Check out the latest collaborative comic by A.C. Galaga and David Piper over at Sundayink.com!!
First time in a while that I just wrote a comic, but it has been a great experiences. Glad to know people like Dave who help motivate me to create more cool comic stuffs!
Now I best be getting back to the drawing table and finish off some of these long overdue pages I’ve been working on.
Sketch by David Piper
Above is an amazing sketch by David Piper for our upcoming comic (title TBA)!!
We worked this one out together based on my outline and scripts. It’s an honor having his incredible imaginative techniques visualizing my words 
He’s got a lot going on in the projects department at the moment, but he’s already produced some great stuff for this comic despite his tight schedule. Be sure to root him on over at his visit his Sunday Ink FB page!!
Also, you can click the images to read more about it on his blog over at Sundayink.com!
Here are a few more images of his work in progress.
D-Pi’s sweet page designs!
A rare WIP page draft! Woo hoo!
Just a quick heads up for now. Stay tuned for more information!!
New setup
This post is a little belated but I have to get back into the habit of regular updates on my latest adventures and creations!
So, as many of you may know, I’ve just moved to the bustling city of Osaka! Sure, the countryside was nice, but I need to be a little closer to where “things” happen.
The move was tricky. Set me back a little on production as well as money (still suffering on the money end). We arrived at a nice new empty apartment. It surely would have been nice to sit somewhere rather than the floor, so a trip to Ikea and Yamada Denki remedied that… but in the process killed my bank account.
A few weeks after arriving (and a bajillion yet later) Rie and I were finally living comfortably in our new place! The above picture is my new work area (which is no longer as tidy). It’s certainly a great feeling to finally have an office/drawing table. Sure beats my last area which was an old, half folded kitchen table in the corner of the living/”everything except the sleeping area” room.
Then the distraction factors kicked in again…
The day job isn’t bad but it certainly uses up a lot of my energy. M-F 7-5 I’m out and about yelling set English expressions at JHS students who really couldn’t care less. They’re still some pretty good kids at my job which certainly makes it worth while. But jeeze, if I ever start making some bread at this art gig (when?) I’ll certainly be looking into cutting back on the teaching hours.
Other distractions… VIDEO GAMES!! During the move I went back to playing Pokemon on my DS which was a huge mistake. My bouts with Pokemon are like fits of depression. There’s no doing anything but for a few days. It’s a horrid addiction, really. Think I spent an entire day trying to catch all the UNNOWN alphabet. Somehow I mustered up the energy to remove myself from the game and doodle this picture.
Glad that’s over!! Haven’t touched the game since. Now I need to figure a way to manage my Guild Wars 2 addiction!!!
Anyway, I’m back to making comics which is great! Be sure to check here frequently because I’ve certainly more to tell you about (Such as my excellent adventure to Tokyo for the Comitia/International Comic Fest) as well as a few new comics on the way!
All the best and talk to you again soon!!
Since coming to Japan, the manga style that may have influenced me the most is 4Koma Manga (yon-koma: 4 panel). I was first introduced to this style by reading Azumanga Daiyo while living in the US. Back then it reminded me of newspaper comic strips but with a little more continuity.
When I moved to Japan I saw a lot more examples of 4Koma such as Sazae-san, OL, and even random bits scattered throughout Shonen Jump and Gangan magazines. After doing a little research on this style I soon came across the expression “Kishoutenketsu” (起承転結) which simply translated means “Setup (ki), Development (shou), Climax (ten)*, Conclusion (ketsu).” In that order, they represent the four panels of a 4koma manga.
*could also be thought of as “Turning Point”
It is said to originally derive from the four-line Chinese poetry composition. The same structure can be found in Chinese and Japanese short narratives and is used as a structure for arguments and essays. There is no documentation on this, but I believe it also to be a common structure in Japanese cinema as well (compared to the western world’s 3 act structure).
So I tried my hand at making a few and found it a really enjoyable exercise. For me, it was like a comic version of the Haiku. Of course, after discussing this structure with some comic buddies it was criticized as being archaic and, with the inovation of webcomics as well as the infinite canvas, silly to work within such limitations.
Well, I come from the school of learning to make a short before attempting the feature (yet another philosophy where I’ve ended up in arguments). It’s not easy to tell a joke in 4 panels. Working within such limitations is fun and challenging. I feel that without practicing structure, larger works would just fall flat.
Anyway, the linked PDF is a collection of my 4Koma Manga which are all based on random experiences in life. All of these happen to take place in Japan because that’s where I’ve been for the past five years and counting. Some of them are good, some are not. It’s something I’d like to keep working on.
Many of these were published in the Mie JET newsletter, GenkiFace, and in my school paper. Some I decided not to publish because of controversial themes or for personal reasons. I’m sure you might be able to identify them…
They are ment to be read from top to bottom, left to right (not the Japanese way of reading). For the comics that have (my poor) Japanese in them, I’ve written a quick translation at the bottom of the page.
It’s been a while since I’ve made a 4Koma Manga, but hopefully after moving to my new apartment (or some really motivating feedback) I’ll pick up the habit of doing them regularly again.
If you have any questions, complaints, remarks, or compliments please don’t hesitate to post a comment below
Enjoy!! (^_^)v
This comic is something I’ve been working on for a while. Not that it’s going to look amazing because I’ve been committing time to it, it’s more like I (mostly) finished the pencils and was scared away by the inking phase ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ=3=3=3
However, I did have the attention span to ink the cover (Yay)! It’s no way near complete yet, but I figure I’d post a WIP.
This bit might be colored, but I still have to decide how I want to produce this comic. Might just be web-based but wouldn’t mind printing out some mini-comics (for Rie in particular). Whichever, the inside contents will most likely just be b&w.
The whole comic is 10 pages + cover, so it should be a nice little comic eventually. When I get all moved and a new desk set up, this will be one of the comics I’ll try to (finally) finish.
So, to any comic creators out there, do you ever have difficulties finishing the production of your comic? Is there a certain part that gives you the most trouble? How do you ink your comics and how quickly can you finish them?
Hope to hear some responses! None the less, I’ll finish this one soon so stay tuned!!
See ya next time!
At the end of last year, a good friend commissioned me to make some banners for the 2011 Best Japanese Albums/Songs list on his website makebelievemelodies.com. Pretty fun job and I’m satisfied with the results. Haven’t posted them online until recently for some reason. Click on the banners if you’d like to check out his list!
Some fun trivia: Patrick (the owner of MakeBelieveMelodies.com) is in both of the pictures. See if you can find him
So if you didn’t know, I’ve been playing a lot of Dungeons & Dragons lately. I’ve also had my first real experience being a GM and it’s something I really enjoy and must get better at.
Before I went home for the winter holiday, I told my co-worker that I was kinda wanting to play D&D again. He said he’d be up for it. After the holiday vacation I came back with some core books and, with a group of colleagues, started playing every week or two. The campaign has had its ups and downs but everyone has been enjoying it for the most part.
Doing this has reminded me how much I really enjoyed playing RPGs as a kid and has gotten me a little hooked (obsessive) again. It started with D&D but I’ve been really curious to check out other systems and settings. As long as I’m careful not to buy too much, this has been a great exercise in creativity and has gotten me doodling more often.
Well that’s all for now. About to move new apartment in Osaka soon but I’ll keep the “Tangent Tuesday” posts one way or another. Need to get ready for another D&D game now~~
Rock on!
