Kick-Ass and Wanted writer Mark Millar is one of the most successful people working in the comics industry today, so, naturally, we tend to poke fun at him here at The A.V. Club. (In our defense, “Mark Millar is making something into a movie…again!” is really easy to make jokes about.) Now, though, Millar is actually doing something positive for young creators and comics in general, so we don’t really feel the need to make fun of him this time—aside from the jokes we’ve already made.
Anyway, this comes from The New York Times’ Arts Beat, which reports that Millar has launched a new program on his official website that will allow aspiring comic book writers and artists to submit samples of their work. He will then choose six writers and six artists, pair them up, and have them create small works featuring characters from his own comics. Then, the finished comics will be collected into the Annual Millarworld New Talent Showcase, with at least some of the book’s proceeds going to The Hero Initiative, a charity that helps people from the comic book industry. On top of all of that, the chosen writers and artists will get paid an actual industry-approved rate for the work, so there won’t be any of that “paid in exposure” crap that usually comes from contests like this.
Those interested can submit their samples from now until October 30, but here’s a bit of warning: Millar’s site doesn’t specify what happens when he inevitably decides to turn your short comic into a reasonably successful (but ultimately forgettable) summer blockbuster.