make sure you bounce your list off the current dibs list to ensure that you are not using a character that someone else is already using, to include villains. And if you plan to write a solo character story about an individual appearing in a team book feel free to submit the proposal as well. We will set up a meeting between the author of the team book, yourself, with at least one of us present to mediate the conversation.
• A writing sample. This is only a factor when two people propose similar titles or even the same project. We will use the writing sample as a tool to judge who is better suited.
• A point of contact. How can we reach you? Preferably we'd like to talk as face to face as the internet can be, so if you have a messenger program such as AiM or yahoo messenger please let us know. However, if you prefer to only correspond via email that's fine too, just give us your preferred method of communication and a way to reach you to discuss your project.
In closing, we would like you to be aware of our delayed system. Projects that are proposed to us are released in what we term 'phases.' For example, in the beginning we felt it best to release DC's three most powerful players first, and Phase One included the titles involving Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. These three stories set the beginnings of our world and paved the way for our Phase Two titles: Emerald Knights, Firestorm, and the Justice League. We release each project usually in a group, and we do so in a calculated method as not to flood the site all at once. Like I said before, we work hard to keep the site's continuity smooth and keep in mind that it may be a number of months before you see your first issue on the site. We encourage that writers take this time and work ahead of schedule, and have at least two issues ready to go on the site before hand.
Thank you for taking the time to read through these instructions and we hope to see your project and your interpretations of these fine characters involved with our world. If you have any questions, feel free to email either Doug Bookey or Thomas Moses and we will get back to you as soon as we can to address any concerns you may have.