Creating a new comic book part 2
I created Captain Cannabis during the nineteen-seventies around the time Canada was considering cannabis legalization on the heels of the Le Dain Commission's report. As a storyteller, that posed an interesting challenge; the go-to place to put a pot-induced superhero is to fight agents of prohibition on a mission to "free the weed" or something similar. The challenge here is that the antagonist changes between a pre- and post-prohibition story, which begs the question: "who is the enemy?"
Another story challenge comes from my general dislike for violence. In traditional comic books action and violence tend to be synonymous; pages filled with senseless fighting (the main reason I've stayed away from mainstream comic work), regardless how well illustrated, leads to stories (and characters) that lack depth. Since pot tends to be a head-trip leading to bouts of munchies and general laziness, focusing the Captain Cannabis drama on the mental rather than physical opens a unique story world allowing for stronger story potential and outside-the-box antagonists.
The biggest story challenge I set was that it can't suck! I've always felt a responsibility to making Captain Cannabis evolve into something special and I've taken that responsibility seriously. But that doesn't mean it can't get silly, which any story about a strain of intragalactic bud turning a lazy pot-head into any type of hero can't avoid.
I was working in animation and hanging with the Captain Canuck crew at the time of Captain Cannabis's "birth," so creating him was easy. I liked the stereo-typical muscle-bound costumed super-hero look for a character that was everything the goody-two-shoed others weren't. Captain Cannabis, the true "anti-hero," came about as the opposite of the usual Saturday-morning "super-heroes" who are generally angry, vengeful and overly violent.
Out of costume Captain Cannabis is a lazy pot-head who goes by the name Hal Lighter. He lives with girlfriend Marion Jones, drives a school bus part time and otherwise doesn't care much about anything other than getting through the day by staying high and playing music.
I liked the name "Hal" because the letters HAL are all 1 character before IBM. While thinking of a surname I decided on "Lighter," as in sparking up a joint, as it plays into the extra-dimensional story-world by framing him as the "light bringer," his ultimate "call to action."
As noted in the part 1 of this blog, it's much easier to write a story if you know what the end looks like. In Captain Cannabis's case, the general story arc is established by inverting the Hal Lighter character from lazy and uncaring to motivated and giving. And with that we've identified the story's beginning and end.
Join me next time as I delve into how to fill in the blanks and develop the arc into a storyline worthy of the Captain Cannabis name.
Bye for now,
Verne taught comic book production and animation at the Vancouver Film School. An award-winning designer, his career spans illustration, animation, writing and directing with some of the best including Captain Canuck, Phantacea, Charlton, Marvel, Hanna Barbera, Universal, Ikea and Nelvana's animated cult-classic "Rock & Rule." He created the "Simply Accounting" name, designed Pigtronix's flagship musical effects pedal and launched both into successful brands.
Author: Verne Andru
Link: www.VerneAndru.com
Link: www.CaptainCannabis.com
Book: Captain Cannabis: No. 1 - 40th Anniversary
Book: Captain Cannabis: No. 2 - 40th Anniversary
Book: 420
Another story challenge comes from my general dislike for violence. In traditional comic books action and violence tend to be synonymous; pages filled with senseless fighting (the main reason I've stayed away from mainstream comic work), regardless how well illustrated, leads to stories (and characters) that lack depth. Since pot tends to be a head-trip leading to bouts of munchies and general laziness, focusing the Captain Cannabis drama on the mental rather than physical opens a unique story world allowing for stronger story potential and outside-the-box antagonists.
The biggest story challenge I set was that it can't suck! I've always felt a responsibility to making Captain Cannabis evolve into something special and I've taken that responsibility seriously. But that doesn't mean it can't get silly, which any story about a strain of intragalactic bud turning a lazy pot-head into any type of hero can't avoid.
I was working in animation and hanging with the Captain Canuck crew at the time of Captain Cannabis's "birth," so creating him was easy. I liked the stereo-typical muscle-bound costumed super-hero look for a character that was everything the goody-two-shoed others weren't. Captain Cannabis, the true "anti-hero," came about as the opposite of the usual Saturday-morning "super-heroes" who are generally angry, vengeful and overly violent.
Out of costume Captain Cannabis is a lazy pot-head who goes by the name Hal Lighter. He lives with girlfriend Marion Jones, drives a school bus part time and otherwise doesn't care much about anything other than getting through the day by staying high and playing music.
I liked the name "Hal" because the letters HAL are all 1 character before IBM. While thinking of a surname I decided on "Lighter," as in sparking up a joint, as it plays into the extra-dimensional story-world by framing him as the "light bringer," his ultimate "call to action."
As noted in the part 1 of this blog, it's much easier to write a story if you know what the end looks like. In Captain Cannabis's case, the general story arc is established by inverting the Hal Lighter character from lazy and uncaring to motivated and giving. And with that we've identified the story's beginning and end.
Join me next time as I delve into how to fill in the blanks and develop the arc into a storyline worthy of the Captain Cannabis name.
Bye for now,
Verne taught comic book production and animation at the Vancouver Film School. An award-winning designer, his career spans illustration, animation, writing and directing with some of the best including Captain Canuck, Phantacea, Charlton, Marvel, Hanna Barbera, Universal, Ikea and Nelvana's animated cult-classic "Rock & Rule." He created the "Simply Accounting" name, designed Pigtronix's flagship musical effects pedal and launched both into successful brands.Author: Verne Andru
Link: www.VerneAndru.com
Link: www.CaptainCannabis.com
Book: Captain Cannabis: No. 1 - 40th Anniversary
Book: Captain Cannabis: No. 2 - 40th Anniversary
Book: 420
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