Make More Comics is a soon-to-be non-profit organization promoting comics literacy and the craft of making comics through programs and grants.
The Xeric Grant was a force in comics self-publishing. It helped bring names into the public eye that we may not have seen otherwise such as Jason Shiga, David Choe, Jeff Lemire, and Tom Scioli. Many of these creators have talked about how the Xeric changed their career path – not because it was a huge amount of money, which it wasn’t, but because it meant something to creators. It carried with it
a certain level of prestige and the ability to reach a wider audience. With that we have created an arts micro-grant program. This grant will give a small amount of cash directly to creator(s) to assist with small press and self publishing in the comics industry. We will have an application process and deadlines from which we will select finalists and winners. The money for this grant will be supported by the comics we publish. If all goes as planned we will be able to give out the first of these grants mid next year. In the spirit of Ed and Jim and the Cartoonist Kayfabe community that we are part of we named it the Make More Comics Arts Grant, or the MMC for short. This means that you will be paying a bit more for all future issues of H%C but rest assured that the extra money is going to not only pay creators for their work, but also to fund a grant that will help publish even more new and exciting comics. To follow all news and information on this project check out our new website at 100percentcomics.com. I hope that everyone who reads this can get behind the idea and help us move closer to making this grant a reality.
06/15/2024
2024 Make More Comics Grant Announcement
PATTERSON, California - The Make More Comics Arts Grant is proud to announce the winner of the 4th annual MMC Grant. Out of all the qualified submission packets we received the judging panel has chosen Mihaela Erceg (who goes by the name Mihe) and her comics project Salty Banana as our 2024 award recipient.
Made in collaboration with Super Moon Productions, Salty Banana follows college roommates and party animals Salty Banana, Raspberry Cake, and Green Mint, as they try to navigate the weird and complex world of young adulthood. Super Moon states “Mihe’s funky style instantly delivers a funny, off-kilter story. She’s perfectly deranged and hands-down the best visual storyteller out there.”
"I never believed this project would become so big. I created it while sitting and having a coffee and vodka one morning between classes when I asked a friend for a random drawing prompt and she just said ‘Salty Banana’. I have no idea where she pulled that out but the moment she said it I immediately saw Banana in front of my eyes. Pretty cool that such an idea, from my crazy college years, not only withstood the test of time but is growing. Thank you everyone, I am very excited to continue making more!"
The Make More Comics Arts Grant was founded in 2020 by Will Hoffknecht of Patterson, California with the goal of providing direct cash payments to support new and creative works in small press comic creation. The 2024 award is the fourth award granted and news about the 2025 grant will be announced later this year. For more information visit makemorecomics.com.
Just a reminder to everyone! The submission period for the Make More Comics Arts Grant is OPEN NOW until March 31st. Please look at the submission guidelines available at makemorecomics.com today!
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I am the type of person that has an idea and it eats away at me until I do something about it. One day, I woke up with a passion to make something that supported not only my love of comics but hopefully sup-ported the backbone of the industry, the comic shops, as well. To help create something that gave them a way to showcase underground, independent, local art on their shelves. I wanted this to be the type of book that I am always on the hunt for when I am checking out shops - new voices, low price point, interesting comics, all in bite sized chunks.
So I did what I always do in situations like this. I spent some time and money to learn how to do it. I decided to publish a comic book. The result of that effort was H%C #1. It was a small print run, with a small page count, but it featured new voices. Some of which have never been published before or since. I learned how to put a magazine together, however poorly, and I learned how much it would cost. I took that and iterated into H%C #2, which featured many significant upgrades over #1 including more content, deeper page count, a full-color cover, and printed on aged newsprint which I wanted from the beginning.
I wanted to continue to improve the magazine while finding new and better ways to support independent artists and creators in the comics medium. I added more funding into the plan for this issue including an official submission policy which included rates for accepted pieces. Mind you the rates are meager, but they are just a start. It never felt right publishing creators without payment. Even if that payment is small I wanted to offer something for their work...but how much money could I pump into this thing? How could I make it viable? I can’t just keep pumping money into this hob-by, could I?
That is when I watched an interview on Cartoonist Kayfabe where Ed and Jim interviewed the great Steve Bissette. They did a long interview where they talked about publishing, comics, the business, everything. I ate it all up. At one point in the interview they got to talking about Eastman and Laird and how they turned their success into ways to support the art. Eastman created Tundra and blew millions on that venture which didn’t give the world a lot of output, but what it did give was strong and long-lasting. Laird created the Xeric Foundation and Arts Grant which gave out small self-publishing grants to young creators. Neither of these ventures still exist today, but which one lasted longer and had more of an impact and influence?
The Xeric was a force in comics self-publishing. It helped bring names into the big time that we may not have been seen otherwise such as Jason Shiga, David Choe, Jeff Lemire, and Tom Scioli. Many of these creators have talked about how the Xeric changed their career path - not because it was a huge amount of money, which it wasn’t, but because it meant something to creators. It carried with it a certain level of prestige and the ability to reach a wider audience.
That is when the next idea struck me. Maybe publishing this comic was a waste of money. What if I pumped that money into a small arts grant? Would that do more for comics than this little magazine could ever hope to do? If so, how much money will it take to make a difference? Then the practical questions hit - how could I make money for this grant to become viable? I explored some of these questions for weeks, bouncing ideas around with creators and publishers. What if the zine and the arts grant could go hand-in hand? What if the magazine could help fund the grant?
This is when I dove into the world of non-profit organizations. I currently work with a few small, local, nonprofits and have some experience with it. I wrote up a proposal, a set of foundation by-laws, and talked with possible board members. The only issue is that setting up that non-profit takes money as well. I couldn’t do it all. While I’m willing to put in a certain amount of my own money every year to support these projects, I can’t throw away money forever. This leads us to today, the end of this story, and the beginning of a new venture.
Finally, to the announcement - I have created an arts grant. This grant will give a small amount of cash to a creator(s) in order to assist with small press and self publishing in the comics industry. We will have an application process and deadlines from which we will select a winner. The money for this grant and eventual hopeful non-profit foundation will be supported by this zine. I will be raising the price of the zine in order to funnel all profits into the arts grant program. If all goes as planned, I will be able to give out the first of these grants mid next year. In the spirit of Ed and Jim and the Cartoonist Kayfabe community, that I am a part of, we will be calling it the “MAKE MORE COMICS ARTS GRANT”, or the “MMC” for short.
This means that you will be paying a bit more for this and all future issues of H%C but rest assured that the extra money is going to not only pay creators for their work, but also to fund a grant that will help publish even more new and exciting comics. To follow all news and information on this project check out my new website at 100percentcomics.com. I hope that everyone who reads this can get behind the idea and help us move closer to making this grant a reality. I appreciate everyone who reads and supports this book and the creators within. Remember…
