Have you ever noticed that among the dead webcomics, a preponderance of them have “Hiatus” on their tombstone? That tombstone being, of course, the final page posted years and years ago with a promise they will be “right back” after a “short break”. There are of course a number of ...
The Dread Hiatus
Amelius at 9:57AM, Jan. 27, 2019Writing Mental Illness (Part 2)
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Jan. 19, 2019
How to Pick, Research and Implement Mental Disorder in a Character
So last time I talked in general about some basic concepts and principles about what constitutes mental illness, or, more accurately, mental disorder. The important thing to remember and keep from all of that is this set of truths ...
Writing Mental Illness (Part 1)
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Jan. 12, 2019
Writing a character with mental illness can be a very tricky thing. Writers usually go for the extremely rare, exotic and spectacular: multiple personality disorders, extreme manifestations of psychopathy or sociopathy, high functioning autism with that ever alluring ‘savant’ magic going for the character, bombastically spectacular schizophrenia… in many ways ...
Convergent Creation Part 2
Amelius at 12:21PM, Dec. 16, 2018
Last weekend we discussed that strange phenomenon of independent creation, where there's more than a passing resemblance to another work but it's not a case of plagiarism. Interestingly, not long after I posted that I saw not one but two instances of independent creation being brought up (though ...
FEATURED COMIC --> The Muscle Corps
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Nov. 21, 2018
There is an unidentified teenager on the loose stealing paint, spraying fresh graffiti on the wall, hurting people, and drinking booze. This behavior needs to be stopped by the best group the city has to fight vigilantes: The Muscle Corps! Watch as this unique group of positive crime fighters- Tightwire ...
Character and subtext in horror
Banes at 12:00AM, Oct. 18, 2018
The Haunting of Hill House is masterfully done horror with humanity
The Drunk Duck Awards, 2018 are underway! Check 'em out here:
https://www.theduckwebcomics.com/Drunk_Duck_Awards_2018/
In the movie “The Innkeepers”, two clerks in an allegedly haunted hotel work on the last night before the place closes down. They ...
Earning Your Twists
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 8, 2018
There's nothing more intense than subverting the audience's expectations: The righteous character that always says the truth says a lie. The character that values all life ends up murdering someone. The bad sort, the punk that's always terrible ends up saving the day or doing something decent ...
The Sacrificial Lion
Tantz_Aerine at 6:09PM, Aug. 31, 2018
One of the toughest tropes in any kind of narrative work, from novels to comics to movies is the Sacrificial Lion - but not for what might be an obvious reason: having to axe a top tier character. It's because the trope is something that will affect and carry through ...
Making Bad Guys Intimidating
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Aug. 4, 2018
Every hero goes up against a villain. Every protagonist against an antagonist. This is the main clash that drives your story, any story, forward be it slice of life or epic drama.
One of the elements that can make this driving force compelling, that will make the clash interesting and ...
Art and Propaganda
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, July 21, 2018
Soviet poster advocating atheism and science over religion
From the most ancient times, art has always been used by the ruling classes for purposes of propaganda, to propagate certain ideas about those commissioning it and their purposes: that kings are mighty, that regimes are for ever, that the enemy is ...