Comics Stories

Comics Stories
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How do I get these dozens of stories finished that are like half done?

I have so many stories, even a couple comics that I just can't finish. Or some I have practically all planned out fom beginning to end, I just can't get the fully written plot onto paper. Help plox!!

I've got the same exact problem.

Here's my suggestion; gather up all of your ideas, all your materials into one place (or if it's on a computer, then make a list, with synopses next to the names). Now, prioritize them. Figure out which ones you like best and which ones are just okay. Try not to worry about the ones you're not particularly thrilled with. Even if you started the story, that doesn't mean you actually like it enough to finish. Really consider which ones you would enjoy reading if you were perusing someone else's portfolio.

Now that you have them organized, try and just start with one. Don't even worry about trying to finish the others yet. Carry a notebook around with you, and whenever you feel like writing, just sit down and scribble a bit. Keep in mind that whatever you put isn't set in stone. You can always go back and rewrite a section later if you feel like it. If a plot bunny hits you for any of you other stories, jot it down in the back of the notebook and forget about it for a while. Just make sure it's somewhere you can find it again later!

I don't know if you're the "carry-a-notebook-around-type," but if you are, then I find this darn useful. Keeps you from trying to finish too much at once. Baby steps, comrade. Baby steps.

It's the holiday season again, and we're faced with that age-old question: "What am I gonna give Uncle Harry? Or my best friend Alice?" One of the best holiday gift ideas this year would undoubtedly have to be comic books and graphic novels.

Considering the unprecedented box office successes of films like The Dark Knight and Iron Man this year, it's only natural that a lot of folks who didn't grow up reading comic books would now be interested in the exciting background stories of these characters. By the same token, lifelong fans' appetites are also whetted every time a comic book film adaptation is released. Please allow me to suggest some of the most intriguing stories ever written. For decades people have bought comic book issues of The X-Men, Superman, Batman, The Flash, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, et al to follow the exploits of these mighty heroes, their daring rescues and harrowing battles with their arch-nemeses. Nowadays, many of those classic stories are reprinted as beautiful hardcover and softcover books, known as Graphic Novels, the perfect gift to proudly display on a bookshelf or coffee table. Not everyone is aware that many of today's comic books and graphic novels are geared towards adults! Consider films like Sin City, Road To Perdition, 300 and V For Vendetta; they are all adaptations of graphic novels and comic books.

For those who don't quite know what to get for that comic loving loved one, there are all sorts of genres and topics broached by the comic medium. For those who enjoyed the Hollywood blockbusters of Iron Man and The Dark Knight, both are the key characters in many stories that will stand the test of time. For the Iron Avenger, the Demon in the Bottle storyline, dealing with Tony Stark's alcoholism, is a must read. Also worth noting is the Armor Wars, in which Tony hunts down all the various armors that have components he invented. Also, with the Avengers movie due out in two years, the Essential Avengers Volume 1 collects the first twenty four issues of Jack Kirby and Stan Lee's seminal creation.

Of course, Batman has a rich history himself: from Frank Miller's works The Dark Knight Returns and Batman Year One to the critically acclaimed The Long Halloween, there are plenty of Dark Knight selections to choose from for fans of Batman who may not have tried the comics. In fact, parts of the Christopher Nolan franchise are based on scenes found in Long Halloween and Year One. Revealing what these scenes were, however, would ruin the fun of discovering them in the graphic novel! More great gifts for the Batman fan: The Killing Joke (in which Batgirl is crippled by you-know-who) and The Joker, a brand new hardcover that picks up on the Joker as he's portrayed by Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

One can not discuss superheroes in comics without discussing the groundbreaking work of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's Watchmen. Watchmen is at various points a scathing political commentary, a murder mystery, and a deep analysis of the motivations of beings with great power and determination and with the ability to change the world with their actions. Likewise, any list of timely holiday gift ideas would be incomplete without the classic 1940s comic book character The Spirit, thanks to the upcoming December film release, staring Scarlett Johansson. Beautiful hardcover books like The Spirit Volume 1 by Darwyn Cooke, offer an all-new, contemporary incarnation of the character, though purists may prefer The Best of the Spirit and The Spirit Archives books, which reprint the original stories from the 1940's, by creator Will Eisner.

Of course, superheroes aren't the only genre of graphic literature available. For those of you who are buying for someone who may not enjoy the capes and tights crowd, there are tons of choices, such as Mouse Guard, Scott Pilgrim, Buffy: The Vampire Slayer Season Eight, The Walking Dead, Blankets and many others that would take more than this one article to describe. If I could recommend only two such titles, I would go with Persepolis (the bittersweet autobiography of a girl growing up in Iran during the revolution in the late 70's), and Art Speigleman's Maus (the harrowing account of the author's father at Auschwitz).

The best advice is to find a quality comic book and graphic novel retailer and ask them about these books.

For further information please visit: Comic Book Gifts

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