Epic was Marvel’s independent line, usually mirroring Vertigo in it’s type of content( ie- Comics that were for “mature readers”, not that it was primarily horror/thriller). It seemed to have fizzled out in the mid 90s, for reasons unknown to me. Perhaps someone can fill me in.
Anyway, Marvel is reintroducing it. Is this good new for regular people like me, who might want to write for Marvel but don’t want that “5 years working as a temp and then you’re writing Darkhawk backups” type of deal?
Link: http://www.marvel.com/epic
The “creator owned” titles are done under the same work-made-for-hire as the regular titles; the difference is that Marvel has even less obligation to promote the books than when Archie Goodwin was alive. These were deal-breaking aspects of the earlier version of Epic; of the dozens of titles they launched, the only ones that didn’t tank were proven titles at other imprints (Elfquest, Groo) or featured mainstream Marvel superheroes, somewhat defeating the purpose of a creator-owned imprint. I personally liked all the Moebius books, esp. Lt. Blueberry, but have no idea how well those sold to a US audience.
Epic predated Vertigo by at least a decade, and Vertigo was more distinguished by its British influence than by its “mature content.” (Except for being more overtly gay- and drug-friendly, Vertigo didn’t break any ground that Warren hadn’t 20-30 years earlier.) Epic was exclusively about rewriting the contract with creators, and it ultimately failed because Marvel wasn’t motivated to promote books it didn’t own outright, and the creators couldn’t afford to promote them effectively.
Oh, and the girls in bikinis in that ad for “Trouble”? One of them later becomes Spider-Man’s mother, and the other is his Aunt May as a teenager. Creepy.
The new Epic doesn’t really have anything to do with the old Epic. New Epic is NOT creator-owned (although some Epic titles will be, most will be owned lock, stock and barrell by Marvel).
Mostly what new Epic is is an announcement by Marvel that the doors for submissions are being thrown open. The prices they’ll pay for work is nothing like what even beginning creators get when starting on a book by a major publisher, and if you do create a big hit for Marvel, don’t expect to see the tall dollars – they have every right to throw you off the book and have someone else write it.
HOWEVER, IMO it isn’t a bad deal for someone who is interested in occasionally writing for comics but, like the OP, isn’t going to spend the years toiling in obscurity and penury that is the typical way to get into the field. It presents an opportunity (outside of self-publishing which can be expensive and for which distribution is tough) to establish a name for yourself which could lead to a better deal on your next project.
No one should submit their “baby” to Epic, but if you’ve got an idea that you can work up into a Constrictor or American Eagle pitch, it might be worth a shot – not for the money, but to work off Marvel’s dime and distribution muscle to establish yourself.