Tapastic event comics/crossovers?

[aqua03]

So, I've been watching a lot of Linkara lately and I've wondered: Has anyone ever attempted a crossover webcomic between different creator's webcomics? Like something along the lines of Marvel's Secret Wars or DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths (But maybe not to that scale). If so, have you succeeded? What's it like? And do you think we should try it again? Because I think it could be a fun experiment and exercise to try. (That, and I've got a few ideas for crossovers that could make for interesting stories...)

[KoreanTacos]

While it's a fun idea, and I personally love ideas like this being a Dissidia and Marvel movie fan. It isn't impossible, but it can be full of complications. The biggest two problems are conflict of ideas and allowing balance in importance. Unfortunately every story has to have a main lead and that can be hard to do with different established characters being put together. Someone will always say "can we not focus on X so much and see more Y?" It would really take a strong writer who knows how to balance characters (also knowing about these characters) while still maintaining a good story to pull something off.

[aqua03]

Those are actually some pretty good explanations as to why. It's too bad it is so complicated, because I agree that it would be fun to have like a one-shot/miniseries crossover webcomic. (Especially if each artist drew a part of it.)

[KoreanTacos]

I know people have tried that and they never seem to go anywhere due to personal lives or lack of interest, but who am I to tell you ya shouldn't. I'd recommend finding like minded and serious people who just want to make something good and fun and aren't up for just profit. Like I said it isn't impossible I myself have thought of something like doing this for my own comic coming up, but I myself would run into the problems I mentioned. Just do what you feel has to be done.

And if you do send me a script. I might be willing to join.

[DiegoPalacios]

I think the vital thing to consider if you want to do a crossover is choosing your partner wisely. As KoreanTacos said, you want to reach a common ground of what will happen in the story and to be able to get along. Also, make sure the genres and tone of the comics/stories you want to crossover are compatible.

Unless you want something like this....

[KoreanTacos]

hey that shit was still better than Riverdale

[aqua03]

I actually don't have a script written (Just a few ideas.) but If I ever do scone up with a solid idea and partial script (I think input from the other writes is important.) You'll be one of the first to know!

Also, I just realized that if was like miniseries, then each person involved could not only draw their own issue, but write it as well so they can focus on their character. (With input from the others to maintain coherency and to help with their characters, of course!)

[joe_galindez]

I prefer Archie vs Predator myself.

[panda3291]

I think it could be a really fun project between two creators, but I think it would take a TON of planning to make sure it came out just right if it was between anything more than just 2 slice of life or short comedic value comics.

[aqua03]

Yeah it would be a lot of fun if incredibly complicated and time consuming. Although I wonder how complicated planning a tournament-type crossover could be. (Which was the type of crossover I was thinking about.)

[KoreanTacos]

Got to give them a reason to be there, and how they hope to go home. Also whether or not anyone from either fan base wants to see a winner to determine whos strongest. Remember most people who do things like that never have a definitive winner and usually just ham a tie ending.

[aqua03]

Good points, the hardest part of a crossover is always how the two otherwise disparate universe would meet logically. Would you believe that my idea for said crossover tournament was going to be a video game that's actually an alternate dimension sucked them all in while a army of "game characters" invade their worlds? Also, I came up with everyone being sorted into differently-themed teams of five before dueling each other, so there's that idea on how to get over the character problem.

(That, and I just ripped off the plot of Chou Super Hero Taisen for it. )

[KoreanTacos]

oh sorry I thought you were implying a series a vs b thing. Guess I misunderstood.

Then I don't see why something like that couldn't work, but you'd still have to make it interesting and play into the understanding of outside characters. While it may be easy to write for your own character it can be a challenge if you're not familiar with another persons character, but pull that off and not only do you do a good job you at least show a sign of respect for the original creator by taking the time to understand them.

Like I said I'd be down for it if you can buzz more interest for it.

[panda3291]

I think that has happened before? They had some sort of comic event where your characters faced off against each other, I think?

I can't remember at all what it was called. Hahaha...and one of my favorite artists a while ago was a huge part of it...

Hmmmmm...This is going to bother me now.

[Strontium]

On Tapastic, a group of artists (myself included) took part in three different holiday collaborations, each bigger than the last. If you search the forum for "holiday collaboration" I think you'll find all three of them!

[Vanesalisa]

yeah it was bloody and they were detailed

[aqua03]

Rad. I have a few other comic-related projects on my plate at the moment, so I'll probably return to that idea a bit later when I can focus on it more.

@panda3291 Neat. Let me know if you find it. It'll be good to compare and learn from previous attempts to better know what we're doing if we pull this off.

@Strontium I remember seeing that when browsing your comic (which is also where I partially got the idea for a multi-comic wide tournament.) Also, funnily enough, when I was thinking of possible characters to compete, some of yours came to mind first. (along with my own. )

[jpnakashima]

As a big super hero fan, I love a good Crisis Crossover. I'd be so down for it if other people would like to do it.

I would like to say something about crossover types and the logistics, though. As said, it's certainly a complex task to execute, so I feel the best way to give it unity is for everyone to kind of agree on a plot, to plot it all together, and then one person goes and writes it, submitting it to the others, who should be critical of course, but reasonable. It's no use thinking X character should have more face time if it's not the best for the story, even if it's yours. A variant would be that each writer writes different chapters of it.

@aqua03, you mentioned everyone writing its own character, each section. That's been done before, it's cool. Do you know 52? Four writers teamed up for this weakly series for DC in which each one had some ''nucleus'' of characters, that would appear less or more depending on the issue at hand. The only question is the type of crossover this would be.

There's a difference between crossovers like Crisis on Infinite Earths or Secret Wars and stuff like Punisher meets Archie (which is freaking awesome) or JLA vs Avengers.
The first type is driven by the universe's stories. Crisis puts dozens and dozens of character sharing the same story to deliver character moments that will change its characters, plot developments that are part of an ongoing story. The second is more about throwing different concepts at odds, celebrating them, and they usually have much less (to no) lasting impact on the characters lives.

The ''52 model'' would really work for the second type, the ''different universes'' crossover, which would be the logical (and easier) thing for Tapas. 52 didn't really had the storylines converging, each nucleus had its climax, so it was okay for each writer to write its portion of the book.
For something more ambitious, like Crisis or Secret Wars, for something that would be massive and ''in canon'', I believe a focused scripting method or at least a variation of focus and collaboration between writers would work best.

And as I said before and as it shows by my looong post, I'd be super down for it. I would love to try it!

(Also, I dig me some Riverdale. Some sexy CW soap opera)

[jpnakashima]

I disagree that each story having to have a lead. It depends on the story.

As a more sprawling kind of story, Crisis crossovers tend to feature many main leads. Crisis On Infinite Earths had a shit ton of lead characters, alternating focus like crazy, giving many characters some amazing moments to play with. Even the follow up, Infinite Crisis (though many find it unfocused, which I disagree) featured also a rotating focus, even if it centered more on DC's Trinity. Movies like Magnolia or soviet cinema in general don't have main leads as well, focusing on ensemble. An ideal crossover works like this, I believe.
(That's not to say there are not crossovers with clear leads. Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman had Doctor Doom as the main focus and it's the best Marvel event I have ever read. It's a masterpiece)
(Also, it's different to focus on many characters and to focus on no one. It's one of the biggest problems with many crossovers, the feeling of an unfocused mess)

Also yeaah, Dissidia is great! I don't know if I'd like to see it as a story, not as it stands, but as an all stars fighting game... what a dream come true!!

[ChanYE]

It would sound cool but thing is youve got take into account their characters design and the theme of the comic. You have to ask ok, is one artist drawing everyones char and if so, in their style or in everyones? If everyones going to draw in their own char or maybe make a couple pages here and there will they be in charge of those individual pages because not everyones going to have their type of software.
If the comic will be just for goofs there wouldnt be too many problems but if your going for something realistic, and serious then peoples character designs will have to be changed and not only that, there will have to be one artist in charge of drawing everything and perhaps everyone else can work out the background details.