For of all sad words of tongue and pen,
The saddest are these: “It might have been!”



Whether it's a webcomic, graphic novel, book, TV Show or movie, there is generally a “promise” made to the audience on some level. Maybe it starts with a thumbnail image and a ...

(I drew this in my comic ten years ago.)

I am going to broach a subject that we do not openly discuss in the forums, or at least is lacking an open channel for discussion: Dating.

The first time I ever saw an effort to blend nerd culture with dating ...

It's time for horror talk!

I was just watching a discussion by the red letter media dudes about one of my favorite horror flicks, The Re-Animator.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAPeMftLe_o

They addressed something I've talked about before, and still agree with.

A horror story can ...

There's some troubled relationships amongst the tribe… when you're hunter gatherers living in a lush green forest full of dangerous animals, irresponsible behaviour could mean death! Harp isn't making many friends with her impulsive devil-may-care ways, riding a wolf-like gruuf through the middle of the hunting party ...

SINGLE PAGES vs. The GREATER WHOLE

I'm at a nice place in my webcomic right now. Well, it's nice as the writer, at least.
The characters have a nice history now, with some adventures behind them, some established relationships, and a stable of supporting characters who can be ...

LISTEN!

Romances don't always have to be the main focus of a story, infact you can have richer, more interesting romances if they occur in support of a bigger plot issue. It can lend them and the story more weight if they're in a secondary position. Characters can ...

The other day I read a very interesting post by our very own Vickie of Used Books where she was talking about Romance. And what caught my eye the most was her description of the driving force behind romance stories as “relationship-driven conflict”- a very succinct way to put it ...

CATHARSIS
from the Best of Banes Collection


A writing instructor once gave me brief advice on how to write a story, structurally speaking. It was 1/4 Act One setup, 1/2 Act Two complications and rising stakes (I think), and about 1/4 An Act Three “cathartic ending”.

I ...

Will Draw for Food is a semi-autobiographical, slice-of-life, day in the life comic of Jim, a hungry webcomic creator. Some pages hint at the realities of finding food that some comic creators have to experience like having to buy raw ingredients to make bread. Several of the strips deal with ...

Huh. You're still here? I'll be damned.

Well then. Let's just go ahead and pick up where we left off last week, which if I recollect, was the beginning. Or at least, that's where you stepped into my world. Now, how you think about beginnings has ...