So I know a few of you out there are into comics… some of you have even been working on various martial arts comics… in one of the other threads there’s been mild talk of what it would be like to produce an actual Kungfu comic.
Having created Tiger’s Tale as well as having worked on some indie comics quite a few years back the topic has always been of interest to me… So how about you???
who of you have what it takes to produce a comic? storys, ideas, artwork, etc…
You know, I’ve noticed that several martial arts instructors that I’ve met are into comic book characters. I’ve heard my instructor mention Captain America, a local ninpo instructor said that he found inspiration in Daredevil and an old instructor mentioned enjoying Batman. Maybe it’s tied in with the yearning to improve oneself…and a search for inspiration. Yeah, I know I’ll never be Iron Fist…it’s pretty unlikely I’ll ever even be as good as my instructor, but that doesn’t mean I can’t draw inspiration from both.
I think I could come up with some pretty good stories and ideas if given some guidelines about where the character should end up. I’ve just read to many comics (and character driven books) to not have an opinion about how a story should proceed.
By the way, I’d definitely be interested.
not that I’m offended or anything… just curious. Actually I’ve found that Tiger’s Tale has quite a varied readership… young & old… I was definately creating it with an all access quality.
Well Shang Chui is appearing in a marvel crap book… & is the property of MARVEL… we wouldn’t be able to touch it with out getting in trouble…
I was more greaing this topic towards more original creations/creators…
Still would love to hear what appealed to you about Master of Kungfu.
I agree that a Kungfu comic would have limited appeal… but then again I don’t imagine creating another Spawn or whatever… Still, as a single project I do believe it has considerable potential… imagine if just the schools we each attend where to agree to buy/sell 3 copies to their students… how many would that be???
what about all those kids just starting out and eager to pick up anything martial arts related?
What if each school that agreed to sell it got a % of the cover price… not to mention comic-shops, Conventions & such… like I said… potential!!!
I think a martial arts based comic could have good potential as long as it wasn’t written with only kung-fu historians or whatnot in mind. It’s all in the approach.
“I’ll use my bare hands…against any weapon!”
We are trained in wushu. We must defend the Temple!
Well… that’s certainly an accurate discription of those earlier episodes of Tiger’s Tale … I eventually moved into a more serialised narrative moving more into martial fantasy…
Indie refers to an Indipendantly published comic… did all sorts of stuff from Writing, illustrations, designs, promotions . . . etc.
wow that was Years ago…
Yeah to produce a comic product one must either be able to complete the product themself… Write, Draw, Letter (probably with a computer) then assemble & design…
Something to the effect of a single “issue” comic would be the closest to “realistic” in this particular thred… A sort of Anthology where each creator could be alloted X number of pages while 1 or 2 individuals would function in the editorial aspect to insure properly spelt werds… and perhaps an art director to insure some level of visual quality…
That’s how the “indies” where put together back in the day!!!
I am working on a new project. I couldn’t get the story telling in the last one to work so I quit working on it until I get the story strait. The new one I am working on is a story that funakoshi used to tell…so I guess it’s a karate comic but it has a good message. It’ll be on my site when it’s done. Making comics is very frustraiting when you have primitive tools like I do also my lettering sucks so I do it with a computr but when I scan the panels in they get these lines in them. Oh well maybe if I do this for real(profit) one day I can get some better equipment and help with the production.
Hmmm… Lines in the Scan my be the result of some glitch in the actual scanner.
Lettering is often an interesting challange… and before the computer, the quality of lettring in a comic (according to an editor I once spoke to) could often make or break that comic.
The Computer has revolutionized lettering in comics… as well as coloring for that matter… just look at a comic produced in the mid-eighties & look at a comic on the stands these days… The use of lettering & sound effect have definatly changed… the same is true for color, but not all comics use full-color printing while others heavily rely on computer-generated effects… so there’s a broader spectrum when observing the use of color.
I can’t stress enough the judicious use of type… The drawback of the computer is the ease with which a variety of type fonts can be found… thus “typeography” or lettering can again, make or break any publication…
Take a look at Kungfu-Qigong magazine, with an eye for “lettering” and let us know how we’re doing.
I remember a couple of comic mags done in this “Indie” style. One in particular I remember was called “Shred” and was a ‘skater/superhero’ mag…can’t remember the name of the other one but was something along the lines of martial arts aliens who could transform into robot forms in emergencies.
I have a pretty cheap scanner. Personally I like the older comics though. They seem to have more character than todays slickly produced stuff. That’s just for people like me though, a gemeral audeince loves the slick stuff. I was real heavy into this stuff back in high school but me and the art teacher didn’t get along well due to the fact she liked to keep our better stuff and sell it at art shows she used to go to(you can image how frustraiting this would be for someone trying to create a good portfolio). I have decided recently to go back to school for art(community college first) so I can catch up on all the new methods of technology. In high school we didn’t even have computers. It’s all good though, maybe somebody out there will appreciate some retro stuff.
Here design Sifu check it out and see what you think. I have one panel as per usual but see what you think about it over all go ahead and rip it apart. Keep in mind my primitive production equipment though http://members.tripod.com/regicyde/id32.htm
I’d be very interested in a new Kung Fu Comic. I’m an old school fan of Jademan and I’m on a big swordplay kick after seeing Storm Riders, Crouchig tiger, Kung Fu Cult Master,Man called Hero, etc. The abilities demonstrated by these Characters in the movies are on a par with anything done by Marvel and DC anyway. I am a big fan of Tiger’s Tale, and would love to see you tackle a mythical martial arts master’s adventures. Any body out here remember Dragon Lines by Ron Lim? I have a few Ideas Design sifu, if you’d be interested in hearing them.
Email me at Drunken1@adelphia.net, or if you have a mailing address, i’d like to send a sample script I did a few years back. Just some stuff I threw to gether at work when I was bored.
Ron Lim did a MA comic? What year did that come out? I was a fan of his back when he did Silver Surfer and spiderman. Actually I think he was the best penciler for silver surfer and I could only realy stand two different pencilers for spider man and aside from Mark Bagley, Ron Lim was it.
"Having created Tiger’s Tale as well as having worked on some indie comics quite a few years back the topic has always been of interest to me… So how about you???
who of you have what it takes to produce a comic? storys, ideas, artwork, etc…
Who of you would be interested in such a comic???
well c’mon!!! whatdayathink??"
It seems that you would like to do more than you have perhaps before done, but understand that you need more than you to pull it off–this seems like a recruitment+. I think that I like Tiger’s Tale. I could help you with story when you get stuck. Other than that, hear what they say about ours (mine and another’s) when it comes out.
Other than That, good Luck to you and the others looking to make it~.
hmmm… maybe in the most abstract of ways, but I see this thread as a sort of testing ground for cultivating poential collaborations…
ShaolinD: I dig your individual panels and would love to see you expand that into some story telling techniques… I can’t recomend Understanding Comics enough for a thorough exploration of the medium of comics…
Ron Lim:
Was a big fan of him as well… especially on Silver Surfer, His Dragon Lines was a bit of a disapointment. Wasn’t that the one with a modernised Monkey King? It was tooo Super-heroish & lacked alot of the Chinese/asian design sensibilites that really stand out in the Jade-man stuff & some of those recient films… Anyone see Legand of ZU?
Design sifu: “I dig your individual panels and would love to see you expand that into some story telling techniques”
Thanks for the complement but my story telling sucks so I hope I won’t disapoint you. I saw that Understanding comics book in Barnes & Noble maybe I’ll have to pick it up. Keep the comments coming guys, that always gives me inspiration to continue.
