On christmas day, my good friend AC Galaga and I decided to do a huge comic challenge. We created a 2 page comic story, each taking turns to draw the panels. Each panel had a one hour time limit. Just so you can keep track, mine are the panels on the left, AC’s are on the right. It was a huge day of full creative force, and we hope you enjoy it. More notes after the strip!
What do you think? I’m really happy with the result! One thing I really felt during the process, was the excitement and the anticipation that came with not knowing what the next panel would bring. Both AC and I were in control of the story, but also we were equally at the mercy of each others’ dialogue and images. In addition to that, the one hour time limit didn’t leave any room for self-doubt or over thinking of the ideas. I just saw the next panel, thought of a logical continuation and started drawing!
I’d like to address the issue of the first panel here. What I thought I’d created was a wide enough funnel that AC could take the story in almost any direction he chose. Take a look at it carefully and think about it in isolation. What would your next image be? The location is clearly a combination of the natural and man-made, but vague enough to be ‘anywhere’. Who is the figure at the window? Are they looking out, or do they have their back to the view? Who are they speaking to? These are the creative questions posed by the first frame.
And yet when you read the comic, it seems that AC’s progression is the most natural thing in the world. You can tell he’s a film maker- bringing us in from a long establishing shot to a close up of the speaker; introducing another character over the shoulder; and then in the lower half, showing us what the man was looking out at. Space!! I must say, it was a great surprise for me. By the way, doesn’t he look a bit like Matt Smith, the current Dr. Who?
I think one of the interesting things about this challenge is the question that each panel poses, which must be answered in the next. I think nothing exemplifies this better than panels two and three- I ask the question about space-ants, and AC answers it with actual space-ants, taking me at my word. His panel four also propels us into the second page, and sets the tone for the remainder of the story.
It wasn’t all perfect, though. Some issues with time keeping had my chest lurching more than once during the day. The one hour time limit was tough on both of us. I forgot to mention; I was in New Zealand and AC was in Japan! So with that in mind, you can imagine the tension building as the clock ticked but we couldn’t see what the other was working on. Luckily we had an open skype channel going all day, which was mostly me yelling down the interwebs with frequently unnecessary exclamation marks.
All in all it was a truly creative day, and I’m proud of the work we did together. AC, it was an honour to spend christmas day with you. And to all my lovely Sunday inkers, my best wishes to you this holiday season. Thanks for stopping by!
Pip pip!
UPDATE! AC has uploaded the comic onto his blog, Tangents of Insanity, with some fascinating and comprehensive notes on his end of the process. I think it gives an even deeper understanding and appreciation for the day’s work! Check it out!
