Advice on getting started with a webcomic

Purplefeltangel · Post by **Purplefeltangel** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 11:59 am

Hi!

For about a year now, I've been developing in my head the idea for a manga story. It's a Sailor Moon parody (not really a doujin or fancomic; it's a parody of the entire magical girl genre but specifically Sailor Moon) about this little girl who becomes a superhero. (Gasp! What an original idea.)

Anyway, I don't want to say much more about my story. What I really want to know is, from people who have comics already, what motivated you to get off your butt and start drawing the story? Plus, specifically for manga-style artists: How on Earth did you get used to the complex style of panels used for manga?

This might belong in the Help forums but it's not Keenspace-specific, so I thought it could go here.

Thanks for any advice anyone can offer!

~Cupid

K-Dawg · Post by **K-Dawg** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:06 pm

I can say for me the reason I decided to do my comic was because the ideas kept bouncing around my head every day. I usually have tons of ideas for comics but never really act on much because they go away after a while; but Angry kept staying there so I knew I had to do something about it.

For what you were saying about the panels, there's no difference. You're on the net do the panels however you please; so long as people understand which panels they need to go to next.

Purplefeltangel · Post by **Purplefeltangel** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:08 pm

It's kind of important for the story for it to look as manga-like as possible. How many manga did you ever see with full-page comics, but panels that are perfectly square and linear -- and how many magical girl comics did you ever see that weren't manga? I'm definitely not doing "strips" here; as much as this is a spoof, I want to show off my art.

The Chill Clan · Post by **The Chill Clan** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:28 pm

I don't know if my comic counts toward that genre but I draw because when you love what you do it never gets old. Plus I'm insane, that's gotta count for something. 8)

Phact0rri · Post by **Phact0rri** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:32 pm

well its not really manga, most "page sized" comics from all countries use non uniform panel sizes. Though I have read comic for a good many years I never really concidered drawing a comic, actually I had given up drawing for a long time before I decided to draw a comic, and well my comic (it has both page style panels as well as uniform panels (matters the time of the month), though I think that the pattern and form of them in the page style layouts are a not so complex. but instead makes drawing a bit more fun.

I tend to start with a script basically stating a rough idea of what each panel will look like. then how the panels are supposed to be I draw a thumbnail that the page lay out will look like. then with a ruler I set up my page as appropriately.

The best advice, I can give you is, don't feel like you need to copy another artists page style (or art style at all) look at the story you are telling on each page, and just let it flow. if its an action scene bigger over lapping panels might work. but for conversation a primary "unform panel row" might work.

Usually in manga, they use what I like to call the "flux" panel for action. that is, you have bunch of squares resembling a concrete shape then when a dynamic or "high energy" shot comes into play they throw it outside of the of the normal flow. its jarring and shows the energetic and "off the cuff" action form.

however expermention is your best friend. do small sketches of your page s before you draw them, so you can play around with how it should look before you get down to really drawing them out.

good luck on your comic!

Dutch! · Post by **Dutch!** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:35 pm

I was told I was going to do one with a mate. I sent a message back to him saying 'bullshit!' because I was in the middle of teaching the kids. Twenty minutes later I emailed him the first picture of Casper (I'd been working with the characters in a story already, but I won't drag that out again) along with the words 'bastard!' and it kind of went from there...100 comics later and...I now have to produce three times a week...

I think I was duped...

War · Post by **War** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:42 pm

ARGH!
Manga is the japanese word for comics! We call them manga to differentiate them from western comics! There are no set rules for them, they're just comics! You can lay them out anyway you feel like. And if I see another English speaker do the right to left thing, I swear I'll find out where they live and kill their pets.

Toxic · Post by **Toxic** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 12:42 pm

My advice about working with a co-author? Don't. It's nothing but anger and resentment.

Faub · Post by **Faub** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 1:11 pm

War wrote:ARGH!
Manga is the japanese word for comics! We call them manga to differentiate them from western comics! There are no set rules for them, they're just comics! You can lay them out anyway you feel like. And if I see another English speaker do the right to left thing, I swear I'll find out where they live and kill their pets.

Sort of what he said but less with the killing of the pets. I don't mind seeing original manga translated into English but left in right to left order. I can still read it. Rules of Make Believe is a good right-to-left manga written by an English speaker (though English IS her second language and you can tell by reading).

On the other hand, Deity Permit (if Soap will ever start it up again) and Saturnalia are both good left-to-right manga-style comics done by English speakers (though I THINK Space Coyote is Japanese-American).

If you insist on doing a manga style comic, please try to be true to yourself. If you don't live in Tokyo and have never been there, don't speak the language and really have no connection with the culture except through Sailor Moon, don't set the story in Tokyo and make the characters blatant rip offs of the American versions of the Japanese characters.

There is some dojinshi on Keenspace (And Shine Heaven Now) and it is very popular. Whether this is a side effect of being a Hellsing fan comic or whether it's that good I can't say because I haven't read it. (The Gaia Online button at the bottom of the page might have some connection to this.) But seriously, you're not proving anything by making a fan comic. The characters aren't yours. The storylines aren't yours. They're copies out of another author's book and modified to suit your needs. What's the point?

I don't feel the need to read And Shine Heaven Now because I have the original Hellsing mangas. I wouldn't care to read a Sailor Moon comic because it simply wouldn't have the same power as the original.

You've said you wanted to make a parody comic. Sparkling Generation Valkyrie Yuuki is probably the best example of a good parody comic online. The story and characters are original and the magical girl elements are present only to be made fun of. The character is often very un-magical-girl-like.

Do what you want. It's your comic and your characters. Just do us a favor and make them your characters. Don't steal someone else's.

As for inspiration:

I started reading Errant Story and while the art was pretty good and the story was okay, the execution left something to be desired. I thought, I can do better than this and started working on my comic based on ideas I came up with years ago. After two years I still have yet to reach the point where Michael Poe was two years before I started with Exploitation Now. 8) Since then I have found comics like Dominic Deegan, Queen of Wands, Intershadows, Zebra Girl, Jack, Elsie Hooper, and others that have given me something to shoot for.

Be honest with yourself. What are you strengths? Write and work out the characters before you start your comic. Get to know them. LIKE THEM. Read as much as you can and then present your characters to the audience to the best of your abilities. The more work you put into this the better the outcome will be. Don't worry if you don't feel adequate for the job. You will improve as long as you stick with it. Enjoy what you're doing and your readers will enjoy the results.

Post by **Mercury Hat** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 1:32 pm

What faub said.

And Space Coyote is Canadian, not American

.

Kris X · Post by **Kris X** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 1:34 pm

In the words of Nike....

Just do it.

I saw a Keenspace site, I clicked to the Keenspace page, I saw that I could make comics and I joined. Then during waiting time I created a huge buffer and I've been hooked ever since. Once you start getting reader and people pay attention, it becomes a stronger motivator. Just make sure you enjoy it, first and foremost.

Nyke · Post by **Nyke** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 2:22 pm

Kris X wrote:In the words of Nike....

Just do it.

I never said that. I have said "Fuck off and die!"

...oh, that Nike.

Joel Fagin · Post by **Joel Fagin** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 4:08 pm

War wrote:ARGH!
Manga is the japanese word for comics! We call them manga to differentiate them from western comics! There are no set rules for them, they're just comics!

Yeah, and nice means "precise", cool means "cold but not that cold", apple is another word for "fruit" and green's a colour rather than a political persuasion.

Language evolves.

- Joel Fagin

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 5:04 pm

Yeah, all said above...

But a bit more schematically, if you want:

1.Make artist decisions like what format you'll use, bw/greyscale/rasters/colour, font, etc.
2.Write a story
3.Take paper
4.Draw frames
5.Draw pencil
6.Ink over the pencil
7.Erase pencil, scan, format the image, letter, etc...
8.Repeat 3-7

Oh, and somewhere in between, spare time to set the account on which comic will be published.

PrincessJen · Post by **PrincessJen** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 5:09 pm

suck up to everyone

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 5:21 pm

There are only a few people worth sucking up, none of them really visits this forum.

Faub · Post by **Faub** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 6:42 pm

Mercury Hat wrote:And Space Coyote is Canadian, not American .

I was only off by a whole country. Nothing special.

(For some reason I thought she was from California. Weird. I guess it makes sense because her being Canadian would increase the chances of her knowing hard personally rather than being online acquaintences but then I have already proven I don't know what I'm talking about so *shrug*)

Wp · Post by Wp » Fri Feb 18, 2005 7:00 pm

Isn't Canada the 51st state?

*runs*

Dr Legostar · Post by **Dr Legostar** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 7:05 pm

I haven't actually gotten motivated enough to get off my butt and start drawing, but the comic started with me making the first one and people actually thinking it was funny, and then i made a few more, and my friends liked them so I just started making five a week and eventually got a keenspace account and the rest... well actually that's all there is no "rest."

If you have an idea you love, just go for it however feels natural, the lovely thing about the internet is that there are no real rules of any sort.

The Neko · Post by **The Neko** » Fri Feb 18, 2005 9:53 pm

War wrote:ARGH!
Manga is the japanese word for comics! We call them manga to differentiate them from western comics! There are no set rules for them, they're just comics! You can lay them out anyway you feel like. And if I see another English speaker do the right to left thing, I swear I'll find out where they live and kill their pets.

War, you are my hero.