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Comic Creators Thread: Ways to Stay Motivated, Creative, and Productive?

wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
edited June 2011 in Graphic Violence
Supposedly, every comic fan thinks he or she can be a creator. Last summer, the GV Tournament turned a bunch of us comic fans into creators, even if for a short time, and we saw some real talent exposed. This talent may have been dormant in the intervening months, so this thread aims to kick start the creative engines and get everyone back to creating comics. And thanks to the internet, it's never been a better time to be a creator.

This thread is for anyone who is now or aspires to be a creator of comics, where we can all talk shop. Discuss your big new idea or show off artwork. Pimp that new webcomic you've started. Debate scripting style and effective pitches, or try to find a like-minded creator to work with you on your project. Whatever it is, this thread should be a jump off point for wannabe creators to get motivated and moving, and a sounding board for people already creating. Advice from pro or semi-pro creators would be appreciated.

Just a warning though: there's no guarantee that your non-copyrighted or non-trademarked idea won't be poached by an unscrupulous person, so be careful what you post.

When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
wwtMask on
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Posts

  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Reserving this post for useful links or other recommended sites and books. Also, I suppose we can link to any portfolios or webcomics, providing Geebs or Servo don't have a problem with that.

    How-To Books
    Writing for Comics by Peter David
    Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud
    Making Comics by Scott McCloud
    Panel Discussions by Durwin Talon

    How-To Sites

    Webcomic Resources

    Submissions to Publishers

    Other
    Project Fanboy: The Proving Grounds - submit your script to be edited by a professional. Good for constructive criticism on your scripting and storytelling skills.

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Neat idea for a thread. I'd been debating starting up a "Pitch Your Comic Idea [It's Fanfiction At Its Finest!]" thread for a while. I'll be sure to toss some artwork and pitches up here later.

    Munch on
  • ZeromusZeromus Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    What is up with this "[X ON]" trend? It is disgusting.

    That said, I'm digging the thread idea. :^:

    Zeromus on
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  • ZeromusZeromus Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Zeromus on
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  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Posting a pitch you'd make to a publisher that'd be classified as work for hire probably isn't a good idea. Original ideas, though, are relatively easy to keep from thieving hands, thanks to the way trademarks and copyrights work. I don't think you even have to register a copyright, as it's assumed you own a potential copyright on your ideas. The registering of a copyright just lends more "oomph" to any claims you can have against someone.

    That said, a link to the US Copyright Office is probably a good idea: http://www.copyright.gov/

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • NogsNogs Crap, crap, mega crap. Crap, crap, mega crap.Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    i can't draw, and im not confident enough in story-telling to think that I'm any good. but I can edit the shit out of just about anything.

    Nogs on
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    PARKER, YOU'RE FIRED! <-- My comic book podcast! Satan look here!
  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I like this idea. And I like to think that I'd want to. But I have had a bitch of a time writing (I practice far too rarely anymore to have confidence in my drawing skills) for months. And that's mainly been the stuff I've been writing that's related to finished works on my "homepage" (in case anyone cares to go over my style).

    Crimsondude on
  • Calamity JaneCalamity Jane That Wrong Love Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    what's the general pay range for an artist?

    let's say i want to hire a dude to draw an 80 page one-shot

    how much bread will I shell out?

    Calamity Jane on
    twitter https://twitter.com/mperezwritesirl michelle patreon https://www.patreon.com/thatwronglove michelle's comic book from IMAGE COMICS you can order http://a.co/dn5YeUD
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Full pencils from a published artist will probably run between $100-$200. Someone just breaking will probably do it for less, but I'd still expect to pay at least $80 a page.

    The smart thing to do when putting together a comic is pay an artist for character designs, and five pages of sequentials, and then take that package, along with your pitch, to a company like Image. If your pitch gets accepted you can talk to your artist about splitting the profit of the future book 50/50, offering co-ownership, and so on. Paying an artist an obscene amount of money to do a book, and then not getting a publisher, or having Diamond decline to distribute it, would be a tremendous waste of time and money.

    Munch on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Man, I'm no expert or anything, but the general idea as a writer seems to be "take lots of notes". I haven't written a script since the GV tournament, and even less straight prose, but I've been jotting down stuff, to the point that I've got one fairly well developed story going. I'm actually pretty close to wanting to get an artist in on it, but I'm not really sure how to go about pitching it to an artist just yet.

    As for work for hire type stuff, I'm not afraid to mention a story I'd like to pitch to Marvel. It's basically a sequel of sorts to the "black Avengers" arc in Black Panther and also the recent Blade series, featuring Blade, Storm, T'Challa, and Nezhno, along with a few new characters, and a huge army of vampires, all taking place in Wakanda. Sadly, the way things work, I doubt it'd ever get published, no matter how great the story is.

    Also, did anyone else enter that "Who Wants to Create a Super Heroine" contest?

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • ServoServo Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited February 2008
    i love that storyline, when they're all fighting vampires in new orleans.

    Servo on
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  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Alright, so I'm going to post my ginormous, overly detailed pitch for a new Ted Kord book in its complete horror. Here's the truncated version though.

    Black Beetle
    Back from the dead due to science Ted Kord adopts the identity of the Black Beetle, to reflect a more somber outlook. Moving back to Hub City he becomes a public hero, acting as both the figurehead of Kord Omniversal and a corporately funded superhero. Assisting him are Kimiyo Hoshi (Doctor Light II), as the CEO of Kord Omniversal and Ted's occasional team-up buddy, Nick Kovacs (Argus) as Kord Omniversal's chief of security, and Jaime Reyes (Blue Beetle) as Ted's part-time assistant in his machine shop. Together they battle mad scientists and the products of mad science, working to enrich life in Hub City for the common citizen.

    bluebeetleskulkcrt3.png
    Overview: Ted Kord is resurrected two years after his death. Sombered by the events that transpired while he was gone, he adopts the identity of the Black Beetle, leaving Jaime Reyes the Blue Beetle.

    "Dimitri.. Ralph.. Bart Allen.. Superboy.. so many gone. When did it happen Barb? When did it all go so-- so wrong?"
    ".. When you died."


    Moving back home to Hub City, he returns to his company Kord Omniversal, and begins operating as a public hero, sans secret identity. Seeking purpose, he decides to settle into a new niche. Utilizing his years of superhero training, as well as his background in science, he sets about hunting mad scientists, and those monsters that are a product of mad science. After all, it takes one to catch one.

    The story begins with Ted's resurrection. Utilizing the technology that Victor Stone used to convert Jericho's mind into data, along with cloning information lifted from Cadmus, Ted Kord rebuilt himself from the ground up. A project that began decades ago, when he first learned of the Egyptians' beliefs about scarabs and the god Khepri, and how they believed both were capable of creating themselves from nothing. For a long time Ted dismissed it as impossible. But, then it began to seem as though death was hounding him at every turn. His mentor and friend Dan Garrett fell protecting him, he himself almost died during the Crisis of Infinite Earths, and then again numerous times throughout his superheroic career. Then came Doomsday, the monster that put him in a coma, and killed Superman, a man thought to be immortal. Then it was Ice. Booster losing an arm, and nearly his life. Then Guy Gardner, murdered by Imperiex right in front of him. Then it was his battle with Amazo, when the monster almost tore his head off. Then it was the heart condition. Then it was Sue. Then he'd had enough.

    Creating his new body, along with his new cyborg brain, Ted placed his duplicate in stasis, uploading his memories into the brain at regularly scheduled intervals. So that even in death, he'd live. Originally, the plan was for the stasis tube to receive a radio signal when the real Ted Kord's neural functions shut down, releasing his other self. But, as with most of his inventions, Ted got the broad strokes right, but missed the tiny details. Like remembering to replace the batteries to the radio trigger in his suit. So his other self waited for two years, before the power to the building housing it was finally shut off, and safety protocols automatically released him.

    Now he's back, feeling guilty for not being there for his friends when he should have. For Ralph. For Dimitri. For Booster. Even for Max. Now, with a month-long gap in his memory prior to his death, and no knowledge of what's transpired since then, he must cope with a world that's so very different from the one he left.

    "I did this. Not the Spectre. Or a kryptonian supercoma. Not even God. Me. What can I say? I like being a self-made man."

    BLACK BEETLE

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    Characterization: Witty, kind, and funny, Ted Kord should be a charismatic, likeable man. But he's also socially awkward, neurotic, and shy, which often causes him to come off as uncaring or meanspirited when he makes an ill-timed joke, or a thoughtless comment. Introverted as a youth, he never really learned the fine art of social interaction, and even to this day he's slow to warm up to new people.

    One thing that's important to understand is that Ted Kord never wanted to be the Blue Beetle; adopting the identity was a decision made only after he was pressured into it by his dying mentor, the late Dan Garrett. Gifted with a genius intellect and a powerful drive to invent, Ted could have been extremely successful as a software designer, inventor, or scientific innovator. But over time he came to love being a hero, and strived to be the kind of hero that would make his mentor proud. But he always fell short. Following his resurrection, he's trying harder than ever to be a proper hero.

    "Ted, all this-- the black suit, the new name.. You gonna go all grim 'n gritty on me? Do you still remember how to make a joke?"
    "Of course. Difference is, I'm not going to be the punchline anymore."


    A scientific genius, highly skilled acrobat, and talented fighter, Ted should have accomplished more with his life than he has. So why's he still just a bug in a world of heroes? Because he suffers from various mental conditions that impair his focus, a fact that he's kept hidden up until now. He's constantly driven to focus on his various scientific and heroic pursuits to the point of foregoing normal civilian activities. One morning he may wake up, forget to tie his shoes, and then scribble notes for an experimental plasma pistol on his breakfast napkin. Which he promptly loses, or forgets about entirely as he rushes off to tackle some new scientific challenge. Ted's a man that could change the world through his genius, but can't pull himself together long enough to do it. Even when he makes something useful, he continues tinkering with it until it's a hodgepodge of half-finished, barely-realized ideas, crippling its functionality. Fortunately for Ted, every now and then he manages to find his focus just long enough to see one of his bizarre inventions fully realized. This is a convenient way of explaining away why Ted's not off curing cancer or inventing flying cars, a common problem for supergenius heroes like Reed Richards or Tony Stark.

    "Ted, what is that?"
    "It's-- it's my Bluebug gun. A shrink ray. The smaller you get the blue-er you get."
    "Did you fall asleep watching The Smurfs again?"
    "..."


    Powers and Abilities: As the Black Beetle, Ted has a few things going for him. One is that he's a genius inventor and machinist. He's highly skilled at adapting on the fly, whipping together clever, if impractical, inventions on the fly, even in the midst of battle. He also has access to a large collection of weapons that he's built, stolen, or adapted from enemy technology.

    Ted relies primarily on his trademark vehicle, the Bug. In the past, the Bug was merely a light transport vehicle, good for zipping around the globe, but not much else. But with a few upgrades, it becomes a heavily armored, flying tank. The Bug is to Ted what the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor is to Pat Dugan, or the Iron Man suit is to Tony Stark. It's how he levels the playing field. When Ted runs up against an enemy far outside his weight class, he can face them on equal footing, bringing six metallic limbs, and a variety of onboard weaponry, to bear against his enemies.

    Ted's other saving grace as a hero is his talent for acrobatics and evasion. Never much of a hand to hand fighter, he relies primarily on keeping out of range of his enemies, and striking at them with his technology. When it comes to melee combat, he's capable of protecting himself with aikido, a defensive martial art. Much like an actual beetle, Ted's notoriously hard to squash. A talent that's carried him through battle with the likes of Doomsday, Amazo, Imperiex, and Despero, where he emerged unscathed, while more powerful heroes fell.

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    SUPPORTING CAST

    Kimiyo Hoshi aka Doctor Light: Recently shown to have taken control of Kord Omniversal, Kimiyo has turned the dying company around, boosting its profits by over 300% and making it a major competitor in the business world. A stoic, serious woman, Kimiyo is all business, both as a superheroine, and as CEO of Kord Omniversal. The mother of two children, Kimiyo can often be a bit neglectful towards them when she becomes wrapped up in business affairs.

    In Ted she sees something of a kindred spirit due to his strong scientific mind, but she's irked by his lack of self-control and childish behavior. Following his resurrection, she still acts as CEO of Kord Omniversal, since Ted recognizes that she does the job better than he ever did. Instead, Ted acts as the public friendly face for the company, doing the job that Kimiyo's incapable of. Over the course of the series they each come to realize how well they complement one another; each possessing a strength where the other is weak, leading to a romantic relationship. This puts Ted in a strange situation, acting as a paternal figure to Kimiyo's children, and forcing him to do some growing up. When he's not teaching them how to mod their videogame systems anyway.

    "Theodore, what did you do to my television?"
    "I put a worldwide receiver on it! You're getting news from Japan now!"
    "Very thoughtful. Thank you. Also, it is on fire."
    ".. I can fix that."


    Nick Kovacs aka Argus: A semi-forgotten heroes of the '90s, Argus possesses numerous specialized forms of vision, a low-level healing factor, and enhanced strength and reflexes. Also talented in sleight of hand and minor magic tricks, and a former FBI agent, Argus possesses numerous valuable skills, and a cool disposition. Last seen battling supervillains during the massive worldwide prisonbreak during Infinite Crisis, Argus would later go on to become a veteran of the Battle for Metropolis. A battle where he, upon seeing the monstrous Doomsday barrelling towards him, fell to his knees and wept like a baby, praying for a miracle. When the two Supermen descended from the heavens and swept Doomsday away, he knew God had heard his prayers, instantly converting him into a devout believer in the divine.

    Ted comes across Argus at a point in his life where he's seeking purpose and meaning. He knows that God saved him for a reason, but he doesn't know what that reason is. When Ted offers him a job as Kord Omniversal's chief of security, he believes he's found that purpose. Though the two clash over their theological differences, Argus truly believes Ted to be a good man that he's meant to protect, and they come to bond over their shared experience of battling Doomsday, and their feelings of unimportance in the superhero world.

    "Mr. Kord, I think God put me here to protect you. An' I trust him to steer me right."
    "Wish I had your kind of faith."
    "Don' worry. Got enough for both of us."


    argusredesignrm6.jpg

    ROGUES GALLERY

    Carapace the Indestructible Man: A brilliant scientist trapped in the shell of one of the infamous robots of Pago Island, Carapace is a walking anachronism. As a scientist he's devoted to the advancement of technology, but he's slowly beginning to realize that his body is becoming obsolete; old technology. When he accidentally invents a new armor that's more advanced than his own robotic hide, he decides to begin halting the advancement of technology until he can free himself from his shell. Short-tempered, abrupt, but exceedingly polite, Carapace is an unusual man, outfitting his massive bulk in tailored suits, and furnishing his secret lair with oversized Laz-E-Boyz and remote controls for his experimental television.

    Carapace represents two important things as a member of the Black Beetle's rogues gallery; Ted's past failures (to save Dan Garret from the robots of Pago Island), and Ted's human frailties in a world of superpowered beings. Just as Carapace is forever confined to his robotic shell, Ted Kord is confined to the Bug, unable to match the raw power of superhumans without technological aid.

    "Theodore Kord, I could squash you with my bare hands, like the bug you are. But getting blood out of an Armani suit of this size is expensive, even for a man of considerable means like myself. So do pardon me if I opt to use the laser pistol."

    Farley Fleeter aka the Madman:
    Once the leader of the group known as the Madmen, Farley Fleeter was a sane man pretending to be mad. Now he's anything but. After his gang was decimated by the Secret Six, the events of Infinite Crisis, and their failed attack on Kate Spencer (Manhunter), Farley simply-- cracked. The last one left standing, without a friend in the world, and a gimmick that was played out, he wandered the streets of Hub City, homeless and alone. Until he was taken in by Carapace. Physically altered by the mad scientist, Farley now possesses enhanced strength, speed, and agility, and the ability to spread his madness through his venomous bite, creating weaker, more feral versions of himself. So he'll never be alone again.

    Unleashed into Hub City by Carapace to spread madness and disorder, the Madman is pure Id. Undiluted malice and destruction. Where Ted represents creation and advancement, Madman is pure destruction and regression. A primal force devoted to unmaking the world, and eventually itself.

    "See little bug, Carapace gave me my purpose. You create, and I destroy. And I will. Everything. Anything you care about. Everyone you love, everything you own. This whole city will burn before tomorrow. And then I'll sit in the middle of it and burn with it."
    "Why?"
    "Because I can. Because it'll make me laugh."


    Todd Van III aka The Squid: The first costumed villain Ted Kord ever faced, Todd Van III was a wealthy businessman who had formed a gang of costumed crooks to rob his wealthy peers. Just released from prison days after Ted Kord's resurrection, Van is as crooked as ever. But he's also smarter. Now content to operate from the shadows as the villainous Squid, unseen and therefore untouchable, he's a constant thorn in the Black Beetle's side, both masked and unmasked. As a civilian he's Ted Kord's biggest business rival, responsible for numerous acts of (untraceable) corporate espionage against Kord Omniversal, and as a masked villain he runs most of the organized crime in Hub City, always keeping his tentacles in things. But he's not an unreasonable man. Sure he might get you fired from your job, get your car impounded, hire someone to seduce your wife, ruin your credit, and get your parents' social security money taken away, but it's nothing personal.

    It's just business.

    "Tonight the Black Beetle has disturbed one shipment of experimental plasm rifles, meant to go to Metropolis. And do you know what I am going to do about that? Nothing. Because fifty more shipments just like it left the city right on schedule. Now let's have a toast to crime and profit. Cheers."

    BlueBeetleConcepts-1.png

    The Message: All great superhero books are, at their core, about something besides beating up dudes in bright pajamas. The Flash is about high speed urban life, Green Lantern the infinite power of will and imagination, Superman the freedom and potential offered by America, Batman the battle for justice versus revenge. So what's Black Beetle about? Being better.

    It's about being more than a bug. Everyone's felt that way. Unimportant. Marginalized. Neglected. Ted Kord wants to be a better hero, to be recognized by the superhuman greats. Kimiyo wants to be a better mother and superheroine. Argus wants to be a better man. Carapace wants more than a life entombed in alien metal. The Squid wants to be a better criminal, smarter and untouchable. Everyone's trying to be better, striving for something that's always just outside their reach. They're all trying to stop being bugs, and start being someone that matters.

    random42axy0.jpg

    Munch on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    That's pretty cool Munch.

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Hooray for science!

    And, Mask, it is indeed critically important to keep notes.

    Crimsondude on
  • MolotovCockatooMolotovCockatoo Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Panel Discussions by Durwin Talon is one of my favorite books about comic creation. And of course Understanding Comics and Making Comics are essential.

    Right now I'm working on some stuff with a writer friend but we have a publisher we're going to pitch to we have been talking with, so I think I can't share it with you guys (at least not yet). Speaking of, I need to get some work done on it :P

    MolotovCockatoo on
    Killjoy wrote: »
    No jeez Orik why do you assume the worst about people?

    Because he moderates an internet forum

    http://lexiconmegatherium.tumblr.com/
  • ScooterScooter Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Zeromus wrote: »
    What is up with this "[X ON]" trend? It is disgusting.

    That said, I'm digging the thread idea. :^:


    Trend? There was a time when PA didn't do this?



    Tbh, one of my secret dreams is to be a comic writer. I wish I had art talent instead though, because anybody can write (and there'll always be someone saying it's good/bad), and finding a comic book-quality artist who'd work for free? Yeesh. Shit, as much as looking at Chaykin art makes my eyes bleed, I still wish I was even as good as him.

    I think the writing bug bit me when I started playing City of Heroes, cause I started making an assload of characters, and I've always got to have concepts and backstories and evolving stories and etc for them. I'd love to put them into an actual comic (I've even considered what I'd need to do to make them work in a non-CoH universe, considering copyrights), but just doing the writing as fanfics, which I've done, feels somehow pathetic.

    Scooter on
  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I want to be a comic writer so desperately. I've been working on a character and setting for a while now, but I am having a hell of time thinking of plots. I think of something and then it kind of fizzles away. To actually make use of that and maybe benefit from it, the genre is space-picaresque.

    The main character is a combat cyborg gone AWOL, sort of a space-ronin/ninja adventurer on a cross-galaxy warrior's journey. He's pursued by his manufacturer, the vampire ninja clan that purchased him, various bounty-hunters, etc. He fights monsters, zombies, vampires and such.

    The setting is very broad, with very advanced and relatively primitive technologies co-existing. The most prosperous nations and corporations have super-advanced technology like phone-booth sized personal teleportation apparatuses, energy swords, rayguns and laser pistols. And it goes all the way down to hunter-gatherers on some planets. Faster than light travel right down to pack animals.

    Influences range from the henshin heroes stuff (kamen rider, power rangers) to cyberpunk to star wars and warhammer 40k. The tone is kind of irrevenant and not overly serious, but not screw-ball either.

    Munch actually did some drawings of my character awhile back. They were rad. :)

    DouglasDanger on
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I should mention that a long time ago I offered to do a few pages (5<) of sequentials or character designs for anyone that wants to PM me character descriptions/script excerpts. Clearly I'm no super artist, and getting inked pages done takes me a little while, but I don't mind doing it. Actually, here are some very messy, uninked pages for a short story I've since abandoned. I've slightly improved my ability to draw scenery and backgrounds since I did these.
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    And here's a page of design doodles for a black and white webcomic I'm working on now, trying to build up a sizeable buffer before throwing it out there.

    random43aqc9.png

    It's basically about this dude, Tenor Tooley, that works in a resale shop located in Christmas City. Christmas City has been plagued by snow, sleet, freezing rain, and every other manner of frozen precipitation you can think of for the past two decades, ever since the night its greatest hero murdered its greatest villain. Once a tourist attraction, tourism has dried up, crime has risen drastically, and the Catholic church started protesting the crime ridden hellhole's use of the word 'Christmas' in its name. Now renamed X-Mas City (referred to by its inhabitants as The X), the town is a frozen wasteland, with cars rendered useless, statues and masonry worn away by time and acidic snow, and the populace living in terror of the numerous costumed gangs roaming the city. All superhuman support of the city has been withdrawn ever since several dozen heroes were murdered trying to tame the city, and their bodies displayed outside of city hall. So Tenor, hero of the story, happens across a scarf resembling the one once worn by the town's once legendary hero, and begins tackling local crime in his neighborhood, only to become swept up in gang warfare, dirty political dealings, and superhuman crime. Soon he finds himself a local hero, urban legend, and target of the police department, ninja ganglords, voodoo-practicing mobsters, a crooked mayor, and the Pneumatic Investigator, world-reknowned cyborg detective.

    Munch on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Munch, I'm taking you up on that offer.

    Anyway, my current "big idea", the one that I've thought of the most and have the most notes for, is the one I entered into the "Create a Super Heroine" contest. It's called Monkey Girl (tentatively), and it's an idea I came up with more than a year ago while I was trying to come up with an atypical superhero. Monkey Girl is about this orphaned Asian girl that's raised in rural West Africa by a small tribe. This isn't some crazy Jungle Girl thing, though; the country is loosely based on the Nigeria/Cameroon region of Africa, and the people are somewhat more advanced than typical rural people are in that part of the world. She's taken into the Chatmon family, an unusual family in this somewhat insular tribe. The father is a black American zoologist that specializes in primates and aspires to be "the black Steve Irwin". The mother is a daughter of the former leader of the tribe, and they have several children in addition to this girl, whom they name Kenya.

    Long story short, she discovers that she has "monkey powers" shortly after her 12th birthday, and these powers operate slightly like Vixen's combined with David Alleyne's former power: she's able to take on traits/characteristics of any primate that she comes near. Unlike Vixen, though, she's able to morph her body slightly or completely into a proportional representation of the primate she's imitating. Besides this, she also gains a prehensile tail that never goes away, and she's able to communicate with any primate. In addition to these strange new powers, she has a natural ability for stickfighting, a centuries old form of ritual combat that the tribe has taught their boys, and she is the first female to ever be taught.

    These powers come in handy in her first adventure, where she faces off against a large group of poachers who are hunting endangered animal's on the tribe's land, which is a government protected sanctuary that the tribe is required to preside over as a part of keeping their ancestral land. Besides a large group of armed men, the poachers have three large, trained Silverback gorillas, which she will, of course, fight. She won't be alone in the fighting, though; besides the men of the village, she's joined by her best friend Shade, the smartest person in the village and a Macgyver of sorts, and Gabriel, an older boy whom she dislikes but who is a natural athlete and a practitioner of Capoeira Angola. By the end of this first adventure, she takes on the mantle of Monkey Girl and is determined to learn how to use her powers for the good of her people.

    Besides this first story, I've got at least a dozen story ideas for further adventures, a growing list of villains and heroes and other characters, and back story for many of the central characters. I intend to introduce elements of Bhuddist mythology, African folk tales, and modern pop culture. Even magic and crazy science tech is going to get into the story. I pretty much want to make a fun, accessible story for anyone, and get the feeling of a silver age, pulp romp, tied to a the central story of Kenya growing into her powers and learning where she came from and what she's destined for.

    Right now, I'd love to get to work with an artist on get the concepts down, but if it comes to it I'll just write it as a series of books.

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Are you having an African person who is actually a monkey? That seems... risky. You know, the old racism stuff and everything. I don't know your race, or know if that would actually stop anyone from publishing it, but it seems pretty perilous.

    If I ever get this put together enough to look for an artist, how would I actually find an artist?

    DouglasDanger on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    I know, that's why I made her Asian. It actually lends a more powerful angle to the story, in that Kenya harbors feelings of isolation and wants very much to be just like everyone else, to fit in. Being so noticeably different from everyone else in the village, she grows up as a sort of default outcast, even if most people in the village treat her like every other kid in the village. Thus, she's actually very knowledgeable about the tribe's history and culture and hews closely to it. She even has an ongoing dispute with her father, who won't let her have her hair shaved short like the other girls in the village (due to his American upbringing, he doesn't think it looks good on her). So getting her powers and becoming even less like her fellow tribesmen is a big sticking point for her, and it's something she must overcome in order to be the hero she's supposed to be.

    Finding an artist is a good question. I understand there are art posting sites where artists are discovered. You could also put a request in here or in the Artist forum here.

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • MunchMunch Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Mask, did you see that the Initiative book has a new black character named Gorilla Girl? Of course, yours is an African-raised Asian named Monkey Girl, but it's something to keep in mind when considering the titular character's name. I like the premise though.

    Douglas, I'd recommend you try out various art forums for up-and-comers willing to work on the cheap. Our own Artist's Corner has a lot of extremely talented people that might be willing to work with you in exchange for fair compensation. There's a lot of comics forums that have art forums as well, which are worth checking out. The War For Arcadia forum has a lot of extremely promising artists posting there as well.

    I'd hit up some of the following and see if anyone catches your eye:
    Penciljack
    Comic Bloc's Crit Forum
    The Drawing Board
    Millarworld's Creative Forum
    Digital Webbing

    The Drawing Board probably has the largest concentration of talent, but a lot of those guys are also pros that may be charging more than you can afford. Other than that, just try bouncing around different art blogs, DeviantArt (if you feel like wading through a lot of crap), and so on. Be ready to have a lot of artists flake on you though.

    Munch on
  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    wwtMask wrote: »
    I know, that's why I made her Asian.

    It's just a stupid perception thing from people who make a profession of being offended by everyone. But let's not forget Asians have been called monkeys also. Still, I like your idea.

    I actually have an idea based on the discussion from the Superhero/Espionage thread.

    Crimsondude on
  • DouglasDangerDouglasDanger PennsylvaniaRegistered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Thanks, Munch.

    DouglasDanger on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    wwtMask wrote: »
    I know, that's why I made her Asian.

    It's just a stupid perception thing from people who make a profession of being offended by everyone. But let's not forget Asians have been called monkeys also. Still, I like your idea.

    I actually have an idea based on the discussion from the Superhero/Espionage thread.

    The fun thing about this is that I originally made her Asian not only to counter-act the whole racism thing, but also because I thought that Asians in Africa is not an occurrence that gets much play in pop culture, even though Asians, especially the Chinese, are starting to have a significant presence on the continent. The side effect of this choice is drawing Asian culture and folklore and mythology into the story. In my summary, I left out a significant amount of detail about Kenya that relates to her Asian heritage, and more specifically her ancestry as it relates to her monkey powers

    I'm curious to see what you come up with on your idea, since I know you've got an affinity for the genre.

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Cool.

    Yeah, it's based on an idea I had begun to develop for the main character I used to write about. The one who is the focus of the collaborative novel I co-wrote (on my "homepage" link. 300+ pages of fun in bookmarked PDF glory). The problem is that by the time I had finished the idea, the end of the process had come and gone, and the character had gone another way.

    Anyway, long story short. It's about a superhuman--preferrably a mutant, because there was a giant chunk of her backstory that involved her being treated differently (mostly badly)--who has been using her powers in combination with her skills in the same kind of role as a SHIELD agent for her country, but also in conspiring to use them against the threat (or the perceived threat) of the equivalent of superhuman encroachment into global affairs, and to stop them. Well, to kill them really.

    I'll try and put together some more as I decide whether to use an existing world or my own or something else because that affects her powers and how other people and things operate.

    Crimsondude on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Okay, Gorilla Girl bears a bit of a resemblance to what I'm trying to do. I didn't think I was being all that original, but still, it's a little troubling. On the upside, though, I always thought her powers were pretty limited if all she did was assume the proportional strength and abilities of any primate, so I made a way for her to exceed that limitation and eventually become a true force in the world.

    I really hope Marvel doesn't sue. D:

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited February 2008
    Sue them first.

    Oh, fuck me. I tried to explain Sam more and this stupid browser ate it.

    Second try.
    Her background would, in 616, be more conducive to being a mutant. She grew up in a traditionally conservative family. She expressed her abilities when she was 15. Her powers included being able to see into the astral plane and some basic psychic/telepathic powers. They manifest kind of like The Profile's only amped up, and also she could control her own body so that that people couldn't read her or read what she wanted. I understand there's a DC character kind of like that.


    She was not well-received by her family. But some people at school thought it was cool, and a combination of powers and just Samantha being herself made her quite social and well-known. The she went to West Point. Spent five years in Intelligence, Human Intelligence/Collection and Counterintelligence. A lot of work with Special Operations. Being able to weasal out a spy and murder them and their family has its advantages. Then she went into domestic work as a federal law enforcement agent, but with ties through task forces and whatnot (plus already having a stupidly-high security clearance) to work on national security operations: counterintel, counterterror, etc. For seven years there had been an undercurrent of a coalition or movement using terrorists, insurgents and a network of flipped assets in the underworld, business, and throughout the governments of North America to reunite the U.S. (including Canada as part of the U.S.)

    So this has been the focus of her work, until she became a focus of theirs. Both sides were playing each other, but her ultimate goal was to disrupt or destroy these foreign nations as enemies, but especially the one ruled by an elven court. See, even though she resented like Hell a lot of what she put up with as a teenager and onward, she saw them as a continuing threat to the long-term interests of America, and was most focused on disrupting them. In effect, it'd be like someone trying to disrupt and destroy Genosha pre-genocide because it posed a long-term threat to people who couldn't defend themselves against a mutant nation.

    When the world went to Hell and the plan went into action, she was a conspirator as well as an enemy. And in the end there was a line she wouldn't cross, and in reacting to the plan which had spun way beyond her control she took a bullet to the head. But it didn't kill her. But when she recovered and faced off with people who had used it for their own agendas, as well as the original plot and the larger global crisis of an information meltdown, it all kind of fell on her where these plots were concerned in one city/region (Seattle). And she did her best, and with the help of people who had no reason to trust her; people who wanted her dead--they kept the city from melting down, but she ended up dead.

    I've been joking recently that I bet Brubaker has at least a passing familiarity with SR. In part because fans overlap (Hi!) More likely it's probably just similar mindsets shaping their respective creative worlds towards the same genre/goal.

    There. I summarized five years of gaming, a year-long campaign, and 17 years worth of SL setting writing by the game authors (that covers from present to 2064). And that doesn't even really explain what that has to do with the comic idea yet.

    Crimsondude on
  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Hmm.

    I am Shiva. Destroyer of Threads.

    Crimsondude on
  • DMACDMAC Come at me, bro! Moderator mod
    edited March 2008
    I used to have a handful of comic ideas that I had written a bunch of notes/done some concepts for but I don't really know how to sit down and write a story, at least not one that I'd want to share with anyone. The other problem is that while I love brainstorming and doing concept drawings, I have no real interest in doing full-on comic pages. I like having the freedom to improve on previous drawings and change my style as the mood strikes me so I'd have a really hard time staying "on model" from page to page.

    DMAC on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    That's too bad, DMAC, because I like your art.

    Man, I was trying to work on a couple stories last night, and I realized that I'm a lot more creative with someone to bounce ideas off of. My wife's so tired of hearing me talk about stories that she's not as effective in that role anymore. I need a collaborator guys, and it doesn't even have to be an artist or anything, just someone to help get the creative juices flowing and to throw out crazy ideas.

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    You can be my wingman anytime, Mav.

    Crimsondude on
  • DJ EebsDJ Eebs Moderator, Administrator admin
    edited March 2008
    I've got some notebooks filled with ideas that I'd completely forgotten about until I just found them this past week. I really like some of the ideas (and some of them have morphed into something else already) but some I'm looking at, I'm wondering what happened to make me think they were a good idea.

    Like, there was basically a one line story idea about a bulemic cult. I don't have any idea what that's about.

    DJ Eebs on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Guys, what's a good chat/whiteboard type program? I'm thinking that having a real time chat to bounce ideas around would be fun and might possibly get me moving some more on my stories. Or, you know, we could make up some new shit. Either way, it'd probably be fun and possibly fruitful. Anyone interested?

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • amateurhouramateurhour One day I'll be professionalhour The woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    wwtMask wrote: »
    Guys, what's a good chat/whiteboard type program? I'm thinking that having a real time chat to bounce ideas around would be fun and might possibly get me moving some more on my stories. Or, you know, we could make up some new shit. Either way, it'd probably be fun and possibly fruitful. Anyone interested?

    best thing is open canvas probably. It's free (the older versions) and there's a link to it in the artists corner. It supports chat and it has a pretty good drawing background, so the more artistic ones of the group (that have a tablet) can sketch out what the others are talking about.

    on that note. I'd be all about getting in on that. I've got some ideas for some characters and we could make a GV comic book to rival those AC fools!

    amateurhour on
    are YOU on the beer list?
  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    If I weren't so pissed with the admin right now, this is where I would pimp Shadowland solely for its chat function. But fuck her.

    Everything I can think of is gaming-related, but Open Canvas sounds fine to me.

    Anyway, I've been meaning to try out GoogleDocs sharing also. But that's another tangency.

    Crimsondude on
  • wwtMaskwwtMask Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I love googledocs, but I haven't tried any collaborative document creation on it since the beta.

    So let's set up a time to do this later in the week. I'm pretty sure I'll be available after 8pm EST from Wednesday through Friday, and probably midday till whenever on Saturday and Sunday.

    wwtMask on
    When he dies, I hope they write "Worst Affirmative Action Hire, EVER" on his grave. His corpse should be trolled.
    Twitter - @liberaltruths | Google+ - http://gplus.to/wwtMask | Occupy Tallahassee
  • MoSiAcMoSiAc Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    I never really had an idea of my own for a comic, but I've always wanted to write for deadpool, I've felt the writing has lacked in that book for a long time now, and could be done so much better.

    MoSiAc on
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  • CrimsondudeCrimsondude Registered User regular
    edited March 2008
    Sorry. Insane people not welcome.

    Crimsondude on
  • amateurhouramateurhour One day I'll be professionalhour The woods somewhere in TennesseeRegistered User regular
    edited March 2008
    wwtMask wrote: »
    I love googledocs, but I haven't tried any collaborative document creation on it since the beta.

    So let's set up a time to do this later in the week. I'm pretty sure I'll be available after 8pm EST from Wednesday through Friday, and probably midday till whenever on Saturday and Sunday.

    I'm down, and I can host if I've got some heads up time.

    amateurhour on
    are YOU on the beer list?
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