C2E2 2016

Hello Internet!

This weekend is C2E2 (Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo) and I couldn't be more excited. C2E2 is one of my favorite conventions and always has interesting panels, creators, and exhibitors for new and old fans.

Taken from c2e2.com

Here are some things you must do if you go to C2E2 this year:

1. Support independent comic creators
2. Buy original art from artists
3. Buy comics and stories from writers
4. Party hard
5. Be safe

Taken from enmnetwork.com

I'm not tabling this year, but I will be walking around with a Pro Pass. Feel free to say hello and chat if you see me on the floor.

I look forward to seeing you all there!


Keep it wizard,

Kenny

Grand Rapids Comic Con - Independent Comics Panel on Saturday!

Independent Comics and Such

This Saturday I'll be on a panel with Andy Budnick, Jim Towe, and Matt Maldonado talking about creating independent comics and publishing them. We'll also talk about how we got into comics, collaboration, and will be answering any questions you have about our process or projects.

Here's the information on the panel:

12:45 to 1:45 pm

Andy Budnick, Jim Towe, Kenny Porter and Matt Maldonado, “Helpful Tips for Independent Publishing”: Learn tips and tricks for publishing your own works independently. Panel will discuss Kickstarters and digital releases to shopping your material around to small publishers.

So if you're curious about making your own comics come on over to our panel and we'll do our best to answer your questions!

Hope to see you tomorrow!

- Kenny

Bluster #1 - Project Update

Bluster Update

Andy Budnick and I are working hard to get the first issue of Bluster done and ready for digital release. While we do plan on doing some pitching with the story, the main goal is to put all four issues online for consumption on our own. After talking about the project we’ve decided we want complete creative control and would rather get the comic out there for people to read than wait for someone to pick it up.

Before we release the first issue we want to have a minimum of two issues in the can. That’s just because we don’t want any delays and want to make sure that, once the first issue comes out, we’ll be able to release one each month until it’s finished.

We’ve discussed a release schedule, and I’d expect a first issue somewhere in September or October based on my writing speed and Andy’s ability to crank out incredible pages. After the four issues are released we plan on doing a collected print version, which will more than likely be achieved through a Kickstarter.

Thank you to everyone for supporting the project so far! We’re excited to get it out there and into the world ASAP!

Writing Goals for the Summer

Things Are Happening...

This summer I've got a lot going on in terms of writing projects. I just started my internship at Cosmic Book News, where I'll be rebooting/restarting my "Alternative Comics Beat" column. If you missed it the first time around it's a place where I recommend comics you might not be reading if you only read the standard superhero fare. Even then, I still find some superhero gems that might have slipped out of your reach.

I've also got three comic book projects I'm currently working on. Bluster is the public project, the one I'm working on with Andy Budnick, but I've also got two secret projects going on right now. Once the scripts are done and there's artwork to show for it I'll gladly put it out there for the world to see.

On top of that I'm also slowly working on a novel. It's with a character that I've developed over the years, and admittedly is just a version of myself with black magic and a mean streak. But since the story is a personal one about the past and how people perceive you based on things that have happened to you, I think it's fitting to just openly admit that the character is heavily influenced on my life experiences.

What I've Been Pondering

I've been thinking a lot lately about self-publishing comics, especially with Bluster. Everyone who got a sneak preview of the comic at C2E2 this year really enjoyed what they saw, and it made me more excited than ever to produce creator-owned content. While I would love it if a bigger company picked up Bluster, I plan on releasing it first as a digital run and then collecting it in paperback or hardcover afterwards. There's something rewarding about doing everything yourself and being completely in control of the material, especially if you have a fan base. While we don't have one yet, the positive feedback we got tells me that Bluster is a story that people are going to be excited to read.

But For Now...

For now I just want to say that I hope anything I post on this blog inspires others to create. I don't care if it's comics, novels, music, web series, or even a blog or personal journal. Sharing and creating art, in any form, is best when someone connects with your message. So if you've got something to say, or an experience to share, don't hesitate. More than often someone else is looking to share that experience and can find it in your work.

Project Update: Bluster #1 - Cover

Our New Cover

This is our new cover for issue #1 of Bluster. I have to say that I'm very happy with the current version. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I do!

Project Update: The Dominoes #1

Hey everyone! I just thought I'd share these awesome pitch pages that I worked on with artist Jim Towe and colorist Jon Alderink.

The pitch is for a mini-series I developed with Jim called The Dominoes.

Here's some of the info on the project as well as a cover and pages 11 - 15 of the first script.

The Dominoes

“Life is strange, evil is stranger, don the mask, and face the danger!”

A 4-Issue Mini-Series by Kenny Porter and Jim Towe

Premise:

Roxy Shultz, a young college girl, wants a life outside of her mother’s shadow. But when a creature bent on ridding the world of free will attacks her city, Roxy is enlisted by a group of cosmic avengers called The Dominoes in order to save reality.

Main Characters:

Roxy Shultz: A community college student and aspiring painter, she’s conflicted about her future and is pressured by her mother to follow in her footsteps of academia. She just wants her freedom and to do something that matters.

Martha Shultz: A tough as nails English professor who wants her daughter Roxy to have a stable life, by force if necessary.

Slate: A demonic creature with a grin that can never frown. He’s determined to take away free will from the Earth, then the universe. He has a deep hatred for The Dominoes and a mysterious past.

The Dominoes

They’re a group of supernatural masked avengers that travel by dimensional gateways and fight threats to reality.

Strut: The current leader of the team. He’s more worried about others than himself and his ability allows him to take massive amounts of damage. His ability to lead is waning, and he’s worried their next fight could be their last.

Gavel: Strut’s right-hand woman and a hard brawler. She’s exceptionally strong, both in mind and body.

Gritty: The moral compass of the team, Gritty can see the truth in the universe and can read people’s auras.

If I had to compare the book to anything it'd be like a mix between Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a rock album with mod blended in there.

This scene picks up right as the main character, Roxy, first meets The Dominoes face-to-face when they confront Slate in a clothing store.

Cover

Page 11 of Issue #1

Page 12 of Issue #1

Page 13 of Issue #1

Page 14 of Issue #1

Page 15 of Issue #1

Hope you all enjoy the pages!

Project Update: BLUSTER #1

Things are coming along nicely with Bluster, the mini-series I'm putting together with artist Andy Budnick. The inks are coming back with a gorgeous finish, and I'm trying my hand at lettering. Once I get some sample lettered pages I'll post them here for the world to see.

We plan on pitching after the first five pages and the cover are finished. But Andy and I have solid plans to finish the whole series, even if it doesn't get picked up.

Why?

Because, as a writer or an artist, it's important to finish the things you start. I've written horrible novels and then tossed them in the dumpster afterwards, but I was proud that I finished them.

I'm happy to say this won't be one of those projects.

And so, sleepy and fueled by coffee, I carry on. I just hope college doesn't get in the way of making comics too much.

Biggby and MMPR are not official Kenny Porter sponsors

Birthday Artwork

This weekend I got some fantastic art from my friends Jim Towe and Leslie Gauthier for my birthday.

Gavel (The Dominoes) commenting on Craig Farmer's (Craig Farmer: Astronaut) career. - Jim Towe

Kenny Porter as an Olympic Figure Skater with Leslie.

 

In The Works -- Craig Farmer: Astronaut! OGN (Kenny Porter and Jim Towe)

This is a project I'm working on with Jim Towe, an artist from Grand Rapids, Michigan. It's about an astronaut who has essentially become a glorified space bully and wants to redefine himself as an explorer. But if he wants to explore space like the men and women before him then he'll stand against the military organization that sponsors him and a crazed space tyrant bent on taking Farmer's head as a trophy.

We're doing the story as an OGN at the 6 x 9 size.

Promo Images

In The Works -- Bluster (Comic Book Mini-Series by Kenny Porter and Andy Budnick)

Bluster

A while ago I posted about a comic book project that I'm doing with artist Andy Budnick called Bluster. It's about a family that takes in a super powered escaped convict. While the family is imprisoned by the choices that they've made in life, the escaped convict is escaping imprisonment from the hand he was dealt genetically.

Here are Andy's pencils so far:

Page 1

Page 2

Page 3

Page 4

Writing Comics with Ken Porter - Part 1: The Idea

The first installment of many!

The most dreaded question in any facet of the writing kingdom is “where do you get your ideas from?” For budding writers or creative types, it seems like a valid question. There wouldn’t be content if people didn’t have a means of finding ideas for stories, projects, or other endeavors. The truth is that generally creative people can’t turn it off. It just keeps happening. The best way I can describe how my process works is in two words – what if?

But it isn’t just the two words that contribute to my wondering imagination. I’m also heavily influenced by music. I walk the dog every morning and take lots of other walks just for fun. Each time I hit the pavement or trail I throw my headphones on and pick music that suits my mood. I’ve always been really into visual mediums, so music is also visual for me. What I mean by that is that while I’m listening to any song I default to picturing images to go along with it. Sometimes it’s a fake trailer for a movie. Other times I just let the images pour over me. To be honest, when I’m in a bit of a rut, I’ll listen to theme songs of cartoons and TV shows I liked as a kid (or now) and think about how I would reinterpret them. Aside from divine inspiration, this is how I usually milk the ideas out of my skull.

Once I have an idea for a comic book and have a story locked down I think about how long it should naturally be. Is it a one-shot, an original graphic novel, or a mini-series? It might sound strange to decide how long a story is going to be before you write it, but in comics you’re working in pages and limited space. For example, a lot of the Big Two (Marvel and DC) comics are just about 20 pages long. That means that every story told by writers at those companies have to be told in 20 pages or in parts of that increment. Independent series have a bit more leeway with the page count, but it’s still around 20 or 24 on average.

This doesn’t have to be set in stone. It usually changes after a day or two of outlining, but it’s good to know within a good margin how long a story is going to be before you start it. I guess at least for me it is. One thing about writing comics is that there is no set way to approach or script a story. It’s similar to screenwriting, but doesn’t have all of the rules and regulations. The concept of pacing is really important, so if a story seems like it’s going to be too condensed or too fluffy I’ll trim or expand where necessary.

When the idea is fleshed out I make a one-sheet that has all of the series information. This isn’t for anyone else to see but me. It’s just a guide so that I don’t forget.

Here’s an example.

Title: A Crazy Space Adventure

Genre: Science Fiction/Action/Thriller

Length: 4-Issues (20-Pages Each)

Synopsis:

Captain Space Guy and his crew struggle to solve a murder mystery before the killer can crash their ship into the sun.

Characters:

Captain Space Guy

This is where the description would go. Etc.

And that’s generally what I do first. I need to know what the story is and who the major players are. Then I usually write out a treatment, or complete story in paragraph form, of what happens in each issue below that information. That way I have a guide on how to pace the pages of the story later.

I’ll get more into how I decide to pace out pages in the second installment, but for now I hope this helps with anyone who uses Google to try and find information about comic book writing.

Comment with any questions you might have!

Ink Ribbon (One-Shot) Trailer

Hey there comic fans!

I just wanted to share the trailer for my one-shot comic Ink Ribbon, which was published by Visionary Comics. It's about an art thief on the verge of death after trying to pull the biggest job of his life. As he reflects on the events of the night, he finds out just who really is to blame for his failure.

Enjoy!




You can buy Ink Ribbon at these digital retailers:

DriveThru Comics

Graphicly

Comic Book Sample:

Frozen Warren - Short Comic Story

This was a short that was going to appear in an anthology for Visionary Comics Studios about a superhuman outbreak across the world. Each short story was going to show people gaining powers that they couldn't control. I decided to focus on a hospital where a man's daughter was sick before the incident and is missing out on treatment due to the chaos.

The anthology could still happen, but in the meantime I want to show off the incredible artwork by Kendall Goode, who will also have work in an upcoming project from the comic book series "The Pride."