Reality Bytes 2: Pokéwhat?

So here is the second installment in my new webcomic, called "Pokéwhat?"  It's something I've had in my head for a long time....I'm glad I can finally get out (so I can fill my head with other mindless junk).

Anyway, here you go!

The Finished Product

So I made changes to my initial draft, according to the classroom reviews.  Here is my new web comic, Reality Bytes.

 So, here it is!  Turned out well, and I'm really glad people liked it!  I've already begun work on a second one, and since this one will be more extensive it will take twice the time of this one, even with the workbench I've developed.  Still, I think the next one will be even funnier!

Comments, critiques, etc are not only welcome but ENCOURAGED.  No other way for me to improve than by getting feedback, after all.

NOTE: I still haven't decided whether to make this a weekly or bi-monthly thing...I guess it depends on how many ideas I can come up with (and the time I have to actually construct the comic).

Reviews

To make things easier, I've created a format:  

The Name
1. Purpose of production
2. One strength of production
3. One thing that can be improved

What I have

So this is my web comic...it may not look like much, but the reality is it took me a week to get this exactly the way I wanted it.

If I were to make this a series, however, it would take much less time...you see, this whole thing was made from scratch, which is why it took so long....but this also allowed me to create a palette of sorts containing all the shapes I've created, meaning I can just do a drag-and-drop job if I want to make another one (this is assuming I choose not to improve the artwork, which I probably should.

Done entirely in Illustrator.

The two most time consuming parts of this comic was

1. Developing the underlying structure, which consists of numerous layers, some locked, some visible, some hidden, which allowed me to create the borders and gutters, while keeping the position of everything consistent using a series of guides (also in their own separate layers so I could hide or reveal them as necessary, keeping my workspace from becoming cluttered and busy).  It also made it easier for me to work on one different aspect of the comic without directly effecting the rest of it, preventing any unwanted changes that would force me to redo the whole thing.

2. Developing the dialogue and speech bubbles.  Seriously, who knew it took so much work to make it look like a phrase was coming from a certain person?!  It takes a LOT of work giving speech bubbles their directional lines (EXTREME use of pen anchor tool and cutting tool), and that's after I had to find a way to make the speech bubbles VISIBLE; they had a tendency to disappear every time I used the Type in an Area Tool (that took some creative ingenuity and the exploitation of a small glitch--go me).  Also, coming up with a the dialogue itself took a lot of thinking...how could I make an EXTENDED conversation out of leet-speak, and how could I make it look like the third guy was being made fun of for his dialect and not for his choice to watch a game? Fortunately I was able to answer both with the same solution!

Web Comic Design Plan

The design plan for my comic was derived from viewing dozens of web comics, trying to pin down traits that are consistent with each one.

My web comic will be designed using Adobe Illustrator and laid out using Adobe InDesign; I chose to separate the design and layout into two separate softwares because their respective programs specialize in them; Adobe InDesign will ESPECIALLY be more useful for the speech bubbles my characters will use, because InDesign has a whole range of typeface options Illustrator cannot provide; at the same time, Illustrator has pen mark, coloring, and other illustration options that InDesign cannot offer, and that would be useful for drawing the bulk of my objects. Combined these two programs will provide me with all the tools I need to make this comic EXACTLY the way I want it.

One thing I've learned about web comics is that they are better off being short and sweet--thus, I plan on keeping the comic limited to 4 panels, 5 at the VERY most (depends on how I develop my dialog, and that still needs a ton of work), all in a single row. A network of guides, grid lines, and snap features have allowed me to create on Illustrator equally-spaced boxes and gutters, and the outer shell of the comic is already complete.

Another factor I've learned about web comics (and comics in general) is how much effort I should put into the visual, and how much to put in the message.  Since the message is more important (and because I suck at drawing anyway), I plan on keeping the characters and background objects limited to stick figures or rounded figures, at the very most--color will be kept at a minimum as well.  This will allow the audience to focus on the message without becoming distracted by the figures--they are only plot devices, after all.  It occurred to me that some of the comics I looked at were very well-drawn and detailed, but this definitely distracted me from the message, and I want to avoid this problem with my own audience.

I am uncertain whether to keep the comic black and white or to use color...if I end up using color, though, I will only be using pale and soft colors--anything bright or striking will become distracting, which once again is something I want to avoid.  If any color is used, it will ONLY be used to provide a little depth perception and a subtle influence of the mood.

I've also learned a basic order of how dialog and characters move through panel to panel in a comic, and I will be implementing this order into my own.

The dialog will be made in InDesign, and will consist of two different typefaces in order to help distinguish character roles.

Statement of Purpose REVISED

My purpose is to highlight how communication on the internet has changed, and not necessarily for the better, by developing a satirical web comic using nothing but instant messaging acronyms like "LOL" and "ORLY?".  I think that this kind of speech has evolved and expanded to the point of being ridiculous, and will continue to do so...what will come next?  While maintaining the argument that this form of speech is getting out of hand (you see it everywhere on the internet now, WTF?), I will be appealing to the humor in a context that is very common in web comics.  My overall goal is to provoke thoughts on how overused this form of speech has become and that--while useful when pressed for time--it shouldn't become the primary source of speech on the internet.  WHILE my personal view is that it's good practice to type out full sentences on a keyboard, that point is less humorous and more difficult to portray in a short, juxtaposed medium, so I will instead make the argument on how out-of-place full sentence typers like me have felt in the internet world these past years.

My audience will be my classmates, as well as anyone on the internet who can appreciate satire--my target audience will have had experience with the internet, be very internet savvy, be familiar with instant chat speech, and will most likely be in my age range (as many internet users who view comics are anonymous, who can say how old they really are?).   They should be familiar with the subject this comic will be referring to, and like me they probably enjoy making fun of themselves.

I expect the viewer to read my comic, smile, chuckle a little, and say something along the lines of, "Yeah, I can see how that's partially true." I say "partially" because for comedic purposes, and in spirit of CLASSIC satire, I''m making a gross exaggeration of what is really just a minor problem, if one at all (to anyone who's read "A Modest Proposal," you will understand what I'm talking about).  I expect this piece to provoke thought, to put in the corner of my audience's mind the idea that communication on the internet is getting a little crude and a little lazy.

So far the only remaining problems I have to resolve are in the choice of dialog (there is a LOT to work with, in order to accomplish an entire conversation) and in the fact that I simply do NOT know where I can post this comic when I'm finished with it. Beyond that, I have a clear idea of how I want to accomplish my goal, and I have a great idea for a design plan thanks to researching dozens of web comics for some basic characteristics. These details will be outline in the design plan following this post.