I need Some Help

PDI · Post by **PDI** » Sun Dec 31, 2000 1:13 am

First: keep your current account. There are a few sites here where the comic and the account are different names, for all sorts of reasons. If you get really into it and register a domain name, your account name doesn't matter, anyway.Keep the characters you're attached to. Keep the friends you're attached to. If you use your friends, either get their permission or (better) mix and match qualities among them enough so no one person will be able to unequvocally say "That's me you're writing about" and possibly get offended when he slips on a banana peel or strikes out at the singles bar.If this makes you cast huge, either trim it down or look on it like a soap opera -- the cast is huge, but they only focus on a few characters at a time.Decide what sort of a world you want ... reality-based does not mean you can't place it in space, or the past, or an alternate universe, or a chopping-block or Boxjam-like small-focus universe with physical laws only a little different from our own.That's my advice.That, and seek unicorns in the roaring surf and gnomes in rocks and elves in the forest. Just don't tell your shrink.------------------
Scott Maddix
<A HREF="http://PDI.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>Psychic Dyslexia Institute:</A>
Where we all have special special powers

Zortic · Post by **Zortic** » Sun Dec 31, 2000 7:35 am

You know, I believe it was Tumbleweed theatre that was running as a successful comic when the artist decided to add a new character. That character became instantly more popular than the previous storyline and the whole tone of the comic changed. Eventually even the name of the comic changed to "Popeye".I suggest you try a gradual change. Introduce some of the new characters and if they really feel right to you, they'll take over the strip weather you want them to or not.Hope this helps.Mark Mekkes------------------
visit Zortic at: <A HREF="http://Zortic.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>http://Zortic.keenspace.com</A>

Zapjones · Post by **Zapjones** » Sun Dec 31, 2000 7:46 am

Thimble theatreAnd I agree with Mark.KOWTLT,
Caleb------------------
no, wait, don't go, it's not ready yet <A HREF="http://zapjones@usa.net" TARGET=_blank>zapjones@usa.net</A>
<A HREF="http://zapjones.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>zapjones.keenspace.com</A>

Matt Wilson · Post by **Matt Wilson** » Sun Dec 31, 2000 9:33 am

I ended COMIC!!! in August as some people already knew. I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to do, because I wanted to cartoon, but I knew I couldn't continue to draw that hideous pile.I had been drawing my Merlin's Crew characters since 1994, and even though they were already in COMIC!!!, I felt it wasn't enough. They deserved their own comic.I took time to write out the plot, general descriptions of each "episode", and then even a couple of gags that I definitely wanted in there, as well as serious scenes. A lot of it was brainstorming as I went along(as I did with COMIC!!!), but much more organized. I had everything ready to go, from the alien threat to the physical manifestation of a goddess to the Complete Purity project to the physical and mental conflicts within and between the heroes themselves.

Gecco · Post by **Gecco** » Sun Dec 31, 2000 10:56 am

As anyone who ever read my comic (Saving the World) knows, I haven't updated it in almost a month and no word was heard from me. That's because I was getting a little bored of drawing a comic all together, so I took some time off to think. Now I want to start drawing again, but I'm not sure if Saving the World is what I want to draw.I've always wanted to draw a reality based comic about my friends and I, but I didn't think it would work till a couple weeks ago when I made a lot of new friends. Before that I thought it would be boring.But i've also grown quite attatched to the characters I've invented, and I don't want to give them up, but I'm just not as motivated to drawing them as I once was.Starting a new comic would also be like starting over, having to sign up for everything again, getting readers hooked all over again and so oneso, what I wanted to ask is should I start a new comic, continue the old one or just give it up all together? All replies would be greatly appreciated and would probably help me keep what little sanity I have left at this point------------------
Saving the World- an online comic strip
http://savingtheworld.keenspace.com

IceMania · Post by **IceMania** » Sun Dec 31, 2000 11:51 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Originally posted by Gecco:
As anyone who ever read my comic (Saving the World) knows, I haven't updated it in almost a month and no word was heard from me. That's because I was getting a little bored of drawing a comic all together, so I took some time off to think. Now I want to start drawing again, but I'm not sure if Saving the World is what I want to draw.I've always wanted to draw a reality based comic about my friends and I, but I didn't think it would work till a couple weeks ago when I made a lot of new friends. Before that I thought it would be boring.But i've also grown quite attatched to the characters I've invented, and I don't want to give them up, but I'm just not as motivated to drawing them as I once was.Starting a new comic would also be like starting over, having to sign up for everything again, getting readers hooked all over again and so oneso, what I wanted to ask is should I start a new comic, continue the old one or just give it up all together? All replies would be greatly appreciated and would probably help me keep what little sanity I have left at this point<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Well I half understand your problem, the current cast of my comic, Icelandic Mania is only temporarly until I get a scanner (When I was starting I thought the scanner at my school would be working, but it didn't). So when I do get one, I will be showing new characters, nothing related to the one I'm drawing now, but still using the name Icelandic Mania, I will just have to put up a special archives with my current cast when that happends. So my suggestion is, if you can, maybe you should start over, or you could just use your current account, use the same name, but come with a different comic. Just prepare your readers under it first.IceMania------------------
Visit the Mania and <A HREF="http://icelandicmania.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank>be maniated be really maniated</A>Also check out his stories at <A HREF="http://icelandicmania.keenspace.com/Mylair.html" TARGET=_blank>his lair</A> Brought to you by Askre...err IceMania...errr Hermann...Ah just the crazy Icelandic werewolf who lurks the contrieside of Iceland.

Deathbringer · Post by **Deathbringer** » Sun Dec 31, 2000 12:58 pm

Well,i dont actually read it but maybe a good idea would be to base your characters actions of stuff that has happened in real life-that way its (kiiiinda) reality based-but also keeping the original people-well thats what i do-squaresoft only gave me the names,looks and pasts,the rest is all me!
(except for the cameo's-and that lame star wars ripoff i did)------------------

1000th member of the keenspace.com forum! (not that im rubbing it in or anything)"Thank you for the toilet paper
who needs this flag anyway?
look around-were all people
who needs countries anyway?"
-dead kennedys 'stars and stripes of corruption'<A HREF="http://members.fortunecity.com/deathbringer666" TARGET=_blank>Insanity plea(se)</A> -It aint chibi and it aint kwaii-this is 100% ANARCHIST!

Tim Broderick · Post by **Tim Broderick** » Mon Jan 01, 2001 9:15 am

You know, it took about sixteen years for me to come up with Odd Jobs. No kidding. I did a weekly adventure strip in college called Duffy O'Neil - about two maintenance workers on a space station who use their knowledge of the station to pull off a drug heist from a guarded police lockup. They hide the drugs some modified solar panels. It was a cool story.I did another kind of reality-based story that never saw the light of day. Then nothing. I knew I wanted to cartoon, but there was no market, no way to get readers. But I kept turning ideas over in my head until I came up with Odd Jobs.I guess what I'm saying is, take your time and let your ideas develop. Until then, it's the web! Keep the same site, but experiment with the form. Russ Williams over at Ko Fight Club has a great time just cartooning. When he want's to do a story, he does. But he doesn't worry about interrupting that story with a random cartoon. Anyway, don't cartoon yourself into a corner. Have some fun with it and give your ideas time to develop.And as long as you've got the domain already, you might as well gather it all under your current title.------------------
Tim Broderick
Someday, all jobs will be<A HREF="http://oddjobs.keenspace.com" TARGET=_blank> Odd Jobs</A>

Gecco · Post by **Gecco** » Mon Jan 01, 2001 11:04 am

thanks for all your suggestions, and now that i think about it, I believe I "drew myself into a corner" with my current comic. I came up with the idea too fast and I didn't think about the characters enough and came up with ones that would only work in certain situations.So, I think what I'm going to do is just start over, make a whole new comic and use all the knowledge from the mistakes I've made to make this new comic even better.------------------
Saving the World- an online comic strip
http://savingtheworld.keenspace.com