Comic Completion Month

[Bustertheclown]

Let me ask all of you something. How many of you have found yourself with a great concept, or piles of roughs and treatment material surrounding you, just waiting to come out? How many of you have said to yourself "I'd really like to try Y story, but I'm tied down with doing X right now, and X ain't gonna be finished arcing until 2009"? How many of you want to do more work, but just don't feel like you have the motivation, time, energy, or discipline to pull it off? I know I have some of these problems.

So, inspired by the very stealable concept behind NaNoWriMo, I decided comics need their own devoted month, too. I call it Comic Completion Month. (or CoCoMo, catchy eh?) CoCoMo is simple. You've got a month to come up with sixty comic pages. However, instead of focusing just on getting a rough draft done, as NaNoWriMo does, CoCoMo will be about doing FINISHED work, that is work that is deemed to be publishable by the creator. The way I figure it, doing sixty rough pages isn't exactly a challenge. Personally, I've got piles of roughs laying around. I can bust out ten or fifteen a day if I'm feeling particularly inspired. However, finished pages, meaning ruled, pencilled, inked, and lettered, that hold up to my sensibilities are a challenge to get out at any rate of creation. So, an average of two great pages a day would be a challenge for me indeed.

I have a lot or reasons to want to do this, not the least of which is the fact that I am drowning in ideas, and a very deep need to purge some of those ideas so that I can better focus on one project at a time. I figure that, for me, a single, intense but prolonged creative outburst might help. Also, being around cartoonists of varying degrees of seriousness for much of my life, I've learned that most cartoonists aren't exactly the most disciplined storytellers in the world (myself included.) So, this might be a fire lit under the collective butts of cartoonists. If you want speed, I suggest you do it quick and dirty in a 24-hour comic. This isn't a hare's race, it's a tortoise's. This is about working hard and steady to meet a looming deadline, and doing so to the very best of your ability. This is about using all of the willpower one has to maintain their focus and create a work they can be proud of in a relatively short amount of time. Put simply, this is about doing your best work ever, twice daily, for a month solid.

Just so you all know, I'm going to do this, even if everyone else in the world thinks it's a stupid idea. In fact, I'm planning to give it a try twice in 2006. I'm going to give it a test run in January, just to see how it goes while still allowing myself time to tinker with the formula, and I am now making a formal declaration that March is Comic Creation Month. Anybody who thinks this is something they want to do is invited to participate. The more the merrier. The only rule is that sixty finished pages must be started on or after March 1st, and done by March 31st. (that's right, an extra day!)

To be honest, I'm not sure of how the rule could best fit everyone. Comics are a complicated storytelling medium. As an illustrator and a single creator, I'll be focusing on more illustrative aspects to comic storytelling, and the drawing at hand. This means that, to me, things like scripting and roughing are preparatory acts that can be done before March if needed. However that disregards teams, and writers specifically, in what they do. Any suggestions in how to make this work for the most possible people? Since this is an honor system thing anyway, should I maybe just present the challenge of "60 pages - 31 days" and leave it up to the creators to figure how best to get it done? Thoughts would be appreciated.

At any rate, this thing is now a go! We'll learn as we move. You have until March to psych yourself up for this, so get ready for CoCoMo!

[McDuffies]

That sounds interesting. Right now, I can't find time to devote a month specially to comics, perhaps I'll be able to next year. Though 60 pages in 30 days would be hand to pull out, particulary I don't think I could script that fast.

[LibertyCabbage]

There's no way I could ever do 60 pages in a month with school and a job ... maybe I'll consider it when I'm done with college and I'm an unemployed deadbeat =/

[Noise Monkey]

We'll get there fast, and then we'll take it slow...

Sounds like fun. Also sounds wholly undoable for me, but I like the concept a lot.

[Kris X]

I like the idea... Hm. Possible.

[RemusShepherd]

The way I figure it, doing sixty rough pages isn't exactly a challenge.

For you, maybe. For most people this is flat-out impossible. You realize most comics only update 2-3 times a week, right? That's only 8-12 pages in a month. And requiring it be professional quality puts it even further away from people who simply cannot do professional level work.

Hell, 60 pages is more than NaNoWriMo even if you follow the 'picture worth a thousand words' fable.

The purpose of NaNoWriMo-like competitions is to get you to turn off your internal editor and let the ideas flow. I think the 24-hour comic marathon is the best implementation of that for graphic ideas.

[Ryuko]

Yeah, a month is pretty ridiculous. Although it would be nice to be the only one not doing it and therefore the only comic regularly updating. Yeeeesss... This is indeed a good plan. I think you should spread and implement it all over the world.

[Phact0rri]

in web comics we need something called comic completion year, with the same loted sixty strips.

[CJBurgandy]

I would imagin that this would go over better if it were 30 or 25 comics in a month. As much as I'd like to do 60 in a month, I know I would never be able to do it, and I know my comic doesn't take as much effort as say, GunMetal Annie does.

[Zhan_Dvega]

60 pages in one month would be heaven.

As it is, it's taken me 3 months to complete 14 pages, so... =/

[Noise Monkey]

I would imagin that this would go over better if it were 30 or 25 comics in a month.

Sounds like a grind month.

[Sopheia]

Good idea!!! I love it! It sounds like utterly impossible to me, though. I mean, I've only done 20 pages in...uh.... two years? Gods! Two years already!!??!?! I better start making more stuff. And more stuff.

Maybe there could be two CoCoMos... CoCoMo30 and CoCoMo60. For those who think 2 pages a day is far too big a challenge, 1 page a day. I'd certainly be up for it if it fall in a non-far-too-busy-doing-overtime month.

Yes, I like the sound of CoCoMo!

[Faub]

I've sort of done this once already. August 2005 I did a 22-page comic (+front and back cover). The story probably would have worked better if I'd expanded it a bit (32 or 48 pages) but it took 6 weeks to do 4 weeks of comic and seriously cut down my buffer.

Iohan and Jessica

I've got another installment of the comic worked out, but it's only 19 pages and it's very visual, almost no dialogue. It would make a great opening scene to a movie, though.

60 pages in a month? Impossible. If I did nothing else that month, I could do it, NOTHING ELSE. If I was part of a team that made the comic and I only did the pencils, MAYBE. For professional comic artists, 24 pages is a typical month and 48 pages is a grind month, though I've heard that some artists will do 3 pages a day on week days and take the weekends off. Then there are some artists who draw, ink and letter a entire page a day. 60 pages in a month is brutal.

March should be about the time I finish issue 8 so I'll see what I come up with. 60 pages? no. I'll try to get something done in any case.

[Malediction]

Sixty high quality strips sounds a bit much for most comics, I think each comic varies too much in how long it takes someone to make one strip to have a single goal for all comics. But it's a good concept, I'd participate. I dunno if I could make sixty but I'd certainly aim for it.

[Mr.Bob]

Let me ask all of you something. How many of you have found yourself with a great concept, or piles of roughs and treatment material surrounding you, just waiting to come out? How many of you have said to yourself "I'd really like to try Y story, but I'm tied down with doing X right now, and X ain't gonna be finished arcing until 2009"?

Oh yes yes! GOD YES!

How many of you want to do more work, but just don't feel like you have the motivation, TIME, energy, or discipline to pull it off? I know I have some of these problems.

Hi I'm Bob

So, inspired by the very stealable concept behind NaNoWriMo, I decided comics need their own devoted month, too. I call it Comic Completion Month.

Add a "Knitted Every year"

(or CoCoMo, catchy eh?)

CoCoMonKEY!

CoCoMo is simple. You've got a month to come up with sixty comic pages. However, instead of focusing just on getting a rough draft done, as NaNoWriMo does, CoCoMo will be about doing FINISHED work, that is work that is deemed to be publishable by the creator.

Getthefugggouttahere

The way I figure it, doing sixty rough pages isn't exactly a challenge. Personally, I've got piles of roughs laying around. I can bust out ten or fifteen a day if I'm feeling particularly inspired. However, finished pages, meaning ruled, pencilled, inked, and lettered, that hold up to my sensibilities are a challenge to get out at any rate of creation. So, an average of two great pages a day would be a challenge for me indeed.

Getthefugggouttahere

I have a lot or reasons to want to do this, not the least of which is the fact that I am drowning in ideas, and a very deep need to purge some of those ideas so that I can better focus on one project at a time. I figure that, for me, a single, intense but prolonged creative outburst might help. Also, being around cartoonists of varying degrees of seriousness for much of my life, I've learned that most cartoonists aren't exactly the most disciplined storytellers in the world (myself included.) So, this might be a fire lit under the collective butts of cartoonists. If you want speed, I suggest you do it quick and dirty in a 24-hour comic. This isn't a hare's race, it's a tortoise's. This is about working hard and steady to meet a looming deadline, and doing so to the very best of your ability. This is about using all of the willpower

...and consciousness. Doing a 24 hour comic everyday whas a slight drawback

one has to maintain their focus and create a work they can be proud of in a relatively short amount of time. Put simply, this is about doing your best work ever, twice daily, for a month solid.

Just so you all know, I'm going to do this, even if everyone else in the world thinks it's a stupid idea. In fact, I'm planning to give it a try twice in 2006. I'm going to give it a test run in January, just to see how it goes while still allowing myself time to tinker with the formula, and I am now making a formal declaration that March is Comic Creation Month. Anybody who thinks this is something they want to do is invited to participate. The more the merrier. The only rule is that sixty finished pages must be started on or after March 1st, and done by March 31st. (that's right, an extra day!)

Hooray!

To be honest, I'm not sure of how the rule could best fit everyone. Comics are a complicated storytelling medium. As an illustrator and a single creator, I'll be focusing on more illustrative aspects to comic storytelling, and the drawing at hand. This means that, to me, things like scripting and roughing are preparatory acts that can be done before March if needed. However that disregards teams, and writers specifically, in what they do. Any suggestions in how to make this work for the most possible people? Since this is an honor system thing anyway, should I maybe just present the challenge of "60 pages - 31 days" and leave it up to the creators to figure how best to get it done? Thoughts would be appreciated.

At any rate, this thing is now a go! We'll learn as we move. You have until March to psych yourself up for this, so get ready for CoCoMo!

Love the idea. But I have 4 main points that deter me:

1. 60 a month. It already takes me a full day to get a page done of a fairly reasonable quality.

2.I have never done anything I have deemed publishable, and I doubt doubling my speed will do this any favors.

3.CoCoMonKEY sounds better.

4.If I ever, ever do this I am sooo thrownoutofschool/firedfrommyjob/emotionalydestroyedbylackofsleep

[MariaAndMichelle]

Sounds like fun. Also sounds wholly undoable for me, but I like the concept a lot.

[Escushion]

Interesting concept. ****ing impossible unless you're a crap-monger.

For one, the month of March isn't exactly an ideal month. Wouldn't summer be better, at least for people in school? March is a mid-term month.

Second, if this 60 pages is for a new comic, where comes the time to do the comic you're already doing?

Third, unless you're using vector graphics, you're going to burn out. If you're drawing, you're going to be burning mental, visual, and handual (a real word, I promise) energy. People get muscle cramps in their wrists from just one 24-hour comic day. Furthermore, there's burn-out. Art quality starts to decline. Then you either burn out further redoing some of it, or you get lazy and keep pushing forward.

For the 3 weeks I have for break (I have 4, but one is babysitting, so I only have time for my regular schedule), I'll be doing one comic every day while retaining my 3-per-week schedule. That's going to take discipline enough, and I have off that month.

Perhaps if I were doing a strip-size comic, 60 would seem at least an improbably goal. I still think the comic would suffer. I write my strips and sector the panels a good month or so in advance, and in that time I'll often find things I want to change, be they simple wordings or realizing inconsistencies or thinking up a better structure, or even realizing that more comics could/should fit between the ones I've already written, as has happened twice just this past month.

It's an admirable goal, but both in art and writing there's a good chance of declining quality.

[LibertyCabbage]

Here's a challenge:

60 pages in a year.

GL HF

[Faub]

Hey, I already do 52 pages a year. I used to do 104 but .... well....

[Escushion]

It's not that I can't sympathize with the idea; I fully support the desire behind it, but it just can't feasibly be done while still running another comic. I too have ideas for another comic, but unfortunately doing this kind of project just isn't in the cards.