Tag: webcomic

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Why I think Flattr is awesome for Webcomics

Flattr - Easy donations, tips and micropaymentsSo. Flattr. You are probably wondering “Flat-err-WHAT?!” having never heard of this thing. I only heard about it last week.  It was released in 2010 so it’s relatively new – less than a year old in fact, and still in beta. Nonetheless I am going to use my powers of prediction to foresee Flattr as a success – at least for webcomics!

I have a webcomic (Coo! You don’t say!) and with it terrific fans – in fact I’d go so far as to say the whole webcomics community is terrific. Fans and creators alike want to see the comics they love thrive and are incredibly supportive (and since you’re reading this I’ll take this opportunity to say, a little tearfully, Thanks Guys!) Yet, despite all this, only a small minority will send a donation. Don’t feel guilty – I have never donated myself. Sometimes I’ve hovered over the PayPal button, occassionally clicked, but gone through with it? Never.  Here’s why:

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Blog Movie Reviews

Webcomic Review – Jake the Evil Hare

Jake the Evil Hare - A Superhero Webcomic "What happens when a very bad jackrabbit goes good?"

Jake the Evil Hare‘s tagline is: What happens when a very bad jackrabbit goes good? Jake is an Anthromorph, or ‘Furry’ if you prefer, which the comic explains in a ‘Secret of NIMH‘ / evil-scientific-experiment-gone-wrong kinda way. He’s also evil and a bit of a dick, fond of random violence and justifying murder to his own satisfaction, but he is the lesser of two evils and moreover trying to change.

This is a story of redemption althought that’s hard to see at first, largely because Jake keeps acting like a dick – an amusing dick but a dick nonetheless. Jake the Evil Hare is a complete lampoon of the Superhero genre and it’s anti-hero protagonist is probably as anti the Marvel-stlye Superhero as you are going to get.

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Blog Webcomic Interviews Webcomics

Wayward Fall Interview – Part 2

The Wayward Fall Interview with Taversia continues… Click here to go back and read part one.

Q6. What challenges do you face in a Live-Action (photo) comic compared to a cartoon one?

A6. Aside from the obvious health risks involved, such as standard fight choreography and the slave-driving of hungry, sleep-deprived actors who are often much bigger and more menacing than I am, other challenges faced are making sure the script properly aligns with the storyboarding of panels. I am both acting AND directing, so it is a little difficult to be doing that while seeing to it that the photographer is capturing the right angles for certain shots. The last shoot we had, it was a bit of a fight with some faulty equipment coupled with a race against time. We need natural lighting for the best shots, and getting all of the scenes we need in a timely fashion is often a pain when there is a full cast of characters to accommodate for. Eventually, the sun goes down and then it gets to be too dark to take pictures! Beyond that, I have many more hours ahead of me for editing and photoshop work.

Snippet from the vampire webcomic Wayward Fall by Taversia

Continue reading “Wayward Fall Interview – Part 2”

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Blog Webcomic Interviews Webcomics

Wayward Fall Interview – Part 2

The Wayward Fall Interview with Taversia continues… Click here to go back and read part one.

Q6. What challenges do you face in a Live-Action (photo) comic compared to a cartoon one?

A6. Aside from the obvious health risks involved, such as standard fight choreography and the slave-driving of hungry, sleep-deprived actors who are often much bigger and more menacing than I am, other challenges faced are making sure the script properly aligns with the storyboarding of panels. I am both acting AND directing, so it is a little difficult to be doing that while seeing to it that the photographer is capturing the right angles for certain shots. The last shoot we had, it was a bit of a fight with some faulty equipment coupled with a race against time. We need natural lighting for the best shots, and getting all of the scenes we need in a timely fashion is often a pain when there is a full cast of characters to accommodate for. Eventually, the sun goes down and then it gets to be too dark to take pictures! Beyond that, I have many more hours ahead of me for editing and photoshop work.

Snippet from the vampire webcomic Wayward Fall by Taversia

Continue reading “Wayward Fall Interview – Part 2”

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Blog Webcomic Interviews Webcomics

Wayward Fall Interview – Part 1

Taversia, author and artist for the Vampire webcomic Wayward Fall, takes the hot seat.

Example snippet from the vampire webcomic Wayward Fall featuring Vigana

Q1. What’s your webcomic ‘Wayward Fall’ about?

A1. Over the course of the past couple of years that Wayward Fall has been online, its storyline has continued to unravel and evolve. I first began the comic with my co-writer, AntiType, in Autumn/Winter of 2008 (it was a transitional period; the first pages were created on Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving. But the comic itself did not go live until December 17th). It centres around a vampire, Vigana, who grew up in the Dark Ages, now reawakened in the modern era, in an urban underground society. She fell in with the mob, operating the fictitious city of Wayward Falls, and soon came in to working for them as a hit-woman. It outlines her inner struggles, coming to terms with the trials and tribulations of her rather unfortunate life. Although there are many comedic elements within the comic, at its core, Wayward Fall is an ongoing romantic tragedy with a strong fantasy/sci-fi theme. There are also subtle religious undertones abound. As the story continues to develop, it will gradually become much darker. Furthermore, not any one character is safe from at some point, facing destruction at the discretion of the writers (currently, just me).

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Blog Webcomic Interviews Webcomics

Prepare to Die Interview – Part 2

The Prepare to Die interview with Michael Dellheim continues, now on the subject of the WAGON Webcomic Battle Card Game.

Click here if you haven’t read the Prepare to Die Interview – Part 1

Do you have any hidden talents?

Oh I have many hidden talents, like… um… actually I can’t think of anything specific. Maybe my hidden talent is the ability to pull things out of nowhere when people least expect it of me. My talents are so hidden that I don’t even know I have them half the time! Like a magician! Or a ninja!! A Ninja Magician!!!

… yeah I’m not buying it either.

Wagon Webcomic Battle Card GameIn fact you’ve invented your own card game! What is WAGON: Webcomic Battle and how is it played?

THAT is a long question to answer, but here’s the general idea…

The World Alliance of Geeks Online Network (W.A.G.O.N.) was established as an organization that supports independent creative websites across the internet. WAGON Webcomic Battle is a collectable cardgame created to help promote and support the content of webcomics in particular, though we do have a few cards that have come in from other sources of Geekdom.

Using creator-submitted artwork we create cards that translate the essence of a comic’s characters and plot elements into a form that can interact with the cards from other webcomics on the battlefield. This fight of course isn’t just for the fighters… sword-wielding psychos, mad scientists, and even angry videogame playing geeks can all contribute to the battle in their own unique ways. I dare say there ISN’T a comic that we couldn’t somehow integrate into the game system.

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Blog Webcomic Interviews Webcomics

Prepare to Die Interview – Part 1

Michael Dellheim, creator of the RPG webcomic Prepare to Die takes the hot seat.

What’s your webcomic Prepare to Die about?

In the simplest terms, “Prepare to Die” is a webcomic about three tabletop roleplayers who somehow get sucked into their own gaming campaign. Inside the game we find a world that was created by Mike, the Game Master, for his two friends Bill and Manda to play in… however the world they enter isn’t exactly the way that it should be, and over time the details of the original campaign continue to change.

Prepare to Die. Get it? 'Cos it's a die...

As the plot progresses, the story is also about the NPCs native to the campaign and how they deal with the changing world around them.

I think of it a little like ‘Alice in Wonderland’ but with more puns and geek references than true madness.

Prepare To Die’s art style appears to be a collage of techniques. How do you create the comic?

When developing the style of the comic, I created what I call a “puppet” in PhotoShop, which is essentially a poseable figure made of different body parts created in layers and grouped in folders which are then colored and shaded using Layer Styles. That way, whenever I move or rotate a body part to pose one of my puppets, PhotoShop will automatically create the bevels and shading for the overall figure for me on the fly. When the pose looks right, I then save out a “sprite” and move a copy out into the main strip scene. The addition of edited photographic backgrounds, special effects for light and shadows, and text bubbles complete a comic.

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Blog

The 30 Characters Challenge

This is cool and if I’d heard about it earlier I would have totally signed up!
30 characters challenge
‘The 30 Characters Challenge’ is to create 30 new characters in 30 days, one for every day in November*. Because there can never be too many characters, right? Who’s with me?

This is a great website to visit for inspiration not to mention great art. With over 150 participants, including several webcomic artists, all you’ve gotta do is sit there and refresh the page ever 10 minutes or so and you’re going to find something new.

We’re talking characters in every style and genre, stretching the imagination and getting the creative juices flowing. Those artistic muscles don’t exercise themselves! Character design can be tricky and there’s nothing like learning by example.

Registration is closed, but late-comers are encouraged to participate on their personal websites. Personally I’ll be waiting til next year (I should be using my free time to draw comics anyway), but that doesn’t mean I haven’t bookmarked 30characters.com and won’t be enjoying what its artists have to offer – I certainly shall.

*Yes, the same month as NaNoWriMo, just to be awkward.

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Webcomics Cookbook to Feed the Hungry

The collaborative Cookbook ‘Webcomics: What’s Cooking?‘ organised by TGT Media and featuring custom comics from numerous webcomic artists (including me) is set to raise money for food banks across America and Canada – just in time for Thanksgiving! ‘Feed your Family – Feed the World‘ is it’s moto, so make sure you support this fantastic project. A Kickstarter fundraiser is expected to launch soon with the books intended release date being October 30th.

Categories
Blog

Webcomics Cookbook to Feed the Hungry

The collaborative Cookbook ‘Webcomics: What’s Cooking?‘ organised by TGT Media and featuring custom comics from numerous webcomic artists (including me) is set to raise money for food banks across America and Canada – just in time for Thanksgiving! ‘Feed your Family – Feed the World‘ is it’s moto, so make sure you support this fantastic project. A Kickstarter fundraiser is expected to launch soon with the books intended release date being October 30th.