What is this about?
Hi! I'm DevilREI. I like video games, especially retrogames. I'm also endlessly fascinated by the world of Japanese doujin creations. I first attended Comic Market in 2002 and it was life-changing. Since 2018, I have been self-publishing doujinshi anthologies based on things I like. Since my artistic talent is limited, I usually act as more of an editor, taking contributions from multiple artists for publication, paying for printing, and selling at events.
This particular doujinshi project, TAITRONICA, is centered around games published by Taito, one of my favorite game developers/publishers. The focus is primarily on their arcade titles, but submissions based on console games (e.g. Lufia) and electromechanical games (ex. Ice Cold Beer) are welcome too!
The application form is here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16fIJm104yy9Idy5eYhxcG1P9FrNnZYTlaJebi8W2lCk
What are the specifications?
You have a single A5-size page, approx 148 × 210mm. (Submissions can be a smidge bigger to account for bleed.) Anything goes here--single illustrations, comics, sketch collages. It can be color or monochrome, though color is preferred, and needs to be submitted digitally. If you include text, please keep in mind that this will be sold in both Japan and the West, so try to keep it simple.
Any general content guidelines?
No explicit content. Fanservicey stuff is fine. Things that would be okay for an ESRB T/PEGI 16/CERO C rating are acceptable.
When is the deadline?
This depends. I have applied to sell at Comic Market 103, which is on December 30th-31st. The absolute latest things can be submitted is early December 19th PST, though I would greatly appreciate it if you could submit sooner. However, there is a caveat: Comiket spaces are chosen through a complex lottery, and there's a very good chance I don't get in since this is my first time applying. I will know if I got in later this month, most likely.
What if you don't get into Comiket 103?
Then you're off the hook until the next event I'd want to sell the book at, probably in May of 2024. I'll update everyone on expected deadlines.
Is this paid work?
Taitronica is mostly-volunteer. All participants will get a physical book and a DRM-free PDF. though I do have a small commission budget in case it’s not financially feasible for some artists to work for free. Please let me know on the form if this is the case.
Got any other questions? Hit me up here, at @zerochan on a rapidly dying social media service, or @devilrei on BlueSky.
