Is your idea marketable?

 With Kickstarter up and going, some webcomickers are using it to finance their pet projects, figuring that they there is all of that money flowing around, they may as well as get in on it. However, as usual, some ideas are just attracting the money more than others. Before you feel bitter about how poorly your imaginative comic is doing compared to that lame mainstream vanilla comic, you may want to ask yourself if your idea really is that marketable.

A lot of the problem here is that some ideas just aren’t as marketable as others, or need to be marketed a specific way. A mainstream book may seem a little on the vanilla side, but they are popular for a reason: They simply appeal to more people. I can understand someone like Spider-man relatively easily; he’s an honorable man who gets dumped on a lot. On the other hand, something like Johnny the Homicidal Manic I need to be in the right mood. Now, I’m not saying either is better, just saying that one is easy to sell and the other is going to be one heck of a sale. That’s something that needs to be considered.

In general, the darker, or lighter, the material the harder it is to sell. In essence, the more I need to adapt to the comic’s environment the less likely I am to buy it, much less look at it. This means that the reason mainstream comics are easier to sell is that people relate easier to regular heroes. Darker material is an obvious hard sell because the mental adaptation is downright difficult; you need to be willing to go into the darker recesses of your mind and have fun there. The same applies to lighter stuff, to a degree, as even a casual reader needs to make a mental note to look for the good stuff. In short, that’s why it basically goes dark

Also keep in mind that what may be funny to you may not be funny to someone else. This is probably one of the biggest problem with some ideas; the writer and illustrator love the idea, but the reason for it is because they are too close to the idea. In other words, the idea has been fleshed out and everything, but it is still too close to them, and thus the idea is going to fall flat to anyone else. Just expand on it a little and add something others can grab, and the idea may just catch on.

Lastly, there are those that just don’t get it. They come up with an idea, but it just feels wrong for so many reasons to readers that they are turned off by the idea. Fans can tell the difference between a real story and a fake one like sharks and ketchup, so if you have no respect or even love for comics, don’t bother.

In short, you need to put your soul, your passion, into whatever you are doing for it to sell. Have fun, and make something that you can be proud of, and your idea will sell. Come tall or don’t come at all.

Romance Part V

Okay, so now you need to end the romance part of this, or at least the beginning part so that you can get serious about the real love affair. So, let’s work this out.

The good news is that there are only four basic ways to do this. Some lead to further complications, and others finalize things.

The right person gets the right person: This is the assumed finale. However, it does not always end up for the best, especially if it was a con job, a shapeshifter of some sort acting as the object of affectations, or even there are a lot of complications that come with the significant other, such as a princess with a ticked off king for a father.  In short, just winning the hand of the lover may have been the easiest part.

The right person gets the wrong person: This is a likely event in two general situations: The fans like the friend better or there are extenuating circumstances. The former is referred to as the “Ducky Situation”, after the sidekick in “Pretty in Pink”, where the girl falls in love with a boy on the right side of the tracks rather than the boy who is in love with her. Happiness may not result, but at least the person is happy. The latter is when the person has to marry someone in order to solve a greater crisis; this can cause greater complications, especially if the person who he has to marry doesn’t allow for lovers.

The surprise development: In this case, you decide to go with something random, such as one of the people turns out to be gay in an otherwise straight pairing. Unless the romance is really not working, don’t do this; there will be backlash as your fans cry for your blood. However, if done well then the ex-lover becomes an obstacle, unless she is really understanding. Another is when the shapeshifting replacement falls in love with the person; annoying, but it can work out. Try to avoid this unless there is a really good reason for it, as there are usually problems to be dealt with in the real world, such as fan backlash, so really debate using this one.

The plot trump: Something that happens to derail the romance. This is different than an obstacle; something happens that makes the romance impossible. One of the couple can be killed, or one of them is forced to marry someone for the sake of diplomacy, and the relationship is simply not possible for any number of reasons. This can be used to put the romance on hold for a bit, at which time something happens to the new problem, or you decide that you simply didn’t like the romance and you need some way to stop in its tracks.

There are a few other issues to consider, but this should end this series. For now….

Romance Act IV

[I only have one or two acts left, honest!]

Okay, you have the two characters designed and set up. You have decided on the obstacles between them. Now you get to set all of this into motion. Those poor characters….

The first thing to do is look at the obstacles you have chosen, and figure out how to escalate it. The obstacle needs to come into play at least three times. This is not a necessarily arbitrary number; you need to prove that the two of them are serious about their love, but you don’t want to overdo it. Ergo, the limit, both minimum and maximum, is three. You can change that based on the length of the comic or how much fun the obstacle is, but try not use it to the point that it gets annoying. Just remember that it has to fit the piece and that it can’t get too annoying or it ends up spoiling the comic as a whole.

Each time the problem comes up it needs to have a deeper emotional impact. The first time needs to introduce the problem. It then needs to escalate into an annoyance. As a final step it needs to become a major problem. When it comes to determining act breaks, the first time should start the second act and the third time should start the third act.

As nothing works better than an example, here are three:

Let’s say you go with the standard family problem. The basics are that the two lovers can’t date unless their respective families agree, and the families are, of course, at war. You know, the standard Capulet/Montague thing. Or Hatfield and McCoy Feud. Whatever. The first time would be the two falling in love, and then recognizing the problem. They then need to sneak around dating, eventually hitting the next problem: Almost getting caught. At this point getting caught would have serious repercussions, thus upping the stakes. The third time would be either solving their respective problems, or eventually getting killed. Suffice to say that usually goes either way, so there is some added drama depending on how serious the comic is.

On the other hand, let’s say duty is an issue. In essence, the couple has some sort of job that keeps them apart. The standard version is that they are both cops in the same unit, and fraternization is frowned on. However, by hiding the romance they can remain in the unit. The obvious issue? You try to keep a secret in a group of detectives. That said, the obvious first problem is that there are the first clumsy attempts at hiding the relationship. This graduates into there being an obvious issue on the job; they need to overcome an emotional issue, such as one of them almost getting killed on the job and they need to deal with that. Finally, news comes down that they can both be fired and even jailed for hiding their relationship. They need to either deal with the romance, or find a way to quit that works.

Finally, let’s look at the nasty one: The guy is in love with someone, yet meets a better match on the quest. He starts the quest, but meets her on the road, and she agrees to accompany him, helping defeat the first problem. The second is easily defeated, but he is starting to fall in love with her, and she him. As they fall in love, it causes problems on the quest, such as sleeping arrangements and other issues. The third is the big problem, especially if he has to decide between which of them dies. It sounds simple, but it requires some serious plotting to work.  

Other plots can be just as much fun. When you are plotting it out, just remember to escalate each step and it should be easy. Just try to integrate it into the overall plot, and have some fun with it. Romance should be fun, and it helps to raise the stakes. It’s a lot more than just something for characters to do; a good romance makes the story more poignant, and can add a lot of drama to the plot. Just remember that there is a pay off, and that the added details can be worth it.

Romance Act III

Okay, so now you have your couple, and you have built them as a couple. Now you need to bring them together. This in and of itself is going to require a little finesse, but not much. Like pretty much everything else, you need to look at like a basic three-act play: First they are going to meet, then they struggle, and then things start working out. Sounds easy, right? Well, not for them…

There are two basic approaches: They are already in love but Fate conspires against them, or they hate each other and Fate conspires for them. Romeo and Juliet typifies the former approach; they have a number of obstacles to overcome in order to be with each other. Those obstacles can be friends who don’t think that they should be together, family obligations, physical issues such as distance or actual barriers, or even legal problems such as one is incarcerated or one is stuck outside the country. There can also be social issues, such as separation by caste or membership in opposing factions. This also includes reason such as age or gender problems. These obstacles need to overcome in order for the couple to be together.

Usually the obstacles are overcome by the male as an effort to prove himself to his lover, but the female can also be the one. This is best for when the romance needs to move on to the next stage relatively quickly, as there is a defined goal that needs to be dealt with and that goal usually holds something else up. At the same time it can be extended indefinitely in order ensure that there is an ongoing plot. Although the latter method is usually better for maintaining sexual tension among the audience, this is better for maintaining sexual tension among the couple; they never know when the situation will be resolved, and until it is it will be between them. This is also great for comedic purposes, as they can be meeting but if they were ever found out there could be severe consequences, such as two gay lovers in a homophobic society.

The latter case is more aggravating as it takes a little more finesse. The obstacle is simply that the couple hates each other, and they need to overcome that hatred to become an actual couple. Eventually the grudge will become grudging respect, and then compassion and then true love. The relationship can move up and down this scale, of course, especially after they have fallen in love; it could even be that the relationship depends on that mobility, ranging from respect to hatred even on an hourly basis. In a way this is a deeper relationship than the former, as it comes across as more realistic than the other. Also, it can be stretched out longer than the former, possibly lasting years if need be. At the same time it can be resolved relatively quickly if the couple could work out rather well. It will need to be resolved at some point, but don’t force it; this one has the possibility of quickly becoming too cutesy if done wrong.

A third option is when the hero is doing something to remove an obstacle, but falls in love with the person he's doing the quest with. This has the advantages of both story lines, as well as contrasting the two loves. It also has an additional conflict line; not only must he succeed in the quest, but must also overcome his hatred for the person he's with. He must then make a decision over which love he ultimately goes for. This can be a fun with, especially if there are obligations that conflict with loving who he is with. 

Establishing the obstacle and showing the penalty for ignoring or losing against it is just the first act. The second act is when the obstacle bares its teeth.