Please read these guidelines carefully if you are planning to submit your work to us. Submissions that do not follow them exactly will not being considered.

Time Bomb Comics Ltd aims to publish a wide variety of comic books from a variety of genres with a preference for science-fiction, thrillers, mystery, horror (with a twist), and adventure. We want to work with a range of talented and committed artists and writers to help us achieve this.

However, before you submit to us please take the time to understand the types of comics we publish and make your own educated decision regards if what you are sending fits our well-established brand.

Our terms, listed below, will need to be agreed with. This means that if you find yourself in disagreement with them, then we will be unable to work with you at this time.

1. Time Bomb Comics Ltd are seeking sole global rights for the comic, printing in any comic format, and reprints through any agreed upon contract length. This is non-negotiable.
2. Scripts must be fully completed upon submission. This is non-negotiable.
3. Time Bomb Comics Ltd will be allowed to edit your work. Any prospective changes would have to be agreed upon prior to any payments. This is non-negotiable.
4. Merchandise and licensing opportunities with any third parties that present themselves during the contract length will be considered in discussions with the editor-in-chief. The final decision to proceed will be determined by Time Bomb Comics Ltd. This is non-negotiable.
5. There are three contract types that Time Bomb Comics Ltd work with:
   1. Creators will retain the copyright for which they will receive a nominal amount per page upon publication.
   2. Creators retain the copyright and Time Bomb Comics Ltd will have a licence for a set period of time.
   3. Creators will work on stories that are created as work-for-hire for Time Bomb Comics Ltd properties and are owned by us. Payment will be calculated via page-rate agreed with the Creator.

The decision as to which contract will be presented is determined wholly by Time Bomb Comics Ltd.

We will not be accepting any works that fall under, or contain, any of the following:

• Humour material that would be considered offensive by a modern audience.
• Straightforward horror comics.
• Sex comics.
• Superhero stories.
• Parodies of specific, existing works.
• Projects that have already been successfully crowd-funded.

WRITERS

We ask for two things from each submitted script. The first is a cover page and the second is the script itself. While we will accept scripts of any length, there are only so many hours in a day. This means that while we promise to read the first ten pages of any script submitted, it will be up to you to keep us reading. This is where the cover page comes in.

We expect a cover page to contain:

• A synopsis. This should be a broad summary of the plot covering the beginning, the middle, the end, and any key developments that you think are crucial to your story.
• A tagline. This should be a one sentence summary of your story, boiling down the key elements that make your story stand out.
• Character summaries. This should be one or two sentences about the most important characters, who they are and what their goals are.
• Your intended audience. While we publish comics for a wide range of people, knowing who you are writing for helps us with selection. For shorter stories, this may dictate where we would publish your work.
• You may include links to previous works, but do not rely on these as we may not look at them. Always try to submit your best work as this will be the deciding factor.

ARTISTS

For artists, we ask that you submit up to five pages of your work in any genre; demonstrating your understanding of sequential storytelling and comics the format. These must sent as low-res attachments; we will not accept just a link to your online portfolio or website. At least three of the five submitted pages must be sequential, and we also recommend you show your range of styles and genres. We will also require a cover page where you can tell us a little bit more about yourself.

We expect a cover page to contain:

• Preferences. This is so that we can make sure to match you to suitable stories and, if there are any, please mention things you particularly want to avoid working on.
• Work rate. This doesn’t need to be specific; it simply allows us to plan our schedule for publications. Just state how many finished pages (pencils and inks), on average, you can complete in a week/month.
• Previous experience. If you have any work that you’re particularly proud of, then mention it here. Don’t worry if you haven’t, we are always looking for new faces on the comic book scene.
• Social media links. While we won’t guarantee looking at your other work, we do sometimes use it to help make decisions. Please do not rely on this though!

WRITER/ARTISTS

If you wish to submit a fully completed comic book for publishing, then please submit a sample and cover letter, as laid out in the WRITERS submission guide. We will also consider stories that need finishing touches (e.g. colouring or lettering) so don’t be afraid to send work in.

COLOURISTS/LETTERERS/ETC

Please contact us to find out if we have any current opportunities. Please submit up to five pages of your work, preferably spanning a range of genres and settings.

OUR PROMISE TO YOU

We get a lot of submissions, but we will eventually reply to any creators who submit their work to us and follow our submission guidelines. This may take up to two months, although we try to respond earlier. 

If you have any further questions about submissions, please email our Submission Manager at submissions@timebombcomics.com

Good luck and we hope to chat with you soon!

Last updated: 04/05/23