Am I being too "artsy" for my own good?

[KET]

So I've just made a new comic called Jack and after the initial burst of inspiration, I kind of dont know what to do with it.
The story is a dark comedy about war and the human condition. with SUPERPOWERS
here's a sample page

I've never made a comic with so many underlying messages before and I want to go with this direction but I'm afraid that it won't be... you know, fun to read. I don't want to make a comic that can only be enjoyed by over analyzing every panel-- I just want to make a fun meaningful story that when re-read, the audience would go "Oh, that's what that means"

I may be overthinking it but input from the community would surely help a lot. thanks!

PS if I don't reply on your messages quickly, I might be already asleep. ugh, timezones, amirite?

[Shanny8]

I'm assuming you havent written out a script or anything. Try starting there...bounce around ideas and see what direction you want to take the story in. The joy with comics is that it can be a vehicle through which you can have many facets to a story- whether it's face value, metaphoric/deep meaning, action, comedy, drama, or be a soapbox for various issues. The other good thing with comics is that there is always an audience for something.

[zetina]

Imagine/picture/write the ending.
Strive to reach it.

With an ending and overall themes in mind, I think it becomes much easier to weave everything into the narrative.

As for making it "fun"... Well, different strokes for different people, right? I believe that forcing in fun and comic relief when it's not part of your nature will just feel clumsy. If the characters are well-written, they usually end up acting and speaking in hilarious ways. A serious story doesn't mean the people are serious all the time - just the opposite.

I think your sense of humour is showing in just this page you show by how you introduce Jack. If you don't like dull/somber stories, I doubt you'll be able to keep from injecting some fun just to keep yourself interested xD

[Michelle]

Have you written a script? If not, it's going to be extremely difficult to write a story people can look back on and think "Oh, that's what that was!" That's because if YOU don't know where you're going, you can't drop little hints and foreshadowing along the way to a greater reveal. And diving head-first into an ambitious project without a map typically leads to a confusing comic and creator burnout. I'd suggest taking a step back and figuring out the story you want to tell and the characters you want to tell it with.

[sarrowsmith10]

Have you written a script? If not, it's going to be extremely difficult to write a story people can look back on and think "Oh, that's what that was!" That's because if YOU don't know where you're going, you can't drop little hints and foreshadowing along the way to a greater reveal. And diving head-first into an ambitious project without a map typically leads to a confusing comic and creator burnout. I'd suggest taking a step back and figuring out the story you want to tell and the characters you want to tell it with.

I'm just going to third everything that has been mentioned before. Take your dose of inspiration and plot it out in a script, or at the very least an outline of the major story arc and start filling in the blanks.

Also, making your comic have hidden meanings and such isn't overly artsy. Its usually just good writing. So, don't worry about that too much. People create comics all the time to be deep and meaningful. Don't shy away from that if that's what you want to do.

Be brave, be bold, make good art. Keep Creating!

[sorrelma]

The story is a dark comedy about war and the human condition. with SUPERPOWERS

DEEP
i think there's definitely a place in comics for this kind of story and tbh lots of people really enjoy dark and gritty stuff! as long as you can figure out how to tell the story(just like anything else in that regard) go for it!

personally aghh i can't write things like that. i've tried so hard but i can't take myself seriously. every time i write the words "human condition" this 2009 reddit troll comes out and starts beating me up in my own brain. i need to get over getting over myself OTL they're really important topics but i'm living a life of repression and satire lol
if you can make the story work and get your message across tho, kudos to you! do it!

[KET]

@Shanny8 I'm in the process of writing it actually before I came to a crippling halt and decided to ask you guys. haha! Thanks for the input! I'll just focus on writing the story for now.

@Michelle I've got the story and the main ideas written down... God help me if I don't. It really is one of my most ambitious projects and yeah, i'm taking a breather a bit to figure what to do next. It's more of a "am I telling the story right?" rather than "what story do I want to tell?"

@sarrowsmith10 Thanks and I'm doing it right now. I guess I'm just afraid of being labeled as "that guy who tries way too hard to look smart" I'm really not, I just want to make good art. Self doubt sucks. hahah! but I'm gonna go ahead and see this through.

@sorrelma Yeah, that reddit troll beats me up from time to time too. that's the kind of judgement I dont know how to face. That's why I make the story kind of "self aware"

i'm living a life of repression and satire lol

Sounds about right, tbh. I feel you. hahahah

Thanks for the input guys! you're really helping a fella out!

[adamdevis85]

i like comics and do not worry. many people like your work;)

[jayorten]

I would suggest getting inspiration from other artists or authors that inspire you. Maybe read some books, or watch documentaries about existentialism and war, and use that to help build a strong and effective message. I would recommend the writings of Nietzsche who talks a lot about the human condition/purpose. What artists or works inspire you?

Also, I agree with what @zetina said: begin with the end in mind. How would you like to wrap up the series? When you have the end in mind, writing the rest is a lot easier.

[KoalaMari]

I'm sorry, but what the heck do you mean by "I'm afraid that it won't be... you know, fun to read."? The panel you just showed already got me interested :0 Please continue I think it has potential

[spadesart]

I used to just go forwards blind with no script and no outline and it was super hard to do stuff like this and I always ended up dropping it. My biggest piece of advice would be to first write an outline (with both an overarching plot featuring major plot points you envision and then a more detailed outline for each chapter with character actions, dialogue to remember, facial expressions, reminders, etc) and then write a script for all the dialogue in the chapter. It helps SO much with foreshadowing and connecting stuff.

here's an example of what I've got for my comic SPIRE outline/script wise (these are all from chapter 1 which is already finished so not too much spoilery stuff):

(major plot points, everything past this is spoilers :/)

(chapter outline with actions, reminders, important panel thumbnails for me to remember)

(final script)