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 ...
Writing Mental Illness (Part 1)
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, Jan. 12, 2019Convergent 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 ...
When Feedback Doesn't Come
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, July 7, 2018
A couple of days ago Banes gave us a wonderful article on the issue of who to please- yourself or the audience, and how that can go very right or very wrong.
So that got me thinking that we should also talk about the dreaded silence. You update a page ...
On Being Militant
Tantz_Aerine at 12:00AM, June 9, 2018
Anyone that knows me even a little is aware that I have strong involvement in common affairs, activism and maintain strong political views. My comic also has a lot of social and political commentary woven into the story and I strive to make my case through my art, be it ...