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Friday, September 17, 2004
Wow, almost a year since my last post at this site. How time moves along so...
Anyway, due to intensive amounts of peer pressure, I have returned to write here again. However, I'm not entirely sure what I should talk about, so it looks like I'll just have to start someplace and see where I end up.
What the heck, I might as well talk about something relevant: the comic. Yes, that thing that should be posted here instead of our long-winded ramblings. As the guy responsible for building the story (with some suggestions taken from the other three, of course), I guess I can speak about my area of expertise some. Perhaps you're wondering what stage we're really at, considering there has yet to be a single comic presented to the public. Well, though this may sound rather hollow with me just saying it, let me assure you anyway that we do have the makings of something pretty darn good. I mean, hell, we've already put this thing off for about two years... we'd damn well better have a kick-ass comic to show for it, regardless of whether we were actually working on the project full-time or not. On top of that, I already decided long ago that I'm unwilling to settle for a story whose pieces don't fit together perfectly from start to finish. That's just how I am. I've seen and read stories that have a fabulous sense of breadth, depth and cohesiveness, and I would feel miserable if I was responsible for the creation of something that lacked this.
So where are we in the story-production process, then? Well, have all of the basics complete: the world and its history, main characters (and at least good ideas for their backstories), and a main plot line/direction from start to finish. However, a comic built from just these basics would be rather bland and probably unappealing to most, myself included. What I really want is something solid, where there is complexity without pointlessness and drive without push. And, perhaps most importantly, I think it is very important that the characters are inseparably linked with the plot itself. In essence, I want to create a story where no piece can be removed without screwing things up on some level. And trust me, this is very, very difficult to do; it's all too easy to fall into object-oriented programming mode and build a story with a bunch of separate parts that are all essentially independent of one another, regardless of how interconnected they may look at first.
Hmm... I seem to have started using my long-speaking skill again, where you get five words for the price of one. Basically, I want to create an epic story that people will read because it friggin owns, not just because it's something to read. That's all I really wanted to say.
Ok, so I mentioned that we've got the basics down. However, it's not like we don't have a lot of other stuff, too. In fact, though we keep coming up with things to add, the first book of the comic is probably 75% planned (FYI, there are three books, each representing a major plot arc). The trouble is, expectedly, getting all the cross-linkage between substories finalized without knowing for certain how we're going to implement some of the things we plan on. I've often likened story construction to solving for multiple variables with just a single equation, and as analogies go it's a pretty accurate one. For those who haven't taken a stab at being an author, it's a pretty crazy experience that you really ought to try out.
Anyway, back to the comic as the outside world will know it. The truth of the matter is that we do have enough finalized material to carry us quite a ways, and if we weren't all lazy bums when it comes to drawing we would probably have many months of comics up for viewing. However, since that's really what we are, before we start in earnest I figure we might as well have a firm understanding of exactly what happens as the story unfolds, not just concepts but "and then they go here and this happens" sort of stuff. Much as I am a fan of the conceptual, abstract art has proven that working with concept alone doesn't make for anything pretty.
And that's really all I have to say about that for the moment. Maybe I'll post again a year from now and we'll actually have a comic that the world is reading.
posted by Devast8or 4:52 PM
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