Last week we talked about “writing what you know” … but how about ‘knowing what you write’? I knew I wanted to do this one as soon as I posted the previous article…just for the title.
In a TV show, series of books, movie, printed comic series, or newspaper strip ...
Knowing what you Write
Banes at 12:00AM, Dec. 7, 2017The Chosen One’s Origin
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Dec. 2, 2017
One of the most prevalent motifs in fantasy, science fiction/ space operas and similar folklore style genres is that of the Chosen One- the one character (99% the main character/protagonist) that is destined to save the world from the big bad- the evil sorcerer, the overlord, the empire, the ...
The Main Character Decoy
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 25, 2017
One reason why the movie Psycho is so iconic is, aside the expert directing and artistic cinematography, the fact that the one we’re led to believe is the main character of the movie gets brutally killed in the shower quite early into the movie.
What did killing her off ...
Rain Has its Uses
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 18, 2017
These past few days in Greece we’ve had torrential rains that feel like the prelude to a second Flood- terrible casualties included. And that got me thinking that it rarely rains in webcomics.
Usually the weather is dry in sequential art- perhaps because it’s troublesome to draw characters ...
Political Comics
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Nov. 11, 2017
Considering that a lot of comics have politics embedded in their stories or worldbuilding or actively part of their characters’ parameters, what would constitute a political comic as opposed to a comic containing politics?
In my opinion and from the general descriptions of this budding genre, a political comic is ...
Talking is Action Too
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 28, 2017
Often in making webcomics, creators may try to have more action than discourse, as it tends to make the comic more visually interesting and give opportunities to avoid ‘talking head’ scenes.
However, I think that sort of conundrum is a potential trap that might prevent creators from truly making use ...
How the Dominoes Fall - Tragedy
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Oct. 7, 2017
I have made comics’ storylines both ways- flying by the seat of my pants and meticulously scripting everything. So I feel I’m in a position to say that while both methods are valid and extremely fun, the latter one has one advantage over the former: it can make the ...
That Damn Amnesia
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Sept. 30, 2017
Amnesia is a very frequently used plot device in narrative works, especially in genres like romance or mystery or melodrama. It’s a perfect way to achieve either of the following (or all):
(a) Draw out a story that should have wrapped up already
(b) Reuse a character’s ‘naïve ...