Origin Story

Well hey there!

Shortly after my last post, I've been thinking that it is more than a little asinine to advertise a comic while saying nothing about the comic itself. SI-MUL-TANEOUSLY, I don't want to give anything significant away before we've released a single issue. So, here's the good word of compromise: I'll give some insight into the how we came up with After and its progression since.

I've wanted to write for a comic book for the longest time, due mostly to the fact that I have little to no talent for drawing (refer to the above illustrations). When I write, it is usually an attempt to translate a load of weird images in my brain into words that, hopefully, express such thoughts vividly. Ignoring whether or not I'm accomplishing this, its amazing to have someone who can put my warbled ideas into coherent illustrations. Additionally, I was fortunate enough that, about a year ago, Katy had an idea for a comic that she wanted to put to life, but had no tolerance for both drawing and writing it. In cases such as these, its helpful to bother a friend of yours relentlessly about sharing whatever project she or he has in mind.

Shortly after, Katy sent me character outlines for a comic concept titled Aftershock. The story focused on how society could react after a cataclysmic event, literally dubbed "The Cataclysm" in the context of the comic. Within the setting of the comic, a now post-apocalyptic Chicago, people have found security in a harshly conservative authoritarian figure. The focal characters of the comic belong to one of several rebel factions attempting to tear down the crooked establishment.

From that general storyline, I wrote and wrote and wrote until I cranked out the first comic script. I had done some research to find how best to organize a script for a comic; after which it seemed the best method was to send Katy a rough page description with details of the setting and character interactions. These scenes would then be drawn into panels in which I would later write dialogue for upon completion. Following this system, we cranked out a few pages in about three weeks.

There is one important addendum I'd like to add: my first draft at a comic script was garbage. Truly, nearly every bit of writing I take a first crack at comes to disgust me at a later point. Since writing the initial script about a year ago, I've hacked it up and re-written it at least three or four times by now; Katy herself has even thrown out the original panels she had drawn. As such, I think the only useful piece of advice I can endow for starting a comic: JUST DO IT, AHHHH! Nearly anything anyone attempts initially turns out to be a sack of diarrhea. The importance in overcoming the first step is more about ignoring your own harsh inner-critic that can stifle self-expression. Once its finally out of the brain and on paper, the product is far more tangible and easier to improve. THAT IS ALL!