|
|
 Attention All Creators Doing Manga on The Web
Written by Barb Lien-Cooper
When it comes to manga sites, things are a little difficult, because you can't just go and interview Rumiko Takahashi or whomever, so you just have a lot of reviews. Article content is harder, so here's a way you can really help us out-- as well as yourself!
It's come to our attention that there are a lot of developing manga-ka doing web comics on the internet. From my own experience as a webcomic creator I know from experience how difficult it is to get any press coverage of web comics, be they manga or American-style comics (I have a non-manga webcomic entitled Gun Street Girl-- the link's on MangaLife's ABOUT US page [scroll down to me if you want to see]). Since my husband is EiC over here at MangaLife, we'd like to help you manga webcomics out a little-- or rather, we'd like to do a fair exchange.
You need publicity. MangaLife needs content. Park and I have a little questionnaire we call Profiles in Webcomics that we sometimes send out to webcomics creators when we run low on content at Comics Bulletin. We'd like to send it out to you. You would just fill it out, put in your URL and ta dah, a little free coverage. Contact Park with any questions, okay?
Now, if you're feeling really ambitious, you could get a little more publicity by writing an article about yourself and your manga for us instead. It doesn't have to be anything fancy, just a little one or so page personal essay on why you like manga, why you draw manga, and why you do it on the Web.
Now, if you're even more ambitious, you could write more articles for us, either about the craft of doing manga, how to launch a web comic, or anything else that is manga related (including video games, anime, even J-horror).
It's just a way to get people to know that you're part of the world-wide manga movement and that you're out there. You work hard at your creation and you deserve a wider audience.
Helping MangaLife out might help you with that goal.
I know, you're busy. But at least consider the questionnaire. It's fun, really. I mean, who doesn't like to talk about him or herself, right? And if you're not a manga creator but you know someone who is, please tell them about this, please spread the message around!
And now, to give you an example, here's one now!
PROFILES IN WEBCOMICS:
--Your name, your comic's title, and what your comic's about:
My name: Alicia "RekKa" Hotovec
Comic: Sensou Yakai SkyFall http://www.skyfallmanga.com/
What it's about: It's a high fantasy story about six devices said to contain the power to control the gods, and the people who've come into possession of them. But it's a lot more complicated than that...
--What was the first anime you ever watched?
Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (AKA Ronin Warriors) back when it first aired in America in 1995... when I was 10. Yay.
--What was the first manga you ever read?
Either Slayers or X/1999, I don't remember which I read first.
--Do you consider your comic to be manga?
Yes, mostly.
--What is your favorite anime?
Samurai Troopers--mostly for the fact that it wasn't preceded by a manga that was better...
--What is your favorite webcomic besides your own?
Crowfeathers
--What was the last manga you read (and was it any good)?
Fullmetal Alchemist (still reading... waiting for Arakawa to finish it...), and YES.
--What was the last anime you watched (and was it any good)?
Witch Hunter Robin, I think. It's been a long time since I've had the time for watching anime. And yes, it was alright.
--What is your definition of manga? How is manga different from western comic books?
I'd say that to me, manga is an illustrated novel, one preferably with a contained storyline with set beginning and end (personal preference, since I find the best stories are ones told for the sake of the story and not for sake of the merchandising...). Also, traditionally manga is a black/white/tone artform, but things change. I'd say it is different from western comic books mostly in that manga tends to be less episodic, and um... ends. I'm pretty loose with the definition, and there are a lot of western comics that I'd say fall well under manga, and a lot of mainstream manga that reminds me more of western comics... I'm not as opinionated about it as I used to be.
--What are your current influences?
Currently? Not much, aside from other artists that I'm friends with. Originally, I was much more influenced by the anime, manga, books, and movies I was reading/watching when I created the story, but I haven't had as much time for those things as of late... so I'm just going with what's already in my head.
--What are your current favorite websites?
Aside from the multitude of webcomics I read... probably deviantArt and (sadly) icanhascheeseburger.com... yeah.
--What's your favorite movie, novel, and TV show?
Movie: Star Wars (the real ones (IV-VI), not the fake new ones...)
Novel: Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with his Daughter by Barry Lopez
TV Show: Either Avatar: The Last Airbender or House, M.D.
--What was the path that led you to creating your comic?
I used to live down the street from a good friend of mine who was also an artist, and my mother and hers basically said to us, "Hey, you both like comic books... why don't you draw your own?" So we did. After two years of planning and a few character designs later, I started drawing and publishing on the web. That was six years ago.
--Tell us about your background.
I'm a graduate student--working on my thesis and getting a Master of Science in Geophysics. Um, I work for the government, wish I had more time to draw, and practice Aikido. I've always enjoyed drawing, and learning how to tell a story through images has been an interesting and exciting challenge.
http://www.skyfallmanga.com/
Okay! Now that you've gotten a taste, please look forward to this being you next time...
: :
|
13 August 2008
Words of Truth and Wisdom: Meow 6 August 2008
Manga Bulletin: August 6th, 2008 5 August 2008
MangaLife Spotlight: The Manga Bible: It's Pretty Good, Believe It or Not 29 July 2008
Words of Truth and Wisdom: Thoughts on DubsWhat I Read: July 30, 2008 22 July 2008
Manga Bulletin: July 23rd, 2008
|
