A creative block is spreading too…
Well, I have a creative block right now. I guess its time to binge some old anime… With this virus bringing everything to screeching halt, you’d think it would bring the creative types out of the woodworks. Sadly, a lot of other writers and artists I talk to have hit some serious creative blocks. This strikes a chord with me, as creative blocks have spreading. They've been more and more frequent for me, too. How does one pull themselves out of
Leuki and Female Classic Manga Characters
Classic Manga always demanded a good main female character. She has to be cute, interesting and have some wacky powers. Downhome Little Planet’s main girl is Leuki Nora, carefully crafted to check all the boxes. And when it comes to a good female lead from classic manga, there’s one who stands out. Mainly due to the tiger striped bikini. Leuki was a left over from my last web comic, Metal Wraith. Oddly enough, that version got her inspiration from Starfire, from the
Creating manga comic characters: Twitch Fyx
So, let’s talk about creating manga comic characters. When I was creating the main ‘hero’ of Downhome Little Planet, I wanted a lovable scumbag for the comic. A snot-nosed punk who’d only do the right thing when his iron-clad hand was forced. Trouble makers make for the most interesting kinds of stories. Classic manga characters can be a wretched hive of scum and anti-heroism. Twitch was heavily inspired by likes of Ataru Moroboshi from Yuresei Yatsura (minus the sexual harassment). In fact,
World Building in Indie Manga
So, how do you build a world for your manga? You just need to start out simple. The basics of your world should be solidified right along side your major story arc. When J and I were creating the setting of Downhome Little Planet, we wanted a world that would give our little indie manga endless opportunities for story ideas. World Building in Indie Manga can be a lot of fun. The concept was simple: anything can happen as long as
Drawing indie comics requires community!
I’ve been drawing indie comics for a long time now, and as early as 2008. I don;t know if I mentioned that last time. I was posting various comics online with no clear guidance on how to draw people in. It’s one thing to draw comics with good jokes or lots of action, but the real trick to success is building your community. My problem was simple: I had plenty of casual readers coming in, but no one was spreading
Indie Comics are a Joint Effort
Creating indie comics has never been easy. Well, at least when it comes to creating something memorable. Critically acclaimed manga often has a team behind it, led by some grizzled mangaka with decades of experience, well-honed talent and an ocean of hard life lessons that have set them on a course of perfection and binge drinking.