Brainstorming for Project 1

Brain Storming for Honours Project 2009.

Art Style/Influences:
Jack Kirby
John Romita Jr
Tim Sale
Klaus Janson

Graphic Novel? How many pages (Colour or Black and White)
Think of the workload- plot, pencil, ink then scan prepare page, flat colours, shadows, highlights for EVERY page…?

Series of Issues making up a Graphic Novel/Story Arc?

22 page or 12 page?- (Stan Lee era stories where Marvel had two for one superhero comics that went for 12 pages eg: Tales of Suspense starring Iron Man and Captain America, Tales to Astonish starring The Hulk and Submariner etc.)

Tie in with animated trailer/s (similar to CFCA work experience project)?
Include printed promo material

Or animated Comic panels
- Depth of Field
- Moving Elements eg: Fire, Smoke, rain etc.
- Speech Bubbles (Dialogue?)
- Slight Movement of characters eg Hair) (similar to storyboard/animatics)
- Recorded Dialogue? Sound effects?
- Adobe After Effects?
Similar to “Batman Begins” Special Features comic or a more animated short piece version “Hellboy 2 Epilogue”

Dialogue/Music/Sound- Would need to storyboard/Animatic to co-ordinate timing.

Themes:
Ø Australian Superhero?
Ø Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era (beginning 1962) form of origin (atomic age powers/cold war era)
Ø Modern Setting- Brisbane? Sydney? Both?
o Or “The Phantom” Esk period- Linage of Vigilantes thru different eras?
Ø Man gains powers, unsure how to use them?
o Good: protects neighbourhood
o Robs Bank?
o Fame and fortune seeking?
o Police/army/overseas?
o Modern perception?- 1940’s Captain America political

Action comic
- Vigilante?
- Guns difficult to obtain, maybe makeshift weapons (Black Jack?)
- Costume?

Villains?
- Gangster? (period-Sydney)
- Corrupt Cops
- Graffiti gangs?
- Biker gangs?
- Street Race gangs?
- Terrorists?
- Ethic /white gangs?
- One main villain?
Big, Scary type (Similar to Kingpin in size and stature?) Long Black Hair? Drug Baron? (Cliché), People smuggling? (Cliché) Ex- Military or Rich Family Immigrant
Petty Crime gangs tie to main villain?

Political/Racial issues?
- Saves a Muslim shopkeeper from Bigots?
- Homeless
- Corporate villain- is he rich or poor?

Story hooks?
- The struggle to do good in modern context? –( Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Spider-man) or similar (Bendis and Mark Bagley)
- Kid? (Don’t want to copy concept of “Kick Ass”)
- Teenager? (Don’t want to copy “Spider-man”)
- Army Reserve? Martial Arts?- Don’t want to rehash “Ninja” stuff like Millar (Daredevil, Wolverine) or Iron Fist or Shiang Chi
- Taekwon-do angle?
- Poor? Middle Class? Prison? Ex-prisoner? Or villain ex-prisoner?

What Abilities?
- Trainer Fighter? No Powers?
- Super Strength? Flight? Jump? New Powers? Laser vision? (nah, too Superman/Cyclopes)
- Super Solider-like powers?
- Origin?
o Freak Accident? (“The Hulk”, “Fantastic Four”, “Spider-man”)
o Chemical/Science? (“Captain America”)
o Mechanical? (“Iron Man”)
o Magic? (“Shazam!”)
o Alien (“Superman”, “Captain Marvel”)

Ideas- session 1:
- Write based on own experiences – Brisbane/Sydney
- Start in Action before telling origin? Or discovers origin?
- Trailer- Sitting in Centrelink office interview
o Being told off for not making designated job interviews (Stopping crime on the way)- Sounds too Peter Parker ish
Costume:
Someone with limited resources and time
- Beanie with holes/Ski mask? (look too bank robber-ish
- Pillow case mask? Cloth wrapped around head?
- Not Ninja looking- “Amazing Bag Man”
- No Black Jacket- Been done to Death…(Matrix, Punisher etc.)
- Surgical Mask/Dust Mask?
- T-Shirt/Black Turtle neck?
I really like sometimes how the Punisher is drawn with a T-shirt with logo. Or a zip up jacket with a logo (or something like “Ben Reilly Scarlet Spider”)

Is there a definite style of Outfit or do they all evolve over time? From Pillow case to mask/outfit? (not spandex looking)- more functional like Punisher or Ultimate Captain America.

Pillow case- Baseball Cap and Dust Mask-could be mistake for robber/bad guy?
Jumper hood and mask around mouth? Sunglasses/ski goggles/Paint ball mask? (Maybe would become too much like the same process that lead to the “New Goblin/Harry Osborn” character in “Spider-man 3” Film.)