Opinions

[j giar]

Hey all! I've been here for a while but it's my first time in this forum. My name is Jim Giar and I'm currently working on my own title SOULDRIVER. I'm writing and doing the artwork. It's planned as a multi TPB or GN, whichever you prefer to call it. It's segmented into 3 64 page books alright? Any ways..back on track. My question to you writers out there is this.
I had the first 64 pages plotted and scripted. I had started to write the next series of pages when I realized that one of the characters had kind of disappeared during a sequence of events near the end of the 1st book. So I went back and wrote a scene explaining where he was and what took place. Planning on publishing it seperate...maybe on line, originally.
However after mucho self exploration(it's not as dirtyas it sounds) I decide to incorporate that story into the original 64 pages of the first GN. And now after all that, the question. This series of events will take place during another scene in the story and what I want to do is tell two stories at once. Upon first thinking about it..I'm thinking to do a series of panels that are either offset, I'm thinking more panoramic panels, and as you continue down the page the scenes would switch from one to the other and maybe using dialogue overlay to help keep it tied together. Any thoughts, help, opinions?
Jim Giar

[Razzberryd79]

seeing what you are talking about would probably be a bit more helpful. Maybe post something in here. I went to the link and saw the cover (?) Pretty nice work.

[Buckyrig]

Thumb nail it out each way you imagine it and look at the flow.

If you are doing writing and art chores there is no reason to write it out in script form first, unless that is what works for you. The one-stop creators have the luxury of taking many different approaches, all of which can work pretty well since you are only going to be conferring with you.

[j giar]

Thumb nail it out each way you imagine it and look at the flow.

If you are doing writing and art chores there is no reason to write it out in script form first, unless that is what works for you. The one-stop creators have the luxury of taking many different approaches, all of which can work pretty well since you are only going to be conferring with you.
Yeah, that's what I ended up doing...thanx though! Once I saw it on paper..panels. I saw which way I was going.

[nolanjwerner]

Show us what you're trying to do and we might have a better idea how to help you. As it stands, I'm a bit lost

NJW

[j giar]

When I get back in tonight, I'll scan in some things to show you what I was doing. Let me see if I can be a little more thorough here on my explanation.
SOULDRIVER, I've already decided, will be comprised of 3, 64 page books. In each book I approached it as 4 individual chapters or issues. As I completed the first book it seemed to be missing something but I couldn't focus on what it was. After re-reading several times I spotted it. I'll try and explain. At one point near the end of the 4th issue/chapter in book 1 the main character, and a very important supporting character, split up in a building. Being that the book is about the main character that is who we followed. At the end of chapter 4 the supporting character meets back up with the main character and they leave together. That's simplified but you get my meaning. This bothered me so I wrote an independent story chronicling the adventures of the supporting character and what he had done during the time he had split from the main character. My intention or thoughts were to publish it on the web or as a free issue..something along that lines. But it was a piece of the puzzle that was missing from the entire story. Because that seperate chapter reveals something important about, not only the supporting, but also his relationship with the main character and one other supporting character. So my question, and I'll post samples later as to my final idea, was how to incorporate that 5th chapter into the story line without major re-writing.
MY solution? Have you ever seen in films when the camera cuts back and forth from two scenes that take place simultaniously? Luc Besson did it in The Fifith Element and many other films. His is the one that always comes to mind.
Sometimes the dialogue is overlapped to keep the story tied together. I'm going to use panoramic panels and use them by offsetting the panels down the page to represent how and when the scenes switch. It's alot easier to see on paper. Like I said, I'll post later tonight or tomorrow depending on weather here. We were slammed by major storms last night and are expecting more today. Two words.
FLASH FLOOD!

[Buckyrig]

Sounds like you could even do it as a "back up". Quick story after the main story. But then again I am not looking at it right now.

[j giar]

Sounds like you could even do it as a "back up". Quick story after the main story. But then again I am not looking at it right now.
Actually it was going to be a back up story. But what made me decide to incorporate it was the parallel qualities to what happens to the supporting character and the main character during this particular scene.
What attracted me to the idea of switching back in forth between the two scenes is the tension that is built. Or at least it seemed to. Just as the one scene would start to present the details of what might happen, I switch to the other scene creating kind of a tension for the reader. Until I, or we switch back. I think you could only do it for so long before you would piss off the reader. And at the end of this scene there is the pay off, so the reader doen't feel cheated. Since I'm doing the art for this the script was done more on my behalf to help with pacing and dialogue. I don't think it will be helpful to post it, but I might. What do you think?