web-comic news

OK, so I've started really playing with the concept art for a web comic that I could draw myself. Its the stick figure style in previous posts but its a bit more refined now. A few issues arose while doodeling though that I still need help on and might requisition the aid of sean tomorrow.

1) chicks. I cant really mage gender apparent yet, without drawing awkward boobs and or huge lips.
2) Hands. Cant quite get 'em the way I like them yet, but practice will change that.

I'm getting to the point where I need to decide on what exactly I'm going to do with this once I'm done. I suppose I could just re-start the old web-comic and maybe either re-do the first few strips in this new style, or maybe just pick up where the last one left off?
I mean they're so different I should probably just start over I guess. I mean I only got up to like 10 strips anyway so it would be entirely possible for me to just do that again. But then that Raises other questions like the Ogre character. Origonally the main cast was going to revolve around the main character (who I never named) the Ogre (who was named Krog, but I might change because the name is really similar to the demon on VGcats) and a zombie that never made it into the comic yet named Lord Lexington nickelbottom III. I have yet to try and draw an ogre or a zombie in the new style yet so I might try and it could look completely incomprehensible/silly. In the event that it does, I'm stuck with ether needing to learn how to draw like a normal person or getting a whole new cast.

Anyway, I'm probably making a mountain out of a molehill, but its still a bit of a concern of mine. I also need to think about how I want to do my web-comic. Do I want to update every day? only 3 days a week? Or should I just update as often as I can, be it once a week, twice a day or whatever? I kind of like the third option as it doesn't really tie me down to any set routine and I won't have to dive into the realm of Filler material for updates, and thats something I want to avoid completely. Not that theres anything wrong with filler, I mean its better to give something then nothing, but its like skipping class to me: the more you do it, the more you will do it. Take ZAP! for example, they used to do filler art when they needed it, but now its just their Thursday update.

Another thing I need to worry about is originality. With so many other comics out there, its hard to come up with a truly original idea. I mean on the one hand, there really isn't anything thats REALLY original anymore. Most radio songs are covers, most movies are re-makes of older movies or older television shows, most video games are sequels. Without Dirty Harry there wouldn't be a Die Hard, without the Simpsons there wouldn't be a Family Guy, without Lord of the Rings, there wouldn't be War hammer and without War hammer there wouldn't be Warcraft. There are distinct origins of certain icons in other sources and its hard to deny that there wasn't any influence, but does influence equal plagiarism? I would like to think not, as much of our media is influenced by one source or another, generally just everyday life.

So if the topic and idea is fair game, if not all zombie movies are just ripping off Night of the Living Dead (Which is ripping off I am Legend) then where do we draw the line? What if this zombie movie has really similar zombies and rules for their zombies? What if this one is set in the 60s? what if this one is in black and white? When does something stop being original, and start being a copy?

I like this strips interpretation

Penny Arcade does the gaming comic right, and has been for a long time. You could call any number of other gaming comics a copy of Penny Arcade, just based off of the idea that its about two guys playing video games. The gray area starts when you come to realize that the style of each gaming comic is unique in some way. On the one hand, CTR-ALT-DEL is done in a 4 panel style, and has more characters that make frequent appearances then Penny Arcade; meanwhile little gamers does stick figures instead of the cartoony art of PA. On the other, both often have the same type of humor and jokes often found in Penny Arcade.

This brings me to my web-comic and how I want to conduct it. I want it to be as original as I can get it, but I know that there has to be some kind of cut off point with how much I worry about this because then I might end up producing something I don't like, out of fear of someone calling me out on something I accidentally plagiarized. I got some advice from a comic once about when people call you out for stealing material, and thats just to take it with a grain of salt, because usually the person calling you would doesn't know what he's talking about. Just because you made a joke about the post office, doesn't mean you stole it from some other comic who made a joke about the post office. They probably just heard both, and since they're both about the post office, assumed it was the same and sided with who he heard it from first. I think thats the take I need to have when it comes to originality in my webcomic, just because something may be similar to something else, doesn't mean its the same thing.

But then theres the other side of that, in where I steal something without even realizing I did it. What if I make a joke, and think that I thought it up, even though I actually saw it a few years ago and just don't remember seeing it?

I guess these are things I need to think about when it comes time to tweak my first couple of comics and get them ready for posting on a site. I think the plan right now is to get as many as I can done right now, then get a site up and running where I can post them. Maybe if I do the first say 50 or so comics, I could then post them at like 2 a day for the first month to get the ball rolling. I mean my first post should have at least 10 I'd say, then I want a good reserve going for when a few months or so down the line I want to take a week off, I can still do that while updating.

anyway, thats all for now...its about 3 am and I think I might go to Wal-mart to find something to occupy my waking hours during the night. Ugh this night job sucks right now