The Credit Where Credit Is Due Department

Isn't that new banner something gee-golly-swell? All thanks to James Burns for surprising us all with the early holiday gift he designed for our new banner for the network. Thanks, James. You rock, sir.

New Groups

Check out the new groups (under the groups tab or see the section in the left column) to help us find and discuss among our peers. Groups are currently set up along three divisions:

1. Location (north, south, east, west, and downtown Atlanta area)
2. Jobs (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, editor, publisher)
3. Interest areas (manga, pop art, webcomics)

So take a look or start your own groups and let's make the groups function an effective tool for this crazy bunch.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Atlanta comic book writer creates the new Atlanta Comics Creators networking group

Contact:
Sean Taylor
mail@taylorverse.com
http://atlcomix.ning.com/

Atlanta, GA; December 4, 2008 -- Gene Simons Dominatrix writer Sean Taylor, a local boy who was able to beat the odds and break into the comic book industry, has created a brand new group on the networking site Ning just for other locals who are currently in the industry or operating on the fringes in the indie field.

The group is open to all comics creators, including pencilers, inkers, colorists, writers, letterers, editors, publishers, involved in mainstream, indie, manga, or web comics. Membership is also open to pop art and low brow artists who include comic style art or influences in their toy and exhibition work.

The Atlanta Comics Creators group's goals include:

* breaking the isolation the comics industry tends to foster of creators sitting in their studios and offices and seldom seeing other creators
* building effective networks branching locals to national and international markets
* fostering creative partnerships among locals
* mentoring up-and-comers
* promoting occasional real-life events to get local creators together in a relaxing, non-work atmosphere, both in small "lunch groups" or larger "membership-wide" get-togethers
* and more to come as the group decides

With so many existing networking groups from Facebook to MySpace to ComicSpace, another group like the Atlanta Comics Creators might seem superfluous, but according to Taylor, the idea for the group grew out of the camaraderie he felt after joining a small group of local comics folks from time to time for lunch.

"As I went about my day-to-day job of scripting and putting together pitches, I realized how much working in this industry tends to keep us away from each other instead of pulling us together. Some folks have the luxury of working in studios, but others don’t and we all need those occasional opportunities to sharpen each others’ iron and to just hang out and shoot the breeze.

“Also,” he adds, “the industry is changing so much so quickly with the inclusion of webcomics, digital techniques, new book formats, pop art, low brow, the growth of manga in the U.S., etc., that it seems to me we need each other more than ever to stay on top of our game.”

For more information, visit http://atlcomix.ning.com/

For more information about Sean Taylor, visit http://www.taylorverse.com