Archive for ‘blog’

12 items.

Anyone can create a comic book workshop

by Delusion on July 29th, 2010
Posted In: blog, blog, musings

What are the how-to’s of writing a comic book.  Scott McCloud’s books take a look at comics and focuses on breaking them down. What makes a comic book and how does it work? In the course that I am taking at the Open Center with Barbara Slate her approach is different. She is having us do a plot chart and character bible. She also has us working on drawing moments,  and ‘seeing’ what the story would look like on cut outs so that we can move the pieces around to see what works or does not work for the story. The feedback and critic are spot on and help for productivity.
The only thing that I am struggling with is getting her to teach us rules. In a six page layout, what should each page consist of to move the story forward?

Maybe it is the scriptwriter in me, but I want to know that by page fifteen all my main characters need to be introduced, the conflict/inciting incident established and a turning point is happening or about to happen. The one thing that I enjoy about scriptwriting, believe it or not, are the rules. I learned this best when working as a teacher in video production. By giving the students the limit of five minutes of air time for their segment, it pushed them to be more creative and find ways to tell their story within that time frame.

This is what I can not seem to find in writing for comic books, rules. I want to know that the splash page should introduce the audience into the world and the story with as few images as possible. I want to know that page one should not only further introduce the characters, but also the inciting incident or that by page three there should be a turning point and page six the cliff hanger. I have asked our instructor, several times and I do not think that she understands what I am asking or maybe there are no rules? Maybe it’s because she’s learned comic book writing through a different route then a creative writing program, she learned it in the field by going from greeting cards to comics to animation. She’s learned it hands on, which is also her teaching style. This is something I can appreciate since much of what I have learned as a web designer is self taught, but there is something to be said about learning from theory and about the ‘structure’ or ‘rules’ of things. It lends to the adage, “Learn the rules, so you know how to break them.”

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Less is more…

by Delusion on June 23rd, 2010
Posted In: blog, musings

I took another look at the panels that I put together and I will be deleting a lot of the moments in the panel, first to go is the crime scene. It’s not needed.

The dialogue is also really bad. I can do a lot better, but have not hashed it out yet. I am realizing how much less dialogue is needed for a graphic novel then for a screenplay or stage play. Both, a screenplay and stage play, rely heavily on the auditory experience.

I’m finding with a graphic novel, the visual is key and works best in conjunction with the visceral relationship between each of the moments in a panel. The text really needs to be exact and precise, completely adding to the moment and the overall panel. Especially for a story like this one that is about the action and plot.

My mentor has been really pushing me to sketch out the panels and I am starting to understand the reasoning for it. It’s like video editing, every moment tells it’s own story but when you string them together a whole new meaning can be developed or it is realized that because of the visceral experience less is needed to tell the story. It’s why a cut in a movie or the jumping of images in graphic novel work. That instinctive understanding by the viewer who fills in all the gaps.

I think this semester I’m going to go back and reread Walter Murch’s book, “In a Blink of an Eye.” I really enjoy this book because it tries to answer the most basic and most important question a person working with images to tell a story needs to ask, “Why does a cut work?”

I feel this would help with a graphic novel because when it comes to the understanding and meaning of images strung together to create the wanted story, an important question to ask is, “why these two images next to each other not work to tell this story?”

So little time, so much work to do, but I’m looking forward to working on this again for this semester.

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Where will “The Question” go when Batwoman gets her series

by Delusion on June 12th, 2010
Posted In: blog, musings

In April, after two Eisner awards, it was revealed that DC would give Batwoman her own series. Then it went quiet. There is no news of a launch date and there is also no news in general about what is going to happen next. Which has me wondering about the second run part of the current Detective Comics which follows The Question, who is now Renee Montoya.

I’m really enjoying this series and the characters. What pulls me in even more is the fact that the plot is exploring a human rights issue, human trafficking, specifically of women.

When a graphic novel takes the time to tell a good story with strong, solid art while getting the reader the think beyond the page, I’m hooked.

As a reader, I don’t want to just be entertained or impressed by the art, though sometimes its nice to not have to think. But, I want to be engaged in the story. I want to possibly learn something from the story. And while it is fiction, bridging an issue like human trafficking is important because at least it exposes the reader to the issue.

So, I really want to know and if there is anyone out there who can tell me… Is Renee Montoya, The Question, going to follow Batwoman to be a part of the new series?

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Twilight is Angel, Angel is Twilight?

by Delusion on May 31st, 2010
Posted In: blog, musings

Spoiler alert. Gods, goddesses, faster than a speeding bullet super powers, another Apocalypse on its way and the topper, Twilight’s Angel. That about sums up the four part issue called “Twilight.” One of the part’s even included a cosmic fuck between Buffy and Angel that could be heard around the world. One that sends them to Eden and creates a new universe, not a very creative orgasm metaphor. Oh and wait there’s one more surprise, Spike; thus, the four part issue was the come back of Buffy’s lovers. The issues were a four part disappointment to nowhere.

The Scooby gang of the comic series has not grown or developed, but instead seem to be going in circles. All that’s needed now is for Tara to be pulled out of her dimension and returned to Willow then the circle would be complete. The four part issue of Buffy’s season eight comic series is not what I hoped for as a lead up to the season finale.

The art work for the four parts was solid, even the creative placement of objects for the sex panels of Buffy and Angel. The four parts even lacked the confusing appearance of the characters that occurs in some of the previous issues. One issue featuring Willow had me guessing through each page if the character was Willow or not, in both the writing and the art. There is only one issue left for season eight which is due out in September and the issues for a season nine have been approved, but I may have to give up reading them.

None of the stories in the series since the television show have any solid character development beyond the same old Scooby gang. The TV show ended with an opening for all the characters to go in many different directions and to grow beyond being the Scooby gang, but the comic series just doesn’t seem to have done anything with the opportunity. Even the one plot that had me intrigued, which was about the future Willow killing Buffy, didn’t reveal or lead to any new layers.

The well of Buffy has runneth dry.

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LGBT characters, the new trend in graphic novels?

by Delusion on May 5th, 2010
Posted In: blog, musings

Willow went from prime time to graphic novel as one of the first openly gay characters in a graphic novel when Joss Whedon keep Buffy going with his season eight series. In the series, even Buffy takes a foray into lesbianism. Then Batwoman releases as the first main superhero character to be openly out and now will have a series all to herself. New to this trend, Archie and the Justice League are adding new characters to their list and, guest what, they’re gay! So folks out there with stories featuring gay characters step up, it seems to be the ‘in’ thing to do.

My bigger question is will Hollywood jump on the bandwagon since they work so well with DC and Marvel? Will they be willing to step up and have an openly out gay superhero like Batwoman? An even bigger question for both graphic novels and the film industry, will the conflicts involve gay issues?

For example, the comic Archie, I can’t quit remember the exact location but from what I do remember it isn’t a big city school. Thus, the schools new gay mascot must be the talk of the town and that comes with a whole set of issues. It would have been an even toucher subject if the character was a teacher rather then a student. Batwoman has definitely bridged some issues and has done a smooth job with not going over the top. What I mean is she’s Batwoman and Kate Kane first and being a lesbian is just one aspect of the character rather than her lebianism being the focus of the character.

In the end, it is all just a new way for them to spin the same stories of love and discrimination that if told correctly will create a character that is relatable regardless of race, gender or sexuality. It’s a trend the LGBT community should be cheering, after all, its a step towards acceptance.

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Possible episodes for K2 graphic novel

by Delusion on April 28th, 2010
Posted In: blog, annotations

Here is the possible ten episode plot layout for K2 Investigations. From this plot layout came the ideas for the mock-up of the first page that has been created.

Episode One – Introduction of the K2 Investigations and characters. The first case will jump into K2 Investigations most current case and will introduce the characters Kassandra Kinkade and Xochitl Eva Mateo. The case will reveal pieces of the main characters back story, but will mainly be about their organization, what they do and how they work to solve crimes related to LGBT issues and clientele.

Episode Two – This episode will dig deeper into the character and back story of Xochitl Eva Mateo. It will reveal the reasons of how she first meets Kassandra Kinkade and her starting K2 Investigations. It is these reasons, the search for her parents killers, that fuels her work with the agency. It is also because of her parents that Xochitl feels the need to help others through the private investigations company, she wants to live up to her memories of them.

Episode Three – This episode will cover the back story of Kassandra Kinkade through a case that hits closer to home more then she would like, when Theus Alastor, is held by homeland security for being a terrorist. Her mentor may not only have been made by their previous boss, but she now has to deal with the U.S. government and corruption. If she does not get Theus released and back underground it would mean that both of them would be killed by Acario Panagakos.

Episode Four – In this episode, K2 Investigations current case deals with a government agency and their discrimination against a masculine lesbian employee. K2 is hired by the employee’s lawyer to help get evidence of the discrimination against the employee while on the job. This case will start to reveal information that about Xochitl’s Father and his work. This will episode will start to change Xochitl’s feelings about her parents and the work they did.

Episode Five – Kassandra Kinkade disappears in this episode and for the first time Xochitl works with Theus Alastor to help find her. Xochitl, who thought she knew her friend well, learns more of K2′s history then she’d even known before. By the end of the episode, when Theus and Xochitl uncover her whereabouts, Xochitl is not longer sure if she can trust K2.

Episode Six – It’s PRIDE and K2 Investigations is celebrating by having to solve a disappearance case after a festive Pride party on the upper east side at Xochitl’s penthouse turns sour. In this episode, it will be the first time that Xochitl becomes aware that her feelings for K2 have changed. K2, however has become even more distant and detached than is normal even for a character with Aspergers.

Episode Seven – In this episode, Detective Foster has had enough of K2′s meddling in his cases. He starts to dig up information about the agency and its owners, one of which he has meet, Xochitl and the other he has never meet before Kassandra. This episode will be light and fun, it will give readers a chance to see Xochitl and Kassandra working together after the rocky relationship from previous episodes because of their common enemy, Detective Foster.

Episode Eight – Ties between Acario Panagakos and the pharmaceutical company that Xochitl’s Father worked for become apparent. The irony of the Xochitl and Kassandra seems less ironic as Xochitl starts to suspect that Theus and possibly Kassandra have something to do with her parents death. She turns for Detective Foster for help.

Episode Nine – The conspiracy thickens when K2 Investigations is seized by Homeland security and all employees are taken into custody except for K2 who was able to secure herself in their panic room. She goes undiscovered as the rest of the agency is taken over. She has to spend days secured in the panic room, till finally she caves in and destroys Alchemis, the AI she’s built, to escape.

Episode Ten – It all comes together and ends. Xochitl learns of her Father’s research and why he and her Mother were killed for his discovery. She learns that it was not K2 and Theus who murdered her parents. It was the pharmaceutical company, but K2 and Theus were sent by Acario Panagakos to protect his investment in the pharmaceutical company. Xochitl learns in the end, that Theus and K2 set out to protect her and escape from Acario Panagakos.

This is only one possible direction for the story and as I get further along in the writing, it may change as I get to know and understand my characters better.

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