MAIN PLAYERS:
Liam Watson - Writer
(rbzilla)
Evonne Lai - Artist
(cat-go-boom) + (thunderjelly)
Theme by nostrich.
Text
Putting Words in Boxes: The Beginnings of a Plot
So while Evie has been spending time refining the three major characters, I sat down at my desk and attempted to nut out a basic story. There have been several instances where I’ve had to chuck my paper out the window and facepalm dramatically.
The entire concept for Project Orion came when my head somehow took Jumper with playing Battlefield 1942 and mashed it together a la backyard sandbox style. I started thinking in my head: “Wouldn’t it be great if I could just be like Thor, beating shit up with Mjolnir and watching everyone run in terror in 1942? They wouldn’t know what hit him fuck yeah!!” Fantastic, the voice in my head replied. Except it’s been done a hundred bajillion times.
In layman’s terms, the Nazi angle? Didn’t quite cut it. We all know how THAT story plays out, people. You could practically sing along. So, instead of making the Nazi Germans an antagonist, I made it a stage. They were intriguing times, after all. That’s what makes Anne Frank’s memoirs so engaging.
So, therein comes Lukas Aberdroth. He plays the role of totalitarian dictator, and you can already see how the story is playing out. One party of rebels, one evil ruler, one person to tip the balance, and you’ve got Star Wars. But that’s not what I wanna focus on, cause if we did that, we might as well chuck in the Millenium Falcon and call it a day.
No, the real driving motivation of the plot is N. I wanted the plot to focus on his character arc, and make the setting of the noble fight for freedom secondary. Because I don’t want N to become a faceless GoW that just breaks things. He’s more than that. Engaging the plot around him and incorporating the stereotypes of the age is a challenge.
Another problem is scripting. It’s essentially a film script you’re putting into storyboards and leaving there. Which is a weird place for me, being a novellist/poet/director/person lacking in initiative. I mean, while drafting the opening few panels, it got to a strange impasse between detail and limitation. There’s only so much the paper can do. Not to mention I don’t wanna ask a Herculean effort from my co-worker.
So, in summary, it goes to show that originality is only in the eyes of the beholder, paper can’t make action without turning it into origami, and turning bishonen into driving character roles makes every anime good.
I didn’t say that last bit, but I’m pretty sure that’s the gist of what I’m gonna do.
Next time - Bringing Back The Dead: The Conception of N.
Photo reblogged from THUNDER JELLY with 1 note
I’m so used to drawing youthful people that this was a challenge for me. I should look at references of middle-aged men, but I needed to quickly sketch it before I forget.
A design for a graphic novel that I am planning with my friend Liam. It’s going slow (because I’m lazy), but we’re getting the basics down.
Text
The humble beginnings.
If all good intentions are followed through with, this will be the future home of a new web comic designed by myself (refreshingbeveragezilla) and my good friend Evie (cat-go-boom).
The working title is “Project Orion” - coinciding with the end of WW2, the story will follow the struggles of a genetically mutated child, known only by his serial number, NQ1 - “N” - that finds himself as a god among men. Literally. In the midst of political change, he will be needed to help the world back onto its feet, for as one shadow dissapears, another lurks over the horizon…
Again, working title. Only a brief synopsis. I don’t want to give too much away. But with this story slowly getting pieced together and the drawing prodigy that is Evie, I am looking forward to making this one hell of a piece of work.
Stay tuned, folks. RBZ!! out.
