Excuses

Still working on story ideas. Between work and outside impediments, I have not had too much time to commit to the cause this week. Even though I won’t be able to put it online anytime soon, I started some rough sketch page layouts. Bottom line, one page of Nobody is blocked. I am still piecing some other ideas together. My objective for this weekend (if I can turn to this at all) is to create a satisfactory design for Primal’s initial adversary.

In other regards, I have been doing a bit of copyright research. Not that I am terribly concerned as such, but it is nice to know that your work is protected. It also helps to know what is public-domain, and what is not. As it is written, "nothing is new under the sun." And I like the idea of using certain well-established characters in new ways. One name that everyone will recognize is Prince Vlad III Draculya, although his face will be quite different than the ones usually portrayed.

Storylines

Ok...so there is not much advancement in regards to aquiring the necessary hardware to produce digital issues, as personal duties have kept me busy. That said, I actually have a number of storylines in the works.

I have three stories I am primarily focusing on. Two involve characters that have been on paper for years. Both are co-created, and were originally used in gaming sessions.

Primal: A ruggedly charismatic mutant who was raised in a laboratory. Escaping in hopes of finding out who he is and where he came from, he finds himself in a world he doesn’t know or understand. His powers include: heightened senses; healing factor; retractable claws; and prehensile feet.

Nobody: No one knows who the one called Nobody is, or isn’t talking if they do. As a metamorph, no one knows what he truly looks like either. All that is known is that he escaped from a scientific facility that had bonded his DNA with multiple alien species. Though slightly mentally unbalanced, he is mostly harmless.

Another co-created character that may appear down the road includes Bloodline. Here is an early sketch I did a few years back.

Hmmm...with some minor exceptions, he resembles Primal...I wonder what that could mean?

At any rate, that’s all for now.

Peter David and special thanks

My reference library is expanding. Earlier this week, I bought a book on writing specifically for comic books and graphic novels. Written by Peter David, it gives easy use tips and advice regarding everything from types of narration, to dealing with (the inevitable, as David puts it) accusations of plagiarism or “ripping-off” of ideas. It also turns out that I am a huge fan of his works.

I recently became aware of his name as writer/creator of the revamped X-Factor team (Marvel Comics; X-Factor no. 75+) which is one of my favorite line-ups. Upon picking up the book, I see he has worked on a large number of my favorite titles. So I did a bit more research. He is also a co-creator, and the original writer for Spider-Man 2099. A wonderful character who was original enough to stand on his own as a character (not just a knock-off), S-M 2099 is now gaining new fans as one of four storylines in the newest Spider-Man video game (the jury’s still out on whether I will get it).

In regards to webcomic progress, I am still researching scanners. I am having a hard time trying to find one that has the features I want, and is available in stores. (I don’t want to have to have it sent to our leasing office, or mail it if there is something wrong with it) A real pain is that selections of 11x17 inch bed scanners are nonexistent in most stores. Once I can get this figured out, the next step will be to look for stylus pads.

I already have a book that lays out using Adobe Photoshop CS for digital page production, and while I need a home-version of this software, it is easy to get, and fairly cheap compared to other programs I have looked at.

Character and story ideas are slowly flowing like the first sap from tapped maple trees, but I think these building blocks will create some great stories. I may post some character and story information in the future, but not today. I will try and make older stories and concepts available later as well.

In regards to a number of super-characters, they were co-created with my best man, Rob. Special thanks to him and Evil who have helped provide inspiration, advice, and even hammered some ideas into form. Rob gets bonus points for help with naming. He is an encyclopedia of comic names.

In the Beginning...

In an effort to re-ignite my creative flame, I am undertaking a conscious effort to begin writing and drawing again. My ultimate goal? I am going to try my hand at webcomics. It is a costly venture that seemed less so at the inception. As I read more, I am creating a list of need items, and eventually-need items. I fear it shall be some time before I am ready to create actual issues.

I have not written seriously since college, nor have I done more than a dozen or so sketches in the last five years. I have been feeling pent-in lately, and am hoping that allowing my spirit to fly in other worlds will make the current cubicle existence more bearable. My primary inspirations lie in fantasy, science fiction, and superheroes. We shall see what the future holds.