Portfolio reviews
GET YOUR PORTFOLIO REVIEWED BY BIG NAME EDITORS FROM MARVEL & DC COMICS!
This year at Arctic Lights Comic Con we’ll have the honour of welcoming DC Comics’ Batman Group Editor Rob Levin and Mark Paniccia, Senior editor at Marvel Comics, who will be offering portfolio reviews to aspiring artists and also Finnish professionals who want to make the jump to American Comics!
Please read below about how to participate, and pay extra attention to the submission guidelines at the end of the page. Any portfolios not following them will not be taken into consideration.
Quick facts:
- Portfolio drop-offs: at Comics City UNTIL 14:00 (there will be two buckets to drop your portfolios in front of Rob’s and Mark’s tables).
- Portfolio reviews starting at 15:30 at Comics City both on SATURDAY & SUNDAY, but if you’re lucky maybe the editors will review your portfolio on the spot!
SUBMITTING YOUR PORTFOLIO
You will find a box at the editor’s table in our International Comic Special Guest area for people to leave their portfolios in. These portfolios must be copies only — never originals — in A4 size, with a cover that must include your full name (or pen name) and contact info, and also with a C.V./resume included after the cover, as page 1.
Each portfolio must be at least 12 pages and a maximum of 15 pages long (plus covers). Portfolios can be submitted by pencillers, inkers (if you are an inker, please also show the pencils you have inked), and colorists (if you are a colorist, please also include the black-and-white pages you have colored).
Each portfolio must have:
- A cover with an illustration
- Your full name or nom de plume
- Contact information (phone number and email)
In addition, every interior page must include the full name and contact information (phone number and email) of the creator, written at the top of each page.
Please be advised: we cannot guarantee that portfolios will be returned after the review session. An editor may decide to take one home or keep it for further consideration. By submitting your portfolio, you accept in advance that it may not be returned. This is why originals should never be included — only submit copies.
The portfolio review is free of charge, and anyone can submit a portfolio, regardless of education or experience. However, not everyone who submits will be invited to a private Portfolio Review meetingwith Rob and or Mark. Only those the editor believes are ready — or show potential to become professional artists — will be contacted via the contact details provided and invited to a private Portfolio Review meeting. If you are selected, you will be asked to show official government-issued identification (such as a driver’s license or passport) to confirm that you are the rightful owner of the selected portfolio and entitled to the meeting.
Each day of Comic Con, you will be able to leave your portfolio at the editor’s table until 14:00. At that time, the editor will pick up and review the portfolios and decide who to meet with.
At around 15:00, we will write the names of the selected participants on a whiteboard (or similar). The Portfolio Reviews will start at 15:30 and will run for approximately two hours, with each meeting lasting around 15 minutes.
If you are not on the list, feel free to ask for your portfolio. If possible, we will return it to you.
For more tips and inspiration, don’t miss the panels “Do you want to work for Marvel?” with Paniccia on Saturday at 11:15 am, and “You could be an artist at DC Comics, and Batman Group Editor ROB LEVIN will explain you how!” with Rob Levin on Sunday also at 11:15 am, as well as the “How Heroes make us want to be better” panel, with both Rob Levin and Mark Paniccia, moderated by David Macho on Sunday at 15:15.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
Comic artists can present their portfolios during the weekend of Arctic Lights Comic Con. Only portfolios following these guidelines will be accepted for review. The Marvel and DC editors Rob Levin & Mark Paniccia will select who they want to meet privately, meaning not everyone who submits a portfolio will be offered a private meeting.
Please note: none of the editors are looking for personal projects.
Submission details:
- Submit your portfolio at the Comic Neighborhood.
- Your portfolio must contain copies only — never originals — and be in A4 format.
- After the cover page, you must include a C.V./resume listing your work and experience to date.
- The portfolio must include a minimum of 12 pages and a maximum of fifteen (plus covers), in black and white or color.
- Each page of the portfolio (excluding the cover and C.V.) must be clearly marked at the top with your full name and contact information (email and telephone number).
Selection process:
- Selection will be based on the quality of the work and how close the artist is to being publishableaccording to the editors’ sole criteria.
- If Rob and or Mark decide not to keep your portfolio, it can be returned to you at the same location where you submitted it.
- If you are not selected, please do not resubmit the same portfolio on another day of the event — this is not allowed.
- If you are selected, you will be asked to present official government-issued identification (driver’s license or passport) at the meeting.
- If you do not speak English, we recommend bringing a translator with you, as the feedback meeting will be conducted only in English.