S13
'S13' is the title we have given to our new, main, publication. It is a hardcopy, themed anthology, with the first issue having been published under the title of 'Anno Domini 1900' in spring 2024.
Like our premiere, each issue will be printed on good quality stock and published in A4 magazine format and will have a specific theme.
We are currently seeking submissions of scripts and samples from artists for a number of future issues.
We would ask writers and artists submitting to us, to tell us a little about themselves when they submit. Why you are submitting to us, what your interests are in terms of comics and genres. This will be especially useful in assigning artists to stories.
Copyright of all submissions will remain the property of the creators and there will be small payments made to writers and for material that we publish (except in the case of future issues of the Fanzine: Sector 13 – which is a not-for-profit publication.) Payment will normally be made on acceptance.
The decisions of the editor are final and totally arbitrary. They are based on the opinion of the Editorial Team, with the final decision resting with the Editor in Chief Peter Duncan.
This means we may well turn away a great story, writer, or artist because we don't recognise the quality of the work, or because in our view it’s in a style we don't want to feature in S13. We'll be as honest in our responses and as constructive as possible, but we know from personal experience how disappointing it can be to be turned down. And unless we actually say something like "never contact me again, you freak!*" then do feel free to come back to us with future ideas.
Peter Duncan (Editor)
All submissions should be to the editorial address
* We've only done this once.
Writers
Writers may send, story proposals, outlines, or full scripts. But in the case of proposals and outlines final acceptance will be reserved until the completion or agreement of a final script.
There is no set format for Comic Scripts, but we prefer documents to be amendable. Word is our preferred format, and you will find a suggested comic strip format and template here.
*Peter – enter in link to template. *
Submissions from first time writers or relative beginners are welcome, and if we like your story, but feel that it is not quite publishable as presented, we are happy to work with you to turn your idea into a final script. Some of our favourite strips have come to us in this way. So, please, do not hold off from submitting because you do not know 'the proper way' to submit your story.
Submissions should normally fulfill one of our current Themes. Please read the themes section carefully and be sure your story is of a suitable length and fits into the theme as we have described it. Our first issue, “Anno Domini 1900” asked writers to imagine a science fiction comic created in 1877 and submit stories that might have been published in its first issue. This is a theme we may well return to in the future.
Following submission, please wait at least two weeks before making an enquiry. After that, if you have heard nothing, do send us a reminder. You will normally get an acknowledgment in a few days, but if we forget, we don’t mind getting a push.
We will look at stories outside of the current themes. But they would have to be very special to be accepted.
We would strongly advise reading one or more of our comics before submitting. This will enable you to see the type of story we like, judge what the competition is and make sure you don’t send us a story which is too similar to one we have already published. It may also tell you what sort of a story we have not published. We like to be surprised!
Most importantly, enjoy your writing!
Artists
Artists should, where possible, send samples of their comics work. We use very few pin-ups or posters and are much more interested in an artists ability to tell a story than to paint a pretty picture.
There may be exceptions where we are looking for an image for a specific purpose (a cover for example) but in general, it is ‘sequential art’ we want to see. However that being said, any artists wanting to try their hand at comics for the first time may send us examples of their work and ask for a sample script. We will help in any way we can.
As with writers, we would strongly encourage artists to have a look at our publications before submitting. We don’t have a house style, but it always helps to know what it is that has been accepted previously and the standard of work that we normally accept.
Samples can be in almost any recognised file format. If you don’t hear from us in a couple of weeks, do come back and remind us. So long as you are not excessively persistent (we don’t want weekly messages) we really don’t mind.
S13 CURRENT THEMES
We are currently accepting submissions for issues of S13 with the following themes.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Square bound A4 magazine.
For this issue it is almost easier to tell you what we don’t want. We do not want, Steampunk or Superheroes. Pulp Heroes or stories that echo Star Wars or Star Trek. We are not interested in parodies of, or stories involving characters from 2000 AD or any other existing publication.
What we do want are Science Fiction and Fantasy stories in the spirit of the early days of Metal Hurlant. Stories that are designed to give artists free reign to use their imagination. We welcome experimentation and new ideas in storytelling techniques.
In terms of Science Fiction, our tastes reach back into the heady days of the sixties and seventies. Michael Moorcock’s New Worlds; Harlan Ellison’s Dangerous Visions. Larry Niven’s clever and joyful early hard Sci Fi or Norman Spinrad’s reflection of the darkness in men’s soul in ‘The Iron Dream or ‘The Men in the Jungle.
Think Robert Silverberg’s ‘Nightwings’ or ‘Hothouse’ by Brian Aldiss. But always remember, whatever your story, it must allow artists to produce something spectacular. Best idea of all: Surprise us!
Fantasy should be odd. No Conan-clones or Orcs and enchanted rings. Magic is fine, swordsmen/women might even work, but should not be cliched or ‘ordinary’. We do have a weakness for Lovecraft, but a little goes a long way.
We will accept completed scripts up to ten pages and will look at proposals for longer pieces, but we’d want to have a chat about those first.
Our model for this comic is the early years of Metal Hurlant. Artists like Druillet, Moebius, Bilal, Caza,
Tardi….to name but a few. We don’t want you to copy their styles, we want you to experiment the way they did. To feel free to try things, to use colour in unusual ways, to create a comic
that looks fabulous.
For this issue we're especially interested to hear from artists with ideas but no scripts. If you can come up with something visualy exciting then we will do our best to match you with a writer or help you develop that idea into a full story ourselves.
Our aim is that this should be an A4, squarebound magazine. As such we are not keen on double page spreads, they don't work well in the format. Art size will normally be 193mm x 287mm, which allows for a 5mm 'border' around your artwork. If you wish to go for a 'full-bleed' effect your art's printable area should be 210mm x 297mm but you should add a 3mm 'bleed' outside this area and keep a 5mm ‘safe area’ inside where nothing vital is included on the top, bottom, and outside edge. The safe area should be 12mm on the 'inside edge', the edge next to the spine of the book.
Unless otherwise informed, assume the first page of each strip will be a right-hand page.
Print 