COMIC: The Adventures of Kanira Baxter

[BionicDance]

The Adventures of Kanira Baxter by Kate Fahr
http://kanirabaxter.comicgenesis.com/

The Adventures of Kanira Baxter is a classic old-school Space Opera in on-going serial form; it features the title character and her crew aboard their spaceship, the White Knight. Their mission: bounty hunters with hearts of gold, rescuing the helpless, bringing villains to justice. Yet in her heart of hearts, Kanira has always dreamt of being a scientist, an explorer, a discoverer of new worlds and alien cultures...



If I were to pitch this story in movie terminology (the classic, "It's Predator meets Terms of Endearment!" style), I like to think of it as the ship and crew from Firefly in a Star Wars style universe, with Star Trek's mission, a Babylon 5-esque plot-arc, all glossed over with a kind of NASA-meets-The Jetsons visual style. It's done entirely in CGI (3D Studio MAX and Photoshop) because that's what I'm good at (I can only sort of draw, and don't bother asking me to paint...trust me).
As of Oct 25, 2009, I've got 67 pages up, 84 made and queued, with more on the way; I could use some readers. Comics go up Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday.

[BionicDance]

Oh, incidentally...regarding the title...

I thought long and hard about that one, believe it or not.
Originally, the story was much more tongue-in-cheek than it is now, and I'd intended to give it a really long and messed up name like a bad 50s movie or 80s video game. We're talkin' "The Leather Goddesses of Phobos" or "Cat Women on the Moon" here. Or, heck, "The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension". Actually, it wasn't all that bad, but it was long: "The Adventures of Kanira Baxter and the Search for Planet X". (Try fitting that into a banner ad, neh?)

When I decided to not be quite that cheesy, I seriously thought about dropping "The Adventures of..." along with everything else; a title starting that way is so trite these days, and it would just blend into all the other titles out there. However, part of the fun of this comic (for me, anyway) is evoking that old-school Space Opera vibe, the "Flash Gordon" and "Buck Rogers" kinna feel, and having "The Adventures of..." in the title does give off a certain amount of "Tune in next week, faithful readers!" kind of 40s/50s serial vibe. And I wanted that; sci-fi has changed in the last 20 years, and not for the better in my never-humble opinion.

It's possible that I OVER-thought the title just a smidge. But even though I'm having trouble attracting an audience, this comic means a lot to me; I was a year-and-a-half old in the summer of 1977, back when a little movie was released called "Star Wars"...I grew up in the wake of the Star Wars saga taking the world by storm, and boy-oh-boy did it ever leave an impression on me. Star Wars was made with the same idea in mind: to be another old-school sci-fi serial type of experience, and that's what I'm trying to do with "Kanira Baxter"...and so "The Adventures of..." stayed, after much soul-searching and deliberation.

I'm just sayin'...

[Darkdetective]

very cute idea. I like it. Unfortunately, i'm not a big fan of cgi comics. Not any fault of your own, but every comic I've read for the past 19 years have been drawn by hand. I just can't get used to seeing a cgi or live action picture with speech bubbles. but thats just me. Still, I'm willing to give it a try. bet it lets you crank out comics faster.

[BionicDance]

Oh, boy, does it EVER let me get the comics out quickly!
Granted, if I ever need to build a new set or a couple of new characters, it can take a while...but I've built in a one month lead time just for such occasions.

If I were able to draw by hand, I probably would...but...well, let's put it this way, these are my two best hand-drawn pictures ever:



Pretty much everything else I've drawn has been worse, some of it complete poop. And don't even get me started on what my backgrounds look like, or how awkward it gets if I try to make two characters touch each other; I'm just not built for that kinna art. But CGI and I get along really well; it's my medium, it really is.
But trying to get music and hold onto actors long enough to animate this story on a shoestring budget? Not gonna happen. So after lettering a friend's graphic novel, I realized I could do my story as a comic instead, and The Adventures of Kanira Baxter was born. In all honesty, telling the story is the important part for me, more so than the art...but the art's also very important, so you can imagine how much the story must mean to me.

But I can't really fault you for not wanting to read a CGI comic; I find myself wanting to run screaming when I find yet another anime/manga-style comic, so it'd be hypocritical of me to get on someone's case for not wanting to read a comic in a style they don't care for.
Still...I've had folks not on this forum--mostly real-life peeps--tell me that after a few pages they just stopped noticing that it was CGI and got into the story. So...well, it's possible to get to that point, apparently.

Still, thanks for giving it a try. If you got at all far with it, I wouldn't mind hearing what you thought about the story, but s'okay if you didn't. Thanks again!

[Alias Pseudonym]

Um, your CGI people scare me. Giant eyes and all that.

>.<

[BionicDance]

Um, your CGI people scare me. Giant eyes and all that.

>.<

People say that to me a lot...and yet, ANIME is more popular than ever.

[Menelaos]

Um, your CGI people scare me. Giant eyes and all that.

>.<

People say that to me a lot...and yet, ANIME is more popular than ever.

Anime is popular the same way that Twilight is popular. They both have extremely loyal fanbases that are so devoted that the creators could get away with doing anything and their fans would still love it. Anime has produced some of the best stories I have ever heards, while at the same time spawning such crap that it temps me to tear out my eyes when I see it.
Anyway, your character models could use some work, but trying to make your comic look better, in your case, could get extremely expensive quickly. If you are using Maya, which is what I think you're using. I would try to make them more realistic, at least as much as you can w/o spending a small fortune on hair programs and the works. They almost look a tad bit anime at first glance, small chins and big eyes. Your human characters almost look a bit like Greys (aliens). That can be fixed easily without new software.

[BionicDance]

Anyway, your character models could use some work, but trying to make your comic look better, in your case, could get extremely expensive quickly. If you are using Maya, which is what I think you're using.

3D Studio MAX.

I would try to make them more realistic, at least as much as you can w/o spending a small fortune on hair programs and the works.

I'm not going for realistic. In fact, that's something I specifically wanted to avoid. So many people are doing CGI as realistic as possible these days, even if it's only proper physics or hair on otherwise cartoonish characters, and, darn it, it seems as if they're doing so at the expense of style, limiting themselves to what's expected of them rather than choosing their own style, even if it's not 100% state of the art.
I understand the temptation to use all the bells and whistles on a program, but...that's a temptation to be resisted sometimes, in the name of style.

They almost look a tad bit anime at first glance, small chins and big eyes. Your human characters almost look a bit like Greys (aliens). That can be fixed easily without new software.

New software? I'm not sure how you figure...unless you're thinking that I used a program that generates characters rather than making these myself.

Anyway, it's the story that concerns me most...which, as yet, nobody has commented on.

[Darkdetective]

Well, I read it, and found it original and entertaining. It's no Firefly, but its still early in tha game. I like your writing, but my complaint it in the art. Yeah, not a big fan of CG comics, but I got over it. The problem I have is with the characters' eyes and arms/hands. The eyes seem too big. Yes, I know you're going for a sylized look, but I still find the big eyes a little too creepy. And the arms/hands just seem a little to stiff sometimes. Otherwise, great comic. Keep up the good work.

Btw, have you considerd trying making an animated short film based on your comic? I mean, you have all the models and everything. Why don't you only update like 2 or 3 times a week, and use the extra time for working on a 5 minute short. You could finish it in like, a year or somthing, but it'll be a great advertising tool. Just a suggestion.

[BionicDance]

Well, I read it, and found it original and entertaining. It's no Firefly, but its still early in tha game.

Excellent, thanks.

If you read the OP, you know how I like to describe the comic in movie terminology, the whole Firefly/Star Wars/Star Trek/Babylon 5/Jetsons/NASA thing I said...it's definitely early in the game here in terms of plot-arc; the Pelak IV mission, for example, is significant in ways which have not been revealed yet...not sayin' anyfin' else.

I like your writing, but my complaint it in the art. Yeah, not a big fan of CG comics, but I got over it. The problem I have is with the characters' eyes and arms/hands. The eyes seem too big. Yes, I know you're going for a sylized look, but I still find the big eyes a little too creepy.

I d'know if there'z just something different about me and how I perceive these things, or what, but I'm having a really hard time relating to this criticism.
Don't get me wrong, I want to understand it, but I'm having a hard time empathizing; sure, their eyes are nothing like normal, but I'm just not seeing them as "creepy". I see them as, hrm...cartoonish, if anything. Can you, perhaps, elaborate a bit?

Anyway, I just completed my 89th page; for the sake of continuity and my sanity, I don't see how I can change the look of the characters, not without it being a major production or a major break in continuity, so...

And the arms/hands just seem a little to stiff sometimes.

Now, this I freely admit I struggle with; you're totally right. Working on it, but, yeah, I don't always succeed.

Otherwise, great comic. Keep up the good work.

Thanks!

Btw, have you considerd trying making an animated short film based on your comic? I mean, you have all the models and everything. Why don't you only update like 2 or 3 times a week, and use the extra time for working on a 5 minute short. You could finish it in like, a year or somthing, but it'll be a great advertising tool. Just a suggestion.

I've been thinking about making a Kanira Baxter trailer...but making an actual short is something I don't really think I can do. Not in terms of the animation--it would be time-consuming but I have done that sort of thing before--but more logistically.
For one thing, I'd need actors, and I broke enough to be unable to pay 'em; sure, there'z folks on the intarwebz who'd probably do it for free, but...ehhh...
For another thing, my story is a serial arc rather than a day-by-day comic; if I didn't complete the animation in time for it to fit into the story-arc, it could be a problem. I suppose I could solve that by doing a prequel...that's what one of my favorite webcomics, Angels2200 did with their live action short, Mitsabi's Dream. Guy who runs that one is an internet buddy of mine; he'll appreciate the plug, I'm sure. *grin*

Interestingly, I HAVE animated with these models before, though I recolored Kanira's model and called her "Sandra" instead. I'm part of the YouTube atheists and critical thinkers circle, and for a while I was running an animated series called Rational Station. Here'z probably the best of those episodes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwFoLVciG6w
So I do have kind of a proof-of-concept as far as animating with Kanira Baxter models is concerned...but one of the reasons I decided to do Kanira Baxter as a comic was to tell the story quicker than animation would ever let me. It's a great idea, and if I had a budget and a staff, I might produce an animated version, but...ehhh...no.

[Alias Pseudonym]

It's because the rest of their faces don't look cartoony, they look relatively realistic. But then the eyes are enormous. If you look at anime people, they have tiny noses and mouths and the outlines of their heads are very smooth and simplified (except for good anime that aims for human proportions but hey whatever.)

I don't think changing the look of the characters would be a continuity thing. Drawn comics often change art styles drastically over time and it's not a big deal.

[Menelaos]

It even changes dramatically in the first few months. Anyway, I don't think anyone would ever say improvement isn't a good thing. Besides, just a tad bit of realism can go a long way in making the animation less distracting to the overall comic. Making the eyes more proportional to the face won't ruin your style, but it will make your characters look more like humans and less like "Greys."

[BionicDance]

Anyway, I don't think anyone would ever say improvement isn't a good thing. Besides, just a tad bit of realism can go a long way in making the animation less distracting to the overall comic.

But I'd have to agree that it's "improvement", or that "realism" is necessarily one of my goals.
I mean, I've been in situations where I've had a person go, "I don't like that shade of blue you used. You should use a lighter shade of blue," when I chose that shade of blue deliberately, and I prefer that shade of blue quite a bit to what they're suggesting. And then I'd have to choose between my intent and my audience...that's a hell of a predicament to put an artist in.

Making the eyes more proportional to the face won't ruin your style,

I'm not so sure about that. In all honesty, I've grown quite attached to the look, myself.

but it will make your characters look more like humans and less like "Greys."

...the comic is set in space. Looking like Greys is not entirely out of the question, here.

[NaniNani]

I think everyone's right when they say the eyes should be fixed. They look less like eyes and more like sunglasses with big bug eyes painted on them, making it look like the only facial expression they have is the wide eyed stare. So I would say tweak the eyes a bit so they fit better in the head (Study both real and animated eyes to see how you can create realistic but still exaggerated eyes), and use the eyebrows more to help portray a wider range of facial expressions.

P.S. And eyelids. They need eyelids.

[BionicDance]

One thing I'm noticing is that it seems mostly just the people HERE who seem to have a problem with my characters' eyes; non-artists really don't seem to mind too much.
Also, I've animated these character models before, and NOBODY seems to mind at all when they're animated. Not sure quite why not.

Regardless, I'm significantly more interested in what people think of the story and the universe it's set in than what people think of my characters' eyes; that's the part that I really care about and all anyone wants to discuss is their @#$%ing eyes.

[NaniNani]

Mmhmm, mmhmm, story and universe are important, but few will care about that if the artwork is off-putting. TaoKB could have the most amazing soap opera on the internet, but it doesn't matter if no one will read your comic because the art is awkward and uncomfortable.
Your artwork is awkward and uncomfortable. It has more style and effort than many, probably most online cgi comics, and has the potential to be great, but it's still awkward and uncomfortable. It's stiff, textureless, and your anatomy is out to lunch. If you want your comic to be good you'll have get down and study, maybe even learn to draw a bit, as drawing and good cgi go hand in hand.

Your style seems to be exagerrated, elongated bodies. They look a little alien, and that can work, as it's a space adventure and all, but it needs tweaking. Clamp's Tsubasa Chronicles is famous for their long limbed character designs. Study and see what they're doing right that you're doing wrong.


And a picture of Tinkerbell with large, exaggerated eyes. Even though they're very large they still do not take up the entire face. And remember that the space between the two eyes should be approx. one eye in length.

As for your writing, from what I skimmed I've seen much better and I've seen much much worse. It's a bit cliche and Kanira's an obvious Mary Sue, but it could be worse. Be warned though that later if you decide to put any of that anti religious stuff in (As what's in your eye roll inducing videos), try to keep it subtle. It's quite a turn off to see people's characters spouting verbal diarrhea about their beliefs, religious or non or anything.

When you're done grinding your teeth thinking about what a horrible random internet person I am, take a deep breath. You have potential. You just need to work on it. Accept constructive criticism into your life.

[BionicDance]

As for your writing, from what I skimmed I've seen much better and I've seen much much worse. It's a bit cliche and Kanira's an obvious Mary Sue, but it could be worse.

You know, I take exception to this. Hell, I take exception to your whole attitude, your obvious antagonism, but I definitely take exception to this; by no means is Kanira a Mary-Sue, by any stretch.

She's a bit of a goody-two-shoes, I freely admit that, but by no means is she a Mary-Sue.
She's not considered uber-special by everybody, she's not anybody's love-interest (willing, unwilling, or mega-crush), she's not the best of the best at anything, she's not hunted or haunted, she doesn't have wings (literally or figuratively), she's not perfect (hell, one person she intended to keep alive has already died on her watch), she doesn't have powers (magical or otherwise), she doesn't have any particularly special physical traits, she's not famous or infamous...
I could go on, but the fact is that Kanira simply doesn't fit the definition of a Mary-Sue, not any of them which I've been able to find on the internet. Maybe you're objecting because Kanira doesn't fit the dark-and-grim mold preferred by so many these days, instead being more of the sci-fi hero we might be more familiar with from the 80s, much lighter, more upbeat fare. In terms of vibe, at least, Kanira is more Luke Skywalker, Alex Rogan, or (original Galactica) Apollo than, say, Batman, Riddick, or Rorschach. Maybe in your world, that makes someone a Mary-Sue. or maybe you just don't know what a Mary-Sue actually IS.

But I definitely take exception to that characterization of Kanira. At MOST, she might be something of a self-insertion; I'm definitely guilty of using her as a mouthpiece for ideas or opinions. But that's as far as it goes.
The universe itself might be a bit of wish-fulfillment; nobody was making the kind of fiction I want to see, so I felt the need to make it myself.

Be warned though that later if you decide to put any of that anti religious stuff in (As what's in your eye roll inducing videos), try to keep it subtle. It's quite a turn off to see people's characters spouting verbal diarrhea about their beliefs, religious or non or anything.

Yeah, see, if you're going to be openly antagonistic like this, is there any reason I should listen to ANYTHING you say? It's pretty obvious to me that you're starting out from a negative position, and that colors every opinion or piece of advice you might offer. Why should I listen to anything you say when it's obvious you're predisposed to hate it all anyway?

When you're done grinding your teeth thinking about what a horrible random internet person I am, take a deep breath. You have potential. You just need to work on it. Accept constructive criticism into your life.

Maybe when you start offering some, I might listen.
And maybe it's not the advice you offering, maybe--just maybe--it's your presentation. You come off arrogant, obnoxious, dismissive, and frankly, unwilling to listen to anybody but yourself. But clearly it's everyone else's fault for not listening to you, huh?

[Darkdetective]

I do agree with NaniNani about trying to force anti-religious beliefs down someones throat. Sure you have your own beliefs, but when it comes to religion, it pays too keep quiet. I myself am a very religious person, but you'll never see me telling a Christian his religion is wrong, even if I believe it so. (In fact, Judaism doesn't allow missionarys. So long as you're a moral person, who cares what religion you are? You'll go to heaven anyway.) . Family Guy just annoys me every time it tries to force anti-religious beliefs on me, and I lost a friend who became an atheist because all he did after that was try to force his beliefs on everyone else. It seems to me most atheists can't control themselves when it comes to this, and simply must make everyone see things from their point of view. The problem is, this just increases animosity toward you. To avoid fights and arguments, the best way to avoid angering or annoying people, is to avoid talking about these three things: sex, religion, and politics. Those are hot-button subjects that best be avoided.

Just saying. Ofcourse, if you want attention, and possibly start fights, by all means. Its a free country. Just be careful who you offend. Radicals exist in every religion.

[Alias Pseudonym]

A Mary Sue is basically just a character that lacks flaws. Typically they will have some 'flaws' but they will never matter to the story and half the time we never actually see the flaw, it's only informed. In a romance a Mary Sue will have pretty much every character fall head over heals in love with them, in an action story they save the day and beat the bad guy effortlessly... and you don't find them much in other genres. But it's not the fact that everyone loves them or the fact that they save the day that makes them a Sue, it's the lack of flaws. (Deliberate flaws that is. Bella from Twilight being the most shallow, self-absorbed person in the universe doesn't stop her from being a Sue because she's not meant to come across as shallow.) And a good character doesn't have to have many flaws, and honestly they can be more quirks than anything else.

Magic and wings and stuff are just things that people tend to glue to their character to make them more impressive. If the character has wings or a tail or superpowers and nobody else does that's a warning sign but doesn't mean anything if the characterization is good.

If your writing fanfiction there's a more specific definition I think but in general writing it's just a kind of bad characterization. I haven't read your comic through so I can't tell how good the characterization is, but if it's even passable you probably don't have any sues.

Honestly, I think the idea of Mary Sue is not such a great one and worrying about it is as likely to lead to bad writing as not worrying about it.

[Mercury Hat]

It seems to me most atheists can't control themselves when it comes to this, and simply must make everyone see things from their point of view.

That's about as fair as saying that most Christians will try to convert you . They won't, it's just that the ones who are most vocal about it are ones who'd try to convince you of this or that. At any given moment you're surrounded by more people who don't give a crap about your personal beliefs enough to talk to you about it.

But you're right, if you don't bring it up at all you likely won't get into a debate about it. I can't remember the last time I told anyone my personal beliefs or had someone tell me theirs.