Comic Ideas & Questions

[Suicune's Fire]

Ideas and Questions
For your comic!

Hey, everyone! I thought that if anyone wants to share any comic ideas that they have and want some feedback, they should post here! :D

Don't be hesitant to toss around your ideas and ask for opinions on it. I'm sure people'd love to hear what you've come up with so far. You can discuss plot, characters, the actual dimensions of the comic page and panels, etc!

And if you're keen to get to work and start producing a comic but want a partner, feel free to ask here. :]


I am wondering about actual comic page sizes... I've seen many different dimensions for a comic page, but I'm wondering about actual panels, and how people decide to place them. Is it just random, or do you do a sketch and then make the panels fit around that? :] I'm not sure, haha. I suppose everyone does it differently!

[XaiakuX]

Hey Xanthe, wanna draw a comic for me? I suppose I could alter it from People to Pokémon. But I have an entire storyline mapped out for it. I just can't find the patience to draw it. xD

[Suicune's Fire]

Interesting question, Caleb!

Yiissss as I cannot do people. On that note, I want to get started on my own comic soon so I dunno if I'll have the time to draw someone else's comic for them. xD How long is it gonna be?

[XaiakuX]

Well, consider my desire to be a novelist who has a 6 book story swimming around in his head (completely unrelated to the comic).

This comic is meant to be long and enduring. To tell multiple stories that tie together quite frequently. Something enthralling, yet easy to keep up with. Stories of real life situations and embroidered in nonsense to keep the readers entertained. It's heavily mapped out, all I need to do is put it on paper, and then have someone draw it. xD

Although, I suppose if I want to collaborate with you, I could come up with something easy and fun. Because mine requires a bit of time and dedication. It'd be a project. But I'd be willing to compensate monetarily for anyone actually interested in drawing it. xD

[VeloJello]

Yes hi hello I am here to talk about comics.


I am wondering about actual comic page sizes... I've seen many different dimensions for a comic page, but I'm wondering about actual panels, and how people decide to place them. Is it just random, or do you do a sketch and then make the panels fit around that? :] I'm not sure, haha. I suppose everyone does it differently!

This is a very wide subject honestly. I planned, when I was writing my comic, for dimensions something like 8.5"x11" (making things really large and high resolution just in case). While I was thumbnailing (which is basically making a smaller version of the layout for planning purposes to those who don't know), I had a 3x3 grid on each page, and then I edited the panels based on said grid, using no more than 9 panels per page. I don't really recommend that though - most comics use less panels than that; I only have three characters with not much detail to show, so I feel like I can afford a little bit of crowding. Successful comics never randomize their layout; no matter how many panels an artist uses, they have to have rules and structure and proper flow or else the whole thing falls apart.

As for ideas, I've got several swirling around in my head for a whole plethora of projects, most notable being one that I'm planning on launching pretty soon - Spark. The long and the short of it is that it's a 26-or-so-page graphic short story about kids who shoot lightning and fight a giant wolf monster. The whole thing is somewhat metaphorical for certain personal struggles I've gone through in the past, mostly for anxiety disorder. I have the cover and designs already, and I'm in the earliest stages of page production now, hoping to start actually posting content - probably concept art moving into actual pages - in January. I'm also in the late planning stages for an Emerald Nuzlocke, which I hope to get on its feet sometime around March - a year after the thing's completion would be very suiting.

I also have some other, freeform ideas for a larger undertaking whenever Spark's run its course. I want to do some sort of fantasy thingy with lots of flying characters fighting/being hunted by monsters because those are my weakness. But most of what I've got right now is pretty amorphous. XD

[Rival Max]

I don't use a specific size for mine..maybe it would look better if I did. When I was in college I helped work on a show that featured three different stories by three didn't teams. Each week we had two items we had to use that would appear in each of the shorts. Maybe you could do something like that. Get a common theme and have a couple artist jump in and submit there version of it.

[Suicune's Fire]

In that case, XaiakuX, I'm gonna have to politely pass. ^^; I have far too many projects of my own to dedicate myself to someone else's. Especially since I wanna do some comics. x) Hope you find someone, though!

That's really awesome to know, Velocity! :D I suppose it's all personal preference. And I like the sound of Spark, and the other one you're planning! Good luck. :]

Nah, Dredd, your comic's success has nothing to do with the page sizes! I don't mind the fluctuation. :] It's refreshing and suited to each story's length. Also, that theme thing sounds awesome. O: Giving people items or themes to include and then working off that. Cool idea. x)

[Suicune's Fire]

Sorry to double post but I have a background inquiry. I have trouble with backgrounds as it is, for some reason. I can't even begin to understand how I should be drawing backgrounds in comics. =/ Nekomata PTGigi how do you guys do it? I especially have trouble with nature stuff, like being in Viridian Forest for example. I don't know how to use cool brushes or colour schemes or anything. :c

[PTGigi]

Suicune's Fire I mostly use the default brushes actually. Occasionally I've tried using special brushes but they usually look to fake to me or out of style. Colorwise I just pick something that I think looks like the color I want. I'm told I usually have a more colorful palette, but honestly that's unintentional I guess XD And as far as backgrounds I honestly still consider myself figuring that out as well. I change up how I do them every few pages and especially every landscape. I really don't even know how to begin explaining D: I guess I just start with the stuff furthest back and move forward. So sky, background (mountains, forest, whatever is just the blobs of color in the back), basic ground, and then whatever details are up front. I also generally start with blobs of color then make them more detailed as well. Heavy gradient use, especially on skies and large areas of ground.

[Suicune's Fire]

Well that helps a little. xD Thanks for explaining that. Even just letting me know to start with the further back stuff helps. :] I suppose I'll have to figure things out for myself.

[Rival Max]

Sorry I have not been really active in this section. Not as much as I would have liked. I dont really know what you people are talking about so..lol

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

Never done a comic but when I was doing this map, I used textures to make it look more interesting.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v669/pokemontrainersarah/celestiamap.png

Even the sky is a texture/seamless background thing XD

So basically I coloured it all and then took a texture like these (http://seamless-pixels.blogspot.com.au/) (make sure it's seamless if you have a big space to fill) and made it a pattern on photoshop and then filled the layer above where I coloured it and set it to 30% opacity or something. Not sure if that's helpful but I found it makes big blank-ish spaces like in backgrounds more interesting than just plain colour. xD

Suicune's Fire

[Darken]

Hi everyone.
I'm Darken, a FF Writer looking for a partner to draw a big pokémon comics (were big means I'm actually an idiot who wrote 140+ chapters of his fanfiction and I'm still halfway through). Probably no one will answer this but at least I should try, am I wrong?

Some little notes:
It's a Pokémon FF with only Pokémon characters. It's a really well known story in the italian FF fanbase (or at least so they told me, I don't check that);
It has more than 400 positive reviews on the italian FF site EFP, and even more on italian forums.
I would really like to show you the english version, but I have only the italian one http://www.efpfanfic.net/viewstory.php?sid=2634034&i=1
Hope someone is interested.

Sorry for the bad english, really.

[EmeraldSky]

I had an idea to transform some Pokemonized folktales into a comic, but I can't draw to save my life.

The tales would be framed by Ash, Misty, Brock, and Serena around a campfire, which Brock serving as the narrator for the stories (and sometimes breaking the fourth wall to comment on the stories)

[Rival Max]

I had an idea to transform some Pokemonized folktales into a comic, but I can't draw to save my life.

The tales would be framed by Ash, Misty, Brock, and Serena around a campfire, which Brock serving as the narrator for the stories (and sometimes breaking the fourth wall to comment on the stories)

That sounds pretty cool! I personally suck at drawing anime people but this does sound do able.

[EmeraldSky]

The other Pokemon cast, including Brock and his listeners, would also play characters in the stories.

Only problem is, I can't draw to save my life, so I'm looking for an artist I can collaborate with--I write out the basic script, s/he draws it.

The tales are more than Pokemonized Cinderella and Snow White--they include tales from all over the world and lesser known variations on tales we know.

[Pokemon Trainer Sarah]

The other Pokemon cast, including Brock and his listeners, would also play characters in the stories.

Only problem is, I can't draw to save my life, so I'm looking for an artist I can collaborate with--I write out the basic script, s/he draws it.

The tales are more than Pokemonized Cinderella and Snow White--they include tales from all over the world and lesser known variations on tales we know.

That's a really cool idea! I hope you find someone to collaborate with!

[EmeraldSky]

Pokemon Trainer Sarah Well, any interested parties can drop me a PM and we'll go from there.

[Rival Max]

Pokemon Trainer Sarah Well, any interested parties can drop me a PM and we'll go from there.

I would love to help out with this..:/ I just dont have the time with all the other stuff im doing. My comic is suffering a lot because of my double jobs as is.

[EmeraldSky]

If you can't help me out directly, you can always leave me feedback on the pages, or suggest artists I could ask

[Suicune's Fire]

I'm thinking of posting my Pokemon x Mass Effect Nuzlocke adventure comic, but I don't know how many people here are Mass Effect fans. I know a few of you are, but even if people aren't, would you be interested in reading a Mass Effect-related Pokemon comic? Really it's just a Nuzlocke...but with ME elements thrown in. I started it, like, two years ago and only got about three pages in. XD I've been working on it more and more lately, though. I'll probably post it here but I'm always hesitant to in case I stop updating...haha. Which is bound to happen eventually but I don't want it to either. :C Just always happens with stories...and comics...and everything I do. *cries* BUT THE POINT IS. Just wondering if anyone will respond to this. Lol.

[EmeraldSky]

I'm wondering if there's anyone out there that would be interested in doing a series featuring Pokemonized folktales in comic form.

I have several possible frames for this sort of series:

--a group of Pokemon (or the anime cast) waiting out a very long rainstorm or on a campout
--a mother Pokemon telling her child a bedtime story
--a performer (most likely Brock, but a Pokemon performer may work too) telling them on the stage.