Writing a Comic Book Memoir: Part 5 (Character Sketches)

Hello Comic Book and Writing Fans!

This update is all about the artwork. Gale Galligan was kind enough to give me the okay to share some of her concept art and character sketches for the memoir. Right now I'm just going to post the character sketches for my brother and me during the opening of the book.

Clearly I have some action figure skills I should put on my resume.

Gale is incredibly talented and I'm thrilled to be working with her. I'll be sharing layouts and more character sketches as they arrive.

The ultimate goal is to complete the first 10-page chapter, which can stand on its own as a short story about how spousal abuse affects the lives of everyone involved. From there we'll be pitching the story as a complete work and then going on to finish it ourselves regardless.

I'll make sure to keep everyone posted on Crowbar as we continue with the book.

Thanks for reading! And make sure to look for me on an upcoming episode of Interrupted, a podcast hosted by Marshall Dillon.

Talk to you soon!

- Kenny

Writing a Comic Book Memoir: Part 4 (Restructuring)

Hello Comic Fans!

It's been a few days since I've updated, but sometimes life finds a way to stop your blog. Sometimes its with hospital visits and helping family, sometimes its because someone created dinosaurs in a theme park by splicing frog DNA.

Well put Dr. Malcolm.
(You can find this on Etsy by sweetandlovely)

But I've still been writing and working on the memoir whether I've posted about it or not. Gale and I email frequently and talk about the project, as well as just check up on each other since we're both quality people. I'm going to say it a lot, but Gale is a fantastic collaborator.

Right now my challenge is breaking the second chapter. I have a general outline and a solid ending, I'm just discovering new recurring themes and elements in my true story that I didn't notice until now. It's like my life is a movie I've had on in the background a hundred times, but never sat down to actually watch and analyze the damn thing. Once you do you start noticing some pretty interesting stuff.

One recurring element in my life is prison or imprisonment. I'm kind of the black sheep of my immediate family, because I'm the only one that's never been incarcerated. But there's a period of my life that was very much like being in prison, and playing with that element in the story is going to be important.

At least I think it will be.

I'll be sharing some layouts and character sketches in the next post, as well as a more solid synopsis. I wanted Gale's permission before I started posting stuff, because this is her project just as much as it is mine.

I'm also willing to share script pages and talk about the writing process if anyone is interested. Just leave a comment with any questions you have and I'll make sure to answer them!

Thanks for reading and keep on writing!

- Kenny

"You Can't Go Home Again" - Kenny Porter & Jim Towe (One-Page Comic)

Here's a comic that Jim Towe and I did for The Prompt, a comic book challenge and experiment created by Nic J. Shaw.

The Prompt - Tumblr

The prompt was to create a single page story that revolved around the theme of coming home. I decided to take it into a Twilight Zone kind of direction.

I hope you enjoy it!

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.

Short Comic Book Stories - Back to Basics

I’ve made a promise to myself that I won’t start any more huge projects until Bluster, The Dominoes, and a new secret project are wrapped up. In that time I do want to work on my ability to write short comic book stories. It’s been a while since I wrote a short, but I remember how useful it was to learn to tell a full story in a quarter of the pages that standard comic books usually have.

The best part about writing is that you can choose your mentors. The even better part of choosing your mentors is that you never have to meet them. I’ve learned just as much from studying other people’s work as I have from talking to actual writers. In order to sharpen my short story skills (until I can take a Comics Experience course I’ve been dying to enroll in) I decided to pick up All-Star Future Shocks from 2000 AD.

All-Star Future Shocks from 2000 AD

Some of my favorite creators have shorts between these covers. Including Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Peter Milligan, and Frazer Irving.

I wanted to share this because it’s important to go back to basics and sharpen your skills for projects down the road. Making a mini-series or original graphic novel is fun, but there’s still room to dabble in short comic book stories or strips in order to experiment with narrative and characters.

A Big Thank You

I want to say a big thank you to everyone who supported Artifacts #33 being released last week. I'm just happy to have produced a comic that so many people enjoyed.

I promise more projects in the future, but for now enjoy your Wednesday pull lists!

Writing Improvements for Mr. Porter

I've been really lacking when it comes to writing up posts on this blog, but I do have a good reason for that. You see I've been putting my nose to the grindstone so much that I now only have a hole on the front of my face. I knew that I had the whole summer to write comic book scripts and pitches, but I didn't know I was going to spend the entire season doing exactly that.

I regret nothing!

Don't get me wrong, I go outside all the time. Between walking the dogs, going for runs, and taking strolls with my headphones on, I keep active. And a good book and a tall cup of iced coffee usually get me outside in the evenings.

The stories I've been working on are some of my best. Do I think that the things I've written in the past were bad? No, not at all. But I have seen an increase in creativity and skill from myself that I've never noticed before. Usually after a year or so I would notice a jump in my craft, but lately I've been jumping by leaps in bounds.

How can I tell without sounding like I'm giving myself fellatio?

That's a hard question (laughs like a schoolgirl at that pun), but I think I can answer it. The help that I've received from fellow writers and people in the comics industry has been phenomenal this year. The Comics Experience Workshop has been a huge help to me. The staff of Comics Experience, led by Andy Schmidt, is so knowledgeable and willing to push others to succeed that it should be criminal. Monthly challenges and critiquing other writer's scripts has kept me on my toes this year and I'm very thankful for it.

If you'd like to know more, here's a video for a bit of a visual appetizer:

Learn more about Comics Experience courses and the Creators Workshop community from Comics Experience on Vimeo.

If you're thinking about writing or drawing comics I can't recommend Comics Experience enough. They have classes for every aspect of the comic book industry and workshops each month that delve deeper into the creative and business sides of panels and gutters.

Instead of sitting around and asking yourself if you should create your own comics, why not just sign up and see if you like it?

Also, I want to point out that I'm not getting paid for this. This is pure opinion. Andy Schmidt has no idea that I'm writing this post.

So as I sip on this tall iced coffee before I go for my daily run, I want to remind everyone that they should always pursue what they love and surround themselves with others looking to succeed.

PORTER OUT!

*Drops invisible microphone*

A Good Day to Script

Today was going to be the day I got caught up on all the writing that I wanted to do. Sadly that wasn't the case. My best friend Brandon needed help moving and I was happy to oblige. The increased heat, humidity, and skill needed to guide a trailer on a truck (all Brandon by the way) really took a lot out of me. Maybe I'm just getting older, but I can't do as much things in a single day as I used to.

But against all odds I got scripting done today!

Currently starting Page Five of the script (yes, I use a MacBook, don't judge)

I'm currently writing the script for a proposed series with the very talented Andy Budnick (http://budnickart.blogspot.com/) who recently designed the poster for C3 (Cherry Capital Con) in Traverse City, Michigan.

Andy's Batman poster

The story I'm working on for him is a little more action-oriented than our usual stuff, but I think it'll be a grand experiment for both his art and my writing style.

I'm also going to be updating this site more regularly and plan to get a little bit more fancy with the overall design.

I'll also keep everyone posted on the status of my Top Cow project from the 2012 Talent Hunt!