The storytelling in comics is appealing. Ever since the Famous Funnies or the earlier comics from Europe comic books have employed a unique method in that make the story fun and enjoyable. This goes from the daily three-panel cartoon to the full length graphic novels and comic books. These aren’t children’s books. They are more complex and deal with stories with great depth.Fans of this media I know have told me how it would be fun to make a book. Some have an idea that has been rolling around in their thoughts for years, or even a recent flash of inspiration. While others would like to create shorter books called ashcans as a hobby. Some aspire to make it a career. It’s a question of how to get the knowledge and experience.
Chris Hoffman and Andrew Malin of Velleity Studios (website) have some ideas on developing your talents learning how to become a comic book creator. Velleity Studios is an independent comic book publisher in Salt Lake City that wants to support the dreams people have of developing their own stories in this wonderful format. They are comic book creators themselves and wouldn’t mind gaining huge recognition for their work. But, a large part of what they are doing is helping others get into the field. And, they their work gives them credibility.
Velleity Studios is a new company because of their work on Ruthless (When tragedy strikes, do you become a hero? Or do you become...Ruthless). However, these authors have been creating comic books for almost a decade and have been comic book fans going back to the days of working at Comics Utah and before. Their experiences provide a base of knowledge they are willing to share with others.Velleity Studios, in part, is a platform where you can get your feet wet. They have a collaborative writing group that is open to those who are interested in creating comic books as a writer, and artist, or both. From past and current experiences of working in higher education, they want to share with others and develop the creativity they have found in the broader community.
Chris explained there is no one way to create a story for a comic book. It is a matter of finding a style best suited to the person or people working on it. That is the basis for the collaborative setting they use. People get together and bounce ideas off each other. They help each other through the rough points. And they share their experiences to help bring everyone along to the level each person want to go to.
This is like the writing groups I’ve been involved with. A safe sharing space for ideas and growth. Not everyone wants to make it big, and it’s not a requirement. You also don’t have to know every aspect of what needs to be done. One person may have a story they want to develop while another wants to do the art. In fact, comics for the most part are collaborations.
You are welcome to join them in creating comic books, but they’re not sitting and waiting. Ruthless started them as a new company and they are continue to create with Banana Panic!, Gull, Salt City Strangers, and others. They’re not limiting themselves to comics either. Right now they are finishing a Kickstarter campaign for the game, Daring Heroes: The Golden Age. An action card game of super heroics in the classic style.Check out Velleity Studios (website, Facebook, and Twitter). You can also find their work at Dr. Volt Comic Connection (website), who they were sharing booth space with at Salt Lake Gaming Convention 2018 (website) where I met them.
If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.
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