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Monday, February 1, 2021

DC in the 80s '8k Twitter followers' contest

Our Twitter account just hit 8,000 followers, and to celebrate we're having a contest!

All you need to do to enter is send us an original illustration (via e-mail [dcinthe80s@gmail.com]) of your favorite DC character(s) from the 1980s.

You could win:

  1. A secret DC comics-themed prize,
  2. Your illustration published in our NEXT fanzine, AND
  3. A FREE copy of our NEXT fanzine!

Contest rules:

  • Illustration MUST be Safe for Work (i.e. no nudity, excessive sexuality or gore)
  • Illustration must NOT be political (i.e. no Trump or Biden gags, please)
  • Illustration must NOT be religious-themed or contain any hate-themed content (self-explanatory)
  • Your illustration MUST be an original, and NOT be a swipe of someone else's work (i.e. no tracing Frank Miller's splash page from DKR. We're good at spotting this stuff -- we'll know.)
  • Illustration must fit within 8.5" x 5.5" page (because that's how big our 'zine pages are)
  • We primarily print in black and white. If you decide to send us a color illustration, be sure to also include a black and white version that will look good in print.
  • Please send the illustration as a .TIF or high-resolution JPEG (300 dpi) file. This is the optimal DPI that our printers use.
  • By entering this contest, you grant us (DC in the 80s) permission to display your art on our Facebook, Twitter and any other social media feeds we use.


Previously submitted fan art from years past:

'Very 80s Justice League' by John Gagliano


'Hip-Hop Darkseid' by Brennan Bova



Blue Devil by Dan Hammond

FAQ:

Q: I don't have those fancy artist pens that professional comic book artists use. Can I still participate?

A: Absolutely. Use ballpoint pens, crayons, coloring pencils, oil paints, water colors, mechanical pencils, pastels, sharpies, charcoal or chalk for all we care. Hey, you can even go totally digital on this one and use Photoshop (or even MS paint). All we care is that it's original work, and that it will look good in black and white, and that it will fit nicely on a 8.5" x 5.5" page.

Q: I don't live in North America. Can I still participate?

A: Sure! Just keep in mind that, if you win, we'll be sending out your prize via standard mail in a regular envelope -- so it might take a while to arrive.

Q: Do I need to send you the original art?

A: No, just the high-resolution digital scan in .TIF or .JPEG format will be fine.

Q: I can't draw for the life of me, can I get my brother/sister/cousin/friend to do it?

A: Sure. As long as they realize that we will be printing it in our fanzine if they are the winner.

Q: Can I commission someone to do the illustration for me?

A: Sure, but remember that the DC comics-themed prize and the fanzine is probably worth about $10 USD in total. You're really playing for bragging rights and have your illustration shown to a wide audience of DC comics-loving fans.

Q: So... how many people will see the winning contest entry?

A: Without going into specifics, we have a reach of about 27k+ monthly viewers/readers (and these are the months that we aren't at comic book conventions /events distributing our fanzines). So, we'll let you do the math on that one. ;)

Q: Can I submit more than one illustration?

A: Yes, yes you can.

Q: Can I submit art I commissioned from a professional artist several years ago?

A: We'd rather not. Let's keep it fresh and new.

Q: Is there an age limit to this contest?

A: No, we'll accept entries from newborn babies all the way up until 180 year olds. If you're under eighteen, we'd like your parents' or legal guardians' permission that you may enter, however./

Q: I'm a professional artist. May I enter this contest?

A: Yes, you may.

Q: Does it have to be one (1) character in the illustration?

A: You can draw all 30+ members of the Legion of Super-Heroes for all we care, as long as it all fits on one 8.5" x 5.5" page and looks good (we're NOT doing double-page splashes, so please don't ask.)

Q: Do the characters have to be posing in a 'team shot'?

A: No, you can do whatever you'd like: New Teen Titans fighting Darkseid, Infinity Inc in a ping-pong tournament, Batman and Robin making breakfast in the kitchen... we really have no restrictions.

Q: Can I add some Marvel [or other comic book] characters in the illustration?

A: No, we'd prefer you stick to a theme: DC comics characters who appeared in the comic books during the 1980s (let's say from 1978 to 1992).

Q: Can I add my own creator-made character(s) in the illustration?

A: No. Again, we'd prefer you to stick to a theme. See answer above.

Q: I don't really do illustrations. I'm more of a 'one-page comic strip' person. Can I submit one of those?

A: Words with pictures? Yes, you can.

Q: I actually meant more like a 'MAD Magazine humor article' type-of-thing.

A: Does it fit onto a 8.5" x 5.5" page? Is it high-resolution? Does it look good in black and white? If you answered yes to all of the above, go for it.

Q: I wrote it and my friend drew it. Do we each get a prize if we win?

A: No. If you guys win, we'll send you the prize package and you guys can figure out how you guys want to split it up.

Q: Can I send a short story, written prose or poetry instead?

A: No, it's got to have illustrations. It can have words AND illustrations, but NOT just words.

Q: Can I send in a collage?

A: We appreciate almost all visual artistic forms, so sure. As long as it: fits onto a 8.5" x 5.5" page, is sent as a high-resolution scan, and looks good in black and white.

Q: I decided to illustrate/paint my submission on an oversized canvas. Rather than scan it (which won't work for obvious reasons), can I just take a picture and send that instead?

A: The problem with photos is that there is a lot of glare or -- worse yet -- when you print a photo of a painting in a fanzine it looks like a photo of a painting. If you can take a high-resolution photo of your creation in such a way so that it DOESN'T look like a photo, then yes -- if we chose your work of art -- you'd be eligible to win.

Q: How will the winner be chosen?

A: A winner will be chosen by DC in the 80s editor-in-chief, Justin Francoeur, and DC in the 80s co-editor, Mark Belkin. We will most likely have an additional 'celebrity judge' because sometimes Justin and Mark can't agree and need a tie-breaker. We're not actually sure what we're looking for, we'll just know it when we see it. Try to 'wow' us.

Q: Will there be prizes for runner-ups?

A: That remains to be seen on 1) how many submissions we get and 2) how many submissions 'wow' us.

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This contest will be open until April 3rd, 2021 12:00. No purchase necessary.









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