Webcomic Wonderland discussion
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Alex Woolfson
Q&A
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Q&A with Alex Woolfson on March 23rd!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy! I'm a huge fan of Alex's comics. Can't wait!
The Q&A is this Saturday! Even if you won't be able to be here on that date, you can still get an answer to any questions you have! Post a question here or send one to me through Goodreads or webcomicwonderlandgroup@hotmail.com and I can post your question for you.
Ok! I have a question!Alex, is there anything you wish you could have done differently for Artifice, whether it is through narration or art? Do you think, had you done this, your comic would have been improved or would it have subtracted from the story you wished to tell?
(I do love Artifice, by the way. :) Can't wait to get my own copy.)
I was wondering how many chapters there will be for The Young Protectors, and do you already have a complete outline of where the story is going and how it will end.And ... is the artistic work largely of your own creation or does Adam also provide creative ideas for the panels.
Thank you.
(I have Artifice on backorder, so hanging out to get that in May or June. The wait is agonising)
I have a few questions, ones which I am sure you have been asked before but:What made you choose comics over traditional writing for your stories?
How did you find the artists who help you bring Artifice and The Young Protectors to life and did you find it hard to pay them on startup for your work?
Where (other than general Science Fiction media) do you find inspiration for your work? Personally I thought that the story behind Artifice was very emotionally endearing - I'm very curious to know what gave you the idea.
I love the young Protectors so much! :D Thank you for continuing to update it every week ^^ My question is how did the comic become so popular?
What's so great about this story is that the characters seem so real, and have their own, real and fleshed out "normal" lives.I'd like to know what is the most important thing to do in order to keep a superhero story connected to/relatable with reality.
Hi Kristen, Hi Leila! Anyone else here yet?
Alex wrote: "Howdy everyone :)"Guten tag!
Howdy Ezno! Servus, Kinziek! Great to have you here!All right, I think I'll get started. I'll start at the top and work my way down. If any of y'all have follow-up questions, please let me know. :)
The Young Protectors is a superb comic, and the current storyline with Kyle and Duncan is amazing. My question: do you prefer happy endings (heh) to your stories, or do you like more angst-ridden stories that keep the readers on their toes?
The beginning is always a good place to start, Alex ;)
Alex wrote: "Howdy everyone :)"{Waves!}
Kinziek wrote: "Ok! I have a question!Alex, is there anything you wish you could have done differently for Artifice, whether it is through narration or art? Do you think, had you done this, your comic would have ..."
Wow, that's a really great question! The second part of it is easy: I wouldn't have done anything different with the art. Working with Winona was a tremendous pleasure and I think she totally nailed what I was going for and what the story needed. I had done a lot of research about printing up front, so even the technical specs we used for the art worked out well for us.
***ARTIFICE SPOILER ALERT BELOW***
As for the writing? Well, there are "would be nice" things, I suppose. It would be nice if the story were longer, at least twice as long. I think that would make it a more "satisfying chunk" for readers, thus possibly more successful commercially and certainly easier to translate into feature film length (if I should be so lucky to have interest for that). I've already said on the notes on the last page that I wish I had written a "happy ending coda" where the readers got to enjoy Jeff and Deacon's success for 10 pages or so. (And I'm glad that the Kickstarter campaign's upcoming "bonus comic" will give me a chance to do something like that.)
But ultimately, for my first webcomic, I wanted to post something that I knew for certain I could finish. (Because in my research of other webcomics, I found that many don't and as a reader that's frustrating.) The art for Artifice took a long time to make—if the story had been twice as long, it likely would not have been released for years yet. Also, even though it is short, I like the "purity" of Artifice—it shoots like an arrow from beginning to end which is my preferred method of tellng a story. (And that's how I wrote the first draft, in basically a single writing week.) If it had been longer, again, I'm not sure it would be that way.
Ultimately, as a writer, while the majority of the work is revision, you have to "dance with the one who brung you", so while I learn a lot from each project, I don't often have regrets. Even though I'm a perfectionist, I think it's better to learn from your mistakes than trying to keep polishing a single story to "perfection" and never finishing. For me, the most important parts of a story are whether there are compelling stakes and whether it has a satisfying ending. Where I started and ended Artifice was where it felt to me both those criteria were met. So ultimately, I think it would have subtracted from the story to have tried to force something longer out of what wanted to be a shorter work.
(And by the way, Kristen, be sure to let me know if I need to do something different with my replies. :) )
Hi Alex!I love both Artifice and The Young Protectors. Not just for the (admittedly awesome) settings, but for the characters, which I feel are argueably the most important parts of any work of fiction. I would like to ask you about your characters: Do you come up with the characters first or the story first? and Are there any particular considerations you have when developing characters, such as avoiding stereotypes, etc.?
Alex wrote: "(And by the way, Kristen, be sure to let me know if I need to do something different with my replies. :) )"You're doing great so far!
Michelle wrote: "I was wondering how many chapters there will be for The Young Protectors, and do you already have a complete outline of where the story is going and how it will end.And ... is the artistic work la..."
Hey Michele!
Another great couple questions!
The Young Protectors consists of the Prologue and 5 chapters. And I never begin any story without knowing exactly how it will end. After experiences as a fan with shows like X-Files and Lost, I feel that when a writer sets up a long-term story with tension for an audience, they make a promise to them that they will deliver a satisfying conclusion. While I understand that in the TV world there are limitations that make this hard, to just "make it up as I go along" and hope that a good ending for my story just falls on my head somewhere along the way feels like malpractice to me.
Is the artistic work largely of your own creation or does Adam also provide creative ideas for the panels?
Hmmm. There's lots of ways I could answer that. I think it's easiest to just talk about my process. I write what's called a "full script", meaning that I describe how many panels are on each page, what you see in each panel and what all the dialogue is. (See an example here: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/429165/Engag... )
Now that's page 2 of Chapter One of The Young Protectors. As you can see, there's a fair amount of description there of how I saw it in my mind. (And, as it's establishing the space, it's probably even a bit more than what I usually do. What matters most to me is the "acting" of the characters -- their facial expressions and body language -- and so that's what I'm most likely to include detail on.)
But compare that to the actual page:
http://webcomics.yaoi911.com/archive/...
As you can see, there is a ton of detail I never mentioned at all: all the extra characters and how they look, their individual body language and expressions, the ambulance, etc. etc. etc. Did Adam realize what was in my script? Definitely.. Did he (and Vero, the colorist) take it to a whole 'nother level. Absolutely!
As the "editor" of the comic, I do take a very active role in giving notes to my artists for revisions. But Adam and Vero are such pros, mostly that's just to clarify subtle things that I failed to mention in my script. Like fimmaking, creating comics is a collaboration. So, as the "writer-director", while the overall "vision" of the comic may be mine, Adam and Vero provide a ton of creative ideas for every panel. Even though it might feel to me like they are delivering the story exactly as I pictured it in my head (because they nail the story-telling so well), the truth is there are a thousand details both big and small in every panel that I never would have thought of. So, in that regard, as I receive pages from them, I get to enjoy some of the same pleasure my readers enjoy. :)
P.S. I really hope you enjoy your book when you get it!
Diana asks: "Hi there... I am sure someone will ask but, how do you plan out and divide labor with your co-creators? Where do you find these folks?! What's the work process, and how have you made it efficient over time?It's interesting that although each comic looks different, there are certain themes that keep coming up.. and certain tender qualities of interaction that are Woolfsonisms. Love your stuff especially Annihilator LOL!"
Vik-thor asks: "I am definitely enjoying Young Protectors!!! Were you a reader of the Legion of Super Heroes when you were younger? (Heck, do you currently read them!? :)
What comics do you currently read, both print and web?"
Hi, Alex! Sorry I'm late. I love the comics. Thanks for your hard work!!
I'm rather curious. If a live-action film was made of the Young Protectors or Artifice, who would you cast as the leads? Huge fan, by the way.
Ezno wrote: "I have a few questions, ones which I am sure you have been asked before but:What made you choose comics over traditional writing for your stories?
How did you find the artists who help you bring..."
My day job and background is as a filmmaker, so the stories that most easily come to me are ones best told visually. Originally, I wanted to tell all my stories as films, but films are very, very expensive to make. Especially the action/sci-fi/fantasy genre stories that appeal to me the most. I'd never be able to either a) afford funding myself or b) convince Hollywood to fund my gay-positive action-adventure epics. But in comics, you can tell a feature-length story for the price of a short film. And you have an unlimited special effects budget. ;)
How did you find the artists who help you bring Artifice and The Young Protectors to life and did you find it hard to pay them on startup for your work?
With the exception of Adam, I found them by posting up ads on artist help-wanted sites describing my projects clearly and offering a solid page rate. (You can find a list of some of those site on my NSFW blog here: http://www.yaoi911.com/how-to-find-th... )
And because I do pay a real page rate, yes, sometimes coming up with the money requires a fair amount of sacrifice on my part. But I do have a pretty good paying job as a freelance film editor and ultimately I feel being able to tell the stories I want to tell and share them with the world is worth it, even if I'm out of pocket. (And that I have the opportunity to have those stories made real by such skilled professionals who create such beautiful art—well, that just makes me feel like the luckiest guy in the world.)
Where (other than general Science Fiction media) do you find inspiration for your work? Personally I thought that the story behind Artifice was very emotionally endearing - I'm very curious to know what gave you the idea.
I talk about this in depth in the bonus sections in the back of the printed version of Artifice, but the short answer is I get them from daydreams I have after watching or reading other genre fiction that inspired me. In the case of Artifice, it was the scene from the movie Aliens (which was a huge influence for me as a writer as a kid) where someone called the android a "synthetic" and he gently corrects that person saying "Actually, I prefer the term 'artificial person' myself." As a gay guy, I know that there are real limits for those who are disempowered in asking the majority nicely for equal rights and hoping they will bother to bestow them on you. I wondered what would happen once the "artificial people" got radicalized. I started fantasizing the opening scene of Artifice where Deacon comes up with a more in-your-face way of claiming his identity and thus the seeds for Artifice were planted.
Anastasia wrote: "I love the young Protectors so much! :D Thank you for continuing to update it every week ^^ My question is how did the comic become so popular?"
I'm so glad you're enjoying The Young Protectors! And, boy, that's a tough one. Popularity is, of course, a relative term. I'm very, very happy with the way The Young Protectors has been received, but the truth is, its readership is a mere fraction of what, say, Teahouse or Starfighter get. To be honest, I still think of myself as a beginner at webcomics.
That said, I think the most important piece is to write the kind of story you yourself would want to read. While I think it's important to keep other people in mind when focusing on the clarity of your story-telling, when it comes to the kind of story you're telling: subject, tone, etc. I personally believe it's a losing game to try to guess what will please other people. The only compass you really have access to is your own, so in deciding what story to write and how to tell it, that's the one you should use, IMHO.
(And, frankly, I always believe there is the chance that I may be the only person who ever bothers to read my stories, so I better damn well like it!)
But in addition to that, I'd say being engaged with your readership in the comments and social media helps a lot. That's one of the huge selling points of webcomics, period. And well-thought-out advertising makes a huge difference. I talk about that a little bit here:
http://alexwoolfson.tumblr.com/post/2...
Hello!! Me and my sister are huge fans of Artifice. <3I'm unsure if this has been asked before, but do you actually meet with the artists/colorists in person, or is it largely done over the internet? If you do meet in person, do you have an office or studio where you guys meet?
It seems you have great communication with your team, and everyone's work seems to mesh so well together.
Are there any complications you and your team meet when it comes to communication? If so, how do you solve them? And does everyone in your team have a similar vision for the final product?
Thanks so much!
Dee wrote: "I love the Young Protectors story about Kyle and Duncan. Will you be doing stories for the other characters (heroes and/or villians) as well?"Glad to hear you're enjoying Kyle and Duncan's story, Dee!
And I'm glad you asked that question. While Engaging the Enemy follows Kyle's arc, I will absolutely be telling stories with the other characters. In fact, I already have stories in mind for Spooky and Commander and a Fluke story as well. Stay tuned! :D
Alex wrote: "Dee wrote: "I love the Young Protectors story about Kyle and Duncan. Will you be doing stories for the other characters (heroes and/or villians) as well?"Glad to hear you're enjoying Kyle and Dun..."
And that brings me to the question, how far in advance do you have your pages prepared? I know some webcomics are last minute but you are always on time. (a very admirable trait. :) )
Leila wrote: "What's so great about this story is that the characters seem so real, and have their own, real and fleshed out "normal" lives.I'd like to know what is the most important thing to do in order to ke..."
That's a very nice compliment, Leila! Thank you!
And I have one main rule when it comes to genre-fiction (i.e. sci-fi, fantasy, superhero, action, etc.): "You can make the situation as fantastic as you want, so long as the characters' reaction to that craziness is very close to the reaction we would have in that situation."
Faster-than-light travel, human-like android, sparkly vampires, whatever -- readers will buy all of that (and in fact that's what they signed up for). But if you try to twist your characters' motivations and actions into pretzels just to hit some plot point you think is interesting, God help you.
So, I start with thinking about what really motivates each of the characters, find that part within myself and then put myself in their shoes -- if a hot android who attacked me earlier starts to thaw and get romantic, how would I react if I had had Jeff's experiences? etc.
That's a place I begin anyway. :)
New question! ^_^You mentioned above that comics that don't end and shows that end disappointingly are, well, disappointing to you. I have to agree, they put me off of webcomics that are ongoing sometimes, too.
But for someone looking to start their own comic, would you recommend having the entire story scripted, start to end, before even uploading the website? And in that case, how far would you recommend having the pages prepped in advance?
Nicola wrote: "The Young Protectors is a superb comic, and the current storyline with Kyle and Duncan is amazing. My question: do you prefer happy endings (heh) to your stories, or do you like more angst-ridden s..."Thank you, Nicola!
And heh. I'm allergic to giving away any kind of spoiler. But I will say this. As a reader/audience member, I almost always prefer happy endings. If they feel earned. And only if they feel earned.
And as a gay guy, having watched countless films and read countless books (even by gay creators!) where they gay guy ends up totally miserable (should he even survive!), I personally believe there is more than enough of that kind of messaging out there already. As a creator, I'd be loathe to contribute to it.
That said, I believe what ultimately matters is what the take-away is for your body of work, so for an individual story, I would be willing to deliver a sad ending, even for the gay character, if I felt that well and truly made for a better story.
And in all my stories, my characters may suffer quite a bit while facing the challenges I present them; they are heroes after all and so their challenges should truly be challenging. But in terms of creating something gay-positive, what matters most to me is how it ends. And spoiler alert—for the majority of my work, I would like to create more than a few happy endings for my LGBTQ heroes.
Hi Alex!I can't wait to receive my copy of Artifice, hopefully it's swimming to Australia as we speak.
My question is, how much of yourself do you put into the main characters of Artifice or the Young Protectors? :-p
Do you ever think of starting your own comic imprint? :D
Hi Alex,I don't really have a question just thought I'd share. I was reading my copy of Artifice (so pretty and shiny) after it arrived a few weeks ago and my hubby who has no idea what the subject matter is asked me if it "had good action". I was at a loss for words. . . I loved artifice, and I'm really enjoying Young Protectors.
Kimberly wrote: "Hi Alex,I don't really have a question just thought I'd share. I was reading my copy of Artifice (so pretty and shiny) after it arrived a few weeks ago and my hubby who has no idea what the subje..."
Haha! Oh my gosh. I think I would die laughing if I had been there.
Ida wrote: "Hi Alex!I love both Artifice and The Young Protectors. Not just for the (admittedly awesome) settings, but for the characters, which I feel are argueably the most important parts of any work of fiction. I would like to ask you about your characters: Do you come up with the characters first or the story first? and Are there any particular considerations you have when developing characters, such as avoiding stereotypes, etc.? "
You know, it's funny. In general, I think of myself as a plot guy. What matters most to me is the ending and how we get there. But the truth is, almost always, I do start with the characters first.
As I mentioned above, my stories begin with daydreams, (often created as I dance around my office listening to music, but that's a whole 'nother story--and an image which would frighten small children.)
I'll watch some sci-fi show on TV that had some dramatic scene that was either excellent (so it's got me jazzed) or it's awful (so it's got me thinking how it could be done better) and soon I'm inserting my own characters into it, interacting with the leads. (This is one of the reasons I don't write fan fiction; I'd always want to make my own characters the stars.)
If the idea really has legs, soon the OC from the show I watch sort of drop away and get replaced by other characters of my own making. And what I mean by "having legs", brings me to an answer to your question.
The biggest question I ask myself is: does this character have a strong motivation that would compel them into action and would compel other people to care?
"Wanting to write a film script" might be a strong motivator for folks, but for audiences, it's a big "Who cares?"
But "Wanting to free yourself from the clutches of an evil corporation to find dignity and love"? Might be something there.
So, that's the first step for me in writing anything. And then the second step is "Is there another character with an equally compelling motivation whose goals are in conflict with the protagonist?" I need both before I can begin. And by compelling, that motivation has to be understandable, even if we don't share it. Something like "Rising up in the corporate ranks and proving humans are still superior to inevitable domination of machines", perhaps?
So, you can see that I start with characters, but it's in the search for compelling, believable, strong motivations where I put my writing energies (instead of, say, filling out stat sheets with age, school, etc. info which I know is popular with some writers.)
Hopefully that gives an OK answer to your question!
BTW, are my answers helpful to y'all? I know I'm going on a bit. They are just such good questions! :D
They're really great! I'm certainly enjoying them.
Your answers are fantastic, Alex! Thanks for taking the time to write such full answers!
Alex wrote: "BTW, are my answers helpful to y'all? I know I'm going on a bit. They are just such good questions! :D"Your answers are fantastic! :) *grabs a sandwich and waits for more replies* ^_^
Alex wrote: "Ida wrote: "Hi Alex!I love both Artifice and The Young Protectors. Not just for the (admittedly awesome) settings, but for the characters, which I feel are argueably the most important parts of an..."
Thank you so much for the great answer! Hope you have a continued good night (I don't know if it's night were you are, but it's night here, so...), and good luck with your writing. I'm looking forward to the next update of The Young Protectors!
Diana asks: "Hi there... I am sure someone will ask but, how do you plan out and divide labor with your co-creators? Where do you find these folks?! What's the work process, and how have you made it efficient over time?It's interesting that although each comic looks different, there are certain themes that keep coming up.. and certain tender qualities of interaction that are Woolfsonisms. Love your stuff especially Annihilator LOL!"
Hehe. Glad you're liking what I'm trying to do. Now you've got me all curious about "Woolfsonisms". :D
I talked a bit above about how I find my artists, but the work process for The Young Protectors goes like this:
- I write a full script for a chapter, start to finish
- I send that script to Adam
- He creates thumbnail pages (rough sketches, where we can revise things without too much pain). About 10 pages at a time.
- I send him notes. We go through about two sets of revisions.
- Once the thumbnails for a section is approved, he starts work on the pencils and then sends me the first passes.
- Again, I send him notes and again we might go through about two more sets of revisions.
- Once the pages for a section are approved, I send them off to a "flatter" who preps the pages for Vero to color by taking care of the tedium of selecting each of the areas for Vero to color
- Then Vero and I go through a very similar process of notes and revisions
- Finally, when they pages are approved, she sends me high-res TIFFs which I then letter in Adobe Illustrator, composite in Adobe InDesign and prep for webposting in Photoshop.
I used to use FTP, but we share files using Dropbox.
And in terms of efficiency, I would say we've become a lot more efficient, but that's mostly because Adam and Vero are such pros! They've learned what I like and what my bugaboos are so it seems with every first pass they send me, I have fewer and fewer notes. (I might also be getting a bit better at communicating with them, but I think they're the ones who deserve the credit for any efficiencies that have happened. :) )
Vik-thor asks: "I am definitely enjoying Young Protectors!!! Were you a reader of the Legion of Super Heroes when you were younger? (Heck, do you currently read them!? :)What comics do you currently read, both print and web?"
Thank you, Vik-thor! Glad to hear it!
I know I read some Legion of Super Heroes stuff as a kid, but Teen Titans was more my thing, TBH. (That said, I think it was canon that at least one of the Legion was actually gay, right?)
And in terms of what I read:
- I'll read anything that Ed Brubaker writes. Anything. I'm not much of a fanboy for much, but I'm definitely a Brubaker fanboy. If you haven't read Sleeper, run, do not walk and go get Sleeper Seasons One and Two. Fantastic noir. Has super-powers, still great lit. (I'd include "Secret Identity" by Kurt Busiek in that category too. Not noir, but it's a superman story that taught me things about the human condition.)
- The first ten volumes of Fables are one of the best yarns in any medium. If someone hasn't read comics, that's the one I turn them on to. And it seems to be getting good again.
- Persepolis is also awesome. American Born Chinese: awesome. Stuck Rubber Baby: dumb title, very awesome.
- And I should be reading more webcomics, but I find I get far behind. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ & Amal. I of course read Teahouse, Starfighter, Fox Sister and Sfeer Theory. I love Minor Acts of Heroism. I also follow The Class and this morning I found myself unable to stop paging through That Deaf Guy. There are more, such as Mahou Shonen Fight, but I'd just refer y'all to my Links page on my webcomic. I don't put a comic there unless I read it myself. :)
The Doctor wrote: "I'm rather curious. If a live-action film was made of the Young Protectors or Artifice, who would you cast as the leads? Huge fan, by the way."Thank you, Doctor!
You want to know something that's funny? I almost never think of what actors I'd cast in my stories. The truth is, they all feel like their own people in my head, so it's a little like asking who I'd like to have play me in a movie. I can of course think of all kinds of flattering choices—John Cusak, perhaps—but are we really alike? I bet not.
So, while I'm always very amused to read how my readers would answer that question (Sean Connery seems a popular choice for the voice of The Annihilator), I almost never have a good answer for that myself. :)
Olivia wrote: "Hello!! Me and my sister are huge fans of Artifice. <3Howdy Olivia! Thank you—that's great to hear. It's fun to think of sisters sharing some enjoyment with my work. :)
I'm unsure if this has been asked before, but do you actually meet with the artists/colorists in person, or is it largely done over the internet? If you do meet in person, do you have an office or studio where you guys meet?
At this point, it's almost all conducted over the Internet. I've actually never heard either of Adam's or Vero's voice—our only communication has been via email, interestingly enough!
But Winona actually moved to San Francisco for a few years while we were working on Artifice. And even when she was out-of-state, we still often communicated via phone. I personally find email to be the most efficient way to share notes, but I really valued being able to sit with Winona in a cafe and go over pages with her. Working on comics can be a bit of a lonely process so it was fun and it definitely strengthened our friendship.
I look forward to meeting both Adam and Vero in person, but it'll probably take a Con or a book signing to make that happen as they both live quite a ways away from me.
It seems you have great communication with your team, and everyone's work seems to mesh so well together.
Are there any complications you and your team meet when it comes to communication? If so, how do you solve them? And does everyone in your team have a similar vision for the final product?
Glad you think so! I think so too! And I'd say I've been very, very lucky in terms of shared vision for these comics.
The truth is, I went through a long vetting process with all my artists. For every listing I posted, there were over 200 applicants. And while talent was a major determinant in who I ultimately hired, the artists I went with not only shared my "vision", they shared what I was trying to do in a larger sense, so they could then take what I was trying to do and then through their brilliance, make it into something transcendent and awesome.
I feel like I'm doing a bad job of describing this (and because comics are a true collaboration, I always feel rather odd about harping on about "my vision".) But here's the short answer:
We seem to have very few communication hiccups because Adam, Winona and Vero are total pros and I think they also believe in what I'm trying to do in telling stories with gay heroes. And that makes me feel very lucky.
What is your opinion on fan fiction and fan art of your work?
This time around, you can ask questions in advance! Leave a question here and Alex will answer it on the 23rd! Feel free to send questions to me via Goodreads PM and webcomicwonderlandgroup@gmail.com as well.
Please remember that this is a public group. That means that anyone can access this Q&A. Please keep any of your questions safe for work. If you wouldn't feel comfortable saying it in front of a thirteen year old, don't say it!
About Alex Woolfson
Alex Woolfson grew up loving science-fiction and action movies, but never got to see what he really wanted to see—kick-ass genre stories with real heroes who just happened to like other guys. After Alex started a successful career as a filmmaker in the Bay Area, he soon realized the best way to make the “big-budget” adventure stories he craved would be as full-color comics. Inspired by the sci-fi thrillers he loved as a kid, he teamed up with illustrator Winona Nelson to create the science-fiction graphic novel, Artifice.
In addition to writing and publishing comics, Alex enjoys eating other people’s cooking, talking to strangers in the far parts of the world and spending weeks at a time on silent meditation retreat. He currently lives in San Francisco where he is writing scripts for his latest story with gay action heroes, the superhero webcomic The Young Protectors.
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