edward norton in “primal fear”

One of the things I like in fiction is characters who are not what they seem.

Like all things, this sort of thing can be done well, or badly, or somewhere in between. It can be fascinating and surprising, or cliche and predictable. It can ...

Last week we took a look a static characters and when it might be an appropriate time to use them. But what about dynamic characters? Before we get into the weeds here, let’s first talk about what makes a dynamic character. Dynamic characters are those that develop and change ...

I decided to give the first episode of Riverdale chance after seeing lots of its merchandise advertised in the local Hot Topic and several teenagers recommending it. If anyone is late to the party (as I was), Riverdale is a series based off of the 1939 Archie Comics. It shares ...

I promise, this is not going to be another opportunity for me to take a shot at Game of Thrones.

In fact, this time I'm seeking to use the example to illustrate another way to approach suspense and intensify the engagement of your audience with the story and the ...

Copyright! What is it?

You’ve heard of it I’m sure. Do you know what it is? I’ll explain: it gives you rights over things that you’ve created so others can’t just steel your hard work and use it for themselves. It doesn’t apply to ...

The lifeblood of your comic is the characters in it. They offer a way for the audience to be invested in the world and contextualise any conflicts that will inevitably occur. So it is important that the characters don’t come across as flat. A flat character is one dimensional ...

Often webcomics are a long term endeavor spanning over multiple years. In that time it is inevitable that your art style and character designs will change. As an avid webcomic reader I saw my fair share of project restarted in an attempt to standardise the art direction and character designs ...

When do you bail on a series, movie or story?

We had a pretty fine conversation on the Quackcast last week that wandered into the category of “endings” and when they're set up well vs badly and such. I had a similar convo today with someone about various series ...

Last week we looked at lovable/hateable villains. So, in that spirit why not flip this coin and talk about what makes a hero feel real. Now, a protagonist is not necessarily a hero. For instance, despite being the main focal point through which we, the audience experience the story ...

An important, but often overlooked aspect of creating a webcomic is what rating it will have, ie whether your comic is adult, young adult, children or x-rated. This question, whilst not always thought about at the conceptual stage, is by no means any less important. It is a critical way ...