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SporkBot comic
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Female crime-fighting duo comic
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Neither
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Total: 1 voters.  Total votes: 1.  Max items per vote allowed: 1.
 
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Opinions on Ideas


I've been mulling something over the past month or so:

I had a conversation with my friend Marie, and during it, she mentioned I should take a shot and try and make my own comic. I'm taking this as a sign *points upwards* for several reasons I won't get into now, but I'm thinking I might go for it. I know Mach mentioned before that it's not exactly going to be a cash cow, but hey, it'd be more than I'm making now.

I've been telling myself for weeks, that I'll start on something "on Monday", and I never do, because I keep getting distracted or discouraged. Marie has had SOME experience in webcomics, and from the many times I've brought up comics in our talks, she thinks it's something I should go for. I'm still depressed and have all of no confidence in myself, but that hasn't stopped me from having certain ideas.

Now, I could poke around deviantArt, look for artists that have a style I could see working, then asking them if they'd be interested. I could look online or at the library for literature on the subject of how a webcomic site would work. But first, I should decide what to write about...

I've got two ideas. One may be a little egocentric, and the other may be tricky (you'll see why in a moment). My question, is which seems more interesting to you all. Which sounds like stories you might be interested in reading about, if I could only do one?

First, is taking my ideas for a SporkBot animated series, and just converting those stories to comics. Essentially, it's a guy that fights crime with puns and wedgies, wearing a low-tech suit of armor. While he enjoys putting on a laugh while crime-fighting, he's got a chip on his shoulder, out-of-armor, when it comes to most people, including his brother, a widely accepted and beloved hero. A down-to-earth guy that will sometimes face situations beyond the norm, that he didn't think were possible.

Second, I would essentially create two characters that may or may not have certain resemblance to ones that've gotten dissed by a certain rebooted comic company. I think you know who I'm talking about. One likes carb-loaded breakfast discs, and the other wasn't terribly chatty for a while. I've got story ideas that would work only for them, and I figure expy-characters would be the next best thing. I've got ideas for more original backstories. Enough changes that I can avoid a lawsuit.

So, if I were to go through with this, and decide on a comic to write: which sounds more interesting?

---

6/7/2014, 10:26 pm Link to this post Send Email to SporkBot   Send PM to SporkBot
 
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Re: Opinions on Ideas


I'm going to be honest. Don't expect to make much money on it... In fact, don't expect to make any. If you're going to do this, then do it for the love of it, and not the money. (Because there is none.) But whatever project you end up doing, here's a lesson that I was reminded of a week ago. Basically it's a lesson in "DON'T DO THIS!!"

About a week, right after I got home from the first of my many trips to move to Pennsylvania, I got this PM in my message box from some dude on TFW2005. I omitted the name but lemme just copy and paste it for you so you can see first hand the errors he made here.

quote:

Mach,

I just saw your Cap Annual #8 TF cover, and it blew my socks off! TOO cool!

I'm actually a sci-fi writer turned comic scribe, and always on the lookout for cool art. Moreso, though, I want to work with people with whom I see eye-to-eye, and if your DA's Space Ghost and Star Wars offerings are anything to go by, sir - that's you!

I read on your DA that life is busy for you - that's fine/totally understood. I also read you're already working on a comic, which is obviously what I'm here to ask you to do. You must be too busy to, but...

-- wont' you, anyway?

I love the character in your artwork, despite the simplicity of the G1-influenced style! I think if we can put it together with my storytelling, it'll be a crazy win. I can't draw, but I'm even doing storyboards these days, which should take a lot of the burden out of finally realizing pages, right?

I'm not just proud of myself - I think we could really gel and create something special. I've been writing science fiction for nearly a decade, and comics for 5 years. I always write with visual opportunity in mind, and regularly consult with the artist concerning what he or she would like to draw. I love the collaboration aspect.

So - what do you think? I've got stories about a mecha pilot army commander who starts off like Steve Rogers and ends up all dark and angry like The Punisher. I've got one about a robot planet where every robot unknowingly has a human hooked up inside them, Matrix-style, and our protagonist is out to uncover the truth. I've got more robot stories than anyone could shake a stick at, and would be more than happy to script up a wholly original one to whatever specs you wanted.

Just let me know - I'd love a chance to work with you, or at least discuss some possibilities.



(For those that don't know what the Cap Annual #8 TF Cover is, it's THIS picture.)

Now can you spot everything this guy did wrong?

Let's break it down, shall we?

quote:

Moreso, though, I want to work with people with whom I see eye-to-eye, and if your DA's Space Ghost and Star Wars offerings are anything to go by, sir - that's you!



Yeah, I have ONE Space Ghost picture and FIVE Star Wars pictures on my DA account. And they're all Slave Leia or Togrutas. (And two of those five aren't really all that good!) I literally have more pictures of Misfit from DC Comics than I have of all those things combined, not counting the countless Kim Possibles, Batgirls and Optimus Primes. He obviously did not look that far into my gallery.

quote:

I read on your DA that life is busy for you - that's fine/totally understood. I also read you're already working on a comic, which is obviously what I'm here to ask you to do. You must be too busy to, but...

-- wont' you, anyway?



This guy is lucky I didn't reply back with a "!@#$ off."

quote:

I love the character in your artwork, despite the simplicity of the G1-influenced style!



Some artists actually find the simplicity of the G1 style refreshing.

quote:

I think if we can put it together with my storytelling, it'll be a crazy win. I can't draw, but I'm even doing storyboards these days, which should take a lot of the burden out of finally realizing pages, right?



You have NO idea how a comic is made, do you?

quote:

I'm not just proud of myself - I think we could really gel and create something special. I've been writing science fiction for nearly a decade, and comics for 5 years.



I've been writing sci-fi for fifteen years, and doing comics for what will be twenty years as of this Friday.

quote:

I always write with visual opportunity in mind, and regularly consult with the artist concerning what he or she would like to draw. I love the collaboration aspect.



That's good to know, seeing how that's EXACTLY WHAT COMIC PRODUCTION INVOLVES!!

quote:

So - what do you think? I've got stories about a mecha pilot army commander who starts off like Steve Rogers and ends up all dark and angry like The Punisher. I've got one about a robot planet where every robot unknowingly has a human hooked up inside them, Matrix-style, and our protagonist is out to uncover the truth. I've got more robot stories than anyone could shake a stick at, and would be more than happy to script up a wholly original one to whatever specs you wanted.



My brain just died. If you're going to pitch a comic to an artist, try not pitching some fanfic that I wrote back in high school twenty five years ago? And the robots with people in them? That's the !@#$ Go-Bots. I wrote that fanfic too.

What I'm trying to say is... When you approach an artist, don't do what this asshole did. :)

---


6/9/2014, 3:35 pm Link to this post Send Email to MachSabre   Send PM to MachSabre AIM
 
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Re: Opinions on Ideas


Having said that, when hunting an artist, make sure that's what they're into drawing... Because they'll be drawing it a lot. I worked with someone not too long ago, who seemed to think that I enjoyed drawing nothing but boring !@#$. Make sure you cater to their interests.

---


6/9/2014, 3:37 pm Link to this post Send Email to MachSabre   Send PM to MachSabre AIM
 
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quote:

MachSabre wrote:

I'm going to be honest. Don't expect to make much money on it... In fact, don't expect to make any. If you're going to do this, then do it for the love of it, and not the money. (Because there is none.) But whatever project you end up doing, here's a lesson that I was reminded of a week ago. Basically it's a lesson in "DON'T DO THIS!!"



The love is the biggest part of this. And a smidge of hatred (DC COM-IIIIIIIIIICCCSS!...I miss Dan Vs.). And a bit of "I've oodles of time on my hands and no other discernible skills."

I know I'm not gonna be rolling in dough, but at best my name would be out there, with the right advertising/marketing (one reason I tried losing weight the last time, was in anticipation of creating a SporkBot suit and walking around 'cons in it. Though I don't think they'd let me in with a metal shield, so...).

quote:

What I'm trying to say is... When you approach an artist, don't do what this asshole did.



So I should go with plan C (for chloroform)...understood.


---

6/10/2014, 12:08 pm Link to this post Send Email to SporkBot   Send PM to SporkBot
 
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Re: Opinions on Ideas


That would be preferable. :)

---


6/10/2014, 1:32 pm Link to this post Send Email to MachSabre   Send PM to MachSabre AIM
 
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Little bit of an update on this, not much, but...

Still mulling the possibilities of these stories, and I've come to the conclusion that I'd like to do both. In fact, put them in the same universe, and the same city. Maybe have one crossover issue of title. I think it'd be fun. I couldn't think of a decent name for Sporky's city for the longest time, but for the other title? It just kind of popped into my head and I ran with it.

Here's the thing, though: I'm thinking I may want to submit the ideas to publishers. Fact is, I need an actual job, and I'm hoping that, if my summaries are good enough, I can get something going at Dark Horse, Dynamite, Image or Avatar Press (though the last two seem to require artwork with writing submissions, and I still haven't approached any artists). If one of them likes the ideas, maybe I can get some money coming in again, and move without returning to Pick 'N' Save or retail in general. I wouldn't call them nightmares, per se, but since I've quit, I've had numerous dreams about being back there.

I'm thinking that I'd start off with "SporkBot: The InAnimated Series". I've got more story ideas with that one, in the form of episode synopses in a series bible (remember, I original conceived it as an animated series. If I turn at least each "episode" into one or two comics, then that's a minimum of about 70 issues right there (that's to say nothing of story ideas I've had since, or any I might have in the future). Then I'd go with what I'm titling "Hope Strikes", as I'm figuring that for an impactful limited series (I just don't know how many issues it is yet). Short, sweet, and poignant.

Cannot !@#$ focus to save my life.

I've got the "Hope" summary more or less done (six pages), but the Sporky one is a little trickier (I've been adding ideas to this for a long time. Like, before moving to Wisconsin, long time). Dark Horse, as an example, wants pertinent details, but they also want it succinct. Cool, understandable, but there's just so much in the SporkBot series, it's hard to keep it short.

So, yeah. That's what I'm trying to do.

---

10/9/2014, 4:22 pm Link to this post Send Email to SporkBot   Send PM to SporkBot
 
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Another update! YAAAAYY!

Clawing through some self-doubt and tearing myself away from binges on Glove and Boots (...mostly tearing myself away), I've spent the past few days (a bit longer than it should've taken, admittedly) breaking down each issue of my "crime-fighting girl duo" comic. Tentatively it's 25 issues (likely because I have a thing about numbers divisible by five...totally uninteresting story).

In a perfect world, it'd run side-by-side with SporkBot, but I'm no further on that...because I suck. So I may submit the Girl Duo first. Summary is done but may need more polishing (on top of adding issue breakdowns). I don't draw well, but I may try sketching the main character's costume, just to get the idea across. Or I could try using my Ms. Marvel or Batgirl figures as models and...well, reduce the bust line a bit.

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1/5/2015, 7:45 pm Link to this post Send Email to SporkBot   Send PM to SporkBot
 
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Okay, so...bullet bit.

I submitted "Hope Strikes" to Dark Horse. Technically, I sent out the material they require today. Took me long enough, I know.

So, yeah. There's that.

And now we wait.

---

2/20/2015, 2:31 pm Link to this post Send Email to SporkBot   Send PM to SporkBot
 


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